United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2006
Veterans' Disability Compensation Automatic COLA Act - Requires that, whenever there is an increase in benefit amounts payable under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall increase by the same percentage the amounts payable as veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled adult children, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2006
Commends efforts by members of faith-based and community organizations in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Encourages all government agencies to consider such organizations in disaster relief and recovery in the future.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2006
Condemns the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Danny Faulkner. Urges the municipal government of St. Denis, France, to change the name of Rue Mumia Abu-Jamal and, if such action is not taken by the municipal government of St. Denis, urges the government of France to take appropriate action against St. Denis to change the name of Rue Mumia Abu-Jamal. Commends all police officers in the United States and throughout the world for their commitment to public service and public safety.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2006
Safe and Timely Interstate Placement of Foster Children Act of 2006 - Amends the Social Security Act to require each state plan for foster care and adoption assistance to provide that the state shall: (1) have in effect procedures for orderly and timely interstate placement of children; (2) complete home studies requested by another state within a specified period; (3) accept such studies received from another state; and (4) not impose any restrictions on contracting with a private agency to conduct such a study. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants for timely interstate home study incentive payments to states that have approved plans and that have completed, and provided the Secretary a report on, such studies. Expresses the sense of Congress that state agencies should cooperate with courts which have authority with respect to the placement of a child in foster care or for adoption for the purpose of locating a parent of the child. Amends the definition of "case review system" to: (1) increase the required frequency of state caseworker visits to a child who is placed in foster care outside the state in which the child's parents reside; (2) require a child's health and education record to be supplied to the child at no cost when he/she leaves foster care by reason of having attained the age of majority under state law; and (3) provide for a foster parent's right (currently, opportunity) to be heard in any proceeding (currently, review or hearing) respecting their foster child. Requires state courts to ensure that foster parents, pre-adoptive parents, and relative caregivers of a child in foster care are notified of any such proceedings. Includes among the purposes of grants to the highest state courts the assessment of the court's role in carrying out state laws requiring proceedings that determine the best strategy to use to expedite the interstate placement of children. Provides for consideration of out-of-state placements in permanency hearings, case plans, and case reviews. Requires each plan for child welfare services to include the assurance that the state will eliminate legal barriers to facilitate timely adoptive or permanent placements for children.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2006
Medicare Drug Benefit Enrollment Fairness Act of 2006 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to eliminate the Medicare prescription drug late enrollment penalty for months during calendar year 2006. Amends SSA title XVIII to set additional limitations on the total amount of expenditures from the Medicare Advantage Regional Plan Stabilization Fund for periods prior to October 1, 2007, and during the period from October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that specified congressional committees should take a more active role in determining and reporting on the activities and progress of the government of Iraq in securing and stabilizing Iraq. Requires the congressional committees to review and evaluate the specific activities and level of success of such government and report their findings and conclusions, as appropriate, to the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate. States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to preclude the appropriate congressional committees from establishing ad hoc advisory committees to advise and assist them in carrying out the review and evaluation.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2006
District of Columbia Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act of 2006 - Considers the District of Columbia a congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives. Applies to the District in the same manner as it applies to a state the federal law providing for the fifteenth and subsequent decennial censuses and for apportionment of Representatives in Congress. Limits the District to one Member under any reapportionment of Members. Modifies the formula regarding the number of presidential electors to subject it to the Twenty-Third amendment to the Constitution in the case of the District. Makes conforming amendments to federal law regarding the Armed Forces (appointments to service academies). Increases membership of the House from 435 to 437 Members. Provides for a reapportionment of Members resulting from such increase. Makes conforming amendments to the District of Columbia Elections Code of 1955. Repeals provisions of: (1) the District of Columbia Delegate Act establishing the office of District of Columbia Delegate to the House of Representatives; and (2) the District of Columbia Statehood Constitution Convention Initiative of 1979 providing for electing a Senator and Representative for the District.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2006
Veterans Mental Health Care Access Improvement Act of 2006 - Modifies requirements for appointment to positions in the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by establishing eligibility requirements for licensed mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2006
National Emergency Management Reform and Enhancement Act of 2006 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide for the establishment within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of a Directorate of Emergency Management (DEM) (replacing the Directorate of Emergency Preparedness and Response). Requires DEM to be headed by an Under Secretary for Emergency Management and to include Deputy Under Secretaries for: (1) Emergency Preparedness and Mitigation; and (2) Emergency Response and Recovery. Directs the Under Secretary to serve as a Cabinet Officer during an Incident of National Significance. Establishes within DEM: (1) an Office of State, Local, and Tribal Government Coordination and an Office of Public and Community Preparedness; (2) a National Citizen Corps Council; (3) a National Incident Management System and National Response Plan Integration Center; and (4) a National Urban Search and Rescue Response System. Establishes in DHS Offices of Grants and Planning, Training and Exercises, Emergency Communications, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity and Telecommunications. Establishes the Emergency Communications Preparedness Center. Directs the Secretary of DHS to: (1) regularly update, revise, or replace essential capabilities for state, local, and tribal government emergency preparedness; (2) require any state or urban area that applies for federal homeland security assistance to maintain a catastrophic emergency plan; (3) establish the National Advisory Council on Emergency Management, a System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders Program, a Homeland Security Education Program in the National Capital Region, a Prepositioned Equipment Program, and a National Asset Inventory Program; (4) develop an integrated national public alert and warning system; and (5) establish within DHS a Gulf Coast Long-Term Recovery Office. Redesignates the Directorate for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection as the Office of Intelligence and Analysis. Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that all programs within DEM administering federal assistance maintain proper internal management controls to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse; and (2) annually certify that such controls are in place. Provides for the establishment within DHS of a Deputy Inspector General for Response and Recovery.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2006
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the increased expensing allowance ($100,000) for depreciable business property. Increases to $500,000 the income threshold for reducing the expensing allowance and makes such threshold amount permanent. Provides for an inflation adjustment to the allowance and the threshold. Allows a tax credit against alternative minimum tax liability for the work opportunity tax credit, the welfare to work tax credit, and the tax credit for increasing research activities. Provides for a minimum standard tax deduction of $2,500 for expenses for the business use of a home. Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to: (1) exempt from minimum wage requirements employers with less than ten employees; (2) increase the minimum wage to $ $6.00 beginning October 1, 2006, $6.50 beginning October 1, 2007, $7.00 beginning October 1, 2008, and $7.50 beginning October 1, 2009; and (3) phase in an increase in the gross volume of sales amount applicable to the small business exemption from minimum wage requirements. Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act to exclude from income determinations under the supplemental security income programs minimum wage income that exceeds certain earned income.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2006
Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule Improvement Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: (1) correction of erroneous determinations and other changes in fee schedule and national limitation amounts for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests; (2) issuance of regulations on gap-filling methodology in determining the Medicare fee schedule for such tests; (3) increased transparency of process for determining fee schedule amounts for new tests; and (4) mandatory advance notice of clinical diagnostic laboratory test amounts being considered for adjustment under inherent reasonableness authority. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a demonstration project to evaluate new approaches to coding and payment under the Medicare program for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests; and (2) appoint a standing panel to determine tests to be included in the project and make recommendations derived from project results to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2006
Reform of National Security Reviews of Foreign Direct Investments Act - Amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 to direct the President, upon receiving written notification by any party involved of a possible merger, acquisition, or takeover which could result in foreign control of any person engaged in interstate commerce in the United States (covered transaction), or upon a motion of a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), to review the covered transaction to determine whether it threatens to impair U.S. national security and whether such threat can be mitigated. Requires CFIUS, if it determines that the covered transaction is a foreign government-controlled transaction, to conduct its own investigation. Requires the President, in his investigation, to take necessary action to protect national security with respect to the covered transaction. Makes any review final and complete only after its findings and report are approved and signed by both the Secretaries of the Treasury and Homeland Security. Requires the Director of National Intelligence to carry out an analysis of the threat to national security of any covered transaction. Makes CFIUS a statutory committee under the Defense Production Act of 1950, with a revised membership. Requires the consideration, as additional factors in determining whether it should be investigated, of whether a covered transaction: (1) has a security-related impact on critical infrastructure; and (2) is a foreign government-controlled transaction. Authorizes CFIUS to: (1) negotiate, impose, and enforce any agreement or condition with any party to a covered transaction in order to mitigate any threat to national security; (2) track withdrawn notifications; and (3) monitor the enforcement of any agreements. Requires reports to Congress by the President and CFIUS concerning investigations of covered transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2006
Access to Better Choice in Dialysis Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement a five-year pilot project to measure the impact of increasing the payment amount otherwise provided under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, based upon the provision of hemodialysis treatment more frequently than three times per week.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2006
401Kids Family Savings Act of 2006 - Amends the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 to extend through 2015 provisions allowing increased annual contributions to Coverdell education savings accounts. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow tax-free distributions from a Coverdell education savings account for first-time homebuyer expenses; (2) permit rollovers from Coverdell education savings accounts to Roth individual retirement accounts (Roth IRAs); and (3) rename Coverdell education savings accounts as 401Kids Savings Accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2006
Open Space and Farmland Preservation Act - Amends the Farm Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to reserve at least 15% of farmland protection program funds for grants to support cooperative efforts by an eligible state agency, county, or other eligible entity to purchase conservation easements and other interests in eligible land, whose title shall be held by an eligible entity rather than the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2006
Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require schools and libraries that receive universal service support to enforce a policy that prohibits access to a commercial social networking website or chat room through which minors may easily: (1) access or be presented with obscene or indecent material; (2) be subject to unlawful sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or repeated offensive sexual comments from adults; or (3) access other material that is harmful to minors. Allows an administrator, supervisor, or other authorized person to disable such a technology protection measure during use by an adult, or by minors with adult supervision, to enable access for educational purposes. Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) establish an advisory board; (2) annually publish a list of commercial social networking websites and chat rooms that have been shown to allow sexual predators easy access to personal information of, and contact with, children; (3) issue a consumer alert regarding use of the Internet by child predators and the potential dangers to children because of such use, including the potential dangers of commercial social networking websites and chat rooms; and (4) establish a website resource of information for parents, teachers, school administrators, and others regarding potential dangers posed by the use of the Internet by children.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2006
Condemns the actions of the Catholic Patriotic Association of China in their coerced ordination of priests Joseph Ma Yinglin and Joseph Liu Xinhong. Extends deepest sympathy to the Catholic population of China and the Catholic Church for this insult. Reaffirms the right of all religious organizations to choose their leaders free of intimidation or terror in accordance with the Uniform Declaration of Human Rights. Urges the government of China to end its repression of religious organizations, recognize the ecclesiastical authority of religious leaders to provide spiritual leadership to their followers, and end the practice of only allowing religious worship through state-sanctioned patriotic religious associations. Insists that China refrain from additional ordinations of Catholic bishops until and unless their elevation is approved by the proper ecclesiastical authorities.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
Student and Teacher Safety Act of 2006 - Requires states, local educational agencies, and school districts to deem a search of any minor student on public school grounds to be reasonable and permissible if conducted by a full-time teacher or school official, acting on any colorable suspicion based on professional experience and judgment, to ensure that the school remain free of all weapons, dangerous materials, or illegal narcotics. Denies Safe Schools and Citizenship Education funds, provided under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, to states, local educational agencies, and school districts that fail to deem such searches reasonable and permissible.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
National Labor Relations Board Reform Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to establish certain deadlines for the National Labor Relations Board to render decisions with respect to complaints filed questioning union collective bargaining representation or alleging unfair labor practices by an employer. Authorizes a Board member to continue to serve on the Board after the expiration of such member's term until a successor has been appointed.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
Summer Relief for Motorists Act of 2006 - Expresses the sense of Congress that states can assist motorists by temporarily suspending state gasoline taxes without jeopardizing their commitment to transportation infrastructure investment. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to suspend excise taxes on gasoline, diesel fuel, and kerosene from the enactment of this Act until September 4, 2006 (suspension period). Provides for reimbursement to the Highway Trust Fund and the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund for tax revenues lost during the suspension period. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to suspend the application of any federal law exempting crude oil and natural gas producers from the payment of royalties for production activities on federal lands during periods when the average price of crude oil exceeds $35.86 per barrel and the average wellhead price of natural gas exceeds $4.48 per 1,000 cubic feet.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
Passport Deduction for Border States Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow residents of states which have a boundary in common with Canada or Mexico a tax deduction from gross income (available to non-itemizing taxpayers) for passport application fees.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
Gang Elimination Act of 2006 - Directs the Attorney General to report to Congress on a national strategy to eliminate the illegal operations of National Threat Drug Gangs (i.e., the top three international drug gangs that present the greatest threat to law and order in the United States). Sets forth criteria for the Attorney General to consider in identifying a National Threat Drug Gang, including (1) ties to international terrorist organizations or state-sponsored terrorism; (2) the volume of controlled substances imported or distributed by such gangs; and (3) the threat to children and schools in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
Medicare Secondary Payer and Workers' Compensation Settlement Agreements Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) create an exception to Medicare secondary payer requirements for certain workers' compensation settlement agreements; and (2) provide for the satisfaction of such requirements through use of qualified Medicare set-asides under workers' compensation settlement agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
Reiterates support for restoration of multiparty democracy in Nepal and reconciliation between King Gyanendra of Nepal and the opposition political parties. Condemns the Maoist insurgency in Nepal which has engaged in civilian atrocities. Recognizes the difficulties the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) faces in countering the Maoist threat, but deplores RNA human rights violations. Regrets the loss of life and injuries that occurred during the nearly three weeks of pro-democracy demonstrations. Urges the government of Nepal and the political parties to provide the necessary food, medical care, and infrastructure necessary to rebuild the country. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that King Gyanendra should: (1) restore multiparty democracy; (2) prevent a Maoist takeover of Nepal; and (3) restore security, government services, and political and human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2006
UNRWA Integrity Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide that voluntary U.S. contributions to the regular budget of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) may be provided only during a period for which the President certifies to Congress that UNRWA: (1) is not an impediment to achieving a lasting solution for Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza and moving such refugees to post-refugee status; (2) is subject to comprehensive, independent financial audits; (3) does not knowingly provide employment, refuge, freedom of movement, cash assistance, food assistance, housing rehabilitation assistance, or any other type of social services assistance to members of foreign terrorist organizations; and (4) does not promote anti-Semitism or the denial of Israel's right to exist. Authorizes a maximum 180-day waiver of such limitation for U.S. national security interests. Requires recertification not later than 180 days after the initial certification and every 180 days thereafter. Requires a report by the Secretary of State to Congress respecting the extent to which UNRWA: (1) serves Palestinian refugee and U.S. interests; and (2) includes in its educational materials anti-Semitic or anti-Israel elements.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2006
Expresses sympathy to the families of those killed, tortured, and imprisoned as a result of their participation in the democracy protests of June 3-4, 1989, in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, in the People's Republic of China (PRC), and to all the people of China who lack fundamental human rights. Commends all persons who are peacefully advocating for democracy and human rights in China. Condemns the ongoing human rights abuses by the government of the PRC, and calls on that government to: (1) reevaluate the official verdict on the Tiananmen pro-democracy activities and order formal investigations into the reported killing, torture, and imprisonment of democracy activists; (2) release all prisoners of conscience; (3) end censorship of free speech on the Internet and persecution of Internet dissidents; (4) end persecution of Falun Gong; (5) end organ harvesting that is not voluntary; (6) end the coercive one-child policy; (7) grant the United Nations High Commission on Refugees access to all refugees, and end forcible repatriations of refugees, particularly to North Korea; (8) close "re-education through labor" camps; and (9) release Dr. Yang Jianli.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2006
Recognizes and honors the 30th Anniversary of the California victory at the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting and recognizes the historical significance of this event to the U.S. wine industry.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Tax Free Health Savings Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow individual taxpayers a tax deduction for high deductible health plan premiums, a tax credit for employment taxes related to the payment of such premiums, and a refundable tax credit for the coverage costs under a high deductible health plan: (2) direct the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a program for advance payments of tax credit amounts to providers of high deductible health plans; (3) increase the tax deduction for contributions to health savings accounts; (4) allow health savings accounts to incorporate flexible spending arrangements or health reimbursement arrangements, or both; (5) allow payment of high deductible health plan premiums from health savings accounts; and (6) exempt employers from health savings account contribution requirements for certain employees with high levels of medical expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 - Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to revise requirements for: (1) the use of election examiners and observers; (2) declaratory judgment on the issue of voting qualifications or standards intended to diminish the ability of U.S. citizens to elect preferred candidates; and (3) award of attorney fees in enforcement proceedings to include expert fees and other reasonable costs of litigation. Extends bilingual election requirements through August 5, 2032. Revises the requirements for determining states and political subdivisions covered by them to require use of 2010 American Community Survey census data. Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with respect to the prohibition against the use of tests or devices to deny the right to vote in any federal, state, or local election. Extends both the prohibition and the date for mandatory congressional reconsideration of it.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2006
Amends the the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require that U.S. foreign assistance to a nongovernmental organization or contributions to an international organization may be provided only if the organization and each subrecipient submits to the U.S. government a certification that the assistance or contributions will not be used to: (1) intentionally traffic in goods or services that contain counterfeit marks; and (2) provide goods or services that are unauthorized by the owner or holder of the intellectual property rights (including trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets) in such goods or services. Directs the President to suspend or terminate assistance or contributions for violations of such prohibitions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2006
Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to list permissible sources of dogs and cats used by research facilities to include dogs and cats obtained: (1) from a licensed dealer; (2) from a publicly owned and operated pound or shelter that meets specified requirements; (3) by donation from a person who bred and raised the dog or cat and owned it for not less than one year; or (4) from a research facility licensed by the Secretary of Agriculture. Sets forth additional monetary penalties for related violations. Revises provisions to prohibit federal facilities from purchasing or otherwise acquiring dogs or cats for exhibition purposes except from: (1) the operator of an auction that comports with legal requirements; or (2) a person holding a valid dealer or exhibitor license. Revises provisions to prohibit dealers from selling or otherwise providing a research facility with random source dogs or cats unless specified certification requirements are met.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2006
Condemns the United Nations Disarmament Commission's election of the Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.) to the position of Vice-chair of the Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2006
Health Centers Renewal Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2007-FY2011 for health centers to meet the health care needs of medically underserved populations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2006
Independence from Oil with Agriculture Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to delete provisions that terminate tax credits after a certain time (thus extending such credits) for: (1) alcohol fuels; (2) biodiesel fuels; (3) alcohol fuel mixtures; (4) biodiesel mixtures; (5) electricity produced from wind and open-loop or close-loop biomass facilities; and (6) alternative fuel vehicle refueling property. Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) increase the applicable volume of renewable fuel for calendar years 2008-2012 that must be part of gasoline in the United States (except in noncontiguous states or territories); and (2) increase the number of gallons of renewable fuel in the calculation used to determine the required volume of renewable fuel in gasoline for calendar years 2013 and thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2006
Securing America's Energy Independence Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2015: (1) the investment tax credit for solar energy property and qualified fuel cell property; and (2) the tax credit for residential photovoltaic, solar water heating, and fuel cell property expenditures. Modifies the maximum amounts for such residential credits based upon kilowatt of capacity. Allows such credits to be taken against the alternative minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2006
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the U.N. Security Council should sanction Iran for its Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) noncompliance; and (2) if the Security Council does not sanction Iran, the Secretary of State may withhold U.S. contributions to the United Nations (U.N.) until the Security Council takes proper action to return Iran to NPT compliance.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that, as a matter of economic and national security, the U.S. Government should provide America's currency with the protection and support necessary to defend its integrity throughout the world, effectively deter counterfeiting, and preserve the status of the dollar as the world's reserve currency.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2006
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow bonds guaranteed by the federal home loan banks to be treated as tax-exempt state or local bonds (thus excluding interest on such bonds from gross income).
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Expanding American Homeownership Act of 2006 - Amends the National Housing Act to: (1) modify guidelines governing the maximum principal loan obligation; (2) extend the mortgage term; and (3) revise requirements for cash payment by the mortgagor in the eligibility criteria for mortgage insurance. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Secretary) to establish a mortgage insurance premium structure involving a single premium payment collected prior to the insurance of the mortgage that may vary during the mortgage term as long as the basis for determining the variable rate is established before the execution of the mortgage. Permits the Secretary to insure any mortgage covering a one-family unit in a condominium project if the project has a certain blanket mortgage insured by the Secretary. Revises requirements for the Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund. Sets limitations upon the Secretary's authority to enter into commitments for loan guarantees. Makes insurance of a Native Hawaiian or Indian reservation mortgage the obligation of the MMI Fund (instead of the General Insurance Fund). Eliminates the limitation placed upon the aggregate number of home equity conversion mortgages insured under the Act. Authorizes the Secretary to insure a home equity conversion mortgage when its primary purpose is to enable an elderly mortgagor to purchase a 1-to 4 family dwelling in which the mortgagor will occupy one of the units. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements to insure temporarily certain mortgages for a single family residence located within a presidentially declared major disaster area.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Independent Pharmacy Protection Act of 2006 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require each prescription drug plan contract entered into with a plan sponsor to provide for: (1) the availability of direct deposit payments; (2) an increased dispensing fee for generic drugs; and (3) payments within 10 days for certain pharmacies. Requires the dispensing fee paid to a participating pharmacy for a generic covered part D drug therapeutically equivalent and bioequivalent to a brand name covered part D drug dispensed through the pharmacy to be at least 50% greater than the dispensing fee for the brand name drug. Limits to $10 the dispensing fee paid to a participating pharmacy for a generic covered part D drug. Prohibits a prescription drug plan, subject to exception by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, from decreasing the dispensing fee paid to a participating pharmacy for a brand name drug to an amount less than the dispensing fee paid for it on the date of enactment of this Act. Applies this Act to contracts with a Medicare Advantage organization in the same manner as they apply to those with a prescription drug plan sponsor.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Tax Return Choice Act of 2006 - Prohibits the Internal Revenue Service from providing individual taxpayers with free electronic tax preparation and filing services except through the Free File program and the Internal Revenue Service's Taxpayer Assistance Centers, Tax Counseling for the Elderly, and volunteer income tax assistance programs. Repeals the provision of the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 directing the Secretary of the Treasury to develop a return-free tax system.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
U.S. Healthcare Technologies Competitiveness Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide tax incentives for investment in biomedical research corporations and related entities, by: (1) exempting investors in biomedical research corporations from limitations on net operating losses acquired through stock sales and mergers involving such corporations; (2) permitting a complete offset against the alternative minimum tax for the net operating losses of biomedical research corporations; (3) making permanent and increasing the rates for the tax credit for increasing research activities; (4) allowing tax credits for countermeasures equity investments and research expenses, qualified medical innovation expenses, equity investments in incubational companies, and investment in qualified biotechnology zone bonds; (5) accelerating eligibility for the tax credit for orphan drug expenses; (6) allowing expensing of biotechnology science park property and medical research equipment; (7) allowing deferral of the tax on gain from the sale of stock in a biomedical research corporation; (8) increasing the tax deductibility of capital losses on the sale of stock in biomedical research corporations; and (9) modifying passive loss deduction rules and S corporation shareholder requirements for biomedical research corporations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to the next of kin or personal representative of each passenger or crew member on board United Airlines Flight 93 who is identified by the Attorney General as having aided in the effort to resist the hijackers on board the plane, in recognition of heroic service to the Nation. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions. Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such gold medal. Declares such medals to be national medals. Requires that proceeds from the sale of duplicate bronze medals be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) all sexual relationships between an unmarried minor and an adult should be prosecuted as statutory rape; (2) acts of sexual violence against children, and travel within the United States or abroad to engage in sex trafficking or sexual relationships with minors, should be fully prosecuted; (3) all federal agencies should comply with funding prohibitions regarding prostitution and sex trafficking; (4) acts of sexual violence against male and female minors should not receive disparate treatment; (5) each state should pass a law similar to the Jessica Lunsford Act passed by the state of Florida in 2005; and (6) mandatory minimum sentences should be established for criminal sexual abuse and exploitation offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2006
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) Modernization and Reform Act of 2006 - Amends the firearms provisions of the federal criminal code to revise the civil penalties for violations of firearms law and the procedures for assessing such penalties. Requires fines to be based upon the nature and severity of the violation, the size of the firearms business involved, and the prior record of the firearm's licensee. Requires the Attorney General to make a preliminary determination on federal firearms license applications and to notify applicants in writing of intent to deny an application. Grants applicants the right to a hearing for license denials. Directs the Attorney General to establish guidelines for Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) investigations of firearms violations. Requires the Inspector General of the Department of Justice to review the operations of ATF relating to the gun show enforcement program and blanket residency checks of prospective and actual firearms purchasers. Limits the authority of federal agencies to disclose information on firearms purchasers. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to repeal the authority of the Attorney General to delegate to ATF responsibility for investigating violent crimes and acts of domestic terrorism. Grants a firearm licensee whose license has expired or has been suspended or revoked 60 days to liquidate inventory. Allows purchasers of existing firearms businesses the right to cure firearms violations attributable to such businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2006
Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act - National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2006 - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to: (1) require certain vessels operating in U.S. waters to have invasive species management plans; (2) direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish vessel performance requirements, measurable numeric ballast water discharge standards, and civil and criminal penalties for violations; (3) require federal agencies to restrict the importation of live aquatic organisms of species not in trade that have a high or moderate probability of undesirable impacts; and (4) declare importation of such species to be unlawful and prescribe civil and criminal penalties for violations. Directs the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works to: (1) upgrade and make permanent the Chicago sanitary and ship canal dispersal barrier in Chicago, Illinois; and (2) construct dispersal barriers as necessary. Renames the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 as the Nonindigenous Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention and Control Act of 1990. National Invasive Species Council Act - Prohibits federal agencies from authorizing, funding, or carrying out any action that would promote the introduction or spread of invasive species unless the benefits of the action outweigh the harm. Establishes the National Invasive Species Council (NISC) as an independent entity in the executive branch to lead and coordinate efforts to minimize the negative effects caused by invasive species and to reduce the threat of further invasions. Requires NISC to develop a National Invasive Species Management Plan and to establish an Invasive Species Advisory Committee. Reauthorizes and modifies the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 1990. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to: (1) authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide funding for wastewater assistance to certain municipalities and small publicly-owned treatment works; (2) authorize states to provide additional subsidization to benefit certain municipalities or state agencies that already receive assistance from the water pollution control revolving fund or to implement certain alternative techniques; (3) replace each reference to "navigable waters of the United States" with a reference to "waters of the United States"; (4) require the Great Lakes National Program Office to provide grants to reduce the quantity of mercury in the Great Lakes; and (5) require the President include a joint Great Lakes research plan in the annual budget submitted to Congress. Requires: (1) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide grants for Great Lakes research and monitoring activities; (2) the President to establish a system that detects and predicts changes in the ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes environment that impact certain U.S. systems; and (3) the National Ocean Research Leadership Council to establish an interagency program office to be known as OceanUS to be responsible for program planning and coordination of such observing system. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the Program Office to develop specified science-based indicators of water quality and related environmental factors in the Great Lakes. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide financial assistance for certain restoration or remediation projects; and (2) restore and remediate waterfronts and related areas. Establishes: (1) the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, as established by Executive Order 13340, as a task force within EPA; (2) a Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Executive Committee to hold meetings and make recommendations and reports on Great Lakes restoration goals and progress; and (3) the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration to develop a restoration and protection strategy for use in Great Lakes program implementation and funding decisions, to serve as a forum for addressing regional issues relating to ecosystem restoration and protection of the Great Lakes, and to establish an oversight forum to coordinate and enhance implementation of Great Lakes programs. Provides funding for a variety of Great Lakes programs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2006
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to refund a portion of the excise tax paid by certain coal producers on coal exported to a foreign country or shipped to a U.S. possession after October 1, 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2006
Military Spouses Employment Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include spouses of members of the Armed Forces on extended active duty (more than 90 days or for an indefinite period) as members of a targeted group for purposes of the work opportunity tax credit (thus giving employers a tax incentive for hiring military spouses).
![Official portrait of Rep. English, Phil [R-PA-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/e000187_200.jpg)