United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2005 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or local governments. Directs the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to determine whether State law provides specified rights and responsibilities for public safety officers, including: (1) granting public safety employees the right to form and join a labor organization which excludes management and supervisory employees, and which is, or seeks to be, recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for such employees; and (2) requiring public safety employers to recognize and agree to bargain with the employees' labor organization. Requires the FLRA to issue regulations establishing collective bargaining procedures for public safety employers and employees in States that do not substantially provide for such public safety employee rights and responsibilities. Directs the FLRA, in such cases, to: (1) determine the appropriateness of units for labor organization representation; (2) supervise or conduct elections to determine whether a labor organization has been selected as an exclusive representative by a majority of the employees in an appropriate unit; (3) resolve issues relating to the duty to bargain in good faith; (4) conduct hearings and resolve complaints of unfair labor practices; and (5) resolve exceptions to arbitrator's awards. Grants a public safety employer, employee, or labor organization the right to seek enforcement of such FLRA regulations and authority through appropriate State courts. Prohibits public safety employers, employees, and labor organizations from engaging in lockouts or strikes. Provides that existing collective bargaining units and agreements shall not be invalidated by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Latin America Military Training Review Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of the Army to suspend operation of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (Institute). Suspends the authority of the Secretary of Defense to operate such an education and training facility until submission of a report containing the results of an investigation in response to violations of human rights to which training at such Institute contributed. Establishes: (1) a joint congressional task force to assess appropriate education and training for DOD to provide to military personnel of Latin American nations; and (2) a commission to investigate activities of the United States Army School of the Americas and its successor institution, the Institute.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Children's Hospitals Education Equity and Research (CHEER) Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payments through FY 2010 (currently, through FY 2005) to children's hospitals for expenses associated with operating approved graduate medical residency training programs. Excludes reductions for unused resident positions when calculating the number of full-time residents in a children's hospital's approved training program for purposes of reimbursing direct expenses. Requires the Secretary to adjust the proportion of such a hospital's costs attributable to wages for differences in hospital wage levels by geographic area. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2010 for direct and indirect expenses associated with operating such programs. Requires that funds appropriated for such programs for a fiscal year remain available for obligation through the end of the succeeding fiscal year. Limits the ability to recoup funds unless a demand for recoupment is made by the end of the fiscal year. Sets forth an appeals procedure and limitations on retroactivity for decisions affecting the amount of payments to a hospital for such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2005
Removing Impediments to Students Education Act - RISE Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to repeal provisions which make persons convicted of drug offenses ineligible to receive student financial assistance for a certain period.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2005
Rockies Prosperity Act - Designates the following lands in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System (System): (1) Greater Glacier/Northern Continental Divide ecosystem; (2) Greater Yellowstone ecosystem; (3) Greater Salmon/Selway ecosystem; (4) Greater Cabinet/Yaak/Selkirk ecosystem; (5) Islands in the Sky Wilderness; and (6) Blackfeet Wilderness. Designates: (1) specified wild land areas as Biological Connecting Corridors to protect the life flow of the Northern Rockies Bioregion; (2) the inventoried roadless areas identified as part of the Corridors as components of the System; and (3) certain biological connecting corridors as special corridor management areas. Establishes the Hells Canyon/Chief Joseph National Park and Preserve as a National Park System unit. Repeals Federal law provisions that establish the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) implement a program of ecosystem restoration in the Preserve; and (2) study the feasibility of creating a Flathead National Park and Preserve in the area generally known as the Glacier View Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest. Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of specified rivers and creeks in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Establishes the National Wildland Restoration and Recovery System and the National Wildland Recovery Corps. Requires the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to assure nonexclusive access to the specified areas and corridors designated by this Act by Native Americans for traditional cultural and religious purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2005
Disabled Veterans Right to Commissaries and Space Available Travel Act - Requires veterans with disabilities rated at 30 percent or more (and their dependents) to be permitted to use commissary and exchange stores on the same basis as members of the Armed Forces eligible for retired or retainer pay. Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide transportation on Department of Defense aircraft on a space-available basis for any veteran with a service-connected disability rated at 50 percent or more (and their dependents) on the same basis as members entitled to retired or retainer pay.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2005
Condemns the ongoing abductions and murders of young women in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City, Mexico, and expresses condolences to the victims' families. Urges the President and Secretary of State to: (1) incorporate the investigative efforts of the Mexican Government in the bilateral Mexico-U.S. agenda; and (2) continue to support the efforts of the victims' families to seek justice. Encourages the Secretary to: (1) include in the annual Country Report on Human Rights all instances of improper investigatory methods, threats against human rights activists, and the use of torture with respect to such cases; (2) urge the Government of Mexico and the State of Chihuahua to review the cases of murdered women in which the accused or convicted have credibly alleged they were tortured or forced by a state agent to confess; and (3) urge the Government of Mexico to ensure fair judicial proceedings. Supports the work of the special commissioner to prevent violence against women in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City. Expresses the solidarity of the people of the United States with the people of Mexico in the face of these tragic acts.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Freedom to Read Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to provide that no application by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to a U.S. court for an order requiring the production of tangible things for an investigation to obtain foreign intelligence information from a U.S. person or to protect against international terrorism may be made for the sole purpose of searching for, or seizing from, a bookseller or library documentary materials that contain personally identifiable information concerning a patron. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to preclude a physical search for documentary materials (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) under other provisions of law. Defines "personally identifiable information" as information that identifies a person as having used, requested, or obtained specific reading materials or services from a bookseller or library. Revises congressional reporting requirements under FISA to require the Attorney General, in informing Congress with respect to applications for orders approving requests for the production of tangible things, to: (1) describe the specific purpose of each order application; (2) analyze the effectiveness of each application that was granted or modified in protecting U.S. citizens against terrorism; and (3) make public such information provided in a manner consistent with the national security of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Alaska Rainforest Conservation Act of 2005 - Designates: (1) specified public lands in the Chugach National Forest, Alaska, as National Wilderness Preservation System components; and (2) specified public lands in the Tongass National Forest, Alaska, as wilderness areas or System components. Provides with respect to specified public lands in the Tongass National Forest, Alaska, for: (1) a wilderness designation study; (2) designation as Land Use Designation II lands; (3) designation as restoration lands; and (4) designation as special management areas. Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate, or study for designation, as wild, scenic, and recreational rivers specified waters in the Chugach and Tongass National Forests, Alaska.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 2005 - Amends the National Dam Safety Program Act to require the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a program to provide grant assistance to States for use in rehabilitating publicly-owned dams that fail to meet minimum safety standards and pose an unacceptable risk to the public (deficient dams). Sets forth provisions regarding procedures for grant awards and fund allocation. Requires the Director to develop a risk-based priority system for identifying deficient dams for which such grants may be made. Limits the Federal share of rehabilitation costs to 65 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Justice and Understanding By International Loan Elimination and Equity Act of 2005 or JUBILEE Act of 2005 - Amends the International Financial Institutions Act to require the Secretary of the Treasury to commence immediate efforts, within the Paris Club of Official Creditors, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), and other international financial institutions (multilateral development institutions (MDI's)) to accomplish: (1) the cancellation of all debts owed to each institution by specified eligible poor countries, and the financing of such debt cancellation from the institution's ongoing operations, procedures, and accounts; (2) the limitation of any waiting period before receipt of debt cancellation to one month from the date of an eligible poor country's application for it; and (3) encouragement of the government of each eligible poor country to allocate at least 20 percent of its national budget, including the savings from such debt cancellation, for the provision of basic health care services, education services, and clean water services to individuals in the country. Sets forth requirements for: (1) establishment of a framework to ensure transparency regarding each international financial institution's activities; and (2) availability on the Treasury Department's website of U.S. Executive Directors' remarks at meetings of international financial institutions' Boards of Directors. Requires the Secretary to commence immediate efforts, within the Paris Club, the IMF, and other appropriate MDI's, to ensure that the provision of debt cancellation to such countries is not conditioned on any agreement by such a country to implement or comply with specified policies that deepen poverty or degrade the environment.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Liver Research Enhancement Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the National Center on Liver Disease Research in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to ensure the development of increased understanding of, and better treatments and cures for, liver diseases. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish the Liver Disease Research Advisory Board to: (1) advise and assist the Director of the Center concerning matters relating to liver disease research; and (2) develop the Liver Disease Research Action Plan to identify scientific opportunities and priorities of liver disease research. Requires the Director of each institute or center within NIH to allocate for liver disease research amounts necessary to: (1) fund existing scientific research opportunities; and (2) carry out the recommendations of the Plan.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Declares that the steel import licensing and monitoring program established by the Secretaries of the Treasury and of Commerce shall remain in effect and be established by the Secretary of Commerce as a permanent program. Requires the Secretaries to expand the program to include all iron and steel, and all articles of iron and steel, specified in this Act. Requires release of the import and licensing data made available to the public as part of this program, based upon classifications at the tenth digit level of the Harmonized Schedule of the United States. Grants the Secretaries authority to maintain the program and to expand it as necessary and appropriate in accordance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify automatic fire sprinkler systems as five-year depreciable property. .
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Good Samaritan Volunteer Firefighter Assistance Act of 2005 - States that a person (including a governmental or other entity) who donates fire control or fire rescue equipment to a volunteer fire company shall not be liable for State or Federal civil damages for personal injuries, property damage or loss, or death caused by the equipment after the donation. Waives such liability protection if: (1) the person's act or omission causing the injury, damage, loss, or death constitutes gross negligence or intentional misconduct; or (2) the person is the manufacturer of such equipment. Preempts State law unless such law provides additional protection from liability.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Full Funding for IDEA Now Act of 2005 - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-446), to set forth a mandatory minimum level of Federal grant payments to States for assistance for education of all children with disabilities under IDEA part B. Entitles a State to receive such a minimum grant allotment in an amount determined by current formulas for maximum authorization levels in specified fiscal years (which such minimum entitlement replaces). Eliminates the current authorization of appropriations for specified fiscal years for such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Child Health Care Crisis Relief Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to establish programs related to mental health services for children and adolescents, to include: (1) entering into contracts with qualified individuals to pay educational loans in exchange for providing mental health services to children and adolescents; (2) awarding scholarships to students who agree to work as child and adolescent mental health service professionals after graduation or completion of residency; (3) entering into contracts with higher education institutions to establish or expand internship or other field placement programs for students receiving specialized training or clinical experience in child and adolescent mental health; (4) awarding grants to State-licensed mental heath organizations to pay for programs for preservice or in-service training of paraprofessional child and adolescent mental health workers; and (5) awarding grants to higher education institutions to establish or expand graduate child and adolescent mental health programs. Amends Title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to adjust the graduate medical education program to: (1) exclude a reasonable number of residents or fellows in child and adolescent psychiatry when calculating the maximum number of residents in the field of allopathic or osteopathic medicine for which the hospital may be paid; and (2) extend the period of board eligibility for residents and fellows in child and adolescent psychiatry. Directs the Administrator to study and report to Congress on the distribution of, and need for, child mental health service professionals.
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
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit: (1) Federal civilian and military retirees to pay Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis (i.e., exclude premiums from gross income); and (2) a tax deduction (available to itemizers and nonitemizers) for TRICARE supplemental premiums or enrollment fees. Directs the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the option of paying FEHBP and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis is available to Federal civilian and military retirees for the first open enrollment period beginning not less than 90 days after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Treatment of Children's Deformities Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan, and a health issuer offering group health insurance coverage, that cover surgical benefits to also cover outpatient and inpatient diagnosis and treatment of a child's congenital or developmental deformity, disease, or injury. Requires that such coverage: (1) be subject to pre-authorization or pre-certification requirements of the plan or issuer; and (2) include any surgical treatment deemed by the treating physician to be medically necessary to approximate a normal appearance. Defines "treatment" to include reconstructive surgical procedures that are performed on abnormal structures of the body caused by congenital defects, abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors, or disease, including: (1) procedures that do not materially affect the function of the body part being treated; and (2) procedures for secondary conditions and follow-up treatment. Excludes cosmetic surgery performed to reshape normal structures of the body to improve appearance or self-esteem.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Student Loan Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise student aid requirements for consolidation loans. Repeals a prohibition against refinancing consolidation loans. Allows borrowers to select lenders of consolidation loans. Requires lenders and institutions to provide certain information on consolidation loans to applicants. Revises interest rates on consolidated and reconsolidated loans.
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 · 1 March 2005
Recognizes the accomplishments and example of Cesar E. Chavez, founder of the National Farm Workers of America. Calls for: (1) establishment of a legal public holiday in his honor; and (2) public schools to provide classroom instruction on his life and work.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Supporting Emergency Responders Volunteer Efforts Act of 2005 or the SERVE Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a $1,000 refundable tax credit for bona-fide volunteer members of a qualified volunteer fire department (an organization providing firefighting or emergency medical services). Prorates the credit for part-year active members.
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
Electric Reliability Improvement Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Power Act to grant the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) jurisdiction over a FERC-certified Electric Reliability Organization (ERO), established under this Act to enforce, subject to FERC review, reliability standards for the bulk-power system. Includes within such jurisdiction regional entities and all users, owners, and operators of the bulk-power system for purposes of approving reliability standards and enforcing compliance with this Act. Urges the President to negotiate international agreements with the governments of Canada and Mexico to provide effective compliance with reliability standards and the effectiveness of the ERO in the United States, Canada, or Mexico. Restricts to the bulk-power system only the ERO authority to develop and enforce compliance with reliability standards. Declares that this Act does not authorize the ERO or FERC to order construction of additional generation or transmission capacity, or to set and enforce compliance with standards for adequacy or safety of electric facilities or services. Directs FERC to establish a regional advisory body on the petition of at least two-thirds of the States within a region that have more than one-half of their electric load served within the region. Authorizes such body to advise the ERO, a regional entity, or FERC. Declares this Act inapplicable to Alaska or Hawaii.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services and Supports Act of 2005 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require State Medicaid plan coverage of community-based attendant services and supports for certain Medicaid-eligible individuals. Outlines requirements for: (1) an enhanced Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for ongoing activities of early coverage States that enhance and promote the use of community-based attendant services and supports; and (2) increased Federal financial participation for certain expenditures incurred by the State for the provision of such services and supports. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) award grants to eligible States which have established a Consumer Task Force to assist the State in its development of real choice systems change initiatives; and (2) conduct a demonstration project for the purpose of evaluating service coordination and cost-sharing approaches with respect to the provision of community-based services and supports to non-elderly dually eligible individuals.
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
Calling for 2-1-1 Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award a grant to each State to carry out a program for making available throughout that State the 2-1-1 telephone service for information and referral on health and human services, including volunteer services. Requires a participating State to ensure that at least 50 percent of the resources of the program funded by the grant will be derived from other sources. Requires a State seeking a grant to carry out its activities through a lead entity to be known as a 2-1-1 Collaborative. Requires grant amounts to be used solely to make available to a State 2-1-1 telephone service for community information and referral on human services to all citizens of that State with phone access, including telephone connections between families and individuals seeking services and the service providers. Requires grant recipients to: (1) abide by the Key Standards for 2-1-1 Centers; and (2) collaborate with human service organizations to provide an exhaustive database of services with which to provide information or referral to individuals utilizing the 2-1-1 service.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to: (1) extend to September 30, 2027, the authorization for making grants or providing assistance with respect to the National Coal Heritage Area, Tennessee Civil War Heritage Area, Augusta Canal National Heritage Area, Steel Industry Heritage Project (the Steel Industry American Heritage Area), Essex National Heritage Area, South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership, Ohio & Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor (redesignated by this Act as the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway), and Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area; and (2) increase the total amount that may be appropriated for such areas (with the exception of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area); and (3) increase the amount authorized to be appropriated for such Area. Requires all vacancies in the Ohio & Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor Committee to be filled by the Ohio & Erie Canal Association. Adds Lincoln County, West Virginia, and Paint Creek and Cabin Creek in Kanawha County, West Virginia to the National Coal Heritage Area. Provides for the Secretary to enter into a contractual agreement with the National Coal Heritage Area Authority pursuant to which the Secretary shall assist the Authority in certain activities. Makes resources within Lincoln County and Paint Creek and Cabin Creek also eligible for assistance. Provides for the Authority to submit a Coal Heritage Management Plan. Adds Berkeley County, South Carolina, to the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Designates a certain segment of Pennsylvania State Route 60 and a segment of U.S. Routes 22 and 30 as part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as Interstate Route 376. Redesignates Interstate Route 279 from Interstate Route 79 east to Interstate Route 376 at Point State Park, Pennsylvania, as Interstate Route 376/279.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Amends the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (FSIA) to require that a foreign state designated as a state sponsor of terrorism under specified laws, or an official, employee, or agent of such a foreign state, shall be liable to a U.S. national for the national's personal injury or death caused by acts of that state or official, employee, or agent acting within the scope of his or her duties. Provides that the removal of a foreign state from designation as a state sponsor of terrorism shall not terminate such a cause of action arising during the period of designation. Authorizes U.S. courts to exercise jurisdiction over such actions for money damages under an FSIA provision concerning acts of torture, extrajudicial killing, aircraft sabotage, hostage taking, and material support for such acts. Mandates that property interests of foreign states, or agencies or instrumentalities of foreign states, against which judgment is entered pursuant to such provision are subject to attachment execution. Requires foreign states to be held vicariously liable for the actions of their officials, employees, or agents. Amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VCA) to modify the definition of "victim" for purposes of compensation under that Act. Requires the transfer of VCA funds to carry out an order appointing Special Masters in the matter of Peterson, et al. v. The Islamic Republic of Iran. Revives previously dismissed causes of action that would be cognizable under this Act by retroactively tolling the applicable statute of limitations from the date of initial filing to 60 days after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Help Our Patriotic Employers at Helping Our Military Employees Act or HOPE at HOME Act - Entitles a Federal employee who is a member of a reserve component and is absent from Federal employment under a call or order to active duty for a period of more than 30 days to the difference between the amount of the civilian base pay that would otherwise have been payable to such employee for such period and the amount of military compensation received for the active-duty service. Continues such entitlement: (1) while the employee is hospitalized for, or convalescing from, an injury or illness incurred in or aggravated during such active duty; or (2) during the 14-day period following the end of such active duty. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide as a general business credit for employers a Ready Reserve-National Guard employee credit equal to the lesser of: (1) 50 percent of the actual compensation paid with respect an employee who is absent from employment during the above periods; or (2) $30,000. Provides for the tax treatment of differential wage payments made under this Act. Provides an employer credit for income differential payments made with respect to the employment of activated military reservist and replacement personnel. Permits, without loss of tax benefits, employer payments to an individual retirement plan while an employee is performing active duty military service for a period of more than 30 days.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2005
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act - Repeals, as of the later of October 1, 2005, or the date of enactment of this Act, certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age. Provides for the recoupment of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund.
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 · 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
Great Lakes Restoration Act of 2005 - Establishes the Great Lakes Advisory Board to: (1) develop a biennial comprehensive Great Lakes management plan; (2) coordinate Great Lakes restoration efforts; and (3) implement a public awareness campaign. Establishes a scientific working group to evaluate the scientific integrity of the Great Lakes restoration effort and assist the Board in its decisionmaking. Requires the management plan to be submitted to the President, appropriate congressional committees, the governor of each Great Lakes State, and the Great Lakes mayors. Includes as possible Great Lakes ecosystem goals: (1) the cleanup of toxic hot spots; (2) the elimination of invasive species; (3) decreased pollution from nonpoint sources and the elimination of all forms of toxic deposition; (4) the restoration and conservation of wetlands and critical coastal habitat; (5) the elimination of dead zones caused by hypoxia and harmful algal bloom; (6) the sustainable use and management of Great Lakes water resources; and (7) public participation in Great Lakes restoration. Requires each Great Lakes State to have in effect a State Great Lakes Management Plan, approved by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and updated every two years, in order to be eligible for assistance apportionments authorized under this Act. Provides apportioned funding to Great Lakes States for restoration activities. Authorizes the Administrator to appoint a special master to direct the remediation of an area of concern.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Resuming Education After Defense Service Act of 2005 - Makes eligible for basic educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill a member of the Selected Reserve who (among other qualifications), during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, and ending on December 31, 2006, serves on active duty in the Armed Forces for one or more periods aggregating not less than two years. Entitles such individuals to one month of educational assistance for each month served on active duty. Makes the amount of such assistance equivalent to that provided for active-duty personnel who have served a minimum of two years of active duty. Requires the basic pay of qualifying members to be reduced by $100 for each of first 12 months of such active duty service. Requires the Secretaries of the military departments concerned to inform eligible Selected Reserve personnel of such entitlement.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2005 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) offer one or more Medicare operated prescription drug plans nationally that offer qualified prescription drug coverage and access to negotiated prices, while allowing the plan to offer supplemental prescription drug coverage in the same manner as other qualified prescription drug coverage offered by other prescription drug plans; and (2) enter into negotiations with pharmaceutical manufacturers to reduce the purchase cost of covered Medicare part D drugs for eligible part D individuals, and encourage the use of more affordable therapeutic equivalents. Requires the monthly beneficiary premium charged under such a plan to be uniform nationally. Makes the premium for months in 2006 $35. Bases the premium for months in succeeding years on the average monthly per capita actuarial cost of offering the Medicare operated prescription drug plan for the year involved, including administrative expenses. Allows for adjustment of such premium amount in case of supplemental prescription drug coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends Federal law to provide that, with regard to an employee in fire protection activities: (1) heart disease, lung disease, specified cancers and infectious diseases shall be presumed to be proximately caused by the employee's employment; (2) the disability or death of an employee in fire protection activities due to such a disease shall be presumed to result from personal injury sustained while in the performance of such employee's duty; and (3) such presumptions may be rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence.
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
Recognizes the Virginia Fire Chief's Association on the occasion of its 75th anniversary and commends it for sponsoring annually the Mid-Atlantic Expo and Symposium.
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
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
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) include certain additional expenses, such as fees, books, supplies and equipment, as qualified tuition and related expenses for purposes the Hope Scholarship Tax Credit; (2) exclude Federal Pell Grant and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant payments as mandatory reductions to expenses eligible for the Hope Scholarship Tax Credit; and (3) exempt the additional expenses allowed by this Act from certain tax reporting requirements.
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.
![Official portrait of Rep. Doyle, Michael F. [D-PA-14]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_pa_18_doyle_michael_200.jpg)