United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2005
The Fourteenth Dalai Lama Congressional Gold Medal Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro Tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, in recognition of his many contributions to peace and religious understanding.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2005
Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from issuing any final rule that would change the Department of Transportation's (DOT) interpretation of what constitutes "actual control" of an airline with respect to requirements prohibiting foreign interests from exercising actual control over all airline operations. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on the impact of DOT's proposed change of allowing foreign interests to control economic and competitive decisions while requiring U.S. citizens to control decisions concerning commitments to the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, transportation security, safety, and organizational documents. (Under current law, only an airline that qualifies as "a citizen of the United States" may provide service between U.S. cities or on international routes obtained by the United States through international agreements. Defines "a citizen of the United States" as an individual who is a citizen of the United States, a partnership each of whose partners is an individual who is a citizen of the United States, or a corporation or association in which at least 75% of the voting interest is owned or controlled by persons that are citizens of the United States).
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2005
Directs the Joint Committee on the Library to accept the donation of a bust depicting Sojourner Truth and display it in a suitable permanent location in the rotunda of the Capitol. Expresses the sense of Congress that the most suitable location for the placement of the bust is one adjacent to the statue known as the Portrait Monument.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2005
Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide that the update to the single conversion factor in the formula for payment of physicians' services for 2006 and 2007 shall not be less than 1.5%. Directs the Medicare Payment Assessment Commission (MEDPAC) to report to Congress on approaches to controlling aggregage spending for physician services in order to maximize efficiency and maintain beneficiary access to high-quality care under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Repeals Medicare cost containment provisions under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2005
Minority-Owned Venture Empowerment Act of 2005 - Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a program, to be known as the Pre-8(a) Program, to provide technical assistance to small businesses with respect to the receipt and performance of federal procurement contracts. Prohibits a participating small business from being awarded a contract under the Program which is awarded using procedures other than competitive procedures under section 8(a) of the Small Business Act (wherein the SBA provides for the performance of federal procurement contracts by small, disadvantaged, and minority-owned businesses). Limits to $750,000 the maximum net worth of a small business Program participant. Modifies the 8(a) program under the Small Business Act to require small businesses to complete the Pre-8(a) Program before participating in the 8(a) program. Limits to $100 million the aggregate value of contracts an 8(a) participant may enter into. Requires the Administrator, for the 8(a) program, to establish for each industry classification a maximum level of net worth for an economically disadvantaged individual, but prohibits establishing a net worth of less than $750,000. Makes some small businesses eligible for 8(a) participation in a contract using other than competitive procedures (restricted competition), under certain circumstances. Allows a contracting officer, under specified conditions, to utilize restricted competition in the award of federal procurement contracts for small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2005
Global Network for Avian Influenza Surveillance Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Influenza Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to offer to enter into a contract with one or more eligible organizations to establish a Global Network for Avian Influenza Surveillance (GNAIS). Requires the eligible organization to manage an international surveillance program under which federal GNAIS partners: (1) monitor and test for the presence or arrival of avian influenza and other significant avian pathogens; (2) use trained professionals to collect samples and other data; (3) use the GNAIS for conducting disease surveillance, field investigations, training and capacity-building activities, and research; and (4) transmit information related to global distribution and characteristics of avian influenza to the Secretary. Requires the Secretary, acting through the eligible organization, to: (1) use surveillance reports and other sources to identify and investigate local disease outbreaks of avian influenza; (2) develop a long-term baseline of regional data to identify when and where outbreaks might occur and paths of dispersal; (3) provide technical assistance for disease prevention and control programs; (4) provide analytical disease findings to the Influenza Branch of CDC and other federal GNAIS partners; and ( 5) manage, map, and make available on an Internet database all results and information gathered under this Act. Directs the Secretary to request accredited colleges of veterinary medicine and other GNAIS partners to train members of the GNAIS network to: (1) monitor important bird areas around the world; and (2) test for the presence or arrival of avian influenza and other significant avian pathogens of zoonotic concern.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2005
Urges: (1) the government of the Russian Federation to withdraw the proposed legislation that would restrict the establishment and activities of domestic and foreign nongovernmental organizations in the Russian Federation or to modify the legislation to ensure the unobstructed establishment and free and autonomous operations and activities of such organizations in accordance with the practices universally adopted by the Western democracies; and (2) in the event the proposed legislation is not withdrawn or sufficiently modified, the State Duma and the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly to amend the legislation to ensure such freedoms.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2005
Community Health Workers Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to promote positive health behaviors for women in target populations, especially racial and ethnic minority women in medically underserved communities. Permits such funds to be used to support community health workers to: (1) educate, guide, and provide outreach regarding health problems among women and especially among racial and ethnic minority women; (2) educate, guide, and provide experiential learning opportunities that target behavioral risk factors, including poor nutrition and tobacco use; (3) educate and guide regarding effective strategies to promote positive health behaviors within the family; (4) educate and provide outreach regarding enrollment in health insurance; (5) promote community wellness and awareness; and (6) educate and refer target populations to appropriate health care agencies and community based programs and organizations. Requires the Secretary to give priority to experienced applicants who propose to target geographic areas: (1) with a high percentage of uninsured or underinsured residents who are eligible for health insurance; (2) with a high percentage of families for whom English is not their primary language; and (3) that encompass the United States-Mexico border region. Requires the Secretary to: (1) encourage community health worker programs to collaborate with academic institutions; and (2) establish guidelines for assuring the quality of the training and supervision of community health workers under programs funded under this Act and for assuring the cost-effectiveness of such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2005
Medicare Prescription Drug Flexibility for Seniors Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) specify extended periods of initial enrollment for the Medicare prescription drug benefit without incurring a late enrollment penalty; (2) permit Medicare beneficiaries enrolled under prescription drug plans that change their formularies to enroll under other plans; and (3) apply a civil monetary penalty to employers who provide false statements with respect to offering Medicare creditable prescription drug coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2005
States that: (1) the deployment of U.S. forces in Iraq, by direction of Congress, is hereby terminated and the forces involved are to be redeployed at the earliest practicable date; (2) a quick-reaction U.S. force and an over-the-horizon presence of U.S. Marines shall be deployed in the region; and (3) the United States shall pursue security and stability in Iraq through diplomacy.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2005
Patient Safety Act of 2005 - Requires any provider under the Medicare program (title XVIII of the Social Security Act ), as a condition of continued participation in such program, to make publicly available information regarding nurse staffing and patient outcomes as specified by the Secretary. Requires the public availability of data regarding complaints filed with the state agency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or an accrediting agency, compliance with the standards of which have been deemed to demonstrate Medicare participation compliance, and data regarding investigations and findings as a result of those complaints and the findings of scheduled inspection visits. Requires the Secretary to provide for the auditing of such information for accuracy as a part of the process of determining whether a provider is eligible for continued participation in the Medicare program. Amends SSA title XVIII and XIX (Medicaid) to provide for public disclosure of accurate data on nursing facility staffing. Creates a staffing quality measure for consumers to compare nursing facilities. Prohibits adverse employment actions by Medicare providers against their employees for notifying the provider, or any federal or state agency or accreditation agency, of conditions which are dangerous or potentially dangerous to patients.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2005
Declares that Congress honors the trail-blazing life and pioneering accomplishments of Congressman Edward Roybal from California and expresses its condolences on his passing.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2005
Makes January 23, 2002, the effective date of the modification of treatment for retirement annuity purposes of part-time service performed before April 7, 1986, by certain health-care professionals of the Veterans Health Administration pursuant to the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Programs Enhancement Act of 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress respecting steps to be taken to address the investigation and prosecution of so-called "honor crimes," to provide refuge and rehabilitation for victimized women and their children, and to encourage public awareness and education of human rights and women's rights.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2005
Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend, and the United States Postal Service to issue, a commemorative postage stamp honoring the late Rosa Parks.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2005
Honors the historic role of Yitzhak Rabin for his distinguished service to the Israeli people and extends deepest sympathy and condolences to his family and the people of Israel on the tenth anniversary of his death. Reiterates continued support for the close ties and special relationship between the United States and Israel. Expresses admiration for Yitzhak Rabin's legacy and reaffirms the commitment to building a just and lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors. Condemns all acts of terrorism. Reaffirms the sacred principle that democratic leaders and governments must be changed only by the democratically-expressed will of the people.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2005
Plan B for Plan B Act of 2005 - Requires the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to approve or disapprove within 30 days the supplemental new drug application submitted by Women's Capital Corporation for Plan B (defined as .75 mg levonorgestrel tablets [commonly referred to as the morning-after pill]), as amended by a formal response to the Food and Drug Administration's non-approvable determination, that would switch the drug from prescription-only to nonprescription status for women 16 years or older. Deems the Commissioner as having approved the application if the deadline is not met and continues such approval unless the Commissioner publishes in the Federal Register a determination to approve or disapprove the application.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Hurricane Katrina Recovery, Reclamation. Restoration, Reconstruction and Reunion Act of 2005 - Hurricane Katrina Victim Restoration Fund of 2005 - Provides for the determination of eligibility for compensation for any individual (or relatives of a deceased individual) who sustained economic or noneconomic losses as a result of Hurricane Katrina so that the individual (or relatives) are restored as nearly as possible to their condition before Hurricane Katrina. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a Comprehensive Environmental Sampling and Toxicity Assessment Plan. Provides for federal and state government to notify hurricane survivors of health risks they may face upon returning to their domiciles. Provides for the offer of alternative land and/or housing as compensation to residents whose homes or businesses have been destroyed or terminally compromised. Revises the TANF Emergency Response and Recovery Act of 2005 to provide for reimbursement of states for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits provided under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act to families from other states affected by Hurricane Katrina. Sets forth requirements relating to emergency extended unemployment compensation. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program of emergency health coverage continuation relief. Sets forth housing and education requirements. Displaced Citizens Voter Protection Provisions of 2005 - Prescribes requirements for the protection of voting rights of Katrina evacuees. Prescribes requirements for: (1) regulatory relief for financial services; and (2) disaster loans and small business relief. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for: (1) a tax credit for an eligible homebuyer who purchases a principal residence in the Hurricane Katrina disaster area; (2) an increase in the housing credit dollar amount; and (3) tax-exempt bonds for qualified Gulf Coast recovery projects. Hurricane Katrina Bankruptcy Relief and Community Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the federal bankruptcy code to exempt victims of natural disasters, including small businesses, from certain requirements for debtors seeking relief. Directs the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a temporary flood insurance buy-in program. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should present, within six months, a plan to eradicate poverty in the United States by 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Expresses support for the goal and mission of America Recycles Day. Encourages all federal employees to participate in promoting the social, environmental, and economic benefits of recycling and buying recycled-content products.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2005
Internet Anti-Corruption and Free Speech Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to exclude from coverage by the Act as a public communication any communication over the Internet, except one placed on another person's website for a fee, or made by: (1) any national bank, corporation (other than a web log operator), or labor organization; (2) a state, district, or local committee of a political party; or (3) any political committee.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2005
Safe at Work Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit the Secretary of Labor from agreeing to provide any person with notice prior to commencing investigations or inspections under the Act. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report on child labor violations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2005
Honors the memory of, and identifies, 2,249 members of the Armed Forces who died in service to the United States in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom as of October 25, 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2005
Directs the Architect of the Capitol to enter into an agreement to obtain a statue of Rosa Parks and to place the statue in the Capitol in a suitable permanent location in National Statuary Hall.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2005
Requests the President to provide to the House of Representatives certain federal agency documents in his possession on the effects of climate change on the coastal regions of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that it should raise awareness about the importance of workplace safety for, and prevention of job-related violence against, social workers and case workers Encourages states and local agencies to adopt measures that would improve the safety of social service workers.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
Requests the President and directs the Secretary of State to provide to the House of Representatives: (1) all documents from 2003 pertaining to the taskforce organized by Andrew Card, consisting of Karl Rove, Karen Hughes, Mary Matalin, Nicholas E. Calio, James R. Wilkinson, Condoleezza Rice, Stephen Hadley and I. Lewis Libby, known as the White House Iraq Group; (2) all drafts of all white papers concerning Iraq's nuclear threat assembled in 2003 by the Group; and (3) all documents, including notes from meetings, memos, telephone and electronic mail records, logs and calendars, and records of internal discussions in the possession of the President or the Secretary relating to the Group.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2005
Pandemic Preparedness and Response Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the President to appoint a National Director of Pandemic Preparedness and Response to strengthen, expand, and coordinate domestic pandemic influenza preparedness activities. Establishes the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Policy Coordinating Committee to develop an Interagency Preparedness Plan. Requires states to have an approved state preparedness plan as a condition of receiving certain funds related to bioterrorism. Provides for the integration and coordination of public and private influenza surveillance activities. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) procure antivirals, developed vaccines, and essential medications for the Strategic National Stockpile; (2) develop a national system for tracking and distributing antiviral medications and vaccines; and (3) assist other counties in preparation for, and response to, pandemic influenza. Provides for the expansion and intensification of influenza research. Directs the Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine to study topics related to the pandemic influenza. Establishes the National Pandemic Influenza Economics Advisory Committee. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to expand and intensify efforts to prevent pandemic influenza. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) enter into contracts with manufacturers to produce additional necessary doses of the influenza vaccine; and (2) develop a national plan for responding to potential influenza vaccine shortages. Sets forth prohibitions against charging excessive prices during a public health emergency for, reporting false pricing information to the Secretary about, or employing a manipulative or deceptive device or contrivance in connection with the purchase or sale of, drugs, devices, or biologics for the prevention or treatment of influenza at wholesale.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
Gulf Coast Hurricanes Student and School Relief Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to: (1) impacted local educational agencies (LEAs) serving major disaster areas because of Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita (Gulf hurricanes) for immediate aid to restart public school operations; (2) receiving LEAs serving students who have relocated as a result of one of the Gulf hurricanes, for education and pupil services for such students; (3) receiving LEAs for assistance to public schools to provide special education and related services to such relocated children with disabilities; (4) eligible entities under the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program in areas served by impacted or receiving LEAs, for activities at such centers; and (5) impacted and receiving LEAs for school facilities construction, modernization, or repair.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
Pension Benefits Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code with respect to pension benefits of employees in defined benefit plans. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to apply Code provisions regarding continued accrual of benefits beyond normal retirement age under a defined benefit plan, which prohibit certain discrimination based on age, without regard to the portion of the preamble to a specified Treasury Decision which relates to allocation of interest adjustments through normal retirement age under a cash balance plan. Prohibits forced conversions of certain defined benefit plan participants to cash balance plans, and other such plans that are hybrids of defined benefit and defined contribution plans, by plan amendments which: (1) change the way the accrued benefits to participants or beneficiaries are expressed; and (2) reduce the rate of future benefit accrual of one or more participants. Requires employers, at the time such amendment takes effect, to provide employees who have attained 40 years of age or 10 years of service with certain notices and an election upon retirement to receive benefits as determined either under the plan in effect at time of retirement or under the plan in effect immediately before the plan amendment. Sets forth a formula to determine when a plan amendment adopted by a large (100 or more participants) defined benefit plan shall be treated as wearing away accrued benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
Medicare Cost Contract Extension and Refinement Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) extend the period reasonable cost reimbursement contracts under Medicare can remain in the market, and the period during which they can be modified to expand their service area; and (2) apply to extended or renewed reasonable cost contracts certain requirements under Medicare part C (Medicare Advantage).
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the annual inflation adjustment to the $10,000 earned income threshold amount used to determine the refundable portion of the child tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
Children's Gasoline Burn Prevention Act - Directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate final child-resistance product safety standards for closures on portable gasoline containers intended for use by consumers. Prescribes criteria for such standards.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2005
Recognizes the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, Nostra Aetate. Expresses support for the new collaborative relationship that has grown between Jews and Roman Catholics. Requests the President to: (1) issue a proclamation recognizing the 40th anniversary of the Nostra Aetate; and (2) exert U.S. leadership toward ensuring that anti-Semitism and all forms of religious and racial bigotry are not tolerated worldwide.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2005
Social Security COLA Protection Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to limit increases in the monthly Medicare premium, including the Medicare Advantage prescription drug program premium, to 25% of any Social Security cost of living increase.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2005
Responsibility in Drug Advertising Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit any person from conducting direct-to-consumer advertising of a prescription drug for three years after approval of such drug. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) waive such prohibition if such advertising will have an affirmative value to public health; or (2) extend such prohibition for subsequent years if the drug has significant adverse effects. Provides for civil penalties for violations relating to prescription drug advertisement or promotion. Allows the Secretary to require distribution of corrective information to notify the public and medical community of the violation. Allows the Secretary to: (1) require information to be included in the labeling of a drug if such information is necessary to ensure the safe and effective use of the drug; and (2) require the manufacturer of a drug to notify the public and the medical community of the labeling change. Deems a drug to be misbranded if such labeling or notification requirements are not met. Requires the Secretary to conduct an education campaign to increase public awareness of risks that may outweigh the benefits of using a particular drug, whether such risks are known at the time of the approval of the drug or become known later.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2005
Veterans Access to Health Care Act - Eliminates a $3 per round-trip deductible charged by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in connection with the veterans beneficiary travel program (a program authorizing a travel allowance or reimbursement for beneficiaries providing transportation for veterans to obtain medical care). Directs the Secretary, in determining the amount of such allowance or reimbursement, to use the House of Representatives mileage reimbursement rate.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2005
Corporate Patriot Enforcement Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat a foreign corporation that acquires a majority ownership interest in a U.S. corporation or partnership for tax avoidance purposes as a domestic corporation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2005
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) Hurricane Katrina and other such disasters should not be used to weaken, waive, or roll back federal public health, environmental, and environmental justice laws and regulations; (2) state, local, and regional authorities must retain their authority for compliance and permitting of industrial and other facilities and their role in monitoring and cleanup; (3) testing, monitoring, cleanup, and recovery in areas of national emergency should be completed in a manner designed to protect public health and the environment, ensure habitability, and mitigate against the effects of future storms and in compliance with Executive Order 12898 (requires federal actions to address environmental justice in minority and low-income populations); and (4) the federal rebuilding of the Gulf Region communities and economy should be a model of an integrated, diverse, and sustainable society.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2005
Disapproves further U.S. payments to the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan relating to the Karshi-Khanabad airbase facilities. Urges the President to direct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations to use U.S. influence in the U.N. Security Council to refer the situation of Uzbek President Islam Karimov and the May 2005 massacre at Andijan to the International Criminal Court.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2005
Federal Response to Energy Emergencies Act of 2005 - Declares unlawful: (1) unconscionable pricing of gasoline, oil, natural gas, and petroleum distillates during emergencies; (2) intentional reporting of false price information concerning wholesale prices of such products; and (3) market manipulation regarding the purchase or sale at wholesale of such products. Authorizes the President to declare a federal energy emergency upon finding that the national health, safety, welfare, or economic well-being is at risk because of an actual or imminent shortage of such products due to a disruption of the national distribution system, or significant pricing anomalies in national or regional energy markets for the products. Empowers the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and State Attorneys General to enforce this Act. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Requires fines and penalties collected under this Act to be deposited in a separate fund in the treasury to be known as the Consumer Relief Trust Fund to provide assistance under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Directs the FTC to facilitate price transparency in wholesale markets for the sale of crude oil and essential petroleum products. Instructs the FTC to transmit a confidential report to Congress on the potential impact on domestic prices of crude oil, residual fuel oil, and refined petroleum products that would result from the disruption for periods of one week, one year, and five years, respectively. Directs the Secretary of Energy and the Energy Information Administration to review and report to Congress on expenditures and activities undertaken by certain size companies to protect the energy supply system from terrorist attacks, international supply disruptions, and natural disasters, and ensure a stable and reasonably priced supply of such products to consumers in the United States. Requires such report to assess the companies' preparations for the forecasted period of more frequent and more intense hurricane activity in the Gulf of Mexico and other vulnerable coastal areas.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2005
Anti-Cronyism and Public Safety Act - Prohibits specified public safety positions from being held by any political appointee unless such individual: (1) has academic, management, and leadership credentials relevant to the position; (2) has a superior record of achievement in one or more areas relevant to the position; (3) has training and expertise in one or more areas relevant to the position; and (4) has not, within the prior two-year period, been a lobbyist for any entity or other client that is subject to the authority of the agency within which such individual would serve.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2005
Medicare Informed Choice Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) provide for an extended period of open enrollment during all of 2006 without late enrollment penalty; (2) give Medicare beneficiaries the opportunity to make a one-time change in prescription drug plan enrollment at any point in 2006; and (3) provide protection from loss of employment-based retiree health coverage upon enrollment for Medicare prescription drug benefit, including a Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug benefit, during 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2005
Hurricane Katrina Accountability and Contracting Reform Act - Establishes in the legislative branch the bipartisian Independent Commission to Prevent Fraud and Abuse in the Response to Hurricane Katrina to conduct a complete, independent, and impartial investigation of federal government contracting relative to Hurricane Katrina recovery, relief, and reconstruction, as well as allegations of price gouging or profiteering. Requires a federal agency head, within 14 days after the award of a Hurricane-related contract, to make publicly available, including by posting on the Internet in a searchable database, specified information with respect to the contract, including the name and address of the contractor and the contract's total amount. Requires federal agency heads to provide certain contract-related information to Congress, including copies of the contract and all modifications. Prohibits the federal government from entering into a Hurricane Katrina-related monopoly contract, with certain exceptions. Requires the federal government to use competition in the purchase of goods and services in excess of $100,000 pursuant to any Hurricane Katrina-related multiple award contract. Prohibits an agency from entering into a Hurricane Katrina-related contract for the performance of a function relating to contract oversight wtih any contractor with a conflict of interest. Prohibits an agency from entering into a Hurricane Katrina-related contract for the performance of inherently governmental functions for contract oversight. Revises the prohibition against a former official's acceptance of compensation from a contractor. Prevents former employees of private contractors who become federal government employees from awarding government contracts to their former employers for a period of five years after leaving the private contractor's employ . Subjects additional offenses to criminal penalties. Amends the Second Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to Meet Immediate Needs Arising from the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina to repeal the $250,000 micropurchase threshold (thus applying the regular $2,500 micropurchase threshold of federal procurement law).
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2005
Honors the life and work of Simon Wiesenthal to memorialize the victims of the Holocaust and bring the perpetrators of crimes against humanity to justice. Reaffirms Congress's commitment to fighting anti-Semitism and intolerance. Urges the international community to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of surviving Nazi war criminals and to continue documenting and collecting information on Nazi war crimes.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2005
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) a requirement that U.S. citizens obtain photo identification cards before being able to vote has not been shown to ensure ballot integrity and places an undue burden on the legitimate voting rights of citizens; (2) the Department of Justice should vigorously enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and challenge any state law that limits a citizen's ability to vote based on discriminatory photo identification requirements; and (3) any effort to impose national photo identification requirements for voting should be rejected.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2005
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 2005 - Provides for increased regular unemployment compensation payments or emergency extended unemployment compensation for certain individuals who held employment or resided in an area declared a disaster as a result of Hurricane Katrina in the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
![Official portrait of Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-37]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000399_200.jpg)