United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act - Amends Federal postal service law to direct the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) (established by this Act) to establish a modern system for regulating rates and classes for market-dominant products (all first-class mail, special services, periodicals, standard mail, media mail, library mail, and bound printed matter). Directs the Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service to establish rates and classes for products in the competitive category of mail (priority mail, expedited mail, mailgrams, international mail, and parcel post). Authorizes the Postal Service to conduct market tests of experimental products. Directs the PRC to establish rules to ensure that workshare discounts (presorting, barcoding, etc.) do not exceed the cost that the Postal Service avoids as the result of private sector workshare activity. Establishes in the Treasury a revolving Postal Service Competitive Products Fund which shall be available to the Postal Service without fiscal year limitation for the payment of: (1) costs attributable to competitive products; and (2) all other costs incurred by the Postal Service, to the extent allocable to competitive products. Requires the Postal Service to: (1) compute its assumed Federal income tax (which would be the taxable income of a corporation) on competitive products income for such year; and (2) transfer from the Competitive Products Fund to the Postal Service Fund the amount of that assumed tax. Prohibits the Postal Service from: (1) establishing anti-competitive rules or regulations; (2) compelling the disclosure, transfer, or licensing of intellectual property to any third party; or (3) obtaining information from a person that provides any product, and then offering any product or service that uses or is based in whole or in part on such information, without the person's consent. Makes the Secretary of State responsible for foreign policy related to international postal services and other international delivery services. Replaces the Postal Rate Commission with the Postal Regulatory Commission. Directs the Postal Service to report to the President, Congress, and: (1) PRC on universal postal service in the United States; and (2) Postal Service Board of Governors on the postal processing and distribution network. Repeals the authority of the Postal Service to impose fines on air carriers transporting mail beyond U.S. borders for unreasonable or unnecessary delays and other delinquencies. Directs the Postal Service to prescribe regulations for the safe transportation of hazardous materials in the mail. Provides civil penalties, plus cleanup costs, for violations. Revises postal pension funding requirements under the Civil Service Retirement System. Establishes the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Citizens' Self-Defense Act of 2005 - Declares that a person not prohibited under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act from receiving a firearm shall have the right to obtain firearms for security and to use firearms in defense of: (1) self or family against a reasonably perceived threat of imminent and unlawful infliction of serious bodily injury; (2) self or family in the course of the commission by another person of a violent felony against the person or a member of the person's family; and (3) the person's home in the course of the commission of a felony by another person. Authorizes persons whose rights under this Act have been violated to bring an action in U.S. district court against the United States, any State, or any person for damages, injunctive relief, and such other relief as the court deems appropriate. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the award of attorney's fees; and (2) the statute of limitations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Health Insurance Affordability Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction from gross income for premiums paid under a high deductible health plan by an individual eligible for a deduction for amounts paid into a health savings account, for months when such taxpayer is not covered under any other plan.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Department of Defense should continue to exercise its long-standing statutory authority to support activities of the Boy Scouts of America, particularly the periodic national and world Boy Scout Jamborees.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2004
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Department of Defense should continue to exercise its long-standing statutory authority to support activities of the Boy Scouts of America, particularly the periodic national and world Boy Scout Jamborees.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004
Providing Reliable Officers, Technology, Education, Community Prosecutors, and Training In Our Neighborhoods Act of 2004 or PROTECTION Act - Modifies provisions of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 regarding public safety and community policing ("cops on the beat" program, COPS) to authorize the Attorney General to use COPS grants to: (1) increase prosecutor presence and to enhance law enforcement access to new technologies; (2) pay overtime to existing career law enforcement officers for community policing; and (3) promote higher education among in-service State and local law enforcement officers by reimbursing them for certain educational costs. Includes among permitted additional grant projects: (1) specialized integrity and ethics training; and (2) innovative proactive crime control and prevention programs involving school officials and religiously-affiliated organizations. Authorizes the Attorney General to use up to five percent of appropriated funds for technical assistance and training to States, local governments, Indian tribal governments, and other entities. Repeals provisions of the Act regarding termination of grants for hiring officers. Allows grants to be used to assist: (1) police departments in employing specified professional, scientific, and technological advancements; (2) State, local, or tribal prosecutors' offices in implementation of community-based prosecution programs that build on local community policing efforts; and (3) in paying overtime to existing career law enforcement officers. Reserves specified funds for local governmental units with a population of less than 50,000. Authorizes the Attorney General to use no more than 50 percent of grant renewal funds to award grants targeted for police officer retention.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2004
Emergency Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide emergency financial assistance to agricultural producers who have incurred qualifying 2003 or 2004 crop losses due to weather or related conditions. Permits producers with qualifying losses in both years to elect to receive payments in either, but not both, of such years. Makes producers ineligible for crop disaster assistance if they did not: (1) get Federal crop insurance for insurable commodities; and (2) file required paperwork and pay related fees for noninsurable commodities. Sets forth waiver provisions. Reduces payments for amounts received under a specified crop loss program announced in 2004. Directs the Secretary to provide payments to livestock producers who have incurred 2003 or 2004 losses in an emergency-designated county, with discretionary set-asides for the American Indian livestock program. Permits producers with qualifying losses in both years to elect to receive payments in either, but not both, of such years. Directs the Secretary to provide assistance under the tree assistance program to tree farmers who have suffered losses during the 2003-2004 winter.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2004
Iran Freedom Support Act - States that: (1) U.S. sanctions, controls, and regulations relating to weapons of mass destruction with respect to Iran shall remain in effect until the President certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that Iran has permanently and verifiably dismantled its weapons of mass destruction programs and has committed to combating such weapons' proliferation; and (2) such certification shall have no effect on other sanctions relating to Iranian support of international terrorism. Amends the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 to: (1) eliminate mandatory sanction provisions respecting Libya; (2) impose mandatory sanctions on a person or entity that aids Iran acquire or develop weapons of mass destruction or destabilizing types and numbers of conventional weapons; (3) revise multilateral regime reporting requirements, including provisions respecting sanctions on individuals aiding Iranian petroleum development; (4) enlarge the scope of sanctionable entities; and (5) eliminate the sunset provision Authorizes the President to provide financial and political assistance to eligible foreign and domestic individuals and groups that support democracy in Iran and that are opposed to the Government of Iran. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the President should appoint a special assistant on Iranian matters; (2) contacts should be expanded with democratic Iranian opposition groups; and (3) the President should designate at least one such eligible group within 90 days of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004
American Heroes Act - Authorizes each State to provide one statue of an individual representing that State to be displayed in the Capitol Visitor Center. Specifies criteria for such statues. Requires the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate to assign jointly to one of their employees the post of the American Hero Administrator to prepare statue guidelines. Requires: (1) a State to establish an American Hero Commission to select the individual to represent that State; and (2) the Architect of the Capitol to procure and install a statue honoring the passengers of United Airlines flight number 93 who died on September 11, 2001, for their heroic role in protecting Washington, D.C. from attack.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Municipal Solid Waste Responsibility Act of 2004 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to prohibit a landfill or incinerator (facility) from receiving out-of-State municipal solid waste unless the owner or operator of the facility obtains explicit authorization from the affected local government. Directs affected local governments, prior to taking formal action on a request for such authorization, to: (1) notify the Governor, contiguous local governments, and any contiguous Indian tribes; and (2) provide public notice and an opportunity for comment. Creates exceptions to the authorization requirement for owners or operators who held certain authorizations prior to enactment of this Act, where the facility received shipments of out-of-State municipal solid waste during 1993, or where the waste was generated within the bi-State metropolitan statistical area in which the facility is located. Authorizes States to: (1) limit the amount of out-of-State municipal solid waste received annually by facilities; (2) impose cost recovery surcharges on the combustion or disposal of such waste; and (3) enact laws imposing limitations on the receipt and disposal of foreign municipal solid waste. Prohibits persons from importing, transporting, or exporting municipal solid waste for final disposal or incineration in violation of the Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Canada Concerning the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct studies and develop recommendations concerning the benefits of alternatives to open field disposal of agricultural solid wastes (including biomass).
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2004
Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act or STOP Underage Drinking Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish an interagency coordinating committee to guide policy and program development across the Federal Government on underage drinking; (2) issue an annual report card to rate the performance of each State in enacting, enforcing, and creating laws, regulations, and programs to prevent or reduce underage drinking; (3) develop a set of outcome measures to prepare report cards, including the strictness of the minimum drinking age laws and the number of compliance checks conducted; (4) fund and oversee the Ad Council's national adult-oriented media public service campaign; (5) award grants to reduce the rate of underage alcohol use and binge drinking among students at institutions of higher education; and (6) collect data on, and conduct or support research on, underage drinking, including the impact alcohol use and abuse has upon adolescent brain development, the scope of the underage drinking problem, and progress in preventing and treating underage drinking. Requires the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to award grants to design, test, evaluate, and disseminate strategies to maximize the effectiveness of community-wide approaches to preventing and reducing underage drinking. Requires the Secretary to carry out activities toward the objectives of: (1) testing every unnatural death of persons ages 12 to 20 for alcohol involvement; (2) obtaining new epidemiological data that identifies alcohol use and attitudes about alcohol use during pre- and early adolescence; and (3) developing or identifying successful clinical treatment for youth with alcohol problems.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2004
NASA and JPL 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to mint and issue: (1) ten dollar gold coins; (2) five dollar gold coins; (3) one dollar silver coins; and (4) half-dollar silver coins emblematic of the 50 years of exemplary and unparalleled achievements of NASA and JPL. Directs each Federal agency and U.S. instrumentality that has in its possession any craft or any part of a craft that flew in space to: (1) retrieve any gold, silver, copper, and other precious metal that may be used in the production of any coins under this Act from such craft or part; and (2) deposit such metals with the Director of the United States Mint. Requires that all sales of coins minted under this Act include a surcharge of : (1) $75 per coin for the ten dollar coin; (2) $35 per coin for the five dollar coin; (3) $10 per coin for the one dollar coin; and (4) $3 for the half-dollar coin, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the NASA Family Assistance Fund for the purposes of providing financial assistance to the families of NASA personnel who die as a result of injuries suffered in the performance of their official duties.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2004
Smuggled Tobacco Prevention Act of 2004 - 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 · 9 July 2004
Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise provisions regarding Federal assistance for programs to reduce suicide among children and adolescents. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to award grants or cooperative agreements to: (1) develop and implement State-sponsored statewide or tribal youth suicide early intervention and prevention strategies in schools, educational institutions, juvenile justice systems, substance abuse programs, mental health programs, foster care systems, and other child and youth support organizations; (2) support public organizations actively involved in State-sponsored statewide or tribal youth suicide early intervention and prevention strategies and in the development and continuation of such intervention and prevention strategies; (3) collect and analyze data on State-sponsored statewide or tribal youth suicide early intervention and prevention services that can be used to monitor the effectiveness of such services and for research, technical assistance, and policy development; and (4) assist eligible entities in achieving their targets for youth suicide reductions. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to award a grant or contract to establish the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. Requires the Secretary to award grants to institutions of higher education to expand mental and behavior health services to students, to provide such services, and to develop best practices for the delivery of such services.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2004
Employee Stock Ownership Plan Promotion and Improvement Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) treat certain distributions by S corporations to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) as deductible dividends; (2) exempt deductions for ESOP dividends from corporate alternative minimum tax adjustments based on adjusted earnings and profits; (3) allow deferral of the recognition of gain for certain sales to ESOP's sponsored by any domestic corporation, including S corporations; (4) allow reinvestment of ESOP stock proceeds eligible for nonrecognition of gain in certain mutual funds; (5) modify certain ESOP stock ownership rules; and (6) allow early distributions from an ESOP for higher education expenses and first-time homebuyer purchases without penalty.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2004
Amends the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act to: (1) include bullying and harassment under the definition of violence; and (2) provide for programs to address and prevent bullying and harassment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2004
Congratulates The Pennsylvania State University for 150 years of service to the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Nation and commends Pennsylvania's designation of the University as the land-grant institution of Pennsylvania.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2004
Declares that the steel import licensing and monitoring program established by the Secretaries of the Treasury and of Commerce shall remain in effect and be established by the Secretary of Commerce as a permanent program. Requires the Secretaries to expand the program to include all iron and steel, and all articles of iron and steel, specified in this Act. Requires release of the import and licensing data made available to the public as part of this program, based upon classifications at the tenth digit level of the Harmonized Schedule of the United States. Grants the Secretaries authority to maintain the program and to expand it as necessary and appropriate in accordance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2004
Second Chance Act of 2004: Community Safety Through Recidivism Prevention or Second Chance Act of 2004 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to reauthorize, rewrite, and expand provisions regarding adult and juvenile offender reentry demonstration projects, including by authorizing funds to: (1) provide structured post-release housing and transitional housing through which offenders are provided supervision and services immediately following reentry into the community; (2) facilitate specified collaboration to promote the employment of people released from prison and jail; and (3) establish or expand the use of reentry courts. Sets forth grant priorities and requirements, including that each State or local government recipient establish a Reentry Task Force or other relevant convening authority. Authorizes the Attorney General to make a grant to provide for the establishment of a National Adult and Juvenile Offender Reentry Resource Center. Directs the Attorney General to establish an interagency task force on Federal programs and activities relating to offender reentry. Authorizes the National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics to conduct research on offender reentry. Directs: (1) the Secretary of Health and Human Services to review the role of State child protective services at the time of arrest and to establish services for the preservation of families impacted by the incarceration of a family member; and (2) the Secretary of Labor to implement a program to educate employers about existing incentives to the hiring of former prisoners and to make grants to community-based organizations to provide mentoring and other transitional services essential to reintegrating ex-offenders.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2004
Terrorism Insurance Backstop Extension Act of 2004 - Amends the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 to define: (1) the term "Program Year 4" as the period from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2006; and (2) the term "Program Year 5" as the period from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2007 (thereby extending the terrorism risk insurance program from 2005 through 2007). Sets a deadline for the Secretary of the Treasury to make a final determination regarding: (1) the availability of group life insurance to both insurers and consumers; and (2) whether certain provisions of the Act shall be applied to providers of group life insurance. Sunsets the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program after December 31, 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2004
District of Columbia Fairness in Representation Act - Considers the District of Columbia as a congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives. Provides, until the taking effect of the first reapportionment occurring after the regular decennial census conducted for 2010, that: (1) the membership of the House shall be increased by two Members; and (2) each such Representative shall be in addition to such current membership; and (3) the State identified by the Clerk of the House in a specified report by the President to Congress shall be entitled to one additional Representative. Prohibits the temporary increase from: (1) increasing or decreasing the permanent membership of the House; (2) affecting the basis of reappointment established by Federal law; or (3) being taken into account in determining the number of electors with respect to the 2004 Presidential election. Amends the District of Columbia Delegate Act to repeal the office of District of Columbia Delegate. Amends the District of Columbia Statehood Constitutional Convention Initiative of 1979 to repeal the office of Statehood Representative.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2004
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to suspend the limitation period for filing refund claims for overpayments of tax for any veteran whose overpayment relates to a determination by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs that such veteran was entitled to service-connected disability compensation. Provides that the suspension period begins on the date a veteran submits a claim for compensation and ends on the date the Secretary makes a determination. Permits a veteran to file a refund claim for overpayment of tax (relating to benefit determinations made by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs after 1995) even if the claim is barred by law, if the claim is filed before the end of one year after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2004
Federal Election Integrity Act of 2004 - Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require any individual who desires to register or re-register to vote in an election for Federal office to provide the appropriate State election official with proof that the individual is a U.S. citizen. Requires proof of citizenship in States without registration requirement and States permitting same day registration. Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to prohibit the appropriate State or local election official from: (1) providing a ballot for an election for Federal office to an individual who desires to vote in person unless the individual presents to the official a current and valid photo ID; or (2) accepting any ballot of an individual voting by mail without a copy of a current photo ID.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2004
Christopher Kangas Fallen Firefighter Apprentice Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand the definition of "firefighter" for purposes of death benefit provisions to include fire department members regardless of age, status as an apprentice or trainee, or related duty restrictions. Makes this Act applicable to deaths and injuries which occur on or after May 4, 2002.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2004
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 · 20 May 2004
Teacher Shortage Response Act of 2004 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase the amount of student loans that may be forgiven for highly qualified teachers in mathematics, science, and special education and for reading specialists. Directs the Secretary of Education to notify local educational agencies eligible to participate in the Small Rural Achievement Program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 of the benefits available under the amendments made by this Act, and to encourage such agencies to notify their teachers of such increased benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2004
Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require an abortion provider, before beginning any abortion of a pain-capable unborn child (defined as an unborn child who has reached a probable stage of development of 20 weeks after fertilization), to: (1) make a specified statement to the pregnant woman that Congress has determined that there is substantial evidence that the process will cause the unborn child pain, and that the mother has the option of having pain-reducing drugs administered directly to the child; (2) provide to the woman an Unborn Child Pain Awareness Brochure (unless she waives receipt) and an Unborn Child Pain Awareness Decision Form; and (3) obtain on the form the woman's signature and her explicit request for or refusal of the administration of drugs to the child. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop the brochure and form. Makes such provisions inapplicable to a provider in the case of a medical emergency. Requires the provider to certify that a medical emergency exists. Sets penalties for false statements. Establishes penalties for willfully failing to comply with this Act, including civil penalties, medical license suspension, or both. Authorizes: (1) specified officials to bring suit in Federal court; and (2) private rights of action by a parent or guardian of a woman who is an unemancipated minor. Requires each State and State medical licensing authority to promulgate procedures for the revocation or suspension of a provider's license upon a court finding that the provider has violated this Act. Subjects a State that fails to implement such procedures to loss of Medicaid funding.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2004
Recognizes the impact that Tourette Syndrome can have on people living with the disorder, the importance of an early diagnosis and proper treatment of the disorder, and the need for enhanced public awareness of the disorder. Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month (May 15 through June 15).
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2004
Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act - Amends Federal postal service law to direct the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) (established by this Act) to establish a modern system for regulating rates and classes for market-dominant products (all first-class mail, periodicals, non-parcel post standard mail, media mail, library mail, and bound printed matter). Directs the Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service to establish rates and classes for products in the competitive category of mail (priority mail, expedited mail, mailgrams, international mail, and parcel post). Directs the PRC to establish rules to ensure that workshare discounts (presorting, barcoding, etc.) do not exceed the cost that the Postal Service avoids as the result of private sector workshare activity. Establishes in the Treasury a revolving Postal Service Competitive Products Fund which shall be available to the Postal Service without fiscal year limitation for the payment of: (1) costs attributable to competitive products; and (2) all other costs incurred by the Postal Service, to the extent allocable to competitive products. Requires the Postal Service to: (1) compute its assumed Federal income tax (which would be the taxable income of a corporation) on competitive products income for such year; and (2) transfer from the Competitive Products Fund to the Postal Service Fund the amount of that assumed tax. Prohibits the Postal Service from: (1) establishing anti-competitive rules or regulations; (2) compelling the disclosure, transfer, or licensing of intellectual property to any third party; or (3) obtaining information from a person that provides any product, and then offering any product or service that uses or is based in whole or in part on such information, without the person's consent. Makes the Secretary of State responsible for foreign policy related to international postal services and other international delivery services. Requires the Postal Service to forward mail received and forwarded by a commercial mail receiving agency following proper filing of a change-of-address form. Replaces the Postal Rate Commission with the Postal Regulatory Commission. Directs the Postal Service to report to the President, Congress, and: (1) PRC on universal postal service in the United States; and (2) Postal Service Board of Governors on the postal processing and distribution network. Repeals the authority of the Postal Service to impose fines on air carriers transporting mail beyond U.S. borders for unreasonable or unnecessary delays and other delinquencies. Directs the Postal Service to prescribe regulations for the safe transportation of hazardous materials in the mail. Provides civil penalties, plus cleanup costs, for violations. Revises postal pension funding requirements under the Civil Service Retirement System. Establishes the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2004
Makes provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 expanding the tax credit for adoption expenses permanent. Repeals the five-year limitation on carryforwards of unused adoption credit amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2004
Volunteer Firefighter Tax Relief Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow volunteer firefighters a tax deduction from gross income for personal safety clothing (including helmets and boots) used in performing fire fighting services.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2004
Help Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2004 -Sets forth provisions regulating lawsuits for health care liability claims concerning the provision of health care goods or services or any medical product affecting interstate commerce. Sets a statute of limitations of three years after the date of manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers the injury, with certain exceptions. Allows the recovery of unlimited economic damages. Limits noneconomic damages to $250,000. Makes each party liable only for the amount of damages directly proportional to such party's percentage of responsibility. Allows the court to restrict the payment of attorney contingency fees. Limits the fees to a percentage based on the amount awarded. Allows: (1) any party to a lawsuit involving injury or wrongful death to introduce evidence of collateral source benefits; and (2) any opposing party to then introduce evidence of any amount paid or contributed to secure the right to such benefits. Authorizes the award of punitive damages only where: (1) it is proven that a person acted with malicious intent to injure the claimant or deliberately failed to avoid unnecessary injury the claimant was substantially certain to suffer; and (2) compensatory damages are awarded. Limits punitive damages to the greater of two times the amount of economic damages or $250,000. Limits the liability of manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and providers of medical products that comply with Food and Drug Administration standards. Provides for periodic payments of future damage awards.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2004
United Nations Oil-for-Food Accountability Act of 2004 - Requires the withholding of certain FY 2005 and 2006 U.S. contributions to the United Nations (UN) until the President certifies that the UN is cooperating in the investigation of the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2004
Department of Homeland Security Financial Accountability Act - Amends the Chief Financial Officer Act of 1990 and the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the President to appoint a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), who is to report directly to the Secretary of DHS and to the Under Secretary for Management. Removes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from the list of agencies required to have a CFO. Amends the Reports Consolidation Act of 2000 to instruct the Secretary of DHS to: (1) submit a specified performance and accountability report, including an audit opinion of DHS internal controls over its financial reporting; and (3) design and implement DHS-wide management controls that reflect the national homeland security strategy of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, and that permit assessment by Congress and DHS managers of DHS performance in executing such strategy. Requires performance and accountability reports after FY 2005 to include an assertion of the internal controls that apply to financial reporting by the DHS. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Future Years Homeland Security Program to: (1) include the same type of information, organizational structure, and level of detail as a certain future years defense program; (2) set forth the homeland security strategy that was used to develop program planning guidance for the Program; and (3) include an explanation of how the resource allocations included in the Program correlate to homeland security strategy. Instructs the Secretary to establish an Office of Program Analysis and Evaluation. Creates the position of Director of Program Analysis and Evaluation. Requires the CFO of DHS to notify simultaneously specified congressional committees whenever appropriations earmarked for DHS are either transferred or reprogrammed.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2004
Amends Federal provisions concerning the National Guard Challenge Program (a civilian youth opportunities program conducted by the Secretary of Defense) to: (1) provide a maximum Federal matching funds level of 65 percent of the costs of operating the State program during FY 2005, 70 percent during FY 2006, and 75 percent for FY 2007 and beyond; (2) authorize appropriations for the Program for FY 2005; and (3) rename it the National Guard Youth Challenge Program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2004
States that the Senate: (1) urges all people in Kosovo to immediately stop the violence that begun on March 17, 2004, end the destruction of homes, churches, and other cultural and religious sites, and cooperate with North Atlantic Treaty Organization's Kosovo Force (KFOR), the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK), and the Kosovo Police in identifying for prosecution the perpetrators of violence and property destruction; (2) expresses its deep condolences to the families of those who have been killed in the recent violence; (3) condemns the destruction of personal and religious property in Kosovo; (4) urges political leaders to take action to allow the more than 4,000 Kosovo Serbs and other minorities displaced during the violence to return to their communities; (5) encourages all political leaders in Kosovo to renounce the use of violence, and to proceed with efforts to establish a peaceful, multiethnic society; (6) recommends that the United Nations review the structure of UNMIK; and (7) urges reinvigoration of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue toward establishment of an environment guaranteeing freedom of movement and human rights in Kosovo.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2004
Commends national and community organizations and health care providers for supplying information concerning the importance of screening for prostate cancer and the treatment options. Declares that the Federal Government and the States have a moral responsibility to ensure that health care providers supply patients with appropriate information and tools necessary to receive readily understandable information about all medically efficacious treatments for prostate cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2004
Assistance to Firefighters Grant Reauthorization Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to modify provisions regarding firefighter assistance to make the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration (currently, the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency) responsible for such assistance. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to volunteer emergency medical service squads and to provide assistance for firefighter safety research and development. Includes within authorized uses of grants the funding of such squads that are not affiliated with a fire department, hospital, or for-profit entity. Makes specified funds available for research to improve firefighter health and life safety. Grants priority for certain earmarked funds to organizations that focus on prevention of injuries to high risk groups from fire, as well as research programs that demonstrate the potential to improve firefighter safety. Allows the Administrator to provide assistance only if the applicant agrees to match with an equal amount of non-Federal funds 20 (currently 30) percent of the assistance received for any fiscal year. Modifies grant recipient limitations. Directs the Administrator to: (1) convene an annual meeting of non-Federal fire service experts to recommend criteria for awarding grants and necessary administrative changes; (2) publish each year in the Federal Register guidelines that describe the grant application process and award criteria; (3) appoint fire service personnel to conduct peer review of applications; and (4) re-conduct a study to define the current role and activities associated with fire services.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2004
Meningococcal Vaccination Act of 2004 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require entering students who will reside in on-campus housing at postsecondary institutions to have received meningococcal vaccinations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2004
Better Access to Chiropractors to Keep our Veterans Healthy (Back Our Veterans Health) Act - Includes chiropractic services and counseling, as well as periodic and preventative chiropractic examinations and services, among the medical, rehabilitative, and preventive health services available to veterans. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to permit eligible veterans to receive medical, rehabilitative, and preventative health services from a licensed doctor of chiropractic on a direct access basis at the election of the veteran, if such services are within the State scope of practice of such doctor. Prohibits the Secretary from discriminating among licensed health-care providers in the determination of needed services.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2004
Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) compensation for civilian employees and members of the uniformed services of the United States must be sufficient to support critical efforts to recruit, retain, and reward quality people in Government service; and (2) to help achieve this objective, in FY 2005, compensation for civilian employees of the United States should be adjusted at the same time, and in the same proportion, as are rates of compensation for members of the uniformed services.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2004
Korean Defense Service Combat Recognition Act - Directs the Secretary of the Army to provide that, with respect to service in the Republic of Korea after July 28, 1953, eligibility of a member of the Army for the Combat Infantryman Badge or the Combat Medical Badge shall be met under criteria and eligibility requirements that, as nearly as practicable, are identical to those applicable to service elsewhere without regard to specific location or special circumstances such as: (1) serving in a hostile fire area; (2) a minimum number of instances in which the member was engaged with the enemy in active ground combat; or (3) a personal recommendation or approval by a commander in the member's chain of command.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2004
North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the human rights of North Koreans should remain a key concern in future negotiations between the United States, North Korea, and other parties in Northeast Asia; (2) the United States should increase its support for radio broadcasting to North Korea; (3) the United Nations has a significant role to play in promoting and improving human rights in North Korea; (4) the United States should pursue an international agreement to adopt a `first asylum' policy, modeled on the first asylum policy for Vietnamese refugees, that guarantees safe haven to North Korean refugees; (5) the Government of China has obligated itself to provide the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with unimpeded access to North Koreans inside its borders to enable UNHCR to determine whether they are refugees and whether they require assistance; and (6) the United States should promote measures similar to humanitarian parole or temporary protected status granted in countries that neighbor North Korea. Authorizes the President to: (1) provide grants to private, nonprofit organizations to promote human rights, democracy, rule of law, and the development of a market economy in North Korea; (2) increase the availability of information inside North Korea by increasing the availability of information sources not controlled by the Government of North Korea; (3) provide assistance to the World Food Program and to U.S. nongovernmental organizations to provide humanitarian assistance to North Koreans inside North Korea; and (4) provide assistance to organizations or persons that provide humanitarian assistance or legal assistance to North Koreans who are outside of North Korea without the permission of the Government of North Korea. Prohibits U.S. agency humanitarian or nonhumanitarian assistance to the Government of North Korea without certification that North Korea has taken steps to ensure the humanitarian, nonpolitical use of such assistance. States that for refugee or asylum status under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a national of the Democratic Republic of Korea shall not be considered a national of the Republic of Korea. Directs the Secretary of State to designate natives or citizens of North Korea who were subjected to disproportionately harsh or discriminatory treatment for their political or religious beliefs as a priority refugee group. Provides, with respect to qualifying citizens and nationals of North Korea, for: (1) parole entry; (2) status adjustment to permanent resident; and (3) temporary protected status.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2004
Congratulates the American Dental Association for establishing and continuing its sponsorship of the Give Kids a Smile program. Emphasizes the need to improve access to dental care for children. Thanks the thousands of dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and others who volunteered their time to provide dental education, screening, and care to an estimated one million children during this year's Give Kids a Smile program. Thanks Crest Healthy Smiles 2010, Sullivan-Schein Dental, DEXIS Digital X-ray Systems, and Ivoclar Vivadent Inc. for their support of the program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2004
Cool and Efficient Buildings Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a 15-year depreciation recovery period, calculated on a straight line basis, for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, or refrigeration systems installed in nonresidential buildings.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2004
Family Abduction Prevention Act of 2004 - Directs the Attorney General to make grants to States for projects involving: (1) the extradition of individuals suspected of committing a family abduction back to the State from which the child was taken; (2)investigation by law enforcement agencies of family abduction cases; (3) training for law enforcement agencies in responding to family abductions and recovering abducted children; (4) outreach and media campaigns to educate parents on the dangers of family abductions; and (5) notifying law enforcement authorities of the name and address of anyone requesting the school records of an abducted child. Requires that not less than 50 percent of the cost of a project for which a grant is made be provided by non-Federal sources.
![Official portrait of Rep. Platts, Todd Russell [R-PA-19]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000585_200.jpg)