United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2005
Mortgage Insurance Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax deduction for mortgage insurance premiums. Reduces the amount of such deduction for taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes exeeding $100,000. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to require informational returns from any individual who receives payment of more than $600 in mortgage insurance premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2005
Expresses the the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should accelerate Iraqi security force training, and urge the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and other international organizations to take a more prominent training role; (2) the President and the Secretary of Defense should develop a comprehensive plan to deal with the problems that the U.S. military is experiencing because of high operational tempo in Iraq; and (3) the President should develop and explain to the people of the United States a strategy for success in Iraq which includes plans for quicker and more effective training of Iraqi army and police forces, and U.S. military withdrawal once Iraqi security forces are able to provide security on a self-sustaining basis.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2005
Establishes in the legislative branch the Independent Commission on the Investigation of Detainee Abuses to conduct a full, complete, independent, and impartial investigation of the abuses of detainees in connection with Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, or any operation within the Global War on Terrorism, including, but not limited to: (1) the extent of the abuses; (2) why the abuses occurred; and (3) who is responsible. Directs the Commission, in connection with the investigation, to assess, analyze, and evaluate relevant persons, policies, procedures, reports, and events. Authorizes the Commission to report interim findings, conclusions, and recommendations to Congress and the President. Requires a final report containing recommendations for corrective measures. Terminates the Commission 60 days after its final report.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2005
Pulmonary Hypertension Research Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of the Institute with respect to research on pulmonary hypertension and to coordinate the Director's activities with related activities of other national research institutes and National Institutes of Health (NIH) agencies. Requires the Director to make grants to, or enter into contracts with, public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of centers to conduct research and programs on pulmonary hypertension, including: (1) basic and clinical research into the cause, diagnosis, early detection, prevention, control, and treatment of the disease; (2) training programs for scientists and health professionals; (3) programs to provide information and continuing education to health professionals; and (4) programs for the dissemination of information to the public. Requires the Director to establish: (1) a data system for the collection, storage, analysis, retrieval, and dissemination of data derived from patient populations with pulmonary hypertension; and (2) an information clearinghouse to facilitate and enhance knowledge and understanding of pulmonary hypertension by health professionals, patients, industry, and the public.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2005
Dr. James Allen Disabled Veterans Equity Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay special disability compensation due to a veteran's loss of paired organs when the veteran has suffered impairment of vision compensable to a degree of ten percent or more (currently, blindness) in one eye as a result of a service-connected disability and impairment of vision (currently, blindness) in the other eye as a result of a non-service-connected disability not the result of the veteran's own willful misconduct.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2005
College Opportunity for All Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise and reauthorize requirements relating to: (1) Pell Grants and other student aid amounts and access to higher education for all students; (2) elimination of borrower origination fees; (3) allowance of refinancing of consolidation loans; (4) student loan forgiveness for certain public service employment; (5) termination of government payment of special allowances at excessive interest rates to lenders and holders of student loans; (6) simplification of the student aid process; (7) an initiative to enhance college graduation rates and accelerate time to degree; (8) reduction of guaranty agency payments; (9) teacher preparation and recruiting programs of TEACH grants and for teachers of mathematics, science, and languages; (10) TRIO, GEAR UP, LEAP outreach programs to disadvantaged students pursuing a postsecondary education; (11) postbaccalaureate opportunities at Hispanic-serving institutions; and (12) support and educational opportunities for students at historically Black colleges and universities and at other minority-serving institutions, including centers of excellence for teacher education.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2005
Teen Dating Violence Education Act of 2005 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide that authorized domestic violence education programs include state-specific information on the legal rights of teenage victims of dating violence.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2005
Save Biotechnology Innovative Research Act of 2005 or SABIR Act - Amends provisions of the Small Business Act relating to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (a program under which a portion of a Federal agency's research or research and development funds are reserved for award to small businesses) to require a small business, in order to be SBIR-eligible, to have no more than 500 employees and be one of the following; (1) at least 51 percent owned and controlled by individuals or eligible venture capital companies who are U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens; (2) not more than 49 percent owned and controlled by a single eligible venture capital company; (3) at least 51 percent owned and controlled by another business that is itself at least 51 percent owned and controlled by U.S. Citizens or permanent resident aliens; or (4) a joint venture in which each entity meets one of these ownership requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2005
Prostate Cancer Research and Prevention Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2006-FY2010 for: (1) the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states and local health departments to carry out preventive health measures related to prostate cancer; and (2) the Director of the National Cancer Institute to expand, intensify, and coordinate prostate cancer research activities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2005
Violence Against Women Act of 2005 - Amends the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994, VAWA of 2000 (VAWA-2000), the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (OCCSSA), the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), the Social Security Act (SSA), the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, the Safe Homes for Women Act of 1994, the United States Housing Act of 1937, the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, the Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 2000, and the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to reauthorize, revise, and establish various programs for prevention and treatment of violence against women, including domestic violence, child abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking (violence). Provides for specified VAWA judicial and law enforcement programs, including STOP grants, a stalker database, cyberstalking prevention, and dating violence prohibitions. Establishes VAWA grant programs: (1) by the Department of Justice (Justice) for assisting children and youth exposed to violence, and for engaging men, women, and youth in preventing violence; and (2) by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for services, education, protection, and justice for young victims of violence, and for research on effective interventions in the healthcare setting. Revises OCCSSA requirements for Justice grants for violence against women programs, and establishes programs for sexual assault services and for assistance for victims of abuse. Requires grants for public information campaigns relating to violence prevention. Requires a National Domestic Violence Hotline study. Revises and reauthorizes: (1) grants under the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 to reduce violence against women on campus; (2) safe havens for children under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. Reauthorizes PHSA rape prevention and education programs, including the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Establishes PHSA grants by HHS for: (1) training and education of health professionals in domestic and sexual violence; (2) fostering public health responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; and (3) identification and treatment services at community health centers. Revises SSA requirements for Federal health programs' response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Establishes VAWA grant programs to address the housing needs of victims of violence. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require: (1) public and Indian housing authority plans to report on programs offered to victims of violence; and (2) certification and confidentiality with respect to victims of violence in the low-income housing assistance voucher and public housing programs. Requires emergency leave, under VAWA, for employees experiencing domestic or sexual violence. Sets forth provisions relating to the safety of Indian women. Supporting Teens through Education and Protection Act of 2005 - STEP Act - Authorizes the Attorney General through the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (Justice) to make grants to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in middle and high schools. Immigrant Victims of Violence Protection Act of 2005 - Revises the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and the Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 2000 (under VAWA-2000) with respect to victims of violence, including victims of crimes of human trafficking, VAWA petitioners, and children.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2005
Supply Our Soldiers Act of 2005 - Directs the United States Postal Service (USPS) and the Secretary of Defense to provide a program under which postal benefits are made available for personal correspondence and other mail matter sent from within the United States by designated representatives (next-of-kin) to members of the Armed Forces who are: (1) serving on active duty abroad in support of military operations or against an enemy of the United States or other hostile force; or (2) hospitalized in a U.S. military facility as a result of disease or injury incurred during service overseas. Limits postal benefits to $150 per calendar quarter, and limits the size and weight of allowable parcels. Allows charitable organizations to apply for such benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2005
Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution - Calls upon the President: (1) to ensure that U.S. foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the U.S. record relating to the Armenian Genocide and the consequences of the failure to realize a just resolution; and (2) in the President's annual message commemorating the Armenian Genocide to characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide, and to recall the proud history of U.S. intervention in opposition to the Armenian Genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2005
Louis Braille Bicentennial--Braille Literacy Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Louis Braille, whose design: (1) on the obverse shall bear a representation of the image of Louis Braille; and (2) on the reverse shall emphasize Braille literacy and include the word for Braille in Braille code. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such coins only during 2009. Subjects all coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin. Requires all surcharges to be promptly paid by the Secretary to the the National Federation of the Blind to further its programs to promote Braille literacy.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2005
Teacher Excellence for All Children Act of 2005 - Revises and establishes programs relating to recruitment, preparation, distribution, and retention of public elementary and secondary school teachers and principals. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish: (1) teacher education assistance for college and higher education (TEACH ) grants for undergraduate and graduate students who agree to serve as teachers in high-need schools or fields; and (2) grants to recruit teachers with mathematics, science, or language majors. Extends the authorization of appropriations for HEA teacher quality enhancement grants for states and partnerships. Revises HEA student loan forgiveness requirements to: (1) extend permanently additional amounts for teachers in mathematics, science, or special education provided by the Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act of 2004; (2) increase other amounts, making reading specialists eligible for such forgiveness; and (3) apply forgiveness in annual increments rather than in a lump sum at end of service. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, to establish grant programs to improve teaching at high-need schools. Requires states to provide assurances of their reasonable progress toward equitable access to teacher quality as a condition of assistance under ESEA. Amends the Education Sciences Reform Act to direct the Statistics Commissioner to publish results of certain schools and staffing surveys. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exclude from gross income up to $15,000 for compensation of teachers and principals in certain high-need schools or teaching certain high-need subjects; and (2) increase to a maximum of $500 and make permanent the above-the-line deduction for certain expenses of elementary and secondary schoolteachers.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2005
Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins emblematic of the life and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln in commemoration of the bicentennial of his birth. Permits issuance of such coins only during 2009. Subjects the coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2005
FHA Manufactured Housing Loan Modernization Act of 2005 - Amends the National Housing Act with respect to Federal Housing Administration (FHA) housing loan insurance for manufactured homes (or lots for such homes) to: (1) exempt such loans from certain financial institution portfolio limits; (2) establish loan-to-value ratio and downpayment requirements; (3) provide that any such contract shall be conclusive evidence of an institution's insurance eligibility; (4) increase loan limits; (5) set forth borrower premium charges; and (6) direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish underwriting criteria that will ensure the manufactured housing program's financial soundness.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that cancer-related infertility is a serious quality of life issue for cancer patients. Urges the medical community to increase its efforts to ensure that discussions about the risk of infertility and fertility preservation options are an integral part of pretreatment planning and consent for treatment for all reproductive-age patients. Calls for the federal government, acting through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to: (1) encourage research to strengthen fertility preservation technologies; (2) consider ways to improve access to fertility preservation options; and (3) raise awareness about the fertility side effects and preservation options.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2005
Recognizes: (1) African descendants for their contributions to the economic, social, and cultural fabric of the countries in the Americas, particularly in Latin American and Caribbean societies; and (2) that as a result of their skin color and ancestry such descendants have experienced economic, social, and political injustices. Urges the President to encourage the remembrance of the achievements of African descendants in the Americas and a resolution of such injustices. Urges the United States and the international community to work to ensure that poverty is eradicated, universal education is achieved, quality healthcare is made available, environmental resources are provided, and equal access to justice is granted in Afro-descendant communities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Affordable Housing Tax Credit Enhancement Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase to $3.70 the per capita amount for determining the state housing credit ceiling; and (2) rename the low-income housing credit as the affordable housing credit.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Safe Housing Identity Exception for the Lives of Domestic Violence Victims Act - SHIELD Act - Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to prohibit disclosure of the personally identifying information of victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Great Ape Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the Great Ape Conservation Act to: (1) authorize the Secretary of the Interior to use amounts in the Great Ape Conservation Fund to provide emergency financial and technical assistance for great ape conservation needs in Aceh Province, Indonesia, arising from the tsunami of December 2004; (2) authorize the Secretary to approve projects to address the root causes of threats to great apes in range states; (3) require the Secretary to convene the panel of experts created under the Great Ape Conservation Act not later than 120 days after the enactment of this Act and quadrennially thereafter; (4) increase funding for administrative expenses; and (5) extend through FY2010 the authorization for appropriations to the Great Ape Conservation Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Hunger-Free Communities Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Congress is committed to achieving domestic hunger goals and ending hunger by 2015; (2) federal food and nutrition programs should receive adequate funding; and (3) the entitlement nature of the child and adult care food program, the food stamp program, the school breakfast and lunch programs, and the summer food service program should be preserved. Directs: (1) the American Communities Survey to collect and submit food security information to the Secretary of Agriculture; and (2) the Secretary to conduct an annual study of hunger in the United States and develop recommendations on reducing domestic hunger. Directs the Secretary to make: (1) hunger-free communities collaborative grants to eligible public food program service providers or nonprofit organizations; (2) hunger-free communities infrastructure grants to eligible emergency feeding organizations; and (3) hunger-free communities training and technical assistance grants to eligible national or regional nonprofit organizations. (States that such grants' federal share shall not exceed 80 %.) Sets forth grant priorities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Right to Fly Act - Amends the International Air Transportation Competition Act of 1979 to repeal the restriction to certain charter, commuter, and flights to contiguous states of air transportation for compensation or hire between Love Field, Texas, and one or more points outside the State of Texas.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2005
No More Tulias: Drug Law Enforcement Evidentiary Standards Improvement Act of 2005 - Prohibits a state from receiving for a fiscal year any drug control and system improvement (Byrne) grant funds under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, or any amount from any other law enforcement assistance program of the Department of Justice, unless the state does not fund any drug task forces for that fiscal year or the State has in effect laws that ensure that: (1) a person is not convicted of a drug offense unless the facts that a drug offense was committed and that the person committed that offense are supported by evidence other than the eyewitness testimony of a law enforcement officer (officer) or individuals acting on an officer's behalf; and (2) an officer does not participate in a drug task force unless that officer's honesty and integrity is evaluated and found to be at an appropriately high level. Provides for reallocation of sums not allocated by reason of this provision to states not so disqualified. Requires state recipients of funds to collect data for the last year funds were allocated regarding: (1) the racial distribution of charges made during that year; (2) the nature of the criminal law specified in the charges; and (3) the city or law enforcement jurisdiction in which the charge was made.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2005
Housing Preservation Matching Grant Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make matching grants to States (including the District of Columbia and U.S. commonwealths, territories, and possessions) for low-income housing preservation. Sets forth requirements for projects: (1) with Department of Housing and Urban Development-insured mortgages; (2) with section 8 assistance; or (3) purchased by the residents.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2005
Martin Luther King, Jr., Records Collection Act of 2005 - Directs the National Archives to commence establishment of a collection of records to be known as the "Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Records Collection" at the National Archives. Requires the Archivist of the United States to enter into an agreement with an entity outside the National Archives for the establishment of a secondary location for copies of such part of the Collection as considered appropriate. Instructs the National Archives to ensure the security of the records in the Collection that qualify for postponement of public disclosure pursuant to this Act. Sets forth provisions for the: (1) review, identification, transmission to the National Archives, and public disclosure of records related to the life and assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by Government offices; and (2) postponement of public disclosure of related records or particular information in such records. Establishes the Martin Luther King Records Review Board. Provides for the appointment of an Executive Director to such Board. Sets forth requirements for the review of all assassination and related records for public disclosure or postponement of public disclosure by the Review Board. Grants Presidential authority over such disclosure or postponement of executive branch related records or information, or of any information in a related record obtained or developed solely within the executive branch.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2005
Responsible Education About Life Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception, to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Expresses the sense of Congress that States are encouraged but not required to provide matching funds. Requires the Secretary to provide for a national evaluation of a representative sample of such programs for effectiveness in changing adolescent sexual behavior, including delaying sexual and high-risk activity, preventing pregnancy and disease (including HIV/AIDS), and increasing contraceptive knowledge. Requires States receiving such grants to provide for an individual evaluation of the State's program by an external, independent entity.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2005
Condemns bigotry, violence, and intolerance against any religious group, including persons of Islamic faith. Declares that the civil rights and liberties of all individuals should be protected. Recognizes that the Quran should be treated with dignity and respect. Calls upon local, state, and federal authorities to work to prevent bias-motivated crimes and acts against all individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2005
Recognizes the historical significance to the Nation, and supports the continued celebration, of Juneteenth Independence Day (June 19, 1865, the day Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved African Americans were free). Declares the sense of Congress that: (1) history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and solving the challenges of the future; and (2) the celebration of the end of slavery is an important and enriching part of the history and heritage of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2005
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2005 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after enactment of this Act; (2) $6.55 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day; and (3) $7.25 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 60th day. Makes federal minimum wage requirements applicable to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Sets forth a transition period during which a specified minimum wage there shall be gradually increased to equal the federal minimum wage.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2005
Amends the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 to postpone the 2005 round of defense base closures and realignments, as currently required under such Act, until the last of the following occurs: (1) the complete analysis, consideration, and implementation by the Secretary of Defense (Secretary) of the recommendations of the Commission on Review of Overseas Military Facility Structure of the United States; (2) the return from deployment in Iraq of substantially all major U.S. combat units and assets; (3) the receipt by the congressional defense committees of the report on the quadrennial defense review to be submitted by the Secretary in 2006; (4) the complete development and implementation by the Secretary and the Secretary of Homeland Security of the National Maritime Security Strategy; (5) the complete development and implementation by the Secretary of the Homeland Defense and Civil Support directive; and (6) the receipt by the defense committees of a report from the Secretary assessing military installation needs. States that, effective May 13, 2005, the list of recommendations for 2005 base closures and realignments submitted by the Secretary pursuant to such Act shall have no further force and effect.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2005
Commends orchestras for their artistic and educational contribution to U.S. communities. Congratulates the American Symphony Orchestra League on the occasion of its 60th national conference.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2005
Special Interest Lobbying and Ethics Accountability Act of 2005 - Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require: (1) quarterly instead of semiannual filing of lobbying disclosures reports; (2) electronic filing; (3) maintenance of certain lobbying disclosure information in an electronic data base, available to the public free of charge over the Internet; (4) identification of each executive official and Member of Congress with whom lobbying contacts are made; (5) disclosure by registered lobbyists of all past executive and congressional employment; and (6) disclosure of grassroots lobbying communications by paid lobbyists. Extends from one to two years the ban on lobbying contacts by former senior and very senior executive personnel, former Members of Congress, and officers and employees of the legislative branch with any officer or employee of the entity in which such person served before his or her tenure terminated. Requires public disclosure by Members of Congress of employment negotiations. Subjects to fines and penalties a Member of Congress or an employee of the House who wrongfully influences, on a partisan basis, an entity's employment decisions or practices. Amends the Code of Official Conduct in the House to prohibit favoritism. Requires certification that congressional travel meets certain conditions, and establishes civil fines for false certifications. Requires the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to develop and revise guidelines on reasonable expenses or expenditures for official government travel. Calls for reviews and semiannual reports by the Comptroller General on activities carried out by the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate under the Act, subject to congressional committee hearings. Increases the penalty for failure to comply with lobbying disclosure requirements. Requires appointment of a bipartisan ethics task force to make recommendations on: (1) strengthening ethics oversight and enforcement in the House; and (2) providing the resources necessary to accomplish this goal.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2005
College 529 Invest in Education Savings for Tomorrow Act of 2005 - Makes permanent the provisions relating to qualified tuition programs enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA).
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2005
Honor Our Fallen Prisoners of War Act - Requires the Secretary concerned to award the Purple Heart to members of the Armed Forces who die in captivity under circumstances not otherwise establishing eligibility for the Purple Heart. Makes this Act effective as to members of the Armed Forces who die on or after December 7, 1941, including those who die prior to enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Children's Access to Vision Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states for providing: (1) comprehensive eye examinations for children, with priority given to children under nine years old; (2) subsequent vision treatment or services to correct vision problems; and (3) educational materials to parents, teachers, and health care practitioners on recognizing signs of visual impairment in children. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop criteria to collect data related to vision assessment and the utilization of follow-up services; and (2) coordinate the grant program with appropriate federal and state child services programs. Requires states to annually submit to the Secretary a program evaluation.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Imposes a six-month moratorium on terminations of certain pension plans, instituted under specified provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), in cases in which reorganization of contributing sponsors is sought in bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Preserving Patient Access to Physicians Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to payment for physicians' services to: (1) eliminate the sustainable growth rate payment update system; and (2) establish in its place an update to the single conversion factor for 2006 of at least 2.7 percent, and a formula for an update to the single conversion factor for years beginning with 2007. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in calculating the formula for the single conversion factor, to establish an input price index and estimate annually a productivity adjustment factor.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants to public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of not more than eight centers to conduct multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research on environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer. Requires each such center to: (1) be known as a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Center of Excellence; (2) establish ongoing collaborations with community organizations; (3) be formed from a consortium of cooperating institutions; (4) be supported under this Act for a period of not more than five years with additional periods allowed after review and recommendation; and (5) use innovative approaches to study unexplored areas of the environment and breast cancer. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Panel to make recommendations for and to review grants awarded under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Children's Vision Improvement and Learning Readiness Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states for providing: (1) comprehensive eye examinations for children, with priority given to children under nine years old; (2) subsequent vision treatment or services to correct vision problems; and (3) educational materials to parents, teachers, and health care practitioners on recognizing signs of visual impairment in children. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop criteria to collect data related to vision assessment and the utilization of follow-up services; and (2) coordinate the grant program with appropriate federal and state child services programs. Requires states to annually submit to the Secretary a program evaluation.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Save Every Child Using Restraints Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations establishing a safety standard requiring school buses with a gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds, as the Secretary determines appropriate, to be equipped with three-point safety belts on all seats. Requires the Secretary to establish an elementary and secondary school traffic safety program, including education on the use and misuse of three-point safety belts on all school buses.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2005
Veterinary Workforce Expansion Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities to improve public health preparedness through increasing the number of veterinarians in the workforce. Defines "eligible entities" as accredited public or nonprofit schools of veterinary medicine, departments of comparative medicine, departments of veterinary science, schools of public health, or schools of medicine that offer training for veterinarians in a public health practice area. Requires the Secretary to give preference to applicants that demonstrate a comprehensive approach by involving more than one eligible entity. Allows grantees to use funds to: (1) pay the costs associated with construction, the acquisition of equipment, and other capital costs relating to the expansion of existing schools or departments; and (2) pay the capital costs associated with the expansion of academic programs that offer postgraduate training for veterinarians or concurrent training for veterinary students in specific areas of specialization
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
New GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century Act - Revises, expands, or provides new rights and benefits for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their dependents and survivors, including, among others: (1) an FY 2006 increase in funding for veterans' medical care; (2) a prohibition until the end of FY2006 on medication copayments and on the imposition of a health care system enrollment fee; (3) an extension until 2010 of Vietnam veterans' eligibility for readjustment counseling services; (4) the collection of data from pre- and post-deployment health assessments, and preventive maintenance post-deployment intervention; (5) the prevention, early detection, and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for returning troops; (6) a Department of Defense/Department of Veterans Affairs Council on Post-Deployment Mental Health; (7) survivors' and dependents' eligibility for family and bereavement counseling; (8) certain educational initiatives; (9) a National Steering Committee on PTSD Education and a PTSD public awareness program; (10) certain benefits and outreach services for disabled veterans; (11) an increase in survivors' dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC); (12) certain pay increases and bonuses for active-duty members; (13) an expansion of benefits under under both the active-duty and reserve Montgomery GI Bill programs; (14) employment assistance for homeless veterans; (15) expanded reserve member eligibility under the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense managed health care program); (16) certain recruitment and retention incentives for Selected Reserve members; and (17) certain pay matters with respect to Federal employees performing active-duty reserve service. Repeals the: (1) DIC offset from Survivor Benefit Plan surviving spouse annuities; (2) pay reduction and high school graduation requirement for participation in the Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance program; (3) delimiting date for entitlement to basic educational assistance under such program; (4) time limitation on the exclusion of combat zone compensation by reason of hospitalization; (5) tax cut (implemented in 2001) for high-income taxpayers; (6) scheduled termination of the phaseout of personal exemptions; and (6) scheduled phaseout of the overall limitation on itemized deductions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Student Bill of Rights - Directs the Secretary of Education to make annual determinations as to whether each state's public school system provides all its students with educational resources to succeed academically and in life. Requires such education to enable students to: (1) acquire knowledge and skills necessary for responsible citizenship; (2) meet challenging academic achievement standards; and (3) compete and succeed in a global economy. Requires each system to do so through: (1) providing specified fundamentals of educational opportunity to students at each public elementary and secondary school; (2) providing educational services in school districts that receive funds for disadvantaged students that are, taken as a whole, at least comparable to educational services provided in school districts not receiving such funds; and (3) complying with any final federal or state court order in any matter concerning the adequacy or equitableness of the system. Requires withholding of specified portions of its federal funding for administrative expenses if a system: (1) fails to meet a yearly interim goal; (2) does not remedy, after two school years, a failure to provide comparable educational services to schools that receive funds for disadvantaged children; or (3) does not comply with a court order. Allows students or parents aggrieved by violations of this Act to bring civil actions for enforcement in federal district courts. Directs the Commissioner of Education Statistics to study the effects of educational disparities on economic growth and on national defense.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Generate Retirement Ownership Through Long-Term Holding Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that no gain shall be recognized on the receipt of a capital gain dividend distributed by a regulated investment company if such dividend is automatically reinvested in additional shares of the company pursuant to a dividend reinvestment plan.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Healthcare Enhancement for Local Public Safety Retirees Act of 2005 or the HELPS Retirees Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow retired public safety officers to elect an annual exclusion from gross income up to $5,000 for distributions from governmental retirement plans for the payment of accident or health insurance or long-term care insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
Save America Comprehensive Immigration Act of 2005 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to provide increased protections and eligibility for family-sponsored immigrants. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to adjust the status of aliens who would otherwise be inadmissible (due to unlawful presence, document fraud, or other specified grounds of inadmissibility) if such aliens have been in the United States for at least five years and meet other requirements. Establishes the Task Force on Fraudulent Immigration Documents. Authorizes S (witness or informant) nonimmigrant status for aliens in possession of critical reliable information concerning commercial alien smuggling or trafficking in immigration documents. Requires petitioners for nonimmigrant labor to describe their efforts to recruit lawful permanent residents (LPRs) or U.S. citizens. Makes permanent an INA provision allowing adjustment of status of certain aliens for whom family-sponsored or employment-based applications or petitions were filed by a specified date. Lessens immigration consequences for minor criminal offenses. Eliminates retroactive changes in grounds of inadmissibility and removal. Increases the worldwide level of diversity immigrants. Authorizes adjustment of status for certain nationals or citizens of Haiti and Liberia. Eliminates mandatory detention in expedited removal proceedings. Amends the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 to: (1) waive document fraud as a ground of inadmissibility; and (2) address determinations with respect to children. Eliminates the one-year filing requirement for asylum applicants. Includes gender persecution within the particular social group category of persecution. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to eliminate a provision prohibiting restrictions on the communication of immigration status information by a government entity. Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Welfare Reform Act) to eliminate a provision requiring an alien's verification of eligibility for public benefits. Eliminates state authority under INA to carry out immigration functions. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to clarify eligibility for relief. Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 (VAWA) to apply that Act's deportation protections for transitional relief to all VAWA petitioners. Provides a range of immigration protections for abused aliens. Amends the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998, to provide access to legal services for such aliens. Amends the Welfare Reform Act to make such aliens eligible for certain public benefits. Authorizes the Attorney General to award trafficking-related law enforcement training grants to eligible entities.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
FamilyCare Act of 2005 - Renames the State Children's Health Insurance program (SCHIP) under title XXI of the Social Security Act (SSA) as the FamilyCare program. Provides for: (1) FamilyCare coverage of parents and pregnant women under Medicaid (SSA title XIX) as well as under new SSA title XXI; (2) optional FamilyCare coverage of parents of targeted low-income children; (3) automatic eligibility for FamilyCare coverage of children born to a parent on FamilyCare assistance; (4) optional coverage of legal immigrants and of children through age 20 under Medicaid and FamilyCare; (5) authorization of a State to use simplified procedures under Medicaid for families under Family care; (6) revision of the transitional medical assistance program; (7) limitations on specified conflicts of interests under Medicaid and FamilyCare; (8) a limitation on cost-sharing to 2.5 percent for families with income below 150 percent of the poverty level; and (9) increased Federal reimbursement for language services under Medicaid and FamilyCare. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on funding under SSA title XXI. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award demonstration grants to up to seven States (or other qualified entities) to conduct innovative programs designed to improve outreach to enroll homeless individuals and families and provide them services under specified programs for the homeless (including Medicaid and FamilyCare).
![Official portrait of Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_mo_5_cleaver_emanuel_200.jpg)