United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide assistance, including through nongovernmental or international organizations, for basic care for orphans and other vulnerable children in developing countries, including assistance for: (1) community-based care; (2) school food programs; (3) education and employment training; (4) psychosocial support; (5) protection of inheritance rights; and (6) HIV/AIDS care. Directs the Secretary of State to appoint a Special Advisor for Assistance to Vulnerable Populations. Directs the President to: (1) establish a system to evaluate such assistance's effectiveness; and (2) develop and submit to the appropriate congressional committees a coordinating strategy for such assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Cesar E. Chavez Congressional Gold Medal Act - 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, of a gold medal to the next of kin or other personal representative of Cesar E. Chavez in recognition of his service to the Nation. (Chavez organized farm workers to campaign for safe and fair working conditions, founded the National Farm Workers Association-- predecessor of the United Farm Workers of America-- and was a recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.)
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Student Aid Reward Act of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) title IV (Student Assistance) to direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a Student Aid Reward (SAR) Program of payments to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to encourage them to participate in the student loan program under title IV that is most cost-effective for taxpayers. Requires that a SAR payment to an IHE equal at least 50 percent of the savings to the Federal Government generated by the IHE's participation in the most cost-effective student loan program, rather than one not cost-effective for taxpayers. Requires IHEs receiving SAR payments to: (1) provide student loans under that most cost-effective program for five years after the payment date; and (2) use payment funds, where appropriate, to supplement students Pell Grants. Allows such funds to be used also to award need-based grants to lower and middle income graduate students.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Smuggled Tobacco Prevention Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require all packages of tobacco products to carry a unique legibly printed serial number by which the Secretary of the Treasury can identify the manufacturer or importer and the location and date of manufacture or importation. Requires tobacco products sold on Indian reservations to be labeled as such. Requires a person to post a bond with the Secretary in order to export tobacco products. Requires a tobacco wholesaler to have a permit and to maintain certain records. Requires export warehouse proprietors to file certain reports with the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into certain tobacco related information exchange agreements with foreign countries. Establishes new criminal offenses relating to the distribution of tobacco products. Raises the $1,000 civil penalty for violations relating to tobacco products to $10,000. Amends the Contraband Cigarette Trafficking Act to: (1) expand the applicability of such Act from cigarettes only to tobacco products (cigars, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, pipe tobacco, and roll-your-own tobacco); (2) define a "contraband tobacco product" as a quantity of tobacco product that is equivalent to or more than 2,000 cigarettes (currently, 60,000) which bear no evidence of the payment of applicable State tobacco taxes and that is possessed illegally; and (3) establish new unlawful acts. Allows a State tobacco tax authority to bring a civil action in U.S. district court for the collection of State cigarette taxes. Prohibits retaliation against employees (whistleblowers) who provide information in contraband tobacco cases. Provides for administrative and judicial remedies for such whistleblowers.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of marriage and family therapist services generally, and particularly such services provided in rural health clinics and in hospice programs. Authorizes marriage and family therapists to develop discharge plans for post-hospital services. Amends Medicare part C (Miscellaneous) to exclude such services from the skilled nursing facility prospective payment system.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Consumer Assurance of Radiologic Excellence Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to prohibit certain payments to States for expenditures for medical imaging procedures or radiation therapy procedures, unless the State meets specified requirements for State medical radiation licenses, including minimum licensing standards the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the regulation of tobacco products by the Secretary of Health and Human Services through the Food and Drug Administration, including through disclosure, annual registration, inspection, recordkeeping, and user fee requirements. Sets forth criteria by which tobacco products are deemed adulterated or misbranded. Allows the Secretary to require prior approval of all label statements. Allows the Secretary to restrict the sale or distribution of tobacco products, including advertising and promotion, if the Secretary determines that such regulation would be appropriate for the protection of the public health. Prohibits such regulations from: (1) limiting product sales or distribution to authorization of a practitioner licensed to prescribe medical products; (2) prohibiting product sales in face-to-face transactions by a specific category of retail outlets; or (3) establishing a minimum age greater than 18 years of age for product purchases. Prohibits cigarettes from containing any artificial or natural flavor (other than tobacco or menthol) or an herb or spice, including strawberry, cinnamon, or coffee. Requires the Secretary to establish tobacco product standards to protect the public health, but reserves to Congress the power to ban any tobacco products or reduce the nicotine level to zero. Allows the Secretary to take specified actions, including public notification and recall, against unreasonably harmful products. Requires premarket approval of all new tobacco products. Sets forth standards for the sale of modified risk tobacco products. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) judicial review; (2) coordination with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); (3) congressional review of regulations; and (4) state and local authority. Requires the Secretary to establish a Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to change cigarette warning label and advertising requirements. Amends the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986 to change smokeless tobacco warning label and advertising requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny U.S. companies doing business in Sudan the foreign tax credit and other tax benefits until the Secretary of State certifies to the Secretary of the Treasury that the Government of Sudan has ceased to support and taken steps to end acts of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, including: (1) ensuring that the military is not attacking civilians or obstructing human rights monitors or humanitarian assistance; (2) disarming Government supported militias; (3) allowing access for providing humanitarian assistance to all regions; and (4) cooperating with international missions.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Health Coverage, Affordability, Responsibility, and Equity Act of 2005 or the HealthCARE Act of 2005 - Amends Title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to allow State plans for medical assistance to provide Medicaid coverage to individuals who have incomes of no more than 100 percent of the poverty line. Amends Title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of SSA to permit States to provide child health assistance to all targeted low-income children. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a refundable credit for the cost of qualified health insurance for the taxpayer or qualifying family members. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a program to make advance payments to health insurance providers of credit for health insurance costs of eligible low-income individuals. Establishes a program under which the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall ensure that eligible individuals can enroll in private group health insurance through a purchasing pool operator in participating states. Directs the Secretary to establish standards for State-based reinsurance programs and permits the Secretary to award grants to States to cover the costs of such programs. Directs the Secretary to establish the National Advisory Commission on Expanded Access to Health Care to assess the effectiveness of programs designed to expand health care coverage. Permits a State to apply to the Secretary for waivers of such provisions of law as may be necessary for the State to implement policies that make comprehensive, affordable health coverage available for all State residents.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Clean Water Authority Restoration Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to replace the term "navigable waters," throughout the Act, with the term "waters of the United States," defined to mean all waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, the territorial seas, and all interstate and intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds, and all impoundments of the foregoing, to the fullest extent that these waters, or activities affecting them, are subject to the legislative power of Congress under the Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that the community development block grant program should remain under the administration of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize qualified physical therapists to provide services for Medicare beneficiaries without the requirement of a physician referral. Provides for treatment of outpatient speech-language pathology services separately from outpatient physical therapy services.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2005
Emergency Retiree Health Benefits Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide emergency protections for retiree health benefits. Prohibits group health plans from making post-retirement reductions of retiree health benefits. Requires group health plans to adopt provisions barring post-retirement reductions in retiree health benefits. Requires group health plans to restore benefits reduced after retirement. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to waive or vary such requirements, if a plan sponsor applies for such exemption, upon finding that compliance would: (1) be adverse to the interests of plan participants in the aggregate; (2) not be administratively feasible; and (3) cause substantial business hardship to the sponsor. Establishes the Emergency Retiree Health Loan Guarantee Program and its Board. Authorizes the Program, through its Board, to guarantee loans provided by private banking and investment institutions to eligible plan sponsors to assist them in meeting obligations under this Act to restore benefits reduced after retirement. Authorizes the Secretary to assess civil penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2005
Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2005 - Reinstates for ten years repealed criminal provisions regarding assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices (the assault weapons ban). Revises the definition of "semiautomatic assault weapon" to include conversion kits (for converting a firearm to such a weapon) and any semiautomatic rifle or pistol that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and that has specified characteristics, including a telescoping stock. Prohibits the transfer of such a weapon except through a licensed dealer or a State or local law enforcement agency, subject to specified requirements. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish and maintain a record of the make, model, and date of manufacture of any such weapon which the Attorney General is made aware has been used in relation to a crime, and of the nature and circumstances of the crime involved; and (2) annually submit the record to Congress and make it available to the public. Prohibits: (1) the transfer of any assault weapon with a large capacity ammunition feeding device; and (2) a licensed manufacturer, importer, or dealer who transfers such a device that was manufactured on or before this Act's enactment from failing to certify to the Attorney General, within 60 days of the transfer date, that the device was manufactured on or before that date. Sets penalties for violations. Prohibits: (1) the transfer of such a weapon or device to a juvenile; and (2) the importation of such a device.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2005
Fairness and Accountability in International Taxation Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny reduced withholding tax treaty benefits to a foreign entity on any deductible foreign payment (deductible payment made by a domestic entity to a related foreign entity) unless such entity is predominantly owned by individuals who are residents of such foreign country. Exempts from such provision: (1) corporations with substantial business activities in a treaty country with specified tax rates; (2) payments received by controlled foreign corporations from U.S. shareholders; and (3) certain conduit payments made by foreign corporations. Provides a special income and deduction allocation rule for related-party inbound (transfer price reduced by deflected tax haven income) and outbound (transfer price increased by deflected tax haven income) transactions. Defines "related-party inbound transaction," "related-party outbound transaction," and "deflected tax haven."
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2005
Constitutional Amendment - States that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2005
Expresses support for: (1) the designation of a National Autism Awareness Month (April); and (2) increasing Federal funding for autism research. Commends the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the implementation of the Children's Health Act of 2000. Stresses the need to begin early intervention services soon after an individual has been diagnosed with autism. Expresses support for the Federal Government funding 40 percent of the costs needed to educate children with disabilities. Recognizes the shortage of appropriately trained teachers and the importance of worker training programs that meet the needs of developmentally disabled individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2005
College Aid Made EZ Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise and simplify the Federal student aid application process, including the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Provides for: (1) a FAFSA-EZ form with fewer pages and questions; (2) a pre-FAFSA process, allowing application for HEA student assistance one year earlier, in junior year of high school; (3) greater Internet access to FAFSA forms; (4) more students qualifying for using a simplified form; and (5) automatic qualification for a simplified form for those students eligible for specified Federal programs, including school lunches. Reduces the types of income and benefits which are considered untaxed for purposes of student assistance need analysis. Removes specified requirements relating to suspension of student aid eligibility due to drug-related offenses. Revises requirements relating to income protection allowances and student contributions from available income.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Best Help for Rape Victims Act - Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 to require the Attorney General to include within the national protocol on sexual assault forensic examinations a recommendation that a victim of sexual assault who is at risk of pregnancy from rape should be: (1) offered information about emergency contraception; and (2) provided with such contraception on site at the victim's request. Requires the Attorney General to revise any existing protocol in accordance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 with respect to national dairy market loss payments to: (1) extend, by two years, program sign-up and contract periods; (2) double single dairy operation payment quantities; (3) increase payment amounts; and (4) terminate such increases as of September 30, 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act - Amends Federal transportation law to prohibit a State from prescribing or enforcing any regulation that allows a restricted property-carrying unit (any trailer, semi-trailer, container, or other property-carrying unit longer than 53 feet, except for a fire-fighting unit) to operate on the National Highway System (NHS) (including the Interstate System), unless the operation of such unit is authorized by the State on June 1, 2005, and in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including seasonal operations) on or before that date. Prohibits a State from allowing the operation of a commercial motor vehicle combination on the NHS (except a vehicle or load that cannot be dismantled or divided easily, and that has been issued a special permit under State law) with more than one property-carrying unit (excluding the truck tractor) whose property-carrying units are more than: (1) the maximum combination trailer, semi-trailer, or other type of length limitation allowed by State law on June 1, 2005; or (2) the length of the property-carrying units of those commercial motor vehicle combinations, by specific configuration, in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including continual seasonal operation) in such State on or before June 1, 2005. Amends Federal highway law to prohibit a State from allowing the operation of a vehicle or combination (other than a longer combination vehicle) exceeding Interstate weight limits on the Interstate System unless its operation was lawful: (1) on July 1, 1956; (2) in the case of the overall gross weight of any group of two or more consecutive axles, on the date of enactment of the Federal-Aid Highway Amendments of 1974; or (3) under a special permit pursuant to State (grandfather) law. Declares that Interstate weight limitations on vehicles and combinations (other than longer combination vehicles) that operate on the Interstate System shall also apply to such vehicles and combinations that operate on non-Interstate segments of the NHS, unless: (1) such segments are subject to lower State weight limits; or (2) a State allows the operation of any vehicle or combination on an existing non-Interstate segment of the NHS that could be so operated lawfully on June 1, 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2005 or Johanna's Law - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a national campaign to increase the awareness and knowledge of women with respect to gynecologic cancers, which shall include: (1) maintaining a supply of written materials to provide information to the public on gynecologic cancers; and (2) developing and placing public service announcements to encourage women to discuss their risks of gynecologic cancers with their physicians. Requires the Secretary to award grants to nonprofit private entities to test different outreach and education strategies for increasing such awareness among women and health professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal collectively to the Tuskegee Airmen in recognition of their unique military record, which inspired revolutionary reform in the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Ronald Reagan Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to make Alzheimer's disease research a priority within the National Institute on Aging. Requires the Director of the Institute to: (1) undertake an Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Initiative to accelerate the discovery of new risk and protective factors, to rapidly identify therapies and preventive interventions, and to implement effective prevention and treatment strategies; (2) conduct and support cooperative clinical research regarding Alzheimer's; and (3) conduct research concerning early detection and diagnosis, the relationship between Alzheimer's and vascular disease, and interventions designed to help caregivers. Authorizes the Director to establish a National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center to facilitate collaboration among Alzheimer's Disease Centers and Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to educate the public and public health community regarding Alzheimer's disease. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants or cooperative agreements to develop coordinated respite care programs on a statewide basis. 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 of such child or adult. Directs the Secretary to award a grant or cooperative agreement to a public or private nonprofit entity to establish a National Resource Center on Lifespan Respite Care.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act to expand the prohibition against discrimination by group health plans and health insurance issuers in the group and individual markets on the basis of genetic information or services to prohibit: (1) enrollment and premium discrimination based on information about a request for or receipt of genetic services; and (2) requiring genetic testing. Sets forth penalties for violations. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit issuers of Medicare supplemental policies from discriminating on the basis of genetic information. Extends medical privacy and confidentiality rules to the disclosure of genetic information. Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or training program to discriminate against an individual or deprive such individual of employment opportunities because of genetic information. Prohibits the collection and disclosure of genetic information, with certain exceptions. Establishes a Genetic Nondiscrimination Study Commission to review the developing science of genetics and advise Congress on the advisability of providing for a disparate impact cause of action under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2005 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or local governments. Directs the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to determine whether State law provides specified rights and responsibilities for public safety officers, including: (1) granting public safety employees the right to form and join a labor organization which excludes management and supervisory employees, and which is, or seeks to be, recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for such employees; and (2) requiring public safety employers to recognize and agree to bargain with the employees' labor organization. Requires the FLRA to issue regulations establishing collective bargaining procedures for public safety employers and employees in States that do not substantially provide for such public safety employee rights and responsibilities. Directs the FLRA, in such cases, to: (1) determine the appropriateness of units for labor organization representation; (2) supervise or conduct elections to determine whether a labor organization has been selected as an exclusive representative by a majority of the employees in an appropriate unit; (3) resolve issues relating to the duty to bargain in good faith; (4) conduct hearings and resolve complaints of unfair labor practices; and (5) resolve exceptions to arbitrator's awards. Grants a public safety employer, employee, or labor organization the right to seek enforcement of such FLRA regulations and authority through appropriate State courts. Prohibits public safety employers, employees, and labor organizations from engaging in lockouts or strikes. Provides that existing collective bargaining units and agreements shall not be invalidated by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Latin America Military Training Review Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of the Army to suspend operation of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (Institute). Suspends the authority of the Secretary of Defense to operate such an education and training facility until submission of a report containing the results of an investigation in response to violations of human rights to which training at such Institute contributed. Establishes: (1) a joint congressional task force to assess appropriate education and training for DOD to provide to military personnel of Latin American nations; and (2) a commission to investigate activities of the United States Army School of the Americas and its successor institution, the Institute.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Children's Hospitals Education Equity and Research (CHEER) Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payments through FY 2010 (currently, through FY 2005) to children's hospitals for expenses associated with operating approved graduate medical residency training programs. Excludes reductions for unused resident positions when calculating the number of full-time residents in a children's hospital's approved training program for purposes of reimbursing direct expenses. Requires the Secretary to adjust the proportion of such a hospital's costs attributable to wages for differences in hospital wage levels by geographic area. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2010 for direct and indirect expenses associated with operating such programs. Requires that funds appropriated for such programs for a fiscal year remain available for obligation through the end of the succeeding fiscal year. Limits the ability to recoup funds unless a demand for recoupment is made by the end of the fiscal year. Sets forth an appeals procedure and limitations on retroactivity for decisions affecting the amount of payments to a hospital for such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2005
Removing Impediments to Students Education Act - RISE Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to repeal provisions which make persons convicted of drug offenses ineligible to receive student financial assistance for a certain period.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2005
Rockies Prosperity Act - Designates the following lands in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System (System): (1) Greater Glacier/Northern Continental Divide ecosystem; (2) Greater Yellowstone ecosystem; (3) Greater Salmon/Selway ecosystem; (4) Greater Cabinet/Yaak/Selkirk ecosystem; (5) Islands in the Sky Wilderness; and (6) Blackfeet Wilderness. Designates: (1) specified wild land areas as Biological Connecting Corridors to protect the life flow of the Northern Rockies Bioregion; (2) the inventoried roadless areas identified as part of the Corridors as components of the System; and (3) certain biological connecting corridors as special corridor management areas. Establishes the Hells Canyon/Chief Joseph National Park and Preserve as a National Park System unit. Repeals Federal law provisions that establish the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) implement a program of ecosystem restoration in the Preserve; and (2) study the feasibility of creating a Flathead National Park and Preserve in the area generally known as the Glacier View Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest. Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of specified rivers and creeks in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Establishes the National Wildland Restoration and Recovery System and the National Wildland Recovery Corps. Requires the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to assure nonexclusive access to the specified areas and corridors designated by this Act by Native Americans for traditional cultural and religious purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2005
Disabled Veterans Right to Commissaries and Space Available Travel Act - Requires veterans with disabilities rated at 30 percent or more (and their dependents) to be permitted to use commissary and exchange stores on the same basis as members of the Armed Forces eligible for retired or retainer pay. Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide transportation on Department of Defense aircraft on a space-available basis for any veteran with a service-connected disability rated at 50 percent or more (and their dependents) on the same basis as members entitled to retired or retainer pay.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2005
American Health Security Act of 2005 - Establishes the State-Based American Health Security Program to provide every U.S. resident who is a U.S. citizen, national, or lawful resident alien with health care services. Requires each participating State to establish a State health security program. Eliminates benefits under: (1) titles XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act; (2) the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program; and (3) the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). Requires each State health security program to prohibit the sale of health insurance in that State that duplicates benefits provided under the program. Establishes the American Health Security Standards Board to: (1) develop policies, procedures, guidelines and requirements to carry out this Act; (2) establish uniform reporting requirements; (3) provide for an American Health Security Advisory Council and an Advisory Committee on Health Professional Education; and (4) establish a national health security budget specifying the total Federal and State expenditures to be made for covered health care services. Establishes the American Health Security Quality Council to: (1) review and evaluate practice guidelines, standards of quality, performance measures, and medical review criteria; and (2) develop minimum competence criteria. Establishes the Office of Primary Care and Prevention Research within the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to create the American Health Security Trust Fund and appropriates to the Fund specified tax liabilities and current health program receipts.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2005
Condemns the ongoing abductions and murders of young women in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City, Mexico, and expresses condolences to the victims' families. Urges the President and Secretary of State to: (1) incorporate the investigative efforts of the Mexican Government in the bilateral Mexico-U.S. agenda; and (2) continue to support the efforts of the victims' families to seek justice. Encourages the Secretary to: (1) include in the annual Country Report on Human Rights all instances of improper investigatory methods, threats against human rights activists, and the use of torture with respect to such cases; (2) urge the Government of Mexico and the State of Chihuahua to review the cases of murdered women in which the accused or convicted have credibly alleged they were tortured or forced by a state agent to confess; and (3) urge the Government of Mexico to ensure fair judicial proceedings. Supports the work of the special commissioner to prevent violence against women in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City. Expresses the solidarity of the people of the United States with the people of Mexico in the face of these tragic acts.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Freedom to Read Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to provide that no application by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to a U.S. court for an order requiring the production of tangible things for an investigation to obtain foreign intelligence information from a U.S. person or to protect against international terrorism may be made for the sole purpose of searching for, or seizing from, a bookseller or library documentary materials that contain personally identifiable information concerning a patron. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to preclude a physical search for documentary materials (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) under other provisions of law. Defines "personally identifiable information" as information that identifies a person as having used, requested, or obtained specific reading materials or services from a bookseller or library. Revises congressional reporting requirements under FISA to require the Attorney General, in informing Congress with respect to applications for orders approving requests for the production of tangible things, to: (1) describe the specific purpose of each order application; (2) analyze the effectiveness of each application that was granted or modified in protecting U.S. citizens against terrorism; and (3) make public such information provided in a manner consistent with the national security of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Alaska Rainforest Conservation Act of 2005 - Designates: (1) specified public lands in the Chugach National Forest, Alaska, as National Wilderness Preservation System components; and (2) specified public lands in the Tongass National Forest, Alaska, as wilderness areas or System components. Provides with respect to specified public lands in the Tongass National Forest, Alaska, for: (1) a wilderness designation study; (2) designation as Land Use Designation II lands; (3) designation as restoration lands; and (4) designation as special management areas. Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate, or study for designation, as wild, scenic, and recreational rivers specified waters in the Chugach and Tongass National Forests, Alaska.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Justice and Understanding By International Loan Elimination and Equity Act of 2005 or JUBILEE Act of 2005 - Amends the International Financial Institutions Act to require the Secretary of the Treasury to commence immediate efforts, within the Paris Club of Official Creditors, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), and other international financial institutions (multilateral development institutions (MDI's)) to accomplish: (1) the cancellation of all debts owed to each institution by specified eligible poor countries, and the financing of such debt cancellation from the institution's ongoing operations, procedures, and accounts; (2) the limitation of any waiting period before receipt of debt cancellation to one month from the date of an eligible poor country's application for it; and (3) encouragement of the government of each eligible poor country to allocate at least 20 percent of its national budget, including the savings from such debt cancellation, for the provision of basic health care services, education services, and clean water services to individuals in the country. Sets forth requirements for: (1) establishment of a framework to ensure transparency regarding each international financial institution's activities; and (2) availability on the Treasury Department's website of U.S. Executive Directors' remarks at meetings of international financial institutions' Boards of Directors. Requires the Secretary to commence immediate efforts, within the Paris Club, the IMF, and other appropriate MDI's, to ensure that the provision of debt cancellation to such countries is not conditioned on any agreement by such a country to implement or comply with specified policies that deepen poverty or degrade the environment.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Liver Research Enhancement Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the National Center on Liver Disease Research in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to ensure the development of increased understanding of, and better treatments and cures for, liver diseases. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish the Liver Disease Research Advisory Board to: (1) advise and assist the Director of the Center concerning matters relating to liver disease research; and (2) develop the Liver Disease Research Action Plan to identify scientific opportunities and priorities of liver disease research. Requires the Director of each institute or center within NIH to allocate for liver disease research amounts necessary to: (1) fund existing scientific research opportunities; and (2) carry out the recommendations of the Plan.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Fuel Efficiency Truth in Advertising Act of 2005 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revise certain Federal vehicle fuel economy test procedures to take into consideration higher speed limits, faster acceleration rates, variations in temperature, use of air conditioning, shorter city test cycle lengths, and the use of other fuel depleting features.
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 · 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 · 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
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
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
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
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare recognition of the services of respiratory therapists that are furnished as part-time or intermittent nursing care or physical therapy services under a plan of care for home health services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report to Congress on the impact of paying for the services of respiratory therapists as a separate benefit under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of Medicare, and as an explicit component of the several benefits under part A (Hospital Insurance) of Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area Act - Establishes the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Designates the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, Inc., as the Area's management entity (the entity), which shall: (1) submit to the Secretary of the Interior for approval a management plan which includes policies, strategies, and recommendations for conservation, funding, management, development, and interpretation of the Area; and (2) assist local governments, regional planning organizations, and nonprofit organizations in implementing the plan. Prohibits the entity from using Federal funds received under this Act to acquire real property. Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical and financial assistance to the Area and enter into cooperative agreements with the entity and other public or private entities to develop and implement the plan.
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
Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to prescribe guidelines for a Federal Renewable Portfolio Standard for calendar years 2008 through 2037. Specifies a schedule of graduated annual percentages of a supplier's base amount, from one percent in 2008 up to 20 percent in 2027 and thereafter, that shall be generated from renewable energy resources. Authorizes a supplier to satisfy such requirements through the submission of renewable energy credits to the Secretary of Energy. Provides for energy credit trading or borrowing among suppliers. Directs the Secretary to: (1) encourage federally-owned utilities, municipally-owned utilities, and rural electric cooperatives that sell electric energy to electric consumers for purposes other than resale to participate in the renewable portfolio standard program; and (2) establish by December 31, 2007, a State renewable energy account program.
![Official portrait of Rep. Olver, John W. [D-MA-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/o000085_200.jpg)