United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2005
Expresses support for designation of "Hire a Veteran Week." Encourages the President to issue a proclamation calling upon employers, labor organizations, veterans service organizations, and Federal, State, and local governmental agencies to lend their support to increase employment of men and women who have served in the armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Public Housing Drug Elimination Program Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 to authorize appropriations for the assisted housing drug elimination program. Limits activities for programs designed to reduce drug use in and around assisted low-income housing to: (1) providing drug abuse treatment through rehabilitation or relapse prevention; (2) providing education about the dangers and consequences of drug use or violent crime; (3) identifying drug users, and assisting drug use discontinuance through education or treatment programs; (4) providing after school youth activities; and (5) providing capital improvements and security services to discourage or eliminate drug use or violent crime.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to place limitations on mandatory overtime for nurses, prohibit retaliation against them in any manner with respect to any aspect of employment, and establish civil money penalties for violations of this Act. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report to Congress on standards to establish for the maximum number of hours that a nurse may work without compromising the safety of patients. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to study and report to Congress on the extent to which federally operated medical facilities have in effect practices and policies for overtime requirements for nurses that are inconsistent with the requirements added by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Designates the segment of Interstate Route 86 between its interchange with New York State Route 15 in the vicinity of Painted Post, New York, and its interchange with New York State Route 352 in the vicinity of Corning, New York, as the "Amo Houghton Bypass."
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Supports the goals and ideals of Antislavery Day. Encourages the Department of State to increase cooperation with foreign governments to combat slavery, provide legal protections to victims of slavery, and provide social services to assist in repatriation, family reunification, and exit from slavery.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Recognizes the teams and players of the barnstorming African-American basketball teams for their achievement, dedication, sacrifices, and contribution to basketball and to the nation prior to the integration of the white professional leagues.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Declares that Marcus Garvey (founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association): (1) was innocent of the charges brought against him by the U.S. Government; and (2) should be recognized internationally as a leader and thinker in the struggle for human rights and dignity. Calls upon the President to endeavor to restore Marcus Garvey's honor and good name by granting a full posthumous pardon that proclaims his conviction to have been unjust and affirms his innocence.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Recognizes: (1) African descendants for their contributions to the economic, social, and cultural fabric of the countries in the Americas, particularly in Latin American and Caribbean societies; and (2) that as a result of their skin color and ancestry such descendants have experienced economic, social, and political injustices. Urges the President to encourage the remembrance of the achievements of African descendants in the Americas and a resolution of such injustices. Urges the United States and the international community to work to ensure that poverty is eradicated, universal education is achieved, quality healthcare is made available, environmental resources are provided, and equal access to justice is granted in Afro-descendant communities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) a commemorative postage stamp should be issued in honor of former Representative Shirley Chisholm; and (2) the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee of the U.S. Postal Service should recommend to the Postmaster General that such a stamp be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Next Generation Hispanic-Serving Institutions Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise requirements for Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) under title V (Developing Institutions). Establishes a program of competitive grants to eligible HSIs that offer postbaccalaureate certifications or degrees (part B grants). Limits a part B grant award's duration to not more than five years. Prohibits the Secretary of Education from awarding more than one part B grant to an HSI in any one fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) the current part A program of grants to HSIs that offer baccalaureate degrees or are junior or community colleges; and (2) the new part B program of grants to HSIs that offer postbaccalaureate certifications or degrees. Eliminates the requirement that an eligible HSI provide assurances that at least 50 percent of its Hispanic students are low-income students. Includes, among authorized activities under part A grants, articulation agreements and student support programs to help transfers from two-year to four-year institutions. Eliminates the two-year wait-out period between any two five-year part A grants to an HSI.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Crosby-Puller Combat Wounds Compensation Act - Requires a member of the Armed Forces who is wounded or otherwise injured while serving in a combat zone for which special pay is authorized to be paid monthly military pay, during the period in which the member recovers from such wound or injury, that is at least equal to the monthly pay received by the member immediately before receiving the wound or injury. Makes such requirement effective for pay periods beginning on or after September 11, 2001. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to continue during such recovery period the combat zone special pay income tax exclusion. Makes such requirement effective for months beginning on or after the above date.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Family Life Education Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception, to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Expresses the sense of Congress that States are encouraged but not required to provide matching funds. Requires the Secretary to provide for a national evaluation of a representative sample of such programs for effectiveness in changing adolescent sexual behavior, including delaying sexual and high-risk activity, preventing pregnancy and disease (including HIV/AIDS), and increasing contraceptive knowledge. Requires States receiving such grants to provide for an individual evaluation of the State's program by an external, independent entity.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Resuming Education After Defense Service Act of 2005 - Makes eligible for basic educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill a member of the Selected Reserve who (among other qualifications), during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, and ending on December 31, 2006, serves on active duty in the Armed Forces for one or more periods aggregating not less than two years. Entitles such individuals to one month of educational assistance for each month served on active duty. Makes the amount of such assistance equivalent to that provided for active-duty personnel who have served a minimum of two years of active duty. Requires the basic pay of qualifying members to be reduced by $100 for each of first 12 months of such active duty service. Requires the Secretaries of the military departments concerned to inform eligible Selected Reserve personnel of such entitlement.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Foreign Debt Ceiling Act of 2005 - Requires the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), every three months, to determine if: (1) the net U.S. foreign debt for the preceding 12-month period is more than 25 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the same period; or (2) the U.S. trade deficit for such period is more than five percent of the GDP for the same period. Requires the USTR, whenever an affirmative determination is made, to: (1) convene an emergency meeting of the Trade Policy Review Group to develop a plan of action to reduce the U.S. trade deficit; and (2) report to Congress on the details of the plan.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Climate Stewardship Act of 2005 - Expands Federal climate change research initiatives by: (1) establishing a graduate fellowship program; (2) creating a grant program for research in identified priority areas; and (3) instituting research programs on potential abrupt climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) related standards, measurement technologies, and processes. Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to require the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) report to Congress on the oceanic and coastal impacts of climate change; and (2) assist certain coastal States in preparing persons to adapt to climate change. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a National Greenhouse Gas Database consisting of: (1) an inventory of GHG emissions by covered entities (specified entities that emit more than 10,000 metric tons of GHGs per year); and (2) a registry of GHG emission reductions and increased sequestration, applicable to both covered and noncovered entities. Establishes a program for the market-driven reduction of GHGs by covered entities through the use of tradeable emissions allowances. Requires covered entities, beginning in 2010, to submit to the Administrator one tradeable allowance for every metric ton of GHGs emitted. Allows tradeable allowances to be sold, exchanged, purchased, retired, or otherwise used as authorized by this Act. Establishes the Climate Change Credit Corporation (CCCC) to receive, manage, buy, and sell tradeable allowances. Directs the Administrator to make allocations of allowances to covered sectors and entities, and to the CCCC, providing initial allocations for early action and accelerated participation. Imposes civil penalties on covered entities that fail to submit allowances.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2005 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) offer one or more Medicare operated prescription drug plans nationally that offer qualified prescription drug coverage and access to negotiated prices, while allowing the plan to offer supplemental prescription drug coverage in the same manner as other qualified prescription drug coverage offered by other prescription drug plans; and (2) enter into negotiations with pharmaceutical manufacturers to reduce the purchase cost of covered Medicare part D drugs for eligible part D individuals, and encourage the use of more affordable therapeutic equivalents. Requires the monthly beneficiary premium charged under such a plan to be uniform nationally. Makes the premium for months in 2006 $35. Bases the premium for months in succeeding years on the average monthly per capita actuarial cost of offering the Medicare operated prescription drug plan for the year involved, including administrative expenses. Allows for adjustment of such premium amount in case of supplemental prescription drug coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
National Health Information Incentive Act of 2005 - Establishes within the executive office of the President an Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Amends title XI of the Social Security Act to add a new part D (Standards for Building The National Health Information Infrastructure) to direct the Secretary to develop or adopt standards for transactions and data elements for such transactions to enable the creation of a national health care information infrastructure. Requires the Secretary to include additional Medicare payment incentives to assure small health care providers have the capability to move toward a national health care information infrastructure by acquiring electronic health record systems and other health information technologies that meet such standards. Provides for optional financial incentives to small health care providers and entities to implement a national health information infrastructure. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) make grants to small health care providers and entities for expenditures relating to the implementation of a national health information infrastructure; and (2) make and guarantee loans to small health care providers for the purpose of assisting them to implement, design, test, acquire, and adopt electronic health records and other health information technologies. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a refundable credit for a portion of the expenses of for establishing a health care information technology system (infrastructure).
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Waives certain time limitations with respect to the posthumous award of the Medal of Honor to Doris Miller for acts of heroism during World War II as a member of the United States Navy.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Clinical Laboratory Compliance Improvement Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require each provider or clinical laboratory approved for participation under Medicare to provide clinical diagnostic laboratory tests to post in a conspicuous place a notice to employees that indicates the manner in which to report instances of noncompliance with conditions of participation. Prohibits such a provider or clinical laboratory from discriminating against or retaliating in any manner against any employee because that employee, or any other person, has presented a grievance or complaint, or has initiated or cooperated in any investigation or proceeding of any kind, relating to the clinical diagnostic laboratory tests performed or other requirements and prohibitions of Medicare. Provides for judicial action for any employee so aggrieved. Requires the investigative organization, upon receipt of a report of an instance of noncompliance, to: (1) provide notice to the Secretary and other investigative organizations involved of receipt of the report within three business days, using a standard format and manner of transmission developed by the Secretary for such purpose; (2) promptly determine whether to investigate the report; and (3) if appropriate, promptly investigate it. Requires that the Secretary, in measuring the performance of an investigative organization under contract, to provide for appropriate adjustments to payments for failure to carry out the responsibilities of this Act. Subjects each provider or clinical laboratory to a standard survey, including verification of compliance with requirements, conducted without prior notice. Makes liable for civil monetary penalties any individual who notifies (or causes to be notified) a provider or laboratory of the time or date on which such a survey is scheduled to be conducted.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to include podiatrists as physicians in order to cover their services under the Medicaid program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Recognizes and honors the achievements and contributions of Native Americans to the United States. Urges Congress to amend the U.S. Code, or the President to issue an Executive order, to establish a paid legal public holiday in honor of Native Americans. Urges the States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and territories and possessions of the United States to observe the date established. Encourages public elementary and secondary schools to enhance understanding of Native Americans by providing classroom instruction focusing on their achievements and contributions. Encourages Americans of all backgrounds to observe the date established as Native American Day through appropriate ceremonies and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Riayan Tejeda Memorial Act of 2005 - Authorizes naturalization without regard to specified Immigration and Nationality Act requirements for an alien or noncitizen national of the United States who: (1) served honorably in a combat zone designated in connection with Operation Iraqi Freedom; and (2) if separated from such service, was not separated except under honorable conditions. Prohibits imposition of any Federal or State naturalization fee. Provides for overseas naturalization proceedings. Retains immediate relative status for the alien wife, child, or parent of a U.S. citizen who died from injury or disease incurred while serving honorably in such combat zone. States that an application for status adjustment by the alien wife, child, or parent of an alien member of the Armed Forces who was granted service-related posthumous citizenship based upon service in such zone may be adjudicated as if the death had not occurred. Treats the spouse, child, or parent of a lawful permanent resident who was granted service-related posthumous citizenship based upon service in such zone as a valid petitioner for immediate relative status. Permits such aliens to apply for adjustment to lawful permanent resident status. Waives specified grounds of inadmissibility for surviving spouses, children, and parents granted posthumous benefits under this Act. Authorizes the naturalization of surviving spouses, children, or parents of U.S. citizens who die in Operation Iraqi Freedom and states that no prior residence or specified physical presence in the United States shall be required. Gives priority to the naturalization applications referenced in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Haiti Economic and Infrastructure Reconstruction Act - Authorizes the President to establish the Haiti Economic and Infrastructure Reconstruction Program under which recruited U.S. citizens will be deployed to Haiti to provide economic and infrastructure reconstruction and development assistance to the Government of Haiti. Requires: (1) the President to appoint an officer or employee of the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to serve as the Director of the Reconstruction Program; and (2) the Director to have expertise with Haiti, or with economic, educational, judicial, law enforcement, healthcare, or infrastructure reconstruction efforts in developing countries. Sets forth program provisions, including: (1) maximum recruitment of Haitian-Americans; and (2) maximum one-year deployment, with a maximum two-year additional stay. Authorizes the President to establish the Haiti Healthcare Assistance Program under which grants may be made to qualified nongovernmental organizations to establish infectious disease prevention programs in Haiti.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
United States National Health Insurance Act (or the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act) - Establishes the United States National Health Insurance Program (the Program) to provide all individuals residing in the United States and in U.S. territories with free health care that includes all medically necessary care, such as primary care and prevention, prescription drugs, emergency care, and mental health services. Prohibits an institution from participating in the Program unless it is a public or nonprofit institution. Allows nonprofit health maintenance organizations (HMOs) that actually deliver care in their own facilities to participate in the Program. Gives patients the freedom to choose from participating physicians and institutions. Prohibits a private health insurer from selling health insurance coverage that duplicates the benefits provided under this Act. Allows such insurers to sell benefits that are not medically necessary, such as cosmetic surgery benefits. Sets forth methods to pay hospitals and health professionals for services. Prohibits financial incentives between HMOs and physicians based on utilization. Authorizes appropriations and provides for appropriated sums to be paid for: (1) by vastly reducing paperwork; (2) by requiring a rational bulk procurement of medications; (3) from existing sources of Government revenues for health care; (4) by increasing personal income taxes on the top five percent income earners; (5) by instituting a modest payroll tax; and (6) by instituting a small tax on stock and bond transactions. Requires the Program to give first priority in retraining and job placement to individuals whose jobs are eliminated due to reduced administration. Establishes a National Board of Universal Quality and Access to advise the Secretary and the Director to ensure quality, access, and affordability. Provides for the eventual integration of the health programs of the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Indian Health Service into the Program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Second Chance for Ex-Offenders Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal criminal code to allow an individual to file a petition for expungement of a record of conviction for a nonviolent criminal offense if such individual has: (1) never been convicted of a violent offense and has never been convicted of a nonviolent offense other than the one for which expungement is sought; (2) fulfilled all requirements of the sentence of the court in which conviction was obtained; (3) remained free from dependency on or abuse of alcohol or a controlled substance for a minimum of one year and has been rehabilitated, to the court's satisfaction, if so required by the terms of supervised release; (4) obtained a high school diploma or completed a high school equivalency program; and (5) completed at least one year of community service. Authorizes an individual convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor to file an expungement petition. Directs the court, in ruling on such petition, after determining petitioner eligibility, to weigh the petitioner's interests against the best interests of justice and public safety. Authorizes the Department of Justice to maintain a nonpublic manual or computerized index of expunged records, to be made available only to Federal and State law enforcement personnel who have custody of such records for limited disclosure purposes. Requires the restoration of expunged records of individuals subsequently convicted of any Federal or State offense.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Ossie Davis Congressional Gold Medal Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous award of a congressional gold medal commemorating Ossie Davis and recognizing his many contributions to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to the family of Thurgood Marshall (the first African-American Justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court) in recognition of Marshall's contributions to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Ex-Offenders Voting Rights Act of 2005 - 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 criminal offense unless, at the time of the election, such individual: (1) is serving a felony sentence in a correctional institution or facility; or (2) is on parole or probation for a felony offense. Provides for enforcement and remedies for violations of this Act. Specifies that: (1) nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit a State from enacting any State law that affords the right to vote in any election for Federal office on terms less restrictive than those terms established by this Act; and (2) the rights and remedies established by this Act shall be in addition to all other rights and remedies provided by law, and shall not supersede, restrict, or limit the application of the Voters Rights Act of 1965 or the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to prescribe regulations classifying any children's product containing lead as a banned hazardous substance under the Hazardous Substances Act. Defines "children's product containing lead" as any consumer product marketed for use by children under age six (or whose substantial use by such children is foreseeable) that contains more than trace amounts of lead as determined by the Commission and prescribed by regulations. Requires the Commission, if it determines that it is not feasible for certain electronic devices to immediately comply with prescribed regulations, to: (1) issue standards to reduce exposure and accessibility to lead in such devices; and (2) establish a schedule for full compliance.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Declares that Kadiatou Diallo, Laouratou Diallo, Ibrahima Diallo, Abdoul Diallo, Mamadou Bobo Diallo, Mamadou Pathe Diallo, Fatoumata Traore Diallo, Sankarela Diallo, and Marliatou Bah shall be eligible for issuance of an immigrant visa or for adjustment of status to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence upon filing the appropriate application.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Recognizes the extraordinary contributions of the late Ossie Davis for his service to the Nation in the military, as a civil rights leader, and as an actor. Honors him as a great American and pioneer in the annals of American history. Expresses its deepest condolences upon his death to his wife Ruby Dee Davis, his other family members, and his friends.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Resolves that all restrictions should be removed from the public, the press, and military families in mourning that would prohibit their presence at the arrival at military installations in the United States or overseas of the remains of members of the U.S. armed forces who have died in Iraq or Afghanistan, with the assurance that family requests for privacy will be respected.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Authorizes the Government of Ukraine to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the victims of the Ukrainian famine-genocide of 1932-1933. Prohibits the U.S. Government from paying any expense for the establishment of the memorial or its maintenance.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Native American Veterans Cemetery Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants to any tribal organization for establishing, expanding, or improving veterans' cemeteries on trust lands owned by, or held in trust for, the organization.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2005 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 with respect to: (1) voter verification and mandatory paper record audit capacity; and (2) accessibility and voter verification of results for individuals with disabilities. Requires the Election Assistance Commission to study, test, and develop best practices to enhance the accessibility of voter-verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities and for voters whose primary language is not English, including best practices for the mechanisms themselves and the process through which the mechanisms are used. Outlines additional voting system requirements. Requires laboratories to meet standards prohibiting conflicts of interest as a condition of accreditation for the testing of voting system hardware and software. Provides for the filing of complaints by aggrieved persons with the Attorney General. Extends the authorization of Election Assistance Commission permanently. Makes available additional funding to enable States to meet the costs of the requirements imposed by this Act. Directs the Election Assistance Commission to conduct random, unannounced, hand counts of the voter-verified records for each Federal general election in at least two percent of the precincts in each State. Requires Federal certification of the technological security of voter registration lists.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
High School Athletics Accountability Act of 2005 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct coeducational elementary and secondary schools, if they participate in any ESEA program, to: (1) report certain information on equality in their school athletic programs to the Commissioner for Educational Statistics; and (2) make such information available to their students and potential students, upon request, and to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Student Privacy Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise provisions for military recruiter access to secondary school student information. Requires ESEA-assisted local educational agencies (LEAs) to notify each secondary school student's parent of the option to consent to a release of the student's name, address, and telephone listing to military recruiters, and to give the parent the opportunity to provide such consent in writing. Requires such LEAs to provide military recruiters, upon their request, with access to such information on a student only if the student's parent has given such written consent.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Guard and Reserve Readiness and Retention Act of 2005 - Makes an individual eligible for retired pay for non-regular (reserve) military service if such individual: (1) satisfies one of specified combinations of minimum age (between 53 and 60) and years of service (between 20 and 34); (2) performed the last six years of qualifying service in currently authorized categories of military service, but not while a member of a regular component, the Fleet Reserve, or the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve; and (3) is not entitled to any other retirement pay from an armed force or as a member of the Fleet Reserve or Fleet Marine Corps Reserve. Authorizes a member of the Selected Reserve to enroll for self or self and family coverage under the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense managed health care program).
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member of the Armed Forces entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member. Directs the Secretary to reimburse such eligible persons for pharmacy benefits received from a pharmacy that is not a TRICARE (Department of Defense managed health care plan) network pharmacy in the same manner as the Secretary would reimburse such person for such benefits received from a TRICARE network pharmacy. Requires such persons, in order to receive such reimbursement, to submit a certification from their physician stating that the person does not have access to a TRICARE network pharmacy due to physical or medical constraints. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive the monthly part B premium (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) with respect to: (1) an individual who is entitled to military retired or retainer pay based upon service that began before December 7, 1956; and (2) the spouse, widow, or widower of such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Caribbean National Forest Act of 2005 - Designates the El Toro Wilderness in the Caribbean National Forest/Luquillo Experimental Forest in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Prohibits anything in this Act from precluding the installation and maintenance of hydrologic, meteorological, climatological, or atmospheric data collection and remote transmission facilities that are essential to the scientific research purposes of the Luquillo Experimental Forest.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to extend the Act through FY2013. Revises requirements regarding the merchantable material contracting pilot program. Requires counties participating in county projects to submit a specified notification for each project for which the participating county obligated county funds. Provides for the review of such notifications.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Graduation for All Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to establish a program that will provide grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish reading and writing programs to improve overall reading and writing performance among middle and high school students. Limits eligibility for subgrants to LEAs in a State that are among those that have the lowest graduation rates for public secondary school students. Includes among required uses of LEA subgrant funds: (1) hiring and inservice training of literacy coaches; (2) counseling for at-risk students; and (3) professional development for educators that addresses literacy needs of certain student groups. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include public secondary school graduation rates for all students under requirements for: (1) accountability for adequate yearly progress; and (2) annual State report cards. Amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act to require annual reports on the number participants who are 16, 17, or 18 years of age in certain programs and services, disaggregated by certain attributes.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a program to assist States and local educational agencies (LEAs) to recruit, train, and hire additional school-based mental health and student service providers, including additional school counselors, psychologists, and social workers (in order to reduce the student-to-counselor ratios nationally, in elementary and secondary schools, to an average of one school counselor for every 250 students, one psychologist for every 1,000 students, and one social worker for every 800 students, as recommended in a report by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences relating to schools and health). Directs the Secretary of Education, after reserving certain funds for schools in outlying areas and schools run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, to make program allotments to States according to a specified formula. Requires States to allocate funds from Federal and State shares of program costs to LEAs according to specified formulas.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Cord Blood Stem Cell Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to enter into contracts with qualified cord blood stem cell banks to assist in establishing and maintaining a National Network of Cord Blood Stem Cell Banks to: (1) acquire, tissue type, test, cryopreserve, and store donated units of human cord blood acquired with the informed consent of the donor; (2) make cord blood units available to transplant centers for stem cell transplantations; and (3) allocate up to 10 percent of the cord blood inventory each year for peer-reviewed research. Requires the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a Board of Directors to administer the Network. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to establish as part of the Network a National Cord Blood Stem Cell Registry to: (1) operate a system for identifying, acquiring, and distributing donated units of cord blood; (2) provide health care professionals with the ability to search the registry for suitable matches for patients; and (3) maintain a database to document the collection, storage, distribution, and transplantation of cord blood units and the clinical outcomes of Network transplantations. Requires the Administrator to report to the Secretary regarding the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of the clinical, research, and education activities of the Network. Requires the Board to ensure that: (1) the Network donor banks meet confidentiality and privacy requirements; and (2) the Network and their birthing hospital collection sites are geographically distributed throughout the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services: (1) to develop and implement a National Arthritis Action Plan; and (2) acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct, support, and promote the coordination of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases research. Requires the Secretary to award grants to: (1) support arthritis-specific research projects at the Centers for Prevention Research by the CDC; (2) support State comprehensive arthritis control and prevention programs and public health surveillance, prevention, and control activities; and (3) assist in the implementation of a national strategy for arthritis control and prevention. Requires the Secretary to coordinate a national education and outreach program on arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Requires the Secretary to establish an Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases Interagency Coordinating Committee to: (1) improve coordination of Federal research activities related to arthritis and rheumatic diseases; and (2) convene a summit to provide a detailed overview of such current Federal research. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand and intensify juvenile arthritis research. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to support juvenile arthritis data collection. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to support the development of a National Juvenile Arthritis Patient Registry. Requires the Secretary to promote and support pediatric rheumatology training, including by allowing the Secretary to establish a loan repayment program. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct a study on the economic impact of arthritis in the workplace.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act - Designates specified lands within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility (the Southeastern Post Office) located at 2777 Logan Avenue in San Diego, California, as the "Cesar E. Chavez Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Voting Opportunity and Technology Enhancement Rights Act of 2005 - Makes it unlawful for any person to engage in unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting voting in Federal elections. Directs the Attorney General to prevent persons, partnerships, or corporations from using unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting voting in Federal elections. Directs the Attorney General to carry out certain activities and prescribe rules regarding complaints alleging such acts or practices. Provides for civil actions for violations of rules and cease and desist orders respecting unfair or deceptive acts or practices. Amends the Federal criminal code to establish criminal penalties for such acts or practices, including conspiracy. Requires the Attorney General to direct the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division and the Chief of the Voting Section to: (1) develop and implement procedures to ensure that the Voting Section has a reliable method of tracking and documenting allegations of voting irregularities and actions taken to address them; and (2) implement a method to track and report on election monitoring program activities in the Interactive Case Management System. Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 with respect to: (1) use of national Federal write-in absentee ballot; (2) verified ballots; (3) preservation of records; (4) requirements for counting provisional ballots; (5) minimum required voting systems and poll workers in polling places; (6) standards for establishing the minimum required voting systems and poll workers; (7) election day registration; (8) removal from voter registration list; (9) early voting; (10) acceleration of study on election day as a public holiday; (11) voting systems and voter registration; (12) Internet registration; (13) establishing voter identification; (14) Election Administration requirements; (15) standards and training for election officials working at polling places; (16) requiring use of publicly available open source software in voting machines; (17) standards for conducting recounts; and (18) prohibiting agreements with entities failing to meet anti-conflict of interest standards for entities involved with voting machines.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the full realization of the rights of women is vital to the development and well-being of people of all nations; and (2) the Senate should, therefore, give its advice and consent to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
![Official portrait of Rep. Rangel, Charles B. [D-NY-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000053_200.jpg)