United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2005
States that: (1) the deployment of U.S. forces in Iraq, by direction of Congress, is hereby terminated and the forces involved are to be redeployed at the earliest practicable date; (2) a quick-reaction U.S. force and an over-the-horizon presence of U.S. Marines shall be deployed in the region; and (3) the United States shall pursue security and stability in Iraq through diplomacy.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2005
Outer Continental Shelf Natural Gas Relief Act - States that all provisions of federal law that prohibit the expenditure of appropriated funds to conduct natural gas leasing and preleasing activities for any area of the Outer Continental Shelf are without any force or effect. Revokes all withdrawals from leasing of federal submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf, including withdrawals by the President under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. States such withdrawals are no longer in effect with respect to the leasing of areas for natural gas exploration, development, and production. Prohibits granting a gas lease for any area of the Outer Continental Shelf located within 20 miles of a state's coastline unless the Governor grants state approval. Directs the Secretary of Energy, in each five-year oil and gas leasing program, to include lease sales that when viewed as a whole propose to offer for gas leasing at least 75% of the available unleased acreage within each Outer Continental Shelf planning area. Sets forth a scheme for bonus bids and royalties that affects: (1) new and existing gas leases; and (2) leased tracts lying partially within the seaward boundaries of a state. Permits leases that authorize development and production solely of natural gas and associated condensate, including leases for program years 2002-2007, and for program years 2007-2012.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to prohibit any state or political subdivision from establishing or continuing in effect for any food in interstate commerce: (1) any requirement that is not identical to specified FFDCA provisions (that would result in materially different requirements), including those related to adulterated foods, unsafe food additives, and new animal drugs; or (2) any notification requirement that provides for a warning concerning the food's safety that is not identical to FFDCA provisions. Allows a state to petition for an exemption or to establish a national standard regarding any requirement under FFDCA or the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act relating to food regulation. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Service to provide such an exemption if the requirement: (1) protects an important public interest that would otherwise be unprotected; (2) would not cause any food to be in violation of any federal law; and (3) would not unduly burden interstate commerce. Allows a state to establish a requirement that would otherwise violate FFDCA provisions relating to national uniform nutrition labeling or this Act if the requirement is needed to address an imminent hazard to health that is likely to result in serious adverse health consequences and if other requirements are met. Declares that this Act does not preempt certain state and local laws relating to labeling or a consumer advisory relating to food sanitation imposed on a food establishment or recommended by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2005
Directs the Architect of the Capitol to enter into an agreement to obtain a statue of Rosa Parks and to place the statue in the Capitol in a suitable permanent location in National Statuary Hall.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2005
Requests the President to provide to the House of Representatives certain federal agency documents in his possession on the effects of climate change on the coastal regions of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
Advocates Dedicated to Older Child Parental Tax Credit (ADOPT) Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a $2,000 tax credit for costs associated with the adoption of a child who has reached nine years of age before the adoption decree becomes final. Allows the credit each year until such child attains the age of 19.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
ALS Registry Act - 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: (1) develop a system to collect data on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); and (2) establish a national registry for the collection and storage of ALS data. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to establish the Advisory Committee on the National ALS Registry to study and make recommendations to the Secretary concerning: (1) the development and maintenance of the registry; (2) the type of information to be included; (3) the manner in which data is to be collected; (4) the use and availability of such data; and (5) the collection of information about diseases and disorders that primarily affect motor neurons that are considered essential to furthering the study and cure of ALS. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director, to award grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, public or private nonprofit entities for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on ALS. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) identify, build upon, expand, and coordinate among existing data and surveillance systems, surveys, registries, and other federal public health and environmental infrastructure wherever possible; and (2) provide for public access to an electronic national database that accepts data from state registries, health care professionals, and others as recommended by the Advisory Committee in a manner that protects personal privacy. Requires the Secretary to ensure that epidemiological and other types of information is made available to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2005
Low-Income Gasoline Assistance Program Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states to establish emergency assistance programs to pay eligible households for the purchase of gasoline. Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to authorize a state to use funds from any TANF grant to carry out such a state low-income gasoline assistance program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2005
Medicare Informed Choice Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) provide for an extended period of open enrollment during all of 2006 without late enrollment penalty; (2) give Medicare beneficiaries the opportunity to make a one-time change in prescription drug plan enrollment at any point in 2006; and (3) provide protection from loss of employment-based retiree health coverage upon enrollment for Medicare prescription drug benefit, including a Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug benefit, during 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2005
Hurricane Katrina Accountability and Contracting Reform Act - Establishes in the legislative branch the bipartisian Independent Commission to Prevent Fraud and Abuse in the Response to Hurricane Katrina to conduct a complete, independent, and impartial investigation of federal government contracting relative to Hurricane Katrina recovery, relief, and reconstruction, as well as allegations of price gouging or profiteering. Requires a federal agency head, within 14 days after the award of a Hurricane-related contract, to make publicly available, including by posting on the Internet in a searchable database, specified information with respect to the contract, including the name and address of the contractor and the contract's total amount. Requires federal agency heads to provide certain contract-related information to Congress, including copies of the contract and all modifications. Prohibits the federal government from entering into a Hurricane Katrina-related monopoly contract, with certain exceptions. Requires the federal government to use competition in the purchase of goods and services in excess of $100,000 pursuant to any Hurricane Katrina-related multiple award contract. Prohibits an agency from entering into a Hurricane Katrina-related contract for the performance of a function relating to contract oversight wtih any contractor with a conflict of interest. Prohibits an agency from entering into a Hurricane Katrina-related contract for the performance of inherently governmental functions for contract oversight. Revises the prohibition against a former official's acceptance of compensation from a contractor. Prevents former employees of private contractors who become federal government employees from awarding government contracts to their former employers for a period of five years after leaving the private contractor's employ . Subjects additional offenses to criminal penalties. Amends the Second Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to Meet Immediate Needs Arising from the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina to repeal the $250,000 micropurchase threshold (thus applying the regular $2,500 micropurchase threshold of federal procurement law).
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2005
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 770 Trumbull Drive in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the "Clayton J. Smith Memorial Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2005
Fair Wages for Hurricane Victims Act - Reinstates the application of the wage requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act to all federal contracts in counties affected by Hurricane Katrina, notwithstanding the President's proclamation dated September 8, 2005, or any other provision of law.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2005
Amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to: (1) delay until September 30, 2015 (currently, September 30, 2005), the prohibition against the use by commercial vehicles of Highway 209 within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area; (2) increase from $25 to $40 the maximum authorized per-trip commercial vehicle use fee; and (3) direct the Secretary of the Interior to ensure that any proposal adopted by the National Park Service to maintain or reconstruct River Road within the Area provides for that road to be open to two-way traffic.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2005
Consumer Reasonable Energy Price Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a windfall profit tax on crude oil, natural gas, or fuel which is the product of crude oil or natural gas. Defines "windfall profit" as so much of the profit as exceeds a reasonable profit. Establishes a Reasonable Profits Board to determine reasonable profit. Dedicates the proceeds of such tax to the low-income home energy assistance program.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2005
National Emergency Management Restoration and Improvement Act - Establishes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as an independent establishment in the executive branch. Requires the FEMA Director to be appointed, by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, from among persons who have significant expertise in the area of emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation as related to natural disasters and other national cataclysmic events.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Life Insurance Fairness for Travelers Act of 2005 - Amends the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 to make it unlawful for any insurer to: (1) deny any person life insurance, or to otherwise discriminate in the issuance, cancellation, amount of coverage, or conditions of life insurance, based upon the person's intent to engage in future lawful foreign travel; and (2) charge rates for life insurance which are excessive or unfairly discriminatory in relation to the actuarial risk associated with future lawful foreign travel of such person. Provides for administrative enforcement of this Act by either: (1) the chief law enforcement officer of a state, or an official or agency designated by a state; or (2) the Secretary of the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Commends the Biotechnology Industry Organization for a successful 2005 Annual International Convention at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act of 2005 - Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor to prepare and publish a monthly Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI) that indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are typical for individuals aged 62 years of age or older. Authorizes appropriations. Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVIII (Medicare) to provide for the use of such new CPI in the computation of cost-of-living increases for Social Security and Medicare benefits under such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 210 West 3rd Avenue in Warren, Pennsylvania, as the "William F. Clinger, Jr. Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Medicare Durable Medical Equipment Access Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from awarding any contracts under the competitive durable medical equipment items and services acquisition program unless: (1) the quality standards have been implemented; and (2) the Secretary has received advice from the program oversight committee. Requires the Secretary (who currently is authorized), in carrying out competitive acquisition programs, to exempt: (1) rural areas and areas with low population density within urban areas that are not competitive, unless there is a significant national market through mail order for a particular item or service; and (2) items and services for which the application of competitive acquisition is not likely to result in significant savings. Adds to such exemptions smaller metropolitan statistical areas. Modifies requirements for the protection of small suppliers in bidding and contracting. Requires the Secretary to permit suppliers classified as small businesses to continue to participate as suppliers at the selected award price so long as they submit bids at less than the fee schedule amount otherwise applicable to the items and they otherwise comply with applicable program requirements. Provides for appeal rights (currently denied). Requires the Secretary to exempt from competitive acquisition requirements items and services for which the application of competitive acquisition is not likely to result in significant savings of at least 10%. Prohibits the Secretary from implementing a program with respect to an item or service unless the Secretary demonstrates a probability of achieving significant savings of at least 10%, compared to the fee schedule in effect on January 1, 2006, by including the item or service in the program. Prohibits the Secretary from implementing certain requirements for the payment basis for covered items furnished after January 1, 2009, with respect to the application of rates in an area that is not a competitive acquisition area, unless the Secretary has completed and published in the Federal Register a comparability analysis to ensure the application is appropriate. Requires application of the comparability analysis requirement to certain other part B items and services.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2005
Preserving Patient Access to Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospitals Act of 2005 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services, during the period between July 1, 2005, and the date two years after the enactment of this Act, from: (1) requiring a compliance rate, pursuant to the criterion (commonly known as the "75 percent rule") used to determine whether a hospital or hospital unit is an inpatient rehabilitation facility, that is greater than the 50 percent compliance threshold that became effective on July 1, 2004; (2) changing the designation of any inpatient rehabilitation facility in compliance with the 50 percent threshold; or (3) conducting medical necessity review of inpatient rehabilitation facilities using any guidelines other than the national criteria established in the Medicare Benefits Policy Manual. Directs the Secretary to establish procedures for: (1) making any necessary retroactive adjustment to restore the status of a facility as an inpatient rehabilitation facility as a result of this Act; (2) making any necessary payments to inpatient rehabilitation facilities based on such adjustment for discharges occurring on or after July 1, 2005, and before enactment of this Act; and (3) developing and implementing an appeals process that provides for expedited review of any adjustment to the status of a facility as an inpatient rehabilitation facility made during such period Directs the Secretary to establish the National Advisory Council on Medical Rehabilitation to provide advice and recommendations to: (1) Congress and the Secretary concerning the coverage of rehabilitation services under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act; and (2) appropriate federal agencies on how best to utilize available research funds and authorities focused on medical rehabilitation research.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2005
Honor Our Commitment to Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to administer the health care enrollment system of the Department of Veterans Affairs so as to enroll any eligible veteran who applies. (This directive in effect terminates an administrative freeze on the enrollment of veterans in the lowest priority enrollment category.)
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2005
Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to to acquire necessary lands, waters, and other property interests to establish a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Pennsylvania to be known as the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2005
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3038 West Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the "Congressman James Grove Fulton Memorial Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should temporarily suspend restrictions on remittances, gift parcels, and family travel to Cuba to allow Cuban-Americans to assist their relatives in Cuba in the aftermath of Hurricane Dennis.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2005
Establishes in the legislative branch the Independent Commission on the Investigation of Detainee Abuses to conduct a full, complete, independent, and impartial investigation of the abuses of detainees in connection with Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, or any operation within the Global War on Terrorism, including, but not limited to: (1) the extent of the abuses; (2) why the abuses occurred; and (3) who is responsible. Directs the Commission, in connection with the investigation, to assess, analyze, and evaluate relevant persons, policies, procedures, reports, and events. Authorizes the Commission to report interim findings, conclusions, and recommendations to Congress and the President. Requires a final report containing recommendations for corrective measures. Terminates the Commission 60 days after its final report.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2005
Sole Community Hospital Preservation Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services, particularly the transitional adjustment for sole community hospitals to limit any decline in payment. Holds sole community hospitals permanently harmless from any decline in payment. Increases the payment for covered OPD services in a sole community hospital by the amount of any difference between the pre-Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (pre-BBA) amount and a lesser PPS amount. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to substitute a specified minimum base payment-to-cost ratio for determining the pre-BBA amount for sole community hospitals. Specifies the rebasing of the payment -to-cost ratio for sole community hospitals for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2005
Recognizes the 25th anniversary of the workers' strikes in Poland that led to establishment of the Solidarity Trade Union. Honors the struggle and sacrifice of the citizens of Poland who risked their lives to restore democracy to their country. Offers Poland as a model for other nations struggling to emerge from authoritarian rule and establish a representative government.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2005
Honors former President William Jefferson Clinton on the occasion of his 59th birthday on August 19, 2005, and extends best wishes to him and his family.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2005
Louis Braille Bicentennial--Braille Literacy Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Louis Braille, whose design: (1) on the obverse shall bear a representation of the image of Louis Braille; and (2) on the reverse shall emphasize Braille literacy and include the word for Braille in Braille code. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such coins only during 2009. Subjects all coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin. Requires all surcharges to be promptly paid by the Secretary to the the National Federation of the Blind to further its programs to promote Braille literacy.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2005
Construction Quality Assurance Act of 2005 - Prohibits the federal government or any contractors or subcontractors from participating in the practice of bid shopping with respect to any government contract exceeding $1 million for the construction or repair of any public building or public work. Defines "bid shopping" as the practice of divulging, or causing to be divulged, a contractor's or subcontractor's bid or proposal or requiring a contractor or subcontractor to divulge its bid or proposal to another prospective contractor or subcontractor before the award of a contract or subcontract in order to secure a lower bid or proposal. Requires any invitation for bid or request for proposal issued by the government to include a clause explicitly prohibiting such practice and specifying penalties, which may include contract termination or imposition of liquidated damages equal to the greater of: (1) the final bid on the contract; or (2) the price paid to the contractor or subcontractor for work performed.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2005
Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins emblematic of the life and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln in commemoration of the bicentennial of his birth. Permits issuance of such coins only during 2009. Subjects the coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2005
FHA Manufactured Housing Loan Modernization Act of 2005 - Amends the National Housing Act with respect to Federal Housing Administration (FHA) housing loan insurance for manufactured homes (or lots for such homes) to: (1) exempt such loans from certain financial institution portfolio limits; (2) establish loan-to-value ratio and downpayment requirements; (3) provide that any such contract shall be conclusive evidence of an institution's insurance eligibility; (4) increase loan limits; (5) set forth borrower premium charges; and (6) direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish underwriting criteria that will ensure the manufactured housing program's financial soundness.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program Extension and Reform Act of 2005 - Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to repeal the authorization to use certain funds in the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Fund (Fund) by the Secretary of Agriculture for rural land reclamation. Revises guidelines governing: (1) the availability of moneys from the Fund: (2) the disposition of unappropriated Fund balances; (3) transfers to the United Mine Workers of America Combined Benefit Fund; and (4) submission of quarterly reports by operators of surface coal mining operations. Revises requirements governing allocation of funds and allocation of funds to states and Indian tribes. Prescribes guidelines for initial program sites and bond forfeiture sites with insolvent sureties. Revises requirements for the granting of funds to set forth guidelines governing: (1) the application processing deadline; (2) the disposition of unexpended funds; and (3) a state set-aside program. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to require that states assume responsibility for administering the emergency reclamation program in order to remain eligible to receive grants. Authorizes the Secretary to propose regulations prescribing conditions under which the Fund would be used to promote remining of eligible lands, including reclamation fee rebates or waivers and other incentives.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2005
Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish in the Treasury the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund for the deposit of income, gift, and estate taxes paid by or on behalf of taxpayers: (1) who are designated conscientious objectors opposed to participation in war in any form based upon the taxpayer's deeply held moral, ethical, or religious beliefs or training (within the meaning of the Military Selective Service Act); and (2) who have certified these beliefs in writing. Requires that funds in the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund be allocated annually to any appropriation not for a military purpose. Expresses the sense of Congress that any revenue increase resulting from the creation of the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund shall be allocated in a manner consistent with the purposes of the Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2005
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 442 West Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania, as the "Mayor Joseph S. Daddona Memorial Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2005
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2005 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after enactment of this Act; (2) $6.55 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day; and (3) $7.25 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 60th day. Makes federal minimum wage requirements applicable to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Sets forth a transition period during which a specified minimum wage there shall be gradually increased to equal the federal minimum wage.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to reduce the minimum net worth ratio requirements of well-capitalized, adequately capitalized, under capitalized, and significantly undercapitalized credit unions. Sets the minimum risk-based net ratio at 8%. Revises the requirement that the National Credit Union Administration Board design the risk-based net worth standard to take account of any material risks to insured credit unions. Requires the standard to be designed in relation to risk assets, and to be based on comparable standards for taking into account material risks to insured depository institutions under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act that are applicable to credit unions. Revises definitions relating to net worth of credit unions. Cites circumstances in which the Board may waive the requirement that an undercapitalized credit union submit an acceptable net worth restoration plan. Revamps guidelines governing limits and restrictions on member business loans. Authorizes credit unions to lease to any business enterprise separate and clearly distinct space in buildings in credit union offices in underserved areas. Permits a credit union to invest securities for its own account. Increases from 12 to 15 years the term of credit union loans. Increases from 1% to 3% the investment limit in credit union service organizations. Permits credit unions to offer check cashing and money transfer services to persons within the field of membership (instead of, as currently, to members only). Extends to voluntary mergers on or after August 7, 1998, involving multiple common-bond credit unions the exemption from the numerical limit (only a group with fewer than 3,000 members) for eligibility for inclusion in the field of membership category of such a credit union. Requires the Board to prescribe criteria for continued membership of certain member groups in the case of conversions of certain credit unions to a community charter. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to treat credit unions as banks which shall not be considered brokers or dealers because the credit unions engage in certain broker- or dealer-related activities.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants to public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of not more than eight centers to conduct multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research on environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer. Requires each such center to: (1) be known as a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Center of Excellence; (2) establish ongoing collaborations with community organizations; (3) be formed from a consortium of cooperating institutions; (4) be supported under this Act for a period of not more than five years with additional periods allowed after review and recommendation; and (5) use innovative approaches to study unexplored areas of the environment and breast cancer. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Panel to make recommendations for and to review grants awarded under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
New GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century Act - Revises, expands, or provides new rights and benefits for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their dependents and survivors, including, among others: (1) an FY 2006 increase in funding for veterans' medical care; (2) a prohibition until the end of FY2006 on medication copayments and on the imposition of a health care system enrollment fee; (3) an extension until 2010 of Vietnam veterans' eligibility for readjustment counseling services; (4) the collection of data from pre- and post-deployment health assessments, and preventive maintenance post-deployment intervention; (5) the prevention, early detection, and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for returning troops; (6) a Department of Defense/Department of Veterans Affairs Council on Post-Deployment Mental Health; (7) survivors' and dependents' eligibility for family and bereavement counseling; (8) certain educational initiatives; (9) a National Steering Committee on PTSD Education and a PTSD public awareness program; (10) certain benefits and outreach services for disabled veterans; (11) an increase in survivors' dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC); (12) certain pay increases and bonuses for active-duty members; (13) an expansion of benefits under under both the active-duty and reserve Montgomery GI Bill programs; (14) employment assistance for homeless veterans; (15) expanded reserve member eligibility under the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense managed health care program); (16) certain recruitment and retention incentives for Selected Reserve members; and (17) certain pay matters with respect to Federal employees performing active-duty reserve service. Repeals the: (1) DIC offset from Survivor Benefit Plan surviving spouse annuities; (2) pay reduction and high school graduation requirement for participation in the Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance program; (3) delimiting date for entitlement to basic educational assistance under such program; (4) time limitation on the exclusion of combat zone compensation by reason of hospitalization; (5) tax cut (implemented in 2001) for high-income taxpayers; (6) scheduled termination of the phaseout of personal exemptions; and (6) scheduled phaseout of the overall limitation on itemized deductions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Student Bill of Rights - Directs the Secretary of Education to make annual determinations as to whether each state's public school system provides all its students with educational resources to succeed academically and in life. Requires such education to enable students to: (1) acquire knowledge and skills necessary for responsible citizenship; (2) meet challenging academic achievement standards; and (3) compete and succeed in a global economy. Requires each system to do so through: (1) providing specified fundamentals of educational opportunity to students at each public elementary and secondary school; (2) providing educational services in school districts that receive funds for disadvantaged students that are, taken as a whole, at least comparable to educational services provided in school districts not receiving such funds; and (3) complying with any final federal or state court order in any matter concerning the adequacy or equitableness of the system. Requires withholding of specified portions of its federal funding for administrative expenses if a system: (1) fails to meet a yearly interim goal; (2) does not remedy, after two school years, a failure to provide comparable educational services to schools that receive funds for disadvantaged children; or (3) does not comply with a court order. Allows students or parents aggrieved by violations of this Act to bring civil actions for enforcement in federal district courts. Directs the Commissioner of Education Statistics to study the effects of educational disparities on economic growth and on national defense.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Generate Retirement Ownership Through Long-Term Holding Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that no gain shall be recognized on the receipt of a capital gain dividend distributed by a regulated investment company if such dividend is automatically reinvested in additional shares of the company pursuant to a dividend reinvestment plan.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
Gas Price Spike Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a windfall profit tax on crude oil, natural gas, or products of crude oil or natural gas. Defines "windfall profit" as so much of the profit on a sale of crude oil, natural gas, or related products as exceeds a reasonable profit. Establishes the Reasonable Profits Board to determine levels of reasonable profit from the sale of such products. Allows a tax credit for the purchase of certain fuel-efficient, American-made passenger vehicles. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants to operators of mass transit systems, including bus and commuter rail systems, to reduce passenger fares on such systems.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
Declares that the existence of racially restrictive covenants in housing documents is inconsistent with the principles and values embodied in Supreme Court precedent and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, and causes harm to not only property owners but to all members of American society. Commends California and the Missouri State Senate for taking roles in such covenants' removal. Urges States to enact laws that: (1) will more readily permit property owners to remove racially restrictive covenants from their property titles, deeds, or other documents; and (2) require homeowner associations to strike racially restrictive covenants from all declarations or other governing documents.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2005
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 57 West Street in Newville, Pennsylvania, as the "Randall D. Shughart Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 silver coins emblematic of the design selected by the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, in commemoration of disabled American veterans. Expresses the sense of Congress that, to the greatest extent possible, the coins should be struck at the United States Mint at West Point, New York, Limits the period for coin issuance to the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2010. Imposes a $10 surcharge per coin, to be distributed to the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the purpose of establishing an endowment to support the construction of American Veterans' Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
San Francisco Old Mint Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins and 500,000 $1 silver coins emblematic of the San Francisco Old Mint Building, its importance to California and U.S. history, and its role in rebuilding San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Requires that all surcharges received by the Secretary from such coin sales be promptly paid to the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society for purposes of rehabilitating the Historic Old Mint in San Francisco as a city museum and an American Coin and Gold Rush Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2005
Katie Elise and Meghan Agnes Act - Requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to promulgate: (1) consumer product safety standards applicable to any furniture or electronic appliance that the Commission determines poses a substantial safety hazard due to tipping because of its design, height, weight, stability, or other features; (2) regulations requiring warning labels on the packaging of such items and on the packaging of furniture with drawers that pose a danger to children due to tipping. Requires the Commission, in promulgating safety standards under this Act, to take into consideration the intended uses of furniture and electronic appliances and the likelihood that children could climb on or tip the furniture.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Employee Free Choice Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board to certify a bargaining representative without directing an election if a majority of the bargaining unit employees have authorized designation of the representative and there is no other individual or labor organization currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit. Sets forth special procedural requirements for reaching an initial collective bargaining agreement following certification or recognition. Revises enforcement requirements with respect to unfair labor practices during union organizing drives. Provides, under injunction provisions, for priority to be given to preliminary investigation of charges of violations by employers or other entities. Adds to remedies for such violations: (1) back pay plus liquidated damages; and (2) additional civil penalties.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kanjorski, Paul E. [D-PA-11]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000008_200.jpg)