United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2005
Louis Braille Bicentennial--Braille Literacy Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Louis Braille, whose design: (1) on the obverse shall bear a representation of the image of Louis Braille; and (2) on the reverse shall emphasize Braille literacy and include the word for Braille in Braille code. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such coins only during 2009. Subjects all coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin. Requires all surcharges to be promptly paid by the Secretary to the the National Federation of the Blind to further its programs to promote Braille literacy.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2005
Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins emblematic of the life and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln in commemoration of the bicentennial of his birth. Permits issuance of such coins only during 2009. Subjects the coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Veterans Health Care Full Funding Act - Requires each fiscal year budget submitted to Congress by the President to include requests for amounts for veterans health care programs. Requires amounts appropriated for such programs to be available for two consecutive fiscal years. Establishes the Veterans Health Care Funding Review Board within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Directs the Board, beginning with FY2008, to determine the level of funding needed for such programs for that fiscal year and the next and to publish such determination in the Federal Register. Outlines veterans' health care needs factors to be considered by the Board in arriving at such determination. Repeals requirements for certain congressional notifications in connection with a funding request for a Department major medical facility project or lease. Provides a 30-day standard for access to medical care for veterans seeking primary or specialized care, as measured from: (1) the time the veteran contacts the Department seeking an appointment until the date a visit is completed (primary care); and (2) the date on which the veteran is referred to a specialist until the date a visit is completed (specialty care). Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop a standard of waiting time during a visit and to periodically review the performance of Department facilities compared to that standard.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Reaffirms President Bush's support for the United Nations (UN) Millennium Declaration and supports a sustained U.S. commitment to work with other nations to advance the policy reforms, leadership, and resources necessary to reduce extreme poverty and promote human dignity. Urges the President, the Secretary of State, and other executive branch officials to use every opportunity, including at the forthcoming G-8 Summit in Scotland and the UN Summit on the Millennium Declaration in New York, to provide U.S. leadership and resources to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Expresses gratitude for the compassion and generosity of the American people and their desire to promote global security and prosperity while striving to eliminate poverty and human suffering.
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 · 24 May 2005
Antifreeze Bittering Act of 2005 - Requires engine coolant or antifreeze that is manufactured six months after the enactment of this Act, and that contains more than 10 percent ethylene glycol, to include denatonium benzoate at a minimum of 30 parts per million and a maximum of 50 parts per million as a bittering agent so as to render the coolant or antifreeze unpalatable. Requires a coolant or antifreeze manufacturer to maintain records of compliance with this Act. Limits the liability of manufacturers, distributors, recyclers, or sellers of engine coolant or antifreeze who are in compliance with the requirements of this Act for personal and property loss or damage to the environment that results from the inclusion of denatonium benzoate in any coolant or antifreeze. Declares this Act inapplicable to: (1) the sale of a motor vehicle that contains engine coolant or antifreeze; or (2) wholesale containers of engine coolant or antifreeze containing 55 gallons or more of engine coolant or antifreeze.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2005
Americans in Uniform Act of 2005 - Requires the Department of Defense (DOD), in awarding any contract for the procurement of goods and services, to use as an evaluation factor whether entities intend to carry out the contract using employees or individual subcontractors who are members of the Selected Reserve. Requires entities claiming the intention to use such employees or subcontractors to document to DOD the number that the entity will employ, or contract with, for the contract in question. Authorizes the Secretary of the military department concerned to waive such requirement for national security purposes. Increases by specified amounts the following special pays and allowances for reserve personnel: (1) hardship duty pay; (2) reenlistment bonuses; and (3) the family separation allowance. Makes eligible for burial in Arlington National Cemetery: (1) a member or former member of the reserves who was under age 60 at the time of death and who, but for such age, would have been eligible for military retired pay; and (2) his or her dependents. Makes eligible for space-available travel on DOD aircraft: (1) a member or former member of the reserves under 60 years of age who, but for such age, would be eligible for military retired pay; and (2) his or her spouse. Requires a report from the Comptroller General to Congress on difficulties faced by members of the National Guard and reserves with respect to employment as a result of being ordered to full-time National Guard duty or active-duty service, respectively.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2005
Combating Autism Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish: (1) a program to provide information and education on autism and its risk factors to health professionals and the general public; and (2) the Autism Coordinating Committee to coordinate autism related activities within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to award grants or cooperative agreements to develop statewide autism screening, diagnosis, and intervention programs and systems. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants or cooperative agreements to provide technical assistance to state agencies to conduct applied autism research.
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 · 16 May 2005
Peace Officer Justice Act - Amends the federal criminal code to establish as a federal crime intentionally killing a peace officer engaged in, or on account of the performance of, such officer's official duties and moving or traveling in foreign commerce to avoid prosecution or confinement after conviction of that crime.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Meth-Endangered Children Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out demonstration projects to provide comprehensive services for children who have been removed from environments in which methamphetamine is unlawfully manufactured, distributed, or dispensed.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2005
Amends the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 to declare that, if the following conditions exist, the presumption of abuse guidelines do not apply and the bankruptcy court is prohibited from dismissing or converting a Chapter 7 petition based on any form of means testing: (1) while the debtor is on, and during the 180-day period after release from active duty in the U.S. military service; or (2) while the debtor is performing, and during the 180-day period after the debtor is no longer performing, a homeland defense activity performed for at least 60 days; and (3) if after September 11, 2001, the debtor was called to active duty or performed homeland defense activity, while a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces or a member of the National Guard.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 silver coins emblematic of the design selected by the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, in commemoration of disabled American veterans. Expresses the sense of Congress that, to the greatest extent possible, the coins should be struck at the United States Mint at West Point, New York, Limits the period for coin issuance to the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2010. Imposes a $10 surcharge per coin, to be distributed to the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the purpose of establishing an endowment to support the construction of American Veterans' Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
End Demand for Sex Trafficking Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to states and political subdivisions to: (1) establish model law enforcement programs that promote the effective prosecution of persons who solicit an unlawful commercial sex act, persons who purvey others to engage in such an act, and sex traffickers; and (2) assist victims of such an act. Amends the federal criminal code to modify prohibitions against transportation for illegal sexual activity and related crimes (generally) and for coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution or criminal sexual activity to explicitly cover purchasers of commercial sexual activities and acts. Directs federal agencies involved in combating sex trafficking and providing services to victims of commercial sex acts inside the United States to coordinate their activities with the Senior Policy Operating Group established by the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) report annually to the Senate and House Judiciary Committees regarding grants and evaluating success in enhancing the prosecution and conviction of purchasers, sex traffickers, and exploiters and in reducing demand for commercial sexual activity; (2) disseminate best methods and practices for training state and local law enforcement personnel involved in enforcing laws prohibiting commercial sexual acts at each annual conference conducted by the Department of Justice; and (3) carry out a biennial comprehensive statistical review and analysis of commercial sexual acts in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the excise tax on air transportation of persons or property certain tranportation provided by seaplanes. Disqualifies seaplanes when using an airport which receives or has received financial assistance from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2005
Pest Management and Fire Suppression Flexibility Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to state that the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shall not require a permit under the national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES), or require a State to mandate such a permit, for: (1) the proper use of a pesticide that is registered or otherwise approved for use under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act; and (2) the use by or in cooperation with the Federal or State government of a fire retardant, chemical, or water for fire suppression, control, or prevention in accordance with relevant Federal guidelines; (3) silvicultural activities except for specified point source activities; and (4) the use of biological control organisms for the prevention, control, or eradication of plant pests or noxious weeds pursuant to specified provisions of the Plant Protection Act. Redefines "point source" to exclude from the term those public health protection, pest management, and silvicultural activities excluded from NPDES permit requirements under this Act.
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 · 18 April 2005
United States Tsunami Warning and Education Act - Directs the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), through the National Weather Service, to operate a tsunami forecasting and warning program for the Pacific Ocean region and for the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico region. Directs the Administrator to establish tsunami warning centers to, among other things, disseminate forecasts and tsunami warning bulletins to government officials and the public. Directs the Administrator to establish: (1) a tsunami hazard mitigation program to improve tsunami preparedness of at-risk areas in the United States and its territories; and (2) a research program to develop detection, forecast, communication, and mitigation science and technology for tracking and numerical forecast modeling. Directs the Administrator, in coordination with other members of the U.S. Interagency Committee of the National Tsunami Mitigation Program, to provide technical assistance and training to specified international entities to develop a fully functional global tsunami forecast and warning system comprising regional warning networks. Directs the Administrator to operate an International Tsunami Information Center to improve preparedness for all Pacific Ocean nations participating in the International Tsunami Warning System of the Pacific.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
Rural Health Training Incentive Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Office of Rural Health Policy, to award matching grants to five accredited schools of medicine or accredited schools of nursing to enable each school to conduct a demonstration program to encourage more health professionals to practice in rural areas. Requires at least one grant for a demonstration program for: (1) physicians in family medicine that includes a regional consortium with three or more family medicine residency programs that each have a residency rural training program and are located in three or more States; and (2) nurses, including registered nurses, nurse anesthetists, and nurse practitioners.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2005
Grants for DNA Backlog Prosecutions Act - Amends the Justice for All Act of 2004 to direct the Attorney General to make grants to train and employ personnel to help prosecute cases cleared through the use of funds provided for DNA backlog elimination.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2005
Faster and Smarter Funding for First Responders Act of 2005 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to set forth provisions governing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant funding for first responders pursuant to the State Homeland Security Grant Program, the Urban Area Security Initiative, the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program, and the Citizen Corps Program. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish clearly defined essential capabilities for State and local government preparedness for terrorism. Sets forth factors to address in establishing such capabilities. Lists critical infrastructure sectors and types of threats that the Secretary shall specifically consider. Directs the Secretary to establish a Task Force on Essential Capabilities for First Responders. Makes eligible for a covered grant any State, region, or directly eligible tribe. Sets forth grant application procedures and requirements. Requires the Secretary to establish a First Responder Grants Board. Lists authorized uses of covered grants. Sets the Federal share of the costs of activities carried out under covered grants at 100 percent of the total for the two-year period following enactment of this Act and at 75 percent thereafter. Requires each covered grant recipient to submit annual reports on homeland security spending. Establishes penalties for States that fail to pass through to local governments, first responders, and other local groups funds or resources as required by this Act within 45 days of receipt. Directs the Secretary to promulgate national voluntary consensus standards for grant-funded first responder equipment and training. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding Citizen Corps councils.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2005
Computer-Assisted Remote Hunting Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit and to establish penalties for knowingly making available a computer-assisted remote hunt (i.e., using a computer or other device, equipment, or software to allow a person remotely to control the aiming and discharge of a weapon to kill or injure an animal while not in the targeted animal's physical presence).
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 · 6 April 2005
Farmland Protection Program Challenge Grant Act of 2005 - Amends the Farm Security Act of 1985 to obligate at least 15 percent of farmland protection funds for cost-share grants (25 percent maximum Federal share) to support eligible State agencies, county, and one or more eligible entities to purchase conservation easements whose title shall be held by the entity rather than the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Heroes Earned Retirement Opportunities Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include combat zone compensation (otherwise excludable from gross income) as earned income for purposes of calculating the tax deduction for contributions to retirement savings plans.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Jessica Lunsford Act - Amends the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act to direct that State procedures include a process under which the State mails a nonforwardable verification form at least twice a year to the last known address of the person required to register as a sexually violent offender, to be returned within ten days after receipt, with failure to return the form within the period allowed punishable in the same manner as a failure to register. Requires a State prison officer, the court, or another responsible officer or official, if a person required to register is released from prison or placed on parole, supervised release, or probation, to: (1) notify the agency responsible for supervising the person that such person is required to register; and (2) provide that agency with the registration information relating to that person. Provides that a person required to register who has two or more convictions for failing to register or failing to keep such registration current shall, upon release from imprisonment, be required to wear a location-transmitting device (such as an anklet) at all times for not less than five years (ten years if the person is a sexually violent predator). Requires the State to frequently monitor the information transmitted. Sets forth provisions regarding compliance dates and loss of Federal funding for failure to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2005
Services for Ending Long-Term Homelessness Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to design national strategies for providing services in supportive housing that will assist in ending chronic homelessness and to implement programs that address chronic homelessness. Requires the Secretary to make matching grants to eligible entities to provide services that promote recovery and self-sufficiency and that address barriers to housing stability to chronically homeless individuals in, or who are scheduled to become residents of, permanent supportive housing and to other individuals and families who have voluntarily chosen to seek other housing opportunities after a period of tenancy in supportive housing. Directs the Secretary to require grantees to report data regarding the performance outcomes of projects carried out under this Act, which shall include measuring and reporting specific performance outcomes related to the long-term goals of: (1) increasing stability within the community for people who have been chronically homeless; and (2) decreasing recurrence of periods of homelessness.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide assistance, including through nongovernmental or international organizations, for basic care for orphans and other vulnerable children in developing countries, including assistance for: (1) community-based care; (2) school food programs; (3) education and employment training; (4) psychosocial support; (5) protection of inheritance rights; and (6) HIV/AIDS care. Directs the Secretary of State to appoint a Special Advisor for Assistance to Vulnerable Populations. Directs the President to: (1) establish a system to evaluate such assistance's effectiveness; and (2) develop and submit to the appropriate congressional committees a coordinating strategy for such assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the regulation of tobacco products by the Secretary of Health and Human Services through the Food and Drug Administration, including through disclosure, annual registration, inspection, recordkeeping, and user fee requirements. Sets forth criteria by which tobacco products are deemed adulterated or misbranded. Allows the Secretary to require prior approval of all label statements. Allows the Secretary to restrict the sale or distribution of tobacco products, including advertising and promotion, if the Secretary determines that such regulation would be appropriate for the protection of the public health. Prohibits such regulations from: (1) limiting product sales or distribution to authorization of a practitioner licensed to prescribe medical products; (2) prohibiting product sales in face-to-face transactions by a specific category of retail outlets; or (3) establishing a minimum age greater than 18 years of age for product purchases. Prohibits cigarettes from containing any artificial or natural flavor (other than tobacco or menthol) or an herb or spice, including strawberry, cinnamon, or coffee. Requires the Secretary to establish tobacco product standards to protect the public health, but reserves to Congress the power to ban any tobacco products or reduce the nicotine level to zero. Allows the Secretary to take specified actions, including public notification and recall, against unreasonably harmful products. Requires premarket approval of all new tobacco products. Sets forth standards for the sale of modified risk tobacco products. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) judicial review; (2) coordination with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); (3) congressional review of regulations; and (4) state and local authority. Requires the Secretary to establish a Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to change cigarette warning label and advertising requirements. Amends the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986 to change smokeless tobacco warning label and advertising requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
Child Predator Act of 2005 - Amends the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act to: (1) expand the definition of "criminal offense against a victim who is a minor" to include every offense, whether Federal, State, local, tribal, foreign, or otherwise, that involves one or more of specified characteristics (such as kidnapping or sexual conduct), when committed against a minor; and (2) define "child predator" as a person who is convicted of such an offense that is sexual in nature, where the minor is age 13 or younger. Directs that State procedures require a child predator to: (1) report a change of residence within ten days; and (2) notify appropriate entities within that person's community, including schools, public housing, at least two media outlets, and law enforcement. Sets penalties of up to two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both, for violations. Requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation to disclose to the public, on a free-access Internet site, all information collected regarding each child predator, including a recent photograph. Requires the site to: (1) include a feature under which a member of the public can specify an address and be provided with registration information of all such predators within a radius of that address, as well as other searching and sorting capabilities; and (2) display the information in a manner that clearly indicates that the person is a child predator, along with the statutory definition of that term.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize qualified physical therapists to provide services for Medicare beneficiaries without the requirement of a physician referral. Provides for treatment of outpatient speech-language pathology services separately from outpatient physical therapy services.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2005
Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) grant full coverage of dialysis access procedures in the ambulatory surgical center setting for individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who are entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and enrolled under Medicare part B (Hospital Insurance); and (2) structure the relative value units applicable to physicians' services for vascular access procedures to encourage clinically appropriate placement of natural vascular access for dialysis patients. Directs the Secretary to establish demonstration projects for an outcomes-based ESRD financial incentives reimbursement system to evaluate methods that improve the quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease. Sets forth required training for patient care dialysis technicians. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for the: (1) establishment of annual update framework for the Medicare end stage renal disease composite rate; and (2) extension of Medicare as secondary payer. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the impact of the temporary codes (G-codes) for nephrologists' services applicable under the Medicare fee schedule for physician's services. Requires the Secretary to establish demonstration projects to: (1) increase public awareness about chronic kidney disease; (2) enhance surveillance systems and expand chronic kidney disease research; and (3) enable individuals with ESRD to develop self-management skills. Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for Medicare coverage of kidney disease patient education services. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish blood flow monitoring demonstration projects; (2) provide for appropriate incentives to improve the Medicare home dialysis benefit; (3) arrange with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate the barriers to increasing the number of individuals with ESRD who elect to receive home dialysis services under Medicare; and (4) establish an independent, multidisciplinary, nonpartisan End-Stage Renal Disease Advisory Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2005
Critical Habitat Enhancement Act of 2005 - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the relevant Secretary (the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Commerce) to make any designation of critical habitat of an endangered or threatened species not later than one year after final approval of a recovery plan for the species or three years after final regulations implementing a determination that the species is endangered or threatened, whichever is earlier. Directs the Secretary to reconsider determinations that critical habitat designation is not practicable or determinable during the next five-year review of listed species or at the time of final approval of a recovery plan for the species. Makes critical habitat designations inapplicable to actions authorized by: (1) an incidental taking permit; (2) an incidental taking statement provided by the Secretary; or (3) a land conservation or species management program that meets specified requirements. Directs the Secretary, in determining whether an area is critical habitat, to seek and consider information from local governments in the vicinity of the area. Specifies factors for consideration in determining the economic impact of critical habitat designation. Modifies notice requirements applicable to proposed designations of critical habitat to require that any municipality having administrative jurisdiction over the area in which the species is believed to occur is given actual notice. Redefines "critical habitat" to mean geographic areas determined by field survey data to be occupied by the species at the time of designation and which are necessary to the continued existence of the species.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2005 or Johanna's Law - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a national campaign to increase the awareness and knowledge of women with respect to gynecologic cancers, which shall include: (1) maintaining a supply of written materials to provide information to the public on gynecologic cancers; and (2) developing and placing public service announcements to encourage women to discuss their risks of gynecologic cancers with their physicians. Requires the Secretary to award grants to nonprofit private entities to test different outreach and education strategies for increasing such awareness among women and health professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Green Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2005 - Directs the President to establish a Green Chemistry Research and Development Program to promote and coordinate Federal research, development, demonstration, education, and technology transfer activities related to green chemistry. Requires the President to establish an Interagency Working Group to oversee the planning, management, and coordination of the Program. Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to provide for the Regional Centers for the Transfer of Manufacturing Technology to enhance productivity and technological performance in U.S. manufacturing through the enabling of supply chain manufacturers to continuously improve products and processes, increase energy efficiency, identify cost-saving opportunities, and optimize resources and technologies with the aim of reducing or eliminating the use or generation of hazardous substances. Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation to carry out a program to award grants to institutions of higher education to support their efforts to revise their undergraduate curriculum in chemistry and chemical engineering to incorporate green chemistry concepts and strategies. Requires such Director to enter into an arrangement with the National Research Council to conduct a study of the factors that constitute barriers to the successful commercial application of promising results from green chemistry research and development.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal collectively to the Tuskegee Airmen in recognition of their unique military record, which inspired revolutionary reform in the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act to expand the prohibition against discrimination by group health plans and health insurance issuers in the group and individual markets on the basis of genetic information or services to prohibit: (1) enrollment and premium discrimination based on information about a request for or receipt of genetic services; and (2) requiring genetic testing. Sets forth penalties for violations. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit issuers of Medicare supplemental policies from discriminating on the basis of genetic information. Extends medical privacy and confidentiality rules to the disclosure of genetic information. Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or training program to discriminate against an individual or deprive such individual of employment opportunities because of genetic information. Prohibits the collection and disclosure of genetic information, with certain exceptions. Establishes a Genetic Nondiscrimination Study Commission to review the developing science of genetics and advise Congress on the advisability of providing for a disparate impact cause of action under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Children's Hospitals Education Equity and Research (CHEER) Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payments through FY 2010 (currently, through FY 2005) to children's hospitals for expenses associated with operating approved graduate medical residency training programs. Excludes reductions for unused resident positions when calculating the number of full-time residents in a children's hospital's approved training program for purposes of reimbursing direct expenses. Requires the Secretary to adjust the proportion of such a hospital's costs attributable to wages for differences in hospital wage levels by geographic area. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2010 for direct and indirect expenses associated with operating such programs. Requires that funds appropriated for such programs for a fiscal year remain available for obligation through the end of the succeeding fiscal year. Limits the ability to recoup funds unless a demand for recoupment is made by the end of the fiscal year. Sets forth an appeals procedure and limitations on retroactivity for decisions affecting the amount of payments to a hospital for such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income disaster mitigation payments paid pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act or the National Flood Insurance Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
National Park Centennial Act - Establishes the National Park Centennial Fund in the Treasury. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers to designate overpayments and contributions for the benefit of the National Park System. Allocates such amounts to the Fund (along with necessary amounts from the General Fund to the extent that such amounts are inadequate in any fiscal year) for expenditure by the Secretary of the Interior. Authorizes appropriations for a public awareness campaign about the Fund and the ability of taxpayers to make tax-related contributions. Requires a specified percentage of Fund deposits to be used: (1) for the elimination of the backlog of unmet needs in the national parks as identified in the Facility Condition Index of the National Park Service (NPS); (2) to protect natural resources within the parks; and (3) to protect cultural resources within the parks. Requires a majority of such percentages to be distributed to those national parks that have completed comprehensive business plans under the Business Plan Initiative of the NPS. Directs the Government Accountability Office annually to submit a report on the National Park System to specified congressional committees. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide grants to elementary and secondary schools for cooperative agreements with the NPS providing distance learning and onsite education programs.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Calls on the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend to the Postmaster General that a commemorative stamp should be issued by the United States Postal Service honoring law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Local Emergency Radio Service Preservation Act of 2005 - Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to revise its regulations to provide that digital audio radio satellite service (DARSS): (1) licensees shall not provide services that are locally differentiated or that result in programming being delivered to consumers in one geographic market that is different from programming delivered in any other geographic market; and (2) repeaters shall be restricted to simultaneously retransmitting the programming transmitted by satellite directly to DARSS subscribers' receivers. Requires the FCC to complete a rulemaking proceeding to determine whether DARSS licensees should be permitted to provide locally oriented services on nationally distributed channels, taking into account, among other things, the ability of such licensees to afford listeners the same emergency and other information as is afforded listeners of local broadcast stations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act - Redefines the term "law enforcement officer" under provisions of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to include: (1) Federal employees not otherwise covered by such term whose duties include the investigation or apprehension of suspected or convicted individuals and who are authorized to carry a firearm; and (2) such employees of the Internal Revenue Service whose duties are primarily the collection of delinquent taxes and the securing of delinquent returns. Requires that such service which is performed by an incumbent law enforcement officer be treated: (1) on or after the enactment date of this Act, for all purposes, as service performed as a law enforcement officer, irrespective of how such service is treated under the following; and (2) before, on, or after such date, for purposes of CSRS and FERS, as service performed as such an officer, but only if an appropriate written election is submitted to the Office of Personnel Management five years after such date or before separation from Government service, whichever is earlier. Provides that nothing under current law respecting mandatory separation from Government service under CSRS or FERS shall cause the involuntary separation of an officer before the end of the three-year period beginning on such date.
![Official portrait of Rep. Reichert, David G. [R-WA-8]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000578_200.jpg)