United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2006
Extends copyright protection to fashion designs. Excludes from such protection fashion designs that are embodied in a useful article that was made public by the designer or owner more than three months before the registration of copyright application. Gives fashion designs copyright protection for three years. Declares that is not infringement to make, have made, import, sell, or distribute any article embodying a design which was created without knowledge or reasonable grounds to know that protection for the design is claimed and was copied from such protected design. Extends the definition of infringing article to include any article the design of which has been copied from an image of a protected design without the consent of the owner. Applies the doctrines of secondary infringement and secondary liability to actions related to original designs. Makes any person who is liable under either such doctrine subject to all the remedies, including those attributable to any underlying or resulting infringement. Requires the Register of Copyrights to determine whether or not the application relates to a design which on its face appears to be within the subject matter protected as original designs and, if so, register the design. Increases allowable damage awards for infringement of original designs.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2006
Small Business Investment and Promotion Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide to small business owners and operators of farming or commercial fishing businesses a temporary credit for excessive fuel costs paid or incurred in the operation of such business; (2) make permanent the credit for increasing research activities; and (3) treat as 15-year property for purposes of the depreciation deduction qualified restaurant property, qualified retail improvement property, and certain systems installed in nonresidential buildings. Authorizes appropriations for FY2007-FY2008 for: (1) the Advanced Technology Program; (2) the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE); (3) small business development centers; (4) the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program; and (5) the Women's Business Centers program. Expresses the sense of Congress calling for appropriate funding for the above programs and the Small Business Act's 7(a) loan program. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide market-based adjustments in annual H-1B and H-2B nonimmigrant numerical limitations. Amends the Small Business Act to include awards for contracts performed outside the United States within the federal government's small business contracting goal.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2006
Federal Judicial Fairness Act of 2006 - Repeals a requirement of federal law limiting salary increases for federal judges or Supreme Court Justices to those specifically authorized by Act of Congress. Amends the federal judicial code to make the cost of living adjustments in judicial salaries effective in the first pay period beginning on or after January 1 each year. (Currently, such adjustments are triggered by General Schedule adjustments.) Prohibits the percentage adjustment taking effect in a calendar year, in any salary rate, from exceeding the adjustment taking effect in such year under General Schedule pay rate requirements. Increases the rate of basic pay for: (1) the Chief Justice of the United States; (2) an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; (3) a judge of a U.S. circuit court, a district court, and the U.S. Court of International Trade; (4) a bankruptcy judge; and (5) a full-time magistrate judge.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2006
Stop Tuberculosis (TB) Now Act of 2006 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require (currently, authorizes) the President to furnish assistance for tuberculosis (TB) prevention, treatment, and elimination. Gives priority to activities described in the Stop TB Strategy (as defined by this Act). Revises related fund use provisions. Authorizes the President, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to provide increased resources to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership to improve the capacity of countries with high TB rates and other affected countries to implement the Stop TB Strategy. Authorizes appropriations for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) TB activities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2006
NSA Oversight Act - States that provisions of the federal criminal code concerning wire and electronic communications and their interception and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 are the exclusive means by which domestic electronic surveillance may be conducted until specific statutory authorization for any other such surveillance is enacted. Requires the President to report to the congressional intelligence and judiciary committees identifying U.S. persons who have been the subject of electronic surveillance not conducted under the above requirements, as well as the basis for the selection of such persons for such surveillance.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2006
Elder Justice Act - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new title XXII (Elder Justice) to establish: (1) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) an Office of Elder Justice (OEJ); (2) within the Office of the Secretary the Elder Justice Coordinating Council to make recommendations to the Secretary and the Attorney General for the coordination of activities of HHS, the Department of Justice, and other relevant federal, state, local, and private agencies and entities, relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation and other crimes against elders; and (3) the Advisory Board on Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation. Prescribes requirements for uniform collection, maintenance, and dissemination of national data relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including an Elder Justice Resource Center in OEJ. Authorizes the HHS Secretary to award grants for: (1) prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (2) five Centers of Excellence nationwide specializing in research, clinical practice, and training relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (3) six diverse communities to examine various types of elder shelters and test various models for establishing safe havens; (4) nonprofit organizations and faith-based organizations to establish or continue volunteer programs focusing on the issues of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, or providing related services; and (5) various multidisciplinary elder justice activities. Provides for: (1) reporting to law enforcement of crimes occurring in federally-funded long-term care facilities; (2) revising the quality of long-term care; and (3) increasing consumer information about long-term care, including an HHS long-term care consumer clearinghouse. Amends: (1) the Older Americans Act of 1965 with respect to the long-term care ombudsman program; (2) part A (General Provisions) of SSA title XI to establish an adult protective services grant program; (3) SSA titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) to assure safety of residents when nursing facilities close; and (4) part E (Miscellaneous) to apply skilled nursing facility preventive abuse requirements to long-term care facilities and providers. Establishes within the Department of Justice an Office of Elder Justice. Authorizes the Attorney General to award: (1) victim advocacy grants; and (2) grants for specified support to local and state prosecutors handling elder justice-related cases. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a long-term care facility worker employment tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2006
Small Business Efficiency Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat professional employer organizations (PEOs), certified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), as employers for employment tax purposes (thus allowing such PEOs to pay wages and collect and remit payroll taxes on behalf of an employer). Sets forth IRS certification requirements for PEOs, including financial review and reporting requirements. Requires a PEO to post a bond, up to $1 million, to guarantee payment of employment taxes. Limits the required bond amount to $50,000 for a newly created PEO during its three-year startup period.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2006
Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act of 2006 - States that Congress reaffirms the inherent authority of the government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to call, and hereby expressly authorizes the calling of, a constitutional convention through the election of delegates for the purpose of establishing a mechanism for self-determination. Provides that, upon the approval by a constitutional convention in the Commonwealth of a self-determination option, the convention shall submit a self-determination proposal to Congress for approval. Requires submission of the proposal, upon approval by Congress with or without modifications, to the people of the Commonwealth for appoval or rejection in a referendum. Requires enactment of a joint resolution of Congress approving the terms of the proposal, including implementing provisions, if the people of Puerto Rico approve the proposal in the referendum. Provides that, if a self-determination proposal is not approved by Congress or by the people of Puerto Rico in a referendum, the Government of the Commonwealth should call for a new constitutional convention, including an election by the people of Puerto Rico of new delegates to the convention, for the purpose of formulating and submitting to Congress a new self-determination proposal.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2006
Military Retirees' Health Care Protection Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Department of Defense (DOD) and the nation have a committed health benefits obligation to retired military personnel that exceeds the obligation of corporate employers to civilian employees; and (2) DOD has many additional options to constrain the growth of health care spending in ways that do not disadvantage beneficiaries, and should pursue such options rather than seeking large fee increases for beneficiaries. Prohibits an increase after December 31, 2005, in: (1) a premium, deductible, copayment, or other charge prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for medical and dental health care coverage for military personnel; and (2) the dollar amount of a cost-sharing requirement under the DOD pharmacy benefits program. Prohibits: (1) charges for DOD inpatient care from exceeding $535 per day; and (2) after December 31, 2005, an increase in premiums under TRICARE (a DOD managed health care program) for certain members of the Selected Reserve.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2006
Commends the Africa Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) in monitoring the N'Djamena Ceasefire Agreement in Darfur and its role in diminishing some acts of violence. Condemns: (1) the continued genocide against civilians in Darfur by the government of Sudan and government-sponsored militias; and (2) the continued violations by both parties to the Agreement. Calls on both parties to the Agreement to abide by its terms and engage in good-faith negotiations to end the Darfur conflict. Calls on the government of Sudan to: (1) withdraw all military aircraft from the region; and (2) cease support for the Janjaweed militia and rebels from Chad; and (3) disarm the Janjaweed militias. Calls on: (1) the African Union (AU) to work closely with the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to strengthen its capacity to deter violence and instability until a U.N. peacekeeping force is fully deployed in Darfur; and (2) NATO to extend its AU advisor mission. Calls on the U.N. Security Council to approve a trained and adequate Darfur peacekeeping mission. Urges the President to take steps to improve the security situation in Darfur, including by: (1) proposing that NATO implement an interim civilian protection force; and (2) requesting supplemental funding to support AMIS and a NATO mission in Darfur.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2006
Congressional Tribute to Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Act of 2006 - Authorizes The President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design, to Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, in recognition of his enduring contributions to the United States and the world.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2006
Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the National Cancer Institute, to establish special programs of research excellence in the area of pediatric cancers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a grant mechanism for the establishment of Research Fellowships in Pediatric Cancer to support adequate numbers of pediatric focused clinical and translational investigators. Requires the Director to award a grant for the operation of a population-based national childhood cancer database, the Childhood Cancer Research Network. Requires the Secretary to award grants to recognized childhood cancer professional and advocacy organizations to raise public awareness of currently available information, treatment, and research with intent to ensure access to best available therapies for pediatric cancers.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2006
Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act - Repeals death penalty provisions for a wide range of specified offenses under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the federal criminal code, the Controlled Substances Act, and other statutes, including for murder relating to the smuggling of aliens, murder during a hostage-taking, and certain non-homicide-related offenses (espionage and treason). Repeals procedural provisions relating to the imposition of the death sentence. Prohibits sentencing to death or putting to death any person for any violation of federal law. Commutes death penalty sentences imposed prior to the enactment of this Act to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2006
Byron Nelson Congressional Gold Medal Act - Provides for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Byron Nelson in recognition of his contributions to the game of golf as a player, teacher, and commentator.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2006
Commends the people of the Republic of Haiti for holding democratic elections on February 7, 2006. Congratulates President-elect Rene Garcia Preval on his victory. Pledges support and assistance for national reconciliation, democracy, and development for the people of Haiti.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2006
Columbian Temporary Protected Status Act of 2006 - Expresses the sense of Congress in favor of extending temporary protected status to Columbian nationals in the United States. Designates Columbia under the Immigration and Nationality Act as a country undergoing an ongoing armed conflict in order to make qualifying Columbians living in the United States eligible aliens for temporary protected status. States that such initial designation shall be for a two-year period.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2006
Port Operations Require Tough Scrutiny (PORTS) Act of 2006 - Amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 relating to investigations of proposed corporate mergers, acquisitions, or takeovers (transactions) in the United States by a foreign interest which could affect U.S. national security to: (1) extend from 30 to 60 days after notification of the proposed transaction the period in which such investigation must be commenced by the President, if it is determined that there should be an investigation; and (2) allow an extension of such deadline by up to ten additional days if determined appropriate. Requires the investigation of a transaction which could result in foreign control of a person engaged in interstate commerce in the United States that could affect U.S. critical infrastructure. States with respect to certain mandatory investigations that if the President determines that the transaction should be approved or does not otherwise object to the transaction and the President does not suspend or prohibit such transaction, then the President, within 30 days after such decision, shall notify Congress of the decision. Allows Congress 45 days after such notification to enact into law a joint resolution disapproving the decision of the President and requiring the President to prohibit the proposed transaction, or, if the transaction has been completed, directing the Attorney General to seek divestment. Requires annual reports from the President to the congressional homeland security and intelligence committees on actions taken with regard to such investigations. Directs the Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) verify on-site the security measures of each individual and entity participating in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program and the Free And Secure Trade (FAST) program; and (2) establish policies for non-compliance with requirements of the C-TPAT program, including probation and expulsion.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should not maintain a permanent military presence or military bases in Iraq; (2) the United States should not attempt to control the flow of Iraqi oil; and (3) U.S. Armed Forces should be redeployed from Iraq as soon as practicable after the completion of Iraq's constitution-making process or September 30, 2006, whichever occurs first.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2006
Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to: (1) advance from FY2007 to FY2006 the fiscal year for which funds are appropriated for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP); and (2) repeal the limitation on such funds as a one-time only obligation and expenditure. Bars use of the funds for certain state planning and administration purposes. Accelerates the termination of such appropriation and related allocations and conditions from September 30, 2007, to September 30, 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2006
Commends the people of the Republic of the Marshall Islands for the contributions and sacrifices they made to the U.S. nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands. Acknowledges the first detonation of a hydrogen bomb by the United States on March 1, 1954, on the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Remembers that 60 years ago the United States began its nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2006
Canine Volunteer Protection Act of 2006 - Amends the federal criminal code to modify the definition of "police animal" for purposes of the prohibition against harming certain animals (i.e., dogs and horses) used in law enforcement to include animals employed or commissioned for search and rescue missions.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2006
Federal Aviation Administration Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006 - Amends federal transportation law to revise certain federal aviation administration personnel management system requirements to prohibit the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from implementing any proposed change to the FAA personnel management system in cases where the services of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service do not lead to an agreement between the Administrator and FAA employees unless a bill is enacted into law by Congress that authorizes the change during the 60-day period beginning from the time Congress received the proposed change. (Current law does not require congressional action.) Requires the Administrator and FAA employee bargaining representatives to submit the proposed change to binding arbitration if Congress does not enact a bill into law within the 60-day period.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2006
Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2006 - Amends the Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2005 to extend for three years the annual cap exemption for returning H-2B aliens (temporary nonagricultural worker).
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2006
Disapproves of the Arab League's decision to hold its 2006 summit in Khartoum, Sudan. Calls on the Arab League, the government of Sudan, the Sudanese rebels, and the world community to do all they can to end the acts of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2006
Disabled Veterans Tax Fairness Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow members of the uniformed services whose retired pay in any taxable year is reduced due to an award of disability compensation by the Department of Veterans Affairs an extension of the three-year limitation period for filing tax refund claims until one year after the date of a disability determination. Limits the period for which such refund claims may be filed to taxable years beginning less than 15 years before the date of a disability determination.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2006
Honors and praises the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on the occasion of its 97th anniversary for its work to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of all persons.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2006
Medicare Prescription Drug Emergency Guarantee Act of 2006 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to assure uninterrupted access to medicines under the Medicare prescription drug program. Requires each prescription drug plan sponsor offering a prescription drug plan, and each Medicare Advantage organization offering an Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug Plan (MA-PD plan), to: (1) provide minimum standard transition coverage; (2) furnish each enrollee with annual notices of any changes in formulary or other restrictions or drug coverage limitations; and (3) require application of intermediate sanctions to protect against fraud and abuse. Amends SSA: (1) title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) to allow changes of enrollment in prescription drug plans and MA-PD plans to be made once each year outside the annual coordinated election period, or twice a year; and (2) title XIX (Medicaid) to prohibit conditioning Medicaid eligibility on enrollment in Medicare part D or any other creditable coverage. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to study and report to Congress on the extent to which full-benefit dual eligible individuals were enrolled (by assignment or otherwise) in the most appropriate part D prescription drug plans. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to reimburse covered third parties during 2006 for 100% of covered part D drugs which a prescription drug plan or MA-PD plan enrollee reasonably expected would have been covered but were not because the enrollee was unable to access on a timely basis prescription drug benefits to which he or she was entitled. Directs the Secretary to establish a process for recovering such reimbursed costs from prescription drug plans and MA-PD plans if they should have incurred them.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2006
Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2006 - Extends from one to two years the lobbying ban for former senior executive personnel, former Members of Congress, and legislative branch officers and employees. Denies floor privileges to any former Members and House officers if he or she is a registered lobbyist or agent of a foreign principal. Requires public disclosure by Members of Congress and senior congressional staff of employment negotiations. Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA) to revise requirements for lobbying disclosures reports. Amends the Rules of the House of Representatives to: (1) exclude gifts from lobbyists from the gift ban exceptions; and (2) prohibit privately funded travel by a Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee. Establishes the Office of Public Integrity within the Office of Inspector General of the House. Amends the LDA to increase the penalty for failure to comply with lobbying disclosure requirements. Requires certification that congressional travel meets certain conditions, subject to civil fines for false certifications. Establishes mandatory annual ethics training for House employees. Makes it out of order to consider any reconciliation legislation which has the net effect of reducing the surplus or increasing the deficit compared to the most recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate for any fiscal year. Limits recorded electronic votes to 20 minutes, except in certain circumstances. Makes requirements for earmarks in funding measures. Makes it out of order to consider a resolution providing for adjournment sine die unless, during at least 20 weeks of the session, a quorum call or recorded vote was taken on at least four of the weekdays (excluding legal public holidays). Makes it out of order, with certain exceptions, for the House to consider a bill or joint resolution until 24 hours, or in the case of legislation containing a district-oriented earmark or limited tax benefit, until three days after copies of such measure are available. Makes a motion to request or agree to a conference on a general appropriation bill in order only if the House expresses its disagreements with the Senate in the form of numbered amendments. Requires all provisions on which the two chambers disagree to be open to discussion at any meeting of a conference committee. Prescribes minimum requirements for political appointees holding public safety positions. Amends the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (OFPPA) to require an executive agency, after awarding a contract, to make specified information regarding it available to the public, including over the Internet in a searchable database. Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (FPASA) to prohibit awarding of a monopoly federal contract to a single contractor. Specifies conditions under which such contracts may be awarded. Amends the FPASA to require revision of the Federal Acquisition Regulation to require competition for certain multiple award contracts. Provides for suspension and debarment of unethical contractors. Amends the federal criminal code to impose fines and penalties on cheating taxpayers and wartime fraud. Revises requirements and prohibitions regarding contractor conflicts of interest. Requires disclosure of certain government contractor overcharges. Subjects individuals to penalties for improper sole-source contracting procedures. Prescribes disclosure requirements for organizations established to raise funds for creating, maintaining, expanding, or conducting activities at a former or existing presidential archival depository or its facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2006
Expresses support for the federal and state missions of the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. Recommends that the Department of Defense (DOD) propose to fully fund the National Guard's equipment needs. Urges DOD to consult with the states' chief executive officers and Congress on any proposed changes to the National Guard force structure. Requests that: (1) any DOD plan regarding force structure take into account the National Guard role in homeland defense and other state missions; (2) DOD prepare budget projections that detail cost savings from any changes in force structure, as well as projected costs in the event large personnel increases are necessary to respond to a national emergency; and (3) DOD assure Congress and the chief executive officers that potential changes in force structure will not impact the safety and security of the U.S. people.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2006
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act with respect to required state reimbursements to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for federal assumption of Medicaid prescription drug costs for dual-eligible individuals (Medicaid clawback). Requires an offset from the Medicaid clawback for state prescription drug expenditures for covered part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) drugs for part D eligible individuals who are: (1) entitled to benefits under the state plan (whether as full-benefit dual eligible individuals, qualified Medicare beneficiaries, or otherwise); and (2) enrolled in a part D plan but unable to access on a timely basis benefits to which they were entitled. Requires the Secretary to provide for recovery of payment reductions owing to such offset from those part D or Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans that would otherwise be responsible for the expenditures made by the states.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2006
Fuel Security and Consumer Choice Act - Amends federal transportation law to require manufacturers of new automobiles that can operate on gasoline or diesel fuel (dual fueled automobiles) to manufacture such automobiles by increasing percentages for 10 model years and beyond. Allows manufacturers to earn credits which may be applied to any three consecutive model years after the year in which they were earned if the manufacturer exceeds the number of dual fueled automobiles required to be manufactured in a particular year. Authorizes a manufacturer to sell credits to another manufacturer to enable the purchaser to meet the percentage requirements under this Act. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to measure the fuel economy for each model of dual fueled automobile based on certain formulas.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2006
Amends rule XXV (Limitations on Outside Earned Income and Acceptance of Gifts) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require Members, Delegates, Resident Commissioners, officers, or employees of the House, before accepting payment of travel expenses, to obtain a written certification from the sponsoring organization or person: (1) stating that no registered lobbyist has been invited to participate in the transportation, lodging, or any associated meetings; and (2) disclaiming specified lobbying activities and connections. Amends rule IV (The Hall of the House) to deny floor privileges to any former Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner, former Parliamentarian, former elected officer or former minority employee of the House, and to heads of departments and state governors, unless the individual signs a lobbying disclaimer each time he or she is admitted to such location. Amends rule XVIII (The Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union) to make it out of order to consider any reconciliation legislation which has the net effect of reducing the surplus or increasing the deficit compared to the most recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate for any fiscal year. Amends rule XX (Voting and Quorum Calls) to limit recorded electronic votes to 20 minutes, except that the time may be extended with the consent of both the majority and minority floor managers of the legislation involved or both the majority and minority leaders. Amends rule XXIII (Code of Official Conduct) to prohibit a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner from conditioning the inclusion of language to provide funding for a district-oriented earmark, a particular project which will be carried out in a Member's congressional district, or a limited tax benefit in any bill or joint resolution (or accompanying report) or in any conference report on such measure (or accompanying joint statement of managers) on any vote such individual casts. Requires a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner to disclose in writing to the chairman and ranking member of the relevant committee certain information about any district-oriented earmark such individual advocates in any measure or accompanying report or managers' joint statement. Requires each committee to make such information available to the general public for any earmark included in any reported measure. Requires the Joint Committee on Taxation to review any revenue measure, reconciliation bill, or joint resolution for limited tax benefits, and identify them and their beneficiaries, including their sponsors. Amends rule XV (Business in Order on Special Days) to make it out of order to consider a resolution providing for adjournment sine die unless, during at least 20 weeks of the session, a quorum call or recorded vote was taken on at least four of the weekdays (excluding legal public holidays). Amends rule XIII (Calendars and Committee Reports) to make it out of order, with certain exceptions, for the House to consider a bill or joint resolution until 24 hours, or in the case of legislation containing a district-oriented earmark or limited tax benefit, until three days after copies of such measure (and any accompanying report) are available (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, or legal holidays when the House is not in session). Makes a motion to request or agree to a conference on a general appropriation bill in order only if the Senate expresses its disagreements with the House in the form of numbered amendments. Requires all provisions on which the two chambers disagree to be open to discussion at any meeting of a conference committee. Amends rule XXV (Limitation on Outside Earned Income and Acceptance of Gifts) to exempt from the restrictions on gifts to Members of Congress or Senators, officers, or employees of the House the market value for a flight taken in connection with official duties (charter flight fair market value) on an airplane not licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate for compensation or hire. Requires the individual to publish certain flight related information in the Congressional Record within 10 days of such a flight.
United States · United States Congress · 22 December 2005
Directs the Attorney General to submit to the House of Representatives all documents in the possession of the Attorney General relating to warrantless electronic surveillance of telephone conversations and electronic communications of persons in the United States conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA), other than such surveillance authorized to be conducted under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978.
United States · United States Congress · 18 December 2005
Thanks Bono, Bill Gates, and Melinda Gates for their charitable efforts. Congratulates each of them on their selection as Time Magazine's Persons of the Year.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2005
Commission on Terrorism Risk Insurance Act - Amends the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 to establish the Commission on Terrorism Risk Insurance. Directs the Commission to identify and make recommendations regarding actions to: (1) encourage, facilitate, and sustain provision by the private domestic insurance industry of affordable coverage for losses due to acts of terrorism; (2) sustain or supplement the ability of the domestic insurance industry to cover losses resulting from acts of terrorism; (3) reduce the federal role over time in any continuing federal terrorism risk insurance program; and (4) evaluate whether coverage under the Terrorism Insurance Program is necessary to permit redevelopment at sites of previous acts of terrorism. Instructs the Commission to evaluate and makes recommendations on the need for a federal terrorism risk insurance program. Requires the Terrorism Insurance Program to remain in effect, but only to cover insured losses under property and casualty insurance issued on or before December 31, 2008, if the Commission determines that the market will not provide for renewal or generation of new insurance contracts necessary to permit redevelopment at the site of a previous act of terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2005
Code Talkers Recognition Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation of a congressional gold medal: (1) to persons, including specified individuals, who served as Sioux or Comanche Code Talkers during World War II; (2) honoring the Choctaw Code Talkers of World War I; and (3) to any other Native American member of the armed forces, identified by the Secretary of Defense, who served as a Code Talker in any foreign conflict in which the United States was involved during the 20th Century. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medals struck under this Act and to deposit the proceeds in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund to pay for the costs of the medals awarded under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2005
Requests the President and directs the Secretary of State to provide to the House of Representatives: (1) all documents, memoranda, and advisory legal opinions in the possession of the President or the Secretary from the Department of State provided to the Executive Office of the President since September 11, 2001, concerning U.S. policies under the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the Geneva Conventions toward individuals captured by or transferred to the United States or detained in U.S. custody as part of the Global War on Terror; and (2) all documents, including notes from meetings, memos, and telephone and electronic mail records of internal discussions since September 11, 2001, in the possession of the President or the Secretary concerning U.S. policies under the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Geneva Conventions.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2005
Clean Water Trust Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) to establish in the Treasury the Clean Water Trust Fund, to be funded by user fees, to finance certain FWPCA programs and activities, including: (1) water pollution reduction and control; (2) technical assistance for small rural communities; (3) the National Center for Utility Management; (4) grants to states and interstate agencies to assist in the management of pollution control programs; (5) watershed pilot projects; (6) regional water pollution control; (7) alternative water source projects; (8) sewer overflow control; (9) fisheries habitat protection, restoration, and enhancement; and (10) wetlands restoration. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make grants to nonprofit organizations to: (1) provide technical assistance to rural and small municipalities for wastewater infrastructure financing; and (2) establish a National Center for Utility Management to promote improved management of public wastewater utilities. Revises: (1) eligibility requirements for grants for sewage collection systems; and (2) state water pollution revolving fund provisions. Establishes a grant program under FWPCA to address the most serious water pollution problems. Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) make grants to states, nonprofit organizations, and other entities for fresh water, estuarine, and marine fisheries habitat protection, preservation, and restoration; and (2) make grants to states for wetlands restoration. Revises funding allocations for state water pollution control projects and activities serving Indian tribes and reservations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2005
The Fourteenth Dalai Lama Congressional Gold Medal Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro Tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, in recognition of his many contributions to peace and religious understanding.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2005
Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from issuing any final rule that would change the Department of Transportation's (DOT) interpretation of what constitutes "actual control" of an airline with respect to requirements prohibiting foreign interests from exercising actual control over all airline operations. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on the impact of DOT's proposed change of allowing foreign interests to control economic and competitive decisions while requiring U.S. citizens to control decisions concerning commitments to the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, transportation security, safety, and organizational documents. (Under current law, only an airline that qualifies as "a citizen of the United States" may provide service between U.S. cities or on international routes obtained by the United States through international agreements. Defines "a citizen of the United States" as an individual who is a citizen of the United States, a partnership each of whose partners is an individual who is a citizen of the United States, or a corporation or association in which at least 75% of the voting interest is owned or controlled by persons that are citizens of the United States).
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2005
Calls on the Board of Directors of the National High School Mock Trial Championship to: (1) accommodate the religious beliefs of students participating in the competition; and (2) restructure the competition's rules to allow qualifying students of all faiths to compete fully without betraying their religious beliefs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2005
Urges the President to issue annually a proclamation calling on state and local governments and the people of the United States to observe an American Jewish History Month.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2005
Directs the Joint Committee on the Library to accept the donation of a bust depicting Sojourner Truth and display it in a suitable permanent location in the rotunda of the Capitol. Expresses the sense of Congress that the most suitable location for the placement of the bust is one adjacent to the statue known as the Portrait Monument.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2005
Congratulates Don Ho on his splendid musical career, recognizes his efforts to share Hawaii's Aloha Spirit, and conveys best wishes for his continuing success.
![Official portrait of Rep. Delahunt, William D. [D-MA-10]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000210_200.jpg)