United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2005
Hurricane Katrina Emergency Housing Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to waive specified requirements under the section 8 (United States Housing Act of 1937) housing voucher and project-based assistance programs for an individual or family: (1) who resides or resided on August 29, 2005, in any area subject to a presidential disaster declaration in connection with Hurricane Katrina; and (2) whose residence became uninhabitable or inaccessible as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Authorizes the Secretary to directly administer section 8 vouchers if the appropriate public housing agency is unable to do so because of Hurricane Katrina. States that: (1) a project-based housing assistance contract covering a project damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina shall not expire because of the damage or destruction of dwelling units in the project; and (2) the contract's expiration date shall be the later of the contract date or three months after the units are first made habitable. Directs the Secretary, the Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of the General Services Administration, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, other appropriate agency heads, the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC) to compile an inventory of federal civilian and defense facilities and other properties that can be used: (1) for emergency housing; or (2) as construction sites for temporary housing. Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on state emergency planning.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2005
Medicare Informed Choice Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) provide for an extended period of open enrollment during all of 2006 without late enrollment penalty; (2) give Medicare beneficiaries the opportunity to make a one-time change in prescription drug plan enrollment at any point in 2006; and (3) provide protection from loss of employment-based retiree health coverage upon enrollment for Medicare prescription drug benefit, including a Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug benefit, during 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2005
Timber Tax Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax deduction (available to taxpayers whether or not they itemize deductions) for up to 60% of gains from certain sales or exchanges of timber.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2005
Hurricane Katrina Fast-Track Refunds for Working Families Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an advance payment of the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit in 2005 for taxpayers in a Hurricane Katrina disaster area who received such credits for a taxable year ending in 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2005
Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to: (1) establish within the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program a Katrina Assistance Program to provide assistance to impacted small and medium-sized manufacturers in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina; and (2) carry out an engineering performance study of the effects of Hurricane Katrina in the areas of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi covered by the President's major disaster declarations of August 29, 2005. Requires the study to examine physical structures damaged due to excessive wind, storm surge, and flooding.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2005
Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005 - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to revise various provisions of that Act relating to the determination of endangered and threatened species, procedures for making such determinations, and the role of states and private property owners in the determination process. Defines "best available scientific data" and requires the use of such standard in making endangered species and other determinations under the Act. Revises provisions for designating endangered or threatened species and the process for reviewing lists of such species. Repeals the authority of the Secretary of the Interior (or the Secretary of Commerce) to designate a critical habitat for an endangered or threatened species. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to develop and implement recovery plans for endangered or threatened species and to establish recovery teams to assist in the development of such plans, giving priority to species that will most likely benefit from such plans. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) enter into species recovery agreements and species conservation contract agreements with persons, other than federal or state governments, for conservation activities to protect endangered or threatened species; and (2) make grants to promote the voluntary conservation of endangered and threatened species by private property owners. Eliminates the Endangered Species Committee and the process for granting exemptions from endangered or threatened species determinations. Requires the Secretary to make certain information available to the public on the Internet, including lists of threatened or endangered species, final and proposed regulations under the Act, results of five-year reviews conducted under the Act, all draft and final recovery plans, and certain required reports and data. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress annually on expenditures made primarily for the conservation of species. Authorizes appropriations for FY2006-FY2010.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2005
Emergency Food and Farm Disaster Assistance Act of 2005 - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to set forth food stamp program provisions applicable to the Hurricane Katrina disaster recovery period and the immediate disaster recovery period (as defined by this Act). Makes additional funds available to the Secretary of Agriculture to provide emergency food assistance for displaced Hurricane Katrina victims. Directs the Secretary to make emergency crop disaster assistance for qualifying: (1) 2005 losses due to weather or related conditions; and (2) 2006 losses due to a hurricane occurring in 2005. Directs the Secretary to carry out: (1) a livestock compensation program for 2005 livestock losses in emergency-designated areas; (2) a livestock indemnity program for 2005 livestock losses due to hurricanes, floods, and anthrax; (3) an assistance program for domestic catfish producers hurricane disaster-designated areas in 2005; and (4) sugarcane disaster assistance for qualifying producers and first handlers in areas of Louisiana designated as disaster areas due to Hurricane Katrina. Authorizes the Secretary to use emergency watershed protection program and emergency conservation program funds for removal and disposal of dead livestock in disaster-designated in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina. Directs the Secretary to provide assistance to certain private forest landowners in hurricane disaster-designated areas in 2005. Directs the Secretary to make grants for Hurricane Katrina assistance to: (1) Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee; and (2) other states housing evacuees or suffering damage from Hurricane Katrina or a related condition. Directs the Secretary to extend marketing assistance loan settlement dates. Provides temporary suspension of farm loan interest in hurricane disaster-designated areas in 2005. Extends the emergency loan application period in such areas. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to provide additional loan write-down authority for farm losses in hurricane disaster-designated areas in 2004 or any subsequent year. Directs the Secretary to temporarily suspend certain administrative offsets in hurricane disaster-designated areas in 2005. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the need for: (1) permanent agricultural disaster relief authority; and (2) additional assistance in response to Hurricane Katrina.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2005
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to obligate more than $100 million in a state for a fiscal year under the emergency relief program for projects for the repair or reconstruction of highways, roads, and trails in response to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. (Effectively, modifies the $100 million limit that may be obligated from such program in any fiscal year for such projects). Sets the federal share of project costs at 100%. Authorizes appropriations in the amount of $2.9 billion for the emergency relief program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2005
Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide tax relief to Hurricane Katrina victims, including by: (1) extending (from two to five years) the mandatory replacement period for property involuntarily converted due to Hurricane Katrina: (2) suspending (between August 28 and December 31, 2005) the limitations on individual and corporate charitable cash contributions for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts; (3) increasing the standard mileage rate for the tax deduction for charitable use of an automobile used for Hurricane Katrina relief; (4) excluding from gross income cancellations of certain nonbusiness indebtedness incurred by Hurricane Katrina victims; (5) suspending certain restrictions on residential loans financed with mortgage revenue bonds in a Hurricane Katrina disaster area; (6) suspending limitations on casualty losses incurred by Hurricane Katrina victims; (7) allowing an additional personal tax exemption for housing individuals displaced by Hurricane Katrina; (8) allowing Hurricane Katrina victims eligible for an earned income credit in 2005 to base such credit on 2004 earned income; (9) authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to make tax law adjustments to ensure that Hurricane Katrina victims do not lose certain tax benefits; (10) allowing employers a work opportunity tax credit for employees hired in a Hurricane Katrina disaster area; and (11) permitting retirement plan participants to take distributions and loans from such plans without penalty.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2005
Establishes in the legislative branch a bipartisan Katrina Commission to: (1) examine and report upon the federal, state, and local response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Region of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and other affected areas; (2) evaluate and report on the information developed by all relevant governmental agencies related to Hurricane Katrina before it struck the United States and in the days and weeks following; (3) make a complete accounting of the circumstances surrounding the approach of Hurricane Katrina to the Gulf states, and the extent of the Government's preparedness for and response to it; (4) examine planning necessary for future cataclysmic events that will require a significant marshaling of federal resources, mitigation, response, and recovery to avoid significant loss of life; (5) analyze whether any decisions differed with respect to response and recovery for different communities and what problems occurred as a result of a lack of a common plan, communication structure, and centralized command structure; and (6) investigate and report to the President and Congress on immediate corrective measures that can be taken to prevent problems with federal response to future cataclysmic events.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2005
Fair Wages for Hurricane Victims Act - Reinstates the application of the wage requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act to all federal contracts in counties affected by Hurricane Katrina, notwithstanding the President's proclamation dated September 8, 2005, or any other provision of law.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2005
Displaced Citizens Voter Protection Act of 2005 - Extends to individuals evacuated from their residences as a result of Hurricane Katrina the right to use the absentee balloting and registration procedures available to military and overseas voters under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. Requires each motor vehicle authority and each designated voter registration agency in a state to take necessary steps to notify individuals to whom services are provided of the protections provided by this Act and of the requirements for obtaining them, including the requirement to submit an affidavit stating that the individual intends to return to the place of residence where he or she is otherwise qualified to vote.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2005
Temporary Medicaid Disaster Relief Act of 2005 - States that the purpose of this Act is to: (1) ensure all those affected by Hurricane Katrina have access to health coverage and medical care through the Medicaid program; and (2) authorize temporary changes in such program to guarantee and expedite that coverage and access to care. Provides that during the disaster relief period from August 29, 2005, to September 30, 2006, any state may provide temporary medical assistance to Katrina Survivors under a state Medicaid plan established under title XIX of the Social Security Act. Sets at 100% the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for providing medical assistance under a state Medicaid plan to Katrina Survivors, or in the case of a direct impact state, to any individual who is provided medical assistance under the state Medicaid plan during the disaster relief period. Provides that if the FMAP determined for a state for FY2006 is less than the FMAP determined for FY2005, the FY2005 FMAP shall apply to the state for FY2006 only for Medicaid purposes. Continues Medicaid drug coverage for dual eligibles. Excludes the disaster relief period in computing part B late enrollment penalty. Provides that, in the case of a Katrina Survivor, the initial enrollment period under part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) shall in no case end before May 15, 2007. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish documentation rules for Katrina Surivors, with respect to premium and cost-sharing subsidies for low-income individuals, which take into account the loss and unavailability of documents due to Hurricane Katrina.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2005
National Emergency Management Restoration and Improvement Act - Establishes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as an independent establishment in the executive branch. Requires the FEMA Director to be appointed, by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, from among persons who have significant expertise in the area of emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation as related to natural disasters and other national cataclysmic events.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2005
Stolen Valor Act of 2005 - Amends the federal criminal code to expand the prohibition against wearing, manufacturing, or selling military decorations or medals without legal authorization to prohibit purchasing, soliciting, mailing, shipping, importing, exporting, producing blank certificates of receipt for, advertising, or exchanging such decorations or medals without authorization. Prohibits falsely representing oneself as having been awarded any decoration or medal authorized by Congress for the Armed Forces or any of the service medals or badges. Increases penalties for violations if the offense involves a Distinguished Service Cross, an Air Force Cross, a Navy Cross, a silver star, or a Purple Heart.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2005
Teach for America Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to Teach For America, Inc. to implement and expand its program of recruiting, selecting, training, and supporting new teachers.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2005
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits outlays for a fiscal year (except those for repayment of debt principal) from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year (except those derived from borrowing) unless Congress, by a three-fifths rollcall vote of each House, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires a three-fifths rollcall vote of each House to increase the public debt limit. Directs the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress annually. Prohibits any bill to increase revenue from becoming law unless approved by a majority of each House by rollcall vote. Authorizes waivers of these provisions when a declaration of war is in effect or under other specified circumstances involving military conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2005
Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants or cooperative agreements to an agency, organization, or political subdivision to: (1) develop lifespan respite care at the state and local level; (2) provide respite care services for family caregivers caring for children or adults; (3) train and recruit respite care workers and volunteers; (4) provide information to caregivers about available respite or support services; and (5) assist caregivers in gaining access to such services. Defines "respite care" to mean planned or emergency care provided to a child or adult with a special need in order to provide temporary relief to the family caregiver. Instructs the Secretary to work cooperatively with existing federal respite program officers to ensure coordination of services for family caregivers. Permits the use of funds for: (1) training programs for family caregivers; (2) other services essential to the provision of respite care; or (3) training and education for new caregivers. Limits grants to five years. Directs the Secretary to award a grant or cooperative agreement to a public or private nonprofit entity to establish the National Resource Center on Lifespan Respite Care to: (1) maintain a national database on lifespan respite care; (2) provide training and technical assistance to state, community, and nonprofit respite care programs; and (3) provide information, referral, and educational programs to the public on lifespan respite care.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2005
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 - Authorizes appropriations for FY2006-FY2008 to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for: (1) science, aeronautics, space and flight support, and education; (2) human space flight; and (3) the Office of Inspector General. Reserves certain sums authorized to be appropriated by this Act for innovative technology transfer partnerships and other technology transfer initiatives undertaken by NASA. Requires annual reports on major programs for which NASA proposes to spend funds on. Directs the Administrator of NASA to provide an implementation plan describing NASA's approach for obtaining, implementing, and sharing lessons learned and best practices for its major programs and projects. Requires reports or plans on various science programs, projects, and activities, including the Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission and the Earth observing system. Directs the Administrator to establish: (1) a grant program for pilot projects on the integrated use of remote sensing and other geospatial information for public sector needs and an advisory committee to monitor such program; and (2) specified aeronautics research initiatives, programs, and projects. Directs the Administrator to take specified actions and carry out specified activities concerning; (1) human space flight, including the International Space Station; (2) other NASA program areas; (3) commercial support; and (4) NASA's workforce and facilities. Directs the General Accountability Office to assess the feasibility of Moon and Mars exploration missions. Directs the President to establish the: (1) International Space Station Independent Safety Commission; and (2) Human Space Flight Independent Investigation Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Fair Access to Clinical Trials Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to establish and operate a data bank of registry information on clinical trials for drugs, biological products, and devices. Requires the Secretary to collect, catalog, store, and disseminate such information. Specifies information required for registration of clinical trials, including the purpose and results of the trial. Requires the responsible person to submit clinical trial information to the Secretary. Sets forth provisions regarding periodic updates of data bank information, compliance with requirements, and violations of this Act. Allows the Secretary to identify any false or misleading information in the data bank and include an accurate version of the information. Requires the Secretary to: (1) disseminate data bank information through an Internet site and through other appropriate means; (2) establish procedures to allow voluntary submission of clinical trial information not required by this Act; and (3) enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to study the extent to which data submitted to the data bank has impacted the public health.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2005
Employee Stock Ownership Plan Promotion and Improvement Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exempt certain distributions, including dividends, by S corporations to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) from the penalty tax for premature employee benefit plan withdrawals; (2) exempt deductions for ESOP dividends from corporate alternative minimum tax adjustments based on adjusted earnings and profits; (3) allow deferral of the recognition of gain for certain sales to ESOPs sponsored by any domestic corporation, including S corporations; (4) allow reinvestment of ESOP stock proceeds eligible for nonrecognition of gain in certain mutual funds; (5) modify certain ESOP stock ownership rules; (6) allow early distributions from an ESOP for higher education expenses and first-time homebuyer purchases without penalty; and (7) allow a de minimis exception from pension plan diversification requirements for ESOP accounts with balances of $2,500 or less.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2005
Commemorates the victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923. Calls upon: (1) the President to commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide; and (2) the government of the Republic of Turkey to acknowledge the culpability of its predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire, for the Armenian Genocide, and to promote rapprochement with the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people. Supports the Republic of Turkey's accession to the European Union (EU) if Turkey acknowledges culpability, pursues rapprochement, and meets other EU accession criteria, and calls upon the EU to look with favor upon such actions by the government of the Republic of Turkey. Calls upon the President, the Secretary of State, the EU, and others to assist the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people in this process.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2005
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the display of the Ten Commandments in public buildings does not violate the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2005
Pulmonary Hypertension Research Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of the Institute with respect to research on pulmonary hypertension and to coordinate the Director's activities with related activities of other national research institutes and National Institutes of Health (NIH) agencies. Requires the Director to make grants to, or enter into contracts with, public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of centers to conduct research and programs on pulmonary hypertension, including: (1) basic and clinical research into the cause, diagnosis, early detection, prevention, control, and treatment of the disease; (2) training programs for scientists and health professionals; (3) programs to provide information and continuing education to health professionals; and (4) programs for the dissemination of information to the public. Requires the Director to establish: (1) a data system for the collection, storage, analysis, retrieval, and dissemination of data derived from patient populations with pulmonary hypertension; and (2) an information clearinghouse to facilitate and enhance knowledge and understanding of pulmonary hypertension by health professionals, patients, industry, and the public.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2005
Teacher Tax Relief Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the allowable tax deduction for the expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers to $400; (2) allow the deduction of professional development expenses; and (3) make such deduction permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2005
Directs the Secretary of the Army to submit to Congress: (1) a report recommending modifications to the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet to address navigation, salt water intrusion, channel bank erosion, mitigation, and threats to life and property; (2) a report recommending a plan to restore the Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary, Louisiana; (3) a report recommending near-term ecosystem restoration measures for the Chenier Plain, Louisiana; (4) a recommended framework for developing a long-term program for the protection, conservation, and restoration of the wetlands, estuaries, barrier islands, and related land and features that protect critical resources, habitat, and infrastructure in the coastal Louisiana ecosystem from the impacts of coastal storms, hurricanes, erosion, and subsidence; and (5) a feasibility study recommending a comprehensive, long-term plan for the protection, conservation, and restoration of the coastal Louisiana ecosystem. Establishes the Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Protection and Restoration Task Force. Directs the Secretary to carry out, in accordance with the Plan of the Chief of Engineers for ecosystem restoration for the Louisiana Coastal Area dated January 31, 2005, a coastal Louisiana ecosystem program to identify uncertainties about, and to improve state knowledge of, the physical, chemical, geological, biological, and cultural baseline conditions in the coastal Louisiana ecosystem.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2005
Calls for Congress to support: (1) efforts to promote awareness of cancer in children; (2) increased investment in childhood cancer research; (3) incentives to encourage medical trainees and investigators to enter the field of pediatric oncology; (4) incentives to encourage the development of drugs and biologics designed to treat pediatric cancers; (5) policies that encourage participation in clinical trials; (6) medical education curricula designed to improve pain management for cancer patients; and (7) enhanced education, services, and other resources related to late effects from treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2005
Supply Our Soldiers Act of 2005 - Directs the United States Postal Service (USPS) and the Secretary of Defense to provide a program under which postal benefits are made available for personal correspondence and other mail matter sent from within the United States by designated representatives (next-of-kin) to members of the Armed Forces who are: (1) serving on active duty abroad in support of military operations or against an enemy of the United States or other hostile force; or (2) hospitalized in a U.S. military facility as a result of disease or injury incurred during service overseas. Limits postal benefits to $150 per calendar quarter, and limits the size and weight of allowable parcels. Allows charitable organizations to apply for such benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2005
Louis Braille Bicentennial--Braille Literacy Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Louis Braille, whose design: (1) on the obverse shall bear a representation of the image of Louis Braille; and (2) on the reverse shall emphasize Braille literacy and include the word for Braille in Braille code. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such coins only during 2009. Subjects all coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin. Requires all surcharges to be promptly paid by the Secretary to the the National Federation of the Blind to further its programs to promote Braille literacy.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2005
Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act regarding telehealth services (services furnished via a telecommunication system by a physician to an enrolled individual) to: (1) remove current geographic restrictions on the provision of such services; (2) add to the facilities authorized to participate in the telehealth program; and (3) direct the Secretary to encourage and facilitate multistate practitioner licensure across state lines to facilitate the program. Directs the Secretary to make grants for expanding access to health care services for individuals in rural areas, frontier areas, and urban medically underserved areas through the use of telehealth. Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Amends the Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act of 2002 to require the President to submit to Congress, within 90 days after entering into a trade agreement regarding tariff and nontariff barriers, the implementing legislation, the statement of administrative action, and supporting information, with respect to that trade agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
United States-Israel Energy Cooperation Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the United States-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD), or the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), to establish a grant program for joint ventures, composed of both Israeli and U.S. private business entities or of U.S. and Israeli academic persons, to implement projects to encourage cooperation between the United States and Israel on research, development, or commercialization of alternative energy, improved energy efficiency, or renewable energy sources. Establishes in the Department of Energy an International Energy Advisory Board to advise the Secretary on the grant program and grant recipients.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Directs the Secretary of Defense to make a grant to the National D-Day Museum Foundation for facilities and programs of America's National World War II Museum in New Orleans, LA.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Vision Preservation Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to expand and intensify programs to increase awareness of vision problems, including: (1) activities to establish a solid scientific base of knowledge on the prevention and control of vision problems and related disabilities; (2) research within CDC on the prevention and management of vision loss; and (3) programs targeted to prevent vision loss, treat eye and vision conditions, and rehabilitate people of all ages who are blind or partially sighted in underserved and minority communities. Amends the Social Security Act to include within the maternal and child health service block grant program the introduction of core performance measures on eye health by incorporating vision screening standards into state programs. Requires the Director of NIH to expand, intensify, and coordinate programs for the conduct and support of research with respect to vision loss prevention and vision rehabilitation. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for vision rehabilitation services. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study on barriers faced by medically underserved populations to vision services that are covered under the medicare program, including vision rehabilitation and other vision-related services; and (2) enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine to study the cost benefit of providing a universal dilated eye exam under the medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2005
Offshore Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends the Submerged Lands Act to require the Secretary of the Interior to convey the interest of the United States in the expanded submerged land of the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, if the state involved demonstrates that specified conditions will be met. Numbers among such conditions the requirement that the state enact, and keep updated, laws or promulgate regulations equivalent to federal law or regulations regarding: (1) the environmental protection, safety, and operations of any operation pipeline in existence on the date of conveyance; and (2) valuation of oil, gas, or other mineral production from existing interests for royalty purposes. Provides that, if any existing federal oil and gas or other mineral lease or unit would be divided by the expanded seaward boundary of a state, the federal interest in the leased minerals underlying the portion of the lease or unit that lies within the expanded submerged boundary shall not be considered to be conveyed to the state until the date on which the lease or unit expires or is relinquished by the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2005
Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act of 2005 - Prohibits a state that has been redistricted after an apportionment from being redistricted again until after the next apportionment of Representatives, unless the state is ordered by a court to conduct such a subsequent redistricting in order to: (1) comply with the U.S. Constitution; or (2) enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Requires such redistricting to be conducted through a plan developed by the independent redistricting commission established in the state, or if such plan is not enacted into law, the redistricting plan selected by the state's highest court or developed by a U.S. district court. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) establishment of a state independent redistricting commission; (2) development of a redistricting plan; (3) its submission to the state legislature; (4) selection of a plan, under specified conditions, by the state's highest court or the U.S. district court for the district in which the capital of the state is located; (5) special rules for redistricting conducted under a federal court order; and (6) Election Assistance Commission payments to states for carrying out redistricting.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2005
Expresses support for the goals of : (1) Acadian Heritage Week (third week in September); and (2) A Day of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval (July 28) as established by Queen Elizabeth II's Royal Proclamation in which the sufferings of the Acadian people were acknowledged.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2005
Economic Development Act of 2005 - Authorizes any State to provide to any person for economic development purposes tax incentives that otherwise would be the cause of discrimination against interstate commerce under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. Makes exceptions for any incentive that: (1) is dependent upon State or country of incorporation, commercial domicile, or residence of an individual; (2) requires the recipient to acquire, lease, license, use, or provide services to property created in the State; (3) is reduced or eliminated as a result of an increase in out-of-State activity by the recipient or other person or as a result of such other person not having a taxable presence in the State; (4) results in loss of a compensating tax system, because the tax on interstate commerce exceeds the tax on intrastate commerce; (5) requires that other taxing jurisdictions offer reciprocal tax benefits; or (6) requires that a tax incentive earned with respect to one tax can only be used to reduce a tax burden for, or provide a tax benefit against any other tax that is not imposed on, apportioned interstate activities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2005
Honor Our Fallen Prisoners of War Act - Requires the Secretary concerned to award the Purple Heart to members of the Armed Forces who die in captivity under circumstances not otherwise establishing eligibility for the Purple Heart. Makes this Act effective as to members of the Armed Forces who die on or after December 7, 1941, including those who die prior to enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Children's Access to Vision Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states for providing: (1) comprehensive eye examinations for children, with priority given to children under nine years old; (2) subsequent vision treatment or services to correct vision problems; and (3) educational materials to parents, teachers, and health care practitioners on recognizing signs of visual impairment in children. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop criteria to collect data related to vision assessment and the utilization of follow-up services; and (2) coordinate the grant program with appropriate federal and state child services programs. Requires states to annually submit to the Secretary a program evaluation.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 105 NW Railroad Avenue in Hammond, Louisiana, as the "John J. Hainkel Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Preserving Patient Access to Physicians Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to payment for physicians' services to: (1) eliminate the sustainable growth rate payment update system; and (2) establish in its place an update to the single conversion factor for 2006 of at least 2.7 percent, and a formula for an update to the single conversion factor for years beginning with 2007. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in calculating the formula for the single conversion factor, to establish an input price index and estimate annually a productivity adjustment factor.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to report annually on the number of required permanent and temporary non-Federal employees for Farm Service Agency (FSA) local offices and the funding levels necessary to support such workforce. Limits temporary workers to not more than ten percent of all such non-Federal workers in any fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
Coastal Restoration Tax Credit Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for expenditures related to any project approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Service to restore or protect coastal lands in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
Small Business Health Insurance Promotion Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain small employers (not more than 50 employees) a business tax credit equal to 50 percent of amounts paid by such employers for the health care coverage of their employees under a qualified health pooling arrangement. Limits the period during which the tax credit may be taken to four years from the date the employer begins participating in a qualified health pooling arrangement. Defines "qualified health pooling arrangement" as a national or state arrangement that provides health benefits coverage substantially similar to that of the four largest health benefit plans offered to Federal employees. Directs the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Labor to provide for the offering and oversight of qualified State and national health pooling arrangements and to conduct a study, through the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, of the operation of such arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2005
Railroad Competition Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends federal transportation law to specify the primary objectives of U.S. rail transportation policy. Requires a rail carrier, upon shipper request, to establish a rate for transportation and provide requested service between any two points on the carrier's system where traffic originates, terminates, or may reasonably be interchanged. Prohibits the Surface Transportation Board (STB) from issuing a certificate authorizing construction and operation of railroad lines, or exempting a person, class of persons, or a transaction or service from the certificate requirement, if such an activity involves a transfer of interest in a line of railroad from a Class I rail carrier to a Class II or III rail carrier, and the activity directly or indirectly would restrict: (1) the ability of the Class II or Class III rail carrier to interchange traffic with other carriers; or (2) competition of rail carriers in the region affected by the activity in a manner that would violate federal antitrust laws. Prescribes a procedure for shipper petition and STB review of any activity alleged to have resulted in a restriction of competition for at least ten years. Changes from discretionary to mandatory the STB's authority to require: (1) a rail carrier's terminal facilities to be used by another rail carrier subject to certain conditions; and (2) rail carriers to enter into reciprocal switching agreements. Prohibits the STB, in either instance, from requiring evidence of anticompetitive conduct by a rail carrier from which such access is sought. Requires the STB to designate any state or substantial part of a state as an area of inadequate rail competition after finding that: (1) it encompasses rail shipping origins and destinations served exclusively by one Class I railroad; and (2) persons that ship by rail or receive rail shipments in it pay rates exceeding a certain mark, or have experienced competitive disadvantage in the marketplace or other economic adversity because of high cost or poor rail service quality. Specifies actions the STB may take to resolve such anti-competitive conditions. Requires submission to arbitration of rail rate disputes. Requires the STB to adopt new methods for determining the reasonableness of rail rates. Establishes within the Department of Transportation (DOT) the Office of Rail Customer Advocacy. Requires the STB, in a proceeding involving the merger or control of at least two Class I railroads, to consider among other things the safety and environmental effect of the proposed transaction on local communities and rail passenger transportation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
San Francisco Old Mint Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins and 500,000 $1 silver coins emblematic of the San Francisco Old Mint Building, its importance to California and U.S. history, and its role in rebuilding San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Requires that all surcharges received by the Secretary from such coin sales be promptly paid to the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society for purposes of rehabilitating the Historic Old Mint in San Francisco as a city museum and an American Coin and Gold Rush Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2005
Pest Management and Fire Suppression Flexibility Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to state that the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shall not require a permit under the national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES), or require a State to mandate such a permit, for: (1) the proper use of a pesticide that is registered or otherwise approved for use under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act; and (2) the use by or in cooperation with the Federal or State government of a fire retardant, chemical, or water for fire suppression, control, or prevention in accordance with relevant Federal guidelines; (3) silvicultural activities except for specified point source activities; and (4) the use of biological control organisms for the prevention, control, or eradication of plant pests or noxious weeds pursuant to specified provisions of the Plant Protection Act. Redefines "point source" to exclude from the term those public health protection, pest management, and silvicultural activities excluded from NPDES permit requirements under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Employee Free Choice Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board to certify a bargaining representative without directing an election if a majority of the bargaining unit employees have authorized designation of the representative and there is no other individual or labor organization currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit. Sets forth special procedural requirements for reaching an initial collective bargaining agreement following certification or recognition. Revises enforcement requirements with respect to unfair labor practices during union organizing drives. Provides, under injunction provisions, for priority to be given to preliminary investigation of charges of violations by employers or other entities. Adds to remedies for such violations: (1) back pay plus liquidated damages; and (2) additional civil penalties.
![Official portrait of Rep. Melancon, Charlie [D-LA-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/111melanconc-la03_200.jpg)