United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Notification of Risk to Personal Data Act - Prescribes notification procedures governing any agency, or person engaged in interstate commerce, that owns or licenses electronic data containing personal information, following the discovery of a breach of security of the system containing such data. Amends the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act to require a financial institution, at which a breach of personal information is reasonably believed to have occurred, to promptly notify: (1) each affected customer; (2) each pertinent consumer reporting agency; (3) the information clearinghouse established by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under this Act; and (4) appropriate law enforcement agencies in any case in which the financial institution has reason to believe that the breach or suspected breach affects a large number of customers. Requires any person that maintains personal information for or on behalf of a financial institution to notify promptly the financial institution of any case in which such customer information has been, or is reasonably believed to have been, breached. Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require a consumer reporting agency to maintain a fraud alert file with respect to any consumer upon receiving notice of a breach of personal information from: (1) an agency or person engaged in interstate commerce pursuant to this Act; or (2) a financial institution subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Authorizes State Attorneys General to bring civil actions in Federal district court to enforce this Act on behalf of the residents of the State. Directs the FTC to establish and maintain a clearinghouse to collect and analyze information required under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Rail Transit Security and Safety Act of 2005 - Directs the Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security (Under Secretary) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to complete a vulnerability assessment of freight and passenger rail transportation. Requires the Under Secretary, based on the assessment, to develop specific prioritized recommendations for improving rail security. Directs the Under Secretary to establish the position of Federal Rail Security Manager to: (1) serve as regional coordinator of the Under Secretary's response to terrorist incidents and threats to rail assets; and (2) coordinate efforts related to rail security with State and local law enforcement. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the rail passenger transportation security programs in Japan, member nations of the European Union (EU), and other foreign countries in order to identify effective rail transportation security measures. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants to Amtrak for certain fire and life-safety improvements and infrastructure upgrades to tunnels on the Northeast Corridor. Directs the DHS Secretary to award grants directly to public transportation agencies for allowable capital and operational security improvements. Establishes a research and development (R&D) program to improve freight and intercity passenger rail security. Sets forth certain whistleblower protections for rail employees or other persons who have provided information or otherwise assisted in any investigation regarding certain conduct, or who have refused to violate or assist in the violation of any regulation related to public transportation security.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Child Health Care Crisis Relief Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to establish programs related to mental health services for children and adolescents, to include: (1) entering into contracts with qualified individuals to pay educational loans in exchange for providing mental health services to children and adolescents; (2) awarding scholarships to students who agree to work as child and adolescent mental health service professionals after graduation or completion of residency; (3) entering into contracts with higher education institutions to establish or expand internship or other field placement programs for students receiving specialized training or clinical experience in child and adolescent mental health; (4) awarding grants to State-licensed mental heath organizations to pay for programs for preservice or in-service training of paraprofessional child and adolescent mental health workers; and (5) awarding grants to higher education institutions to establish or expand graduate child and adolescent mental health programs. Amends Title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to adjust the graduate medical education program to: (1) exclude a reasonable number of residents or fellows in child and adolescent psychiatry when calculating the maximum number of residents in the field of allopathic or osteopathic medicine for which the hospital may be paid; and (2) extend the period of board eligibility for residents and fellows in child and adolescent psychiatry. Directs the Administrator to study and report to Congress on the distribution of, and need for, child mental health service professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Directs the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security each to transmit to the House of Representatives all documents in their possession relating to the security investigations and background checks relating to access to the White House granted to James D. Guckert (known as Jeff Gannon), and any requisite instructions for handling such documents.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the U.S. Government should continue to insist that the People's Republic of China (PRC) respect its citizens' fundamental human rights; and (2) the U.S. representative should introduce a resolution at the 61st Session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, detailing the human rights situation in the PRC and urging it to abide by internationally recognized human rights standards. Urges the PRC to: (1) stop the persecution of religious practitioners and to safeguard fundamental human rights; (2) stop the forced return of North Korean refugees; (3) end its coercive one-child per family policy; (4) investigate the 1989 Tiananmen Square event, release all prisoners held in connection with that event, and compensate the families who lost their loved ones; (5) release all prisoners of conscience, persons held because of their religious activities, and persons of humanitarian concern; (6) release the 11th Panchen Lama identified by Dalai Lama and allow him to undertake his rightful role; and (7) allow visits to China by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on Religious Intolerance and Torture, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2005
Net Worth Amendment For Credit Unions Act - Amends the Federal Credit Union Act relating to the requirement of prompt corrective action to resolve the problems of an insured credit union at the least possible long-term loss to the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund. Redefines net worth as the retained earnings balance of a credit union (as determined under generally accepted accounting principles, as under current law), together with any amounts that were previously retained earnings of any other credit union with which the credit union has combined.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2005
Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2005 - Repeals current Department of Defense (DOD) policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces. Prohibits the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation against any member of the Armed Forces or any person seeking to become a member. Authorizes the re-accession into the Armed Forces of otherwise qualified individuals previously separated for homosexuality, bisexuality, or homosexual conduct. Requires such Secretaries to ensure that regulations governing the personal conduct of members of the Armed Forces are written and enforced without regard to sexual orientation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2005
True American Heroes Act of 2005 - Directs the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation on behalf of the Congress of a single gold medal on the 5th anniversary of September 11, 2001, in the name of the unknown officer, worker, employee, passenger, or crew member, who was the first to die that day: (1) in the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City; (2) on board United Airlines Flight 93; and (3) in the attack on the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. Requires such presentation to be made to an appropriate representative of all such officers, emergency workers, employees, and other individuals for permanent public display in the Smithsonian Institution. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike additional duplicates in silver of such gold medal for permanent public display at: (1) a memorial at the site of the World Trade Center attacks; (2) the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and (3) a memorial at the site of the Pentagon attack. Lists sites for permanent display of silver duplicates presented on behalf of responders, resistors aboard Flight 93, and Government workers who responded to and perished in the Pentagon attack. Instructs the Secretary to mint and issue $50 gold coins, $1 silver coins; and half dollar clad coins in commemoration of the Spirit of America. Directs the Secretary to mint and issue $50 gold coins equal to the number of innocent individuals confirmed or presumed to have been killed as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. States that the design of such coins shall be emblematic of the tragic events that occurred at the Pentagon, in New York City, and in Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001. Sets forth surcharges on the sale of such coins.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit: (1) Federal civilian and military retirees to pay Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis (i.e., exclude premiums from gross income); and (2) a tax deduction (available to itemizers and nonitemizers) for TRICARE supplemental premiums or enrollment fees. Directs the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the option of paying FEHBP and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis is available to Federal civilian and military retirees for the first open enrollment period beginning not less than 90 days after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Treatment of Children's Deformities Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan, and a health issuer offering group health insurance coverage, that cover surgical benefits to also cover outpatient and inpatient diagnosis and treatment of a child's congenital or developmental deformity, disease, or injury. Requires that such coverage: (1) be subject to pre-authorization or pre-certification requirements of the plan or issuer; and (2) include any surgical treatment deemed by the treating physician to be medically necessary to approximate a normal appearance. Defines "treatment" to include reconstructive surgical procedures that are performed on abnormal structures of the body caused by congenital defects, abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors, or disease, including: (1) procedures that do not materially affect the function of the body part being treated; and (2) procedures for secondary conditions and follow-up treatment. Excludes cosmetic surgery performed to reshape normal structures of the body to improve appearance or self-esteem.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Public Housing Tenants Respect Act of 2005 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to repeal the public housing community service and family self-sufficiency requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Women, Children, and Infant Tsunami Victim Relief Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of State to make funding available to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for tsunami victims in Indonesia, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. States that such assistance shall be used to: (1) ensure safe childbirth and emergency obstetric care and to prevent HIV/AIDS transmission; (2) reestablish maternal health services; (3) prevent and treat cases of violence against women and youth; (4) offer psychological support and counseling to women and youth; and (5) promote access of unaccompanied women and other vulnerable people to vital services.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Mortgage Servicing Clarification Act - Amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to exempt from mandatory debt collection disclosures (that the debt collector is attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose) any servicer of federally related mortgage loans secured by first liens that include loans in default at the time such servicer became responsible for servicing such loans, if the servicer is also a debt collector whose collections are incidental to a primary function of servicing current federally related-mortgage loans.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Student Loan Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise student aid requirements for consolidation loans. Repeals a prohibition against refinancing consolidation loans. Allows borrowers to select lenders of consolidation loans. Requires lenders and institutions to provide certain information on consolidation loans to applicants. Revises interest rates on consolidated and reconsolidated loans.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act - Redefines the term "law enforcement officer" under provisions of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to include: (1) Federal employees not otherwise covered by such term whose duties include the investigation or apprehension of suspected or convicted individuals and who are authorized to carry a firearm; and (2) such employees of the Internal Revenue Service whose duties are primarily the collection of delinquent taxes and the securing of delinquent returns. Requires that such service which is performed by an incumbent law enforcement officer be treated: (1) on or after the enactment date of this Act, for all purposes, as service performed as a law enforcement officer, irrespective of how such service is treated under the following; and (2) before, on, or after such date, for purposes of CSRS and FERS, as service performed as such an officer, but only if an appropriate written election is submitted to the Office of Personnel Management five years after such date or before separation from Government service, whichever is earlier. Provides that nothing under current law respecting mandatory separation from Government service under CSRS or FERS shall cause the involuntary separation of an officer before the end of the three-year period beginning on such date.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Student Loan Interest Full Deductibility Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the current dollar limitations on the tax deduction of interest on education loans.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Congratulates the Jewish students and teachers of the Daf Yomi program on their completion of the 11th cycle of the Daf Hayomi. Wishes them well on their beginning the 12th cycle of such daily study of the Talmud.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Amends rule XI (Procedures of Committees and Unfinished Business) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to revise the procedures of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. Repeals the requirement that a complaint be dismissed if an investigative subcommittee has not been established within 45 days after the complaint is filed (Automatic Dismissal Rule). Requires the committee to establish an investigative subcommittee if a complaint is not disposed of within the 45 days (or a 45-day extension). Subjects to such (automatic) subcommittee establishment rule the current related requirement that an investigative committee be established only by an affirmative of the majority of the committee members, if at any time during the applicable time period either the committee chairman or ranking member places on the agenda the issue of whether to establish such an investigative subcommittee. Requires the Committee to establish an "investigative" instead of "adjudicatory" subcommittee when requested by a Member, officer, or employee of the House, contesting the contents of a written complaint. (Thus repeals the right of a Member, officer, or employee to demand an immediate trial by an adjudicatory committee within the initial 45-day period, before a case has been adequately prepared.) Revises the right to counsel of a respondent or witness. Strikes provisions allowing a respondent or witness appearing before the investigative subcommittee or investigative hearing to obtain counsel of his or her choice, even if such counsel represents another respondent or witness. (Thus allows the committee to adopt a rule that prohibits a counsel from representing more than one respondent or witness.)
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
National Parks Anniversaries-Great American Spaces Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue silver coins emblematic of certain National Parks that are observing historic anniversaries of their founding. Directs the Secretary to take action to ensure that minting and issuing coins under this Act will not result in any net cost to the United States Government. Prohibits coin issuance unless the Secretary has received: (1) full payment for the coin; (2) security satisfactory to the Secretary to indemnify the United States for full payment; or (3) a guarantee of full payment satisfactory to the Secretary from a depository institution whose deposits of which are insured by either the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or the National Credit Union Administration Board.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Amends Federal provisions relating to the military Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) to change from October 1, 2008, to October 1, 2005, the effective date on or after which no reduction may be made in the retired pay of an SBP participant for any month after the later of: (1) the 360th month for which such pay was so reduced; and (2) the month during which the participant attains 70 years of age.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to direct The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of State, and the Department of Defense (DOD) to incorporate anti-trafficking and protection measures for vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, into their post-conflict and humanitarian emergency assistance and program activities. Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to extend the sexually violent offender registration program to foreign offenses. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement to appoint a guardian ad litem for an unaccompanied alien child if the Director believes such child to be a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to: (1) provide victims of severe forms of trafficking with access to counsel; and (2) enhance specified U.S. efforts to combat trafficking in persons, including prevention of such activities by international peacekeepers. Directs USAID to carry out a pilot program to establish foreign residential treatment facilities for victims of trafficking. Amends Federal criminal law to establish extraterritorial jurisdiction over Federal contractors. Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to establish crimes of: (1) sex trafficking; and (2) trafficking for labor or services. Directs the Secretary of Defense to designate a director of anti-trafficking policies within DOD. Directs the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate acts of: (1) severe forms of trafficking in persons other than domestic trafficking in persons; and (2) domestic trafficking in persons. Directs the Secretary of Labor, through the Bureau of International Labor Affairs of the Department of Labor, to carry out specified activities to monitor and combat forced labor and child labor in foreign countries. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) develop a program to reduce demand for commercial sex acts; and (2) carry out a pilot program to establish U.S. residential treatment facilities for minor victims of domestic trafficking. Authorizes the Secretary of HHS to make grants to States, Indian tribes, units of local government, and nonprofit, nongovernmental victims' service organizations for programs for victims of domestic trafficking. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to States and local law enforcement agencies for programs to investigate and prosecute domestic trafficking in persons. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to authorize appropriations for specified activities and programs under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Mailing Support to Troops Act of 2005 - Authorizes free mailing privileges for mail matter sent by a family member from within an area served by a U.S. post office to members of the Armed Forces on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, or hospitalized at an Armed Forces facility as a result of such service.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Requires the Architect of the Capitol to enter into a contract to revise the statue commemorating women's suffrage located in the rotunda of the United States Capitol (known as the Portrait Monument) to include a likeness of Sojourner Truth.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Women's Health Office Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Social Security Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the establishment of separate Offices on Women's Health within the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Office of the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Office of the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Office of the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to carry out specified activities relating to the health of women. Directs the lead officers of each Office of Women's Health to establish goals, provide information, serve as a consultant, and establish a Coordinating Committee on Women's Health within their respective agencies. Requires the Director of the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to designate an official of the Office of Priority Populations to carry out similar responsibilities relating to women's health. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Office of Women's Health, to establish a National Women's Health Information Center to facilitate the exchange of information, access to such information, and the analysis of issues and problems relating to women's health. Transfers the functions of the Office on Women's Health of the Public Health Service to the Office of Women's Health within HHS.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 - Amends Federal monetary law to set forth requirements for the redesign and issuance of circulating $1 coins emblematic of each of the Presidents of the United States, except a sitting President. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue bullion coins emblematic of the spouse of each such President during the same period in which the $1 coins are issued. Expresses the sense of Congress about the issuance of such coins.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
International Remittance Consumer Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to require a remittance transfer provider to: (1) clearly and conspicuously make specified disclosures in writing and in a form that the consumer may keep to each consumer requesting a remittance transfer; and (2) make such disclosures in English and in the same languages principally used by the remittance transfer provider, or its agents at that office, if other than English. Prescribes error resolution guidelines and remedies governing remittance transfer errors. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to publish electronically on each business day the foreign currencies dollar exchange rate. Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to empower Federal Credit Unions to: (1) provide remittance transfers to persons in the field of membership; and (2) cash checks and money orders for such persons for a fee. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to work with the Federal reserve banks to expand the use of the automated clearinghouse system for remittance transfers to foreign countries. Requires certain Federal banking agencies to provide guidelines to financial institutions offering low-cost remittance transfers and no-cost or low-cost basic consumer accounts, as well as agency services to remittance transfer providers. Requires such agencies and the Secretary to assist the Financial Literacy and Education Commission in improving the financial literacy and education of consumers who send remittances. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the President, acting through the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, to provide assistance to leverage personal remittances and reduce the cost of remittances sent to Latin America and the Caribbean. Amends the Inter-American Development Bank Act to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director at the Inter-American Development Bank to use the U.S. voice, vote, and influence to urge the Bank, among other specified things, to provide assistance to increasing access to financial institutions for the poor and working with local financial institutions to reduce fees and other costs associated with sending or receiving remittances. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the remittance transfer system.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Count Every Vote Act of 2005 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 with respect to: (1) requirements for voter verification and manual audit capacity; (2) accessibiliity of the voting system for language minority individuals in a manner that provides the same opportunity for access, participation, inspection, and verification as for other voters; (3) prohibition of the use of undisclosed software and of wireless communication devices in voting systems; (4) certification of software and hardware used in electronic voting systems; (5) security standards for manufacturers of voting systems used in Federal elections; (6) mandatory recounts; (7) study, testing, and development of best practices to enhance accessibility and voter verification mechanisms for disabled voters; (8) voter verification and audit capacity funding; (9) security consultation services; (10) casting and counting of provisional ballots; (11) minimum required voting systems, poll workers, and election resources; (12) remedial plans for States with excessive voter wait times; (13) absentee voting; (14) public reports on Federal elections; (15) training of election officials; (16) impartial administration of elections; (17) standards for purging voters; (18) election day registration and early voting; (19) voter registration and identification; (20) prohibition of certain campaign activities; (21) voting rights of individuals convicted of criminal offenses; (22) election day as a public holiday; and (23) the Election Assistance Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Authorizes members of the National Guard who, immediately after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, served in counties declared Federal disaster areas as the result of those attacks to count such service as Federal active duty for purposes of military retirement credit. Makes this Act retroactively effective to benefit those members of the National Guard who became entitled to retired pay between September 11, 2001, and the date of enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Torture Outsourcing Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of State to submit to the appropriate congressional committees an annual list of countries where there are substantial grounds for believing that torture, cruel, or degrading treatment is commonly used in the detention or interrogation of individuals. Prohibits the direct or indirect transfer or return of persons by the United States for the purpose of detention, interrogation, trial, or otherwise to a listed country. Sets forth conditions under which: (1) the Secretary may waive such transfer prohibition; and (2) a treaty-based transfer may occur. Amends the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 to direct the appropriate Government agencies to prescribe regulations to implement U.S. obligations under the United Nations (UN) Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Mercury-Free Vaccines Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem a banned mercury-containing vaccine to be adulterated. Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide that a vaccine is a banned mercury-containing vaccine if one dose of the vaccine contains 1 or more micrograms of mercury in any form. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to declare that an actual or potential bioterrorist incident or other public health emergency makes the administration of such vaccines advisable for a specified period. Requires the Secretary to prohibit the distribution of banned mercury-containing influenza vaccines that are approved as biological products to: (1) any child under the age of three years old (effective July 1, 2006); (2) pregnant women if the vaccine contains thimerosal (effective July 1, 2006); and (3) any child under the age of six (effective July 1, 2007). Requires the Secretary to revise the vaccine information included with mercury-containing vaccines to include: (1) a statement that indicates the presence of mercury in the vaccine; (2) information on the availability of any mercury-free or mercury-reduced alternative vaccine and instructions on how to obtain such an alternative vaccine; and (3) a recommendation against administration of any mercury-containing vaccine to a pregnant woman. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) should disseminate, with any vaccine-related information, a recommendation against administration of any thimerosal-containing vaccine to a pregnant woman.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Bipartisan Commission on Medicaid Act of 2005 - Establishes the Bipartisan Commission on Medicaid to review: (1) each of Medicaid's major functional responsibilities; (2) issues that either threaten or improve the long-term financial condition of Medicaid; (3) Federal and State policies for Medicaid and Medicare enrollment (including enrollment sites), income eligibility, outreach, and documentation; (4) the operation and effectiveness of Medicaid premium assistance programs; and (5) Medicaid payment policies.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Annie Fox Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to expand, intensify, and coordinate Institute activities regarding breast cancer in younger women, including the conduct and support of: (1) basic and clinical research on the causes, prevention, detection, treatment, and long-term effects of breast cancer in young women; and (2) information and education programs for health professionals and the public.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the outpatient therapy cap.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Tariff Relief Assistance for Developing Economies Act of 2005 (TRADE Act of 2005) - Authorizes the President to designate Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Maldives, Nepal, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Yemen, and Sri Lanka or their successor political entities as TRADE Act of 2005 beneficiary countries eligible to receive duty-free treatment for certain articles that are the growth, product, or manufacture of such countries, if after receiving the advice of the International Trade Commission (ITC) the President determines that such articles are not import-sensitive in the context of imports from such countries. Basis such designation upon eligibility requirements of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and theTrade Act of 1974. Prescribes the rule of origin for such articles for the duty-free treatment. Applies duty-free treatment, without any quantitative limitations, and under certain conditions, to textile and apparel articles assembled in one or more TRADE Act of 2005 beneficiary countries, apparel articles from regional fabric or yarns, and sweaters knit-to-shape from cashmere or merino wool that are imported directly into the U.S. customs territory from TRADE Act of 2005 beneficiary countries if the countries have satisfied AGOA protections against transshipment requirements. Applies duty-free treatment for apparel articles assembled in one or more TRADE Act of 2005 beneficiary countries if their assembly meets specified U.S. origin requirements. Establishes: (1) limitations on such preferential treatment; and (2) special rules for apparel articles wholly assembled in one or more TRADE Act of 2005 beneficiary countries or former beneficiary countries (or both) regardless of the country of origin of the yarn or fabric used to make such articles; and (3) applicable percentages of such benefits. Applies the AGOA surge mechanism (requiring the Secretary of Commerce to monitor imports of apparel articles from regional fabric or yarns and to make certain determinations) with respect to the preferential treatment extended to TRADE Act of 2005 beneficiary countries. Grants duty-free treatment to certain sweaters knit-to-shape from cashmere or merino wool and other specified apparel articles.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to provide a two-year extension of supplemental security income (SSI) from FY 2006 through 2008 for qualified aliens (including asylees and certain Cuban and Haitian entrants). Provides that any qualified alien rendered ineligible for SSI during fiscal years before FY 2006, soley by reason of the termination of a certain seven-year period, shall be eligible for such program for an additional two-year period, if the alien meets all other SSI eligibility factors. Requires benefits to be paid prospectively over the duration of the qualified alien's renewed eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Prevention of Trafficking of Tsunami Orphans Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of State, acting through the Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to assist nongovernmental organization programs to protect children who are homeless or orphaned as a result of the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunamis from becoming victims of trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Commends the outstanding efforts in response to the earthquake and tsunami of December 26, 2004, by members of the Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Recognizes that the actions of these individuals went above and beyond the call of duty and thanks them for their service.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act or STOP Underage Drinking Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish an interagency coordinating committee to guide policy and program development across the Federal Government on underage drinking; (2) issue an annual report card to rate the performance of each State in enacting, enforcing, and creating laws, regulations, and programs to prevent or reduce underage drinking; (3) develop a set of outcome measures to prepare report cards, including the strictness of the minimum drinking age laws and the number of compliance checks conducted; (4) fund and oversee the Ad Council's national adult-oriented media public service campaign; (5) award grants to reduce the rate of underage alcohol use and binge drinking among students at institutions of higher education; and (6) collect data on, and conduct or support research on, underage drinking, including the impact alcohol use and abuse has upon adolescent brain development, the scope of the underage drinking problem, and progress in preventing and treating underage drinking. Requires the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to award grants to design, test, evaluate, and disseminate strategies to maximize the effectiveness of community-wide approaches to preventing and reducing underage drinking. Requires the Secretary to carry out activities toward the objectives of: (1) testing every unnatural death of persons ages 12 to 20 for alcohol involvement; (2) obtaining new epidemiological data that identifies alcohol use and attitudes about alcohol use during pre- and early adolescence; and (3) developing or identifying successful clinical treatment for youth with alcohol problems.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Openess Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act of 2005 or OPEN Government Act of 2005 - Amends the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to prohibit a Federal agency from denying the present fee status for a news media representative solely on the absence of institutional associations of the requester and requires consideration of the requester's prior publication history. Requires an agency, if a requester has no prior publication history or current affiliation, to consider the requester's stated intent at the time the request is made to distribute information to a reasonably broad audience. Provides that, for purposes of recovery of attorney fees and other litigation costs, a complainant has substantially prevailed if : (1) the complainant has obtained a substantial part of its requested relief through a judicial or administrative order or an enforceable written agreement; or (2) the complainant's pursuit of a nonfrivolous claim or defense has been a catalyst for a voluntary or unilateral change in position by the opposing party that provides a substantial part of the requested relief. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) notify the Special Counsel of civil actions taken for arbitrary and capricious rejections of requests for agency records; and (2) annually submit reports on the number of such actions taken. Provides for the commencement of the 20-day time limit within which agencies shall determine whether to comply with a request for agency records on the day in which the request is first received. Requires agencies to establish: (1) a system to assign tracking numbers for requests for information; and (2) telephone or Internet service that provides the status of requests. Prohibits applying FOIA section 552 provisions to matters that are specifically exempted from disclosure by a statute (other than open meetings under the Government in the Sunshine Act) that specifically cites this Act. Establishes the Office of Government Information Services within the U.S. Administrative Conference to review section 552 policies and procedures by administrative agencies. Requires the: (1) Comptroller General to annually report on implementation of provisions for the protection of voluntarily shared critical infrastructure information; and (2) Office of Personnel Management to report on personnel policies related to FOIA.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
War Funding Accountability Act - Requires the President, within 30 days of enactment of an appropriations Act that funds military operations or reconstruction in Iraq, to prepare and transmit to Congress a report (as well as subsequent progress reports) detailing U.S. goals with respect to such operations or reconstruction efforts, including: (1) a description of the purposes for which amounts will be made available; (2) a plan for the security of Iraq including a plan to ensure participation by the armed forces of additional countries in Iraq; (3) a plan for the reconstruction of Iraq; (4) a description of progress toward elections for a permanent Iraqi government; and (5) a description of U.S. efforts to obtain financial support for Iraq from other countries and international financial institutions. Requires the President, under the same time period and with similar plan requirements as above, to prepare and transmit to Congress a report (as well as subsequent reports) detailing U.S. goals with respect to military operations or reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. States that if the requirements to transmit such initial or subsequent reports are not met, then unobligated or unexpended amounts for reconstruction with respect to the subject of such reports may not be obligated or expended until transmittal to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Help Our Patriotic Employers at Helping Our Military Employees Act or HOPE at HOME Act - Entitles a Federal employee who is a member of a reserve component and is absent from Federal employment under a call or order to active duty for a period of more than 30 days to the difference between the amount of the civilian base pay that would otherwise have been payable to such employee for such period and the amount of military compensation received for the active-duty service. Continues such entitlement: (1) while the employee is hospitalized for, or convalescing from, an injury or illness incurred in or aggravated during such active duty; or (2) during the 14-day period following the end of such active duty. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide as a general business credit for employers a Ready Reserve-National Guard employee credit equal to the lesser of: (1) 50 percent of the actual compensation paid with respect an employee who is absent from employment during the above periods; or (2) $30,000. Provides for the tax treatment of differential wage payments made under this Act. Provides an employer credit for income differential payments made with respect to the employment of activated military reservist and replacement personnel. Permits, without loss of tax benefits, employer payments to an individual retirement plan while an employee is performing active duty military service for a period of more than 30 days.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Amends the Japanese Imperial Government Disclosure Act of 2000 to extend from four to six years the existence of the Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Amends the Controlled Substances Act to eliminate the 30-patient limit for medical practitioners in group practices that may dispense specified narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
American-Owned Property in Occupied Cyprus Claims Act - Amends the International Claims Settlement Act of 1949 to urge the President to authorize the Secretary of State to begin negotiations with Turkey to allow for certain claims by U.S. nationals respecting real property in the Turkish-held portions of Cyprus. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to establish in the Treasury a Claims Fund for the payment of unsatisfied claims of U.S. nationals against Turkey. Sets forth payment procedures. Amends Federal law to grant U.S. district court jurisdiction for civil actions against any private person (any natural person or legal entity other than Turkey) by a U.S. national who owns property in the Turkish-held portion of Cyprus.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Restore Scientific Integrity to Federal Research and Policymaking Act - Prohibits a federal employee from engaging in: (1) tampering with the conduct of federally funded scientific research or analysis; (2) censorship of findings of such research or analysis; or (3) directing the dissemination of scientific information known by the directing employee to be false or misleading. Sets forth a penalty for violations of such prohibition. Includes under prohibited personnel practices the taking or failing to take, or threatening to take or failing to take, a personnel action with respect to any employee because of: (1) the development or dissemination, within the scope of employment, of scientific research or analysis that the employee reasonably believes to be accurate and valid; (2) any disclosure of information by an employee or applicant which the employee or applicant reasonably believes evidences tampering with the conduct of federally funded scientific research or analysis, censoring the findings of such research or analysis, or directing the dissemination of scientific information known by the directing employee to be false or misleading. Sets forth requirements relating to federal scientific advisory committees. States that all appointments to such committees shall be made without regard to political affiliation, unless required by federal statute. Directs each federal agency to determine a peer review process that is appropriate for the agency's functions and needs. Provides for "The Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review", issued on December 16, 2004, to have no force or effect as of enactment of this Act and to not apply to information disseminated by the Federal Government to the public. Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to provide annual reports regarding scientific integrity.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Creates a select committee in the House of Representatives to investigate the awarding and carrying out of Government contracts to conduct activities in Afghanistan and Iraq and to fight the war on terrorism. Directs the committee to make recommendations regarding: (1) bidding, contracting, and auditing standards; (2) oversight procedures; (3) forms of payment and safeguards against money laundering; (4) accountability of contractors and Government procurement officials; (5) penalties for violations and abuses; (6) subcontracting under large comprehensive contracts; (7) inclusion and utilization of small businesses, through subcontracts or otherwise; and (8) such other matters as the select committee deems appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2005
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo. Limits such research to stem cells that meet the following ethical requirements: (1) the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics for the purpose of fertility treatment and were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment; (2) the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and (3) such individuals donate the embryos with written informed consent and receive no financial or other inducements.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2005
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, to the personal representative of Ray Charles, a gold medal in recognition of Ray Charles' many contributions to the Nation as one of America's greatest and most influential musical artists.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2005
Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 2005 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act and Federal civil service law relating to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to cover qualified acupuncturist services.
![Official portrait of Rep. Maloney, Carolyn B. [D-NY-12]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_ny_12_maloney_carolyn_200.jpg)