United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2004
National Park Centennial Act of 2004 - Establishes the National Park Centennial Fund (Fund) in the Treasury. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers to designate overpayments and contributions for the benefit of the National Park System. Allocates such amounts to the Fund (along with necessary amounts from the General Fund to the extent that such amounts are inadequate in any fiscal year) for expenditure by the Secretary of the Interior. Creates within the Fund the National Park Backlog Elimination Fund, the Natural Resource Challenge Fund, and the Cultural Resource Challenge Fund. Authorizes appropriations for a public awareness campaign about the Fund and the ability of taxpayers to make tax-related contributions. Requires a specified percentage of Fund deposits to be used: (1) for the elimination of the backlog of unmet needs in the national parks as identified in the Facility Condition Index of the National Park Service (NPS); (2) to protect natural resources within the parks; and (3) to protect cultural resources within the parks. Requires a majority of such percentages to be distributed to those national parks that have completed comprehensive business plans under the Business Plan Initiative of the NPS. Directs the Government Accountability Office annually to submit a report on the National Park System to specified congressional committees. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide grants to elementary and secondary schools for cooperative agreements with the NPS providing distance learning and onsite education programs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Act to Save America's Forests - Amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 to revise eligibility criteria for members of the land and resource management scientific committee. Revises the committee termination date. Directs the Chief of the Forest Service, the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Director of the Bureau of Land Management to each prepare a continuous inventory of forest land administered by each agency head and to document whole-system measures that will be taken as a result of the inventory. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to provide for conservation and restoration of native biodiversity in forested areas. Prohibits clearcutting or other even-age logging operations on any stand or watershed on certain Federal land, National Forest System land, and National Wildlife Refuge System land. Provides for Federal enforcement and a private right of action. Designates special areas which shall be subject to restrictions on road construction and logging in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas,Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Requires the Secretaries concerned to appoint a committee of independent scientists to recommend additional special areas. Restricts road construction and logging on Federal land in ancient forests, special areas, roadless areas, and watershed protection areas. Provides for Federal enforcement and a private right of action. States that this Act shall not apply to Federal wilderness areas designated under the Wilderness Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Pension Fairness Act of 2004 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to limit the availability of benefits for corporate directors and executives under an employer's nonqualified deferred compensation plans in the event that any of such employer's defined pension plans are subjected to a distress termination, or to a termination where the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) takes over plan liabilities, in connection with bankruptcy reorganization or a conversion to a cash balance plan. Sets forth a termination fairness standard for nonqualified deferred compensation plans in cases where the corporation which is plan sponsor of a defined benefit plan adopts a plan amendment which: (1) terminates an underfunded workers' pension plan; or (2) converts a workers' pension plan into a cash balance plan that cuts benefits for workers with ten or more years of service under the plan, or takes away their choice to stay in their original plan. Disqualifies any director or executive officer of the corporation, for a five-year period after adoption of such an amendment, from: (1) accruing any amount under a nonqualified deferred compensation plan; and (2) receiving any distribution of accrued deferred compensation, if a nonqualified deferred compensation plan or amendment is established or adopted during or after the one-year period preceding the notice date of the defined benefit plan termination or conversion.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Crosby-Puller Combat Wounds Compensation Act - Continues hazardous duty pay, aviation career incentive pay, career enlisted flier incentive pay, hardship duty pay, imminent danger pay, the travel or transportation per diem for duty outside the United States or in Hawaii or Alaska, and the family separation allowance for members of the Armed Forces who are wounded or injured in combat zones and removed from the area for treatment until such time as the member: (1) is found physically fit to perform the duties of the member's office, grade, rank, or rating; (2) is discharged or separated; or (3) dies. Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the time limitation on the income tax exclusion for combat zone compensation resulting from hospitalization due to wounds, disease, or injury incurred in such combat zone.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004
Providing Reliable Officers, Technology, Education, Community Prosecutors, and Training In Our Neighborhoods Act of 2004 or PROTECTION Act - Modifies provisions of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 regarding public safety and community policing ("cops on the beat" program, COPS) to authorize the Attorney General to use COPS grants to: (1) increase prosecutor presence and to enhance law enforcement access to new technologies; (2) pay overtime to existing career law enforcement officers for community policing; and (3) promote higher education among in-service State and local law enforcement officers by reimbursing them for certain educational costs. Includes among permitted additional grant projects: (1) specialized integrity and ethics training; and (2) innovative proactive crime control and prevention programs involving school officials and religiously-affiliated organizations. Authorizes the Attorney General to use up to five percent of appropriated funds for technical assistance and training to States, local governments, Indian tribal governments, and other entities. Repeals provisions of the Act regarding termination of grants for hiring officers. Allows grants to be used to assist: (1) police departments in employing specified professional, scientific, and technological advancements; (2) State, local, or tribal prosecutors' offices in implementation of community-based prosecution programs that build on local community policing efforts; and (3) in paying overtime to existing career law enforcement officers. Reserves specified funds for local governmental units with a population of less than 50,000. Authorizes the Attorney General to use no more than 50 percent of grant renewal funds to award grants targeted for police officer retention.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004
Amends rule X (Organization of Committees) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to establish the House Committees on Homeland Security and on Intelligence. Grants jurisdiction to the House Committee on Homeland Security over matters regarding the Department of Homeland Security and homeland security, generally. Grants exclusive jurisdiction to the House Committee on Intelligence over: (1) the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Director of Central Intelligence, and the National Foreign Intelligence Program (NFIP); (2) intelligence and intelligence-related activities of all other Federal departments and agencies, including the tactical intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the Department of Defense (DOD); (3) the organization or reorganization of a Federal department or agency to the extent relating to a function or activity involving intelligence or intelligence-related activities; and (4) authorizations for appropriations, both direct and indirect, as well as appropriations, for the CIA and such other staff, programs, and activities. Specifies the composition of the Committee on Intelligence.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2004
National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004 - Establishes as an independent executive entity the National Intelligence Authority (Authority), headed by a National Intelligence Director (Director), to, among other things: (1) unify and strengthen efforts of the intelligence community (IC); (2) operate the National Counterterrorism Center and national intelligence centers; and (3) establish clear responsibility and accountability for counterterrorism and other intelligence matters relating to U.S. national security. Requires the Director to: (1) serve as the head of the IC; (2) advise the President on intelligence related to national security; and (3) direct and oversee the National Intelligence Program (formerly the National Foreign Intelligence Program). Authorizes the Director to establish and train a National Intelligence Reserve Corps for the temporary reemployment of former IC employees during periods of emergency. Establishes in the Treasury the Reserve for Contingencies of the National Intelligence Director. Establishes a National Intelligence Council (Council) to produce national intelligence estimates for the U.S. Government and evaluate the collection and production of intelligence by the IC. Establishes a National Counterterrorism Center to, among other things: (1) unify strategy for U.S. civilian and military counterterrorism efforts; and (2) integrate counterterrorism intelligence and operations across agency boundaries, both inside and outside the United States. Authorizes the Director to establish within the Authority one or more national intelligence centers to address intelligence priorities established by the Council. Requires the Director to establish the Intelligence Community Scholarship Program to award scholarships designed to recruit and prepare students for civilian careers in the IC. Requires the President to publicly disclose certain intelligence funding information for fiscal years after 2005. Merges the Homeland Security Council into the Council. Establishes a Joint Intelligence Community Council to assist the Director in developing and implementing a joint, unified national intelligence effort to protect national security. Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to develop and maintain within the FBI a national security workforce of agents, analysts, linguists, and surveillance specialists. Federal Bureau of Investigation Intelligence Career Service Authorization Act of 2005 - Authorizes the FBI Director to establish an FBI Intelligence Career Service for FBI intelligence analysts. Directs the President to establish an information sharing network to promote the sharing of intelligence and homeland security information among all relevant Federal departments and agencies, State, tribal, and local authorities, and private sector entities. Establishes an Executive Council on Information Sharing. Establishes within the Executive Office of the President a Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. Requires the congressional intelligence committees to be provided all intelligence estimates and assessments other than those prepared exclusively for the President.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004
Cancer Care Preservation Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to allow the average sales price system to go into effect but also to ensure that Medicare payments for cancer drugs do not go below 95 percent of 2004 levels in 2005, and 95 percent of 2005 levels in 2006. Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 with respect to the transitional adjustment in practice expense relative value units in the physician fee schedule for drug administration services. Extends application of the transition adjustment through December 31, 2006. Increases from three percent to 27 percent during 2005 the applicable percentage of the fee schedule amount that shall be paid to a physician from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund. Reduces this applicable percentage during 2006 to 22 percent. (Current law reduces the 32 percent transitional payment for practice expenses in 2004 to 3 percent in 2005 and 0 percent in 2006.)
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2004
Amends the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 to extend the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States (currently terminated as of August 21, 2004) until the earlier of: (1) the date on which the Commission chairman and vice chairman determine that the Commission has done all it can to assist Congress with respect to the recommendations contained in its final report; or (2) July 24, 2007. Adds as Commission functions: (1) serving as a resource to the President and Congress with respect to the findings and recommendations contained in its final report and monitoring the progress of the President and Congress in implementing such recommendations; and (2) investigating and issuing a supplemental improvements made, and still required, in Federal, State, and local emergency communication and coordination. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2004
Emergency Loan Abuse Prevention Act of 2004 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reduce certain special allowance payments to holders of student loans. Appropriates, for each fiscal year after enactment of this Act, an additional amount to increase the maximum Pell grant for that fiscal year. Makes such amount equal to the amount by which expenditures for such special allowances are reduced by this Act for that fiscal year, as determined by the Congressional Budget Office.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2004
Airport Noise Curfew Act of 2004 - Establishes the Airport Noise Curfew Commission to study and make recommendations to Congress regarding the establishment of curfews on nonmilitary aircraft operations over populated areas of the United States during normal sleeping hours.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2004
Neighborhood Security Act - Reinstates for ten years repealed criminal provisions regarding assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices (the assault weapons ban).
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004
9/11 Commission Report Implementation Act of 2004 - National Intelligence Authority Act of 2004 - Establishes as an independent executive entity the National Intelligence Authority (Authority), headed by a National Intelligence Director (Director), to, among other things: (1) unify and strengthen efforts of the intelligence community (IC); (2) operate the National Counterterrorism Center and national intelligence centers; and (3) establish clear responsibility and accountability for counterterrorism and other intelligence matters relating to U.S. national security. Requires the Director to: (1) serve as the head of the IC; (2) advise the President on intelligence related to national security; and (3) direct, manage, and oversee the execution of the National Intelligence Program (formerly the National Foreign Intelligence Program). Establishes a National Intelligence Council (Council) to produce national intelligence estimates for the U.S. Government and evaluate the collection and production of intelligence by the IC. Establishes a National Counterterrorism Center (Center) to: (1) unify strategy for U.S. civilian and military counterterrorism efforts; and (2) integrate counterterrorism intelligence and operations across agency boundaries, both inside and outside the United States. Requires the President to publicly disclose certain intelligence funding information for fiscal years after 2005. Merges the Homeland Security Council into the Council. Maintains within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) the direction and execution of clandestine and covert operations. Makes the Secretary of Defense responsible for directing and executing paramilitary operations, whether clandestine or covert. Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to develop and maintain within the FBI a national security workforce of agents, analysts, linguists, and surveillance specialists. Directs the President to: (1) establish an information sharing network to promote the sharing of terrorism information among all relevant Federal departments and agencies, State, tribal, and local authorities, and private sector entities in a manner consistent with national security and the protection of privacy and civil liberties; and (2) submit to Congress a network system design and implementation plan. Establishes an Advisory Council on Information Sharing. Prohibits the 108th Congress from adjourning until jurisdiction over proposed legislation and other matters relating to: (1) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is consolidated into a single committee in each House with a nonpartisan staff; and (2) intelligence resides in a joint committee or a committee with combined authorization and appropriations authority, with a subcommittee devoted solely to oversight. Requires the President-elect to be provided detailed, classified summaries by relevant outgoing executive officials of specific operational threats to national security, major military or covert operations, and pending decisions on possible use of military force. Outlines procedures for the President-elect to designate, the FBI to investigate, and the Senate to expeditiously consider nominees for high-level national security positions. Requires specified reports from the President to Congress concerning, among other things: (1) terrorist sanctuaries; (2) efforts to support Pakistan; (3) aid to Afghanistan; (4) the U.S.-Saudi Arabia relationship; (5) a strategy to help win the struggle of ideas within the Islamic world; (6) proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and (7) efforts to curtail the international financing of terrorism. Provides, through specified activities of the Secretary of State, for the expansion of international educational and cultural exchange programs between the United States and countries with sizable Muslim populations. Directs the President to establish an International Youth Opportunity Fund to provide financial assistance for the improvement of public education in the Middle East. Authorizes the President to establish an international counterterrorism policy contact group with leaders of governments of other countries to develop a comprehensive coalition strategy to fight Islamist terrorism. States U.S. policy concerning the humane treatment of prisoners. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to submit to Congress a: (1) strategy for combining terrorist travel intelligence, operations, and law enforcement into a cohesive effort to intercept terrorists, find terrorist travel facilitators, and constrain terrorist mobility domestically and internationally; and (2) plan describing how DHS and the State Department can acquire and deploy, to all consulates, ports of entry, and immigration benefits offices, technologies that facilitate document authentication and the detection of potential terrorist indicators on travel documents. Directs the Secretary to develop plans: (1) for a comprehensive integrated screening system; (2) to accelerate the full implementation of an automated biometric entry and exit data system for preventing the entry of terrorists; (3) to expedite the processing of registered travelers who enter and exit the United States through a single registered traveler program; and (4) to require biometric passports and other secure identification for all travel into the United States by U.S. citizens and individuals for whom immigration and nationality documentation requirements have previously been waived. Directs the Secretary to develop, implement, and revise as necessary a National Strategy for Transportation Security for the protection from terrorist or other hostile acts of all transportation infrastructure assets. Directs the Secretary to allocate homeland security assistance grants to communities based on threat levels, presence of critical infrastructure, population density, and other criteria. Calls for adoption by all appropriate entities of the Incident Command System (a national, coordinated emergency response system developed by the National Incident Management System). Authorizes specified officials of the National Capital Region to enter into, provide, or request from other Region entities mutual aid assistance for emergency services related to a terrorist or other hostile act. Directs the Secretary to: (1) encourage and support the establishment of consistent and effective communications capabilities in high risk urban areas; (2) establish a program to promote private sector preparedness; (3) undertake certain critical infrastructure readiness assessments; and (4) regularly assess the adequacy of the United States Northern Command to respond to all military and paramilitary threats within the United States. Establishes within the Executive Office of the President a Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004
Comprehensive Peace in Sudan Act - Expresses the sense of Congress regarding: (1) the relevance of the Sudan Peace Act and its extension to the Darfur region of Sudan; (2) the genocide unfolding in Darfur and the Government of Sudan's violation of the Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; and (3) actions to address the conflict in Sudan. Requires an annual report on the identities of entities doing business in Sudan. Prohibits an entity doing business in Sudan from raising capital or trading its securities in the United States. Provides for: (1) sanctions in support of peace in Darfur; and (2) actions to secure multilateral efforts against the Government of Sudan. Amends the Sudan Peace Act to authorize the President to assist Sudan to support the implementation of a comprehensive peace agreement that applies to all regions of Sudan, including the Darfur region, and to address the humanitarian and human rights crisis in the Darfur region and its impact on eastern Chad, contingent upon a continuing certification to the appropriate congressional committees that the Government of Sudan is taking specified actions. States that certain export prohibitions shall not apply to any export or related transaction from an area in Sudan outside of the Government of Sudan's control if the President determines that the export or related transaction would directly benefit the economic development of that area and its people.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004
Disabled Veterans Transition Assistance Act of 2004 - Requires the Secretary of Defense to carry out a program to provide a support system for members of the Armed Forces who incur severe disabilities on or after September 11, 2001, including a system of advocacy and follow-up to assist those members to transition from military service to the civilian community. Requires the Secretary to designate an executive agent to carry out the program throughout the Department of Defense and, in cooperation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, for members of the Coast Guard with severe disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004
Increases the death gratuity payable with respect to members of the Armed Forces from $12,000 to $50,000. Makes this increase applicable to deaths occurring on or after September 11, 2001. Requires the Secretary of Defense to derive funds for payments under this Act in FY 2005 from travel funds for personnel of the Office of the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2004
9/11 Commission Recommendations Implementation Act of 2004 - Establishes a National Intelligence Director to manage the National Intelligence Program. Empowers the Secretary of Defense with lead responsibility for directing and executing paramilitary operations, whether clandestine or covert. Establishes a National Counterterrorism Center for strategic analysis concerning transnational terrorist organizations with global reach. Requires the President to direct the head of each appropriate Federal department or agency to identify and prioritize actual or potential terrorist sanctuaries throughout the world. Requires a national strategy to destabilize identified sanctuaries. Authorizes the President to support the Government of: (1) Pakistan in its efforts against extremists; and (2) Afghanistan to extend its authority over such country. Directs the Secretary of State to establish programs to promote greater familiarity with American society and values among the general public and select audiences in Muslim countries. Directs the President to: (1) strengthen counterproliferation efforts against weapons of mass destruction; and (2) track the financing of terrorist organizations and prevent money laundering for their benefit. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) integrate U.S. border screening systems with Federal security sites within the U.S. transportation system and sites containing vital national facilities; (2) complete a biometric entry and exit screening system for persons entering and departing the United States; (3) develop a plan for the allocation of limited transportation security resources; and (4) improve aviation screening. Requires: (1) the sharing of information for purposes of protecting the national security; (2) the establishment of a board to oversee Federal adherence to civil liberties; (3) that all U.S. emergency response agencies adopt the Incident Command System and unified command procedures; (4) the promotion of private sector emergency preparedness; (5) both Houses of Congress to pass separate intelligence appropriations bills; (6) a specialized and integrated national security workforce at the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and (7) regular adequacy assessments of the strategies and planning of the United States Northern Command to defend the United States against military threats.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2004
States that the House of Representatives: (1) deplores the series of terrorist attacks against the Russian Federation that occurred in August and September 2004; (2) expresses its condolences to the families of the victims and conveys its hope for the recovery of the injured; and (3) stands in solidarity with the Russian people in efforts to combat terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Prescription Plan Preservation Act of 2004 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to condition the payment of Medicare employer prescription drug subsidies on the maintence of current prescription drug benefits. Requires the actuarial value of prescription drug coverage to be at least equal to the greater of actuarial value of: (1) standard prescription drug coverage (as under current law); or (2) the employment-based retiree health coverage in effect as of December 8, 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Stealth Lobbyist Disclosure Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat as a tax-exempt political organization for purposes of the disclosure and other requirements applicable to such organizations (with certain modifications) any coalition or association that is identified as a client on any registration filed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 and that is not a political organization. Requires any such coalition or association to notify the Secretary of the Treasury of: (1) its existence within 72 hours after one of its lobbyists makes an initial contact; and (2) any change in membership within 72 hours. Requires such notice to include a general description of the business or activities of each member of the coalition or association and the amount reasonably expected to be contributed by each member toward coalition or association activities of influencing legislation. Imposes a penalty tax for failure to give required notices. Exempts from the disclosure requirements imposed by this Act: (1) public charities and other tax-exempt organizations which have substantial exempt activities other than lobbying; and (2) members of a coalition or association who contribute less than $2,000 per year for lobbying activities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Nursing Home Fire Safety Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require automatic fire sprinkler systems in all Medicare and Medicaid funded nursing facilities and provide for reimbursement of the additional costs incurred with respect to installing such systems.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Stealth Lobbyist Disclosure Act of 2004 - Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to redefine the term "client" with respect to coalitions and associations on whose behalf a lobbyist must file a registration. Provides that, in the case of a coalition or association that employs or retains other persons to conduct lobbying activities, each of the individual members of the coalition or association, and not the coalition or association itself as under current law, is the client for whom a registration must be filed. Makes an exception for certain tax-exempt associations and for certain members of a coalition or association if the amount reasonably expected to be contributed by such member toward specific legislation-influencing activities of the coalition or association is less than $1,000 per any semiannual period.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
E-mail Privacy Act of 2004 - Amends Federal criminal code provisions concerning interception of electronic communications to modify the definition of "intercept" to include the acquisition of the contents of the communication through the use of any electronic, mechanical, or other device, at any point between the point of origin and the point when it is made available to the recipient. Limits the service provider exception to the prohibition on unlawful access to stored communications to access to the extent necessary incident to the rendition of the service, the protection of the rights or property of the service provider, or compliance with provisions regarding disclosure of customer communications or records.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Social Security COLA Protection Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to limit increases in the monthly Medicare premium, including the Medicare Advantage prescription drug program premium, to 25 percent of any Social Security cost of living increase.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Protecting Railroad Operators, Travelers, Employees, and Communities with Transportation Security Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to complete a vulnerability assessment of railroad transportation that includes identification of vulnerabilities specific to the transportation of hazardous materials by railroads and of security weaknesses in passenger and cargo security. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop prioritized recommendations for improving rail security. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the rail passenger transportation security programs carried out for rail transportation systems in Japan, member nations of the European Union, and other foreign countries. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants to railroad carriers, nonprofit employee organizations that represent railroad workers or emergency responders, hazardous materials shippers, owners of rail cars used in the transportation of hazardous materials, universities, colleges, and research centers, and State and local governments for reimbursement of costs incurred to prevent or respond to acts of terrorism, sabotage, or other railroad security threats. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants to Amtrak for: (1) fire and life-safety improvements to the tunnels on the Northeast Corridor in New York, New York, Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.; and (2) certain systemwide Amtrak security upgrades. Establishes a research and development (R&D) program to improve railroad security. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop and issue detailed guidance for a rail worker security training program to prepare front-line workers for potential threat conditions. Sets forth certain railroad employee whistleblower protection requirements. Amends Federal transportation law to require the Secretary of Transportation to develop and update a curriculum necessary to train public sector emergency response and preparedness teams, including standards for the training of persons responsible for responding to emergency situations during the removal and transportation of hazardous materials and high hazard materials. Prohibits a rail tank car containing hazardous materials from being transported or stored on rail tracks unless information identifying the tank car, the hazardous materials within such tank car, and response guidance is immediately available through Operation Respond Institute's technology or similar technology to local first responders in each location where the tank car may be located.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Children's Health Protection and Improvement Act of 2004 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise the extended availability through FY 2004 of SCHIP allotments for FY 1998 through 2001. Specifies formulae for amounts to be used in computing redistributions for FY 2003, 2003, and 2004. Provides for reallocation of 70 percent of the expiring FY 1998, 1999, and 2000 funds to States that have fully expended their annual allotments. Extends the availability of the remaining 30 percent of such expiring funds with the States that currently have them. Permits 50 percent of the total amount of a State's unexpended FY 2002 SCHIP allotments to remain available through FY 2006. Permits 50 percent of the total amount of a State's unexpended FY 2003 and 2004 SCHIP allotments to remain available through the end of FY 2007. Requires redistribution of the other 50 percent of such funds to States that have fully spent their allotments during the three-year period they were available. Requires a second redistribution according to the same 70-30 formula of any retained or redistributed funds still unexpended at the end of the two-year extention or redistribution. Provides for continued authority for qualifying States to use certain funds for Medicaid expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2004
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 · 19 July 2004
Women's Business Sustainability Extension Act of 2004 - Amends the Small Business Act (SBA) to set forth FY 2004 funding priorities for the women's business center program. Authorizes the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to reallocate unused sustainability grant funds as supplemental grants to women's business centers. Authorizes the Administrator to access and use client contact information of women's business centers solely to conduct internal program evaluations and financial and programmatic audits. Requires women's business centers to notify each client of such access and use. Requires the Administrator to include program evaluation findings in annual reports to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2004
Smuggled Tobacco Prevention Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require all packages of tobacco products to carry a unique legibly printed serial number by which the Secretary of the Treasury can identify the manufacturer or importer and the location and date of manufacture or importation. Requires tobacco products sold on Indian reservations to be labeled as such. Requires a person to post a bond with the Secretary in order to export tobacco products. Requires a tobacco wholesaler to have a permit and to maintain certain records. Requires export warehouse proprietors to file certain reports with the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into certain tobacco related information exchange agreements with foreign countries. Establishes new criminal offenses relating to the distribution of tobacco products. Raises the $1,000 civil penalty for violations relating to tobacco products to $10,000. Amends the Contraband Cigarette Trafficking Act to: (1) expand the applicability of such Act from cigarettes only to tobacco products (cigars, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, pipe tobacco, and roll-your-own tobacco); (2) define a "contraband tobacco product" as a quantity of tobacco product that is equivalent to or more than 2,000 cigarettes (currently, 60,000) which bear no evidence of the payment of applicable State tobacco taxes and that is possessed illegally; and (3) establish new unlawful acts. Allows a State tobacco tax authority to bring a civil action in U.S. district court for the collection of State cigarette taxes. Prohibits retaliation against employees (whistleblowers) who provide information in contraband tobacco cases. Provides for administrative and judicial remedies for such whistleblowers.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2004
No Child Left Behind Appropriations Support Act of 2004 - Makes a supplemental appropriation for the Department of Education for FY 2004 to carry out this Act. Directs the Secretary of Education to make payments in additional amounts to each local education agency (LEA) that receives a lesser amount of funds for FY 2004 than it received for FY 2003 under subpart 2 (Allocations) of part A (Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies) of title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Requires such payments to equal the difference between the amount the LEA would otherwise receive for FY 2004 and the amount the LEA received in FY 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2004
Congratulates The Pennsylvania State University for 150 years of service to the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Nation and commends Pennsylvania's designation of the University as the land-grant institution of Pennsylvania.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2004
States that Congress: (1) reiterates its strongest condemnation of the 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina; (2) honors the victims of this heinous act and expresses its sympathy to the victims' relatives; (3) underscores U.S. concern regarding the case's continuing delay; (4) urges the Government of Argentina to continue to provide the resources necessary for its judicial system and intelligence agencies to investigate all areas of the AMIA case; (5) calls upon the international community to cooperate with the AMIA investigation; (6) encourages the President to direct U.S. law enforcement agencies to cooperate with the Government of Argentina to expand the investigation into this bombing and suspected terrorist support activities in the Tri-Border area of Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil; (7) encourages the President to direct the U.S. Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) to seek OAS support for the creation of a special task force of the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism to assist in the AMIA investigation, and urge OAS member countries to designate Hizballah as a terrorist organization; (8) stresses the need for international pressure on Iran and Syria to extradite for trial individuals and government officials accused of planning or perpetrating the AMIA attack; and (9) desires a relationship between the United States and Argentina which is built in part on mutual abhorrence of terrorism and commitments to peace, stability, and democracy in the Western Hemisphere.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2004
Jobs for America Act of 2004 - Amends the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act to provide protections for employees relating to the offshoring of jobs. Revises the definition of mass layoff to mean a reduction in force which is not the result of a plant closing and results in an employment loss at the single site of employment for a 30-day period for at least 50 employees. Defines offshoring of jobs as any action taken by an employer the effect of which is to create, shift, or transfer work or facilities outside the United States and which results in an employment loss during any 30 day period for 15 or more employees. Sets forth requirements for notices for offshoring of jobs. Establishes requirements for posting of notice of rights by employers and for contents of annual reports by the Secretary of Labor. Revises provisions relating to: (1) determinations with respect to employment loss; and (2) civil actions against employers.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2004
Directs the Secretary of State to transmit to the House of Representatives all documents in the possession of the Secretary, except those documents that have been found by a court to be protected by Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e), relating to the treatment of prisoners or detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Guantanamo Bay and any requisite instructions for handling such documents.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2004
Directs the Attorney General to transmit to the House of Representatives all documents in the possession of the Attorney General, except those documents that have been found by a court to be protected by Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e) in a proceeding in which the Attorney General or the Department of Justice is a party, relating to the treatment of prisoners or detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Guantanamo Bay and any requisite instructions for handling such documents.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2004
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells if: (1) the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics for the purpose of fertility treatment and were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment; (2) the embryos will never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and (3) such individuals donate the embryos with written informed consent and receive no financial or other inducements.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2004
Fisheries Management Reform Act of 2004 - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (currently, the Secretary of Commerce) to appoint members to the Regional Fishery Management Councils who, by reason of their occupational or other experience, are knowledgeable regarding the conservation and management, or the commercial or recreational harvest, of fishery resources. Revises requirements for the composition of such councils and the qualifications of voting Council members. Sets forth certain requirements with respect to: (1) training of appointed Council members; and (2) disclosure of financial interest and recusal of Council members. Directs the Secretary to establish regional science and technical teams to make recommendations on certain matters, on the basis of which the Secretary shall provide Councils conservation and management measures for incorporation into fishery management plans that establish: (1) catch and bycatch limits; (2) specific habitat and area protections to protect essential fish habitats; and (3) specific requirements necessary to protect endangered species.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2004
States that Congress: (1) declares that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur, Sudan, are genocide; (2) reminds the international community, including the U.S. Government, of their international legal obligations, as affirmed in the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; (3) calls on the Bush Administration to lead an international effort to prevent genocide in Darfur; (4) urges the Bush Administration to consider multilateral or even unilateral intervention to prevent genocide should the United Nations Security Council fail to act; (5) demands that the Bush Administration impose targeted sanctions, including visa bans and the freezing of assets of the National Congress and affiliated business and individuals directly responsible for the atrocities in Darfur; and (6) calls on the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish a Darfur Resettlement, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2004
Amends the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 to repeal the FY 2004 funding limitation for the "threshold program" which assists a candidate low-income country to become eligible to enter into an economic development Millennium Challenge Compact with the United States. (Matches "threshold program" duration with the Compact program.)
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2004
Patriotic Employers of Guard and Reservists Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a business tax credit for 50 percent of the lesser of: (1) actual compensation paid to each Ready Reserve-National Guard employee while on active duty; or (2) $30,000. Allows employers a refundable credit against payroll taxes for wages paid to employees who are first responders (i.e., law enforcement officials, firefighters, paramedics, and Ready Reserve-National Guard employees). Allows employers a tax credit for 50 percent of the lesser of: (1) the wages paid to each employee hired to replace a Ready Reserve-National Guard employee or self-employed Reservist while on active duty; or (2) $12,000. Increases the amount of the credit for certain U.S. manufacturers. Disqualifies an employer for the tax credit if the employer has failed to comply with employment or reemployment rights of military personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2004
Requests that the President, and directs the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and Attorney General (AG) to transmit to the House of Representatives all documents in their possession (as more specifically identified in this Resolution) relating to the treatment of prisoners or detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Guantanamo Bay and any instructions for handling such documents, with the exception of those documents in the AG's possession that are protected by Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e) in proceedings in which the AG or the Department of Justice are parties.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2004
States that: (1) Congress reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act as the cornerstone of United States-Taiwan relations; (2) the military modernization and weapons procurement program of the People's Republic of China (PRC) is a matter of grave concern, particularly the missile deployment directed toward Taiwan; (3) the President should direct U.S. officials to raise these military concerns with PRC officials; (4) the President and Congress should determine whether the escalating arms buildup, including deployment of offensive weaponry and missiles in areas adjacent to the Taiwan Strait, requires that additional defense articles and services be made available to Taiwan, and the United States should encourage Taiwan to devote sufficient financial resources to its defense; (5) as recommended by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, the Department of Defense should provide the appropriate congressional committees with a comprehensive report on Russian military sales to the PRC; (6) the President should encourage further dialogue between Taiwan and the PRC; and (7) the United States should not discourage Taiwan officials from visiting the United States on the basis that doing so would violate the "one China policy."
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2004
Patient Bill of Rights Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code to apply patient protection and quality care standards to group health plans and issuers of health insurance coverage. Applies such standards also to Federal health insurance programs. Requires such plans and issuers to have approved utilization review programs, claims procedures, and appeal procedures concerning claims denials. Requires patient access to health plan information and to care, including: (1) a consumer choice option and choice of health care professional; (2) emergency care; (3) timely access to specialists; (4) obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics; (5) care continuity; (6) prescription drugs; (7) participation in clinical trials; and (8) breast cancer treatment hospital stays and consultations. Restricts interference by a plan or insurer with the doctor-patient relationship. Prohibits discrimination against a licensed health care professional with respect to participation or indemnification. Sets forth requirements relating to payment of claims and protection of patient advocacy. Provides a tax credit for the health insurance expenses of small businesses. Treats qualified health benefit purchasing distributions by private foundations as distributions for a charitable purpose. Establishes demonstration grants programs to: (1) increase access to health insurance through alternative means; and (2) provide health insurance information to small employers.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2004
Ronald Reagan Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to make Alzheimer's disease research a priority within the National Institute on Aging. Requires the Director of the Institute to: (1) undertake an Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Initiative to accelerate the discovery of new risk and protective factors, to rapidly identify therapies and preventive interventions, and to implement effective prevention and treatment strategies; (2) conduct and support cooperative clinical research regarding Alzheimer's; and (3) conduct research concerning early detection and diagnosis, the relationship between Alzheimer's and vascular disease, and interventions designed to help caregivers. Authorizes the Director to establish a National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center to facilitate collaboration among Alzheimer's Disease Centers and Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to educate the public and public health community regarding Alzheimer's disease. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants or cooperative agreements to develop coordinated respite care programs on a statewide basis. Defines "respite care" to mean planned or emergency care provided to a child or adult with a special need in order to provide temporary relief to the family caregiver of such child or adult. Directs the Secretary to award a grant or cooperative agreement to a public or private nonprofit entity to establish a National Resource Center on Lifespan Respite Care. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a nonrefundable tax credit for each individual certified as having long-term care needs and for whom the taxpayer is acting as a caregiver; (2) a tax deduction for long-term care premiums paid under a qualified insurance contract; and (3) qualified long-term care insurance to be offered in a cafeteria plan and flexible spending arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2004
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to repeal the reduction in Medicare payment for certain items of durable medical equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2004
Rail Transit Security and Safety Act of 2004 - Directs the Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security (Under Secretary) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to complete a vulnerability assessment of freight and passenger rail transportation for identification of: (1) critical assets and infrastructures and threats to them; (2) vulnerabilities specific to the transportation of hazardous materials via railroad; and (3) security weaknesses in passenger and cargo security, transportation infrastructure, protection systems, procedural policies, communications systems, employee training, emergency response planning, and any other area identified by the assessment. Requires the Under Secretary, based on the assessment, to develop specific prioritized recommendations for improving rail security. Directs the Under Secretary to establish the position of Federal Rail Security Manager within each of at least eight regional areas to: (1) serve as regional coordinator of the Under Secretary's response to terrorist incidents and threats to rail assets; and (2) coordinate efforts related to rail security with State and local law enforcement. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the rail passenger transportation security programs in Japan, member nations of the European Union (EU), and other foreign countries in order to identify effective rail transportation security measures. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants to Amtrak for certain fire and life-safety improvements and infrastructure upgrades to tunnels on the Northeast Corridor. Directs the DHS Secretary to award grants directly to public transportation agencies for allowable capital and operational security improvements. Establishes a research and development (R&D) program to improve freight and intercity passenger rail security. Directs the Under Secretary to award grants to public or private entities to conduct research into, and demonstration of, technologies to reduce and deter terrorists threats or mitigate damages resulting from terrorist attacks against public transportation systems. Sets forth certain whistleblower protections for rail employees or other persons who have provided information or otherwise assisted in any investigation regarding certain conduct, or who have refused to violate or assist in the violation of any regulation related to public transportation security.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2004
Montgomery GI Bill Second Chance Act of 2004 - Authorizes certain members of the Armed Forces to make an irrevocable election during October of any year beginning in 2004 to become entitled to basic educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill. Requires a reduction in basic pay of those members electing such educational assistance or, if the member is discharged or released from active duty prior to such reduction, the collection of specified amounts from the member or an equivalent reduction in retired or retainer pay. States that members who are enrolled in the post-Vietnam era veterans' educational assistance program shall be disenrolled from that program upon electing the educational assistance described in this Act. Requires the Secretary concerned, in conjunction with the Secretary of Defense, to provide notice of the opportunity created by this Act to elect educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2004
Authorizes the Government of Ukraine to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the victims of the Ukrainian famine-genocide of 1932-1933. Prohibits the U.S. Government from paying any expense for the establishment of the memorial or its maintenance.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2004
Military Reserve Mobilization Income Security Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow members of the National Guard or the Ready Reserve who have been activated for military duty a refundable income tax credit for the lesser of: (1) the excess of such reservist's daily civilian compensation over the reservist's daily military pay while on active duty or full-time National Guard duty; or (2) $54.80 per day. Includes the amount of such credit in the reservist's gross income.
![Official portrait of Rep. Hoeffel, Joseph M. [D-PA-13]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h001031_200.jpg)