Rep. Ballenger, Cass [R-NC-10]

Amendment sought to delete language which limits the types and amounts of medical evidence that each side may present in black lung benefit cases.

United States · United States Congress

An amendment numbered 1 printed in House Report 106-709 to provide that the exemption included in the bill not apply to: (1) negotiations between health professionals and heath plans relating to fees, payments, reimbursements, or other compensation arrangements; or (2) negotiations with a health plan that would allow health professionals to balance bill patients of a health plan. The exemption would also not apply to a health professional who had not submitted and received approval from the Secretary of HHS on a plan to reduce medical errors or to a health professional who engaged in boycotts of health plans.

United States · United States Congress

Amendment sought to delete language which permits a claimant, who is later found to be ineligible for black lung benefits, to keep the interim benefits received while the final determination is being made.

United States · United States Congress

Amendment sought to delete language which permits any claim for benefits filed after the enactment of the Black Lung Amendments of 1981 and which was denied, to be refiled under this Act without the right to retroactive benefits.

United States · United States Congress

Amendment in the nature of a substitute.

United States · United States Congress

An amendment to provide that the duty to bargain collectively shall not apply if a labor organization has as an officer or former officer any person who, within the previous 5 years, has been convicted of racketeering or bribery of any public official.

United States · United States Congress

An amendment to eliminate the provisions of the bill requiring employer-applicants for a National Service grants to consult with local unions which do the same or similar work as the program participants would do, and require the concurrence of labor unions representing the applicant's employees to ensure that prospective national service program participants will not displace existing employees.

United States · United States Congress

Safe and Effective Drug Act

United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2004

Safe and Effective Drug Act - Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, to develop a meta-analysis and report to Congress on the scientific data regarding the safety and health risks of smoking marijuana and the clinically-proven effectiveness of smoking marijuana for medicinal purposes. Requires the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to: (1) post such report on the Internet site of the Food and Drug Administration not later than 30 days after receipt; and (2) promptly disseminate such report to principal public health agencies of all States, and to public health associations, health care professionals, and other appropriate entities that advocate or recommend the smoking of marijuana by patients for medicinal purposes.

Expressing support for the work of the National Endowment for Democracy in Venezuela.

United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2004

Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) expresses its firm support for the efforts of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) to promote democracy around the world; (2) commends all Venezuelans who have peacefully exercised the political rights which are accorded to them under Venezuela's Constitution to resolve their differences by democratic means, and abhors all acts of political violence; (3) views charges filed against members of the Venezuelan civic organization known as Sumate of conspiring with NED to overthrow Venezuela's government as politically motivated; and (4) would welcome a decision by the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela not to prosecute Venezuelan citizens, including citizens associated with Sumate, for activities that were protected under the laws and Constitution of Venezuela when those activities were carried out.

Honoring the life of astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr.

United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004

Honors the life of astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr.

Commending the people and the Government of the Republic of Guatemala for progress toward peace, democratization, and political and economic liberalization, and expressing the hope and support of the House of Representatives for the continuation of this progress.

United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004

Commends the people and the Government of the Republic of Guatemala for progress toward peace, democratization, and political and economic liberalization. Expresses hope that this progress will continue to thrive and will become self-reinforcing. Encourages the United States to offer to assist Guatemala in its future challenges of reform, including initiatives against money laundering, to encourage democracy and economic prosperity. Supports enhancing mutually beneficial bilateral economic ties between the United States and Guatemala.

Armed Forces Voluntary Immunization and Heath Justice Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004

Armed Forces Voluntary Immunization and Health Justice Act of 2004 - Prohibits requiring a member of the Armed Forces to participate in either of the smallpox or anthrax vaccine immunization programs of the Department of Defense. Permits administering either vaccine to any such member without the informed consent of the member. Requires the correction of the records of servicemembers previously punished for refusing to take either vaccine. Requires the Secretary of Defense to assess the current threat of an anthrax or smallpox attack on members of the Armed Forces and report the results. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) carry out an ongoing assessment of the adverse health effects being reported by members and former members of the Armed Forces with respect to the smallpox and anthrax vaccines administered by the Department of Defense; and (2) prepare an estimate of the future cost to the Department of Veterans Affairs to treat those adverse health effects, if determined to be service-connected. Requires the President to establish a National Center for Military Deployment Health Research to coordinate and synthesize research efforts by Federal departments and agencies relating to the health effects of military deployments on members of the Armed Forces, including members of the reserve components.

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage.

United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004

Constitutional Amendment - Marriage Protection Amendment - Declares that marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Prohibits the Constitution or any State constitution from being construed to require that marital status or its legal incidents be conferred upon any union other than that of a man and a woman.

Expressing the sense of Congress with regard to providing humanitarian assistance to countries of the Caribbean devastated by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne.

United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2004

States that Congress: (1) commends the Caribbean governments for their efforts after the devastation caused by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne from August to September, 2004; (2) commends the efforts of the Caribbean-American community to provide relief to family and friends; (3) supports U.S. efforts to assist in coordinating international relief efforts, particularly in Grenada, Jamaica, Haiti, and the Bahamas; and (4) urges the international community to take all necessary steps to provide emergency relief and reconstruction efforts.

Calling on the United Nations Security Council to immediately consider and take appropriate action to respond to the growing threat that the ruling State Peace and Development Council in Burma poses to the Southeast Asia region and to the people of Burma.

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2004

Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United Nations Security Council should consider and take appropriate action to respond to the growing threat that the ruling State Peace and Development Council in Burma poses to the Southeast Asia region and to the people of Burma.

To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at United States Route 1 in Ridgeway, North Carolina, as the "Eva Holtzman Post Office".

United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004

Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at United States Route 1 in Ridgeway, North Carolina, as the "Eva Holtzman Post Office."

Higher Education Science and Technology Competitiveness Act

United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2004

Higher Education Science and Technology Competitiveness Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award grants for articulation agreements between institutions of higher education that specifies the acceptability of courses in transfer toward meeting specific degree requirements, especially in mathematics, science, engineering, and technology. Allows the use of grant funds to establish articulation agreements: (1) statewide, among public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education, to provide a seamless transition for the transfer of students through a common core curricula that reflects the workforce needs of private industry; and (2) within community colleges, between occupational competency or certification programs and associate degree programs, to increase the proportion of students who enroll to complete their associates degree. Allows such grants also to be used to: (1) collect data on transfers from two-year to four-year institutions, for monitoring purposes; (2) develop a statewide articulation guide in consultation with public colleges and universities to provide students with descriptions of articulation requirements; and (3) develop a plan for professional development of two-year college faculty.

NASA and JPL 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2004

NASA and JPL 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to mint and issue: (1) ten dollar gold coins; (2) five dollar gold coins; (3) one dollar silver coins; and (4) half-dollar silver coins emblematic of the 50 years of exemplary and unparalleled achievements of NASA and JPL. Directs each Federal agency and U.S. instrumentality that has in its possession any craft or any part of a craft that flew in space to: (1) retrieve any gold, silver, copper, and other precious metal that may be used in the production of any coins under this Act from such craft or part; and (2) deposit such metals with the Director of the United States Mint. Requires that all sales of coins minted under this Act include a surcharge of : (1) $75 per coin for the ten dollar coin; (2) $35 per coin for the five dollar coin; (3) $10 per coin for the one dollar coin; and (4) $3 for the half-dollar coin, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the NASA Family Assistance Fund for the purposes of providing financial assistance to the families of NASA personnel who die as a result of injuries suffered in the performance of their official duties.

Haiti Economic and Infrastructure Reconstruction Act

United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2004

Haiti Economic and Infrastructure Reconstruction Act - Authorizes the President to establish the Haiti Economic and Infrastructure Reconstruction Program under which recruited U.S. citizens will be deployed to Haiti to provide economic and infrastructure reconstruction and development assistance to the Government of Haiti. Requires: (1) the President to appoint an officer or employee of the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to serve as the Director of the Reconstruction Program; and (2) the Director to have expertise with Haiti, or with economic, educational, judicial, law enforcement, healthcare, or infrastructure reconstruction efforts in developing countries. Sets forth program provisions, including: (1) maximum recruitment of Haitian-Americans; and (2) maximum one-year deployment, with a maximum two-year additional stay. Authorizes the President to establish the Haiti Healthcare Assistance Program under which grants may be made to qualified nongovernmental organizations to establish infectious disease prevention programs in Haiti.

Employee Stock Ownership Plan Promotion and Improvement Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2004

Employee Stock Ownership Plan Promotion and Improvement Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) treat certain distributions by S corporations to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) as deductible dividends; (2) exempt deductions for ESOP dividends from corporate alternative minimum tax adjustments based on adjusted earnings and profits; (3) allow deferral of the recognition of gain for certain sales to ESOP's sponsored by any domestic corporation, including S corporations; (4) allow reinvestment of ESOP stock proceeds eligible for nonrecognition of gain in certain mutual funds; (5) modify certain ESOP stock ownership rules; and (6) allow early distributions from an ESOP for higher education expenses and first-time homebuyer purchases without penalty.

Condemning the attack on the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in July 1994 and expressing the concern of the United States regarding the continuing, decade-long delay in the resolution of this case.

United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2004

States that Congress: (1) reiterates its strongest condemnation of the 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina; (2) honors the victims of this heinous act and expresses its sympathy to the victims' relatives; (3) underscores U.S. concern regarding the case's continuing delay; (4) urges the Government of Argentina to continue to provide the resources necessary for its judicial system and intelligence agencies to investigate all areas of the AMIA case; (5) calls upon the international community to cooperate with the AMIA investigation; (6) encourages the President to direct U.S. law enforcement agencies to cooperate with the Government of Argentina to expand the investigation into this bombing and suspected terrorist support activities in the Tri-Border area of Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil; (7) encourages the President to direct the U.S. Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) to seek OAS support for the creation of a special task force of the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism to assist in the AMIA investigation, and urge OAS member countries to designate Hizballah as a terrorist organization; (8) stresses the need for international pressure on Iran and Syria to extradite for trial individuals and government officials accused of planning or perpetrating the AMIA attack; and (9) desires a relationship between the United States and Argentina which is built in part on mutual abhorrence of terrorism and commitments to peace, stability, and democracy in the Western Hemisphere.

Medicare Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner Services Coverage Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2004

Medicare Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner Services Coverage Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of authorized clinical pharmacist practitioner (CPP) services involving toxicology, therapeutics, clinical pharmacokinetics, pharmacoeconomics, and other life sciences for the direct care of patients, which would otherwise be covered if furnished by a physician, or as an incident to a physician's professional service. Requires such services to be performed under State law or regulation in a collaborative practice agreement. Requires Medicare beneficiaries to pay 20 percent coinsurance. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop, and report to Congress on, CPP fee schedules meeting specified requirements for services furnished by January 1, 2007. Requires CPP's to be reimbursed at 85 percent of applicable physicians' rates as of January 1, 2005, until such fee schedules are implemented.

OSHA and Employer Cooperation Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2004

OSHA and Employer Cooperation Act of 2004 - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to revise certain enforcement provisions. Sets periods of 30 workdays for: (1) issuing citations (currently with reasonable promptness or within a reasonable time); and (2) contesting citations (currently fifteen workdays). Prohibits the Secretary of Labor from: (1) assessing certain penalties in connection with the initial issuance of a citation, with the exception of willful violations, if the employer corrects the condition in violation and provides an abatement certification within 72 hours; (2) citing on multiemployer worksites any but the employer whose employees were exposed to a condition in violation; or (3) using other than serious citations as a basis for issuing subsequent, repeat, or willful citations. Requires inspectors, at closing conferences after completing inspections, to provide employers or their representatives with written statements providing specified information.

Declaring genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2004

States that Congress: (1) declares that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur, Sudan, are genocide; (2) reminds the international community, including the U.S. Government, of their international legal obligations, as affirmed in the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; (3) calls on the Bush Administration to lead an international effort to prevent genocide in Darfur; (4) urges the Bush Administration to consider multilateral or even unilateral intervention to prevent genocide should the United Nations Security Council fail to act; (5) demands that the Bush Administration impose targeted sanctions, including visa bans and the freezing of assets of the National Congress and affiliated business and individuals directly responsible for the atrocities in Darfur; and (6) calls on the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish a Darfur Resettlement, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Fund.