United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2006
Directs the Secretary of Defense to pay compensation as prescribed under this Act to those living members of the Armed Forces and U.S. civilian employees who were captured by Japan, who were used as slave labor during World War II, and whose application for compensation is approved. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to accept any monetary contribution (with exceptions) made by any person upon on the condition that the contribution be used to provide such compensation to a selected veteran or civilian internee. Requires amounts received as contributions to be deposited in the Department of Defense General Gift Fund. States that, any amount paid to a selected veteran or civilian internee as compensation under this Act is in addition to any other amount paid to such veteran or civilian internee under any other provision of law as compensation for the performance of slave labor during World War II. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding contributions by certain Japanese corporations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2006
Working American Competitiveness Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a taxpayers to elect to exclude from gross income, without limitation, earned income (i.e., income for services performed) from sources within a foreign country.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2006
Urges the Secretary of Defense to immediately institute a zero-tolerance policy with regard to individuals who are members of, or participate in the activities or further the objectives of, organizations that espouse racial or ethnic extremism.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2006
Farm Risk Management Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish tax-exempt farm risk management accounts to allow taxpayers engaged in the business of farming or ranching to use distributions from such accounts to offset operational losses in lieu of receiving, after a specified transitional period, federal subsidies to purchase crop insurance; (2) allow a tax deduction for cash contributions to such accounts; (3) specify minimum levels of contributions to, and maximum levels of distributions from, such accounts; (4) require the Secretary of Agriculture to make matching contributions to such accounts; and (5) set forth tax rules relating to account distributions, excess contributions, and prohibited transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2006
Recognizes and supports: (1) the success of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 and of the efforts it has spurred; and (2) the goals and ideals of National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month. Encourages adoption throughout the year.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2006
Recognizes the 200th anniversary of the Principality of Liechtenstein's sovereignty. Expresses support for U.S. efforts to continue to strengthen its relationship with Liechtenstein.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2006
American-Made Energy Freedom Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase tax credits for cellulosic biomass ethanol; (2) extend the energy credit for solar and fuel cell property; (3) extend and modify the credits for residential energy efficient property and for certain liquid fuel derived from coal; and (4) establish the American-Made Energy Trust Fund to implement designated sections of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, including climate change technology deployment. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a competitive oil and gas leasing program that will result in an environmentally sound program for the exploration, development, and production of the oil and gas resources of the Coastal Plain of Alaska. Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to repeal the prohibition against production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and any leasing or development leading to such production. Prescribes procedures for: (1) lease sales; (2) grants of leases; and (3) Coastal Plain environmental protection; (4) rights-of-way and easements for the transportation of oil and gas across the Coastal Plain. Directs the Secretary to convey: (1) the surface estate of specified lands to the Kaktovik Inupiat Corporation; and (2) the remaining subsurface estate of specified lands to the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. Establishes the Coastal Plain Local Government Impact Aid Assistance Fund to provide financial assistance to specified entities directly impacted by oil and gas production and exploration on the Coastal Plain.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2006
Great Lakes Short Sea Shipping Enhancement Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the harbor maintenance tax commercial cargo (other than bulk cargo) loaded or unloaded at U.S. ports in the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway System. Defines the "Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway System" as the waterway between Duluth, Minnesota and Sept. Iles, Quebec, Canada, encompassing the five Great Lakes, their connecting channels, and the Saint Lawrence River.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2006
Drake Well Sesquicentennial Commemoration Act - Establishes the Drake Well Sesquicentennial Commission to: (1) represent the United States and take a leadership role with other nations in recognizing the importance of petroleum industry history and the Drake Well discovery; and (2) perform specified related activities. Establishes a Drake Well Sesquicentennial Federal Advisory Board.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2006
Supports the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should continue to raise awareness of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating effects on families and communities.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2006
Western Hemisphere Traveler Improvement Act of 2006 - Amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to extend the implementation date for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Authorizes the Secretary of State (Secretary) to develop a Passport Card for U.S. citizen travel from the United States to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean countries, and Bermuda. States that such Card shall be deemed to be a U.S. passport for U.S. passport laws and valid for the same period as a U.S. passport. Sets forth related fee and technology requirement provisions. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary to enter into an enrollment demonstration program with at least one state under which: (1) an individual's citizenship status shall be included on a driver's license; (2) there will a communication method with a participating state to verify the citizenship status of an applicant who voluntarily seeks to have citizenship status included on his or her driver's license; (3) an individual's information shall be managed in the same manner as passport application information with no further distribution of such information; and (4) a complying driver's license shall be sufficient to permit the bearer to enter the United States from Canada through at least one designated international border crossing in each participating state. Authorizes the Secretaries to work with Canadian authorities to certify identification issued by the government of Canada, including a driver's license, as meeting U.S. security requirements. Requires that more U.S. states than Canadian provinces are program participants. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to expand expedited processing for repeat travelers to all ports of entry. States that such travelers' identities should be entered into a database of known travelers who have been subjected to in-depth background and watch-list checks to permit border control officers to focus on unknown travelers, potential criminals, and terrorists. Directs the Commissioner of Customs and Border Patrol to conduct and expand trusted traveler and pilot programs to facilitate expedited processing of U.S. citizens returning from pleasure craft trips in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Bermuda. Requires one such program to be conducted in Florida and modeled on the Canadian Border Boat Landing (I-68) program. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a program to permit U.S. citizens lacking appropriate travel documents to cross the international border and return to the United States for up to 72 hours; or (2) a process to make admissibility determinations respecting such persons. Authorizes the Secretary to waive travel document requirements for groups of six or more children under adult supervision traveling to Canada or Mexico. Directs the Secretary to implement an outreach plan to inform U.S. citizens about the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, facilitate acquisition of appropriate travel documentation, and educate U.S. citizens about the requirements for such travel.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2006
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income up to 25 percent of the wages earned by a certified master teacher in certain schools identified as in need of improvement or in a Head Start program. Defines "certified master teacher" as a teacher who: (1) has at least five years teaching experience in a public elementary or secondary school; (2) is highly qualified as defined by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; (3) has a master's degree; and (4) has advanced certification in the applicable State licensing system. Terminates such exclusion after 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2006
Veterans Identity and Credit Security Act of 2006 - Requires: (1) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish policies and standards for federal agencies to follow in the event of a breach of data security involving the disclosure of sensitive personal information; and (2) each federal agency to establish procedures for notifying individuals whose sensitive personal information is compromised. Establishes in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) an Under Secretary for Information Services. Outlines responsibilities of the VA's Chief Information Officer with respect to personal information security management. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report quarterly to the congressional veterans' committees on any data breach with respect to sensitive personal information possessed or maintained by the VA. Requires within the VA, with respect to each data breach, an independent risk analysis to determine the level of risk for the potential misuse of such information. Provides for, after a data breach: (1) fraud alerts; (2) credit security freezes; and (3) credit protection services. Outlines requirements for contractors who contract to perform any VA function that requires access to sensitive personal information. Directs the Secretary, in order to ensure appropriate information security skills for VA employees, to carry out programs to provide financial support for the education of such personnel in information security at institutions of higher education. Authorizes: (1) a scholarship program under which the Secretary may provide financial assistance to an individual for up to five years with a limit of $50,000 per year; and (2) a debt reduction program under which the Secretary makes payments on loans taken by VA employees to obtain appropriate information security education, with a payment limit of $82,500 over a five-year period. Provides a first and second priority, in the provision of assistance under this section, to: (1) veterans with service-connected disabilities; and (2) other veterans. Requires any veteran receiving assistance to have been discharged from the Armed Forces under honorable conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2006
Manchester Bidwell Center for Arts and Technology Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to award a grant to the Manchester Bidwell Corporation in Pennsylvania to improve, expand, and replicate the arts and technology education centers operated by such Corporation. Permits the Manchester Bidwell Corporation to use the grant awarded under this Act to conduct any of the following activities: (1) the development of a business plan to replicate at other locations in the United States the arts and technology education centers modeled after the Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; (2) the implementation of such business plan at locations in the United States where there is an interest in establishing arts and technology education centers similar to those operated by the Corporation in Pittsburgh; or (3) any other activities the Secretary determines to be appropriate. Requires Manchester Bidwell Corporation, in order to be eligible to receive such grant, to provide matching funds from non-federal sources (in cash or in kind) in an amount equal to or greater than the federal funds received in accordance with the grant to carry out the activities supported by it.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2006
Currency Overhaul for an Industrious Nation (COIN) Act - Amends federal law governing coins and currency to prescribe requirements for redesign and issuance of commemorative circulating $2 Federal Reserve notes. Requires selection of a new design for $2 Federal Reserve notes placed into circulation during each year of the five-year periods beginning January 1, 2007. Authorizes Federal Reserve banks to continue to place into circulation $1 Federal Reserve notes until a date determined according to certain criteria. Transfers the U.S. Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to the Federal Reserve Board. Requires the design and issuance of a circulating quarter dollar honoring the District of Columbia and each of the Territories.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2006
North Korea Nonproliferation Act of 2006 - Amends the Iran and Syria Nonproliferation Act to extend the provisions of such Act to North Korea. States that in view of North Korea's determination to proliferate missiles, nuclear weapons, and other weapons of mass destruction it should be U.S. policy to impose sanctions on persons who transfer such weapons and related goods and technology to and from North Korea in the same manner as persons who transfer such items to and from Iran and Syria currently are sanctioned under U.S. law. Urges all governments concerned about the threat of North Korean proliferation to impose measures on persons involved in such proliferation that are similar to those imposed by the United States pursuant to the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act, as amended by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2006
Warning, Alert, and Response Network Act - Establishes: (1) a voluntary National Alert System to provide a public communications system capable of alerting the public to emergency situations on a national, regional, or local basis; and (2) the National Alert Office within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to administer, operate, and manage the System. Sets forth System functions and capabilities, including: (1) enabling federal, state, tribal, or local government officials with credentials issued by the Office to alert the public to imminent threats that present a significant risk of injury or death; and (2) incorporating multiple communications technologies without interfering with existing alerts or communications systems employed by emergency response personnel. Requires the System to operate consistent with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) All-Hazards Radio System. Requires the Office to establish a process for issuing credentials to enable officials responsible for issuing safety warnings to access the System. Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to initiate proceedings to: (1) allow licensees providing commercial mobile service to elect to transmit System alerts to subscribers; and (2) require public broadcast television licensees to install necessary equipment to enable transmitters to receive and retransmit System alerts. Requires the Director of the Office to establish a National Alert System Working Group to develop recommendations for protocols, procedures, guidelines, and standards and to coordinate with the operators of nuclear power plants and other critical infrastructure facilities to integrate emergency alert systems.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2006
Government Efficiency Act of 2006 - Authorizes the establishment of Federal Review Commissions with respect to specific aspects of federal programs and agencies. Requires a Commission to review and make recommendations on how to improve the operations, effectiveness, and efficiency of such federal programs and agencies in order to determine whether a reorganization, consolidation, abolishment, expansion, or transfer of existing federal programs and agencies is necessary to carry out any U.S. policy for promoting more effective management of the executive branch. Permits establishment of a Commission only through the issuance of an executive order or the enactment of a joint resolution that: (1) describes the federal programs and agencies to be reviewed; and (2) grants the Commission powers and authorities specified by, and subjects it to the requirements of, this Act. Describes what a Federal Review Commission shall consider in reviewing federal programs and agencies. Requires a Commission to submit to the President: (1) an assessment of the operations, effectiveness, and efficiency of the federal programs and agencies reviewed; and (2) a legislative proposal, if appropriate, to reorganize, consolidate, abolish, expand, or transfer such federal programs and agencies. Provides for expedited congressional consideration of Federal Review Commission recommendations. Directs the President to submit to Congress a schedule for establishment of Federal Review Commissions.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2006
Sex Offender Visa Loophole Elimination Act of 2006 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit a convicted U.S.-citizen sex offender from filing a family-based immigration petition. Defines "sex offense" and "specified offense against a minor." Prohibits approval of a fiance/fiancee or waiting nonimmigrant spouse visa petition filed by a convicted sex offender.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2006
Soldiers Targeted by Offensive Profiteering Act of 2006 (STOP Act) - Prohibits any person, except with permission, from using the name or image of a protected individual in connection with any merchandise, retail product, impersonation, solicitation, or commercial activity in a manner calculated to: (1) connect the protected individual with that individual's service in the Armed Forces; and (2) convey the impression that such use is approved, endorsed, or authorized by the protected individual. Defines as a "protected individual" any person who: (1) is a member of the Armed Forces; or (2) was a member at any time after April 5, 1917, and, if not living, has a surviving spouse, child, parent, grandparent, or sibling. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring actions to enjoin violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2006
Designates Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as visa waiver program countries under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2006
HSA Improvement and Expansion Act of 2006 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to health savings accounts (HSAs) to: (1) allow a one-time, tax-free transfer of balances in employer flexible spending arrangements, health reimbursement arrangements, and individual retirement accounts to HSAs; (2) revise HSA eligibility criteria for spouses covered by flexible spending arrangements, individuals over age 65 automatically enrolled in Medicare part A, and veterans receiving medical benefits; (3) increase contribution limits for HSAs; (4) allow payment of high deductible health insurance premiums from HSAs; and (5) allow payment from an HSA of certain medical expenses incurred before the establishment of such HSA.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2006
Congratulates the people and government of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the 15th anniversary of the closure of the world's second largest nuclear test site in the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan. Commends Kazakhstan for advancing the cause of nonproliferation by dismantling its nuclear and biological weapons and facilities. Calls upon the Administration to establish a joint working group with the government of Kazakhstan to assess the environmental damage and health effects caused by nuclear testing in the Semipalatinsk region by the former Soviet Union.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2006
Repeals Rule XXVII (Statutory Limit on Public Debt) of the Rules of the House of Representatives. (Thus abolishes the procedure for automatic adjustment of the public debt level upon passage of a new concurrent resolution on the budget setting forth an amount different from the amount of the statutory limit on the public debt otherwise in effect for the period covered by the budget resolution.) Redesignates Rule XXVIII (General Provisions) as Rule XXVII.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2006
Access to Medicare Imaging Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for a budget-neutral two-year moratorium on certain Medicare physician payment reductions for imaging services.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress concerning the importance of success in moving families from welfare to work, as well as in promoting healthy marriage and other means of improving child well-being.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2006
Increases from $1,000 to $2,000 the monthly special pension paid to Medal of Honor recipients. Provides for payment of such pension to the surviving spouse of a deceased recipient as long as the surviving spouse was married to the recipient: (1) for one year or more; or (2) for any period of time if a child was born of the marriage or was born to them before the marriage.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2006
Calls on the North Korean government to: (1) cease all production of weapons of mass destruction and proliferation of ballistic missiles; (2) return to international diplomatic negotiations and the Six Party talks; and (3) abandon its development of the Taepodong 2 missile. Expresses support for U.S. allies threatened by North Korean provocations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2006
Honors the town of Nicodemus, Kansas, for its contribution to American history. Commends and encourages the preservation efforts of the National Park Service and the residents of Nicodemus.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2006
Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006 - Amends part B (Child and Family Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act with respect to the safe and stable families program to: (1) limit reimbursement for administrative costs; (2) reauthorize the program; (3) increase the set-asides for Indian tribes, and (4) set forth special rules for funds reserved to support monthly caseworker visits. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for child welfare services. Modifies state plan as well as state allotment and reimbursement requirements under the child welfare services program. Reauthorizes the court improvement program and the program for mentoring children of prisoners. Makes additional appropriations to the Secretary for the safe and stable families program.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2006
Reaffirms the importance of the relationship between the United States and the European Union (EU). Recognizes that the United States and Europe face multiple and common challenges and must continue to adapt the transatlantic partnership which has served both so well. Expresses support for the success of the June 2006 US-EU Summit in Vienna, Austria, and encourages agreements on issues such as support for global freedom, democracy, and human rights, a successful conclusion of the World Trade Organization Doha Development Agenda, and a workable transatlantic energy security strategy. Joins with the European Parliament in agreeing to continue to strengthen the transatlantic partnership by enhancing dialogue and collaboration between the U.S. Congress and the European Parliament through the Transatlantic Legislators Dialogue and other legislative exchanges.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2006
Stealth Tax Relief Extension Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the exemption from the alternative minimum tax for individual taxpayers in 2007; and (2) extend through 2007 the allowance of certain nonrefundable tax credits against alternative minimum tax liability.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2006
Stormwater Enforcement and Permitting Act of 2006 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require the owner or operator of any point source to provide information necessary to address an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health or welfare or the environment. Requires the Administrator to provide an operator a reasonable opportunity to correct a violation of a permit condition for a site with residential construction activity before initiation of an enforcement action, if such violation has not resulted in a discharge of stormwater. Prohibits more than one opportunity to correct violations of the same condition. Prohibits the Administrator from requiring a permit for stormwater runoff from such a site if: (1) the runoff enters a municipal separate storm sewer system that is covered by a permit and the operator is in compliance with runoff requirements; and (2) such site has minimal potential for soil erosion. Prohibits the Administrator from exercising enforcement authority with respect to a state permit that authorizes stormwater discharge from such a site unless: (1) such a discharge flows across a state line or onto a federal facility or Indian tribal lands; (2) such permit was issued under a state program that the Administrator has suspended or withdrawn; or (3) a discharge results in imminent and substantial endangerment to public health or welfare or the environment. Prohibits the Administrator from paying any state penalty for a violation of a permit for such a discharge. Requires the Administrator to establish a program that will develop and distribute to site operators a pamphlet that explains permitting requirements for stormwater discharges. Authorizes the Administrator or the state to issue a general permit for no more than five years on a state, regional, or nationwide basis to cover any category of discharges, sludge use, disposal practices, or facilities. Declares that the Administrator or state is not required to review, approve, or provide an opportunity for public comment on any application for a discharge under a general permit.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2006
Requires the Joint Committee on the Library to enter into an agreement with the Foundation of Hellenes under which the Foundation shall provide a statue of Constantino Brumidi to be displayed in the Capitol Visitor Center. Authorizes the Committee to delegate such requirement to the Architect of the Capitol (AOC).
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2006
Warning, Alert, and Response Network Act - Establishes: (1) a voluntary National Alert System to provide a public communications system capable of alerting the public to emergency situations on a national, regional, or local basis; and (2) the National Alert Office within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to administer, operate, and manage the System. Sets forth System functions and capabilities, including: (1) enabling federal, state, tribal, or local government officials with credentials issued by the Office to alert the public to imminent threats that present a significant risk of injury or death; and (2) incorporating multiple communications technologies without interfering with existing alerts or communications systems employed by emergency response personnel. Requires the Office to establish a process for issuing credentials to enable officials responsible for issuing safety warnings to access the System. Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to initiate proceedings to: (1) allow licensees providing commercial mobile service to elect to transmit System alerts to subscribers; and (2) require public broadcast television licensees to install necessary equipment to enable transmitters to receive and retransmit System alerts. Requires the Director of the Office to: (1) establish a National Alert System Working Group to develop recommendations for protocols, procedures, guidelines, and standards and to work with the operators of nuclear power plants and other critical infrastructure facilities to integrate emergency alert systems; and (2) establish an extramural research and development program to support the development of technology that will enable all existing and future providers of communications services and devices to be utilized effectively with the System.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2006
North American Wetlands Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2006 - Authorizes appropriations to carry out the North American Wetlands Conservation Act for FY2008-FY2011.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2006
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that, if there is an ongoing criminal investigation into a Member of Congress, then that Member's congressional office may be subject to searches and seizures by appropriate executive branch officials in possession of a valid court order.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2006
Protecting American Commerce and Travel Act of 2006 - Amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to extend the deadline for implementation of the plan to require biometric passports or other secure passports for all travel into the United States by U.S. citizens and by categories of individuals for whom documentation requirements were previously waived. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) establish a process to permit a U.S. citizen who does not possess a passport or other document to re-enter the United States at an international land border of the United States (provides that a U.S. citizen under 16 years shall not be required to present a passport or other document when returning from Canada at any port of entry along the U.S.-Canada international land border); (2) issue to U.S. citizen applicants a North American travel card which shall be a base for expedited traveler programs and be considered sufficient to denote identity and citizenship for travel into the United States by U.S. citizens; and (3) provide for travel card-reading equipment at U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico land border ports of entry. Directs the Secretary to: (1) merge the Free and Secure Trade program (FAST, a joint United States-Canada program offering pre-authorized importers, carriers, and drivers expedited clearance processes for eligible goods) and the NEXUS program (a joint United States-Canada program designed to simplify border crossings for pre-approved, low risk travelers) dedicated commuter lane system into a single procedure, with common eligibility and security screening requirements, enrollment processes, and sanctions regimes; (2) ensure that the procedures for the NEXUS Highway, NEXUS Marine, and NEXUS Air programs are integrated into such single procedure, and the processes relating to eligibility and security screening are identical to those for the FAST program; (3) integrate databases and information systems to permit any identification card issued to a participant to operate in all locations; (4) design an on-line application process; and (5) develop enrollment plans that do not exceed $20 per card. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the government of Canada, to: (1) equip specified border crossings in Michigan, New York, North Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota with NEXUS technology; and (2) create at least six remote and four mobile FAST and NEXUS enrollment centers. States that the program card shall satisfy certain travel document requirements for travel into the United States by U.S. citizens and for individuals whose document requirements have been waived under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Directs the Secretary to establish a single process for conducting security screening and background checks for any of the following programs: (1) the transportation worker identification credential; (2) the security risk determination and related background checks performed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as part of the Department of Transportation hazardous materials endorsement credentialing program; (3) the FAST and NEXUS programs; (4) the secure electronic network for travelers rapid inspection program (SENTRI); and (5) the registered traveler program of the TSA. Directs the Secretary to conduct a cost-benefit analysis with respect to the issuance and use of North American travel cards and NEXUS and FAST identification cards as documents sufficient on their own when produced to denote identity and citizenship for travel into the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2006
Trade Law Reform Act of 2006 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to revise various specified factors that the International Trade Commission (ITC) must consider in making material injury determinations in countervailing duty and antidumping duty proceedings. Repeals the one-year monitoring program for cases involving persistent dumping. Requires initiation of an expedited antidumping duty investigation in such cases. Suspends for three years the requirement that the administering authority direct the Customs Service to allow, at the importer's option, the posting of a bond or security in lieu of a cash deposit, until completion of an antidumping or countervailing duty review, for each entry of the subject merchandise (bonding privileges). Modifies certain factors used to value freight for imputs in nonmarket economy country antidumping calculations. Requires enactment of a joint resolution by Congress before revocation of a foreign country as a nonmarket economy country. (Currently the administering authority has power to make such a revocation without prior congressional approval.) Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to change the standard for determining if an imported product is harming domestic producers by requiring a showing that the product causes or threatens to cause serious injury. (Current law requires a product to be a substantial cause of injury). Amends the Trade Act of 2002 to: (1) urge the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to reject any trade agreement proposal, whether through the World Trade Organization (WTO) or with any country, if such agreement would weaken existing U.S. trade remedy laws; and (2) increase the President's reporting duties under such Act. Congressional Advisory Commission on WTO Dispute Settlement Act - Establishes the Congressional Advisory Commission on WTO Dispute Settlement. Requires a certain steel import licensing and monitoring program to remain in effect, and be established by the Secretary of Commerce as a permanent program. Applies the amendments made by this Act to goods from Canada and Mexico. Requires participation in WTO consultations and panel proceedings to be allowed to certain private U.S. persons supportive of the government's position before a dispute settlement panel or Appellate Body of the WTO if they have a direct economic interest in the resolution of the matters in dispute. Limits this requirement to proceedings in which the USTR seeks to: (1) enforce U.S. rights under a multilateral trade agreement; or (2) defend a challenged action or determination of the U.S. government.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Veterans Identity Protection Act or VIP Act - Establishes as an independent office in the executive branch the Office of Veterans Identity Protection Claims, headed by a Director, to receive, process, and pay claims for injuries suffered as a result of the unauthorized use, disclosure, or dissemination of identifying information stolen from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Authorizes judicial review of claim determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Good Fences Make Good Neighbors Act of 2006 - Amends the USA PATRIOT Act to authorize a border state (a state that shares a border with Canada or Mexico or a political subdivision of such a state) to use up to 75% of the minimum amount allocated to the state under the state and local domestic preparedness support grant program to build a physical barrier near the U.S. border to deter illegal crossings and for incidental costs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a geography education grant program under title II, Teacher Quality Enhancement. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to a national nonprofit educational organization or consortium, with 75% to be used for subgrants to institutions of higher education associated with state geographic alliances, nonprofit educational organizations, or state or local educational agencies. Requires various grantee and subgrantee activities designed to expand geographic literacy among kindergarten through grade 12 students by improving their teachers' professional development programs offered through institutions of higher education. Includes among such activities state-based conferences to assess geographic literacy and identify improvement strategies.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Amends federal veterans' benefits provisions to: (1) make permanent (currently, terminates on December 31, 2006) the authority for the provision by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of government markers or memorial headstones for the marked graves of veterans buried in private cemeteries; and (2) terminate a reporting requirement on the use of such authority. Amends the Veterans Education and Benefits Expansion Act of 2001 to make eligible for such markers or headstones certain veterans dying on or after November 1, 1990 (currently, September 11, 2001).
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
African Entrepreneurship Act of 2006 - States that it shall be U.S. policy to make available for private sector development in sub-Saharan African countries professional, technical, and other resources for capacity-building for retail banks and small and medium enterprises, including farmers' cooperatives and businesses, to promote entrepreneurship and economic and export diversification, to expand the formal sector, and to increase trade. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include an African Economic Diversification Fund financing rate in the determination of the tax on petroleum products entered into the United States directly from a beneficiary sub-Saharan country. Terminates the Fund financing rate after December 31, 2011. Establishes in the Treasury the African Economic Diversification Fund. Sets forth permitted expenditures. Amends the Small Business Act to establish in the Office of International Trade the 21st Century African Entrepreneurs Program to provide assistance to qualified small and medium African enterprises. Provides for the establishment of not less than three African Entrepreneurs Program Centers for each of FY2007-FY2012 in qualified sub-Saharan countries. Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish the U.S.-Africa Private Sector Advisory Council. States that: (1) the Administrator should provide the Secretary of the Treasury with information pertaining to how African Development Bank programs can be used to improve the 21st Century African Entrepreneurs Program; (2) the Secretary of Agriculture should provide the Secretary of the Treasury with information pertaining to how the establishment of a value-added agricultural loan facility can be used to support development of qualified small and medium African enterprises devoted to the processing of agricultural commodities; and (3) the Secretary of State should undertake activities to strengthen internationally recognized labor rights and standards in qualified sub-Saharan African countries. Authorizes the President, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to provide assistance to small and medium enterprises in such countries for: (1) youth entrepreneurship programs; and (2) anti-corruption initiatives.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2006
Honors the members of the Armed Forces serving as health care professionals in Iraq and Afghanistan. Recognizes the research and advancements achieved by military health care professionals in the area of battlefield medical care and the direct applications and benefits such research and advancement will have to civilian medical care.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2006
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2020 excise tax credits and refunds for liquid fuels and mixtures derived from coal (including peat) through the Fischer-Tropsch process.
![Official portrait of Rep. English, Phil [R-PA-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/e000187_200.jpg)