United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2006
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act with respect to required state reimbursements to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for federal assumption of Medicaid prescription drug costs for dual-eligible individuals (Medicaid clawback). Requires an offset from the Medicaid clawback for state prescription drug expenditures for covered part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) drugs for part D eligible individuals who are: (1) entitled to benefits under the state plan (whether as full-benefit dual eligible individuals, qualified Medicare beneficiaries, or otherwise); and (2) enrolled in a part D plan but unable to access on a timely basis benefits to which they were entitled. Requires the Secretary to provide for recovery of payment reductions owing to such offset from those part D or Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans that would otherwise be responsible for the expenditures made by the states.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2006
Amends rule XXV (Limitations on Outside Earned Income and Acceptance of Gifts) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require Members, Delegates, Resident Commissioners, officers, or employees of the House, before accepting payment of travel expenses, to obtain a written certification from the sponsoring organization or person: (1) stating that no registered lobbyist has been invited to participate in the transportation, lodging, or any associated meetings; and (2) disclaiming specified lobbying activities and connections. Amends rule IV (The Hall of the House) to deny floor privileges to any former Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner, former Parliamentarian, former elected officer or former minority employee of the House, and to heads of departments and state governors, unless the individual signs a lobbying disclaimer each time he or she is admitted to such location. Amends rule XVIII (The Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union) to make it out of order to consider any reconciliation legislation which has the net effect of reducing the surplus or increasing the deficit compared to the most recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate for any fiscal year. Amends rule XX (Voting and Quorum Calls) to limit recorded electronic votes to 20 minutes, except that the time may be extended with the consent of both the majority and minority floor managers of the legislation involved or both the majority and minority leaders. Amends rule XXIII (Code of Official Conduct) to prohibit a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner from conditioning the inclusion of language to provide funding for a district-oriented earmark, a particular project which will be carried out in a Member's congressional district, or a limited tax benefit in any bill or joint resolution (or accompanying report) or in any conference report on such measure (or accompanying joint statement of managers) on any vote such individual casts. Requires a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner to disclose in writing to the chairman and ranking member of the relevant committee certain information about any district-oriented earmark such individual advocates in any measure or accompanying report or managers' joint statement. Requires each committee to make such information available to the general public for any earmark included in any reported measure. Requires the Joint Committee on Taxation to review any revenue measure, reconciliation bill, or joint resolution for limited tax benefits, and identify them and their beneficiaries, including their sponsors. Amends rule XV (Business in Order on Special Days) to make it out of order to consider a resolution providing for adjournment sine die unless, during at least 20 weeks of the session, a quorum call or recorded vote was taken on at least four of the weekdays (excluding legal public holidays). Amends rule XIII (Calendars and Committee Reports) to make it out of order, with certain exceptions, for the House to consider a bill or joint resolution until 24 hours, or in the case of legislation containing a district-oriented earmark or limited tax benefit, until three days after copies of such measure (and any accompanying report) are available (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, or legal holidays when the House is not in session). Makes a motion to request or agree to a conference on a general appropriation bill in order only if the Senate expresses its disagreements with the House in the form of numbered amendments. Requires all provisions on which the two chambers disagree to be open to discussion at any meeting of a conference committee. Amends rule XXV (Limitation on Outside Earned Income and Acceptance of Gifts) to exempt from the restrictions on gifts to Members of Congress or Senators, officers, or employees of the House the market value for a flight taken in connection with official duties (charter flight fair market value) on an airplane not licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate for compensation or hire. Requires the individual to publish certain flight related information in the Congressional Record within 10 days of such a flight.
United States · United States Congress · 22 December 2005
National Levee Safety Program Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to: (1) inspect each levee in the United States constructed or maintained by the Secretary or identified by a state governor, excluding levees the failure of which would not pose a significant threat to human life or property; (2) notify the governor of the state in which a levee is located of inspection results, hazardous conditions found, and necessary remedial measures; (3) submit, annually, a priority list of flood damage reduction studies and projects; and (4) periodically publish an inventory of U.S. levees, including inspection results. Establishes the Interagency Committee on Levee Safety to support federal levee safety programs through coordination and information exchange among federal agencies concerning the implementation of levee safety guidelines. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish the National Levee Safety Review Board to monitor levee safety and state implementation of this Act and to advise the Secretary on national levee safety policy; (2) establish a national levee safety program, including federal levee safety guidelines; (3) provide assistance for and periodically review state levee safety programs; (4) carry out a program of technical and archival research regarding levee construction, rehabilitation, inspection, safety, security, and management; and (5) establish a program to train state safety agency staff and inspectors.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2005
Employee Retirement Preservation Act - Amends federal bankruptcy law to redefine "claim" to include a right or interest in equity securities of the debtor (or its affiliate) held in a pension plan for the benefit of an individual who is not an officer or director of the debtor, if such securities were attributable to: (1) employer contributions by the debtor (or an affiliate) other than elective deferrals; and (2) elective deferrals (and any earnings on them) that are required to be invested in such securities under the terms of the plan or at the direction of a person other than the individual or any beneficiary. Makes this requirement inapplicable, however, to any such securities during a period when the individual or any beneficiary has the right to direct the plan to divest such securities and to reinvest an equivalent amount in other investment options of the plan. Modifies the priority scheme for expenses and claims to place in fifth order of priority allowed unsecured claims concerning rights or interests in equity securities of the debtor held in a pension plan measured by the market value of the stock at the time of its contribution or purchased by the plan. Increases from $10,000 to $13,500 the maximum amount of allowed unsecured claims for contributions to an employee benefit plan.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2005
Amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act to require federal agencies to include in annual budget requests and certain annual federal energy management reports submitted to the Secretary of Energy: (1) 18 months after completion of a new federal building, a report outlining the building's performance in achieving energy efficiency design goals, describing the reasons for any failure to meet such goals as well as corrective actions to be taken, and stating how performance was measured and an estimate of additional energy costs to be incurred by not meeting the design requirements; and (2) if a building fails to achieve design goals, a second report to Congress assessing the building's performance after corrective actions have been taken, which shall also state any reasons for failure to continue to meet the performance requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2005
Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act and the Energy Conservation and Production Act to subject buildings administered by the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) to the energy management requirements and energy efficiency standards of such Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2005
Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to require, by October 1, 2012, all federal buildings, for the purposes of efficient use of energy and reduction in the cost of energy (currently, electricity) used in such buildings, to be metered. Requires agencies to use, to the maximum extent practicable, advanced meters or advanced metering devices for electricity, primary fuels, including natural gas and petroleum-based fuels, steam, and chilled water (currently, electricity, primary fuels, including natural gas and petroleum-based fuels, steam, and chilled water are not specified), that provide data at least daily and that measure at least hourly consumption of electricity in the federal buildings of the agency. Requires that, by October 1, 2008, metering meeting the above requirements shall apply to: (1) buildings on which construction commenced after the date of enactment of this Act; (2) existing buildings with more than 100,000 square feet of enclosed space; and (3) existing buildings that use large amounts of energy per square foot such as process energy facilities, health care facilities, and data centers.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2005
High Performance Buildings Act of 2005 - Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 to require that state and local housing strategies include a description of the jurisdiction's strategies to encourage sustainable development for affordable housing. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants to nonprofit organizations to use for specified purposes to improve or carry out energy efficiency, resource conservation and reuse, and effective use of existing infrastructure in affordable housing and economic development activities in low-income communities. Establishes within the National Science Foundation a Sustainable Building Institute to undertake or support through providing grants, loans, or other assistance: (1) research regarding the relationships among indoor environmental quality, human health, and human productivity; and (2) research, development, and commercial application of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies for buildings.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2005
Code Talkers Recognition Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation of a congressional gold medal: (1) to persons, including specified individuals, who served as Sioux or Comanche Code Talkers during World War II; (2) honoring the Choctaw Code Talkers of World War I; and (3) to any other Native American member of the armed forces, identified by the Secretary of Defense, who served as a Code Talker in any foreign conflict in which the United States was involved during the 20th Century. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medals struck under this Act and to deposit the proceeds in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund to pay for the costs of the medals awarded under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2005
Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research Act - Authorizes appropriations for FY2007-FY2011 to: (1) the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for support of basic research activities in the physical sciences, mathematics and computer sciences, and engineering; and (2) the Department of Defense (DOD) for support of basic research activities. Makes at least 8% of such amounts available for high-risk, potentially high-payoff research. Authorizes appropriations for FY2007-FY2011 to the NSF, National Institutes of Health (NIH), DOE, DOD, and NASA for the support of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers program. Directs NSF to institute the Graduate Scholar Awards in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics program or GSA-STEM program, to award graduate fellowships in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Requires the NSF Director to establish an advisory board. Establishes a Presidential Innovation Award, which the President shall periodically award to individuals who develop one or more unique scientific or engineering ideas in the national interest. Directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish a National Coordination Office for Research Infrastructure to: (1) identify and prioritize deficiencies in research facilities and instrumentation in academic institutions and national laboratories; and (2) make recommendations for resource allocation. Authorizes appropriations for FY2007-FY2011 to NSF and DOE for construction and maintenance of research facilities at institutions of higher education or national laboratories and other physical resources for performing leading-edge research.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2005
Clean Water Trust Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) to establish in the Treasury the Clean Water Trust Fund, to be funded by user fees, to finance certain FWPCA programs and activities, including: (1) water pollution reduction and control; (2) technical assistance for small rural communities; (3) the National Center for Utility Management; (4) grants to states and interstate agencies to assist in the management of pollution control programs; (5) watershed pilot projects; (6) regional water pollution control; (7) alternative water source projects; (8) sewer overflow control; (9) fisheries habitat protection, restoration, and enhancement; and (10) wetlands restoration. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make grants to nonprofit organizations to: (1) provide technical assistance to rural and small municipalities for wastewater infrastructure financing; and (2) establish a National Center for Utility Management to promote improved management of public wastewater utilities. Revises: (1) eligibility requirements for grants for sewage collection systems; and (2) state water pollution revolving fund provisions. Establishes a grant program under FWPCA to address the most serious water pollution problems. Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) make grants to states, nonprofit organizations, and other entities for fresh water, estuarine, and marine fisheries habitat protection, preservation, and restoration; and (2) make grants to states for wetlands restoration. Revises funding allocations for state water pollution control projects and activities serving Indian tribes and reservations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2005
The Fourteenth Dalai Lama Congressional Gold Medal Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro Tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, in recognition of his many contributions to peace and religious understanding.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2005
Mammogram Availability Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer offering group coverage, that provides coverage for diagnostic mammographies for any woman 40 years old or older to provide no less favorable coverage for annual screening mammographies for such a woman. Prohibits related enrollment and renewal discrimination, monetary incentives to women, and penalties or incentives to providers. Applies such requirements and prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2005
Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from issuing any final rule that would change the Department of Transportation's (DOT) interpretation of what constitutes "actual control" of an airline with respect to requirements prohibiting foreign interests from exercising actual control over all airline operations. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on the impact of DOT's proposed change of allowing foreign interests to control economic and competitive decisions while requiring U.S. citizens to control decisions concerning commitments to the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, transportation security, safety, and organizational documents. (Under current law, only an airline that qualifies as "a citizen of the United States" may provide service between U.S. cities or on international routes obtained by the United States through international agreements. Defines "a citizen of the United States" as an individual who is a citizen of the United States, a partnership each of whose partners is an individual who is a citizen of the United States, or a corporation or association in which at least 75% of the voting interest is owned or controlled by persons that are citizens of the United States).
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2005
Urges the President to issue annually a proclamation calling on state and local governments and the people of the United States to observe an American Jewish History Month.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2005
Directs the Joint Committee on the Library to accept the donation of a bust depicting Sojourner Truth and display it in a suitable permanent location in the rotunda of the Capitol. Expresses the sense of Congress that the most suitable location for the placement of the bust is one adjacent to the statue known as the Portrait Monument.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2005
Nursing Home Fire Safety Act of 2005 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish programs of direct loans and grants for retrofitting nursing facilities with automatic fire sprinkler systems. Gives priority to grant applications that demonstrate a need or hardship.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2005
Minority-Owned Venture Empowerment Act of 2005 - Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a program, to be known as the Pre-8(a) Program, to provide technical assistance to small businesses with respect to the receipt and performance of federal procurement contracts. Prohibits a participating small business from being awarded a contract under the Program which is awarded using procedures other than competitive procedures under section 8(a) of the Small Business Act (wherein the SBA provides for the performance of federal procurement contracts by small, disadvantaged, and minority-owned businesses). Limits to $750,000 the maximum net worth of a small business Program participant. Modifies the 8(a) program under the Small Business Act to require small businesses to complete the Pre-8(a) Program before participating in the 8(a) program. Limits to $100 million the aggregate value of contracts an 8(a) participant may enter into. Requires the Administrator, for the 8(a) program, to establish for each industry classification a maximum level of net worth for an economically disadvantaged individual, but prohibits establishing a net worth of less than $750,000. Makes some small businesses eligible for 8(a) participation in a contract using other than competitive procedures (restricted competition), under certain circumstances. Allows a contracting officer, under specified conditions, to utilize restricted competition in the award of federal procurement contracts for small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2005
Service for School Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide tuition assistance to undergraduate students attending eligible institutions of higher education in exchange for a commitment to perform national service.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2005
Leave All Blades Behind Act - Prohibits the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) from modifying the list of items prohibited aboard a passenger aircraft in interstate or intrastate air transportation in order to permit any item on the list as of December 1, 2005, to be carried aboard such an aircraft.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2005
10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act - Directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish programs of grants to institutions of higher education for: (1) undergraduate scholarships and academic programs to recruit and educate elementary and secondary school mathematics and science teachers; and (2) master's degree scholarships and part-time graduate programs for inservice mathematics and science teachers. Requires the NSF Director to: (1) increase the number of awards under the Teacher Institutes for the 21st Century program and allow its grantees to operate one- to two-week summer teacher institutes; (2) add to the Teacher Professional Continuum Program a grants component for preparing to teach Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate science and mathematics courses; and (3) with a national panel and the Secretary of Education, disseminate effective materials and support development of new materials for K-12 science and mathematics teaching. Authorizes, or extends the authorization of, appropriations for NSF programs established or revised under this Act, including NSF Instructional Materials Development, as well as for the Department of Energy's Laboratory Science Teacher Professional Development program.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2005
Establishes the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) within the Department of Energy to reduce the amount of energy the United States imports from foreign sources by 20% over the next 10 years. Establishes the Energy Independence Acceleration Fund, administered by the ARPA-E Director for the award of competitive grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts to institutions of higher education, companies, or consortia, including federally funded research and development centers, to achieve specified goals through targeted acceleration of: (1) energy-related research; (2) development of resultant techniques, processes, and technologies, and related testing and evaluation; and (3) demonstration and commercial application of the most promising technologies and research applications. Directs the Secretary to establish procedures and criteria for recoupment of the federal share of each project supported under this Act. Requires the President's Committee on Science and Technology to evaluate for Congress and the public how well ARPA-E is achieving its goals and mission.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2005
Fuel Choices for American Security Act of 2005 - Instructs Director of the Office of Management and Budget to publish an action plan in the Federal Register that targets oil savings for specified years. Directs the Secretaries of Energy and of Transportation, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (Administrator), to promulgate regulations to implement the standards set forth in the Director's action plan. Requires the head of each federal agency to establish an oil usage baseline and develop a specified plan to reduce oil consumption. Directs the Postmaster General to report to Congress on annual fleetwide fuel savings and cost savings associated with eliminating Saturday mail delivery. Directs the Secretary of Energy to conduct a national media campaign to decrease domestic oil consumption. Amends federal transportation law to set forth a national tire efficiency program. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to establish an idling reduction tax credit. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a research and development program for electric drive transportation technology. Directs the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) to establish a lightweight material research and development program. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to direct the Secretary to accelerate hybrid technology improvements by using loan guarantees that target automobile manufacturers and suppliers. Amends the IRC to allow: (1) an advanced technology motor vehicles manufacturing credit; and (2) a qualified flexible fuel hybrid and plug-in hybrid motor vehicle credit. Terminates the limitation on the number of qualified hybrid and advanced lean burn technology vehicles eligible for alternative motor vehicle credit. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations requiring each federal agency to achieve by FY2015 at least a 20% reduction in its fleet petroleum consumption. Amends the IRC to: (1) establish a fuel-efficient tax credit for private fleets; and (2) subject heavy vehicles to the depreciation limitation imposed upon certain luxury automobiles. Prescribes: (1) a production schedule for passenger cars that are either fuel choice enabling motor vehicles, or alternative fuel automobiles; and (2) calculations for flexible fuel vehicle economy. Requires the Secretary to transmit an action plan to Congress to ensure: (1) an increasing supply by non-oil fuels of the total domestic ground transportation fuel demand; and (2) nationwide inclusion of at least 10 % ethanol in the domestic ground transportation fuel supply by December 31, 2015. Amends the IRC to increase the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property credit. Amends federal transportation law to establish the Alternative Fueling Infrastructure Trust Fund. Amends the Clean Air Act to prescribe the minimum quantity of renewable fuel derived from cellulosic biomass for specified calendar years. Amends federal transportation law to direct the Secretary of Transportation to designate Transit-Oriented Development Corridors in certain urbanized areas. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to: (1) repeal the geographical limitation on the Sugar Cane Ethanol Program; (2) authorize preprocessing and harvesting demonstration grants for transportation fuel produced from biomass (in lieu of ethanol production); (3) direct the Secretary to establish a loan guarantee program for conversion of municipal solid waste into transportation fuel produced from biomass (in lieu of ethanol); and (4) instruct the Administrator to fund demonstration projects for producing transportation fuel produced from biomass (in lieu of ethanol).
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2005
African-American Farmers Benefits Relief Act of 2005 - Provides de novo review for qualifying claims filed under the consolidated class action action lawsuits of Pigford v. Veneman and Brewington v. Veneman.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that the European Union's unilateral attempt to alter the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures Number 15 (ISPM 15) as it applies to imports of wood packaging materials violates the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). Urges the President to ask the European Commission to agree to: (1) suspend the requirement that all wood packaging be debarked until there is credible scientific evidence of the need for such a standard; (2) allow the processing of relevant scientific data through authorized IPPC channels; (3) develop a clear definition of "debarked" wood packaging for pallets and containers, if the relevant IPPC entities conclude that changing ISPM 15 is technically justified, and communicate it to all participating nations in a clear and unambiguous manner; (4) allow sufficient time for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a system for using a "debark" mark or other stamp or indication for pallets and containers; and (5) establish an implementation date for the new requirement with which U.S. wood packaging manufacturers can reasonably comply.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2005
Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 to exclude manure from the definition of "hazardous substance" or "pollutant or contaminant" under that Act. Amends the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 to exempt releases associated with manure from the emergency notification requirements under that Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2005
Outer Continental Shelf Natural Gas Relief Act - States that all provisions of federal law that prohibit the expenditure of appropriated funds to conduct natural gas leasing and preleasing activities for any area of the Outer Continental Shelf are without any force or effect. Revokes all withdrawals from leasing of federal submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf, including withdrawals by the President under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. States such withdrawals are no longer in effect with respect to the leasing of areas for natural gas exploration, development, and production. Prohibits granting a gas lease for any area of the Outer Continental Shelf located within 20 miles of a state's coastline unless the Governor grants state approval. Directs the Secretary of Energy, in each five-year oil and gas leasing program, to include lease sales that when viewed as a whole propose to offer for gas leasing at least 75% of the available unleased acreage within each Outer Continental Shelf planning area. Sets forth a scheme for bonus bids and royalties that affects: (1) new and existing gas leases; and (2) leased tracts lying partially within the seaward boundaries of a state. Permits leases that authorize development and production solely of natural gas and associated condensate, including leases for program years 2002-2007, and for program years 2007-2012.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2005
Amends the Wetland Loan Act to extend funding for conservation of migratory waterfowl and habitat. Amends the Duck Stamp Act (the Act) to increase the price of federal migratory-bird hunting and conservation stamps, and to revise procedures for disposing of unsold stamps. Provides that nothing in the Act shall be construed to require a person to affix a stamp sold under such Act to any other license as a condition of engaging in hunting under the authority of the stamp. Expresses the sense of Congress that the funds provided pursuant to this Act should be used for preserving and increasing waterfowl populations in accordance with the goals and objectives of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, and to that end, should be used to supplement and not replace current conservation funding, including funding for other federal and state habitat conservation programs. States the sense of Congress that this Act should be implemented in a manner that helps private landowners achieve their long-term land use objectives in ways that enhance the conservation of wetlands and wildlife habitat.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2005
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the law enforcement and judicial authorities of Uzbekistan should ensure that Sanjar Umarov is accorded his full rights under the Uzbekistan Constitution to defend himself against charges that may be brought against him; (2) the government of Uzbekistan should observe its various treaty obligations, especially those under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which obligate governments to provide for due process in criminal cases; and (3) the government of Uzbekistan should clarify the charges against Sanjar Umarov, his current condition, and his whereabouts.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2005
Home Heating Assistance Act - Directs, for the one year period beginning upon enactment of this Act, forest officers designated by the supervisor of a unit of the National Forest System (NFS) to grant individuals the free collection and removal of dead timber from designated NFS lands to be used as firewood. Limits the total value of the timber collected by an individual to $1,000.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2005
Corporate Entitlement Reform Act of 2005 - Establishes the Corporate Entitlement Reform Commission to: (1) examine and identify federal programs and tax laws that provide corporate entitlements (federally-funded payments to profitmaking enterprises provided without a reasonable expectation that activities performed in return for such payments would result in benefits to the public at least as great as the payments); (2) review such entitlements; (3) recommend $50 billion in federal savings on corporate entitlements for the period beginning October 1, 2006, and ending September 30, 2016; and (4) report to Congress on its findings and recommendations. Sets forth procedures for congressional consideration and implementation of the Commission's recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2005
Supports the goals and ideals of Cambodian-American Freedom Day. Honors the 30th anniversary of the arrival of the first Cambodian immigrants to the United States, and recognizes the contributions Cambodian-Americans have made to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Hurricane Katrina Recovery, Reclamation. Restoration, Reconstruction and Reunion Act of 2005 - Hurricane Katrina Victim Restoration Fund of 2005 - Provides for the determination of eligibility for compensation for any individual (or relatives of a deceased individual) who sustained economic or noneconomic losses as a result of Hurricane Katrina so that the individual (or relatives) are restored as nearly as possible to their condition before Hurricane Katrina. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a Comprehensive Environmental Sampling and Toxicity Assessment Plan. Provides for federal and state government to notify hurricane survivors of health risks they may face upon returning to their domiciles. Provides for the offer of alternative land and/or housing as compensation to residents whose homes or businesses have been destroyed or terminally compromised. Revises the TANF Emergency Response and Recovery Act of 2005 to provide for reimbursement of states for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits provided under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act to families from other states affected by Hurricane Katrina. Sets forth requirements relating to emergency extended unemployment compensation. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program of emergency health coverage continuation relief. Sets forth housing and education requirements. Displaced Citizens Voter Protection Provisions of 2005 - Prescribes requirements for the protection of voting rights of Katrina evacuees. Prescribes requirements for: (1) regulatory relief for financial services; and (2) disaster loans and small business relief. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for: (1) a tax credit for an eligible homebuyer who purchases a principal residence in the Hurricane Katrina disaster area; (2) an increase in the housing credit dollar amount; and (3) tax-exempt bonds for qualified Gulf Coast recovery projects. Hurricane Katrina Bankruptcy Relief and Community Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the federal bankruptcy code to exempt victims of natural disasters, including small businesses, from certain requirements for debtors seeking relief. Directs the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a temporary flood insurance buy-in program. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should present, within six months, a plan to eradicate poverty in the United States by 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Wayne "Cotton" Morgan Bulletproof Vest Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to make a matching requirement inapplicable to a grant for the purchase of an armor vest for any officer who works in a high security risk area or for a correctional officer who transports prisoners.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
National Earthquake Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response and the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to meet the qualification requirements for their position by virtue of their emergency management experience, educational background, training, and professional contributions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a nonrefundable personal credit of 50% of up to $6,000 of qualified seismic retrofit expenses (principal residence earthquake retrofit expenses). Authorizes the issuance of qualified seismic retrofitting bonds. Provides an exemption from passive activity loss restrictions for seismic retrofitting activity. Amends the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 to authorize the FEMA Director to establish a grant program to provide financial assistance to certain local governments, public or nonprofit private hospitals, or public institutions of higher education for earthquake disaster mitigation and recovery planning measures (including retrofitting and disaster recovery plans) with respect to critical facilities and public infrastructures. Establishes the Loss Reduction Trust Fund for grant payments. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Advanced National Seismic System should be funded at its authorization level in order to achieve the goal of deploying a nationwide network of over 7,000 earthquake sensor systems serving the entire United States and providing dense coverage in 26 at-risk urban areas.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Expresses support for the goal and mission of America Recycles Day. Encourages all federal employees to participate in promoting the social, environmental, and economic benefits of recycling and buying recycled-content products.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2005
Focus on Family Health Worldwide Act of 2005 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to provide assistance for voluntary family planning programs in developing countries, including activities to: (1) improve public knowledge of voluntary family planning programs; (2) support public and private voluntary family planning programs, including networks for community-based and subsidized commercial distribution of contraceptives; (3) expand training for health care providers and educators; (4) provide improved coordination between voluntary family planning programs and programs that receive U.S. assistance for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections; and (5) strengthen supply chain logistics for the procurement and distribution of safe contraceptives, including coordination with the supply chain for HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment. Gives priority to developing countries with acute family planning and maternal health needs. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2005
Honors the memory of, and identifies, 2,249 members of the Armed Forces who died in service to the United States in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom as of October 25, 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
Trade Adjustment Assistance Improvement Act - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to extend trade adjustment assistance (TAA) to workers in a service sector firm, its subdivision, or a public agency. Revises group eligibility requirements for TAA to cover: (1) a shift, by a public agency to a foreign country, of production of articles or in provision of services, like or directly competitive with articles which are produced, or services which are provided by the workers' firm, subdivision, or public agency; and (2) the situation where the workers' firm, subdivision, or public agency obtains or is likely to obtain such services from a foreign country. Requires the Secretary of Labor to certify as eligible to apply for TAA any adversely affected secondary workers in a service sector firm, its subdivision, or a public agency. Specifies criteria for determination of the existence of increased imports of like or directly competitive articles or services. Increases the amount of payments for training of adversely affected workers under the Act. Authorizes the Secretary to waive training requirements for an individual receiving TAA if he or she has an advanced degree or postgraduate certification in a specialized field and there is a reasonable expectation of employment at equivalent wages in the foreseeable future. Permits as a training program for an adversely affected worker continued enrollment for up to 104 weeks at an institution of higher education to obtain a degree, if there is a reasonable expectation of employment at equivalent wages in the foreseeable future. Modifies the demonstration project for alternative TAA for older workers. Directs the Secretary to implement a system to collect data on all adversely affected workers applying for or receiving TAA. Provides for industry-wide certification of workers, including agricultural commodity producers, for TAA where bilateral or other safeguard provisions are invoked or antidumping or countervailing duties have been imposed. Extends the TAA program through FY2012. Establishes the Office of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Advisor in the Department of Labor. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the credit for health insurance costs of certain TAA recipients.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to prohibit any state or political subdivision from establishing or continuing in effect for any food in interstate commerce: (1) any requirement that is not identical to specified FFDCA provisions (that would result in materially different requirements), including those related to adulterated foods, unsafe food additives, and new animal drugs; or (2) any notification requirement that provides for a warning concerning the food's safety that is not identical to FFDCA provisions. Allows a state to petition for an exemption or to establish a national standard regarding any requirement under FFDCA or the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act relating to food regulation. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Service to provide such an exemption if the requirement: (1) protects an important public interest that would otherwise be unprotected; (2) would not cause any food to be in violation of any federal law; and (3) would not unduly burden interstate commerce. Allows a state to establish a requirement that would otherwise violate FFDCA provisions relating to national uniform nutrition labeling or this Act if the requirement is needed to address an imminent hazard to health that is likely to result in serious adverse health consequences and if other requirements are met. Declares that this Act does not preempt certain state and local laws relating to labeling or a consumer advisory relating to food sanitation imposed on a food establishment or recommended by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
School Energy Crisis Relief Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a grants program for eligible local educational agencies that have experienced the highest percentage increase (or expenditure increase) in transportation and heating fuel costs among all local educational agencies (LEA's) in a state for a specific time period during the 2005-2006 school year, in comparison to the same time period during the 2004-2005 school year. Authorizes the use of funds for: (1) the cost of transportation or heating fuel purchased by eligible LEA's; or (2) transportation fuel purchased by entities under contract to provide transportation services to such LEA's.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
Family Asthma Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to award grants to eligible entities to conduct pilot projects to prevent and control asthma symptoms and to reduce asthma attacks in families. Requires the Secretary to give: (1) priority to entities that serve a medically underserved population; and (2) consideration to an adequate rural-urban distribution, so as to gain better information about asthma at the national level. Authorizes additional appropriations to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to develop a National Asthma Action Plan and to fund a report to Congress by the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) collaborate with state and local health departments to conduct activities to inform and educate the public regarding asthma; (2) conduct asthma surveillance activities to collect data on the prevalence and severity of asthma, the effectiveness of public heath asthma intervention, and the quality of asthma management; and (3) compile and annually publish asthma data. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to establish Dr. Irving J. Selikoff individual and institutional training grants for education and training of health care providers on the role of environmental factors in the development and prevention of asthma and recurrent asthma attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2005
Directs the Architect of the Capitol to enter into an agreement to obtain a statue of Rosa Parks and to place the statue in the Capitol in a suitable permanent location in National Statuary Hall.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2005
Children's Health Equity Technical Amendment Act of 2005 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to permit qualifying states to use up to 20% of their SCHIP allotment for any fiscal year (currently, only for FY1998-FY2001) for certain Medicaid expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2005
Requests the President to provide to the House of Representatives certain federal agency documents in his possession on the effects of climate change on the coastal regions of the United States.
![Official portrait of Rep. Ford, Harold E., Jr. [D-TN-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000262_200.jpg)