United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2006
Get Information on Financial Transactions Act - Amends title VI (International Education Programs) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to require, as part of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) annual data collection, that each institution of higher education receiving federal funds for its international education programs include data concerning: (1) the total cost such a program or center; (2) state and private contributors whose total aggregate contributions exceed $100,000 for the fiscal year; and (3) the use of such contributions. Directs the Secretary to prepare an annual report summarizing such data.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2006
Alternative Energy Research and Development Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to implement a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application (R&D) for: (1) production of motor and other fuels from biomass; (2) technologies to enable practical onboard storage of hydrogen for use as a fuel for light-duty motor vehicles; (3) advanced solar photovoltaic technologies; and (4) advanced wind energy technologies. Instructs the Secretary to continue R&D activities targeting: (1) distributed energy; (2) micro-cogeneration technology; and (3) geothermal energy, hydropower, and ocean energy authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary to: (1) implement an R&D program for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and electric drive transportation; and (2) establish a pilot program to provide competitive grants to state governments, local governments and public entities, and metropolitan transportation authorities for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle demonstration projects. Solar Utilization Now Demonstration Act of 2006, or the SUN Act of 2006 - Instructs the Secretary to establish a program of grants to states to demonstrate advanced photovoltaic technology. Directs the Secretary to establish a pilot grants program for new builidng construction or renovation to demonstrate innovative energy efficiency technologies. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to revise the guidelines for a geographically dispersed network of Advanced Energy Technology Transfer Centers. Authorizes the Secretary to contribute funds to the National Science Foundation for the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program. Directs the Secretary to arrange for the National Academy of Sciences to study its October 2005 recommendation to establish an Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). Directs the Secretary to establish R&D programs for commercial application of: (1) coal gasification facilities that convert coal into pipeline quality gaseous fuels (methanation); and (2) materials to be added to alternative biobased fuels and Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuels. Directs the Secretary, in making awards for integrated biorefinery demonstration projects, to encourage the commercial application of biomass technologies for biodegradable natural plastics from biomass.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2006
Religious Freedom for Providers of Adoption, Foster Care, and Child Welfare Services Act - Amends the Social Security Act to prohibit federal payments for foster care and adoption assistance to a state or local government that discriminates against any entity that provides adoption or foster care services to only those couples who are united in marriage (defined as a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife) and to only those individuals whose conduct is in accordance with such entity's religious principles and practices.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that public policy should continue to protect and strengthen the ability of farmers and ranchers to join together in cooperative self-help efforts to: (1) improve their income from the marketplace and their economic well-being; (2) capitalize on new market opportunities; and (3) help meet the food and fiber needs of consumers, provide for increased energy production, promote rural development, maintain and create needed jobs, and contribute to a growing U.S. economy.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2006
Post-Abortion Depression Research and Care Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), to expand and intensify NIMH research and related activities with respect to post-abortion depression and psychosis. Requires the Director of NIMH to: (1) conduct or support research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and to find a cure for, such post-abortion conditions; and (2) conduct a study to determine the incidence and prevalence of cases of post-abortion conditions and the symptoms, severity, and duration of such cases, toward the goal of more fully identifying the characteristics of such cases and developing diagnostic techniques. Requires the Secretary to make grants to establish, operate, and coordinate effective and cost-efficient systems for the delivery of essential services to individuals with such post-abortion conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2006
Congressional Pension Forfeiture Act of 2006 - Requires the Office of Personnel and Management (OPM) to prescribe regulations that prohibit eligibility in the governmental retirement system for a Member convicted of certain felony offenses in which: (1) every act or omission of such individual that is needed to satisfy the elements of the offense occurs while the individual is a Member; (2) such act or omission relates to the performance of the individual's official duties as a Member; and (3) the offense is committed after the enactment of this Act. Requires refund of annuity contributions and deposits, excluding interest earned, to a convicted individual. Defines Member as the Vice President, a member of the Senate or the House of Representatives, a Delegate to the House of Representatives, and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2006
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 216 Oak Street in Farmington, Minnesota, as the "Hamilton H. Judson Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2006
Pregnant Women Support Act - Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states for collecting and reporting abortion surveillance data. Requires health facilities that perform abortions to obtained informed consent from a pregnant woman seeking an abortion, except in a medical emergency. Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to allow states to extend health care coverage to an unborn child. Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a health insurance issuer offering individual coverage from imposing a preexisting condition exclusion or a waiting period or otherwise discriminating against a woman on the basis that she is pregnant. Allows the Secretary to make grants for the purchase of ultrasound equipment for examinations of pregnant women. Provides for the collection and dissemination of information on Down syndrome and other prenatally diagnosed conditions. Provides for services to pregnant women and mothers who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking. Requires states to have a pregnant "box check" on homicide death certificates. Allows the Secretary to make grants to public institutions of higher education to assist pregnant and parenting students in continuing their studies and graduating. Requires the Secretary to provide for programs to work with pregnant or parenting teens to finish high school. Requires group homes for pregnant and parenting women to provide counseling on adoption and parenting skills. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase and make refundable the tax credit for adoption expenses. Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to increase the eligibility threshold for food stamps.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2006
Margaret Thatcher Congressional Gold Medal Act - Provides for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Margaret Thatcher in recognition of her dedication to the values of free markets and free minds.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2006
Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require an abortion provider who knowingly performs an abortion of a pain-capable unborn child (defined as an unborn child who has reached a probable stage of development of 20 weeks or more after fertilization), to first: (1) inform the woman of the probable age of the child; (2) provide to the woman an Unborn Child Pain Awareness Brochure (unless she waives receipt); (3) provide information that pain medicine administered to the mother may not prevent pain in the child, but in some cases anesthesia or pain-reducing drugs can be administered directly to the child; (4) give the woman the provider's best medical judgment of the risks and costs of such anesthesia or analgesic; and (5) obtain the woman's signature on the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Decision Form and her explicit request for or refusal of the administration of drugs to the child. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Brochure that includes a statement that there is substantial evidence that the process of being killed in an abortion will cause the unborn child pain and that the mother has the option of having pain-reducing drugs administered directly to the child. Creates an exception for certified medical emergencies. Establishes civil penalties for willfully failing to comply with this Act. Authorizes: (1) the Attorney General to bring a civil action under this Act; and (2) private rights of action for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2006
Makes it out of order in the House of Representatives to consider: (1) a bill reported by a committee unless the report includes a list of earmarks in the bill or in the report (and the names of the requesting Members); or (2) a conference report on a bill unless the joint explanatory statement accompanying it includes a list of earmarks in it or in the joint statement (and the names of the requesting Members) that were not committed to the conference committee by either chamber, not in the committee report, and not in a Senate committee report on a companion measure. Makes it out of order in the House to consider a bill carrying a tax measure reported by the Ways and Means Committee in which the Joint Committee on Taxation has: (1) identified a tax earmark, unless the report on the bill includes a list of tax earmarks in it or in the report (and the names of the requesting Members); or (2) failed to provide such analysis. Makes it out of order in the House to consider a conference report carrying such a measure as to which the Joint Committee on Taxation has: (1) identified a tax earmark, unless the accompanying joint explanatory statement includes a list of tax earmarks in it or in the joint statement (and the names of the requesting Members) that were not committed to the conference committee by either chamber, not in the Committee report, and not in a Senate committee report on a companion measure; or (2) failed to provide such analysis. Makes it out of order in the House to consider a rule or order that waives the requirements of this Act with respect to consideration of conference reports. Requires the Joint Committee to: (1) review any bill containing a tax measure that is being reported by the Ways and Means Committee or prepared for filing by a conference committee; (2) identify whether such bill contains any tax earmarks; and (3) provide the Ways and Means Committee and the conference committee with a statement identifying such earmarks or declaring that the legislation does not contain any. Requires the statement to be included in the committee report or joint statement of managers, as applicable.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2006
Health Care Price Transparency Promotion Act of 2006 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require state Medicaid plans to provide that the state will establish and maintain laws to require disclosure of information on hospital charges, to make such information available to the public, and to provide individuals with information about estimated out-of-pocket costs for health care services. Directs the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to research and report to Congress on: (1) the types of information on the charges and out-of-pocket costs for health care services that individuals find useful in making decisions about where, when, and from whom to receive care; (2) how such types of information vary by whether they have health benefits coverage, and what kinds; and (3) ways in which such information may be available on a timely basis and in easy-to-understand form to individuals facing such decisions.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2006
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an inflation adjustment based upon the gross domestic product deflator to the adjusted basis of certain assets (including C corporation common stock and tangible property used in a trade or business) held by a taxpayer for more than three years for purposes of determining gain or loss on the sale or other disposition of such assets. Sets forth rules for applying such inflation adjustment to short sales, regulated investment companies and real estate investment trusts, partnerships and other pass-thru entities, and dispositions of assets between related persons.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2006
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. government should: (1) support and participate in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and assist African countries in implementing EITI or in adopting resource revenue transparency policies; (2) work with the international community to develop a monitoring process for nonmining natural resources, such as timber; (3) require natural resource extraction companies to disclose natural resource revenue payments on a country-by-country basis; (4) consider a government's substantive efforts or failure to ensure revenue transparency for critical natural resource sectors when determining eligibility for U.S. trade preference programs; (5) support disclosure of resource revenues and ex-ante disclosure of foreign investment contracts underpinning extractive sector projects, making such disclosures a condition of support for financing by the United States Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Export-Import Bank of the United States; and (6) work with international financial institutions to require resource revenue and contract transparency as a condition for lending or assistance to resource-rich developing countries.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2006
Health Care Access and Rural Equity (H-CARE) Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: (1) the Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment for rural hospitals; (2); payment for clinical laboratory tests furnished by critical access hospitals; (3) rebasing for sole community hospitals; (4) establishment of a rural community hospital program; (5) extension of the Medicare rural hospital hold harmless provision under the prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department services; (6) coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); (7) permanent treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare; (8) extension of the Medicare incentive payment program for a physician scarcity area; (9) proportional representation of interests of rural areas on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission; and (10) additional payments for providers furnishing ambulance services in rural areas and prompt payment of clean claims by Medicare prescription drug plans and MedicareAdvantage-Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans under the Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program). Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to extend: (1) certain Medicare hospital wage index reclassifications and disregarding hospital reclassifications for purposes of group reclassifications; (2) Medicare reasonable costs payments for certain clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished to hospital patients in certain rural areas; and (3) the temporary Medicare payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area. Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award competitive grants to eligible entities in rural areas for purchase and enhanced utilization of qualified health information technology systems; (2) establish a capital infrastructure revolving loan program and a Rural Health Quality Advisory Commission; and (3) provide for delta rural disparities and health systems development.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2006
Rewarding Student Achievement Act - Requires the Secretary of Education to ensure that grants awarded to support merit-based teacher compensation systems, under the Teacher Incentive Fund or the Fund for the Improvement of Education under part D of title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, support compensation systems that are based primarily or exclusively on student learning gains, the maintenance of such gains, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2006
Amends Rule XXV (Limitations on Outside Earned Income and Acceptance of Gifts) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to repeal the exception of gifts from state and local governments from the limitations on acceptance of such gifts by Members, officers, and employees of the House (thus applying such limitations to such gifts). Considers a reimbursement to such individuals from a state or local government for travel-related expenses in connection with their duties as an officeholder as a reimbursement to the House and not a prohibited gift.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2006
Consortium on the Impact of Technology in Aging Health Services Act of 2006 - Establishes the Consortium on the Impact of Technology in Aging Health Services. Requires the Consortium to conduct a study of all matters relating to the potential use of new technology to assist older adults and their caregivers, including: (1) methods for identifying technology that may be adapted to meet their needs; (2) methods for fostering scientific innovation in aging services technology within the business and academic communities; (3) strategies for addressing liability, reimbursement, privacy, and security issues with respect to such innovation; (4) developments in such technology in other countries; and (5) methods for ensuring that U.S. businesses have a leadership role in the global market of such technology. Requires the Consortium to develop recommendations concerning: (1) developments in current technologies that may result in increased efficiency and cost savings to the healthcare system; (2) specifications for federal funding of research and development by businesses and academia to accelerate the development of aging services technology; (3) methods to ensure that technology infrastructure is in place to deliver services; and (4) establishment of a federal interagency task force to facilitate the development and distribution of such technology and a National Resource Center to stimulate research, oversee demonstration projects, and provide training and assistance to entities that provide such services. Requires the Consortium to report recommendations regarding development of a national policy to address issues concerning technology and assistive health services for seniors, changes to federal laws and programs that would support and encourage the private sector to develop and make widely available consumer-empowered technology solutions, and establishment of a National Resource Center on Aging Services Technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2006
Western Hemisphere Traveler Improvement Act of 2006 - Amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to extend the implementation date for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Authorizes the Secretary of State (Secretary) to develop a Passport Card for U.S. citizen travel from the United States to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean countries, and Bermuda. States that such Card shall be deemed to be a U.S. passport for U.S. passport laws and valid for the same period as a U.S. passport. Sets forth related fee and technology requirement provisions. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary to enter into an enrollment demonstration program with at least one state under which: (1) an individual's citizenship status shall be included on a driver's license; (2) there will a communication method with a participating state to verify the citizenship status of an applicant who voluntarily seeks to have citizenship status included on his or her driver's license; (3) an individual's information shall be managed in the same manner as passport application information with no further distribution of such information; and (4) a complying driver's license shall be sufficient to permit the bearer to enter the United States from Canada through at least one designated international border crossing in each participating state. Authorizes the Secretaries to work with Canadian authorities to certify identification issued by the government of Canada, including a driver's license, as meeting U.S. security requirements. Requires that more U.S. states than Canadian provinces are program participants. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to expand expedited processing for repeat travelers to all ports of entry. States that such travelers' identities should be entered into a database of known travelers who have been subjected to in-depth background and watch-list checks to permit border control officers to focus on unknown travelers, potential criminals, and terrorists. Directs the Commissioner of Customs and Border Patrol to conduct and expand trusted traveler and pilot programs to facilitate expedited processing of U.S. citizens returning from pleasure craft trips in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Bermuda. Requires one such program to be conducted in Florida and modeled on the Canadian Border Boat Landing (I-68) program. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a program to permit U.S. citizens lacking appropriate travel documents to cross the international border and return to the United States for up to 72 hours; or (2) a process to make admissibility determinations respecting such persons. Authorizes the Secretary to waive travel document requirements for groups of six or more children under adult supervision traveling to Canada or Mexico. Directs the Secretary to implement an outreach plan to inform U.S. citizens about the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, facilitate acquisition of appropriate travel documentation, and educate U.S. citizens about the requirements for such travel.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2006
Amends federal health insurance provisions to provide for greater flexibility in the number of levels of benefits that may be offered by certain health benefits plans under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP).
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2006
Public Transportation Security Assistance Act of 2006 - Requires a security assessment of each public transportation system. Requires each public transportation agency that receives an assessment to develop a prioritized plan of needed capital and operational security improvements. Makes grants to eligible public transportation agencies for certain capital security improvements and operational security improvements. Sets the federal share of such security project costs at 80% and 50%, respectively. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide notification of all credible terrorist threats against public transportation assets in the United States. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop and issue guidelines for a public transportation employee security training program. Requires a public transportation agency that receives a public transportation security assessment to develop, and submit for the Secretary's approval, an employee training program in accordance with such guidelines. Makes grants to private operators of over-the-road buses for certain system-wide security improvements to their operations. Sets the federal share of security project costs at 80%. Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress a preliminary report that includes an assessment of the over-the-road bus security grant program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2006
North Korea Nonproliferation Act of 2006 - Amends the Iran and Syria Nonproliferation Act to extend the provisions of such Act to North Korea. States that in view of North Korea's determination to proliferate missiles, nuclear weapons, and other weapons of mass destruction it should be U.S. policy to impose sanctions on persons who transfer such weapons and related goods and technology to and from North Korea in the same manner as persons who transfer such items to and from Iran and Syria currently are sanctioned under U.S. law. Urges all governments concerned about the threat of North Korean proliferation to impose measures on persons involved in such proliferation that are similar to those imposed by the United States pursuant to the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act, as amended by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2006
Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2006 - Amends federal transportation law to revise certain one-call notification system minimum requirements to subject to certain civil judicial action or assessment of a civil penalty: (1) persons who excavate without using the one-call notification system to establish the location of underground pipelines or disregard location information or markings established by a pipeline operator; and (2) pipeline operators who fail to respond to a location request or fail to take steps, in response to such request, to ensure accurate marking of the pipeline location in order to prevent damage to the pipeline. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to make a grant to a state authority to assist in improving the effectiveness of the state's damage prevention program if certain requirements are met. Directs the Secretary to prescribe: (1) minimum standards for integrity management programs for distribution pipelines (including criteria to require operators of natural gas distribution systems to install excess flow valves on single family residential service lines on the basis of feasibility and risk analysis); (2) standards for managing gas and hazardous liquid pipelines to reduce risks associated with human factors, including fatigue; (3) minimum standards for the transportation of hazardous liquids by low-stress pipelines located in proximity to areas unusually sensitive to environmental damage; and (4) standards to implement recommendations in the National Transportation Safety Board's report entitled "Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) in Pipelines" and adopted November 29, 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2006
Keeping Families Together Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to award competitive matching grants to states to establish systems of care to treat and provide services to all children who are in the custody of the state or at-risk of entering into the custody of the state for the purpose of receiving mental health services. Requires states to use grant funds for certain activities, including to: (1) expand public health insurance programs to cover community-based mental health and family support services for such children and their families that will be sustainable after the grant has expired; (2) provide outreach and public education concerning available programs and activities; and (3) provide training and professional development for personnel who work with such children. Requires the Administrator to establish a task force to examine: (1) problems of mental health in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems; (2) issues with respect to access by children and youth to mental health services; and (3) the role of federal agencies in promoting access by children and youth to mental health services.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2006
Government Efficiency Act of 2006 - Authorizes the establishment of Federal Review Commissions with respect to specific aspects of federal programs and agencies. Requires a Commission to review and make recommendations on how to improve the operations, effectiveness, and efficiency of such federal programs and agencies in order to determine whether a reorganization, consolidation, abolishment, expansion, or transfer of existing federal programs and agencies is necessary to carry out any U.S. policy for promoting more effective management of the executive branch. Permits establishment of a Commission only through the issuance of an executive order or the enactment of a joint resolution that: (1) describes the federal programs and agencies to be reviewed; and (2) grants the Commission powers and authorities specified by, and subjects it to the requirements of, this Act. Describes what a Federal Review Commission shall consider in reviewing federal programs and agencies. Requires a Commission to submit to the President: (1) an assessment of the operations, effectiveness, and efficiency of the federal programs and agencies reviewed; and (2) a legislative proposal, if appropriate, to reorganize, consolidate, abolish, expand, or transfer such federal programs and agencies. Provides for expedited congressional consideration of Federal Review Commission recommendations. Directs the President to submit to Congress a schedule for establishment of Federal Review Commissions.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2006
Sex Offender Visa Loophole Elimination Act of 2006 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit a convicted U.S.-citizen sex offender from filing a family-based immigration petition. Defines "sex offense" and "specified offense against a minor." Prohibits approval of a fiance/fiancee or waiting nonimmigrant spouse visa petition filed by a convicted sex offender.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2006
Reservist's Employer Support Paycheck Enhancement Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a tax credit for 50% of the wages paid to their employees on active military duty for more than 90 days as Ready Reserve or National Guard and for 50% of the wages paid to temporary replacement employees.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2006
Children of Fallen Soldiers Pell Grant Act of 2006 - Amends the Higher Educaton Act of 1965 to eliminate the expected family contribution used in determining Pell Grant eligibility in the case of a student applicant whose parent or guardian was killed while performing military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2006
Elder Abuse Prevention Act of 2006 - Requires states to adopt laws and policies that prohibit parole for: (1) any individual who is convicted of a criminal sexual offense against a victim who is elderly; or (2) a sexually violent predator. Requests the U.S. Sentencing Commission to promptly review its guidelines for sexual offenses committed against the elderly and to consider new guidelines for enhanced sentencing for such crimes.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2006
Access to Medicare Imaging Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for a budget-neutral two-year moratorium on certain Medicare physician payment reductions for imaging services.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2006
Permanent Estate Tax Relief Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the estate and gift tax exclusion amount to $5 million beginning in 2010; (2) lower to 15% the estate tax rate for estates up to $25 million and 30% for estates of $25 million or more; (3) repeal after 2009 the estate tax deduction for estate, inheritance, legacy, or succession taxes paid to states; (4) allow a surviving spouse to claim any unused portion of a deceased spouse's estate or gift tax exclusion amount; and (5) allow a taxpayer election to deduct from gross income the lesser of 60% of qualified timber gain or net capital gain. Provides that the general termination date of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001(EGTRRA) (i.e., December 31, 2010) shall not apply to the estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax provisions of EGTRRA not amended by this Act. Repeals provisions of EGTRRA relating to carryover basis of estate property to allow heirs of such property after 2009 to use date-of-death fair market values.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2006
Stealth Tax Relief Extension Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the exemption from the alternative minimum tax for individual taxpayers in 2007; and (2) extend through 2007 the allowance of certain nonrefundable tax credits against alternative minimum tax liability.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2006
Condemns the vote by the British National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) on May 29, 2006, to boycott Israeli academics and academic institutions that refuse to declare their opposition to the government and State of Israel. Finds NATFHE's criticism of Israeli policy particularly objectionable given the Israeli government's courageous and far-reaching contributions to peace. Urges the University and College Union (UCU) to nullify and void the NATFHE resolution and issue a statement deploring the campaign to boycott Israeli academia. Commends the British government and leading academics for criticizing the NATFHE resolution. Deplores any comparison between Israel, where all citizens are equal before the law, and the former apartheid regime in South Africa. Urges governments and educators throughout the world to reaffirm the importance of academic freedom and open dialogue.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2006
North American Wetlands Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2006 - Authorizes appropriations to carry out the North American Wetlands Conservation Act for FY2008-FY2011.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that it is the goal of the United States that by January 1, 2025, U.S. agricultural, forestry, and working land should provide from renewable resources not less than 25% of the total U.S. energy consumption and continue to produce safe, abundant, and affordable food, feed, and fiber.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2006
Constitutional Amendment - Marriage Protection Amendment - Declares that: (1) marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman; and (2) neither the U.S. Constitution nor the constitution of any state shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents of marriage be conferred upon any other union.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Securities Litigation Attorney Accountability and Transparency Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Securities Act of 1933 to require, in any private action in which the court enters a final judgment, that the court award the defendant reasonable fees and expenses, and impose such fees and expenses on the plaintiff's attorney, if the plaintiff's position was not substantially justified. Requires each plaintiff and plaintiff's attorney in a private action to provide sworn certifications, filed with the complaint, that identify any conflict of interest, including any direct or indirect payment, between the attorney and the plaintiff. Authorizes the court, in exercising its discretion over the approval of lead counsel, to employ alternative means in the selection and retention of counsel for the most adequate plaintiff, including a competitive bidding process.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2006
Commends efforts by members of faith-based and community organizations in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Encourages all government agencies to consider such organizations in disaster relief and recovery in the future.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2006
Condemns the failure of the government of Venezuela to stop criminal drug trafficking. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) it should continue to be U.S. policy to support cooperation between Venezuela and its partners in the Andean region to combat drug trafficking; (2) efforts to restore cooperation between Venezuela and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration should be continued; (3) it should continue to be U.S. policy to assist the international community in a review of security measures at the Simon Bolivar International Airport and to work with the Organization of American States (OAS) to bring Venezuela into compliance with OAS conventions and treaties to punish and eliminate narco-terrorism; (4) the Secretary of Transportation should report to Congress on actions taken by the government of Venezuela to restore airport security measures at Simon Bolivar International Airport; and (5) the Secretary of State should report to Congress on Venezuela's compliance with international counternarcotics treaties.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2006
401Kids Family Savings Act of 2006 - Amends the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 to extend through 2015 provisions allowing increased annual contributions to Coverdell education savings accounts. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow tax-free distributions from a Coverdell education savings account for first-time homebuyer expenses; (2) permit rollovers from Coverdell education savings accounts to Roth individual retirement accounts (Roth IRAs); and (3) rename Coverdell education savings accounts as 401Kids Savings Accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2006
Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require schools and libraries that receive universal service support to enforce a policy that prohibits access to a commercial social networking website or chat room through which minors may easily: (1) access or be presented with obscene or indecent material; (2) be subject to unlawful sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or repeated offensive sexual comments from adults; or (3) access other material that is harmful to minors. Allows an administrator, supervisor, or other authorized person to disable such a technology protection measure during use by an adult, or by minors with adult supervision, to enable access for educational purposes. Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) establish an advisory board; (2) annually publish a list of commercial social networking websites and chat rooms that have been shown to allow sexual predators easy access to personal information of, and contact with, children; (3) issue a consumer alert regarding use of the Internet by child predators and the potential dangers to children because of such use, including the potential dangers of commercial social networking websites and chat rooms; and (4) establish a website resource of information for parents, teachers, school administrators, and others regarding potential dangers posed by the use of the Internet by children.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2006
Condemns the actions of the Catholic Patriotic Association of China in their coerced ordination of priests Joseph Ma Yinglin and Joseph Liu Xinhong. Extends deepest sympathy to the Catholic population of China and the Catholic Church for this insult. Reaffirms the right of all religious organizations to choose their leaders free of intimidation or terror in accordance with the Uniform Declaration of Human Rights. Urges the government of China to end its repression of religious organizations, recognize the ecclesiastical authority of religious leaders to provide spiritual leadership to their followers, and end the practice of only allowing religious worship through state-sanctioned patriotic religious associations. Insists that China refrain from additional ordinations of Catholic bishops until and unless their elevation is approved by the proper ecclesiastical authorities.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
Student and Teacher Safety Act of 2006 - Requires states, local educational agencies, and school districts to deem a search of any minor student on public school grounds to be reasonable and permissible if conducted by a full-time teacher or school official, acting on any colorable suspicion based on professional experience and judgment, to ensure that the school remain free of all weapons, dangerous materials, or illegal narcotics. Denies Safe Schools and Citizenship Education funds, provided under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, to states, local educational agencies, and school districts that fail to deem such searches reasonable and permissible.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
Summer Relief for Motorists Act of 2006 - Expresses the sense of Congress that states can assist motorists by temporarily suspending state gasoline taxes without jeopardizing their commitment to transportation infrastructure investment. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to suspend excise taxes on gasoline, diesel fuel, and kerosene from the enactment of this Act until September 4, 2006 (suspension period). Provides for reimbursement to the Highway Trust Fund and the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund for tax revenues lost during the suspension period. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to suspend the application of any federal law exempting crude oil and natural gas producers from the payment of royalties for production activities on federal lands during periods when the average price of crude oil exceeds $35.86 per barrel and the average wellhead price of natural gas exceeds $4.48 per 1,000 cubic feet.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Digital Television Consumer Education Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require manufacturers of television receiving equipment (TVs) that does not include a digital tuner to: (1) place an advisory label on its screen stating that, after February 17, 2009, such TV will receive TV signals only by using additional equipment; and (2) place such label permanently and conspicuously on the outside of the TV packaging. Provides related advisory requirements for retail distributors and other vendors. Requires broadcaster public service announcements about the deadline for termination of analog TV broadcasting and the equipment options for consumers following such termination. Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create a DTV Transition Federal Advisory Committee to educate the public about the digital television transition. Requires such education to commence by September 1, 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
American Flag Display Protection Act - Prohibits an elementary school, secondary school, or institution of higher education from receiving federal funds by grant or contract if the school has a policy or practice preventing students from respectfully displaying or wearing a representation of the U.S. flag in a manner at least equal in quality and scope to their right to respectfully display or wear any other representation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 - Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to revise requirements for: (1) the use of election examiners and observers; (2) declaratory judgment on the issue of voting qualifications or standards intended to diminish the ability of U.S. citizens to elect preferred candidates; and (3) award of attorney fees in enforcement proceedings to include expert fees and other reasonable costs of litigation. Extends bilingual election requirements through August 5, 2032. Revises the requirements for determining states and political subdivisions covered by them to require use of 2010 American Community Survey census data. Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with respect to the prohibition against the use of tests or devices to deny the right to vote in any federal, state, or local election. Extends both the prohibition and the date for mandatory congressional reconsideration of it.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Reaffirms that statements or songs that symbolize the unity of the Nation, including the National Anthem, the Oath of Allegiance sworn by new U.S. citizens, and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States, should be recited or sung in English, the common language of the United States.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kennedy, Mark R. [R-MN-6]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000358_200.jpg)