United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2006
Free File Reform Act of 2006 - Requires the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to ensure that: (1) all services presented through the Free File program (free electronic filing of tax returns) are made available to all eligible taxpayers, particularly low-income, disadvantaged, and underserved taxpayers; and (2) companies participating in the Free File program protect taxpayer privacy rights and provide free tax return preparation services to state Free File programs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2006
Expresses condolences to the families of women and girls murdered in Guatemala. Condemns the ongoing abductions and murders of women and girls in Guatemala. Urges the government of Guatemala to recognize domestic violence and sexual harassment as criminal acts and encourages the government of Guatemala to investigate the killings of women, prosecute those responsible, and eliminate the tolerance of violence against women. Supports efforts to identify perpetrators and unknown victims through forensic analysis, including DNA testing. Encourages the Secretary of State to urge the government of Guatemala to: (1) honor the victims of the brutal murders and to continue to include in the Department of State's annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices all instances of improper investigatory methods, threats against human rights activists, and the use of torture with respect to cases involving the murder and abduction of women and girls in Guatemala; (2) hold accountable those law enforcement and judicial officials who fail to investigate and prosecute the murders adequately; and (3) take measures to ensure that the special Guatemalan police and prosecutorial units are adequately staffed and have sufficient resources. Recommends that the Secretary develop a comprehensive plan to combat the growing problem of violence against women in Latin America.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2006
Congratulates Andre Agassi on his esteemed professional tennis career and expresses thanks for his contributions to the community of Las Vegas, Nevada.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2006
Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to authorize appropriations through FY2012 for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. Specifies Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) fund amounts to be used for the Program in each of FY2008-FY2012. Makes the Secretary of Agriculture responsible for specified program administration provisions currently delegated to the President.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2006
Older Americans Act Amendments of 2006 - Reauthorizes the Older Americans Act of 1965. Authorizes appropriations for the Administration on Aging, the National Eldercare Locator Service, pension counseling and information programs, supportive, nutrition, and disease prevention and health promotion services, family caregiver support, nutrition grants to American Indians, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiians, the Native Americans Caregiver Support Program, and vulnerable elder rights protection activities. Reduces each state's guaranteed share of any increase in state allotments for such services above the state's FY2006 allotment. Authorizes the Assistant Secretary for Aging to: (1) designate a person to have responsibility for elder abuse prevention and services; (2) designate an employee to administer mental health services; and (3) establish a National Center on Senior Benefits Outreach and Enrollment. Requires the Assistant Secretary to: (1) implement in all states Aging and Disability Resource Centers; and (2) assist entities in integrated health promotion and disease prevention programs. Repeals the authorization for the Assistant Secretary to provide staff and assistance to the Federal Council on Aging. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an Interagency Coordinating Committee on Aging. Adds state eligibility requirements for grants for programs on aging, including assuring that particular attention will be given to services to older individuals with limited English proficiency. Revises requirements for area plans. Authorizes area agencies to assess preparedness for change in the number of older individuals over the next ten years. Adds state eligibility requirements for grants for programs on aging. Limits nutrition allotments to the purchase of agricultural commodities and other foods. Requires: (1) states to provide nutrition education, counseling, and services to recipients of meals delivered by state nutrition projects; and (2) the Assistant Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences Food and Nutrition Board to establish an independent panel to study nutrition projects. Requires the Assistant Secretary to provide information on methods of improving indoor air quality in buildings where older individuals congregate. Amends the National Family Caregiver Support Act to include within the definition of "child" individuals with disabilities, decrease the specified age for relative caregivers, and require priority for services to family caregivers of older individuals with Alzheimer's. Requires area agencies to encourage using trained volunteers and to coordinate with specified volunteer programs. Authorizes the Assistant Secretary to make grants to prepare communities for the aging of the population, support the use of health monitoring and technology, improve transportation for seniors, conduct activities of national significance to support caregivers, and build public awareness of cognitive impairments. Requires the Assistant Secretary to award grants for projects for multigenerational and civic engagement activities, mental health programs, and model aging in place projects. Redesignates the Older American Community Service Employment Act as the Community Service Senior Opportunities Act and revises provisions concerning the community service employment program. Authorizes the Assistant Secretary to award grants for elder justice programs and collection of data regarding elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Tom Osborne Federal Youth Coordination Act - Establishes the Federal Youth Development Council to provide advice and recommendations on federal programs designed to serve youth.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2006
Medigap Access Improvement Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for guaranteed issue of replacement Medicare supplemental (Medigap) policies for beneficiaries under age 65 upon first enrolling under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2006
Cytology Proficiency Improvement Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise national quality assurance standards to assure consistent performance by laboratories of valid and reliable cytology services, to include requirements that each clinical laboratory: (1) ensure that all individuals involved in screening and interpreting cytological preparations participate annually in an approved continuing medical education program in gynecologic cytology that provides each participant with gynecologic cytologic preparations designed to improve locator, recognition, and interpretive skills; and (2) maintain a record of program results. Requires the Secretary to terminate individual proficiency testing that was in effect before enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2006
Margaret Thatcher Congressional Gold Medal Act - Provides for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Margaret Thatcher in recognition of her dedication to the values of free markets and free minds.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2006
Commends: (1) the many Lebanese who continue to adhere to the principles of the Cedar Revolution; and (2) the democratically-elected government of Lebanon for its critical and courageous decision to deploy the Lebanese Armed Forces to the Lebanon-Israeli border. Affirms that the international community's intention, as expressed in UN Security Council Resolution 1701, is that the weapons flow to Hizballah should cease and that Hizballah should be disarmed. Calls on: (1) all countries, and particularly countries through which Iranian-supplied materiel passes en route from Iran to Hizballah, to take every possible measure to prevent the transfer of arms to Hizballah; (2) the international community to monitor Iranian and Syrian compliance with the arms embargo on Hizballah; and (3) Iran and Syria to cease supporting Hizballah with funds and arms. Condemns: (1) Syria's ongoing intimidation of Lebanon; and (2) the Syrian leader's claim that the deployment of international peace-keeping forces on the Lebanese-Syrian border would be "hostile" against Syria. Urges the government of Lebanon to request a robust international force deployment on the Lebanese-Syrian border to prevent weapons resupply to Hizballah and to ensure full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701. Believes that without such an international deployment on the Lebanese-Syrian border another Hizballah-provoked war will break out. Pledges support for the democratically-elected government of Lebanon and the Lebanese people against Syrian intimidation. Reaffirms support for Lebanon's independence and the full sovereignty of the government of Lebanon over Lebanese territory through the instrument of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2006
Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require an abortion provider who knowingly performs an abortion of a pain-capable unborn child (defined as an unborn child who has reached a probable stage of development of 20 weeks or more after fertilization), to first: (1) inform the woman of the probable age of the child; (2) provide to the woman an Unborn Child Pain Awareness Brochure (unless she waives receipt); (3) provide information that pain medicine administered to the mother may not prevent pain in the child, but in some cases anesthesia or pain-reducing drugs can be administered directly to the child; (4) give the woman the provider's best medical judgment of the risks and costs of such anesthesia or analgesic; and (5) obtain the woman's signature on the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Decision Form and her explicit request for or refusal of the administration of drugs to the child. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Brochure that includes a statement that there is substantial evidence that the process of being killed in an abortion will cause the unborn child pain and that the mother has the option of having pain-reducing drugs administered directly to the child. Creates an exception for certified medical emergencies. Establishes civil penalties for willfully failing to comply with this Act. Authorizes: (1) the Attorney General to bring a civil action under this Act; and (2) private rights of action for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2006
Amends the Department of Defense, Emergency Supplemental Appropriations to Address Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, and Pandemic Influenza Act, 2006 to extend, through FY2007, the authority of the Secretary of Education, in providing any grant or other assistance to entities in states in which a major disaster was declared relating to Hurricane Katrina or Rita, to waive or modify requirements relating to maintenance of effort, supplementary use of funds, and matching funds.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2006
Lebanese Temporary Protected Status Act of 2006 - Provides one-year temporary protected status to certain Lebanese nationals who have been present in the United States since enactment of this Act. (Treats Lebanon as a designated country for such purpose under the Immigration and Nationality Act.) Provides such aliens with prior consent for temporary emergency travel abroad.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2006
Health Care Price Transparency Promotion Act of 2006 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require state Medicaid plans to provide that the state will establish and maintain laws to require disclosure of information on hospital charges, to make such information available to the public, and to provide individuals with information about estimated out-of-pocket costs for health care services. Directs the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to research and report to Congress on: (1) the types of information on the charges and out-of-pocket costs for health care services that individuals find useful in making decisions about where, when, and from whom to receive care; (2) how such types of information vary by whether they have health benefits coverage, and what kinds; and (3) ways in which such information may be available on a timely basis and in easy-to-understand form to individuals facing such decisions.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2006
Health Care Access and Rural Equity (H-CARE) Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: (1) the Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment for rural hospitals; (2); payment for clinical laboratory tests furnished by critical access hospitals; (3) rebasing for sole community hospitals; (4) establishment of a rural community hospital program; (5) extension of the Medicare rural hospital hold harmless provision under the prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department services; (6) coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); (7) permanent treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare; (8) extension of the Medicare incentive payment program for a physician scarcity area; (9) proportional representation of interests of rural areas on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission; and (10) additional payments for providers furnishing ambulance services in rural areas and prompt payment of clean claims by Medicare prescription drug plans and MedicareAdvantage-Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans under the Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program). Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to extend: (1) certain Medicare hospital wage index reclassifications and disregarding hospital reclassifications for purposes of group reclassifications; (2) Medicare reasonable costs payments for certain clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished to hospital patients in certain rural areas; and (3) the temporary Medicare payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area. Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award competitive grants to eligible entities in rural areas for purchase and enhanced utilization of qualified health information technology systems; (2) establish a capital infrastructure revolving loan program and a Rural Health Quality Advisory Commission; and (3) provide for delta rural disparities and health systems development.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2006
Medicare Physician Payment Reform and Quality Improvement Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise physician payment requirements under the Medicare program, including the physician payment update and quality measures for physicians' services. Terminates application of the sustainable growth rate (SGR), replacing it with a single conversion factor, the Medicare economic index (MEI) minus 1%. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for the selection of quality performance measures (Q-measures) for assessing physician, non-physician practitioner, and supplier services and determining ratings for them. Requires such Q-measures to be developed in conjunction with physician specialty organizations and consensus-building organizations. Eliminates specified limitations on the balance billing of highest income beneficiaries. Revises requirements for the quality improvement program (QIO), including program administration, data disclosure, use of evaluation and competition, quality improvement funding, and qualifications for QIOs under part B (Peer Review) of SSA title XI. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to permit alternative quality improvement programs under such program. Terminates the availability of funds from the MA Regional Plan Stabilization Fund. Directs the Board of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and of the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund to monitor and examine the extent to which the different Medicare funding mechanisms provide an appropriate alignment with the program goals of the respective parts. Provides for a one-year delay in Medicare adjustments in payments for imaging services. Eliminates the three-year phase-in for implementation of the reduction in Medicare part B premium subsidies for higher income beneficiaries (thus requiring immediate application of the reduction adjustment).
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2006
Recognizes the importance of the Gulf Coast region to the national economy. Expresses support for those still affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to rebuilding that region and improving the quality of life for its residents.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2006
Condemns Hamas and Hezbollah for engaging in the terrorist act of taking hostages. Affirms Israel's right to conduct operations, both inside and outside its own borders and in the territory of countries supporting the hostage takers, in pursuit of the hostages' release. Notes that all governments that have provided continued support to Hamas or Hezbollah share responsibility for the hostage taking and urges these countries to use all efforts to secure the hostages' unconditional release. Urges all parties to protect innocent life and civilian infrastructure. Declares continued commitment to aiding Israel and the administration of President George W. Bush in battling terrorism and securing the unconditional release of hostages. Expresses condolences to all innocent victims of recent violence in Israel, Lebanon, and the Palestinian territories and their families, including those of the three Israeli hostages.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2006
Public Transportation Security Assistance Act of 2006 - Requires a security assessment of each public transportation system. Requires each public transportation agency that receives an assessment to develop a prioritized plan of needed capital and operational security improvements. Makes grants to eligible public transportation agencies for certain capital security improvements and operational security improvements. Sets the federal share of such security project costs at 80% and 50%, respectively. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide notification of all credible terrorist threats against public transportation assets in the United States. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop and issue guidelines for a public transportation employee security training program. Requires a public transportation agency that receives a public transportation security assessment to develop, and submit for the Secretary's approval, an employee training program in accordance with such guidelines. Makes grants to private operators of over-the-road buses for certain system-wide security improvements to their operations. Sets the federal share of security project costs at 80%. Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress a preliminary report that includes an assessment of the over-the-road bus security grant program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2006
Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Consolidated Coverage Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for the consolidated coverage of home infusion therapy under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance).
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2006
Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2006 - Amends federal transportation law to revise certain one-call notification system minimum requirements to subject to certain civil judicial action or assessment of a civil penalty: (1) persons who excavate without using the one-call notification system to establish the location of underground pipelines or disregard location information or markings established by a pipeline operator; and (2) pipeline operators who fail to respond to a location request or fail to take steps, in response to such request, to ensure accurate marking of the pipeline location in order to prevent damage to the pipeline. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to make a grant to a state authority to assist in improving the effectiveness of the state's damage prevention program if certain requirements are met. Directs the Secretary to prescribe: (1) minimum standards for integrity management programs for distribution pipelines (including criteria to require operators of natural gas distribution systems to install excess flow valves on single family residential service lines on the basis of feasibility and risk analysis); (2) standards for managing gas and hazardous liquid pipelines to reduce risks associated with human factors, including fatigue; (3) minimum standards for the transportation of hazardous liquids by low-stress pipelines located in proximity to areas unusually sensitive to environmental damage; and (4) standards to implement recommendations in the National Transportation Safety Board's report entitled "Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) in Pipelines" and adopted November 29, 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2006
Military Fallen Heroes Protection Act of 2006 - Prohibits any person, except with permission, from using the name, image, or likeness of a protected individual in connection with any merchandise, retail product, impersonation, solicitation, commercial, or political activity in a manner calculated to: (1) connect the protected individual with that individual's service in the Armed Forces; and (2) convey the impression that such use is approved, endorsed, or authorized by the protected individual. Defines as a "protected individual" any person who: (1) is a member of the Armed Forces; or (2) was a member at any time after April 5, 1917, and, if not living, has a surviving spouse, child, parent, grandparent, or sibling. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring actions to enjoin violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2006
Expresses condolences to the people of India and the victims and their families for the July 11, 2006, terrorist attacks that occurred in Mumbai, and condemns these heinous attacks on the people of Mumbai. Expresses U.S. resolve to strengthen the newly-expanded relationship with India, a friend and democratic ally of the United States. Calls upon the international community to strengthen efforts to: (1) combat the social injustice, oppression, poverty, and extremism that breeds terrorism; (2) defeat terrorists in all countries by defeating the ideology and the terrorist networks that train and carry out attacks; and (3) increase international cooperation to advance human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2006
Access to Medicare Imaging Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for a budget-neutral two-year moratorium on certain Medicare physician payment reductions for imaging services.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2006
United States and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act of 2006 - Declares the sense of Congress that: (1) it may be in the U.S. interest to enter into an agreement for nuclear cooperation under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (AEA) with a country that has never been a member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) with respect to civilian nuclear technology if certain criteria have been met; (2) India meets such criteria; and (3) it is in the U.S. national security interest to deepen its relationship with India across a full range of issues, including peaceful nuclear cooperation. Declares the policy of the United States to oppose the development of a capability to produce nuclear weapons by any non-nuclear weapon state, within or outside of the NPT. Declares certain U.S. policy objectives with respect to South Asia, including to seek to halt the increase of nuclear weapon arsenals in South Asia, and to promote their reduction and eventual elimination. Specifies conditions which the President must determine to exist in order to exercise authority to: (1) exempt a proposed agreement for nuclear cooperation with India from the AEA requirement that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards be maintained for all nuclear materials in peaceful nuclear activities; (2) waive application to India of the AEA prohibition against U.S. export of source material, special nuclear material, production or utilization facilities, and any sensitive nuclear technology unless such safeguards are maintained; and (3) waive certain AEA export restrictions required because of the detonation of a nuclear explosive device by a non-nuclear-weapon state, and failure to take steps representing sufficient progress toward terminating activities involving source or special nuclear material with direct significance for the manufacture or acquisition of nuclear explosive devices. Prescribes procedures for: (1) submission to Congress of information concerning such determinations; and (2) approval by Congress of a proposed agreement for nuclear cooperation with India. Requires termination of nuclear transfers to India if India makes materially significant transfers of nuclear or nuclear-related material, equipment, or technology, or of ballistic missiles or related equipment or technology, that do not conform to guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) or the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2006
Veterans Long Term Care Security Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay for nursing home care furnished in a non-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) nursing home to any veteran in need of such care: (1) for a service-connected disability; or (2) who has a service-connected disability rated at 70 percent or more. Directs the Secretary to furnish such drugs and medicines as ordered by a duly licensed physician for any veteran in need of such drugs and medicines: (1) for a service-connected disability; or (2) who has a service-connected disability rated at 50 percent or more. Authorizes the Secretary, for three years after the enactment of this Act, to treat certain health facilities as state homes for purposes of eligibility for payments for care provided to veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2006
Empowerment Zone and Renewal Community Enhancement Act of 2006 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to tax-preferred empowerment zones, enterprise communities, and renewal communities to: (1) extend the period of designation for empowerment zones and renewal communities through 2015; (2) provide a safe harbor standard for employee residency requirements in empowerment zones; (3) eliminate certain residency requirements for the empowerment zone employment tax credit; (4) grant authority to expand the boundaries of empowerment zones and enterprise communities; (5) allow carryovers of unused expensing allowances for enterprise zone businesses; (6) allow certain empowerment zone businesses to elect to receive payments in lieu of tax benefits; and (7) allow federal guarantees and tax exemptions for enterprise zone facility bonds.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2006
Praises the U.S. diplomatic staff of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, Cuba, for their actions in support of freedom for the Cuban people. Condemns the Cuban regime's: (1) harassment of such personnel; and (2) 47 years of brutality and oppression against the Cuban people. Supports the Cuban people's right to exercise fundamental political and civil liberties, including freedom of expression, assembly, association, movement, the press, and the right to multiparty elections.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2006
Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to promote the collection and categorization of trauma data in a consistent and standardized manner. Removes authorization for the National Clearinghouse on Trauma Care and Emergency Medical Services. Allows the Secretary to make grants to entities to carry out demonstration projects to improve emergency medical services in rural areas by increasing communication and coordination with state trauma systems. Revises the matching requirements for states to be eligible for grants to improve emergency medical services in rural areas. Prohibits the Secretary from making trauma care grants to a state unless the state's emergency medical services plan coordinates planning for trauma systems with state disaster emergency planning and bioterrorism hospital preparedness planning. Requires the Secretary to update the model plan for the designation of trauma centers and for triage, transfer, and transportation policies. Directs the Secretary to enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine or another appropriate entity to conduct a study on trauma care and trauma systems research.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2006
Stormwater Enforcement and Permitting Act of 2006 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require the owner or operator of any point source to provide information necessary to address an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health or welfare or the environment. Requires the Administrator to provide an operator a reasonable opportunity to correct a violation of a permit condition for a site with residential construction activity before initiation of an enforcement action, if such violation has not resulted in a discharge of stormwater. Prohibits more than one opportunity to correct violations of the same condition. Prohibits the Administrator from requiring a permit for stormwater runoff from such a site if: (1) the runoff enters a municipal separate storm sewer system that is covered by a permit and the operator is in compliance with runoff requirements; and (2) such site has minimal potential for soil erosion. Prohibits the Administrator from exercising enforcement authority with respect to a state permit that authorizes stormwater discharge from such a site unless: (1) such a discharge flows across a state line or onto a federal facility or Indian tribal lands; (2) such permit was issued under a state program that the Administrator has suspended or withdrawn; or (3) a discharge results in imminent and substantial endangerment to public health or welfare or the environment. Prohibits the Administrator from paying any state penalty for a violation of a permit for such a discharge. Requires the Administrator to establish a program that will develop and distribute to site operators a pamphlet that explains permitting requirements for stormwater discharges. Authorizes the Administrator or the state to issue a general permit for no more than five years on a state, regional, or nationwide basis to cover any category of discharges, sludge use, disposal practices, or facilities. Declares that the Administrator or state is not required to review, approve, or provide an opportunity for public comment on any application for a discharge under a general permit.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that it is the goal of the United States that by January 1, 2025, U.S. agricultural, forestry, and working land should provide from renewable resources not less than 25% of the total U.S. energy consumption and continue to produce safe, abundant, and affordable food, feed, and fiber.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2006
Alternative Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapies Enhancement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop techniques for the isolation, derivation, production, or testing of stem cells that are capable of producing all or almost all of the cell types of the developing body and may result in improved understanding of treatments for diseases and other adverse health conditions, but are not derived from a human embryo. Requires the Secretary to: (1) provide guidance concerning the next steps required for additional research; (2) prioritize research with the greatest potential for near-term clinical benefit; and (3) take into account techniques outlined by the President's Council on Bioethics and any other appropriate techniques and research.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2006
Constitutional Amendment - Marriage Protection Amendment - Declares that: (1) marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman; and (2) neither the U.S. Constitution nor the constitution of any state shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents of marriage be conferred upon any other union.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Veterans Identity Protection Act or VIP Act - Establishes as an independent office in the executive branch the Office of Veterans Identity Protection Claims, headed by a Director, to receive, process, and pay claims for injuries suffered as a result of the unauthorized use, disclosure, or dissemination of identifying information stolen from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Authorizes judicial review of claim determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2006
Internet Gambling Study Commission Act - Establishes the Internet Gambling Study Commission to: (1) conduct a comprehensive study of Internet gambling, including the existing legal framework that governs such activities and transactions; (2) report to the President and Congress on study findings and conclusions; and (3) transmit a copy of such report to each state governor or chief executive officer and Native American tribal government.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2006
Veterans Identity Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide notice to each veteran whose name or other personal identifying information was part of the VA data that was stolen from the home of a VA employee around May 22, 2006, informing the veteran of: (1) the theft; (2) the nature of the breach of confidentiality; and (3) the veteran's right to request a free credit report once every three months and free monitoring of the veteran's credit report for the next year. Directs the Secretary to: (1) include with each notification a form (with a postage-paid return envelope) by which the veteran may make such requests; (2) enter into discussions with the three principal credit reporting agencies and conclude agreements necessary to implement such elections; and (3) fully implement, as rapidly as possible, each of the 16 information security improvements recommended in the VA Inspector General's report on the March 2005 audit of the VA's Information Security Program. Sets penalties for failure to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2006
Comprehensive Cancer Care Improvement Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of comprehensive cancer care planning services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a two-year demonstration project for Medicare payment for comprehensive cancer care symptom management services furnished by an eligible entity in accordance with a described plan. Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for establishing a new, or expanding an existing, palliative care and symptom management program for cancer patients. Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to improve the quality of graduate and postgraduate training of physicians, nurses, and other health care providers, as well as continuing professional education, in palliative care and symptom management for such patients. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health to establish a program of grants for research on palliative care, symptom management, communication skills, and other end-of-life topics for such patients.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2006
Meeting Authorization Requirements for the Coast Act of 2006 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to carry out specified projects for hurricane and storm damage reduction and flood control in Louisiana. Amends the Flood Control Act of 1948 to increase the amount that the Secretary may allot for flood control for a small flood control project at any single locality. Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1992 to: (1) authorize the Secretary to carry out specified projects to transport and place, and to develop plans for regional management of, sediment obtained in conjunction with water management projects associated with flood damage reduction, hurricane and storm damage reduction, aquatic plant control, and environmental protection and restoration; and (2) permit to be carried out at federal expense specified projects to protect, restore, or create aquatic and ecologically-related habitat located in a disadvantaged community or projects located in coastal communities impacted by 2005 hurricanes. Modifies specified projects and requires or authorizes the Secretary to carry out specified studies, programs, and projects in Louisiana and Mississippi. Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress: (1) reports recommending specified modifications to the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, near-term ecosystem restoration measures for the Chenier Plain, Louisiana, and a framework for developing a long-term program to protect, conserve, and restore specified wetlands, estuaries, and barrier islands; and (2) a feasibility study recommending a comprehensive long-term plan for the coastal Louisiana ecosystem. Establishes the Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Protection and Restoration Task Force to make recommendations to the Secretary to protect, conserve, and restore the coastal Louisiana ecosystem. Sets forth requirements regarding project costs, monitoring, audits, and justification.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2006
Commends efforts by members of faith-based and community organizations in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Encourages all government agencies to consider such organizations in disaster relief and recovery in the future.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2006
Directs the President to make unemployment assistance available to eligible individuals under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act as a result of a disaster declaration for Hurricane Katrina or Rita for 52 weeks after the date of such declaration.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2006
Hurricane Relief Extension Act of 2006 - Amends the Hurricane Education Recovery Act to allow the Secretary of Education to extend, beyond the 2006 school year, the period during which a state educational agency or local educational agency may obligate temporary emergency impact aid for elementary and secondary schools that enroll students displaced by Hurricane Katrina or Rita; though such funds may still be used only for expenses incurred during the 2005-2006 school year. Urges state educational agencies to distribute expeditiously any education relief funds received under such Act to impacted schools and institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2006
2006 Penalty-Free Part D Act - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to suspend the Medicare prescription drug late enrollment penalty during 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2006
Restoring Emergency Services to Protect Our Nation From Disasters Act of 2006 or the RESPOND Act of 2006 - Reestablishes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a cabinet-level independent establishment in the executive branch to be headed by a Director appointed by the President. Requires FEMA to: (1) include all functions and authorities prescribed by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster and Emergency Assistance Act; (2) carry out its mission by leading and supporting the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system; and (3) be the lead agency for the National Response Plan. Provides for an Office of the Inspector General within FEMA. Requires the Director to develop a human capital strategy. Establishes within FEMA a disaster workforce reserve cadre to meet surge requirements during emergencies. Requires the Director to: (1) establish a program to assist states and local governments representing areas at substantial risk for a catastrophic incident; (2) maintain and operate a national emergency operations center; (3) develop an efficient, transparent, and flexible logistics system for procurement and delivery of goods and services; and (4) establish and maintain an interoperable communications capability. Amends the Stafford Act to require the President, acting through the Director, to establish at least three national response teams, sufficient regional and other response teams, and a national emergency preparedness goal and system. Requires the Director to: (1) carry out a grant program to improve state and local government emergency response capabilities; (2) establish a comprehensive system to assess the nation's overall emergency preparedness; and (3) establish a National Emergency Preparedness Task Force. Establishes a national incident management system.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
Student and Teacher Safety Act of 2006 - Requires states, local educational agencies, and school districts to deem a search of any minor student on public school grounds to be reasonable and permissible if conducted by a full-time teacher or school official, acting on any colorable suspicion based on professional experience and judgment, to ensure that the school remain free of all weapons, dangerous materials, or illegal narcotics. Denies Safe Schools and Citizenship Education funds, provided under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, to states, local educational agencies, and school districts that fail to deem such searches reasonable and permissible.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
Senior Independence Act of 2006 - Reauthorizes the Older Americans Act of 1965. Authorizes appropriations for FY2007-FY2011 for the Administration on Aging, the National Eldercare Locator Service, pension counseling and information programs, specified services under such Act, and older American community service employment-based training. Revises the definition of "information and assistance service" for purposes of such Act to include such a service to older individuals at risk for institutional placement. Adds as duties and functions of the Administration on Aging: (1) assisting service providers to inform certain older individuals of the eligibility requirements for specified benefits; and (2) assisting states to support the provision of disease prevention and health promotion services. Repeals the authorization for the Assistant Secretary for Aging to provide staff and assistance to the Federal Council on Aging. Requires the Assistant Secretary to assist entities that serve older individuals in integrated health promotion and disease prevention programs. Includes among state eligibility requirements for grants for programs on aging: (1) assuring that preference will be given to providing services to older individuals, including low-income minority individuals, individuals with limited English proficiency, and individuals living in rural areas; and (2) promoting the development of a comprehensive, coordinated system for providing long-term care in home and community-based settings. Requires area plans to: (1) provide that the area agency on aging shall facilitate the development and implementation of such system; and (2) determine the extent of need for services and senior centers by considering low-income minority older individuals, older individuals with limited English proficiency, older individuals residing in rural areas, and older individuals at risk for institutional placement. Authorizes area agencies to: (1) include in such plan an assessment of how prepared the area is for change in the number of older individuals; and (2) make recommendations to government officials on actions that build the area's capacity to meet needs of older individuals. States as the purpose of the nutrition projects grant program to promote socialization and the health and well-being of older individuals by assisting such individuals to gain access to disease prevention and health promotion services to delay the onset of health conditions resulting from poor nutritional health or sedentary behavior. Requires states to provide nutrition education, counseling, and services to recipients of meals delivered by state nutrition projects. Requires area agencies to encourage using trained volunteers for services and to coordinate with specified volunteer programs. Authorizes the Assistant Secretary to make grants to assess the aging population and facilitate planning and coordination between state and local agencies. Rewrites provisions concerning the older American community service employment program as the Older American Community Service Employment-Based Training Act. Repeals requirements for review and public comment on training projects. Requires the Secretary of Labor to use funds for demonstration, pilot, and evaluation projects for the purpose of developing approaches and demonstrating the effectiveness of methods in addressing older workers' employment and training needs. Requires a state's chief executive officer to submit a plan that outlines a strategy for the statewide provision of training and related activities (currently, the governor submits the plan). Includes among uses of state allotments for the prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation promotion of financial literacy to prevent identity theft and financial exploitation of older individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Tax Free Health Savings Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow individual taxpayers a tax deduction for high deductible health plan premiums, a tax credit for employment taxes related to the payment of such premiums, and a refundable tax credit for the coverage costs under a high deductible health plan: (2) direct the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a program for advance payments of tax credit amounts to providers of high deductible health plans; (3) increase the tax deduction for contributions to health savings accounts; (4) allow health savings accounts to incorporate flexible spending arrangements or health reimbursement arrangements, or both; (5) allow payment of high deductible health plan premiums from health savings accounts; and (6) exempt employers from health savings account contribution requirements for certain employees with high levels of medical expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 - Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to revise requirements for: (1) the use of election examiners and observers; (2) declaratory judgment on the issue of voting qualifications or standards intended to diminish the ability of U.S. citizens to elect preferred candidates; and (3) award of attorney fees in enforcement proceedings to include expert fees and other reasonable costs of litigation. Extends bilingual election requirements through August 5, 2032. Revises the requirements for determining states and political subdivisions covered by them to require use of 2010 American Community Survey census data. Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with respect to the prohibition against the use of tests or devices to deny the right to vote in any federal, state, or local election. Extends both the prohibition and the date for mandatory congressional reconsideration of it.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2006
Medicare Teaching Anesthesiology Funding Restoration Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) to set forth a special payment rule of 100% of the fee schedule amount for teaching anesthesiologists involved in the training of physician residents, if certain presence and availability requirements are met.
![Official portrait of Rep. Boustany, Charles W., Jr. [R-LA-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/114_rp_la_3_boustany_charles_200.jpg)