United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
International Studies in Higher Education Act of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise requirements and reauthorize appropriations for title VI International Education Programs, including: (1) international and foreign language studies; (2) business and international education programs; and (3) the Institute for International Public Policy. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to use up to one percent of title VI funds for evaluation, outreach, and dissemination. Establishes an independent International Higher Education Advisory Board to advise Congress and the Secretary on title VI programs in relation to national needs with respect to homeland security, international education, international affairs, and foreign language training. Sets forth requirements relating to: (1) U.S. Government agency recruiter access to students and student recruiting information; (2) safety in programs of student travel and study abroad; and (3) a national study of foreign language heritage communities.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act of 2005 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health Administration for FY 2007 130 percent of the amount obligated during FY 2005. Adjusts the amount provided for fiscal years after FY 2007 based on the number of enrolled veterans and the number of other persons eligible but not enrolled who are provided care, multiplied by the per capital baseline amount for FY 2005, as increased by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index. Prohibits the availability of such funds for: (1) construction, acquisition, or alteration of veterans' medical facilities (other than for repairs provided for before the date of enactment of this Act); or (2) grants for the construction of State home facilities for the furnishing of veterans' domiciliary, nursing home, and hospital care.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Graduation for All Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to establish a program that will provide grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish reading and writing programs to improve overall reading and writing performance among middle and high school students. Limits eligibility for subgrants to LEAs in a State that are among those that have the lowest graduation rates for public secondary school students. Includes among required uses of LEA subgrant funds: (1) hiring and inservice training of literacy coaches; (2) counseling for at-risk students; and (3) professional development for educators that addresses literacy needs of certain student groups. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include public secondary school graduation rates for all students under requirements for: (1) accountability for adequate yearly progress; and (2) annual State report cards. Amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act to require annual reports on the number participants who are 16, 17, or 18 years of age in certain programs and services, disaggregated by certain attributes.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services: (1) to develop and implement a National Arthritis Action Plan; and (2) acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct, support, and promote the coordination of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases research. Requires the Secretary to award grants to: (1) support arthritis-specific research projects at the Centers for Prevention Research by the CDC; (2) support State comprehensive arthritis control and prevention programs and public health surveillance, prevention, and control activities; and (3) assist in the implementation of a national strategy for arthritis control and prevention. Requires the Secretary to coordinate a national education and outreach program on arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Requires the Secretary to establish an Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases Interagency Coordinating Committee to: (1) improve coordination of Federal research activities related to arthritis and rheumatic diseases; and (2) convene a summit to provide a detailed overview of such current Federal research. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand and intensify juvenile arthritis research. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to support juvenile arthritis data collection. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to support the development of a National Juvenile Arthritis Patient Registry. Requires the Secretary to promote and support pediatric rheumatology training, including by allowing the Secretary to establish a loan repayment program. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct a study on the economic impact of arthritis in the workplace.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Remember 9/11 Health Act - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to deem certain emergency service, rescue and recovery, and law enforcement personnel and transit and cleanup workers who responded to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City, residents of the declared disaster area, and persons employed or attending school, child care, or adult day care in the declared disaster area between September 11, 2001, and August 31, 2002 (eligible recipients) to be civil employees under provisions relating to: (1) compensation to federal employees for work injuries; and (2) claims relating to damage to, or loss of, personal property incident to federal service, except that such an eligible recipient shall not be responsible for the payment of any health care expenses that result from exposure to the adverse conditions after such attack. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants or cooperative agreements to specified programs, including one established by the New York City Fire Department, to carry out screening and clinical examinations and long-term health monitoring and analysis for eligible recipients. Limits such monitoring to 20 years and 40,000 individuals. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a similar program for those affected by the September 11, 2001, Pentagon attack. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct or support diagnostic or treatment research for adverse health conditions considered to be associated with the terrorist attacks. Requires the Secretary to convene a 9/11 Health Emergency Coordinating Council to examine and formulate recommendations on the adequacy of the: (1) responses by the Federal, State, and local governments and the private sector to the attacks; (2) care and compensation for the victims; (3) Federal tracking of the monitoring and treatment of individuals suffering health effects from the attacks; and (4) coordination among the Council members to the attacks. Allows the Council, upon request, to issue advisory opinions on the relative obligation of the Federal Government and any insurance company resulting from the attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act - Designates specified lands within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
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 the House of Representatives that: (1) the full realization of the rights of women is vital to the development and well-being of people of all nations; and (2) the Senate should, therefore, give its advice and consent to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Declares the sense of the Congress that music education grounded in rigorous instruction is an important component of a well-rounded academic curriculum and should be available to every student in every school. Recognizes NAMM, the International Music Products Association, for its efforts to emphasize the importance of school music programs in the academic and social development of children.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Amends the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to detain for examination, testing, or the taking of evidence: (1) any horse at any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction which is sore or which the Secretary has probable cause to believe is sore; and (2) any horse or other equine which the Secretary has probable cause to believe is being shipped, transported, moved, delivered, received, possessed, purchased, sold, or donated in violation of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Family and Medical Leave Inclusion Act - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to provide for employee leave to care for a same-sex spouse as determined under applicable State law, domestic partner, parent-in-law, adult child, sibling, or grandparent (as well as for a spouse, child, or parent), if such person has a serious health condition. Amends Federal civil service law to apply the same leave allowance to Federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Recognizes the historical and cultural significance of Diwali, an annual festival celebrated by many South Asians that is particularly significant to Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains. Requests that the President issue a proclamation recognizing Diwali.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Honors the life and dedicated service of former Congressman Dalip Singh Saund of California. Remembers his achievements as the first Indian American to serve in Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Honoring Every Requirement of Exemplary Service Act of 2005 or HEROES Act of 2005 - Increases from $12,000 to $100,000 the death gratuity payable to the survivors of members of the Armed Forces who die: (1) as a direct result of armed conflict; (2) while engaged in hazardous service; (3) in the performance of duty under conditions simulating war; (4) through an instrumentality of war; or (5) in an operation or area designated as a combat operation or a combat zone. Requires the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an additional death gratuity of $238,000 for a member of the Armed Forces who died before the date of enactment of this Act as a direct result of one or more wounds, injuries, or illnesses that were: (1) incurred in the theater of operations of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom; or (2) as a direct result of armed conflict, while engaged in hazardous service, in the performance of duty under conditions simulating war, or through an instrumentality of war on or after October 7, 2001. Increases the maximum amount of life insurance coverage for a member of the armed forces under servicemembers' group life insurance. Provides for $150,000 additional life insurance with no deductible due from the member for combat-related deaths. Requires spousal approval for a member to elect not to have life insurance coverage or have less than the maximum amount allowable.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Medicare's Equitable Drugs for Seniors Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal provisions prohibiting the Secretary of Health and Human Services from: (1) interfering with the negotiations between drug manufacturers and pharmacies and prescription drug plan sponsors; and (2) requiring a particular formulary to institute a price structure for the reimbursement of covered Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) drugs. Grants the Secretary instead, in order to ensure that beneficiaries enrolled under prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans pay the lowest possible price, authority similar to that of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Secretary of Defense, and the heads of other Federal agencies and departments that purchase prescription drugs in bulk to negotiate contracts with manufacturers of covered Medicare part D drugs, consistent with the requirements and in furtherance of the goals of providing quality care and containing costs under such part.
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
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (February 7). Encourages: (1) State and local governments to recognize such day, publicize its importance among their communities, and encourage individuals to undergo HIV testing; (2) media organizations to carry messages in support of such day; and (3) the President to emphasize the importance of addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic among the African American community.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Little Rock Central High School Desegregation 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue coins commemorating the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Requires the design of such coins to be emblematic of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School and its contribution to civil rights in America. Specifies the sale price of such coins and applicable surcharges. Requires surcharges collected from sales to be used equally for: (1) the Jefferson National Parks Association for support of the activities and mission of Little Rock Central High National Historic Site; and (2) site improvements.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Pharmaceutical Market Access Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations permitting pharmacists, pharmacies, wholesalers, and individuals to import qualifying drugs from certain countries into the United States. Sets forth registration requirements for exporters. Requires the Secretary to: (1) educate consumers with regard to the availability of qualifying drugs for import for personal use; (2) inspect the facilities and records of importers and registered exporters to ensure compliance with this Act; and (3) establish a registration fee program to collect an annual fee from registered exporters. Deems a prescription drug to be misbranded unless the packaging of such drug complies with the requirements for counterfeit-resistant technologies. Prohibits: (1) failing to register in accordance with this Act; and (2) importing or offering to import a prescription drug in violation of a suspension order. Declares that selling or importing a patented drug in the United States that was first sold abroad by or under authority of the owner or licensee of the patent is not patent infringement. Prohibits drug manufacturers from discriminating against a person that engages in the importation of a prescription drug, including by charging higher prices or denying supplies of the drug. Allows the Secretary to suspend or terminate the registration of an exporter for failing to maintain substantial compliance with all registration conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Alice Paul Congressional Gold Medal Act - Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the posthumous presentation of a congressional gold medal in commemoration of Alice Paul, to recognize her role in the women's suffrage movement and in advancing equal rights for women. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of such medal. Requires proceeds from the sale of such medals to be deposited into the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Long Island Sound Stewardship Act of 2005 - Establishes the Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative Region in Connecticut and New York. Establishes the Long Island Sound Stewardship Advisory Committee to evaluate applications: (1) for funds to purchase land or development rights for designated stewardship sites; (2) to develop and implement management plans to address threats; and (3) to act on opportunities to protect and enhance stewardship sites. Requires the Committee to: (1) identify 20 initial Long Island Sound stewardship sites; and (2) recommend an equal distribution of funds between States for the initial sites. Authorizes owners to submit applications to the Committee to have sites identified as stewardship sites. Directs the Committee to publish notice of the list of sites identified pursuant to the site identification process. Protects the existing legal rights of private property owners. States that nothing in this Act requires private property owners located within the Region to participate in the Initiative. Specifies permissible uses for appropriated funds. Limits the Federal share of costs associated with activities carried out using assistance or grants under this Act to 75 percent. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize appropriations for: (1) the Office of Management Conference of the Long Island Sound Study; and (2) implementation of the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan through FY 2009.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act - Amends Federal postal law to extend through December 31, 2007, the U.S. Postal Service's authority to issue special postage stamps to help fund breast cancer research.
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
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that a National Tartan Day should be established to recognize Scottish-Americans' outstanding achievements and their contributions to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Recognizes the sacrifices, service, and dedication of Allied soldiers and partisans and underground fighters that resulted in the defeat of the Nazi regime and the liberation of Auschwitz and other World War II concentration camps. Expresses gratitude to individuals and organizations that assisted survivors of Nazi brutality. Commends countries marking the 60th anniversary (on January 27, 2005) of the liberation of Auschwitz, as well as the United Nations General Assembly and other international organizations, for honoring Holocaust victims and increasing awareness of the Holocaust. Urges all countries to strengthen efforts to fight racism, intolerance, bigotry, prejudice, discrimination, and anti-Semitism. Urges governments and educators to teach the lessons of the Holocaust so that future generations will understand that racial, ethnic, and religious intolerance and prejudice can lead to the genocide carried out in camps such as Auschwitz.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Honors and recognizes the American labor movement. Supports the designation of a National Labor History Month. Urges government officials, educators, the media, and all Americans to observe such a month with ceremonies, activities, and programs that encourage reflection on the labor movement's heritage and its many contributions to the creation and maintenance of a just America.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2005
Military Death Benefit Improvement Act of 2005 - Increases from $12,000 to $100,000 the death gratuity payable to the survivors of members of the Armed Forces who die: (1) while on active duty or inactive duty training; or (2) within 120 days after discharge or release from such duty or training, if the death resulted from an injury or disease incurred or aggravated during such duty or training.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2005
Iran Freedom Support Act - States that: (1) U.S. sanctions, controls, and regulations relating to weapons of mass destruction with respect to Iran shall remain in effect until the President certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that Iran has permanently and verifiably dismantled its weapons of mass destruction programs and has committed to combating such weapons' proliferation; and (2) such certification shall have no effect on other sanctions relating to Iranian support of international terrorism. Amends the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 to: (1) eliminate mandatory sanction provisions respecting Libya; (2) impose mandatory sanctions on a person or entity that aids Iran acquire or develop weapons of mass destruction or destabilizing types and numbers of conventional weapons; (3) revise multilateral regime reporting requirements, including provisions respecting sanctions on individuals aiding Iranian petroleum development; (4) enlarge the scope of sanctionable entities; and (5) eliminate the sunset provision. Authorizes the President to provide financial and political assistance to eligible foreign and domestic individuals and groups that support democracy in Iran and that are opposed to the Government of Iran. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the President should appoint a special assistant on Iranian matters; (2) contacts should be expanded with democratic Iranian opposition groups; and (3) the President should designate at least one such eligible group within 90 days of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Redesignates the: (1) Department of the Navy as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps; and (2) Secretary of the Navy as the Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps. Makes similar redesignations with respect to Department Assistant Secretaries and the General Counsel.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Community Choice in Real Estate Act - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, and the Revised Statutes of the United States, to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury, respectively, from determining that real estate brokerage activity or real estate management activity is financial in nature, is incidental to any financial activity, or is complementary to a financial activity. (In effect, prohibits financial holding companies and national banks from engaging, directly or indirectly, in real estate brokerage or real estate management activities.) Exempts from such prohibition: (1) activities of a bank holding company (or any affiliate) that directly relate to managing any real property owned by national banks or their affiliates; and (2) the right, power, or ability of any financial holding company to engage in any activity, or acquire or retain the shares of any company engaged in an activity authorized for financial holding companies on December 6, 2001 ("grandfather clause").
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Ensuring College Access for All Americans Act - Prohibits the application of the annual updates (prescribed in the Federal Register on December 23, 2004) to the allowance for State and other taxes in the tables used in the Federal Needs Analysis Methodology to determine a student's expected family contribution for the award year 2005-2006 under the Higher Education Act of 1965, to the extent such updates will reduce the amount of Federal student assistance for which the student is eligible.
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
National Security Language Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish programs to encourage early foreign language instruction, including grants to: (1) partnerships of institutions of higher education (IHEs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) for activities relating to foreign language instruction at elementary or secondary schools, with priorities for high-need LEAs and less-commonly taught foreign languages; and (2) IHEs that develop innovative programs for the teaching of foreign languages, with priorities for combining foreign languages with science and technology and for less-commonly taught foreign languages. Provides undergraduate student loan forgiveness of up to $10,000 for students who major in a critical foreign language and are employed as teachers of such language in elementary or secondary schools or as using such language regularly in a Federal agency. Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) establish a foreign language education marketing campaign to encourage students at secondary schools and IHEs to study foreign languages, particularly ones less commonly taught and critical to national security; and (2) conduct a study to identify foreign language heritage communities and recruit speakers of such critical languages. Amends the David L. Boren National Security Education Act of 1991 to establish an International Flagship Language Initiative with grants to IHEs.
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
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
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 · 19 November 2004
Emergency Flu Response Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to immediately declare the shortage of the influenza vaccine to be a public health emergency justifying an authorization of the use of unapproved products. Requires the Secretary to: (1) consult with certain foreign countries to assess the availability of excess vaccines; (2) determine whether such vaccines meet the criteria for emergency authorization; (3) purchase, import, and distribute such vaccines; (4) award a grant to each State to develop and implement a plan to respond to the current shortage; and (5) establish a program to purchase and redistribute excess doses for administration to individuals in priority areas. Requires the head of each executive agency and the Attending Physician of the Capitol to ensure that vaccines are administered only to employees in priority groups and to provide the Secretary with any excess doses for redistribution. Allows the Secretary to purchase any approved drug to treat influenza for inclusion in the Strategic National Stockpile. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to conduct clinical trials to determine whether a diluted influenza vaccine is effective in priority groups. Establishes the National Quarantine Compensation Program to pay individuals subject to a State or Federal quarantine order an amount equal to lost wages. Prohibits an employer from discharging or discriminating against such individuals. Allows the Secretary, upon determining that measures taken under this Act have not been effective, to: (1) take additional measures necessary to protect the public health; and (2) require manufacturers or anyone in possession of the vaccine to sell their supply to the Federal Government.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2004
Commends those individuals who have donated prepaid telephone cards to members of the Armed Forces participating in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2004
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to revise the duty on rattan webbing. Applies certain staged rate reductions to such webbing.
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
Coordinated Environmental Health Network Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish and operate the Coordinated Environmental Health Network (the Network), including by: (1) identifying, expanding, and coordinating among existing Federal public health and environmental infrastructure; (2) providing for public access to an electronic national database on the incidence and prevalence of specified priority chronic conditions and relevant environmental and other factors; (3) operating a National Environmental Health Rapid Response Service to develop strategies to rapidly respond to, and conduct investigations of, higher than expected incidence and prevalence rates of priority chronic conditions and environmental exposures; (4) awarding grants to States, local governments, territories, and Indian tribes to establish, maintain, and operate State Environmental Health Networks; (5) developing minimum standards and procedures for data collection and reporting for State Networks, including mechanisms for allowing States to set priorities and allocate resources accordingly; (6) establishing an Advisory Committee for the Network; (7) awarding John H. Chafee Public Health Scholarships to eligible students who are enrolled in an accredited school of public health or medicine; and (8) entering into a cooperative agreement with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to train and place applied epidemiology fellows in State and local health departments. Allows the Secretary to award grants to accredited schools or programs of public health to establish, maintain, and operate Centers of Excellence for research and demonstration with respect to chronic conditions and relevant environmental factors, which may include investigating causal connections between chronic conditions and environmental factors.
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 · 30 September 2004
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to extend through September 2005 Medicare cost-sharing for the Medicare part B premium for qualifying individuals for additional low-income medicare beneficiaries. Revises requirements for the total allocation amount for three specified periods between January 1, 2004, and September 30, 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2004
Iran Freedom Support Act - States that: (1) U.S. sanctions, controls, and regulations relating to weapons of mass destruction with respect to Iran shall remain in effect until the President certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that Iran has permanently and verifiably dismantled its weapons of mass destruction programs and has committed to combating such weapons' proliferation; and (2) such certification shall have no effect on other sanctions relating to Iranian support of international terrorism. Amends the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 to: (1) eliminate mandatory sanction provisions respecting Libya; (2) impose mandatory sanctions on a person or entity that aids Iran acquire or develop weapons of mass destruction or destabilizing types and numbers of conventional weapons; (3) revise multilateral regime reporting requirements, including provisions respecting sanctions on individuals aiding Iranian petroleum development; (4) enlarge the scope of sanctionable entities; and (5) eliminate the sunset provision Authorizes the President to provide financial and political assistance to eligible foreign and domestic individuals and groups that support democracy in Iran and that are opposed to the Government of Iran. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the President should appoint a special assistant on Iranian matters; (2) contacts should be expanded with democratic Iranian opposition groups; and (3) the President should designate at least one such eligible group within 90 days of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2004
Supports efforts to promote greater public awareness of effective runaway youth prevention programs and the need for safe and productive alternatives, resources, and supports for youth in high-risk situations.
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 · 21 September 2004
Directs the Secretary of Defense to prepare a certificate recognizing the contributions to the national defense during the Cold War by an eligible individual employed by a defense company and to provide the certificate to such individual. Requires an eligible individual to apply for such certificate.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2004
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.) Thanks, pays tribute to, and expresses gratitude to all of those who assisted in the significant hospitality, logistical, and security efforts to successfully execute the 2004 national political conventions in Boston, Massachusetts, and New York City, New York.
![Official portrait of Rep. Israel, Steve [D-NY-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/i000057_200.jpg)