United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the U.S. Government should continue to insist that the People's Republic of China (PRC) respect its citizens' fundamental human rights; and (2) the U.S. representative should introduce a resolution at the 61st Session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, detailing the human rights situation in the PRC and urging it to abide by internationally recognized human rights standards. Urges the PRC to: (1) stop the persecution of religious practitioners and to safeguard fundamental human rights; (2) stop the forced return of North Korean refugees; (3) end its coercive one-child per family policy; (4) investigate the 1989 Tiananmen Square event, release all prisoners held in connection with that event, and compensate the families who lost their loved ones; (5) release all prisoners of conscience, persons held because of their religious activities, and persons of humanitarian concern; (6) release the 11th Panchen Lama identified by Dalai Lama and allow him to undertake his rightful role; and (7) allow visits to China by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on Religious Intolerance and Torture, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2005
Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2005 - Repeals current Department of Defense (DOD) policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces. Prohibits the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation against any member of the Armed Forces or any person seeking to become a member. Authorizes the re-accession into the Armed Forces of otherwise qualified individuals previously separated for homosexuality, bisexuality, or homosexual conduct. Requires such Secretaries to ensure that regulations governing the personal conduct of members of the Armed Forces are written and enforced without regard to sexual orientation.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
National Pain Care Policy Act of 2005 - Directs the President to convene a White House Conference on Pain Care to identify barriers to appropriate pain care. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) the National Center for Pain and Palliative Care Research. Establishes an advisory council for the Center. Requires the Director of NIH to establish at least six regional pain research centers. Requires the Director of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to develop and advance the quality, appropriateness, and effectiveness of pain and palliative care. Permits the Secretary to award grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to public and private entities to educate and train health care professionals in pain and palliative care. Directs the Secretary to implement a national campaign to inform the public on responsible pain management, related symptom management, and palliative care. Requires the Secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services to develop and implement a pain care palliative initiative in all health care facilities of the uniformed services. Amends Title XVIII of the Social Security Act (Medicare) to require Medicare Advantage organizations to meet certain pain care standards. Requires TRICARE (a Department of Defense managed health care program) to meet such pain care standards. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a pain care initiative in all health care facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act - Redefines the term "law enforcement officer" under provisions of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to include: (1) Federal employees not otherwise covered by such term whose duties include the investigation or apprehension of suspected or convicted individuals and who are authorized to carry a firearm; and (2) such employees of the Internal Revenue Service whose duties are primarily the collection of delinquent taxes and the securing of delinquent returns. Requires that such service which is performed by an incumbent law enforcement officer be treated: (1) on or after the enactment date of this Act, for all purposes, as service performed as a law enforcement officer, irrespective of how such service is treated under the following; and (2) before, on, or after such date, for purposes of CSRS and FERS, as service performed as such an officer, but only if an appropriate written election is submitted to the Office of Personnel Management five years after such date or before separation from Government service, whichever is earlier. Provides that nothing under current law respecting mandatory separation from Government service under CSRS or FERS shall cause the involuntary separation of an officer before the end of the three-year period beginning on such date.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Amends rule XI (Procedures of Committees and Unfinished Business) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to revise the procedures of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. Repeals the requirement that a complaint be dismissed if an investigative subcommittee has not been established within 45 days after the complaint is filed (Automatic Dismissal Rule). Requires the committee to establish an investigative subcommittee if a complaint is not disposed of within the 45 days (or a 45-day extension). Subjects to such (automatic) subcommittee establishment rule the current related requirement that an investigative committee be established only by an affirmative of the majority of the committee members, if at any time during the applicable time period either the committee chairman or ranking member places on the agenda the issue of whether to establish such an investigative subcommittee. Requires the Committee to establish an "investigative" instead of "adjudicatory" subcommittee when requested by a Member, officer, or employee of the House, contesting the contents of a written complaint. (Thus repeals the right of a Member, officer, or employee to demand an immediate trial by an adjudicatory committee within the initial 45-day period, before a case has been adequately prepared.) Revises the right to counsel of a respondent or witness. Strikes provisions allowing a respondent or witness appearing before the investigative subcommittee or investigative hearing to obtain counsel of his or her choice, even if such counsel represents another respondent or witness. (Thus allows the committee to adopt a rule that prohibits a counsel from representing more than one respondent or witness.)
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Video Description Restoration Act of 2005 - Considers authorized and ratified by law the video description rules of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) contained in the year 2000 FCC report and order identified as Implementation of Video Description of Video Programming, notwithstanding the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit in Motion Picture Association of America, Inc., et al., v. Federal Communications Commission, et al. Directs the FCC to: (1) reinstate such rules; and (2) initiate a proceeding to consider whether it is economically and technically feasible and consistent with the public interest to include "accessible information" in such rules. Authorizes the FCC to amend, repeal, or otherwise modify such rules.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare recognition of the services of respiratory therapists that are furnished as part-time or intermittent nursing care or physical therapy services under a plan of care for home health services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report to Congress on the impact of paying for the services of respiratory therapists as a separate benefit under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of Medicare, and as an explicit component of the several benefits under part A (Hospital Insurance) of Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a national education campaign to promote stroke prevention and increase the number of stroke patients who seek immediate treatment. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to maintain the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry and Clearinghouse by collecting specific data points and benchmarks for stroke care analysis and by compiling and disseminating information on State, local, and private care system achievements and problems. Defines "stroke" as an attack in which blood flow to the brain is interrupted or in which a blood vessel or aneurysm in the brain breaks or ruptures. Includes stroke and traumatic injury prevention, diagnosis, and treatment within the grant program for emergency medicine residency training. Authorizes the Secretary, through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to make grants to qualified entities for education programs for health care professionals in the use of diagnostic approaches, technologies, and therapies for stroke and traumatic injury prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Gives preference to qualified entities that will train professionals that serve areas with a significant incidence of stroke or traumatic injuries. Authorizes the Secretary, through the Director of the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, to make up to seven grants to States and to consortia of public and private entities in any non-grantee State to conduct a five-year pilot project to improve stroke patient outcomes by coordinating health care through telehealth networks.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Torture Outsourcing Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of State to submit to the appropriate congressional committees an annual list of countries where there are substantial grounds for believing that torture, cruel, or degrading treatment is commonly used in the detention or interrogation of individuals. Prohibits the direct or indirect transfer or return of persons by the United States for the purpose of detention, interrogation, trial, or otherwise to a listed country. Sets forth conditions under which: (1) the Secretary may waive such transfer prohibition; and (2) a treaty-based transfer may occur. Amends the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 to direct the appropriate Government agencies to prescribe regulations to implement U.S. obligations under the United Nations (UN) Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Bipartisan Commission on Medicaid Act of 2005 - Establishes the Bipartisan Commission on Medicaid to review: (1) each of Medicaid's major functional responsibilities; (2) issues that either threaten or improve the long-term financial condition of Medicaid; (3) Federal and State policies for Medicaid and Medicare enrollment (including enrollment sites), income eligibility, outreach, and documentation; (4) the operation and effectiveness of Medicaid premium assistance programs; and (5) Medicaid payment policies.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the outpatient therapy cap.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Calls on: (1) all authorities with jurisdiction, including the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the State of Mississippi, to expeditiously bring those responsible for the 1955 murder of Emmett Till to justice and provide all the resources necessary to ensure a timely and thorough investigation; and (2) DOJ to fully report the findings of the investigation to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) W.E.B. DuBois should be recognized for his contribution to civil rights and social science and for his theory of access to higher education for African-Americans; and (2) in honoring his legacy, Federal, State, and local governments should aggressively develop strategies to close gaps in minority education and foster scholarly development of all youth in this Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act or STOP Underage Drinking Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish an interagency coordinating committee to guide policy and program development across the Federal Government on underage drinking; (2) issue an annual report card to rate the performance of each State in enacting, enforcing, and creating laws, regulations, and programs to prevent or reduce underage drinking; (3) develop a set of outcome measures to prepare report cards, including the strictness of the minimum drinking age laws and the number of compliance checks conducted; (4) fund and oversee the Ad Council's national adult-oriented media public service campaign; (5) award grants to reduce the rate of underage alcohol use and binge drinking among students at institutions of higher education; and (6) collect data on, and conduct or support research on, underage drinking, including the impact alcohol use and abuse has upon adolescent brain development, the scope of the underage drinking problem, and progress in preventing and treating underage drinking. Requires the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to award grants to design, test, evaluate, and disseminate strategies to maximize the effectiveness of community-wide approaches to preventing and reducing underage drinking. Requires the Secretary to carry out activities toward the objectives of: (1) testing every unnatural death of persons ages 12 to 20 for alcohol involvement; (2) obtaining new epidemiological data that identifies alcohol use and attitudes about alcohol use during pre- and early adolescence; and (3) developing or identifying successful clinical treatment for youth with alcohol problems.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Amends the Controlled Substances Act to eliminate the 30-patient limit for medical practitioners in group practices that may dispense specified narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
American-Owned Property in Occupied Cyprus Claims Act - Amends the International Claims Settlement Act of 1949 to urge the President to authorize the Secretary of State to begin negotiations with Turkey to allow for certain claims by U.S. nationals respecting real property in the Turkish-held portions of Cyprus. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to establish in the Treasury a Claims Fund for the payment of unsatisfied claims of U.S. nationals against Turkey. Sets forth payment procedures. Amends Federal law to grant U.S. district court jurisdiction for civil actions against any private person (any natural person or legal entity other than Turkey) by a U.S. national who owns property in the Turkish-held portion of Cyprus.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2005
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo. Limits such research to stem cells that meet the following ethical requirements: (1) the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics for the purpose of fertility treatment and were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment; (2) the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and (3) such individuals donate the embryos with written informed consent and receive no financial or other inducements.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2005
Amends Federal law to prohibit a State that has been redistricted after an apportionment from being redistricted again until after the next apportionment of Representatives, unless the State is ordered by a Federal court to conduct such a subsequent redistricting in order to: (1) comply with the U.S. Constitution; or (2) enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965 or otherwise enforce the voting rights of the people of the State.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2005
Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit: (1) sponsoring or exhibiting a bird in a fighting venture in a State where it would not otherwise be in violation of the law, only if the person knew that any bird in the venture was knowingly bought, sold, delivered, transported, or received in interstate or foreign commerce for such purpose; or (2) knowingly sponsoring or exhibiting in an animal fighting venture any other animal that was moved in interstate or foreign commerce. Prohibits knowingly: (1) selling, buying, transporting, delivering, or receiving, for purposes of transportation in interstate or foreign commerce, any dog or other animal to participate in an animal fighting venture; (2) using interstate mail service for commercial speech promoting an animal fighting venture except as performed outside the limits of the States (with an exception for bird fights in States whose laws allow them); or (3) selling, buying, transporting, or delivering in interstate or foreign commerce a knife, gaff, or other sharp instrument to be attached to the leg of a bird for use in an animal fighting venture. Increases the penalties to a fine and up to two years' imprisonment for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2005
Keeping Families Together Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to award competitive matching grants to States to establish systems of care to treat and provide services to all children who are in the custody of the State or at-risk of entering into the custody of the State for the purpose of receiving mental health services. Requires State to use grant funds for certain activities, including to: (1) expand public health insurance programs to cover community-based mental health and family support services for such children and their families that will be sustainable after the grant has expired; (2) provide outreach and public education concerning available programs and activities; and (3) provide training and professional development for personnel who work with such children. Requires the Administrator to establish a task force to examine: (1) problems of mental health in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems; (2) issues with respect to access by children and youth to mental health services; and (3) the role of Federal agencies in promoting access by children and youth to mental health services. Amends Title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to permit the use of the Medicaid home and community-based services waiver to provide mental health services to children as an alternative to care in inpatient psychiatric hospitals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Public Housing Drug Elimination Program Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 to authorize appropriations for the assisted housing drug elimination program. Limits activities for programs designed to reduce drug use in and around assisted low-income housing to: (1) providing drug abuse treatment through rehabilitation or relapse prevention; (2) providing education about the dangers and consequences of drug use or violent crime; (3) identifying drug users, and assisting drug use discontinuance through education or treatment programs; (4) providing after school youth activities; and (5) providing capital improvements and security services to discourage or eliminate drug use or violent crime.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to place limitations on mandatory overtime for nurses, prohibit retaliation against them in any manner with respect to any aspect of employment, and establish civil money penalties for violations of this Act. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report to Congress on standards to establish for the maximum number of hours that a nurse may work without compromising the safety of patients. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to study and report to Congress on the extent to which federally operated medical facilities have in effect practices and policies for overtime requirements for nurses that are inconsistent with the requirements added by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit an alien counted toward the numerical limitation applicable to H-2B nonimmigrants (temporary nonagricultural workers) during any of the three fiscal years prior to submission of an H-2B petition from being counted toward the limitation in the year of petition approval. Makes this provision effective as if enacted on October 1, 2004. Provides for its expiration on October 1, 2006. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to impose a fraud prevention and detection fee on employers filing H-2B petitions. Mandates the deposit of such fees into the Fraud Prevention and Detection Account. Authorizes additional penalties for a substantial failure to meet any condition of an H-2B petition or the willful misrepresentation of a material fact in such a petition. Requires the allocation of the numerical limitation on the issuance of H-2B visas (currently, 66,000) such that the total number of H-2B nonimmigrants entering the United States during the first six months of a fiscal year is not more than 33,000. Directs the Secretary to provide the House and Senate Judiciary Committees with information on: (1) the numbers of aliens granted H-2B status or terminated from H-2B status, on a quarterly basis; and (2) the countries of origin, occupations of, and compensation paid to aliens granted H-2B status, the number of aliens terminated from such status, and the number of aliens provided such status during both the fiscal year reported and the preceding fiscal year, on an annual basis. Requires the Secretary of State to provide information relevant to such reports.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Supports the goals and ideals of Antislavery Day. Encourages the Department of State to increase cooperation with foreign governments to combat slavery, provide legal protections to victims of slavery, and provide social services to assist in repatriation, family reunification, and exit from slavery.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Recognizes the teams and players of the barnstorming African-American basketball teams for their achievement, dedication, sacrifices, and contribution to basketball and to the nation prior to the integration of the white professional leagues.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Climate Stewardship Act of 2005 - Expands Federal climate change research initiatives by: (1) establishing a graduate fellowship program; (2) creating a grant program for research in identified priority areas; and (3) instituting research programs on potential abrupt climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) related standards, measurement technologies, and processes. Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to require the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) report to Congress on the oceanic and coastal impacts of climate change; and (2) assist certain coastal States in preparing persons to adapt to climate change. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a National Greenhouse Gas Database consisting of: (1) an inventory of GHG emissions by covered entities (specified entities that emit more than 10,000 metric tons of GHGs per year); and (2) a registry of GHG emission reductions and increased sequestration, applicable to both covered and noncovered entities. Establishes a program for the market-driven reduction of GHGs by covered entities through the use of tradeable emissions allowances. Requires covered entities, beginning in 2010, to submit to the Administrator one tradeable allowance for every metric ton of GHGs emitted. Allows tradeable allowances to be sold, exchanged, purchased, retired, or otherwise used as authorized by this Act. Establishes the Climate Change Credit Corporation (CCCC) to receive, manage, buy, and sell tradeable allowances. Directs the Administrator to make allocations of allowances to covered sectors and entities, and to the CCCC, providing initial allocations for early action and accelerated participation. Imposes civil penalties on covered entities that fail to submit allowances.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to include podiatrists as physicians in order to cover their services under the Medicaid program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Securing Transportation Energy Efficiency for Tomorrow Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to authorize the Administrator of General Services to establish a program for the procurement and installation of photovoltaic solar electric systems for electric production in public buildings. Directs the Architect of the Capitol to evaluate the energy infrastructure of the Capitol Complex to determine how it could be augmented to become more energy efficient, using photovoltaic solar energy systems, district-heating, and other unconventional and renewable energy resources. Amends Federal transportation law to: (1) direct the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to establish a program of grants to State and local governments for fuel conservation projects; (2) authorize the Secretary to make grants for fuel cell bus technology projects; and (3) require environmental impact statements for Federal-aid highway and transit projects to consider energy impacts as an environmental project consequence. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a Conserve By Bicycling pilot program for projects to encourage the use of bicycles in place of motor vehicles; and (2) a specified public-private research partnership dedicated to advancement of railroad technology, efficiency, and safety owned by the Federal Railroad Administration and operated in the private sector. Directs: (1) the Secretary to establish a pilot clean airport bus replacement and fleet expansion grant program; and (2) the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to establish a public-private research partnership to develop a clean ground demonstrator engine utilizing specified National Aeronautics and Space Administration-developed technologies. Directs the Secretary to establish a public-private research partnership to develop and demonstrate technologies that increase fuel economy, reduce emissions, and lower costs of marine transportation, as well as the efficiency of intermodal transfers. Directs the Secretary of the Army to study and report to Congress on the potential for reduced fossil fuel consumption through an increase in U.S. hydropower capabilities. Encourages specified adjacent States to continue to prohibit off-shore drilling in the Great Lakes for oil and gas, and other adjacent States to prohibit such drilling. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income as a qualifying transportation fringe benefit a commuting allowance of $75 per month for individuals who bicycle, carpool, or car-share to work.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users - Reauthorizes the Federal-aid surface transportation program through FY 2009. Reauthorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) specified highway (including highway safety) programs; (2) research and technology; (3) motor carrier transportation and safety; and (4) transportation research and education. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a National Commission on Future Revenue Sources to Support the HTF. Establishes a National Commission on the Future of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate Defense Highways. Requires States with an urbanized area population of over 200,000 to obligate specified funds for congestion relief. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States that have enacted laws that prohibit the use of racial profiling in the enforcement of State laws regulating the use of Federal-aid highways. Federal Public Transportation Act of 2005 - Revises requirements for public transportation funding and the Secretary's authority to make specified grants, including grants for capital projects, planning, and transit and for commercial driver's license program improvements. Directs the Secretary to establish programs involving: (1) long-term bridge performance; (2) innovative highway safety technologies; (3) freight planning capacity building; (4) freight transportation research; (5) future strategic highway research; (6) surface transportation congestion solutions research; and (7) commercial remote sensing products and spatial information technologies. Intelligent Transportation Systems Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary to conduct an ongoing intelligent system transportation research and development program. Requires: (1) metropolitan planning organizations to develop long-range transportation plans and transportation improvement programs for metropolitan planning areas; and (2) States to develop statewide transportation plans and statewide transportation improvement programs. Revises hazardous materials transportation requirements to provide uniformity in Federal standards regulating the transportation of hazardous materials in intrastate, interstate, and foreign commerce. States that this Act continues the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century provisions which guarantee that specified levels of authorized funding will be available for obligation each year by continuing the highway category and the mass transit category budgetary firewalls.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Recognizes Archbishop Patrick Flores for: (1) his leadership in improving the opportunities of Hispanics in the United States; (2) his 34 years of service as bishop serving the diverse and growing needs of the Archdiocese of San Antonio; and (3) his life of public service in the causes of civil rights, health, and education for all Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
United States National Health Insurance Act (or the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act) - Establishes the United States National Health Insurance Program (the Program) to provide all individuals residing in the United States and in U.S. territories with free health care that includes all medically necessary care, such as primary care and prevention, prescription drugs, emergency care, and mental health services. Prohibits an institution from participating in the Program unless it is a public or nonprofit institution. Allows nonprofit health maintenance organizations (HMOs) that actually deliver care in their own facilities to participate in the Program. Gives patients the freedom to choose from participating physicians and institutions. Prohibits a private health insurer from selling health insurance coverage that duplicates the benefits provided under this Act. Allows such insurers to sell benefits that are not medically necessary, such as cosmetic surgery benefits. Sets forth methods to pay hospitals and health professionals for services. Prohibits financial incentives between HMOs and physicians based on utilization. Authorizes appropriations and provides for appropriated sums to be paid for: (1) by vastly reducing paperwork; (2) by requiring a rational bulk procurement of medications; (3) from existing sources of Government revenues for health care; (4) by increasing personal income taxes on the top five percent income earners; (5) by instituting a modest payroll tax; and (6) by instituting a small tax on stock and bond transactions. Requires the Program to give first priority in retraining and job placement to individuals whose jobs are eliminated due to reduced administration. Establishes a National Board of Universal Quality and Access to advise the Secretary and the Director to ensure quality, access, and affordability. Provides for the eventual integration of the health programs of the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Indian Health Service into the Program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Second Chance for Ex-Offenders Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal criminal code to allow an individual to file a petition for expungement of a record of conviction for a nonviolent criminal offense if such individual has: (1) never been convicted of a violent offense and has never been convicted of a nonviolent offense other than the one for which expungement is sought; (2) fulfilled all requirements of the sentence of the court in which conviction was obtained; (3) remained free from dependency on or abuse of alcohol or a controlled substance for a minimum of one year and has been rehabilitated, to the court's satisfaction, if so required by the terms of supervised release; (4) obtained a high school diploma or completed a high school equivalency program; and (5) completed at least one year of community service. Authorizes an individual convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor to file an expungement petition. Directs the court, in ruling on such petition, after determining petitioner eligibility, to weigh the petitioner's interests against the best interests of justice and public safety. Authorizes the Department of Justice to maintain a nonpublic manual or computerized index of expunged records, to be made available only to Federal and State law enforcement personnel who have custody of such records for limited disclosure purposes. Requires the restoration of expunged records of individuals subsequently convicted of any Federal or State offense.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to the family of Thurgood Marshall (the first African-American Justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court) in recognition of Marshall's contributions to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Social Security Truth in Budgeting Act of 2005 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the receipts and disbursements of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund (Social Security trust funds) from being included in the Federal budget baseline for any fiscal year and from being counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surplus for purposes of offsetting any tax decrease or spending increase. Excludes Social Security trust fund receipts and disbursements totals from official Office of Management and Budget and Congressional Budget Office budget pronouncements.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Recognizes the extraordinary contributions of the late Ossie Davis for his service to the Nation in the military, as a civil rights leader, and as an actor. Honors him as a great American and pioneer in the annals of American history. Expresses its deepest condolences upon his death to his wife Ruby Dee Davis, his other family members, and his friends.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2005 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 with respect to: (1) voter verification and mandatory paper record audit capacity; and (2) accessibility and voter verification of results for individuals with disabilities. Requires the Election Assistance Commission to study, test, and develop best practices to enhance the accessibility of voter-verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities and for voters whose primary language is not English, including best practices for the mechanisms themselves and the process through which the mechanisms are used. Outlines additional voting system requirements. Requires laboratories to meet standards prohibiting conflicts of interest as a condition of accreditation for the testing of voting system hardware and software. Provides for the filing of complaints by aggrieved persons with the Attorney General. Extends the authorization of Election Assistance Commission permanently. Makes available additional funding to enable States to meet the costs of the requirements imposed by this Act. Directs the Election Assistance Commission to conduct random, unannounced, hand counts of the voter-verified records for each Federal general election in at least two percent of the precincts in each State. Requires Federal certification of the technological security of voter registration lists.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Student Privacy Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise provisions for military recruiter access to secondary school student information. Requires ESEA-assisted local educational agencies (LEAs) to notify each secondary school student's parent of the option to consent to a release of the student's name, address, and telephone listing to military recruiters, and to give the parent the opportunity to provide such consent in writing. Requires such LEAs to provide military recruiters, upon their request, with access to such information on a student only if the student's parent has given such written consent.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member of the Armed Forces entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member. Directs the Secretary to reimburse such eligible persons for pharmacy benefits received from a pharmacy that is not a TRICARE (Department of Defense managed health care plan) network pharmacy in the same manner as the Secretary would reimburse such person for such benefits received from a TRICARE network pharmacy. Requires such persons, in order to receive such reimbursement, to submit a certification from their physician stating that the person does not have access to a TRICARE network pharmacy due to physical or medical constraints. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive the monthly part B premium (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) with respect to: (1) an individual who is entitled to military retired or retainer pay based upon service that began before December 7, 1956; and (2) the spouse, widow, or widower of such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services: (1) to develop and implement a National Arthritis Action Plan; and (2) acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct, support, and promote the coordination of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases research. Requires the Secretary to award grants to: (1) support arthritis-specific research projects at the Centers for Prevention Research by the CDC; (2) support State comprehensive arthritis control and prevention programs and public health surveillance, prevention, and control activities; and (3) assist in the implementation of a national strategy for arthritis control and prevention. Requires the Secretary to coordinate a national education and outreach program on arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Requires the Secretary to establish an Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases Interagency Coordinating Committee to: (1) improve coordination of Federal research activities related to arthritis and rheumatic diseases; and (2) convene a summit to provide a detailed overview of such current Federal research. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand and intensify juvenile arthritis research. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to support juvenile arthritis data collection. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to support the development of a National Juvenile Arthritis Patient Registry. Requires the Secretary to promote and support pediatric rheumatology training, including by allowing the Secretary to establish a loan repayment program. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct a study on the economic impact of arthritis in the workplace.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a business tax credit of $1,000 for each of their employees who teaches a course at an accredited community college for which the employee receives no compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Amends the Federal Law Enforcement Pay Reform Act of 1990 to revise the special pay adjustments for (percentage differentials payable to) Federal law enforcement officers in specified consolidated metropolitan statistical areas. Includes Capitol Police as law enforcement officers under such Act. Eliminates the limitation on the aggregate of basic pay and premium pay with respect to availability pay for Federal criminal investigators.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the full realization of the rights of women is vital to the development and well-being of people of all nations; and (2) the Senate should, therefore, give its advice and consent to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Probation and Parole Officer Safety Task Force Act of 2005 - Establishes within the Department of Justice the Probation and Parole Officer Safety Task Force to study and report to Congress and the Attorney General on: (1) Federal and State policies and practices as they affect the personal safety of probation and parole officers during the execution of their duties; and (2) guidelines for the safety training of, the use of force by, and equipment standards for such officers, including regarding whether to arm such officers. Requires the Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (after the Task Force terminates) to carry out and report to the Attorney General on an annual, comprehensive statistical review of the incidence and effects of violence perpetrated against Federal and State probation and parole officers.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Amends the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to detain for examination, testing, or the taking of evidence: (1) any horse at any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction which is sore or which the Secretary has probable cause to believe is sore; and (2) any horse or other equine which the Secretary has probable cause to believe is being shipped, transported, moved, delivered, received, possessed, purchased, sold, or donated in violation of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Family and Medical Leave Inclusion Act - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to provide for employee leave to care for a same-sex spouse as determined under applicable State law, domestic partner, parent-in-law, adult child, sibling, or grandparent (as well as for a spouse, child, or parent), if such person has a serious health condition. Amends Federal civil service law to apply the same leave allowance to Federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Marine One Made in America Act - Prohibits the Secretary of the Navy from entering into a contract for the procurement of a helicopter under the VH-3D presidential helicopter replacement program unless the contract requires the helicopter to be wholly manufactured in the United States from parts wholly manufactured in the United States. Provides that if a contract entered into after December 31, 2004, and before the date of enactment of this Act does not meet such requirements, the Secretary shall terminate such contract.
![Official portrait of Rep. Capuano, Michael E. [D-MA-8]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001037_200.jpg)