United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2005
Innocent Check Depositor Protection Act - Amends the Expedited Funds Availability Act to provide that, in the case of a check drawn on an account at an originating institution which is dishonored by that institution due to lack of sufficient funds, a receiving depository institution may not impose any fee on the depositor, in connection with such check, due to such dishonorment. States that this Act shall not be construed as affecting any intervening depository institution or the costs of services it provides.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2005
Abusive Tax Shelter Shutdown and Taxpayer Accountability Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise or add provisions relating to tax shelter activity, including provisions to: (1) define "economic substance" for purposes of evaluating tax shelter transactions; (2) increase penalties for large entities and high net-worth individuals for failure to disclose certain tax shelter transactions; (3) impose penalties for understatements of tax due to transactions lacking economic substance; (4) deny material tax advisors a claim of privilege as to the identity of a client; (5) revise standards for the penalty for understatement of tax liability by income tax return preparers and increase the penalties for such understatements; (6) revise and increase the penalties for frivolous tax submissions; (7) deny a tax deduction for interest on underpayments of tax due to nondisclosed reportable transactions and transactions lacking economic substance; (8) expand the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to disallow certain tax benefits arising from the acquisition of corporate stock; (9) modify certain passive loss rules for controlled foreign corporations; and (10) provide a rule for the reduction in basis of corporate stock for which certain extraordinary dividends are received.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2005
Haitian Compassion Act - Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti as a country whose qualifying nationals may be eligible for temporary protected status. Provides for: (1) an initial 18-month designation period; and (2) authorization for temporary travel abroad.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2005
Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to deny an application for a new animal drug that is a critical antimicrobial animal drug unless the applicant demonstrates that there is a reasonably certainty of no harm to human health due to the development of antimicrobial resistance attributable to the nontherapeutic use of the drug. Defines "critical antimicrobial animal drug" as a drug intended for use in food-producing animals that contains specified antibiotics or other drugs used in humans to treat or prevent disease or infection caused by microorganisms. Requires the Secretary to withdraw approval of a nontherapeutic use of such drugs in food-producing animals two years after the date of enactment of this Act unless certain safety requirements are met. Requires the manufacturer of such a drug or an animal feed for food-producing animals containing such a drug to report sales information to the Secretary.
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 · 23 May 2005
Tick Borne-Disorders Advisory Committee Act of 2005 - Establishes the Tick-Borne Disorders Advisory Committee in the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Directs the Committee to advise the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary for Health regarding how to: (1) assure interagency coordination and communication in efforts to address tick-borne disorders; (2) identify opportunities to coordinate efforts with other federal agencies and private organizations; and (3) develop informed responses to constituency groups regarding HHS efforts and progress. Authorizes appropriations for FY2006-FY2007 to fund the Committee in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY2006-FY2010 for: (1) research and educational activities concerning Lyme disease and other tick-borne disorders; and (2) efforts to prevent such illnesses. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary should consider carrying out a five-year plan to: (1) develop a diagnostic test for Lyme disease and other tick-borne disorders for use in clinical testing; (2) determine the prevalence of such illnesses in the United States; and (3) develop the capabilities at HHS to design and implement improved strategies for the prevention and control of such illnesses.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2005
Combating Autism Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish: (1) a program to provide information and education on autism and its risk factors to health professionals and the general public; and (2) the Autism Coordinating Committee to coordinate autism related activities within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to award grants or cooperative agreements to develop statewide autism screening, diagnosis, and intervention programs and systems. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants or cooperative agreements to provide technical assistance to state agencies to conduct applied autism research.
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
Expresses the sense of the House that the President should: (1) mobilize necessary economic and scientific support for the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise (an alliance of the world's leading scientists and independent organizations committed to accelerating the development of an HIV vaccine by enhancing coordination, information sharing, and collaboration globally); and (2) urge members of the Group of Eight (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) to garner support from their own communities for the development of an HIV vaccine. Calls for such countries to: (1) take further measures to explore and implement Enterprise initiatives; (2) leverage financial contributions from the international philanthropic community to provide funding to promote the development of an HIV vaccine; (3) include the scientific and political leadership of the countries most affected by the pandemic of HIV and AIDS; and (4) develop a plan for furthering such efforts prior to their June 2005 meeting. Urges the President to generate global support for the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise by carrying out an initiative that: (1) coordinates and partners with member countries, the private sector, and other countries; (2) encourages Group of Eight countries to act swiftly to mobilize resources; (3) includes a strategic plan to prioritize challenges to the development of an HIV vaccine, to coordinate research and product development, and to encourage greater use of information-sharing networks and technologies; (4) encourages the establishment of coordinated global HIV vaccine development centers; and (5) increases cooperation and communication among regulatory agencies on issues related to AIDS and HIV.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2005
Depleted Uranium Munitions Study Act - Requires the Director of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to study and report jointly to Congress on: (1) the health effects of exposure to depleted uranium munitions upon veterans and their children born after such exposure; and (2) a public health assessment of persons thought to have an epidemiological link to any U.S. military installation or production facility at which depleted uranium munitions have either been, or currently are being, used or produced. Instructs the Secretary of Defense to provide to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency a list of all sites in the United States where depleted uranium munitions have been used or produced, and a site-specific map of each site. Directs the Administrator to report to the Secretary and to certain congressional committees on the results of a comprehensive environmental evaluation of possible contamination of the soil, air, water, and vegetation by depleted uranium at the listed sites. Requires the Secretary to develop and implement a plan for the mitigation and cleanup of depleted uranium at the pertinent sites.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2005
Child Support Reinvestment Act of 2005 - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act with respect to the administrative penalty incurred by a state for failure of its plan for child and spousal support to have in effect an automated data processing and information retrieval system meeting all federal requirements. Modifies the formula for calculation of the child support automation penalty to provide for specified reductions of the penalty for a state making a good faith effort to comply with a corrective compliance plan by making increased expenditures under (reinvesting in) the general state child and spousal support plan by the equivalent of the original, unreduced penalty amount.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2005
Welcomes recent attempts by the U.N. Secretary General to address the issue of anti-Semitism, and calls on the United Nations to condemn anti-Semitic statements in its meetings and hold member states accountable for such statements. Urges the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to develop and implement Holocaust education programs as part of an effort against anti-Semitism and racial, religious, and ethnic intolerance. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should direct the Secretary of State to: (1) include in the Department of State's annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and annual Report on International Religious Freedom information on activities at the United Nations and its constituent bodies relating to anti-Semitism by each of the countries included in these reports; and (2) use projects funded through the Middle East Partnership Initiative and U.S. overseas broadcasts to educate Arab and Muslim countries about anti-Semitism, religious intolerance, and incitement to violence.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2005
Welcomes the opportunity for the Republic of Albania to take the next steps in European and Euro-Atlantic integration by holding July 2005 parliamentary elections that meet the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) election standards. Supports commitments by Albanian political parties to adhere to campaign and election laws. Supports U.S. assistance to help the people of Albania establish a democratic system and a free market economy. Encourages the President to communicate to the government of Albania, to all Albanian political parties and candidates, and to the people of Albania the importance attached by the U.S. government to this parliamentary election in determining the future U.S.-Albanian relationship.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2005
Troops Phone Home Free Extension Act - Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004, as amended by the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005, respecting the Department of Defense (DOD) telecommunications benefit program to: (1) expand coverage from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom to any contingency operation (including Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom); (2) revise the deadline from September 30, 2006, through the date that is 60 days after the date on which the Secretary of Defense determines that a contingency operation has ended; and (3) include members of the Armed Forces who are hospitalized as a result of wounds or other injuries incurred while serving in direct support of a contingency operation. Defines "contingency operation."
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 · 16 May 2005
Condemns the vote by the British Association of University Teachers (BAUT) on April 22, 2005, to boycott Bar-Ilan University and Haifa University. Calls on BAUT to overturn this vote at its hearing on May 26, 2005. Denounces BAUT's call for professors from these universities to take loyalty oaths disavowing the Israeli Government. Urges governments and educators throughout the world to generate dialogue regarding their differences and not bar students and professors from engaging with and learning from each other.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2005
Welcomes the first democratically-elected President of Afghanistan, His Excellency Hamid Karzai, as an honored guest and friend upon his May 2005 visit to the United States. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a democratic and prosperous Afghanistan is a vital U.S. security interest; and (2) a strategic partnership between the United States and Afghanistan should continue to be a primary objective of both countries.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act - Requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to carry out a recovery program for southern sea otter populations along the coast of California. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop a Southern Sea Otter Health Assessment Plan; (2) collect and analyze tissue samples from southern sea otters; and (3) submit the tissue to the Secretary of Commerce for inclusion in the National Marine Mammal Tissue Bank to allow for managed access to such tissues by other researchers. Requires the Secretary to: (1) award competitive grants to support research regarding southern sea otters; and (2) establish the Southern Sea Otter Recovery Implementation Team to make recommendations on overall implementation of the southern sea otter recovery program and research goals and review the recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Subcommittee. Requires the Team to establish the Subcommittee to evaluate the scientific merit and quality of southern sea otter research proposals submitted for funding and make funding recommendations.
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 · 11 May 2005
Indentured Servitude Abolition Act of 2005 - Requires foreign labor contractors (recruiters) and employers to inform foreign workers accurately of specified terms and conditions of their employment at the time they are recruited. Requires such information to be provided in written form in English or, as necessary and reasonable, in the language of the worker being recruited. Prohibits charging fees to workers for recruitment. Requires employers to pay such a worker's transportation costs, including subsistence costs during the period of travel: (1) from the place of recruitment to the place of employment; and (2) from the place of employment to the worker's place of permanent residence. Prohibits discrimination in employment by an employer or a recruiter against an individual because of race, color, creed, sex, national origin, religion, age, or disability. Requires employers to notify the Secretary of Labor of the identity of: (1) any recruiter involved in any foreign labor contractor activity for or on behalf of the employer; and (2) any such recruiter whose activities do not comply with this Act. Subjects employers to the civil remedies of this Act for violations committed by such recruiters to the same extent as if the employers had committed the violations. Prescribes civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Recognizes Miguel Contreras: (1) on the occasion of his death, for his tireless work on behalf of immigrants and working people, and extends condolences to his family; and (2) as a role model.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) Syria should complete its withdrawal of all remaining intelligence and security forces from Lebanon in accordance with United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1559; (2) Lebanon should hold free elections in May 2005; and (3) the United States should aid the Lebanese people to restore the rule of law. States that it should be U.S. policy to: (1) support free elections in Lebanon by encouraging international election assistance; (2) urge the development of democratic institutions to foster sovereign democratic rule in Lebanon; and (3) call for the immediate release of all political prisoners and detainees held in Lebanese and Syrian prisons.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Recognizes the independence of the State of Israel as a significant event in providing refuge and a national homeland for the Jewish people, and congratulates the people of Israel as they celebrate the 57th anniversary of Israel's independence. Praises the efforts of President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to create the conditions for Middle East peace. Commends the bipartisan commitment of all administrations and Congresses since 1948 to stand by Israel and work for its security and well-being.
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
Pension Fairness and Full Disclosure Act of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to establish a termination fairness standard that limits availability of benefits under an employer's nonqualified deferred compensation plans if such employer's defined benefit pension plan is subjected to: (1) a termination based on bankruptcy reorganization; or (2) a conversion to a cash balance plan. Prohibits funding nonqualified deferred compensation plans while maintaining underfunded defined benefit plans. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose excise taxes on funding nonqualified deferred compensation plans: (1) in the event of a pension plan termination based on bankruptcy reorganization or of a conversion to a cash balance plan; or (2) while maintaining underfunded defined benefit plans. Requires disclosure with respect to nonqualified deferred compensation plans.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino Community Act of 2005 - Establishes the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino Community to develop a plan of action for the establishment and maintenance of a National Museum of the American Latino Community in Washington, D.C.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Health Security for All Americans Act - Amends the Social Security Act to provide participating States with funding to provide health insurance coverage through State-administered plans targeted at low-income residents. Requires States to implement systems to ensure universal health insurance coverage for their residents by 2010, including by requiring employers to contribute to health insurance premiums for their employees. Requires health plans to: (1) create entities to serve as employers for their home care providers; (2) ensure that enrollees will continue to receive health services if the plan's services are terminated; and (3) supply the State with information on their health care workers. Incorporates the Bipartisan Patient Protection Act, as passed by the Senate on June 29, 2001, and the Patient Safety and Health Care Whistleblower Protection Act of 2001, as introduced on June 27, 2001. Establishes the Health Care Quality, Patient Safety, and Workforce Standards Institute (and a related advisory committee) within the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) with a mission to demonstrate how patient safety issues and workplace conditions are linked to quality patient care, reduce medical errors, and improve patient safety and care. Requires that individuals entitled to Medicare benefits be provided full mental health and substance abuse treatment parity. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct research to identify model programs for the provision of long-term and home health care services. Expresses the sense of Congress that funds to implement this Act should be offset by: (1) general revenues available as a result of an on-budget surplus for a fiscal year; (2) direct saving in health care expenditures; and (3) reductions in unnecessary Federal tax benefits available to individuals and large corporations in the maximum tax brackets.
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
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
Gas Price Spike Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a windfall profit tax on crude oil, natural gas, or products of crude oil or natural gas. Defines "windfall profit" as so much of the profit on a sale of crude oil, natural gas, or related products as exceeds a reasonable profit. Establishes the Reasonable Profits Board to determine levels of reasonable profit from the sale of such products. Allows a tax credit for the purchase of certain fuel-efficient, American-made passenger vehicles. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants to operators of mass transit systems, including bus and commuter rail systems, to reduce passenger fares on such systems.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
Small Business Health Insurance Promotion Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain small employers (not more than 50 employees) a business tax credit equal to 50 percent of amounts paid by such employers for the health care coverage of their employees under a qualified health pooling arrangement. Limits the period during which the tax credit may be taken to four years from the date the employer begins participating in a qualified health pooling arrangement. Defines "qualified health pooling arrangement" as a national or state arrangement that provides health benefits coverage substantially similar to that of the four largest health benefit plans offered to Federal employees. Directs the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Labor to provide for the offering and oversight of qualified State and national health pooling arrangements and to conduct a study, through the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, of the operation of such arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2005
Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act of 2005 - Requires a manufacturer of a motor vehicle sold or introduced into commerce in the United States to disclose to the vehicle owner or to a repair facility of the motor vehicle owner's choosing the information necessary to diagnose, service, or repair the vehicle. Sets forth protections for trade secrets. Instructs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prescribe a uniform methodology for manufacturer disclosure in writing and on the Internet. Prohibits the FTC from prescribing rules that interfere with the authority of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding motor vehicle emissions control diagnostics systems. States that manufacturer noncompliance with this Act constitutes an unfair method of competition and an unfair or deceptive act or practice affecting commerce within the purview of the Federal Trade Commission Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2005
Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Transplant Patients Act of 2005 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance)(OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to eliminate the time limitations for coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for individuals who receive a kidney transplant or other organ transplant. Amends title XVIII (Medicare ) of SSA to apply special rules to individuals receiving additional coverage for immunosuppressive drugs, including: (1) that such individual is deemed to be enrolled under Medicare part B for purposes of receiving such coverage; (2) that such individual is responsible for the full amount of the applicable premiums; and (3) that deductible and coinsurance amounts apply. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish procedures for implementing such coverage. Extends Medicare secondary payer requirements for end stage renal disease beneficiaries. Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan or issuer to provide coverage of immunosuppressive drugs that is at least as comprehensive as coverage provided on the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress with respect to: (1) the Russian Federation's compliance with the minimum standards of democratic governance and rule of law characteristic of Group of 8 (G8) member countries; (2) conditioning participation by the Russian Federation in the G8 on acceptance of, and adherence to, the democratic standards and principles adhered to by the other G8 nations; and (3) steps to suspend Russian Federation participation until the President determines and reports to Congress that the Russian Government is committed to respecting and upholding these democratic principles.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Coral Reef and Coastal Marine Conservation Act of 2005 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to establish in the Department of the Treasury the Coral Reef and Other Coastal Marine Resources Facility. Authorizes the President: (1) through the exchange by the Facility of new obligations for outstanding obligations of an eligible Latin American or Caribbean country with a coral reef or other coastal marine resource, to reduce the amount of concessional loans owed by the country to the United States as of January 1, 2005; and (2) to sell, reduce, or cancel such loans to facilitate a debt-for-nature swap or a debt buyback with an eligible purchaser or country to support coral reef and other coastal marine resource conservation. Requires each beneficiary country that has entered into a Coral Reef and Other Coastal Marine Resources Agreement with the Secretary of State to establish a Coral Reef and Other Coastal Marine Resources Fund to receive payments of interest on new obligations undertaken by the country to provide grants for coral reef and other coastal marine resource conservation projects.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
San Francisco Old Mint Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins and 500,000 $1 silver coins emblematic of the San Francisco Old Mint Building, its importance to California and U.S. history, and its role in rebuilding San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Requires that all surcharges received by the Secretary from such coin sales be promptly paid to the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society for purposes of rehabilitating the Historic Old Mint in San Francisco as a city museum and an American Coin and Gold Rush Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 to authorize appropriations for FY2006-FY2007 to: (1) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide grants to programs in the United States to cover the costs of services provided by domestic treatment centers in the rehabilitation of victims of torture (including treatment of the physical and psychological effects of torture), social and legal services, and research and training of health care providers outside of treatment centers or programs to enable them to provide such services; (2) the President for grants to treatment centers and programs in foreign countries that carry out projects and activities specifically designed to treat victims of torture for the physical and psychological effects of torture; and (3) the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Water for the Poor Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of Congress with respect to U.S. water and sanitation assistance programs. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to furnish assistance for programs in developing countries to provide affordable and equitable access to safe water and sanitation. Directs the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop a strategy to further the U.S. foreign assistance objective of providing affordable and equitable access to safe water and sanitation in developing countries.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2005
Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to provide a minimum paid sick leave of: (1) seven days annually for those who work at least 30 hours per week; and (2) a prorated annual amount for those who work less than 30 but at least 20 hours a week, or less than 1,500 but at least 1,000 hours per year. Allows employees to use such leave to meet their own medical needs or to care for the medical needs of certain family members. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority with respect to this Act's provisions regarding employees covered by title I of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Provides that, for employees under their jurisdiction, such authority shall be exercised by the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, the Board of Directors of the congressional Office of Compliance, or the Merit Systems Protection Board. Declares that the requirements under this Act are minimum requirements, and are not to be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2005
Export Freedom to Cuba Act of 2005 - Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting, directly or indirectly, travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of specified transactions incident to such travel. Declares that: (1) this prohibition does not authorize the importation into the United States of any goods for personal consumption acquired in Cuba; and (2) the restrictions on authority contained in this Act do not apply in a case in which the United States is at war with Cuba, armed hostilities between the two countries are in progress, or there is imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2005
Breast Cancer Patient Protect Action of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan or a health issuer offering group health insurance coverage that provides medical and surgical benefits to ensure that inpatient (and in the case of a lumpectomy, outpatient) coverage and radiation therapy are provided for breast cancer treatment. Prohibits such a plan or issuer from: (1) restricting benefits for any hospital length of stay to less than 48 hours in connection with a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery or 24 hours in connection with a lymph node dissection; or (2) requiring that a provider obtain authorization from the plan or issuer for prescribing any such length of stay. Requires such a plan or issuer to: (1) provide notice to each participant and beneficiary regarding the coverage required under this Act; and (2) ensure that full coverage is provided for secondary consultations by specialists in the appropriate medical fields to confirm or refute a diagnosis of cancer. Applies such requirements to health insurance issuers offering coverage in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2005
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2005 - Designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin; (2) Zion and Mojave Desert; (3) the Grand Staircase and the Escalante Canyons; (4) Moab-LaSal Canyons; (5) Henry Mountains; (6) Glen Canyon; (7) San Juan-Anasazi; (8) Canyonlands Basin; (9) San Rafael Swell; and (10) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. Sets forth administrative provisions regarding: (1) filing by the Secretary of the Interior of a map and a legal description of each designated wilderness area with appropriate congressional committees; (2) the exchange of State-owned lands within such areas; (3) Federal reservation of water rights; (4) measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness; (5) authorized livestock grazing; and (6) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2005
Community Environmental Equity Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit any entity that handles, manages, treats, releases, discharges, disposes, stores, transports, removes, moves, or delivers any covered substance from disproportionately exposing any person or community to such substance on the ground of race, color, national origin, or economic status. Defines "covered substance" to include: (1) any contaminant identified under the Safe Drinking Water Act; (2) any pesticide chemical under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; (3) any chemical listed as a known or probably human carcinogen under the National Toxicology Program of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); (4) any chemical substance or mixture regulated under the Toxic Substance Control Act; (5) any hazardous waste identified under the Solid Waste Disposal Act; (6) any pesticide registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act; (7) any air pollutant regulated under the Clean Air Act; and (8) such other contaminants, chemicals, materials, wastes, and substances as appropriate. Requires such an entity to: (1) work in partnership with State and local government officials and the Federal Government to comply with this Act; and (2) address actual or potential disproportionate exposure of covered substances prior to pursuing authorization or approval to work with such substances. Authorizes enforcement: (1) by denial or termination of authorization to work with covered substances; (2) by any other means authorized by law; and (3) for an entity receiving Federal financial assistance, through specified compliance provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
![Official portrait of Rep. Berman, Howard L. [D-CA-28]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000410_200.jpg)