United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Prohibits an individual (or a survivor or beneficiary thereof) from receiving federal annuity or retired pay if such individual is convicted, indicted, or has outstanding charges against him under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for specified offenses concerning: (1) bribery, graft, or conflicts of interest related to public officials and witnesses, Members of Congress, government officers or employees, or obtaining appointive public office; (2) embezzlement or theft of public money, property, or records; (3) the solicitation or use of gifts; (4) fraud and false statements or entries; (5) perjury; (6) subornation of perjury; or (7) false declarations before a grand jury or court. Refunds annuity contributions and deposits, excluding interest earned, to a convicted individual.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Expresses the sense of Congress that the United Nations Human Rights Council should: (1) be a body that upholds the ideals enumerated in the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights; (2) allow full participation by Israel in Council operations; and (3) be made up of countries that hold regular democratic elections, permit freedom of expression, and have a credible civil society. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should not support the Council, and should withhold financial support for the Council until meaningful human rights reforms are carried out. Directs the Secretary of State to withhold from a U.S. contribution to a regularly assessed biennial U.N. budget an amount equal to the percentage of such contribution that the Secretary determines would be allocated by the United Nations to the Council.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the inclusion of any social security or tier I railroad retirement benefits in gross income. Appropriates funds to cover reductions in transfers to the Social Security and Railroad Retirement Trust Funds resulting from the enactment of this Act. Expresses the sense of Congress against using tax increases to provide revenue necessary to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
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 chamber, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires a three-fifths rollcall vote of each chamber 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 chamber 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 · 4 January 2007
Social Security Fairness Act of 2007 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal: (1) government pension offset requirements applicable to husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and mother's and father's insurance benefits with respect to OASDI payments; and (2) windfall elimination requirements with respect to computation of an individual's primary insurance amount.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Fair Tax Act of 2007 - Repeals the income tax, employment tax, and estate and gift tax. Redesignates the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as the Internal Revenue Code of 2007. Imposes a national sales tax on the use or consumption in the United States of taxable property or services. Sets the sales tax rate at 23 percent in 2009, with adjustments to the rate in subsequent years. Allows exemptions from the tax for property or services purchased for business, export, or investment purposes and for state government functions. Sets forth rules relating to: (1) the collection and remittance of the sales tax; and (2) credits and refunds. Allows families a sales tax rebate. Grants states the primary authority for the collection of sales tax revenues and the remittance of such revenues to the Treasury. Sets forth administrative provisions relating to: (1) the filing of monthly reports and payments of tax; (2) accounting methods; (3) registration of sellers of goods and services responsible for reporting sales; (4) penalties for noncompliance; and (5) collections, appeals, and taxpayer rights. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to allocate sales tax revenues among: (1) the general revenue; (2) the old-age and survivors insurance trust fund; (3) the disability insurance trust fund; (4) the hospital insurance trust fund; and (5) the federal supplementary medical insurance trust fund. Prohibits the funding of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after FY2011. Establishes in the Department of the Treasury: (1) an Excise Tax Bureau to administer excise taxes not administered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and (2) a Sales Tax Bureau to administer the national sales tax.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Disapproves the totalization agreement between the United States and Mexico, establishing totalization arrangements between the Social Security Systems of the two countries, which was signed by the Commissioner of Social Security and the Director General of the Mexican Social Security Institute on June 29, 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2006
Civilian Service Recognition Act of 2006 - Requires executive agencies to furnish a U.S. flag to drape the casket of a civilian federal employee who dies in a combat zone, upon request of the deceased's next of kin or a close associate of the deceased. Requires notification of federal civilian employees who are located or stationed in a combat zone to perform one or more functions in support of military operations of the flag ceremony benefit provided for under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2006
Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to maintain a metropolitan area's eligibility to receive an AIDS emergency relief grant until such area fails to meet eligibility requirements for three consecutive years. Amends the formula for awarding grant funds to consider the number of living names-based cases of HIV/AIDS. Provides for exemptions and adjustments for states that continue to use code-based reporting. Limits the amount by which a grant to an eligible metropolitan area can decrease each year. Sets forth provisions regarding the use or return of unobligated balances of a grant award. Directs the chief elected official of an eligible area to use not less than 75% of grant funds to provide core medical services. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to grant waivers to such requirement. Establishes a transitional grant program for metropolitan areas with lower numbers of AIDS cases. Requires the Secretary to develop and maintain a list of classes of core AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) antiretroviral therapeutics. Requires states to ensure that such medications are the minimum treatments provided by the ADAP program. Provides for supplemental grants to states that demonstrate a need for supplemental financial assistance. Provides for grants to states for the universal testing of newborns for HIV/AIDS. Expands the program for early intervention services grants to require the provision of core medical services for individuals with HIV/AIDS in underserved populations. Establishes a grant program for the provision of family-centered care involving outpatient or ambulatory care for women and children with HIV/AIDS. Provides for activities to evaluate and address the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS and disparities in access, treatment, care, and outcome on racial and ethnic minorities.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2006
Cytology Proficiency Improvement Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise national quality assurance standards to assure consistent performance by laboratories of valid and reliable cytology services, to include requirements that each clinical laboratory: (1) ensure that all individuals involved in screening and interpreting cytological preparations participate annually in an approved continuing medical education program in gynecologic cytology that provides each participant with gynecologic cytologic preparations designed to improve locator, recognition, and interpretive skills; and (2) maintain a record of program results. Requires the Secretary to terminate individual proficiency testing that was in effect before enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2006
Securing Effective and Necessary Individual Outpatient Rehabilitation Services (SENIORS) Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the temporary process for obtaining an exception from the uniform dollar limitation on Medicare payment for medically necessary physical therapy services (Medicare therapy cap exceptions process). Extends the exceptions process period from the beginning of calendar 2006 through calendar 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2006
Margaret Thatcher Congressional Gold Medal Act - Provides for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Margaret Thatcher in recognition of her dedication to the values of free markets and free minds.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2006
Contact Lens Consumer Health Protection Act - Amends the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act to require the seller to provide the prescriber with a toll-free telephone number and email address for questions relating to a contact lens prescription verification request. Revises the verification event in which a prescription is verified if the prescriber fails to communicate with the seller within eight business hours, or a similar time as defined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), after receiving required patient and prescription information from the seller. States that if a prescriber communicates a question or concern to a seller through such toll-free telephone service or dedicated email address before such eight-hour period has ended, the seller must obtain affirmative confirmation of the accuracy of the prescription from the prescriber before the prescription is considered verified. Authorizes a prescriber to make a written request to a seller that all contact lens prescription verification requests be communicated by a preferred method of communication, including telephone, facsimile, or email. Authorizes fines for violations of this Act in amount up to $100,000 per violation. Directs the FTC to examine and report to Congress on the potential and actual adverse effects on consumers of seller violations of the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2006
Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require an abortion provider who knowingly performs an abortion of a pain-capable unborn child (defined as an unborn child who has reached a probable stage of development of 20 weeks or more after fertilization), to first: (1) inform the woman of the probable age of the child; (2) provide to the woman an Unborn Child Pain Awareness Brochure (unless she waives receipt); (3) provide information that pain medicine administered to the mother may not prevent pain in the child, but in some cases anesthesia or pain-reducing drugs can be administered directly to the child; (4) give the woman the provider's best medical judgment of the risks and costs of such anesthesia or analgesic; and (5) obtain the woman's signature on the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Decision Form and her explicit request for or refusal of the administration of drugs to the child. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Brochure that includes a statement that there is substantial evidence that the process of being killed in an abortion will cause the unborn child pain and that the mother has the option of having pain-reducing drugs administered directly to the child. Creates an exception for certified medical emergencies. Establishes civil penalties for willfully failing to comply with this Act. Authorizes: (1) the Attorney General to bring a civil action under this Act; and (2) private rights of action for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2006
Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) to provide for funding of the shortfalls in state allotments for FY2007 in the same manner that shortfall funding requirements apply to FY2006.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2006
Secure Fence Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to take appropriate actions to achieve operational control (as defined by this Act) over U.S. international land and maritime borders, including: (1) systematic border surveillance through more effective use of personnel and technology, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, ground-based sensors, satellites, radar coverage, and cameras; and (2) physical infrastructure enhancements to prevent unlawful border entry and facilitate border access by United States Customs and Border Protection, such as additional checkpoints, all weather access roads, and vehicle barriers. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to direct the Secretary to provide at least two layers of reinforced fencing, installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors extending: (1) from ten miles west of the Tecate, California, port of entry to ten miles east of the Tecate, California, port of entry; (2) from ten miles west of the Calexico, California, port of entry to five miles east of the Douglas, Arizona, port of entry (with specified priority areas); (3) from five miles west of the Columbus, New Mexico, port of entry to ten miles east of El Paso, Texas; (4) from five miles northwest of the Del Rio, Texas, port of entry to five miles southeast of the Eagle Pass, Texas, port of entry; and (5) 15 miles northwest of the Laredo, Texas, port of entry to the Brownsville, Texas, port of entry (with specified priority areas). Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study and report to Congress respecting the necessity and feasibility of constructing a state-of-the-art barrier system along the U.S. northern international land and maritime border; and (2) evaluate and report to Congress respecting United States Customs and Border Protection authority to stop fleeing vehicles that enter the United States illegally, including related training, technology, and equipment reviews.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2006
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an inflation adjustment based upon the gross domestic product deflator to the adjusted basis of certain assets (including C corporation common stock and tangible property used in a trade or business) held by a taxpayer for more than three years for purposes of determining gain or loss on the sale or other disposition of such assets. Sets forth rules for applying such inflation adjustment to short sales, regulated investment companies and real estate investment trusts, partnerships and other pass-thru entities, and dispositions of assets between related persons.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2006
Recognizes the centennial anniversary of the 1906 Iranian constitution. Expresses hope that the people of Iran will once again enjoy a democratic government in the spirit of the 1906 Iranian constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2006
Medicare Physician Payment Reform and Quality Improvement Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise physician payment requirements under the Medicare program, including the physician payment update and quality measures for physicians' services. Terminates application of the sustainable growth rate (SGR), replacing it with a single conversion factor, the Medicare economic index (MEI) minus 1%. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for the selection of quality performance measures (Q-measures) for assessing physician, non-physician practitioner, and supplier services and determining ratings for them. Requires such Q-measures to be developed in conjunction with physician specialty organizations and consensus-building organizations. Eliminates specified limitations on the balance billing of highest income beneficiaries. Revises requirements for the quality improvement program (QIO), including program administration, data disclosure, use of evaluation and competition, quality improvement funding, and qualifications for QIOs under part B (Peer Review) of SSA title XI. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to permit alternative quality improvement programs under such program. Terminates the availability of funds from the MA Regional Plan Stabilization Fund. Directs the Board of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and of the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund to monitor and examine the extent to which the different Medicare funding mechanisms provide an appropriate alignment with the program goals of the respective parts. Provides for a one-year delay in Medicare adjustments in payments for imaging services. Eliminates the three-year phase-in for implementation of the reduction in Medicare part B premium subsidies for higher income beneficiaries (thus requiring immediate application of the reduction adjustment).
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2006
Recognizes the achievements and goals of historically black colleges and universities. Supports the designation of a National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2006
Government Efficiency Act of 2006 - Authorizes the establishment of Federal Review Commissions with respect to specific aspects of federal programs and agencies. Requires a Commission to review and make recommendations on how to improve the operations, effectiveness, and efficiency of such federal programs and agencies in order to determine whether a reorganization, consolidation, abolishment, expansion, or transfer of existing federal programs and agencies is necessary to carry out any U.S. policy for promoting more effective management of the executive branch. Permits establishment of a Commission only through the issuance of an executive order or the enactment of a joint resolution that: (1) describes the federal programs and agencies to be reviewed; and (2) grants the Commission powers and authorities specified by, and subjects it to the requirements of, this Act. Describes what a Federal Review Commission shall consider in reviewing federal programs and agencies. Requires a Commission to submit to the President: (1) an assessment of the operations, effectiveness, and efficiency of the federal programs and agencies reviewed; and (2) a legislative proposal, if appropriate, to reorganize, consolidate, abolish, expand, or transfer such federal programs and agencies. Provides for expedited congressional consideration of Federal Review Commission recommendations. Directs the President to submit to Congress a schedule for establishment of Federal Review Commissions.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2006
Repeals Rule XXVII (Statutory Limit on Public Debt) of the Rules of the House of Representatives. (Thus abolishes the procedure for automatic adjustment of the public debt level upon passage of a new concurrent resolution on the budget setting forth an amount different from the amount of the statutory limit on the public debt otherwise in effect for the period covered by the budget resolution.) Redesignates Rule XXVIII (General Provisions) as Rule XXVII.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2006
Access to Medicare Imaging Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for a budget-neutral two-year moratorium on certain Medicare physician payment reductions for imaging services.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress concerning the importance of success in moving families from welfare to work, as well as in promoting healthy marriage and other means of improving child well-being.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2006
Congratulates Spelman College on the occasion of its 125th anniversary. Commends those associated with the College for their outstanding achievements and contributions to African American education, history, and culture.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2006
Men's Health Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the Office of Men's Health to coordinate and promote the status of men's health in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2006
Chattahoochee National Forest Act of 2006 - Establishes the Mountaintown National Scenic Area in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a management plan for the Scenic Area as an amendment to the land and resource management plan for the Forest. Designates specified lands in Georgia which are administered by the Secretary as part of the Chattahoochee National Forest as wilderness and incorporates such lands into the existing wilderness area to which they adjoin.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2006
Health Centers Renewal Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2007-FY2011 for health centers to meet the health care needs of medically underserved populations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2006
Condemns the vote by the British National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) on May 29, 2006, to boycott Israeli academics and academic institutions that refuse to declare their opposition to the government and State of Israel. Finds NATFHE's criticism of Israeli policy particularly objectionable given the Israeli government's courageous and far-reaching contributions to peace. Urges the University and College Union (UCU) to nullify and void the NATFHE resolution and issue a statement deploring the campaign to boycott Israeli academia. Commends the British government and leading academics for criticizing the NATFHE resolution. Deplores any comparison between Israel, where all citizens are equal before the law, and the former apartheid regime in South Africa. Urges governments and educators throughout the world to reaffirm the importance of academic freedom and open dialogue.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2006
Workplace Safety and Health Transparency Act of 2006 - Amends the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970 and the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to prohibit the Secretary of Labor from promulgating or incorporating by reference, or approving occupational safety and health standards under a state plan that incorporates by reference, any finding, guideline, standard, limit, rule, or regulation based on a determination reached by any organization, unless the Secretary finds that such determination: (1) has been promulgated by a nationally recognized standards-producing organization under procedures whereby an opportunity was afforded for diverse views to be considered and whereby interested and affected persons substantial agreed on its adoption; and (2) in the case of a federal standard, has been designated as such a standard by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2006
Constitutional Amendment - Marriage Protection Amendment - Declares that: (1) marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman; and (2) neither the U.S. Constitution nor the constitution of any state shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents of marriage be conferred upon any other union.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Modernizing and Improving the National Emergency Response System for Mining Act or the MINERS for Mining Act - Amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to require coal mine operators to: (1) improve accident preparedness and response at each mine; and (2) adopt and update an accident response plan for evacuations and for maintenance of individuals trapped underground. Requires such a plan to provide for: (1) redundant means and local coordination of communication; (2) post-accident location of underground personnel; (3) emergency air supplies: (4) self-rescuer caches; (5) escapeways and flame-resistant directional lifelines; (6) emergency training; and (7) within three years, post accident wireless communication between underground and the surface and electronic tracking of trapped persons. Limits the liability of persons who carry out mine accident rescue or recovery operations. Directs the Secretary of Labor to require: (1) the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to establish and update criteria to certify the qualifications of mine rescue teams; and (2) operators to have one employee knowledgeable in emergency response on each shift and two certified mine rescue teams available at each mine within one hour. Requires notification of a mine accident to be provided to the Secretary by the operator within 15 minutes of knowledge of a death or potentially fatal injury. Authorizes the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to research and develop technology for the improvement of the safety and health of miners. Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to establish within NIOSH an Office of Mine Safety and Health to enhance the development of new mine safety technology and applications and to expedite the commercial availability and implementation of such technology. Authorizes the Director of NIOSH to: (1) award competitive grants and contracts; and (2) establish an interagency working group to share technology, research, and developments concerning mine safety and accident response. Requires the Secretary to require: (1) the temporary assignment of a department official as a liaison with the families of victims of mine tragedies involving multiple deaths; and (2) MSHA to be responsiveto family requests for information and to serve as the primary communicator. Prescribes penalties for operator violations of health or safety standards or orders. Requires the Secretary to research, and report to Congress on, the sealing of abandoned mine areas. Directs the Secretary to: (1) require the operator of each mine to conduct mandatory, random substance abuse testing of mine employees; and (2) create a registry of those found to have tested positive. Provides for the issuance and enforcement of subpoenas. Requires the Secretary of Education to provide scholarships to individuals to increase the skilled workforce for mine operators, mine safety inspectors, and other MSHA personnel. Requires NIOSH to: (1) provide for research about various refuge alternatives in mines; and (2) survey international mining practices concerning incident planning. Requires the Secretary of Labor to award competitive grants for funding education and training programs to better identify and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around mines.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2006
National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to waive, for two-year periods, requirements for awarding breast and cervical cancer grants to states if certain conditions are met, including that granting such a waiver will not reduce the number of women in the state receiving examinations and screening for breast or cervical cancer or the quality of such services. Requires the Secretary to review performance under the waiver and allows the Secretary to extend such waivers. Authorizes appropriations for breast and cervical cancer grants through FY2012.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that the United Nations Human Rights Council should: (1) be a body that upholds the ideals enumerated in the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights; (2) allow full participation by Israel in Council operations; and (3) be made up of countries that hold regular democratic elections, permit freedom of expression, and have a credible civil society. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should not support the Council, and should withhold financial support for the Council until meaningful human rights reforms are carried out. Directs the Secretary of State to withhold from a U.S. contribution to a regularly assessed biennial U.N. budget an amount equal to the percentage of such contribution that the Secretary determines would be allocated by the United Nations to the Council.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2006
States that the provisions of section 235 the Immigration and Nationality Act (inspection of aliens, expedited removal of inadmissible arriving aliens, and referral for hearing) in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act supersede any court order issued prior to the effective date specified in section 309(a) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (inspection, apprehension, detention, adjudication, and removal of inadmissible and exportable aliens) if the court order affects the Secretary of Homeland Security's ability to carry out expedited removal of inadmissible arriving aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2006
Reaffirms the national motto, "In God We Trust," on its 50th anniversary. Commends it as fundamental to America's national life and affirms its substance as vital to the nation's future success.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2006
Congratulates the residents of Jerusalem and the people of Israel on the thirty-ninth anniversary of the reunification of that historic city. Believes that Jerusalem must remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected as they have been by Israel during the past 39 years. Calls upon the President and Secretary of State to affirm as a matter of U.S. policy that Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of Israel. Urges: (1) the President to discontinue the waiver contained in the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 and begin the process of relocating the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem; and (2) U.S. officials to refrain from any actions that contradict U.S. law on this subject.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2006
UNRWA Integrity Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide that voluntary U.S. contributions to the regular budget of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) may be provided only during a period for which the President certifies to Congress that UNRWA: (1) is not an impediment to achieving a lasting solution for Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza and moving such refugees to post-refugee status; (2) is subject to comprehensive, independent financial audits; (3) does not knowingly provide employment, refuge, freedom of movement, cash assistance, food assistance, housing rehabilitation assistance, or any other type of social services assistance to members of foreign terrorist organizations; and (4) does not promote anti-Semitism or the denial of Israel's right to exist. Authorizes a maximum 180-day waiver of such limitation for U.S. national security interests. Requires recertification not later than 180 days after the initial certification and every 180 days thereafter. Requires a report by the Secretary of State to Congress respecting the extent to which UNRWA: (1) serves Palestinian refugee and U.S. interests; and (2) includes in its educational materials anti-Semitic or anti-Israel elements.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2006
Recognizes and honors the 30th Anniversary of the California victory at the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting and recognizes the historical significance of this event to the U.S. wine industry.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act - Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), upon the request of a state governor, to provide financial assistance to hire additional personnel to assist the state with expertise in fields relevant to consideration of federal refinery authorizations. Requires a federal agency responsible for refinery authorization to provide, upon the request of a state governor, technical, legal, or other nonfinancial assistance to facilitate state consideration of such authorizations. Directs the President to appoint a federal coordinator to facilitate such authorizations. Requires the coordinator, upon the request of an applicant seeking a federal refinery authorization, to establish a memorandum of agreement, executed by relevant federal and state agencies, setting forth the most expeditious coordinated schedule possible for completion of all such authorizations. Instructs the President to designate at least three closed military installations as potentially suitable for the construction of a refinery. Requires that at least one such site be designated as potentially suitable for construction of a refinery to refine biomass in order to produce biofuel. Requires the redevelopment authority, in preparing or revising the redevelopment plan for each such designated installation, to consider the feasibility and practicability of siting a refinery on the installation. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal certain requirements regarding refinery revitalization.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Federal Energy Price Protection Act of 2006 - Declares that it shall be an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act for any person to sell crude oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, home heating oil, or any biofuel at a price that constitutes price gouging. Instructs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate enforcement rules within six months after enactment of this Act. Grants enforcement authority exclusively to: (1) the FTC; (2) the Attorney General of the United States; or (3) state attorneys general. Prescribes guidelines for enforcement of civil actions by state attorneys general. Preempts state action while federal action is pending. Subjects violations of this Act to specified civil and criminal penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
American Flag Display Protection Act - Prohibits an elementary school, secondary school, or institution of higher education from receiving federal funds by grant or contract if the school has a policy or practice preventing students from respectfully displaying or wearing a representation of the U.S. flag in a manner at least equal in quality and scope to their right to respectfully display or wear any other representation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Reaffirms that statements or songs that symbolize the unity of the Nation, including the National Anthem, the Oath of Allegiance sworn by new U.S. citizens, and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States, should be recited or sung in English, the common language of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2006
Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to allow an eligible person or group to obtain a national franchise to provide cable service in a franchise area in lieu of any other authority under federal, state, or local law. Requires: (1) the filing of a franchise certification with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC); and (2) cable operators with a national franchise to provide a specified minimum of channel capacity for public, educational, and governmental use, and to meet certain other requirements. Provides for FCC enforcement of franchising requirements. Requires an annual FCC report on the deployment of cable service, including deployment by new cable operators. Empowers the FCC to enforce its broadband policy statement and principles. Requires an FCC study regarding whether such statement and principles are being achieved. Requires each VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) service provider to ensure that 911 and E-911 services are provided to subscribers of VOIP services. Outlines rights and obligations of VOIP service providers. Allows the municipal provision of cable services, requiring competition neutrality among all providers in an area. Prohibits a broadband service provider from requiring a subscriber, as a condition for such service, to purchase any cable, telecommunications, or VOIP service offered by the provider. Directs the FCC to further the development of seamless mobility, requiring a study identifying barriers to achieving seamless mobility.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2006
Small Business Paperwork Amnesty Act of 2006 - Amends the Paperwork Reduction Act to direct agency heads not to impose civil fines for first-time paperwork violations by small business concerns unless there is potential for serious harm to the public interest, the detection of criminal activity would be impaired, the violation is not corrected within six months, the violation is a violation of internal revenue law or a law concerning the assessment or collection of any tax, debt, revenue, or receipt, or the violation presents a danger to the public health or safety. Permits an agency to determine that a fine should not be imposed for a violation that presents a danger to public health or safety if the violation is corrected within 24 hours after receipt by the small business owner of notification of the violation in writing. Makes this Act inapplicable to any violation by a small business of a requirement regarding the collection of information by an agency if the small business previously violated any requirement concerning the collection of information by that agency.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2006
Health Centers Renewal Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2007-FY2011 for health centers to meet the health care needs of medically underserved populations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
STEM Scholarship Database Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to establish and maintain, on the public website of the Department of Education, a database of information on public and private programs of financial assistance for the study of postsecondary and graduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Requires that such database: (1) provide separate information for each field of study; (2) be searchable by category and combinations of categories; (3) indicate programs targeted toward specific demographic groups; and (4) provide searchers with program sponsor contact information and hyperlinks.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) include physical therapy within the definition of "primary health services;" and (2) make physical therapists eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program (to assure an adequate supply of physical therapists among other health professionals).
![Official portrait of Rep. Norwood, Charles W. [R-GA-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/n000159_200.jpg)