United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2005
Urges the European Union (EU) to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Condemns Hezbollah's continuous terrorist attacks, and its support of Palestinian terrorist organizations on the EU terrorist list, such as the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2005
Commends the the Republic of Turkey for assuming the leadership of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Thanks the Republic of Turkey for its ongoing contributions to the stabilization of Afghanistan, an essential element in the war against terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Great Lakes Restoration Act of 2005 - Establishes the Great Lakes Advisory Board to: (1) develop a biennial comprehensive Great Lakes management plan; (2) coordinate Great Lakes restoration efforts; and (3) implement a public awareness campaign. Establishes a scientific working group to evaluate the scientific integrity of the Great Lakes restoration effort and assist the Board in its decisionmaking. Requires the management plan to be submitted to the President, appropriate congressional committees, the governor of each Great Lakes State, and the Great Lakes mayors. Includes as possible Great Lakes ecosystem goals: (1) the cleanup of toxic hot spots; (2) the elimination of invasive species; (3) decreased pollution from nonpoint sources and the elimination of all forms of toxic deposition; (4) the restoration and conservation of wetlands and critical coastal habitat; (5) the elimination of dead zones caused by hypoxia and harmful algal bloom; (6) the sustainable use and management of Great Lakes water resources; and (7) public participation in Great Lakes restoration. Requires each Great Lakes State to have in effect a State Great Lakes Management Plan, approved by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and updated every two years, in order to be eligible for assistance apportionments authorized under this Act. Provides apportioned funding to Great Lakes States for restoration activities. Authorizes the Administrator to appoint a special master to direct the remediation of an area of concern.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Designates the segment of Interstate Route 86 between its interchange with New York State Route 15 in the vicinity of Painted Post, New York, and its interchange with New York State Route 352 in the vicinity of Corning, New York, as the "Amo Houghton Bypass."
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Veterans Self-Employment Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a five-year pilot project to test the feasibility and advisability of the use of educational assistance under certain programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay for training costs associated with the purchase of a franchise enterprise. Prohibits the use of such assistance unless: (1) training is required and provided in connection with the purchase and operation of a franchise; and (2) such training, and the training entity, are approved by the Secretary. Provides training and entity approval requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Urges the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission, in conducting five-year sunset reviews of antidumping or countervailing duties on steel products, to use their authority to take into account, and report on, the impact of such duties on steel-consuming manufacturers and the overall economy.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2005 - Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), after July 1, 2005, from reallocating primary allocations of bands of frequencies of the amateur radio and amateur satellite services, diminishing the secondary allocations of such bands to such services, or making additional allocations within such bands that would substantially reduce their utility to the amateur radio or satellite service, unless the FCC provides equivalent replacement spectrum to amateur radio and satellite service.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 - Amends Federal bankruptcy law governing: (1) conversion of bankruptcy petitions; (2) abusive creditor practices; (3) domestic support obligations; (4) consumer protections, including protection of personally identifiable information; (5) measures to discourage bankruptcy abuse, including reduction of the homestead exemption for fraud; (6) guidelines for general and small business bankruptcies, including appointment of a committee of retired employees; (7) bankruptcy data dissemination and bankruptcy tax provisions; (8) ancillary and other cross-border cases to incorporate the Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency; and (9) financial contracts and transfers entered into with an insolvent insured depository institution before its conservatorship or receivership. Reenacts Chapter 12, Adjustment of Debts of a Family Farmer with Regular Annual Income. Brings family fishermen within the purview of Federal bankruptcy protection. Prescribes guidelines for insolvent health care businesses and related patients' rights. Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Judicial Code to mandate appointments for additional temporary bankruptcy judgeships in designated States. Prescribes additional consumer credit disclosures, including open end credit plans and introductory rates.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to include podiatrists as physicians in order to cover their services under the Medicaid program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to the family of Thurgood Marshall (the first African-American Justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court) in recognition of Marshall's contributions to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Notch Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act with respect to the benefit computation formula for individuals affected by the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977 who reached age 65 after 1979 and before 1989. Sets forth a schedule of additional benefit increases for such beneficiaries (and related beneficiaries), with percentages declining from 55 percent to five percent keyed to the year an individual became eligible for such benefits between 1979 and 1989. Provides for an election to receive such payments in a lump sum.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act - Prohibits new and dismisses pending civil actions by any person against a manufacturer or seller of food or a trade association for any injury resulting from a person's consumption of food and weight gain, obesity, or any associated health condition, excluding actions alleging: (1) a knowing and willful violation of a Federal or State statute applicable to the manufacturing, marketing, distribution, advertisement, labeling, or sale of food where the violation was a proximate cause of injury related to a person's weight gain, obesity, or related health condition; (2) a breach of express contract or express warranty in connection with the purchase of food; or (3) a violation under the Federal Trade Commission Act or the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Requires, in any action alleging such a violation of an applicable Federal or State statute or a breach of express contract or express warranty: (1) a stay of discovery during the pendency of any motion to dismiss, unless necessary to preserve evidence or to prevent undue prejudice; and (2) document preservation during the stay. Requires the complaint in an action alleging such a violation of an applicable statute to plead with particularity the Federal and State statutes that were allegedly violated and the facts that are alleged to have proximately caused the injury claimed.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Municipal Deposit Insurance Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to set $2 million as the maximum amount of insurance for in-State municipal depositor accounts held by an insured depository institution.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Help Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2005 -Sets forth provisions regulating lawsuits for health care liability claims concerning the provision of health care goods or services or any medical product affecting interstate commerce. Sets a statute of limitations of three years after the date of manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers the injury, with certain exceptions. Provides that nothing in this Act limits recovery of the full amount of available economic damages. Limits noneconomic damages to $250,000. Makes each party liable only for the amount of damages directly proportional to such party's percentage of responsibility. Allows the court to restrict the payment of attorney contingency fees. Limits the fees to a decreasing percentage based on the increasing value of the amount awarded. Prescribes qualifications for expert witnesses. Allows the introduction of collateral source benefits and the amount paid to secure such benefits as evidence. Prohibits a provider of such benefits from recovering any amount from an award in a health care lawsuit involving injury or wrongful death. Authorizes the award of punitive damages only where: (1) it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that a person acted with malicious intent to injure the claimant or deliberately failed to avoid unnecessary injury the claimant was substantially certain to suffer; and (2) compensatory damages are awarded. Limits punitive damages to the greater of two times the amount of economic damages or $250,000. Limits the liability of manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and providers of medical products that comply with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. Provides for periodic payments of future damage awards.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Designates the Federal building and U.S. courthouse located at 200 West 2nd Street, in Dayton, Ohio, as the Tony Hall Federal Building and United States Courthouse.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide for establishment and governance of association health plans (AHPs), which are group health plans whose sponsors are trade, industry, professional, chamber of commerce, or similar business associations, and which meet certain ERISA certification requirements. (Thus, through ERISA preemption of State laws, certified AHPs are exempted from State regulation of health insurance providers, including State consumer protection laws and State requirements for health care benefits to be offered by such entities, with certain exceptions.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Corporate Charitable Disclosure Act of 2005 - Amends the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 to require disclosure of: (1) corporate charitable contributions whose value exceeds what the issuer made during the previous year to any nonprofit organization of which a director, officer, or controlling person of the issuer (or a spouse) was a director or trustee (insider affiliated charity); (2) the name of such nonprofit organization and the value of the contribution; (3) the total value of contributions made by the issuer to nonprofit organizations during its previous fiscal year; and (4) the organization name and the value of contributions if the value to any one organization exceeds the amount designated by Securities and Exchange Commission rule.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Amends the Federal Law Enforcement Pay Reform Act of 1990 to revise the special pay adjustments for (percentage differentials payable to) Federal law enforcement officers in specified consolidated metropolitan statistical areas. Includes Capitol Police as law enforcement officers under such Act. Eliminates the limitation on the aggregate of basic pay and premium pay with respect to availability pay for Federal criminal investigators.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that Social Security reform measures should not cause State and local government employees covered under public pensions to be forced into coverage under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Military Personnel Financial Services Protection Act - Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to make it unlawful: (1) for any registered investment company to issue any periodic payment plan certificate; or (2) for such company or any depositor or underwriter of such company, or other person, to sell such a certificate. Directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to report to specified congressional committees on: (1) any measures taken by a registered broker or dealer voluntarily to refund payments made by military service members on any such certificate; and (2) the sales practices of such brokers or dealers on military installations over the past five years. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require a registered securities association to establish and maintain: (1) a system for collecting and retaining broker/dealer registration information; and (2) a toll-free telephone listing, and a readily accessible process to respond promptly to registration information inquiries. Amends the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to authorize the SEC to require an investment adviser to file with the SEC certain documentation. Directs the SEC to require such entity to maintain a toll–free telephone listing or other readily accessible process to receive and promptly respond to registration, disciplinary, and other relevant inquiries. Prohibits an insurer or producer from: (1) selling or soliciting, in person, any life insurance product to any member of the Armed Forces on a Federal military installation unless certain written disclosures have been provided before the sale; or (2) contracting with an insurance producer that solicits or sells life insurance on U.S. military installations unless the insurer has implemented a system for reporting any disciplinary actions against the producer to the appropriate State insurance commissioner. Requires the Secretary of Defense to establish a registry of insurance agents and financial advisors that have been barred or banned from doing business on Federal military installations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Permits a State to provide tax incentives for production of electricity from: (1) coal mined in the State and used in a facility, if such production meets Federal and State laws and if the facility uses clean coal technology, including scrubbers; (2) a renewable source such as wind, solar, or biomass; or (3) ethanol. Declares that any such State tax incentive shall: (1) be considered to be a reasonable regulation of commerce, and (2) not be considered to impose an undue burden on interstate commerce or to otherwise impair, restrain, or discriminate, against interstate commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
REAL ID Act of 2005 - Amends Immigration and Nationality Act provisions concerning asylum to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security, in addition to the Attorney General, to grant asylum; (2) require asylum applicants to prove that race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion was or will be (if removed) the central reason for their persecution; and (3) provide that an applicant's testimony may be sufficient to sustain this burden of proof only if the trier of fact determines that it is credible, persuasive, and fact-specific. Gives the trier of fact discretion to require corroborating evidence. Lists factors relevant to credibility determinations in asylum cases. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive laws as necessary to ensure expeditious construction of certain barriers and roads at the U.S. border. Expands grounds of inadmissibility and deportability due to terrorist or terrorist-related activity. Modifies the provision defining "engage in terrorist activity" to eliminate the possibility of discretionary waivers of inadmissibility for material support of organizations or individuals that have engaged in terrorist activity. Expands the definition of "terrorist organization." Prohibits Federal agencies from accepting State issued driver's licenses or identification cards unless such documents are determined by the Secretary to meet minimum security requirements. Sets forth issuance standards for such documents that require: (1) evidence that the applicant is lawfully present in the United States; and (2) issuance of temporary driver's licenses or identification cards to persons temporarily present that are valid only for their period of authorized stay (or for one year where the period of stay is indefinite). Authorizes the Secretary to impose additional requirements. Requires States, as a condition of receiving financial assistance, to participate in the interstate compact regarding the sharing of driver's license data. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to assist them in conforming to the document standards of this Act. Repeals overlapping provisions of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income hazard mitigation payments received under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act or the National Flood Insurance Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Disaster Prevention Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income certain disaster mitigation payments paid pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act or the National Flood Insurance Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Theodore Roosevelt Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than: (1) 500,000 $1 coins with the image of Theodore Roosevelt as a Rough Rider on one side and an eagle design on the other side; and (2) 500,000 $1 coins with the image of Roosevelt on horseback on one side and a flaming sword of righteousness on the other side. Expresses the sense of Congress that the coins should be struck at the U.S. Mint at West Point, New York. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such minted coins beginning on January 1, 2006, and to initiate coin sales before such date. (2006 will mark the 100th anniversary of Roosevelt's award of the Nobel Peace Prize.) Requires payment of $10 surcharges from the coin sales to the Theodore Roosevelt Association, to be used exclusively for educational programs at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, including a visitor's center.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Recognizes the 100th anniversary of Rotary International (a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders committed to humanitarian service, high ethical standards, peace, and goodwill). Commends Rotary International for its service and contributions, particularly its efforts to eradicate polio.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Combat Meth Act of 2005 - Authorizes funds to provide training to State and local prosecutors and law enforcement agents for investigation and prosecution of methamphetamine offenses, including a set-aside for prosecutors and law enforcement agents for rural communities. Amends: (1) the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand the public safety and community policing grant program to authorize the use of grant funds to hire personnel and purchase equipment to assist in enforcing and prosecuting methamphetamine offenses and in cleaning up methamphetamine-affected areas; (2) the Controlled Substances Act to add pseudoephedrine to schedule V; and (3) the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants for the development of drug endangered children rapid response teams and grants to local governments, Indian tribes, and nonprofit private entities to provide treatment for methamphetamine abuse. Directs the Attorney General to allocate funds for the hiring and training of special assistant U.S. attorneys. Authorizes the Attorney General, acting through the Bureau of Justice Assistance, to award grants to States to establish methamphetamine precursor monitoring programs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require an abortion provider, before beginning any abortion of a pain-capable unborn child (defined as an unborn child who has reached a probable stage of development of 20 weeks after fertilization), to: (1) make a specified statement to the pregnant woman that Congress has determined that there is substantial evidence that the process will cause the unborn child pain, and that the mother has the option of having pain-reducing drugs administered directly to the child; (2) provide to the woman an Unborn Child Pain Awareness Brochure (unless she waives receipt) or information on accessing such brochure on the Internet; (3) provide to the woman an Unborn Child Pain Awareness Decision Form; and (4) obtain on the form the woman's signature and her explicit request for or refusal of the administration of drugs to the child. Creates an exception for certified medical emergencies. Establishes penalties for willfully failing to comply with this Act, including civil penalties, medical license suspension, or both. Authorizes: (1) specified officials to bring suit in Federal court; and (2) private rights of action by a parent or guardian of a woman who is an unemancipated minor. Requires each State and State medical licensing authority to promulgate procedures for the revocation or suspension of a provider's license upon a court finding that the provider has violated this Act. Subjects a State that fails to implement such procedures to loss of Medicaid funding.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to provide that, if the violator of the terms and conditions of any Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license, permit, or certificate is either a broadcast station licensee or permittee or an applicant for a broadcast license, permit, or certificate, and such violator is determined by the FCC to have broadcast obscene, indecent, or profane material, the amount of forfeiture penalty shall not exceed $500,000 for each violation. Sets forth: (1) additional factors for determining indecency penalties; (2) indecency penalties for non-licensees; (3) deadlines for actions on complaints; (4) additional remedies for indecent broadcasts; and (4) provisions for license disqualification, revocation, or renewal consideration for violations of indecency prohibitions. Expresses the sense of Congress that broadcast television station licensees should reinstitute a family viewing policy for broadcasters.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of Congress that military retired pay should not be reduced because a military retiree is also eligible for veterans' disability compensation awarded for a service-connected disability. Allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (currently, only a disability rated at 50 percent or more). Repeals provisions phasing in the full concurrent receipt of such pay through December 31, 2013. Makes eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay those individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2005 - Exempts provisions expanding the adoption tax credit and adoption assistance programs enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 from the general terminating (sunset) provisions of that Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Supports the goals and ideals of National Mentoring Month, including efforts to recruit more mentors in the United States. Praises the millions of caring adults who have already committed their time and energy to mentor a child.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2005
Amends the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act to: (1) include bullying and harassment under the definition of violence; and (2) provide for programs to address and prevent bullying and harassment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2005
Manufacturing Technology Competitiveness Act of 2005 - Directs the President to establish or designate an Interagency Committee to plan and coordinate Federal efforts in manufacturing research and development, with an Advisory Committee from the non-Federal sector. Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (NIST Act) to establish: (1) a pilot program of collaborative manufacturing research grants; (2) manufacturing sciences research fellowships; (3) manufacturing extension center competitive grants; and (4) standards education grants to develop higher education curricula on the role of standards in engineering, business, science, and economics. Revises requirements under the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership program. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Commerce for the following NIST programs: (1) scientific and technical research and services laboratory activities; (2) the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (under the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980); (3) construction and maintenance of facilities; (4) Teacher Science and Technology Enhancement Institute; (5) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (through the Secretary or other appropriate Federal agencies); (6) Collaborative Manufacturing Research Pilot Grants; and (7) Manufacturing Fellowships.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2005
Montgomery GI Bill Enhancement Act of 2005 - Authorizes an individual, during the year following enactment of this Act, to make an irrevocable election for entitlement to basic educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill if such individual: (1) first became a member of the armed forces or entered active duty before July 1, 1985; (2) has served on active duty without a break in service and continues to serve for some or all of the year before enactment of this Act; (3) has completed requirements of a secondary school diploma or the equivalent of 12 semester hours in a program leading to a standard college degree; and (4) is discharged or released from active duty honorably. Requires such individual's basic pay to be reduced, over an 18-month period, until the total reduction is $2,700, as a contribution toward such educational assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2005
Expresses support for Israel's accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), including through coordination of efforts with Mexico, Great Britain, and other countries supportive of Israel's OECD membership.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
NASA and JPL 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to mint and issue: (1) ten dollar gold coins; (2) five dollar gold coins; (3) one dollar silver coins; and (4) half-dollar silver coins emblematic of the 50 years of exemplary and unparalleled achievements of NASA and JPL. Directs each Federal agency and U.S. instrumentality that has in its possession any craft or any part of a craft that flew in space to: (1) retrieve any gold, silver, copper, and other precious metal that may be used in the production of any coins under this Act from such craft or part; and (2) deposit such metals with the Director of the United States Mint. Requires that all sales of coins minted under this Act include a surcharge of : (1) $75 per coin for the ten dollar coin; (2) $35 per coin for the five dollar coin; (3) $10 per coin for the one dollar coin; and (4) $3 for the half-dollar coin, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the NASA Family Assistance Fund for the purposes of providing financial assistance to the families of NASA personnel who die as a result of injuries suffered in the performance of their official duties.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Database Act of 2005 or Dru's Law - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) make publicly available in a registry via the Internet, from information contained in the National Sex Offender Registry, specified information about sexually violent predators and persons convicted of a sexually violent offense or a criminal offense against a minor, who are required to register with a minimally sufficient State sexual offender registration program; and (2) allow registry users to identity offenders who are currently residing within a radius of the location indicated by the user. Requires registry information to include the offender's name, address, date of birth, physical description, and photograph, the nature and date of commission of the offense, and the date on which the person is released from prison or placed on parole, supervised release, or probation Requires: (1) any State that provides for a civil commitment proceeding to notify the State attorney general of the impending release of a sexually violent predator or a person has been deemed to be at high-risk for recommitting any sexually violent offense or criminal offense against a minor; (2) the State attorney general to consider instituting a civil commitment proceeding; and (3) each State to intensively monitor, for at least a year, any such person who has been unconditionally released by the State and who has not been civilly committed. Makes a State that fails to implement Act requirements ineligible to receive 25 percent of funds that would otherwise be allocated to it under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
College Fire Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to make competitive demonstration grants to private or public colleges or universities, fraternities, or sororities for up to half the cost of installing fire sprinkler systems, or other fire suppression or prevention technologies, in student housing and dormitories owned or controlled by such entities. Requires grant priority to be given eligible entities that demonstrate the greatest financial need. Reserves the following portions of grant funds made available for each fiscal year: (1) at least ten percent for eligible entities that are historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribally controlled colleges and universities; and (2) at least ten percent for eligible entities that are social fraternities and sororities. Provides that any application for assistance under this Act, any negative determination on the part of the Secretary with respect to such application, or any statement of reasons for the determination, shall not be admissible as evidence in any proceeding of any court, agency, board, or other entity (except a proceeding to enforce an agreement entered into between the Secretary and an eligible entity under this Act).
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
No Financial Aid for Sex Offenders Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit the award of Pell grants and student loans to individuals subject to an involuntary civil commitment upon completion of a period of incarceration for a sexual offense.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Social Security Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal: (1) pension offset provisions applicable to husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and mother's and father's insurance benefits with respect to OASDI payments; and (2) windfall elimination provisions with respect to computation of the primary insurance amount of an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Fallen Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters Flag Memorial Act of 2005 - Authorizes the family of a law enforcement officer or paid or volunteer firefighter who dies in the line of duty to request, and a Member of Congress to provide, a U.S. flag flown over the Capitol in honor of the officer or firefighter.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that, in the case of an electing individual, no gain (up to a specified amount) shall be recognized on the receipt of a capital gain dividend distributed by a regulated investment company if such capital gain dividend is automatically reinvested in additional shares of the company pursuant to a dividend reinvestment plan.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly benefit of $1,000 to certain honorably-discharged veterans of the U.S. Merchant Marine who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946 (or to their survivors). Includes service in the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service. Exempts benefits paid under this Act from taxation. Provides for benefits for World War II Merchant Mariners under title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act - Modifies Federal criminal code provisions regarding trafficking in counterfeit goods or services to prohibit trafficking in counterfeit marks. Directs the court: (1) upon a determination by a preponderance of the evidence that any article in a defendant's possession bears or is a counterfeit mark, to order the forfeiture and destruction of such article, regardless of whether the defendant is convicted of an offense; and (2) in imposing sentence, to order a person convicted of, or who pleads guilty or nolo contendre to, a violation to forfeit any property derived from proceeds of, or used in the commission of, the violation. Modifies the definition of "counterfeit mark" to include a spurious mark that is applied to, or consists of, a label, patch or medallion. Provides that nothing in this Act shall entitle the United States to bring a criminal cause of action for the repackaging, without deception, of genuine goods or services.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act - Amends Federal postal service law to direct the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) (established by this Act) to establish a modern system for regulating rates and classes for market-dominant products (all first-class mail, special services, periodicals, standard mail, media mail, library mail, and bound printed matter). Directs the Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service to establish rates and classes for products in the competitive category of mail (priority mail, expedited mail, mailgrams, international mail, and parcel post). Authorizes the Postal Service to conduct market tests of experimental products. Directs the PRC to establish rules to ensure that workshare discounts (presorting, barcoding, etc.) do not exceed the cost that the Postal Service avoids as the result of private sector workshare activity. Establishes in the Treasury a revolving Postal Service Competitive Products Fund which shall be available to the Postal Service without fiscal year limitation for the payment of: (1) costs attributable to competitive products; and (2) all other costs incurred by the Postal Service, to the extent allocable to competitive products. Requires the Postal Service to: (1) compute its assumed Federal income tax (which would be the taxable income of a corporation) on competitive products income for such year; and (2) transfer from the Competitive Products Fund to the Postal Service Fund the amount of that assumed tax. Prohibits the Postal Service from: (1) establishing anti-competitive rules or regulations; (2) compelling the disclosure, transfer, or licensing of intellectual property to any third party; or (3) obtaining information from a person that provides any product, and then offering any product or service that uses or is based in whole or in part on such information, without the person's consent. Makes the Secretary of State responsible for foreign policy related to international postal services and other international delivery services. Replaces the Postal Rate Commission with the Postal Regulatory Commission. Directs the Postal Service to report to the President, Congress, and: (1) PRC on universal postal service in the United States; and (2) Postal Service Board of Governors on the postal processing and distribution network. Repeals the authority of the Postal Service to impose fines on air carriers transporting mail beyond U.S. borders for unreasonable or unnecessary delays and other delinquencies. Directs the Postal Service to prescribe regulations for the safe transportation of hazardous materials in the mail. Provides civil penalties, plus cleanup costs, for violations. Revises postal pension funding requirements under the Civil Service Retirement System. Establishes the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act or SPY ACT - Makes it unlawful for any person who is not the owner or authorized user (user) of a protected computer (a computer exclusively for the use of a financial institution or the U.S. Government, or a computer used in interstate or foreign commerce or communication) to engage in deceptive acts or practices in connection with specified conduct, including: (1) taking unsolicited control of the computer; (2) modifying computer settings; (3) collecting personally identifiable information; (4) inducing the unsolicited installation of computer software; and (5) removing or disabling a security, anti-spyware, or anti-virus technology. Makes it unlawful for a person to: (1) transmit to a protected computer any information collection program (a program that collects personally identifiable information and uses the information to send advertising), unless such program provides notice required by this Act before execution of any of the program's collection functions; or (2) execute any collection information program installed on a protected computer unless, before execution, the user has consented to such execution under notice requirements of this Act. Provides for enforcement of violations as unfair or deceptive acts or practices. Makes this Act inapplicable with respect to: (1) law enforcement actions; (2) monitoring undertaken for network security; and (3) Good Samaritan actions (actions taken in good faith, and with the user's consent, by a computer software or service provider to remove or disable a program which violates this Act). Directs the Federal Trade Commission to report to Congress regarding the use of computer tracking cookies in the delivery or display of advertising to computer owners and users.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Clean, Learn, Educate, Abolish, Neutralize, and Undermine Production (CLEAN-UP) of Methamphetamines Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to carry out environmental cleanup and remediation programs involving specified lands that are contaminated with hazardous substances associated with illegal methamphetamine manufacture. Directs: (1) the Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate as hazardous certain byproducts of the methamphetamine production process and expand penalties against laboratory operators; (2) the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration to list byproducts likely to cause long-term environmental harm; (3) the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, to provide grants to State and local law enforcement for specified training and equipment acquisition; (4) the EPA Administrator to study the impact of methamphetamine laboratory operation on the environment; and (5) the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study contamination issues. Amends: (1) the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize grants for educational programs; (2) the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to provide treatment; and (3) the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to include among permissible grant projects under the "cops on the beat" program hiring personnel and purchasing equipment. Urges the President to seek commitments from the Canadian Government regarding the availability of pseudoephedrine.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Adoption Information Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require family planning service projects or programs, as a condition of receiving certain grants or contracts, to assure the Secretary of Health and Human Services that they will provide to each person who inquires about their services a pamphlet containing a comprehensive list of adoption centers in their State. Directs the Secretary to prepare, annually update, and distribute such pamphlets to such projects or programs.
![Official portrait of Rep. Gillmor, Paul E. [R-OH-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/g000210_200.jpg)