United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) revise the definition of gross receipts applicable to tax-exempt small property and casualty insurance companies to include gross investment income; (2) increase to $1.971 million (from $1.2 million) the limitation on net written premiums for purposes of qualifying non-life insurance companies for alternative tax rates; and (3) adjust such increased limitation amount annually for inflation after 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2005
Stolen Valor Act of 2005 - Amends the federal criminal code to expand the prohibition against wearing, manufacturing, or selling military decorations or medals without legal authorization to prohibit purchasing, soliciting, mailing, shipping, importing, exporting, producing blank certificates of receipt for, advertising, or exchanging such decorations or medals without authorization. Prohibits falsely representing oneself as having been awarded any decoration or medal authorized by Congress for the Armed Forces or any of the service medals or badges. Increases penalties for violations if the offense involves a Distinguished Service Cross, an Air Force Cross, a Navy Cross, a silver star, or a Purple Heart.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Children's Safety Act of 2005 - Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act - Requires: (1) each state, territory, and federally recognized Indian tribe to maintain a sex offender registry; and (2) each sex offender to register in the jurisdictions where the offender resides, is an employee, and is a student. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) maintain a National Sex Offender Registry at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); (2) establish a Sex Offender Management Assistance program; and (3) authorize sex offender apprehension grants. DNA Fingerprinting Act of 2005 - Amends: (1) the DNA Identification Act of 1994 to expand the scope of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) samples to be included in the Combined DNA Index System; and (2) the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to authorize the Attorney General to collect DNA samples from individuals who are arrested or detained under U.S. authority. Prevention and Deterrence of Crimes Against Children Act of 2005 - Increases penalties for violent crimes against persons under age 18, including death or life imprisonment if the crime results in the death of a person under that age. Protection Against Sexual Exploitation of Children Act of 2005 - Increases penalties for sexual offenses against children. Foster Child Protection and Child Sexual Predator Sentencing Act of 2005 - Requires background checks and checks of national crime information databases and state child abuse registries before approval of foster or adoptive placements. Establishes: (1) procedures for the civil commitment of sexually dangerous persons; and (2) mandatory minimum penalties for child sex trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Assistant United States Attorney Retirement Benefit Equity Act of 2005 - Grants an assistant United States attorney the same civil service retirement benefits as a law enforcement officer, except as specified. Includes within the definition of "assistant United States attorney" any other attorney employed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) occupying a position designated by the Attorney General upon finding that the position: (1) involves routine employee responsibilities that are substantially similar to those of assistant U.S. attorneys; and (2) is critical to DOJ's successful accomplishment of an important mission. Sets forth provisions regarding the designation of attorneys as assistant U.S. attorneys. Requires DOJ to take measures reasonably designed to provide notice to incumbent assistant U.S. attorneys on their election rights and on the effects of making or not making a timely election. Allows an incumbent to elect, for all purposes, to be treated in accordance with this Act or to be treated as if this Act had never been enacted. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) time limits for making an election; (2) retroactive effects; and (3) individual contributions for prior service.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2005
Pulmonary Hypertension Research Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of the Institute with respect to research on pulmonary hypertension and to coordinate the Director's activities with related activities of other national research institutes and National Institutes of Health (NIH) agencies. Requires the Director to make grants to, or enter into contracts with, public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of centers to conduct research and programs on pulmonary hypertension, including: (1) basic and clinical research into the cause, diagnosis, early detection, prevention, control, and treatment of the disease; (2) training programs for scientists and health professionals; (3) programs to provide information and continuing education to health professionals; and (4) programs for the dissemination of information to the public. Requires the Director to establish: (1) a data system for the collection, storage, analysis, retrieval, and dissemination of data derived from patient populations with pulmonary hypertension; and (2) an information clearinghouse to facilitate and enhance knowledge and understanding of pulmonary hypertension by health professionals, patients, industry, and the public.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow affiliated life and non-life insurance companies to file consolidated tax returns; (2) phase in, between 2005 and 2011, the full application of losses of affiliated non-life insurance companies against the taxable income of an affiliated life insurance company; and (3) automatically waive the five-year waiting period applicable to affiliated non-life insurance companies for offset of their losses against life insurance company income.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2005
Lifetime Pension Annuity for You Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an exclusion from gross income for 50 percent of the amount otherwise includible in gross income as lifetime income payments from certain annuity contracts. Limits the amount of such exclusion to $5,000 in any taxable year. Provides for an inflation adjustment of the $5,000 limitation beginning in 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2005
Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Act or PREEMIE Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand and coordinate NIH research on preterm labor and delivery, infant mortality, and low birthweight infants. Establishes the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network and the Neonatal Research Units Network within NIH. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) expand and coordinate CDC activities on preterm labor and delivery and infant mortality; (2) conduct a study on the relationship between prematurity, birth defects, and developmental disabilities; and (3) review the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Survey. Requires the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's national longitudinal study of environmental influences on children's health and development to consider the impact of assisted reproduction technologies. Requires the Director of NIH to contract with the Institute of Medicine to study the health and economic consequences of preterm birth. Directs the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to assess certain core performance and outcome measures utilized under the Social Security Act for purposes of expanding such measures to include known risk factors of low birthweight and prematurity. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) conduct a demonstration project to improve the provision of information on prematurity to health professionals and the public; (2) conduct projects to support the informational and emotional needs of families during the stay of an infant in a neonatal intensive care unit, during the transition of the infant to the home, and in the event of a newborn death; and (3) establish an Interagency Coordinating Council on Prematurity and Low Birthweight.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2005
Clean Energy Bonds Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow holders of clean energy bonds a nonrefundable tax credit of 25 percent of an annual credit amount as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury. Defines "clean energy bond" as any bond issued by a clean energy bond lender, a cooperative electric company, a governmental body, or the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) that is used for capital expenditures for specified projects for producing electricity from certain renewable resources, such as wind, biomass, solar energy, small irrigation power, and municipal solid waste. Sets forth rules for maturity limitations, arbitrage, and expenditures, including a requirement that 95 percent of proceeds from the sale of a bond issue be spent on a renewable resource project within five years from the date of a bond issuance. Terminates the authority to issue clean energy bonds after 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor posthumously to Richard L. Etchberger, U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant, for acts of valor in Laos during the Vietnam conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Hunger-Free Communities Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Congress is committed to achieving domestic hunger goals and ending hunger by 2015; (2) federal food and nutrition programs should receive adequate funding; and (3) the entitlement nature of the child and adult care food program, the food stamp program, the school breakfast and lunch programs, and the summer food service program should be preserved. Directs: (1) the American Communities Survey to collect and submit food security information to the Secretary of Agriculture; and (2) the Secretary to conduct an annual study of hunger in the United States and develop recommendations on reducing domestic hunger. Directs the Secretary to make: (1) hunger-free communities collaborative grants to eligible public food program service providers or nonprofit organizations; (2) hunger-free communities infrastructure grants to eligible emergency feeding organizations; and (3) hunger-free communities training and technical assistance grants to eligible national or regional nonprofit organizations. (States that such grants' federal share shall not exceed 80 %.) Sets forth grant priorities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Medicare for the Terminally Ill Act of 2005 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to permit a waiver by the Secretary of Health and Human Services of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage of disabled individuals who are terminally ill.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Long-Term Care and Retirement Security Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a tax deduction from gross income for long-term care insurance premiums; (2) include long-term care insurance in employee benefit cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements; (3) allow a tax credit for certain long-term care costs; (4) set forth certain consumer protections for long-term care insurance contracts; and (5) allow tax free exchanges of long-term care insurance contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to determine interest amounts on education loans initially disbursed after December 31, 2004, and treat such interest, with certain adjustments and restrictions, as tax deductible.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Recognizes the importance of veterans to the United States. Expresses support for the goals of Veterans Educate Today's Students Day (programs that educate children about the service of veterans and the sacrifices made by them and their families).
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2005
Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act of 2005 - Prohibits a state that has been redistricted after an apportionment from being redistricted again until after the next apportionment of Representatives, unless the state is ordered by a court to conduct such a subsequent redistricting in order to: (1) comply with the U.S. Constitution; or (2) enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Requires such redistricting to be conducted through a plan developed by the independent redistricting commission established in the state, or if such plan is not enacted into law, the redistricting plan selected by the state's highest court or developed by a U.S. district court. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) establishment of a state independent redistricting commission; (2) development of a redistricting plan; (3) its submission to the state legislature; (4) selection of a plan, under specified conditions, by the state's highest court or the U.S. district court for the district in which the capital of the state is located; (5) special rules for redistricting conducted under a federal court order; and (6) Election Assistance Commission payments to states for carrying out redistricting.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2005
Rural Access to Emergency Services Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to: (1) cost-based critical access hospital ambulance services; (2) appropriate coverage of rural ground ambulance services; and (3) payments to retain emergency and other capacity for ambulances in rural areas. Amends SSA title XI to provide for expanding the work of Medicare quality improvement organizations to include ambulance providers. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 with respect to including ambulance providers in the definition of health care provider for purposes of the Universal Service Fund. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to States to encourage them to make improvements to their emergency medical services systems.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through December 31, 2010, the income tax credit for biodiesel used as fuel and the excise credits for biodiesel mixtures and biodiesel used to produce biodiesel mixtures.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2005
Jacob Wetterling, Megan Nicole Kanka, and Pam Lychner Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act or the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act - Repeals existing provisions governing state registration programs for persons convicted of a criminal offense against a minor or of a sexually violent offense. Directs the Attorney General to carry out a Jacob Wetterling, Megan Nicole Kanka, and Pam Lychner Sex Offender Registration and Notification program under which a "covered individual" (an individual convicted of a listed offense against a minor) shall, for that individual's life, provide to the Attorney General specified information, including any change of address and employer. Lists exceptions. Sets penalties for violations. Requires the Attorney General to prescribe regulations to ensure that every covered individual wears and maintains a device that transmits information about that person's whereabouts to the domicile state, subject to specified requirements. Sets penalties for violations. Lists the responsibilities of the Attorney General and State or tribal actors. Provides for specified community notification by law enforcement. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) maintain a National Sex Offender Registry database to track the whereabouts and movements of covered individuals; (2) develop a software application that can be used by state and tribal actors; (3) establish and maintain a database to manage DNA information regarding covered individuals; and (4) carry out a Sex Offender Management Assistance program for awarding grants to states or tribal actors to offset costs associated with implementing this Act. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to subject to deportation any alien who is a covered individual and who fails to provide registration information under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2005
College 529 Invest in Education Savings for Tomorrow Act of 2005 - Makes permanent the provisions relating to qualified tuition programs enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA).
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2005
Welcomes the opportunity for the Republic of Albania to take the next steps in European and Euro-Atlantic integration by holding July 2005 parliamentary elections that meet the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) election standards. Supports commitments by Albanian political parties to adhere to campaign and election laws. Supports U.S. assistance to help the people of Albania establish a democratic system and a free market economy. Encourages the President to communicate to the government of Albania, to all Albanian political parties and candidates, and to the people of Albania the importance attached by the U.S. government to this parliamentary election in determining the future U.S.-Albanian relationship.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2005
Honor Our Fallen Prisoners of War Act - Requires the Secretary concerned to award the Purple Heart to members of the Armed Forces who die in captivity under circumstances not otherwise establishing eligibility for the Purple Heart. Makes this Act effective as to members of the Armed Forces who die on or after December 7, 1941, including those who die prior to enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Loan Forgiveness for Head Start Teachers Act of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend to certain Head Start teachers eligibility for cancellation of repayment obligations for specified types of student loans.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
COLI Best Practices Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to limit the tax exclusion for benefits paid by employer-owned life insurance contracts upon the death of an insured employee, with certain exceptions for directors and highly compensated employees and for proceeds paid to the heirs of an insured employee. Requires employers to provide written notice to employees of intent to insure their lives and obtain written consent from such employees to being insured under a company-owned life insurance contract. Imposes certain reporting and recordkeeping requirements for employer-owned life insurance contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to report annually on the number of required permanent and temporary non-Federal employees for Farm Service Agency (FSA) local offices and the funding levels necessary to support such workforce. Limits temporary workers to not more than ten percent of all such non-Federal workers in any fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2005
Veterinary Workforce Expansion Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities to improve public health preparedness through increasing the number of veterinarians in the workforce. Defines "eligible entities" as accredited public or nonprofit schools of veterinary medicine, departments of comparative medicine, departments of veterinary science, schools of public health, or schools of medicine that offer training for veterinarians in a public health practice area. Requires the Secretary to give preference to applicants that demonstrate a comprehensive approach by involving more than one eligible entity. Allows grantees to use funds to: (1) pay the costs associated with construction, the acquisition of equipment, and other capital costs relating to the expansion of existing schools or departments; and (2) pay the capital costs associated with the expansion of academic programs that offer postgraduate training for veterinarians or concurrent training for veterinary students in specific areas of specialization
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Student Bill of Rights - Directs the Secretary of Education to make annual determinations as to whether each state's public school system provides all its students with educational resources to succeed academically and in life. Requires such education to enable students to: (1) acquire knowledge and skills necessary for responsible citizenship; (2) meet challenging academic achievement standards; and (3) compete and succeed in a global economy. Requires each system to do so through: (1) providing specified fundamentals of educational opportunity to students at each public elementary and secondary school; (2) providing educational services in school districts that receive funds for disadvantaged students that are, taken as a whole, at least comparable to educational services provided in school districts not receiving such funds; and (3) complying with any final federal or state court order in any matter concerning the adequacy or equitableness of the system. Requires withholding of specified portions of its federal funding for administrative expenses if a system: (1) fails to meet a yearly interim goal; (2) does not remedy, after two school years, a failure to provide comparable educational services to schools that receive funds for disadvantaged children; or (3) does not comply with a court order. Allows students or parents aggrieved by violations of this Act to bring civil actions for enforcement in federal district courts. Directs the Commissioner of Education Statistics to study the effects of educational disparities on economic growth and on national defense.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2005
Railroad Competition Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends federal transportation law to specify the primary objectives of U.S. rail transportation policy. Requires a rail carrier, upon shipper request, to establish a rate for transportation and provide requested service between any two points on the carrier's system where traffic originates, terminates, or may reasonably be interchanged. Prohibits the Surface Transportation Board (STB) from issuing a certificate authorizing construction and operation of railroad lines, or exempting a person, class of persons, or a transaction or service from the certificate requirement, if such an activity involves a transfer of interest in a line of railroad from a Class I rail carrier to a Class II or III rail carrier, and the activity directly or indirectly would restrict: (1) the ability of the Class II or Class III rail carrier to interchange traffic with other carriers; or (2) competition of rail carriers in the region affected by the activity in a manner that would violate federal antitrust laws. Prescribes a procedure for shipper petition and STB review of any activity alleged to have resulted in a restriction of competition for at least ten years. Changes from discretionary to mandatory the STB's authority to require: (1) a rail carrier's terminal facilities to be used by another rail carrier subject to certain conditions; and (2) rail carriers to enter into reciprocal switching agreements. Prohibits the STB, in either instance, from requiring evidence of anticompetitive conduct by a rail carrier from which such access is sought. Requires the STB to designate any state or substantial part of a state as an area of inadequate rail competition after finding that: (1) it encompasses rail shipping origins and destinations served exclusively by one Class I railroad; and (2) persons that ship by rail or receive rail shipments in it pay rates exceeding a certain mark, or have experienced competitive disadvantage in the marketplace or other economic adversity because of high cost or poor rail service quality. Specifies actions the STB may take to resolve such anti-competitive conditions. Requires submission to arbitration of rail rate disputes. Requires the STB to adopt new methods for determining the reasonableness of rail rates. Establishes within the Department of Transportation (DOT) the Office of Rail Customer Advocacy. Requires the STB, in a proceeding involving the merger or control of at least two Class I railroads, to consider among other things the safety and environmental effect of the proposed transaction on local communities and rail passenger transportation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income 100 percent of the gain, up to $500,000, from the sale of qualified farm property to a first-time farmer who certifies that such property will be used for farming purposes for ten years. Allows: (1) a 50 percent exclusion for the sale of qualified farm property to any other person who certifies that such property will be used for farming purposes for ten years; and (2) a 25 percent exclusion for the sale of qualified farm property to any other person for any other use. Defines "qualified farm property" as real property located in the United States which is used for farming purposes for a specified three-year period and in which there was material participation by the taxpayer or the taxpayer's spouse or family member. Requires the recapture of tax benefits if qualified farm property is sold or ceases operation as a farm before the required ten-year period.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
San Francisco Old Mint Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins and 500,000 $1 silver coins emblematic of the San Francisco Old Mint Building, its importance to California and U.S. history, and its role in rebuilding San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Requires that all surcharges received by the Secretary from such coin sales be promptly paid to the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society for purposes of rehabilitating the Historic Old Mint in San Francisco as a city museum and an American Coin and Gold Rush Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2005
Katie Elise and Meghan Agnes Act - Requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to promulgate: (1) consumer product safety standards applicable to any furniture or electronic appliance that the Commission determines poses a substantial safety hazard due to tipping because of its design, height, weight, stability, or other features; (2) regulations requiring warning labels on the packaging of such items and on the packaging of furniture with drawers that pose a danger to children due to tipping. Requires the Commission, in promulgating safety standards under this Act, to take into consideration the intended uses of furniture and electronic appliances and the likelihood that children could climb on or tip the furniture.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2005
Investment in America Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the tax credit for increasing research activities; (2) increase the rates of the alternative incremental tax credit for research expenses; and (3) permit a taxpayer election of an alternative simplified tax credit for research expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Employee Free Choice Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board to certify a bargaining representative without directing an election if a majority of the bargaining unit employees have authorized designation of the representative and there is no other individual or labor organization currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit. Sets forth special procedural requirements for reaching an initial collective bargaining agreement following certification or recognition. Revises enforcement requirements with respect to unfair labor practices during union organizing drives. Provides, under injunction provisions, for priority to be given to preliminary investigation of charges of violations by employers or other entities. Adds to remedies for such violations: (1) back pay plus liquidated damages; and (2) additional civil penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Recognizes America's Blood Centers and its members for providing blood to patients, ensuring the safety of the blood supply, and promoting blood donor initiatives.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
Rail Infrastructure Development and Expansion Act for the 21st Century - Amends Federal rail transportation law to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to designate high-speed rail infrastructure bonds if: (1) the bonds are issued by a State, or one or more of the States that have entered into an interstate compact under the Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997, or by such compact; (2) they are for financing projects that make a substantial contribution to providing the infrastructure required to complete a railroad passenger transportation corridor for high-speed intercity rail passenger service, or for projects for the Alaska Railroad; (3) for a railroad passenger transportation corridor design that includes the use of freight railroad rights-of-way, a written agreement exists between the applicant and the freight railroad regarding such use and other conditions are met; (4) the corridor design eliminates all existing railroad grade crossings that would impede high-speed rail operations; (5) the applicant agrees to comply with certain labor standards with respect to such project; and (6) the applicant agrees not to pay the principal or interest on the bonds using funds derived directly or indirectly from the Highway Trust Fund, except as permitted by existing law. Excludes the interest on such bonds from an individual's gross income. Requires any entity providing high-speed intercity passenger railroad transportation to negotiate over hiring and working conditions with the collective bargaining agent or agents of the employees of any existing rail passenger service it might be replacing. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain tax credits to holders of qualified high-speed rail infrastructure bonds. Makes corridor development activities (including the acquisition of locomotives, rolling stock, track, and signal equipment) eligible for Federal assistance. Amends specified Federal law to change from discretionary to mandatory the Secretary's authority to provide direct loans and loan guarantees for rail rehabilitation and improvement projects to State and local governments, interstate compacts, government sponsored authorities and corporations, railroads, and joint ventures that include at least one railroad.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
Amtrak Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends Federal transportation law to authorize appropriations for Amtrak for FY 2006 through 2008 for: (1) capital expenditures; (2) certain mandatory payments; and (3) Amtrak's contractual obligations for commuter and State-supported passenger rail service. Includes among mandatory Amtrak payments to the Treasury: (1) an amount equal to the tax Amtrak must pay as an employer under the Railroad Retirement Tax Act that is more than the amount needed for anticipated benefits for retirees and their beneficiaries; (2) amounts necessary to pay the contribution for employee unemployment benefits under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act that are more than its obligations calculated on an experience-related basis; and (3) amounts necessary to pay railroad unemployment repayment taxes. Requires Amtrak to transmit to the Secretary of Transportation annually a comprehensive business plan, including targets for ridership and for each intercity train route (including Autotrain), revenues, and capital and operating expenses, and supplemental reports describing the work completed to date, any changes to the business plan, and the reasons for such changes. Prohibits the use of amounts appropriated under this Act to subsidize operating losses of commuter rail passenger or rail freight transportation.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
Colon Cancer Screen for Life Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of the Congress with respect to the use of and reimbursement for colorectal cancer screening tests covered under the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA). Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) increase Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) reimbursement for colorectal cancer screening and diagnostic tests; (2) cover an outpatient office visit or consultation for the purpose of beneficiary education before a colorectal cancer screening test consisting of a colonoscopy, or in conjunction with the beneficiary's decision to obtain such a screening, regardless of whether the screening is medically indicated with respect to the beneficiary; and (3) waive the deductible for such tests.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
Community Pharmacy Fairness Act of 2005 - Provides that antitrust laws shall apply to negotiations between groups of independent pharmacies and health plans and health insurance issuers in the same manner as such laws apply to collective bargaining by labor organizations under the National Labor Relations Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2005
Fuels Security Act of 2005 - Amends the Clean Air Act to require that motor vehicle fuel contain a specified volume of renewable fuel. Establishes a system of: (1) tradeable credits for motor vehicle fuel containing more renewable fuel than required; and (2) waivers for States and small refineries. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to require Federal agency heads to ensure that ethanol-blended gasoline and biodiesel-blended diesel fuel is purchased for agency vehicles in areas where such fuel is available at competitive prices. Amends the Clean Air Act to eliminate the oxygen content requirement for reformulated gasoline. Requires the Administrator to: (1) establish standards for toxic air pollutants from the use of reformulated gasoline; and (2) within 30 days of enactment of this Act, determine the adequacy of any petition from a State Governor to exempt gasoline sold in the State from certain requirements for reformulated gasoline. Permits States additional opt-in areas under the reformulated gasoline program. Requires Federal enforcement of State fuels requirements. Sets forth various data collection and reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2005
Public Good IRA Rollover Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income distributions from individual retirement accounts for certain charitable purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2005
Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize expansion of Medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy services to diseases, conditions, or disorders other than diabetes or a renal disease.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2005
Real Estate Investment Thrift Savings Act - Amends Federal law relating to the Federal Employees' Retirement System to provide for the establishment of a Real Estate Stock Investment Fund under the Thrift Savings Plan.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2005
Certain and Immediate Estate Tax Relief Act of 2005 - Restores the tax on estates and generation-skipping transfers and the step-up in basis provisions for property acquired from a decedent, previously repealed by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA). Declares that the sunset provision (general terminating date of December 10, 2010) of EGTRRA shall not apply to title V of such Act ( Estate, Gift, and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Provisions). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide for an immediate increase to $3 million of the estate tax exclusion (eliminating the phase-in period); (2) impose a maximum estate tax rate of 47 percent; (3) restore the phaseout of graduated estate tax rates and the unified credit against the estate tax; (4) set forth estate valuation rules for certain transfers of nonbusiness assets; and (5) limit estate tax discounts for certain individuals with minority interests in a business acquired from a decedent.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2005
Renewing the Dream Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow homebuilders and investors a general business tax credit for building or substantially rehabilitating residences for low and moderate-income individuals in certain areas, including a rural area, an Indian reservation, or an area of chronic economic distress. Sets forth rules for the calculation of such credit and its administration and allocation by the States.
![Official portrait of Rep. Pomeroy, Earl [D-ND-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000422_200.jpg)