United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2006
Shoulder-Fired Missile Threat Reduction Act of 2006 - Defines "MANPADS" as: (1) a surface-to-air missile system designed to be man-portable and carried and fired by a single individual; or (2) any other surface-to-air missile system designed to be operated and fired by more than one individual acting as a crew and portable by several individuals. States that it is U.S. policy to assist foreign governments to secure, remove, or eliminate stocks of MANPADS and other conventional weapons that pose a proliferation, security, or humanitarian threat. Authorizes the Secretary of State to carry out an accelerated global program to secure, remove, or eliminate stocks of MANPADS and other conventional weapons that pose a proliferation, security, or humanitarian threat. States that it should be U.S. policy to hold foreign governments accountable for knowingly transferring MANPADS to state-sponsors of terrorism or terrorist organizations. Directs the President, upon a determination that a foreign government which has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism knowingly transfers MANPADS to a foreign government or a terrorist organization, to: (1) report such information to the appropriate congressional committees; and (2) impose specified foreign assistance and military assistance sanctions on the transferring government. Exempts humanitarian assistance from such prohibition. Authorizes a national security waiver. Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. government should pursue strengthened international diplomatic efforts to: (1) limit the availability and proliferation of MANPADS; and (2) exert diplomatic pressure to influence member country compliance with such efforts. Directs the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees respecting MANPADS and conventional weapons threat reduction.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
Stop Fraud in Iraq Act - Amends federal law regarding false claims against the U.S. government to include any false request, demand, or submission for Iraqi property or money in U.S. government control made between March 19, 2003, and the date all military action concludes. Waives the statute of limitations for civil actions against false claims for such assets, and any related hearing, if the action or hearing is commenced no later than one year after enactment of this Act. Requires the court to order that the proceeds of an action under this Act, or of a claim settlement, be returned to the owners of those assets, except for the portion awarded to any private person who brought the action. Prohibits the court from granting more than one extension of time during which the complaint may remain under seal (not to exceed six months).
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
Senior Independence Act of 2006 - Reauthorizes the Older Americans Act of 1965. Authorizes appropriations for FY2007-FY2011 for the Administration on Aging, the National Eldercare Locator Service, pension counseling and information programs, specified services under such Act, and older American community service employment-based training. Revises the definition of "information and assistance service" for purposes of such Act to include such a service to older individuals at risk for institutional placement. Adds as duties and functions of the Administration on Aging: (1) assisting service providers to inform certain older individuals of the eligibility requirements for specified benefits; and (2) assisting states to support the provision of disease prevention and health promotion services. Repeals the authorization for the Assistant Secretary for Aging to provide staff and assistance to the Federal Council on Aging. Requires the Assistant Secretary to assist entities that serve older individuals in integrated health promotion and disease prevention programs. Includes among state eligibility requirements for grants for programs on aging: (1) assuring that preference will be given to providing services to older individuals, including low-income minority individuals, individuals with limited English proficiency, and individuals living in rural areas; and (2) promoting the development of a comprehensive, coordinated system for providing long-term care in home and community-based settings. Requires area plans to: (1) provide that the area agency on aging shall facilitate the development and implementation of such system; and (2) determine the extent of need for services and senior centers by considering low-income minority older individuals, older individuals with limited English proficiency, older individuals residing in rural areas, and older individuals at risk for institutional placement. Authorizes area agencies to: (1) include in such plan an assessment of how prepared the area is for change in the number of older individuals; and (2) make recommendations to government officials on actions that build the area's capacity to meet needs of older individuals. States as the purpose of the nutrition projects grant program to promote socialization and the health and well-being of older individuals by assisting such individuals to gain access to disease prevention and health promotion services to delay the onset of health conditions resulting from poor nutritional health or sedentary behavior. Requires states to provide nutrition education, counseling, and services to recipients of meals delivered by state nutrition projects. Requires area agencies to encourage using trained volunteers for services and to coordinate with specified volunteer programs. Authorizes the Assistant Secretary to make grants to assess the aging population and facilitate planning and coordination between state and local agencies. Rewrites provisions concerning the older American community service employment program as the Older American Community Service Employment-Based Training Act. Repeals requirements for review and public comment on training projects. Requires the Secretary of Labor to use funds for demonstration, pilot, and evaluation projects for the purpose of developing approaches and demonstrating the effectiveness of methods in addressing older workers' employment and training needs. Requires a state's chief executive officer to submit a plan that outlines a strategy for the statewide provision of training and related activities (currently, the governor submits the plan). Includes among uses of state allotments for the prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation promotion of financial literacy to prevent identity theft and financial exploitation of older individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2006
Recognizes and honors the 30th Anniversary of the California victory at the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting and recognizes the historical significance of this event to the U.S. wine industry.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 - Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to revise requirements for: (1) the use of election examiners and observers; (2) declaratory judgment on the issue of voting qualifications or standards intended to diminish the ability of U.S. citizens to elect preferred candidates; and (3) award of attorney fees in enforcement proceedings to include expert fees and other reasonable costs of litigation. Extends bilingual election requirements through August 5, 2032. Revises the requirements for determining states and political subdivisions covered by them to require use of 2010 American Community Survey census data. Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with respect to the prohibition against the use of tests or devices to deny the right to vote in any federal, state, or local election. Extends both the prohibition and the date for mandatory congressional reconsideration of it.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Recognizes that African American spirituals are a poignant and powerful genre of music that have become one of the most significant segments of American music in existence. Requests that the President issue a proclamation that reflects on the important contribution of African American spirituals to American history and that names the African American spiritual as a national treasure.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2006
Oil Subsidy Elimination Act of 2006 - Requires oil companies with annual gross receipts of $1 billion or more and average daily crude oil production levels of at least 500,000 barrels (defined as large integrated oil companies) to revalue, according to a specified formula, their 2005 LIFO inventories of crude oil, natural gas, or other petroleum products. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny large integrated oil companies: (1) amortization of geological and geophysical expenditures; and (2) foreign tax credits for certain payments made to foreign countries. Repeals provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 relating to: (1) expensing of crude oil refinery property; (2) exemptions from limitations on oil depletion deductions for certain small crude oil refiners; and (3) amortization of geological and geophysical expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2006
Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to list permissible sources of dogs and cats used by research facilities to include dogs and cats obtained: (1) from a licensed dealer; (2) from a publicly owned and operated pound or shelter that meets specified requirements; (3) by donation from a person who bred and raised the dog or cat and owned it for not less than one year; or (4) from a research facility licensed by the Secretary of Agriculture. Sets forth additional monetary penalties for related violations. Revises provisions to prohibit federal facilities from purchasing or otherwise acquiring dogs or cats for exhibition purposes except from: (1) the operator of an auction that comports with legal requirements; or (2) a person holding a valid dealer or exhibitor license. Revises provisions to prohibit dealers from selling or otherwise providing a research facility with random source dogs or cats unless specified certification requirements are met.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2006
Health Centers Renewal Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2007-FY2011 for health centers to meet the health care needs of medically underserved populations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2006
Requires the Secretary of Commerce to develop and implement a coordinated research and recovery program for Klamath River Fall Chinook salmon and Klamath River Fall Coho salmon. Provides emergency disaster assistance to fishing communities, Indian tribes, businesses, holders of community development quotas, individuals, and other entities to mitigate economic losses caused by declining Klamath River Fall Chinook salmon. Excludes, for purposes of income taxation, such assistance from the gross income of an individual or entity.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Expanding American Homeownership Act of 2006 - Amends the National Housing Act to: (1) modify guidelines governing the maximum principal loan obligation; (2) extend the mortgage term; and (3) revise requirements for cash payment by the mortgagor in the eligibility criteria for mortgage insurance. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Secretary) to establish a mortgage insurance premium structure involving a single premium payment collected prior to the insurance of the mortgage that may vary during the mortgage term as long as the basis for determining the variable rate is established before the execution of the mortgage. Permits the Secretary to insure any mortgage covering a one-family unit in a condominium project if the project has a certain blanket mortgage insured by the Secretary. Revises requirements for the Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund. Sets limitations upon the Secretary's authority to enter into commitments for loan guarantees. Makes insurance of a Native Hawaiian or Indian reservation mortgage the obligation of the MMI Fund (instead of the General Insurance Fund). Eliminates the limitation placed upon the aggregate number of home equity conversion mortgages insured under the Act. Authorizes the Secretary to insure a home equity conversion mortgage when its primary purpose is to enable an elderly mortgagor to purchase a 1-to 4 family dwelling in which the mortgagor will occupy one of the units. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements to insure temporarily certain mortgages for a single family residence located within a presidentially declared major disaster area.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
National Ag Science Center Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to the Ag Science Center, Inc., in Stanislaus County, California, to cover a portion of the costs of establishing the National Ag Science Center. Limits the portion of such costs covered by grants made under this Act to 33% of the total costs to establish the Center.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Reverse the Raid on Student Aid Act of 2006 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to cut student loan interest rates to 3.4% for student borrowers and 4.25% for parent borrowers under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and William D. Ford Direct Loan programs for loans whose first disbursement is made on or after July 1, 2006. Maintains the current 6.8% interest rate, however, for unsubsidized Stafford loans for middle-income borrowers under such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
STEM Scholarship Database Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to establish and maintain, on the public website of the Department of Education, a database of information on public and private programs of financial assistance for the study of postsecondary and graduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Requires that such database: (1) provide separate information for each field of study; (2) be searchable by category and combinations of categories; (3) indicate programs targeted toward specific demographic groups; and (4) provide searchers with program sponsor contact information and hyperlinks.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Commission on Mexican-American Removal during 1929-1941 Act - Establishes the Commission on Mexican-American Removal during 1929-1941, which shall: (1) review the facts and circumstances surrounding the removal of certain U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents to Mexico, and such actions' impact on individuals, families, and the Mexican-American community in the United States; (2) review federal, state, and local removal directives; and (3) report to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Freedom of Choice Act - Declares that it is the policy of the United States that every woman has the fundamental right to choose to: (1) bear a child; (2) terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability; or (3) terminate a pregnancy after fetal viability when necessary to protect her life or her health. Prohibits a governmental entity from: (1) denying or interfering with a woman's right to exercise such choices; or (2) discriminating against the exercise of those rights in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information. Provides that such prohibition shall apply retroactively. Authorizes an individual aggrieved by a violation of this Act to obtain appropriate relief, including relief against a governmental entity, in a civil action.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that it: (1) recognizes the importance of preserving the constitutional right to vote of citizens displaced by Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters or states of emergency; and (2) asserts that every election in Louisiana must be fair, free, transparent, and satisfy the requirements of the Voting Rights Act. Encourages the state of Louisiana and the Department of Justice to establish satellite voting outside the state of Louisiana for the New Orleans elections scheduled for April 22, 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2006
Medicare Drug Formulary Protection Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit removal of covered part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) drugs from a prescription drug plan formulary, or imposition of a restriction or limitation on the coverage of such a drug, during the plan year: (1) except at the beginning; or (2) for an individual enrollee, from the date of enrollment until December 31 of the immediately succeeding plan year. Specifies exceptions to such prohibition. Requires an annual notice to enrollees of changes in formulary and other restrictions or limitations on coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2006
Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation to carry out a program of awarding grants to high-need local educational agencies to establish partnerships for access to laboratory science to improve laboratories and to provide instrumentation as part of a comprehensive program to enhance the quality of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology instruction at the secondary school level.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2006
Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act - Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to: (1) promulgate rules prohibiting persons from advertising with the intent to deceptively create the impression that such persons provide abortion services; and (2) enforce violations of such rules as unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2006
Declares that the House of Representatives has heard with profound sorrow of the death of Alfred Ernest Alquist. Honors, recognizes, and expresses gratitude for his distinguished service, career, and achievements to Santa Clara County, California, and to such state.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2006
Stop Tuberculosis (TB) Now Act of 2006 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require (currently, authorizes) the President to furnish assistance for tuberculosis (TB) prevention, treatment, and elimination. Gives priority to activities described in the Stop TB Strategy (as defined by this Act). Revises related fund use provisions. Authorizes the President, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to provide increased resources to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership to improve the capacity of countries with high TB rates and other affected countries to implement the Stop TB Strategy. Authorizes appropriations for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) TB activities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2006
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to repeal the amendments made by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 requiring documentation evidencing citizenship or nationality as a condition for receipt of medical assistance under the Medicaid program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2006
Supports the goals and ideals of Financial Literacy Month, including raising public awareness about the importance of financial education in the United States and the serious consequences that may result from a lack of understanding about personal finances.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2006
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the Department of Education's Additional Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy: Three-Part Test--part Three issued on March 17, 2005, violates the intent and spirit of the mandate of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to provide equal opportunities in athletics, changes prior Department of Education policies and long-standing title IX law, and should be withdrawn; and (2) the Department should honor its 2003 commitment to enforce the standards of long-standing title IX athletics policies, including the 1996 Clarification.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2006
Commends the Africa Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) in monitoring the N'Djamena Ceasefire Agreement in Darfur and its role in diminishing some acts of violence. Condemns: (1) the continued genocide against civilians in Darfur by the government of Sudan and government-sponsored militias; and (2) the continued violations by both parties to the Agreement. Calls on both parties to the Agreement to abide by its terms and engage in good-faith negotiations to end the Darfur conflict. Calls on the government of Sudan to: (1) withdraw all military aircraft from the region; and (2) cease support for the Janjaweed militia and rebels from Chad; and (3) disarm the Janjaweed militias. Calls on: (1) the African Union (AU) to work closely with the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to strengthen its capacity to deter violence and instability until a U.N. peacekeeping force is fully deployed in Darfur; and (2) NATO to extend its AU advisor mission. Calls on the U.N. Security Council to approve a trained and adequate Darfur peacekeeping mission. Urges the President to take steps to improve the security situation in Darfur, including by: (1) proposing that NATO implement an interim civilian protection force; and (2) requesting supplemental funding to support AMIS and a NATO mission in Darfur.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2006
Congressional Tribute to Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Act of 2006 - Authorizes The President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design, to Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, in recognition of his enduring contributions to the United States and the world.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2006
Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the National Cancer Institute, to establish special programs of research excellence in the area of pediatric cancers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a grant mechanism for the establishment of Research Fellowships in Pediatric Cancer to support adequate numbers of pediatric focused clinical and translational investigators. Requires the Director to award a grant for the operation of a population-based national childhood cancer database, the Childhood Cancer Research Network. Requires the Secretary to award grants to recognized childhood cancer professional and advocacy organizations to raise public awareness of currently available information, treatment, and research with intent to ensure access to best available therapies for pediatric cancers.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2006
National Nurse Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of the National Nurse within the Office of Public Health and Science to: (1) encourage individuals to enter the nursing profession; (2) encourage nurses to become educators in schools of nursing; and (3) promote the public health. Requires the National Nurse to: (1) designate four methods of achieving better health that will be given priority; and (2) make grants to nonprofit private entities to carry out projects for the purpose of educating the public on the annual health priorities.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2006
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) rename the low-income housing tax credit as the affordable housing credit; (2) revise the applicable percentage rates for the credit; (3) increase the credit for low-income buildings that are part of state-designated projects; (4) allow the credit for buildings eligible for moderate rehabilitation assistance under the U.S. Housing Act of 1937; (5) repeal certain repayment requirements for qualified mortgage revenue bond issues; (6) qualify displaced homemakers, single parents, and certain disaster victims for mortgage revenue bond-financed first-time home loans; (7) repeal rules requiring recapture of income from sales of low-income buildings that are reasonably expected to be operated on a low-income basis; (8) impose recapture reporting requirements on owners of qualified low-income buildings eligible for housing credits; (9) exempt affordable housing tax credit amounts from the alternative minimum tax; and (10) exempt interest on certain exempt private activity bonds, qualified mortgage revenue bonds, qualified veterans' mortgage bonds, and certain exempt facility bonds used for residential rental projects from the alternative minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2006
Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 to extend from March 31, 2006, through December 31, 2006, the authority of the Secretary of the Army to accept and expend funds contributed by non-federal public entities to expedite the processing of permits for water projects.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2006
Foreign Investment Security Improvement Act of 2006 - Directs the President (or the President's designee) to investigate, under the Defense Production Act of 1950, the acquisition by Dubai Ports World (DP World), an entity owned or controlled by the Emirate of Dubai, of the Peninsular and Oriental (P&O) Steam Navigation Company, a national of the United Kingdom. Requires such investigation to be completed within 45 days after enactment of this Act. Directs the President to suspend any decision, under provisions of the Defense Production Act of 1950 permitting the President to stop the acquisition because it will impair national security, with respect to such acquisition made before the completion of the investigation, including any decision made before enactment of this Act. Specifies requirements for the investigation. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide information for the investigation, including: (1) relevant information on DP World from the Automated Targeting System maintained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and (2) port assessments at foreign seaports where DP World operates. Requires the President to: (1) report to Congress within 15 days after completion of the investigation; and (2) provide certain Members of Congress a detailed briefing on the contents of the report. Requires the President to take action necessary to prohibit the acquisition if the President does not stop the acquisition under the provisions of the Defense Production Act of 1950 permitting the President to stop the acquisition because it will impair national security if a joint resolution of disapproval is enacted into law within 30 days after Congress receives a report from the President that an acquisition will not be stopped. Requires, if such acquisition has been already been completed, the President to direct the Attorney General to seek divestment or other appropriate relief in US district courts.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should not maintain a permanent military presence or military bases in Iraq; (2) the United States should not attempt to control the flow of Iraqi oil; and (3) U.S. Armed Forces should be redeployed from Iraq as soon as practicable after the completion of Iraq's constitution-making process or September 30, 2006, whichever occurs first.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2006
Disabled Veterans Adaptive Housing Improvement Act - Increases from: (1) $50,000 to $60,000 the maximum amount authorized to be provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to certain disabled veterans for the construction of specially adapted housing; and (2) $10,000 to $12,000 the maximum amount authorized for specially adapted features in a home. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to annually increase such amounts to reflect increases in the cost of residential home construction.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2006
Civil Rights Act of 1964 Commemorative Coin Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue, during 2014, no more than 350,000 one-dollar coins designed to be emblematic of the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its contribution to civil rights in America. Requires sales to include a $10 surcharge per coin, which shall be paid to the United Negro College Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2006
California Ocean and Coastal Protection Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit oil and gas preleasing, leasing, and related activities in areas of the Outer Continental Shelf located off the coast of California. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to exclude such areas from the waters of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf whose oil and natural gas resources the Secretary of Energy is required to inventory and analyze.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2006
Amends rule XXII (House and Senate Relations) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require a rule or order for the consideration of a conference report to contain an itemized list of any provisions in violation of the scope rule. Makes it out of order to consider a rule or order: (1) waiving the three-day layover availability requirement before consideration of a conference report; or (2) containing a serious violation of the scope rule, or additions or deletions made after final agreement. Requires that minority party managers of the House be allowed to fully participate in a conference. Permits consideration of a conference report only if a roll call vote, in open meeting, was held on its final version and the result included in the accompanying joint explanatory statement of managers. Amends rule XIII (Privileged Reports by the Committee on Rules) to prohibit call up of a report by the Committee on Rules within 24 hours of presentation to the House (currently, on the same day). Amends rule XX (Voting and Quorum Calls) to require the Speaker of the House to publish in the Congressional Record a log of all voting activity occurring after the first 30 minutes of any recorded vote whose maximum time for voting exceeds 30 minutes. Amends rule XXIII (Code of Official Conduct) to prohibit a Member from negotiating for future employment with any person who has a direct interest in legislation referred to any committee during this or the preceding Congress while that Member serves on that committee. Amends rule XV (Business in Order on Special Days) to prohibit consideration under suspension of any bill or joint resolution authorizing or appropriating more than $100 million. Requires the Speaker of the House to endeavor to allow an equal number of bills and resolutions sponsored by majority and minority party members under suspension during any session of Congress. Repeals rule XXVII (Statutory Limit on Public Debt). Amends Rule XIII to prohibit the Committee on Rules from reporting a rule or order unless at least one minority party member of the committee is allowed to offer an amendment to it. Provides that, following adoption of an order of business, the Speaker of the House may not entertain a unanimous consent request to modify such order unless its text has been available to Members for at least 24 hours.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2006
Federal Aviation Administration Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006 - Amends federal transportation law to revise certain federal aviation administration personnel management system requirements to prohibit the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from implementing any proposed change to the FAA personnel management system in cases where the services of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service do not lead to an agreement between the Administrator and FAA employees unless a bill is enacted into law by Congress that authorizes the change during the 60-day period beginning from the time Congress received the proposed change. (Current law does not require congressional action.) Requires the Administrator and FAA employee bargaining representatives to submit the proposed change to binding arbitration if Congress does not enact a bill into law within the 60-day period.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2006
Services To Prevent Veterans Homelessness Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide financial assistance to eligible entities (private nonprofit organizations or consumer cooperatives) to provide and coordinate the provision of various supportive services for very low-income veteran families occupying permanent housing. Requires: (1) equitable geographic distribution of such assistance; and (2) the Secretary to provide training and technical assistance to participating entities regarding the planning, development, and provision of such services.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2006
Royalty Relief for American Consumers Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to suspend relief from any federal requirement to pay royalty (thus requiring the payment of royalties to the federal government) for production of oil or natural gas from federal lands (including submerged lands) during any period in which average prices of either crude oil or natural gas exceed specified amounts. Instructs the Secretary to seek to renegotiate certain existing leases authorizing production of oil or natural gas on federal land to conform with this Act. Conditions eligibility for renewal of such leases or new leases for existing lessees upon compliance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2006
Relief for Working Family Victims of Hurricane Katrina Act of 2006 - Increases the refundable portion of the child tax credit in 2006 and 2007 for taxpayers who had a primary residence in the Hurricane Katrina disaster area on August 28, 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2006
Disabled Veterans Tax Fairness Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow members of the uniformed services whose retired pay in any taxable year is reduced due to an award of disability compensation by the Department of Veterans Affairs an extension of the three-year limitation period for filing tax refund claims until one year after the date of a disability determination. Limits the period for which such refund claims may be filed to taxable years beginning less than 15 years before the date of a disability determination.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2006
Ensuring Access to Contraceptives Act of 2006 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the President, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to furnish assistance to provide contraceptives in developing countries in order to prevent unintended pregnancies, abortions, and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. States that a nongovernmental organization shall not be subject to eligibility requirements relating to the use of non-U.S. government funds that are more restrictive than those that apply to a foreign government.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2006
Honors and praises the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on the occasion of its 97th anniversary for its work to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of all persons.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2006
Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 - States that it shall be U.S. policy to promote the emergence of a democratic Palestinian governing authority that denounces and combats terrorism, upholds human rights for all people, and has agreed to recognize Israel as an independent Jewish state. Amends the the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide assistance under such Act or any other provision of law to the Palestinian Authority (PA) only during a period for which a presidential certification has determined: (1) that no PA ministry, agency, or instrumentality is controlled by a foreign terrorist organization and no member of a foreign terrorist organization serves in a PA ministry, agency, or instrumentality; (2) that the PA has publicly acknowledged Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, and is adhering to all previous agreements and understandings with the government of the United States, the government of Israel, and the international community; and (3) that the PA has made demonstrable progress toward purging from its security services individuals with ties to terrorism, dismantling all terrorist infrastructure and cooperating with Israel's security services, halting anti-Israel incitement, and ensuring democracy and financial transparency. Directs the President to make and transmit such certifications to Congress every six months. Prohibits during a period in which a certification is is not in effect with respect to the PA.: (1) assistance to nongovernmental organizations for the West Bank and Gaza (exempts assistance for basic human health needs from such limitation.); (2) U.S. contributions to the United Nations intended for U.N. agencies providing assistance directly to the PA; (3) visa issuance to any PA official or affiliated person (with a case-by-case exemption for U.S. security needs); (4) travel outside of a 25-mile radius of the U.N. headquarters building for officials and representatives of the PA and of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) who are stationed at the United Nations in New York City; and (5) establishment of an office, headquarters, premises, or other facilities within U.S. jurisdiction at the direction of, or with funds provided by, the PA or the PLO. Requires the President to direct the executive director at each international financial institution to use U.S. influence to prohibit assistance to the PA during any such period. Directs the Secretary of State to audit and report respecting duplicative entities and functions of: (1) the United Nations Division for Palestinian Rights; (2) the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People; (3) the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority; (4) the NGO Network on the Question of Palestine; (5) the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories; and (6) any other entity the Secretary determines results in duplicative efforts or funding or fails to ensure balance in the approach to Israeli-Palestinian issues. Withholds specified U.S. contributions to the United Nations for such entities until the report's recommendations are implemented. Expresses the sense of Congress that during any such period the territory controlled by the PA should be deemed to be in use as a terrorist sanctuary for purposes of the Export Administration Act of 1979, and of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989. Prohibits funds to be used by any U.S. officer or employee to negotiate, attend official meetings, or have official contacts with members or official representatives of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, or any other Palestinian terrorist organization, until such organization: (1) recognizes Israel's right to exist; (2) renounces terrorism; (3) dismantles the terrorist infrastructure; and (4) recognizes all previous agreements and understandings between Israel and the PA.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2006
Medicare Prescription Drug Emergency Guarantee Act of 2006 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to assure uninterrupted access to medicines under the Medicare prescription drug program. Requires each prescription drug plan sponsor offering a prescription drug plan, and each Medicare Advantage organization offering an Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug Plan (MA-PD plan), to: (1) provide minimum standard transition coverage; (2) furnish each enrollee with annual notices of any changes in formulary or other restrictions or drug coverage limitations; and (3) require application of intermediate sanctions to protect against fraud and abuse. Amends SSA: (1) title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) to allow changes of enrollment in prescription drug plans and MA-PD plans to be made once each year outside the annual coordinated election period, or twice a year; and (2) title XIX (Medicaid) to prohibit conditioning Medicaid eligibility on enrollment in Medicare part D or any other creditable coverage. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to study and report to Congress on the extent to which full-benefit dual eligible individuals were enrolled (by assignment or otherwise) in the most appropriate part D prescription drug plans. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to reimburse covered third parties during 2006 for 100% of covered part D drugs which a prescription drug plan or MA-PD plan enrollee reasonably expected would have been covered but were not because the enrollee was unable to access on a timely basis prescription drug benefits to which he or she was entitled. Directs the Secretary to establish a process for recovering such reimbursed costs from prescription drug plans and MA-PD plans if they should have incurred them.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2006
Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2006 - Extends from one to two years the lobbying ban for former senior executive personnel, former Members of Congress, and legislative branch officers and employees. Denies floor privileges to any former Members and House officers if he or she is a registered lobbyist or agent of a foreign principal. Requires public disclosure by Members of Congress and senior congressional staff of employment negotiations. Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA) to revise requirements for lobbying disclosures reports. Amends the Rules of the House of Representatives to: (1) exclude gifts from lobbyists from the gift ban exceptions; and (2) prohibit privately funded travel by a Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee. Establishes the Office of Public Integrity within the Office of Inspector General of the House. Amends the LDA to increase the penalty for failure to comply with lobbying disclosure requirements. Requires certification that congressional travel meets certain conditions, subject to civil fines for false certifications. Establishes mandatory annual ethics training for House employees. Makes it out of order to consider any reconciliation legislation which has the net effect of reducing the surplus or increasing the deficit compared to the most recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate for any fiscal year. Limits recorded electronic votes to 20 minutes, except in certain circumstances. Makes requirements for earmarks in funding measures. Makes it out of order to consider a resolution providing for adjournment sine die unless, during at least 20 weeks of the session, a quorum call or recorded vote was taken on at least four of the weekdays (excluding legal public holidays). Makes it out of order, with certain exceptions, for the House to consider a bill or joint resolution until 24 hours, or in the case of legislation containing a district-oriented earmark or limited tax benefit, until three days after copies of such measure are available. Makes a motion to request or agree to a conference on a general appropriation bill in order only if the House expresses its disagreements with the Senate in the form of numbered amendments. Requires all provisions on which the two chambers disagree to be open to discussion at any meeting of a conference committee. Prescribes minimum requirements for political appointees holding public safety positions. Amends the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (OFPPA) to require an executive agency, after awarding a contract, to make specified information regarding it available to the public, including over the Internet in a searchable database. Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (FPASA) to prohibit awarding of a monopoly federal contract to a single contractor. Specifies conditions under which such contracts may be awarded. Amends the FPASA to require revision of the Federal Acquisition Regulation to require competition for certain multiple award contracts. Provides for suspension and debarment of unethical contractors. Amends the federal criminal code to impose fines and penalties on cheating taxpayers and wartime fraud. Revises requirements and prohibitions regarding contractor conflicts of interest. Requires disclosure of certain government contractor overcharges. Subjects individuals to penalties for improper sole-source contracting procedures. Prescribes disclosure requirements for organizations established to raise funds for creating, maintaining, expanding, or conducting activities at a former or existing presidential archival depository or its facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2006
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act with respect to required state reimbursements to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for federal assumption of Medicaid prescription drug costs for dual-eligible individuals (Medicaid clawback). Requires an offset from the Medicaid clawback for state prescription drug expenditures for covered part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) drugs for part D eligible individuals who are: (1) entitled to benefits under the state plan (whether as full-benefit dual eligible individuals, qualified Medicare beneficiaries, or otherwise); and (2) enrolled in a part D plan but unable to access on a timely basis benefits to which they were entitled. Requires the Secretary to provide for recovery of payment reductions owing to such offset from those part D or Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans that would otherwise be responsible for the expenditures made by the states.
![Official portrait of Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-7]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001163_200.jpg)