United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2005
Superfund for Hurricane Accountability and Recovery Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent: (1) the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate; and (2) the corporate environmental income tax. Increases by 50%, between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2008: (1) such financing rate; and (2) the excise tax per ton for certain chemicals. Increases the corporate environmental income tax rate from .12% to .18% during the same period. Establishes a Gulf Hurricanes Cleanup Account in the Hazardous Substance Superfund. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer to such Account the temporary tax increases imposed by this Act. Provides that amounts in such Account shall be made available for remediation of hazardous substance releases (or threatened releases) caused or exacerbated by Hurricanes Katrina or Rita. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to report to Congress on Hurricane Katrina and Rita cleanup activities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2005
Minority-Owned Venture Empowerment Act of 2005 - Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a program, to be known as the Pre-8(a) Program, to provide technical assistance to small businesses with respect to the receipt and performance of federal procurement contracts. Prohibits a participating small business from being awarded a contract under the Program which is awarded using procedures other than competitive procedures under section 8(a) of the Small Business Act (wherein the SBA provides for the performance of federal procurement contracts by small, disadvantaged, and minority-owned businesses). Limits to $750,000 the maximum net worth of a small business Program participant. Modifies the 8(a) program under the Small Business Act to require small businesses to complete the Pre-8(a) Program before participating in the 8(a) program. Limits to $100 million the aggregate value of contracts an 8(a) participant may enter into. Requires the Administrator, for the 8(a) program, to establish for each industry classification a maximum level of net worth for an economically disadvantaged individual, but prohibits establishing a net worth of less than $750,000. Makes some small businesses eligible for 8(a) participation in a contract using other than competitive procedures (restricted competition), under certain circumstances. Allows a contracting officer, under specified conditions, to utilize restricted competition in the award of federal procurement contracts for small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2005
Energy Consumer Relief Act of 2005 - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal oil and gas tax subsidies including: (1) the election to expense certain refineries; (2) treatment of natural gas distribution lines as 15-year property; (3) treatment of natural gas gathering lines as 7-year property; (4) the new rule for determining small refiner exception to oil depletion deduction; and (5) amortization of geological and geophysical expenditures. Repeals certain oil and gas production incentives, including those with respect to: (1) royalty relief for deep water production; (2) the Alaska offshore royalty suspension; (3) oil and gas leasing in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska; (4) management of federal oil and gas leasing programs; (5) oil and gas research programs); and (6) ultra-deepwater and unconventional natural gas and other petroleum resources. Instructs the President to suspend royalty relief for production of crude oil or natural gas from federal lands during periods in which the average price has risen over specified amounts. Requires that specified increased revenues received in the Treasury as the result of the enactment of this Act be made directly available to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for obligation and expenditure under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a refundable tax credit for energy cost assistance for farmers and ranchers. Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to establish an Energy Emergency Grant Program to make grants to small business concerns that have suffered substantial economic injury as a result of a significant increase in the price of heating oil, natural gas, gasoline, transportation fuel, propane, or kerosene.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2005
Mortgage and Rental Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide temporary assistance in the form of mortgage or rental payments for individuals and families who, because of financial hardship caused by a major disaster occurring on or after August 24, 2005, certify that they face dispossession or eviction from a residence by reason of a foreclosure of any mortgage or lien, cancellation of any contract of sale, or termination of any lease, entered into prior to such disaster. Limits assistance to not more than 18 months.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2005
Home Lead Safety Tax Credit Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for 50 percent of the costs of reducing lead hazards in U.S. homes built before 1960 in which certain low-income children less than six years of age and women of child-bearing age reside. Allows a maximum credit of $3,000 for lead abatement costs and $1,000 for the cost of interim lead control measures.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2005
Educators in Military Service Act of 2005 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to extend the deadlines by which state and local educational agencies are required to ensure that teachers or paraprofessional educators are highly qualified in order to account for their applicable periods of military service. Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Act to extend similar deadlines with respect to new special education teachers.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2005
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for the nonimmigrant U.S. entry of an alien on a tourist or business visa (B-visa) or student visa (F-visa) who: (1) is the spouse or child of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States; and (2) seeks admission for purposes of visiting the permanent resident spouse or parent or for studying in the United States. States that the fact that a petition has been filed on such nonimmigrant alien's behalf for classification as an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence shall not constitute evidence of intention to abandon a foreign residence.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2005
Medicaid Indian Health Act of 2005 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to: (1) apply 100% of the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) to services furnished to an Indian by an urban Indian health program; (2) prohibit the imposition of premiums, deductibles, copayments, and other cost-sharing on Indians; (3) prohibit recovery against estates of Indians; (4) require consultation with Indian tribes prior to approval of "Section 115" waivers; (5) provide for the treatment of medical expenses paid by or on behalf of an Indian by an Indian health program as medical care costs for purposes of determining medically needy eligibility; and (6) give states the option to exempt Indians from reductions in eligibility or benefits. Requires a Medicaid managed care organization contracting with an Indian Health Service (IHS) facility or program that is not a federally-qualified health center or a rural health clinic to provide payment at the highest level and amount that it would make for the services if they were furnished by a provider that is not an IHS facility or program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2005
Ethiopia Consolidation Act of 2005 - Directs the President: (1) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to revise the USAID country plan for Ethiopia to provide support for independent human rights monitoring and related training for government officials, and to provide support for training political parties on organization building, message development, and election monitoring; (2) through the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program of the Department of Justice, to provide training for Ethiopian police, security, and prison personnel in maintaining international standards for arrest and interrogation; (3) through USAID, to support programs to increase the independence and competence of the Ethiopian judicial system, and to provide assistance for development of Ethiopia's Nile and Awash River resources, including assistance to help Ethiopia with technology for the construction of dams, irrigation systems, and hydroelectric power that might prevent future famine; (4) provide financing for U.S.-Ethiopian commercial ventures; and (5) suspend joint security activities until a certification is made that Ethiopia is observing international human rights standards and enforcing the principle of the rule of law. Declares that the current stalemate in the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea has the potential to lead to conflict and must be addressed. Prohibits assistance to the governments of Ethiopia or Eritrea (with exceptions for assistance for democracy, peacekeeping, child survival and health, education, and agriculture) until the Secretary of State certifies that Ethiopia or Eritrea is taking steps to comply with the Algiers Agreements. Prohibits nonessential U.S. assistance to Ethiopia if the government of Ethiopia obstructs U.S. technical assistance to Ethiopian opposition parties.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2005
Reaffirms the House of Representatives' commitment to the security of Israel. Asserts that: (1) terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, should not be permitted to participate in Palestinian elections until such organizations recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, cease incitement, condemn terrorism, and disarm and dismantle their terrorist infrastructure; and (2) Hamas' or any other terrorist group's inclusion into the Palestinian governing structure will inevitably raise serious U.S. policy considerations, potentially undermining the ability of the United States to provide financial assistance and conduct normal relations with the PA. Calls on the Palestinian Authority (PA) President Abbas before the election to declare openly his intention to dismantle the terrorist organizations. States that progress in the peace process requires sustained Palestinian effort to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2005
Revises basic educational assistance for veterans' survivors and dependents to: (1) eliminate the present 45 month cap on benefit payments and set an aggregate limit of $80,000; (2) extend from a dependent's 26th to 30th birthday the delimiting age for the use of such assistance; (3) increase the amount of such assistance for survivors and dependents pursuing certain types of education; and (4) authorize the provision of tutorial assistance to such individuals without charge to their educational assistance entitlement.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2005
States that: (1) the deployment of U.S. forces in Iraq, by direction of Congress, is hereby terminated and the forces involved are to be redeployed at the earliest practicable date; (2) a quick-reaction U.S. force and an over-the-horizon presence of U.S. Marines shall be deployed in the region; and (3) the United States shall pursue security and stability in Iraq through diplomacy.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2005
United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act - Approves the United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement entered into with the government of Bahrain and the statement of administrative action proposed to implement it. Authorizes the President to proclaim actions, and other appropriate officers of the U.S. government to issue regulations, necessary to ensure appropriate implementation of any provision of this Act that takes effect on the date the Agreement enters into force. Provides for: (1) administration of dispute settlement proceedings; and (2) specified tariff modifications. Prescribes requirements for: (1) enforcement of textile and apparel rules of origin; (2) actions for relief from imports benefiting from the Agreement; and (3) certain textile and apparel safeguard measures. Amends the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 to make eligible for U.S. government procurement any product or service of a foreign country or instrumentality that is a party to a free trade agreement that entered into force with respect to the United States between December 31, 2005, and July 2, 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2005
Bringing America Home Act - Declares that it is a national goal to fulfill the basic human need of shelter by ending homelessness in the United States. Establishes in the Treasury the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Sets forth provisions with respect to: (1) incremental rental assistance; (2) housing program funding; (3) rural housing and economic development; and (4) veterans homeless comprehensive services programs. Federal Homelessness to Housing Mutual Mortgage Association Act - Establishes the Federal Hopelessness to Housing Mutual Mortgage Association (Hollie Mae) which may develop mutual housing (generally, a nonprofit cooperative ownership housing association) that is affordable for low-income individuals and families. Provides for: (1) use of federal property to assist the homeless; (2) preservation of HOPE VI public housing units; and (3) establishment of an Emergency Rent Relief Fund. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a temporary ex-offender low-income housing credit. Revises assistance provisions under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, including establishing a continuum of care program. Expresses the sense of Congress respecting the need to expand Medicaid and keep it affordable to beneficiaries. Authorizes appropriations, and sets forth program provisions, for mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness programs.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2005
Patient Safety Act of 2005 - Requires any provider under the Medicare program (title XVIII of the Social Security Act ), as a condition of continued participation in such program, to make publicly available information regarding nurse staffing and patient outcomes as specified by the Secretary. Requires the public availability of data regarding complaints filed with the state agency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or an accrediting agency, compliance with the standards of which have been deemed to demonstrate Medicare participation compliance, and data regarding investigations and findings as a result of those complaints and the findings of scheduled inspection visits. Requires the Secretary to provide for the auditing of such information for accuracy as a part of the process of determining whether a provider is eligible for continued participation in the Medicare program. Amends SSA title XVIII and XIX (Medicaid) to provide for public disclosure of accurate data on nursing facility staffing. Creates a staffing quality measure for consumers to compare nursing facilities. Prohibits adverse employment actions by Medicare providers against their employees for notifying the provider, or any federal or state agency or accreditation agency, of conditions which are dangerous or potentially dangerous to patients.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2005
Protection Against Executive Compensation Abuse Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to set forth additional compensation disclosure requirements, including: (1) a comprehensive statement of the issuer's compensation plan for its principal executive officers; (2) any type of compensation (whether present, deferred, or contingent) paid or to be paid to such principal executive officers; (3) an estimate of the present value of any accrued pension of such officers; (4) the estimated market value of any other benefits received by such officers; (5) any agreements or understandings concerning compensation; and (6) the short- and long-term performance measures that the issuer uses for determining the compensation of such principal executive officers, and whether such measures were met by such officers during the preceding year. Requires a separate shareholder vote to approve such compensation plan. Requires proxy solicitation material concerning an acquisition, merger, consolidation, or proposed sale or other disposition of substantially all the assets of an issuer to disclose any agreements or understandings with any of its principal executive officers regarding any compensation (whether present, deferred, or contingent) based on or otherwise relating to the acquisition, merger, consolidation, sale, or other disposition (golden parachute compensation). Requires mandatory electronic filings to appear in a clear, simple, and readily accessible format.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2005
Nursing Home Staffing Act of 2005 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate standards for minimum nurse staffing levels in nursing facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid payments. Reinstitutes (Boren amendment) payment methodology, providing for payment of Medicaid services through the use of rates determined pursuant to the criteria under state Medicaid plan requirements as in effect on August 1, 1997. Establishes safe harbor rates. Provides a permanent 1.5% increase of the Medicaid federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for a state beginning with FY 2006. Authorizes inclusion of: (1) financial accountability requirements in the survey and certification process with respect to facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid payments; and (2) professionals trained in financial accounting and auditing in the multidisciplinary survey teams of professionals under Medicare and Medicaid.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2005
Recognizes the religious and historical significance of Diwali, an annual festival celebrated by many South Asians that is particularly significant to Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains. Requests the President to issue a proclamation recognizing Diwali.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2005
Expresses condolences to the people and government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the tragic loss of life suffered in the crash of Bellview Airlines Flight 210 on October 22, and the tragic death of Stella Obasanjo, wife of Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, at a hospital in Spain on October 23, 2005. Urges the government of the United States to provide assistance to the government of Nigeria in the investigation to determine the cause and responsibility of such crash.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2005
Medicaid Preservation Act of 2005 - Prohibits reductions in authorized federal funding under the Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social Security Act until full consideration has been given to the recommendations of the Bipartisan Commission on Medicaid. Establishes the Bipartisan Commission to review and make recommendations about: (1) each of Medicaid's major functional responsibilities; (2) issues that either threaten or could improve the long-term financial condition of Medicaid; (3) the way Medicare payment policies impact Medicaid, and ways to address specific payment problems that such policies may create in service delivery to populations typically not covered by Medicare, such as children and pregnant women; and (5) payments to safety net providers. Requires each recommendation to include an analysis of its effect under Medicaid and, if applicable, Medicare and other federal health programs, on: (1) federal and state expenditures; (2) provider payment rates; (3) beneficiary out-of-pocket expenditures; (4) beneficiary access to covered items and services; and (5) coverage of items and services.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Haiti Economic Recovery Opportunity Act - Amends the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act to provide, beginning on October 1, 2004, and for each of the seven succeeding one-year periods, duty-free treatment for apparel items wholly assembled or knit-to-shape in Haiti (without regard to the country of origin of the fabrics, components, or yarns) if the President certifies to Congress that Haiti: (1) has established or is progressing toward specified political, economic, and social reforms; (2) does not engage in activities that undermine U.S. security or foreign policy; (3) does not engage in gross violations of human rights or activities in support of international terrorism; and (4) is meeting specified enforcement conditions aimed at preventing tariff or quota avoidance, customs evasion, unlawful transshipment, or false information or false document use in order to obtain such preferential treatment. Applies such provisions to goods entered or withdrawn from a warehouse for consumption on or after October 1, 2004, including a retroactive application to certain warehouse entries or withdrawals made between such date and the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Hurricane Katrina Recovery, Reclamation. Restoration, Reconstruction and Reunion Act of 2005 - Hurricane Katrina Victim Restoration Fund of 2005 - Provides for the determination of eligibility for compensation for any individual (or relatives of a deceased individual) who sustained economic or noneconomic losses as a result of Hurricane Katrina so that the individual (or relatives) are restored as nearly as possible to their condition before Hurricane Katrina. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a Comprehensive Environmental Sampling and Toxicity Assessment Plan. Provides for federal and state government to notify hurricane survivors of health risks they may face upon returning to their domiciles. Provides for the offer of alternative land and/or housing as compensation to residents whose homes or businesses have been destroyed or terminally compromised. Revises the TANF Emergency Response and Recovery Act of 2005 to provide for reimbursement of states for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits provided under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act to families from other states affected by Hurricane Katrina. Sets forth requirements relating to emergency extended unemployment compensation. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program of emergency health coverage continuation relief. Sets forth housing and education requirements. Displaced Citizens Voter Protection Provisions of 2005 - Prescribes requirements for the protection of voting rights of Katrina evacuees. Prescribes requirements for: (1) regulatory relief for financial services; and (2) disaster loans and small business relief. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for: (1) a tax credit for an eligible homebuyer who purchases a principal residence in the Hurricane Katrina disaster area; (2) an increase in the housing credit dollar amount; and (3) tax-exempt bonds for qualified Gulf Coast recovery projects. Hurricane Katrina Bankruptcy Relief and Community Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the federal bankruptcy code to exempt victims of natural disasters, including small businesses, from certain requirements for debtors seeking relief. Directs the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a temporary flood insurance buy-in program. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should present, within six months, a plan to eradicate poverty in the United States by 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Reentry Enhancement Act - 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 for grants to 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. Establishes in the executive branch an interagency task force on federal programs related to former prisoner reentry into the community. Authorizes research on offender reentry. Declares that the right of a U.S. citizen to vote in any election for federal office shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a crime unless such individual is serving a felony sentence at the time. Requires the Bureau of Prisons to ensure that a prisoner serving a term of imprisonment spends a reasonable part of the final portion of that term preparing for reentry. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to states to: (1) develop, implement, or expand family-based drug treatment alternatives to prison programs for custodial parents who are convicted of nonviolent or drug-related felonies; and (2) provide jail-based substance abuse treatment programs in women's correctional facilities for female offenders with minor children. Provides for the establishment of certain aftercare treatment services for custodial parents with children under age 18.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Elimination of Barriers for Katrina Victims Act - Suspends temporarily the denial of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), food stamp, housing, and higher education benefits to victims of Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita because of convictions for certain drug offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2005
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to create in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) the position of Chief Trade Prosecutor (CTP) to ensure that U.S. trading partners comply with trade agreements to which the United States is a party. Requires the CTP to assist the USTR in: (1) investigating and prosecuting disputes before the World Trade Organization (WTO) and pursuant to other trade agreements to which the United States is a party; and (2) carrying out USTR functions under the Act. Require the CTP to: (1) make recommendations with respect to administration of U.S. trade laws relating to foreign government barriers to U.S. goods, services, intellectual property, and other trade matters; and (4) perform such other functions as the USTR may direct.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2005
Provides that, in recognition of the historic contributions of Rosa Parks, her remains be permitted to lie in honor in the rotunda of the Capitol from October 30-October 31, 2005, so that U.S. citizens may pay their last respects to this great American.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
Suspends temporarily the application of specified provisions of the following laws which would deny federal benefits to victims of Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita due to certain drug-related criminal activity that occurred before the disaster declarations for those hurricanes: (1) the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (regarding eligibility for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and food stamps); (2) the United States Housing Act of 1937 and the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 (regarding eligibility for assisted housing); and (4) the Higher Education Act of 1965 (regarding eligibility for student assistance).
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
Trade Adjustment Assistance Improvement Act - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to extend trade adjustment assistance (TAA) to workers in a service sector firm, its subdivision, or a public agency. Revises group eligibility requirements for TAA to cover: (1) a shift, by a public agency to a foreign country, of production of articles or in provision of services, like or directly competitive with articles which are produced, or services which are provided by the workers' firm, subdivision, or public agency; and (2) the situation where the workers' firm, subdivision, or public agency obtains or is likely to obtain such services from a foreign country. Requires the Secretary of Labor to certify as eligible to apply for TAA any adversely affected secondary workers in a service sector firm, its subdivision, or a public agency. Specifies criteria for determination of the existence of increased imports of like or directly competitive articles or services. Increases the amount of payments for training of adversely affected workers under the Act. Authorizes the Secretary to waive training requirements for an individual receiving TAA if he or she has an advanced degree or postgraduate certification in a specialized field and there is a reasonable expectation of employment at equivalent wages in the foreseeable future. Permits as a training program for an adversely affected worker continued enrollment for up to 104 weeks at an institution of higher education to obtain a degree, if there is a reasonable expectation of employment at equivalent wages in the foreseeable future. Modifies the demonstration project for alternative TAA for older workers. Directs the Secretary to implement a system to collect data on all adversely affected workers applying for or receiving TAA. Provides for industry-wide certification of workers, including agricultural commodity producers, for TAA where bilateral or other safeguard provisions are invoked or antidumping or countervailing duties have been imposed. Extends the TAA program through FY2012. Establishes the Office of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Advisor in the Department of Labor. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the credit for health insurance costs of certain TAA recipients.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
Urges: (1) the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to observe its 1995 Interim Accord obligations and take steps to halt the proliferation of negative propaganda toward Greece and review textbooks, maps, and teaching aids to ensure their accuracy; and (2) FYROM to work within the U.N. process to reach a mutually acceptable permanent name.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that the portion of tax cuts enacted in or after 2001 that benefited the wealthiest 5% of Americans should be repealed and the revenues from such repeal should be used to alleviate poverty in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2005
Directs the Architect of the Capitol to enter into an agreement to obtain a statue of Rosa Parks and to place the statue in the Capitol in a suitable permanent location in National Statuary Hall.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2005
Requests the President to provide to the House of Representatives certain federal agency documents in his possession on the effects of climate change on the coastal regions of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2005
Ensuring Ballott Access for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Victims Act of 2005 - Directs the Election Assistance Commission to make grants to states to restore and replace election administratiion supplies, materials, and equipment which were damaged as a result of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2005
Chesapeake Bay Restoration Enhancement Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to revise requirements for implementation and monitoring grants under the Chesapeake Bay Agreement and for reporting on federally-funded projects under such Agreement. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to publish each year a tributary health report card to evaluate progress, with reference to a specified baseline, in achieving and maintaining nutrient and sediment reduction goals for each Chesapeake Bay tributary basin. Requires the states of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia and the District of Columbia to submit information to the Administrator for each Chesapeake Bay tributary basin located in such jurisdictions relating to nutrient and sediment reduction. Prohibits the Administrator from making a grant to any state which fails to provide required information. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in cooperation with specified federal agencies, to submit to Congress an interagency budget and other accountings for Chesapeake Bay restoration activities. Directs the Administrator to establish measurable goals for local governments for nutrient and sediment reduction in the Chesapeake Bay. Updates reporting deadlines for the study of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Authorizes appropriations through FY2011.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 170 East Main Street in Patchogue, New York, as the "Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Accountability Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the contract with an Medicare Advantage (MA) organization to provide for a minimum loss ratio (aggregate average benefits that are at least a minimum ratio of the aggregate average revenues collected under the contract) and a maximum administrative cost ratio (aggregate average administrative costs that do not exceed a maximum ratio of the aggregate average revenues collected under the contract). Requires each contract with a Medicare+Choice organization to grant the Secretary of Health and Human Services the right to audit and inspect any books and records of the organization for compliance with such ratio and related administrative cost requirements. Applies such requirements to contracts with prescription drug sponsors under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program). Prescribes requirements for financial transparency of MA plans. Renders an election to enroll with an MA plan ineffective unless the election form is signed by the individual and specifically acknowledges specified plan features. Applies such requirements to prescription drug plans under Medicare part D. Directs the Secretary to transmit to Congress annual MA accountability and prescription drug accountability reports. Requires periodic audits by the departmental Inspector General of the Secretary's determinations about the acturial equivalency of MA plans. Requires each prescription drug plan sponsor with respect to a prescription drug plan, and each MA organization with respect to an MA-PD plan, to report annually to the Inspector General on drug claims rejections and reversals on appeal. Directs the Secretary to appoint a Medicare prescription drug ombudsman.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
American Parity Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make grants to states and local governments for assistance in making priority expenditures. Defines priority expenditures as ordinary and necessary maintenance and operating expenses for: (1) primary, secondary, or higher education; (2) public safety; (3) public health; (4) social services for the disadvantaged or aged; (5) roads, transportation, and water infrastructure; and (6) housing, as well as ordinary and necessary capital expenditures authorized by state law. Requires at least one third of grant amounts to be made available to local governments.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
Advocates Dedicated to Older Child Parental Tax Credit (ADOPT) Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a $2,000 tax credit for costs associated with the adoption of a child who has reached nine years of age before the adoption decree becomes final. Allows the credit each year until such child attains the age of 19.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
Requests the President and directs the Secretary of State to provide to the House of Representatives: (1) all documents from 2003 pertaining to the taskforce organized by Andrew Card, consisting of Karl Rove, Karen Hughes, Mary Matalin, Nicholas E. Calio, James R. Wilkinson, Condoleezza Rice, Stephen Hadley and I. Lewis Libby, known as the White House Iraq Group; (2) all drafts of all white papers concerning Iraq's nuclear threat assembled in 2003 by the Group; and (3) all documents, including notes from meetings, memos, telephone and electronic mail records, logs and calendars, and records of internal discussions in the possession of the President or the Secretary relating to the Group.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
Honors the life and accomplishments of Judge Constance Baker Motley, the first African-American woman appointed as a federal judge and the former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and recognizes her as a symbol of hope and inspiration.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2005
Pandemic Preparedness and Response Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the President to appoint a National Director of Pandemic Preparedness and Response to strengthen, expand, and coordinate domestic pandemic influenza preparedness activities. Establishes the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Policy Coordinating Committee to develop an Interagency Preparedness Plan. Requires states to have an approved state preparedness plan as a condition of receiving certain funds related to bioterrorism. Provides for the integration and coordination of public and private influenza surveillance activities. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) procure antivirals, developed vaccines, and essential medications for the Strategic National Stockpile; (2) develop a national system for tracking and distributing antiviral medications and vaccines; and (3) assist other counties in preparation for, and response to, pandemic influenza. Provides for the expansion and intensification of influenza research. Directs the Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine to study topics related to the pandemic influenza. Establishes the National Pandemic Influenza Economics Advisory Committee. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to expand and intensify efforts to prevent pandemic influenza. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) enter into contracts with manufacturers to produce additional necessary doses of the influenza vaccine; and (2) develop a national plan for responding to potential influenza vaccine shortages. Sets forth prohibitions against charging excessive prices during a public health emergency for, reporting false pricing information to the Secretary about, or employing a manipulative or deceptive device or contrivance in connection with the purchase or sale of, drugs, devices, or biologics for the prevention or treatment of influenza at wholesale.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2005
Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act of 2005 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and make available to local educational agencies a voluntary policy to manage the risk of food allergy and anaphylaxis in schools. Directs that such policy address: (1) a parental obligation to provide the school with information regarding a student's food allergy and anaphylaxis; (2) communication strategies between schools and emergency medical services; (3) strategies to reduce the risk of exposure in classrooms and common areas; (4) food allergy management training of school personnel; (5) authorization of school personnel to administer epinephrine when the school nurse is not immediately available; and (6) creation of an individual health care plan tailored to each child's risk for anaphylaxis.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2005
Commends the late Constance Baker Motley, the first African-American woman appointed and confirmed for a federal judgeship and the former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, for her service on the court and her lifelong commitment to civil rights and social justice.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
Rabbi Arthur Schneier Congressional Gold Medal Act - Awards the Congressional Gold Medal to Rabbi Arthur Schneier in recognition of his pioneering role in promoting religious freedom and human rights throughout the world for close to half a century.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
ALS Registry Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) develop a system to collect data on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); and (2) establish a national registry for the collection and storage of ALS data. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to establish the Advisory Committee on the National ALS Registry to study and make recommendations to the Secretary concerning: (1) the development and maintenance of the registry; (2) the type of information to be included; (3) the manner in which data is to be collected; (4) the use and availability of such data; and (5) the collection of information about diseases and disorders that primarily affect motor neurons that are considered essential to furthering the study and cure of ALS. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director, to award grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, public or private nonprofit entities for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on ALS. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) identify, build upon, expand, and coordinate among existing data and surveillance systems, surveys, registries, and other federal public health and environmental infrastructure wherever possible; and (2) provide for public access to an electronic national database that accepts data from state registries, health care professionals, and others as recommended by the Advisory Committee in a manner that protects personal privacy. Requires the Secretary to ensure that epidemiological and other types of information is made available to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
Disabled Veterans Fairness Act - Eliminates a $3 per round trip deductible charged by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in connection with the veterans beneficiary travel program (a program authorizing a travel allowance or reimbursement for beneficiaries providing transportation for veterans to obtain medical care). Directs the Secretary, in determining the amount of such allowance or reimbursement, to use the mileage reimbursement rates for the use of privately owned vehicles by government employees traveling on official business.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of a Korean American Day. Urges all Americans to observe Korean American Day so as to have a greater appreciation of Korean Americans' contributions to the United States. Honors the 103rd anniversary of the arrival of the first Korean immigrants to the United States.
![Official portrait of Rep. Rangel, Charles B. [D-NY-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000053_200.jpg)