United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2006
Iraq War Powers Repeal Act of 2006 - Declares that it is U.S. policy to end the occupation of Iraq. Repeals the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2006
Calls for: (1) cessation of the targeting by any side in the hostilities in Lebanon of infrastructure vital to non-combatants, which also increases the likelihood of the loss of innocent civilian life; (2) immediate opening of a secure humanitarian corridor via the seaports and airports of Lebanon to alleviate the suffering of the people of Lebanon; and (3) an immediate cease-fire. Urges a comprehensive and just solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2006
Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive Act of 2006 or the GROWTH Act of 2006 - Targets assistance for women in developing countries with respect to: (1) microenterprises; (2) small and medium enterprises; (3) private property rights and land tenure security; (4) employment access; (5) trade benefits; (6) exchanges with U.S. entrepreneurs; (7) Millennium Challenge Account assistance; and (8) indigenous women's organizations. Directs the Secretary of State to establish the Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive (GROWTH) Fund to enhance economic opportunities for very poor, poor, and low-income women in developing countries with a focus on: (1) increasing women-owned enterprise development; (2) increasing property rights for women; (3) increasing women's access to financial services; (4) increasing women in leadership in implementing organizations, such as indigenous nongovernmental organizations, community-based organizations, and regulated financial intermediaries; (5) improving women's employment benefits and conditions; and (6) increasing women's ability to benefit from global trade.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2006
Protecting Children's Health in Schools Act of 2006 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish requirements for providing and receiving reimbursement for school-based health care for children, including children with special needs, and the related administrative and transportation costs covered under Medicaid. Includes health care provided through Medicaid managed care organizations. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education, acting jointly, to develop and implement a uniform methodology for claims under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2006
Commemorates the 60th anniversary of the 1946 season of Bob Feller (Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher) and his return from military service to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2006
Calls upon the President to: (1) appeal to all sides in the current Middle East crisis for an immediate cessation of violence; (2) commit U.S. diplomats to multiparty negotiations with no preconditions; and (3) send a high-level diplomatic mission to the region to facilitate such negotiations. Urges such negotiations to begin as soon as possible, including delegations from the governments of Israel, the Palestinian Authority (PA), Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. Supports an international peacekeeping mission to southern Lebanon to prevent cross-border skirmishes during such negotiations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2006
Civil Rights History Project Act of 2006 - Requires the Librarian of Congress and the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (acting through the Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture) to establish an oral history project to: (1) collect video and audio recordings of, and visual and written materials relevant to the personal histories of, participants in the Civil Rights movement; and (2) make the collection available for public use through the Library of Congress and the Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2006
Shirley A. Chisholm United States-Caribbean Educational Exchange Act of 2006 - Authorizes the Secretary of State to establish the Shirley Chisholm United States-Caribbean Educational Exchange Program under which scholars and secondary, undergraduate, and graduate students from the Caribbean would attend U.S. schools, participate in activities designed to promote a greater understanding of U.S. values and culture, and have the option to live with a U.S. host family. Directs the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop a comprehensive program that extends and expands existing primary and secondary school initiatives in the Caribbean to provide: (1) teacher training methods; and (2) increased community involvement in school activities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2006
United States Physician Shortage Elimination Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the National Health Service Corps Medical School Scholarship Program to ensure an adequate supply of physicians providing primary health services. Requires the Secretary to provide scholarships and accept individuals into the Corps in exchange for such individuals completing a residency in a specialty needed by the Corps and serving as a provider of primary health services in a health professional shortage area for six years. Allows the Secretary to make grants to: (1) increase the capacity of medical schools to accept students each year; (2) recruit students to participate in the Corps Scholarship Program; (3) increase the number of minority health professionals servicing medically underserved communities; and (4) establish new or alternative-campus accredited medical residency programs affiliated with accredited medical programs. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to make grants to community health centers to: (1) increase the number of medical service providers associated with such centers; and (2) increase primary care capabilities through the construction, expansion, or renovation of facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2006
Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a comprehensive program for reducing the incidence of suicide among veterans. Requires the program to include: (1) mandatory training for appropriate staff and contractors of the Department of Veterans Affairs who interact with veterans; (2) screening of veterans who receive medical care at a Department facility for suicide risk factors; (3) referral of at-risk veterans for counseling and treatment; (4) a suicide prevention counselor at each Department medical facility; (5) research for suicide prevention and for mental health care for veterans who have experienced sexual trauma while in military service; (6) 24-hour veterans' mental health care availability; and (7) a toll-free hotline. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) suicide among veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious problem; and (2) the Secretary should take in the special needs of PTSD-afflicted veterans in developing and implementing the program.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2006
Industrial Bank Holding Company Act of 2006 - Requires an industrial bank holding company to register and file certain reports with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) within ninety days after becoming an industrial bank holding company Prohibits such holding company from being controlled by a commercial firm. Grandfathers certain institutions to exempt them from the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2006
Congratulates the people and government of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the 15th anniversary of the closure of the world's second largest nuclear test site in the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan. Commends Kazakhstan for advancing the cause of nonproliferation by dismantling its nuclear and biological weapons and facilities. Calls upon the Administration to establish a joint working group with the government of Kazakhstan to assess the environmental damage and health effects caused by nuclear testing in the Semipalatinsk region by the former Soviet Union.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2006
Commends the Magen David Adom Society for its long and distinguished record of humanitarian assistance to all in need, even those responsible for atrocities against Israeli civilians. Congratulates the Magen David Adom Society, and the government and the people of Israel, for securing full membership in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Thanks the President, the Secretary of State, U.S. diplomatic representatives, the American Red Cross, the government of Switzerland, and officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross for their efforts that culminated in the Magen David Adom Society's acceptance as a full member in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Commends the President for: (1) submitting the Third Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions to the Senate for its advice and consent; and (2) preparing related legislation for congressional consideration and enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2006
Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth Act of 2006 - States that it shall be U.S. policy to: (1) pursue a global HIV prevention strategy that emphasizes the needs of married and unmarried women and girls and addresses the factors that lead to gender disparities in HIV infection rates; and (2) balance funding for HIV prevention methods. Directs the President to: (1) formulate and submit to the appropriate congressional committees, and make available to the public, a comprehensive and culturally appropriate global HIV prevention strategy that addresses the HIV vulnerability of married and unmarried women and girls and seeks to reduce the factors that lead to gender disparities in HIV infection rates; (2) ensure that the United States coordinates its overall HIV/AIDS policy and programs with foreign governments, international organizations, other donor countries, and indigenous organizations; (3) provide clear guidance to U.S. field missions; and (4) implement a monitoring and evaluation system.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2006
Urges: (1) the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), the Inter-American Development Bank, and other multilateral financial institutions to cancel Haiti's debts to them under the Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative; and (2) the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct U.S. Executive Directors at such institutions to use U.S. influence to accomplish this goal.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a commemorative postage stamp should be issued by the U.S. Postal Service honoring Varian Fry; and (2) the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend to the Postmaster General that such a stamp be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2006
Safe Climate Act of 2006 - Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate: (1) targets for a 2% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions each year from 2010-2050 ; and (2) regulations requiring reductions to meet such targets, including by setting caps on emissions of sources and sectors with the largest emissions or the best opportunities to reduce them, by issuing and authorizing trading of emission allowances, and by imposing penalties for excess emissions. Requires relevant federal agencies to finalize a rule to carry out the National Academies' recommendations for regulatory action needed to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations or explain their reasons for declining to act. Requires the President to submit to Congress a plan for the distribution of emission allowances (including through auctions) and the use of proceeds (to be deposited in a Climate Reinvestment Fund) for specified goals, including mitigating the effects of energy cost increases and climate change. Requires the EPA to ensure that emissions and allowances are accurately tracked, reported, and verified. Authorizes the emission reduction regulations to include: (1) additional requirements for any source or sector; and (2) performance standards, best management practices, and technology-based requirements. Requires such regulations to set standards for the reduction of greenhouse emissions from motor vehicles at least as quickly as the standards adopted by the California Air Resources Board at its September 2004 hearing. Requires the EPA to revise such standards in 2014 and every five years thereafter to further reduce emissions. Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of Energy to: (1) require, beginning in 2009, an annual increase in the percentage of electric energy generated from renewable sources that is sold at the retail level in the United States and to require such percentage to be at least 20% of the total electricity sold by 2020; and (2) set end-user savings targets for retail electric-energy and natural gas suppliers. Authorizes DOE to: (1) increase the required percentage of end-user savings for years after 2020; and (2) allow suppliers to achieve the targets through a market-based trading system.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2006
Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to revise the prohibition on importing convict-made goods into the United States to make it unlawful to: (1) import into, or export from, the United States any sweatshop good; or (2) introduce into commerce, sell, trade, or advertise in commerce, offer to sell, or transport or distribute in U.S.commerce, any sweatshop good. Grants the President, for reasons of national interest, authority to recommend waiver of the applications set forth in this Act in connection with the goods of any country with respect to one or more of the principles and rights defined in this Act as a core labor standard. Sets forth procedures for consideration of such a waiver. Makes it unlawful for persons to introduce into commerce, sell, trade, or advertise in commerce, offer to sell or transport or distribute in commerce any sweatshop good. Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce this prohibition as if it were an unfair or deceptive act or practice proscribed under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Allows specified persons with standing to bring a civil action in U.S. district courts against sellers of goods, wares, articles, or merchandise on grounds of a violation of such prohibition. Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 and federal law regarding the Armed Forces to prohibit executive agencies from entering into procurement contracts for sweatshop goods.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2006
Guarantee of Medical Accuracy in Sex Education Act - Prohibits a federal agency from providing funds or assistance to an entity for the development of course material or the provision of instruction on human development and sexuality if such material or instruction will include medically inaccurate information. Directs such an agency to require a sufficient assurance that such material or instruction will not include medically inaccurate information. Defines "medically inaccurate information" as information related to medical, psychiatric, psychological, empirical, or statistical statements that is unsupported or contradicted by peer-reviewed research by leading medical, psychological, psychiatric, and public health organizations and agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2006
Child Tax Credit Growth Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reduce from $10,000 to $5,000 the income threshold for determining the refundable portion of the child tax credit; (2) increase from 17 to 19 the age limit for a qualifying child under such credit; and (3) impose an additional income tax on individual taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $1 million.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2006
Declares that Congress: (1) recognizes that minorities and women still face unique challenges entering into and obtaining upper level positions within the financial services industry; and (2) encourages financial institutions to take specified steps to increase participation of women and minorities in the industry. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) active measures should be taken by employers and educational institutions to increase the demographic diversity of the financial services industry; and (2) diversity within the financial services industry is vitally important not only to promoting innovation and creativity in the industry but to developing a more inclusive workforce for a fair and just economy.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2006
Comprehensive Veterans' Data Protection and Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2006 - Places upon the Secretary of Veterans Affairs an affirmative obligation to protect from any data breach the sensitive personal information of veterans and any other individuals that the Department of Veterans Affairs possesses, creates, or maintains, as well as information or tools (including passwords and encryption keys) used to protect the integrity of such data. Requires the Secretary to: (1) implement and maintain reasonable security policies and procedures to protect such information; and (2) prescribe policies and procedures regarding employee and third party access to, and use of, such information which the Department receives, maintains, or transmits. Directs the Secretary, upon discovery of a data breach, to: (1) notify the United States Secret Service, the Department's Inspector General, the congressional veterans' committees, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); (2) notify each individual whose information was acquired or accessed by an unauthorized person; and (3) place a conspicuous notice on the Department's Internet website. Requires the Secretary, upon request of an affected individual, to: (1) include a fraud alert in the file of the individual with each nationwide consumer reporting agency; (2) apply a security freeze to the file of such individual; and (3) provide free damage mitigation services, including credit monitoring and annual copies of consumer credit reports. Establishes within the Department an Ombudsman for Data Security.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2006
Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act - Prohibits the federal government from purchasing any product derived from a covered animal used or intended for use as food or fiber or to produce food or fiber unless the animal is raised with: (1) adequate shelter which allows the animal to stand, lie down, walk, and turn around completely and fully extend all limbs or wings without touching any part of an enclosure; (2) daily access to adequate food and water; and (3) adequate veterinary care. States that this Act shall not apply to a covered animal: (1) during lawful transport; (2) in lawful rodeo exhibitions, state or county fair exhibitions, or other similar exhibitions; (3) in lawful scientific or agricultural research; or (4) undergoing veterinary care. Defines "covered animal" as any non-aquatic farm animal, including a pig, head of cattle, chicken, turkey, duck, goose, goat, horse, mule, sheep, rabbit, ostrich, emu, or rhea.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2006
Menu Education and Labeling Act or the MEAL Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to require restaurants that are a part of a chain with 20 or more locations doing business under the same trade name to disclose: (1) in a statement adjacent to each menu item, the number of calories, grams of saturated fat plus trans fat, and milligrams of sodium in a standard food serving; (2) other information designed to enable the public to understand the significance of the nutrition information provided in the context of a total daily diet; (3) that such information shall be provided in writing upon request; and (4) in a statement adjacent to the name of the food on a menu board, the number of calories in a serving of the food. Exempts condiments, items placed on a table or counter for general use, daily specials, temporary menu items, and irregular menu items from these requirements. Requires restaurants that sell self-serve food, such as through salad bars or buffet lines, to place a sign that lists the number of calories per standard serving adjacent to each food offered. Permits retail food establishments to voluntarily provide, and states to require, additional nutritional information. Requires vending machine operators to provide a conspicuous sign disclosing the number of calories in each item of food offered.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2006
United States-Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Human Dignity Act - Prohibits the affixation of the "Made in the USA" label to a product (including a textile fiber product) leaving the Northern Mariana Islands for shipment to any place in the United States or abroad unless: (1) each worker producing such product was paid a minimum wage equal to or greater than the wage set by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938; (2) the product was manufactured in compliance with all federal laws relating to labor rights and working conditions; and (3) the factory or other business producing the product does not employ individuals under conditions of indentured servitude. Applies to the Northern Mariana Islands: (1) the minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938; and (2) the Immigration and Nationality Act. Prohibits any product of the Northern Mariana Islands from entering U.S. customs territory duty-free or quota-free as a product of an insular possession, unless specified requirements relating to fair labor practices and country of origin are met. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to authorize inspection by the Customs Service of any vessel from a foreign port or from a place in any U.S. territory or possession arriving at a port or place in the Northern Mariana Islands. Prohibits the use of federal assistance for public buildings or public works projects in the Northern Mariana Islands which involve the employment of mechanics or laborers unless the project is subject to a contract containing specified provisions on the rate of wages for such laborers and mechanics. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to develop technical assistance programs for economic diversification, job creation, and job training in the Northern Mariana Islands. Requires studies of: (1) the extent of human and labor rights violations in the Northern Mariana Islands; and (2) security and immigration vulnerabilities there.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Veterans' ID Theft Protection Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to take specified actions in response to the May 2006 breach of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) data security, including: (1) repairing the breach, restoring the security and confidentiality of the sensitive financial personal information involved and the integrity of data security safeguards, and improving data security policies and procedures; and (2) notifying affected persons, each nationwide consumer reporting agency, and any other third parties who will be required to act to protect such persons from fraud or identity theft. Makes the Secretary responsible for providing any notices and file monitoring required under this Act at no cost to the persons affected by the breach. Requires the Secretary to make available to a person affected, upon request, a service that monitors nationwide credit activity from a consumer reporting agency for six months for free.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Prohibits: (1) any of the funds made available to the Executive Office of the President, or to any executive agency, from any source from being used to produce, publish, or disseminate any statement made by the President contemporaneously with the signing of any bill or joint resolution presented for signing by the President; and (2) for purposes of construing or applying any Act enacted by Congress, a federal entity from taking into consideration any statement made by the President contemporaneously with the President's signing of the bill or joint resolution that becomes such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Requests the President, and directs the Secretary of Defense and the Attorney General, to transmit to the House of Representatives documents relating to the termination of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of Professional Responsibility's investigation of the involvement of DOJ personnel in the creation and administration of the National Security Agency's (NSA) warrantless surveillance program, including documents relating to that Office's request for and denial of security clearances.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Requests the President, and directs the Secretary of State, to provide to the House of Representatives, not later than 14 days after adoption of this resolution, all documents, including planning documents, electronic mail records, minutes, memoranda, and advisory legal opinions, in the possession of the President or the Secretary, respectively, relating to strategies and plans designed to cause regime change in, or for the use of military force against Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2006
Veterans Identity Protection Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) certify in writing to Congress that any individual whose personal information is compromised due to lax data security at the VA has been appropriately notified in writing of such compromise; and (2) provide free of charge to each such individual credit monitoring services during the one-year period beginning on the date of this Act's enactment and a copy of the affected individual's credit report (in addition to any other credit report provided under otherwise applicable law) once annually during the two-year period beginning on the date on which the credit monitoring services terminate.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2006
Calls for legislation to be enacted by October 1, 2008, to guarantee that every person in the United States is entitled to receive all medically necessary care under a system of care that meets specified requirements, including that: (1) the system provides a single universal standard of excellence in care; (2) such care is affordable to all and there are no financial barriers to needed care; (3) the system provides comprehensive benefits and promotes prevention and early intervention; and (4) the system maximizes consumer choice of health care providers.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2006
Commends the courage and supports the determination of leaders and members of civil society and faith communities who risk their lives to advance local peace-building efforts and promote peace, human rights, and human dignity in Colombia. Recognizes the service and commitment of U.S. and Colombian churches, faith-based organizations, and non-governmental organizations for their advocacy and humanitarian assistance to promote peace, defend human rights, and improve the lives of the people of Colombia who have been displaced and marginalized. Urges the Secretary of State to recognize and provide support for faith-based organizations and non-governmental organizations in Colombia, and their U.S. partners, for efforts to provide humanitarian assistance, promote peace and conflict resolution, advance human rights, and end the armed conflict in Colombia. Calls upon the Secretary of State to monitor any acts of violence or human rights abuses committed against leaders or members of local peace-building efforts in Colombia by government forces, guerilla groups, or paramilitaries.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2006
District of Columbia Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act of 2006 - Considers the District of Columbia a congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives. Applies to the District in the same manner as it applies to a state the federal law providing for the fifteenth and subsequent decennial censuses and for apportionment of Representatives in Congress. Limits the District to one Member under any reapportionment of Members. Modifies the formula regarding the number of presidential electors to subject it to the Twenty-Third amendment to the Constitution in the case of the District. Makes conforming amendments to federal law regarding the Armed Forces (appointments to service academies). Increases membership of the House from 435 to 437 Members. Provides for a reapportionment of Members resulting from such increase. Makes conforming amendments to the District of Columbia Elections Code of 1955. Repeals provisions of: (1) the District of Columbia Delegate Act establishing the office of District of Columbia Delegate to the House of Representatives; and (2) the District of Columbia Statehood Constitution Convention Initiative of 1979 providing for electing a Senator and Representative for the District.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2006
Family Fairness Act of 2006 - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to make an employee eligible for coverage under such Act if that employee has been employed for at least 12 months by a covered employer with respect to whom such leave is requested. (Eliminates the requirement, under current law, that the employee have served at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period before the leave request.)
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2006
Lawful Intelligence and Surveillance of Terrorists in an Emergency by NSA Act or LISTEN Act - States that specified provisions of federal criminal law concerning wire and electronic communications and their interception and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) shall be the exclusive means by which domestic electronic surveillance may be conducted. Directs the President to ensure that: (1) all electronic surveillance of persons in the United States is conducted within those exclusive means; and (2) the procedures for applying for an order for electronic surveillance under FISA continue to be adequate for the timely and efficient electronic surveillance of appropriate targets. Requires: (1) the President to report to the congressional intelligence and judiciary committees upon a determination that such procedures are inadequate; and (2) the report to contain findings and recommendations with respect to emergency or routine applications for such orders. Authorizes appropriations to the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) for activities of the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review to ensure the timely and efficient processing of applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2006
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of Mental Health Month; and (2) President Bush's Commission on Mental Health's finding that the failure to prioritize mental health is a national tragedy.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2006
HOPE VI Reauthorization Act of 2006 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to extend appropriations for FY2007-FY2011 for demolition, site revitalization, replacement housing, and tenant-based assistance grants for public housing projects. Extends the sunset date for such assistance to September 30, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2006
Restoring Emergency Services to Protect Our Nation From Disasters Act of 2006 or the RESPOND Act of 2006 - Reestablishes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a cabinet-level independent establishment in the executive branch to be headed by a Director appointed by the President. Requires FEMA to: (1) include all functions and authorities prescribed by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster and Emergency Assistance Act; (2) carry out its mission by leading and supporting the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system; and (3) be the lead agency for the National Response Plan. Provides for an Office of the Inspector General within FEMA. Requires the Director to develop a human capital strategy. Establishes within FEMA a disaster workforce reserve cadre to meet surge requirements during emergencies. Requires the Director to: (1) establish a program to assist states and local governments representing areas at substantial risk for a catastrophic incident; (2) maintain and operate a national emergency operations center; (3) develop an efficient, transparent, and flexible logistics system for procurement and delivery of goods and services; and (4) establish and maintain an interoperable communications capability. Amends the Stafford Act to require the President, acting through the Director, to establish at least three national response teams, sufficient regional and other response teams, and a national emergency preparedness goal and system. Requires the Director to: (1) carry out a grant program to improve state and local government emergency response capabilities; (2) establish a comprehensive system to assess the nation's overall emergency preparedness; and (3) establish a National Emergency Preparedness Task Force. Establishes a national incident management system.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Real Solutions to World Hunger Act of 2005 [sic] - Makes it unlawful for any person to ship, or offer to ship, or for any carrier or person to transport, or receive for transportation, to any foreign country, any genetically engineered animal, plant, or seed (as defined by this Act) if the person knows or has reason to believe that the engineered article will be used to produce an agricultural commodity if: (1) such article was denied federal approval for U.S. marketing, or its application for approval was withdrawn; or (2) the foreign government has not certified that related ecological impacts of such article have been satisfactorily mitigated. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to designated international research institutions to promote development of sustainable agricultural techniques (which may not derive any genetic engineered material) that rely on minimum artificial inputs to meet developing countries' food and fiber needs. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director at each international financial institution to make no effort to encourage the institution from prohibiting countries eligible for certain assistance from requiring compulsory licensing of genetically engineered animals, plants or seeds. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a tax on a corporation equal to one percent of its gross income that is attributable to the U.S. marketing of any genetically engineered organism (as defined by this Act), or the holding of a patent on any such organism; and (2) establish in the Treasury the Sustainable Agriculture Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Genetically Engineered Organism Liability Act of 2005 - States that a biotech company shall be liable, and that the liability may not be waived or avoided, to any party injured by the release of a genetically engineered organism into the environment if the injury results from such genetic engineering.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Genetically Engineered Food Safety Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to include genetically engineered food in the definition of "food additive." Sets forth requirements governing petitions to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for a regulation prescribing the conditions of safe use of a genetically engineered food additive, including information to be included in the petition and factors to be considered by the Secretary in making a decision. Authorizes civil actions against: (1) a person alleged to have violated FFDCA provisions regulating genetic food additives; and (2) the Secretary for failure to perform a mandatory act or duty related to genetic food additives. Requires the Secretary to collect a filing fee for petitions to: (1) defray costs related to such petitions under this Act; and (2) provide for research on the safety of genetic food additives. Authorizes an officer or employee conducting an inspection to order the detention of food if such person has reason to believe that such food violates the FFDCA. Requires all food retailers to register with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expedite recalls, embargoes, and seizures.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA), and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) to deem a food misbranded if it contains or was produced with a genetically engineered material unless its labeling contains statements meeting specified requirements. Requires the periodic testing of such foods transferred along a chain of distribution to assure accuracy of labels, subject to specified exceptions. Excludes, in all three Acts, food: (1) served in restaurants; or (2) prepared primarily in a retail establishment, ready for human consumption, but not offered for sale for immediate consumption in the establishment. Excludes, for the FDCA, a medical food as defined in the Orphan Drug Act. Subjects violators to civil monetary penalties, exempting recipients who accept a guarantee of the absence of genetically engineered material in good faith or producers whose food inadvertently becomes contaminated by genetically engineered material. Authorizes citizen suits as specified.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Genetically Engineered Crop and Animal Farmer Protection Act - Requires a biotech company that sells any genetically engineered animal, plant, or seed that will be used in the United States to: (1) provide the purchaser with written notice of possible legal and environmental risks of such article's use (such disclosure shall neither relieve the company from liability, nor be construed to create purchaser liability); and (2) disclose any technology fees to the Secretary of Agriculture, and not charge fees that are higher than those outside the United States. Sets forth related contract prohibitions and limitations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) identify which plants are outcrossed pollinators and make such information available to affected sellers and purchasers; and (2) issue rules to require mitigation strategies for predominately outcrossed crops. Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) establish the best achievable resistance plan for plant-incorporated pesticides engineered to include toxins derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt); (2) revoke Bt registrations not in plan compliance; and (3) reduce a pesticide's use if it is determined to be facilitating Bt-toxin resistance in pests. Prohibits: (1) labeling seeds as non-genetically engineered if the Secretary determines such seeds contains genetically engineered material; (2) manufacture, sale, or planting of genetically engineered or chemically induced non-fertile seeds; and (3) loan discrimination against a producer who refuses to use genetically engineered plants or animals. Authorizes, with respect to violations under this Act,: (1) the Secretary to assess civil penalties; and (2) citizen civil actions against the Secretary, a federal agency, or an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Genetically Engineered Pharmaceutical and Industrial Crop Safety Act of 2005 [sic] - Prohibits: (1) a pharmaceutical crop or industrial crop to be grown, raised, or otherwise cultivated until the final regulations and tracking system required by this Act are in effect; and (2) cultivation of a pharmaceutical crop or industrial crop in an open air environment, or in a food commonly used for human food or domestic animal feed. Directs the Department of Agriculture to establish a tracking system to regulate the growing, handling, transportation, and disposal of all pharmaceutical and industrial crops and their byproducts to prevent contamination. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to assess civil penalties for violations of such provisions. Directs the National Academy of Sciences to report on alternative methods to produce pharmaceuticals or industrial chemicals that may be conducted in controlled production facilities without the risk of contamination. Defines: (1) "genetically engineered plant"; (2) "genetically engineered material"; (3) "genetically engineered seed"; (4) "pharmaceutical crop"; and (5) "industrial crop."
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
Recognizes that African American spirituals are a poignant and powerful genre of music that have become one of the most significant segments of American music in existence. Requests that the President issue a proclamation that reflects on the important contribution of African American spirituals to American history and that names the African American spiritual as a national treasure.