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United States · Official source
855 records where Rep. Salazar, John T. [D-CO-3] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2006
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 215 West Industrial Park Road in Harrison, Arkansas, as the "John Paul Hammerschmidt Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2006
Commends Italy, the Torino Olympic Organizing Committee, and the International Olympic Committee for the successful completion of the 2006 Winter Games. Congratulates the United States Olympic Committee, the United States Olympic Team, and all international athletes for their outstanding performances. Expresses support to the 2006 United States Paralympic Team in the upcoming Paralympic Winter Games.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2006
Amends rule XIII (Calendars and Committee Reports) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to make it out of order, with certain exceptions, for the House to consider a measure or matter until 72 hours after its text (and any accompanying reports) have been made available to Members and the general public (excluding Saturdays, Sunday and holidays when the House is not in session). Requires such text to be posted continuously, during the 72 hours, on the Internet in an accessible, searchable format. Prohibits the House from considering a general appropriations bill, with certain exceptions, until at least 72 hours (currently, three calendar days) after the printed hearings of the Committee on Appropriations related to it have been available to Members. Requires privileged reports to be made available to the general public before their consideration in the House. Amends rule XXII (House and Senate Relations) to require, before House consideration, the same 72 hour availability to Members and the general public, including Internet accessibility, of the text of conference reports, accompanying joint explanatory statements, and Senate amendments reported by a conference committee in disagreement. Declares that nothing in this resolution shall be interpreted to require or permit the declassification or posting on the Internet of classified information. Requires such classified information to be made available to Members in a timely manner. Expresses the sense of the House that the House Committee on Rules should develop standardized policies and procedures to require that proposed amendments major in size, scope, or cost (except those offered under an open rule) be posted on the Internet for an appropriate number of hours.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2006
Federal Aviation Administration Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006 - Amends federal transportation law to revise certain federal aviation administration personnel management system requirements to prohibit the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from implementing any proposed change to the FAA personnel management system in cases where the services of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service do not lead to an agreement between the Administrator and FAA employees unless a bill is enacted into law by Congress that authorizes the change during the 60-day period beginning from the time Congress received the proposed change. (Current law does not require congressional action.) Requires the Administrator and FAA employee bargaining representatives to submit the proposed change to binding arbitration if Congress does not enact a bill into law within the 60-day period.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2006
Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2006 - Amends the Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2005 to extend for three years the annual cap exemption for returning H-2B aliens (temporary nonagricultural worker).
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2006
Makes additional appropriations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for state health insurance counseling programs on Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) and Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug plan enrollment.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2006
Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 - States that it shall be U.S. policy to promote the emergence of a democratic Palestinian governing authority that denounces and combats terrorism, upholds human rights for all people, and has agreed to recognize Israel as an independent Jewish state. Amends the the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide assistance under such Act or any other provision of law to the Palestinian Authority (PA) only during a period for which a presidential certification has determined: (1) that no PA ministry, agency, or instrumentality is controlled by a foreign terrorist organization and no member of a foreign terrorist organization serves in a PA ministry, agency, or instrumentality; (2) that the PA has publicly acknowledged Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, and is adhering to all previous agreements and understandings with the government of the United States, the government of Israel, and the international community; and (3) that the PA has made demonstrable progress toward purging from its security services individuals with ties to terrorism, dismantling all terrorist infrastructure and cooperating with Israel's security services, halting anti-Israel incitement, and ensuring democracy and financial transparency. Directs the President to make and transmit such certifications to Congress every six months. Prohibits during a period in which a certification is is not in effect with respect to the PA.: (1) assistance to nongovernmental organizations for the West Bank and Gaza (exempts assistance for basic human health needs from such limitation.); (2) U.S. contributions to the United Nations intended for U.N. agencies providing assistance directly to the PA; (3) visa issuance to any PA official or affiliated person (with a case-by-case exemption for U.S. security needs); (4) travel outside of a 25-mile radius of the U.N. headquarters building for officials and representatives of the PA and of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) who are stationed at the United Nations in New York City; and (5) establishment of an office, headquarters, premises, or other facilities within U.S. jurisdiction at the direction of, or with funds provided by, the PA or the PLO. Requires the President to direct the executive director at each international financial institution to use U.S. influence to prohibit assistance to the PA during any such period. Directs the Secretary of State to audit and report respecting duplicative entities and functions of: (1) the United Nations Division for Palestinian Rights; (2) the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People; (3) the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority; (4) the NGO Network on the Question of Palestine; (5) the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories; and (6) any other entity the Secretary determines results in duplicative efforts or funding or fails to ensure balance in the approach to Israeli-Palestinian issues. Withholds specified U.S. contributions to the United Nations for such entities until the report's recommendations are implemented. Expresses the sense of Congress that during any such period the territory controlled by the PA should be deemed to be in use as a terrorist sanctuary for purposes of the Export Administration Act of 1979, and of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989. Prohibits funds to be used by any U.S. officer or employee to negotiate, attend official meetings, or have official contacts with members or official representatives of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, or any other Palestinian terrorist organization, until such organization: (1) recognizes Israel's right to exist; (2) renounces terrorism; (3) dismantles the terrorist infrastructure; and (4) recognizes all previous agreements and understandings between Israel and the PA.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2006
Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2006 - Extends from one to two years the lobbying ban for former senior executive personnel, former Members of Congress, and legislative branch officers and employees. Denies floor privileges to any former Members and House officers if he or she is a registered lobbyist or agent of a foreign principal. Requires public disclosure by Members of Congress and senior congressional staff of employment negotiations. Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA) to revise requirements for lobbying disclosures reports. Amends the Rules of the House of Representatives to: (1) exclude gifts from lobbyists from the gift ban exceptions; and (2) prohibit privately funded travel by a Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee. Establishes the Office of Public Integrity within the Office of Inspector General of the House. Amends the LDA to increase the penalty for failure to comply with lobbying disclosure requirements. Requires certification that congressional travel meets certain conditions, subject to civil fines for false certifications. Establishes mandatory annual ethics training for House employees. Makes it out of order to consider any reconciliation legislation which has the net effect of reducing the surplus or increasing the deficit compared to the most recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate for any fiscal year. Limits recorded electronic votes to 20 minutes, except in certain circumstances. Makes requirements for earmarks in funding measures. Makes it out of order to consider a resolution providing for adjournment sine die unless, during at least 20 weeks of the session, a quorum call or recorded vote was taken on at least four of the weekdays (excluding legal public holidays). Makes it out of order, with certain exceptions, for the House to consider a bill or joint resolution until 24 hours, or in the case of legislation containing a district-oriented earmark or limited tax benefit, until three days after copies of such measure are available. Makes a motion to request or agree to a conference on a general appropriation bill in order only if the House expresses its disagreements with the Senate in the form of numbered amendments. Requires all provisions on which the two chambers disagree to be open to discussion at any meeting of a conference committee. Prescribes minimum requirements for political appointees holding public safety positions. Amends the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (OFPPA) to require an executive agency, after awarding a contract, to make specified information regarding it available to the public, including over the Internet in a searchable database. Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (FPASA) to prohibit awarding of a monopoly federal contract to a single contractor. Specifies conditions under which such contracts may be awarded. Amends the FPASA to require revision of the Federal Acquisition Regulation to require competition for certain multiple award contracts. Provides for suspension and debarment of unethical contractors. Amends the federal criminal code to impose fines and penalties on cheating taxpayers and wartime fraud. Revises requirements and prohibitions regarding contractor conflicts of interest. Requires disclosure of certain government contractor overcharges. Subjects individuals to penalties for improper sole-source contracting procedures. Prescribes disclosure requirements for organizations established to raise funds for creating, maintaining, expanding, or conducting activities at a former or existing presidential archival depository or its facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2006
Encourages each state to establish a program, similar to Operation Recognition, to award high school diplomas to veterans who left high school in order to serve in the Armed Forces during a time of war but never received a diploma.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2006
Honors the life and accomplishments of Mrs. Coretta Scott King and her contributions as a leader in the struggle for civil rights.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2006
Amends rule XXV (Limitations on Outside Earned Income and Acceptance of Gifts) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require Members, Delegates, Resident Commissioners, officers, or employees of the House, before accepting payment of travel expenses, to obtain a written certification from the sponsoring organization or person: (1) stating that no registered lobbyist has been invited to participate in the transportation, lodging, or any associated meetings; and (2) disclaiming specified lobbying activities and connections. Amends rule IV (The Hall of the House) to deny floor privileges to any former Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner, former Parliamentarian, former elected officer or former minority employee of the House, and to heads of departments and state governors, unless the individual signs a lobbying disclaimer each time he or she is admitted to such location. Amends rule XVIII (The Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union) to make it out of order to consider any reconciliation legislation which has the net effect of reducing the surplus or increasing the deficit compared to the most recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate for any fiscal year. Amends rule XX (Voting and Quorum Calls) to limit recorded electronic votes to 20 minutes, except that the time may be extended with the consent of both the majority and minority floor managers of the legislation involved or both the majority and minority leaders. Amends rule XXIII (Code of Official Conduct) to prohibit a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner from conditioning the inclusion of language to provide funding for a district-oriented earmark, a particular project which will be carried out in a Member's congressional district, or a limited tax benefit in any bill or joint resolution (or accompanying report) or in any conference report on such measure (or accompanying joint statement of managers) on any vote such individual casts. Requires a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner to disclose in writing to the chairman and ranking member of the relevant committee certain information about any district-oriented earmark such individual advocates in any measure or accompanying report or managers' joint statement. Requires each committee to make such information available to the general public for any earmark included in any reported measure. Requires the Joint Committee on Taxation to review any revenue measure, reconciliation bill, or joint resolution for limited tax benefits, and identify them and their beneficiaries, including their sponsors. Amends rule XV (Business in Order on Special Days) to make it out of order to consider a resolution providing for adjournment sine die unless, during at least 20 weeks of the session, a quorum call or recorded vote was taken on at least four of the weekdays (excluding legal public holidays). Amends rule XIII (Calendars and Committee Reports) to make it out of order, with certain exceptions, for the House to consider a bill or joint resolution until 24 hours, or in the case of legislation containing a district-oriented earmark or limited tax benefit, until three days after copies of such measure (and any accompanying report) are available (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, or legal holidays when the House is not in session). Makes a motion to request or agree to a conference on a general appropriation bill in order only if the Senate expresses its disagreements with the House in the form of numbered amendments. Requires all provisions on which the two chambers disagree to be open to discussion at any meeting of a conference committee. Amends rule XXV (Limitation on Outside Earned Income and Acceptance of Gifts) to exempt from the restrictions on gifts to Members of Congress or Senators, officers, or employees of the House the market value for a flight taken in connection with official duties (charter flight fair market value) on an airplane not licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate for compensation or hire. Requires the individual to publish certain flight related information in the Congressional Record within 10 days of such a flight.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2005
Code Talkers Recognition Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation of a congressional gold medal: (1) to persons, including specified individuals, who served as Sioux or Comanche Code Talkers during World War II; (2) honoring the Choctaw Code Talkers of World War I; and (3) to any other Native American member of the armed forces, identified by the Secretary of Defense, who served as a Code Talker in any foreign conflict in which the United States was involved during the 20th Century. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medals struck under this Act and to deposit the proceeds in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund to pay for the costs of the medals awarded under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2005
Congratulates Albert Pujols on being named the Most Valuable Player for the National League for the 2005 Major League Baseball season.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2005
Congratulates Chris Carpenter for winning the 2005 National League Cy Young Award.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2005
Honors: (1) the Hispanic Americans who have served in the Armed Forces; and (2) the life of Captain Felix Sosa-Camejo, U.S. Army, in recognition of his achievements and sacrifice during service, including during the Vietnam War, and ending with his death in combat on February 13, 1968.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2005
The Fourteenth Dalai Lama 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 presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, in recognition of his many contributions to peace and religious understanding.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2005
Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from issuing any final rule that would change the Department of Transportation's (DOT) interpretation of what constitutes "actual control" of an airline with respect to requirements prohibiting foreign interests from exercising actual control over all airline operations. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on the impact of DOT's proposed change of allowing foreign interests to control economic and competitive decisions while requiring U.S. citizens to control decisions concerning commitments to the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, transportation security, safety, and organizational documents. (Under current law, only an airline that qualifies as "a citizen of the United States" may provide service between U.S. cities or on international routes obtained by the United States through international agreements. Defines "a citizen of the United States" as an individual who is a citizen of the United States, a partnership each of whose partners is an individual who is a citizen of the United States, or a corporation or association in which at least 75% of the voting interest is owned or controlled by persons that are citizens of the United States).
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2005
Urges the President to issue annually a proclamation calling on state and local governments and the people of the United States to observe an American Jewish History Month.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2005
Federal Emergency Management Agency Restoration Act - Establishes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a cabinet-level independent establishment in the executive branch that is responsible for emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation for all hazards, including major disasters, acts of terrorism, and other emergencies. Requires the FEMA Director to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, from among persons who have extensive experience in emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation for all hazards, including major disasters, acts of terrorism, and other emergencies.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2005
Amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to change the country of origin labeling implementation date to September 30, 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2005
Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area Act - Establishes the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area in Colorado. Designates the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area Board of Directors as the management entity for the Heritage Area. Requires the Board to prepare and submit a management plan for the Heritage Area.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2005
10 by 10 Act - Amends the Clean Air Act to make it unlawful after December 31, 2009, for any person to sell, supply, offer for sale or supply, dispense, transport, or introduce into commerce, for use in any motor vehicle, any gasoline with less than 10% renewable fuel by volume.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2005
Calls on the President to seek to convene an international conference on the threat of methamphetamine and synthetic drug precursor chemicals to intensify and coordinate an effective international response to prevent methamphetamine production. Calls on: (1) the countries in which the precursor chemicals and pharmaceutical products used in the manufacture of methamphetamine are produced and those most affected by methamphetamine trafficking to establish an effective international system to monitor and control these products to prevent their diversion to illegal purposes; and (2) the Secretary of State to take steps to establish such an international system by seeking to negotiate, draft, and ratify any necessary multilateral or bilateral agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2005
Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 to exclude manure from the definition of "hazardous substance" or "pollutant or contaminant" under that Act. Amends the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 to exempt releases associated with manure from the emergency notification requirements under that Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2005
Requires the Postmaster General to issue a commemorative postage stamp in honor of Rosa Parks.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2005
Calls for the establishment of a National Methamphetamine Prevention Week.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2005
Provides for: (1) an automatic one-year extension of the authorization of appropriations for a crop year and direct spending programs and authorities (other than such crop programs) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002; and (2) an additional one-year extension of them if the President does not submit implementing legislation to Congress with respect to the Doha Development Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations by January 15, 2008. Provides, with the exception of peanut storage costs, the same automatic one-year extension and additional one-year extension for: (1) authorizations of appropriations in the Act scheduled to expire on September 30, 2007; and (2) termination of a program or authority in calendar year 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2005
Declares that Congress honors the trail-blazing life and pioneering accomplishments of Congressman Edward Roybal from California and expresses its condolences on his passing.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2005
Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, consisting of: (1) the Center for Domestic Preparedness; (2) the National Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology; (3) the National Center for Bio-Medical Research and Training, Louisiana State University; (4) the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center, Texas A&M University; (5) the National Exercise, Test, and Training Center, Nevada test site; and (6) the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado. Requires the Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response, to the fullest extent possible, to use the Consortium to support cooperative programs to achieve cost-effective delivery of equipment, technical assistance, training, and situational exercises.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2005
Browns Canyon Wilderness Act - Designates certain lands in the Pike and San Isabel National Forests and certain lands in the Royal Gorge Resource Area of the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado as wilderness and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System to be known as Browns Canyon Wilderness.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2005
Directs: (1) the U.S. Trade Representative to certify to Congress by December 15, 2005, that Japan is no longer prohibiting the importation of U.S. beef; (2) the Secretary of the Treasury, if such certification is not made, to impose additional tariffs (which shall continue until the certification is submitted to Congress) on Japan by December 31, 2005; and (3) the Secretary of Agriculture to begin negotiations with Japan to end such beef import prohibitions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to prohibit any state or political subdivision from establishing or continuing in effect for any food in interstate commerce: (1) any requirement that is not identical to specified FFDCA provisions (that would result in materially different requirements), including those related to adulterated foods, unsafe food additives, and new animal drugs; or (2) any notification requirement that provides for a warning concerning the food's safety that is not identical to FFDCA provisions. Allows a state to petition for an exemption or to establish a national standard regarding any requirement under FFDCA or the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act relating to food regulation. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Service to provide such an exemption if the requirement: (1) protects an important public interest that would otherwise be unprotected; (2) would not cause any food to be in violation of any federal law; and (3) would not unduly burden interstate commerce. Allows a state to establish a requirement that would otherwise violate FFDCA provisions relating to national uniform nutrition labeling or this Act if the requirement is needed to address an imminent hazard to health that is likely to result in serious adverse health consequences and if other requirements are met. Declares that this Act does not preempt certain state and local laws relating to labeling or a consumer advisory relating to food sanitation imposed on a food establishment or recommended by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
School Energy Crisis Relief Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a grants program for eligible local educational agencies that have experienced the highest percentage increase (or expenditure increase) in transportation and heating fuel costs among all local educational agencies (LEA's) in a state for a specific time period during the 2005-2006 school year, in comparison to the same time period during the 2004-2005 school year. Authorizes the use of funds for: (1) the cost of transportation or heating fuel purchased by eligible LEA's; or (2) transportation fuel purchased by entities under contract to provide transportation services to such LEA's.
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 · 25 October 2005
Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2005 - Prohibits any state or political subdivision from exercising its power of eminent domain for economic development if that state or political subdivision receives federal economic development funds during the fiscal year. Makes a state or political subdivision that violates such prohibition ineligible for any such funds for two fiscal years. Prohibits the federal government from exercising its power of eminent domain for economic development. Establishes a private cause of action for any private property owner who suffers injury as a result of a violation of this Act. Sets the statute of limitation for such an action at seven years. Allows the prevailing plaintiff's attorney to obtain reasonable attorney's fees and expert fees. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) compile a list of the federal laws under which federal economic development funds are distributed; (2) provide to each state and publish on a Department of Justice website the text of this Act, a description of the rights of property owners under this Act, and the compiled list of relevant federal laws; and (3) publish such text and description in the Federal Register. Requires the Attorney General to submit an annual report to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the appropriate congressional committees identifying states or political subdivisions that have used eminent domain in violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
Medicare Cost Contract Extension and Refinement Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) extend the period reasonable cost reimbursement contracts under Medicare can remain in the market, and the period during which they can be modified to expand their service area; and (2) apply to extended or renewed reasonable cost contracts certain requirements under Medicare part C (Medicare Advantage).
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
Children's Gasoline Burn Prevention Act - Directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate final child-resistance product safety standards for closures on portable gasoline containers intended for use by consumers. Prescribes criteria for such standards.
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
Recognizes and congratulates the National Audubon Society on its 100th anniversary.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2005
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to the next of kin or personal representative of each passenger or crew member on board United Airlines Flight 93 who is identified by the Attorney General as having aided in the effort to resist the hijackers on board the plane, in recognition of heroic service to the Nation. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions. Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such gold medal. Declares such medals to be national medals. Requires that proceeds from the sale of duplicate bronze medals be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2005
Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from closing or relocating a county or local Farm Service Agency office before the later of: (1) October 1, 2007; or (2) the date of the enactment of an omnibus Act authorizing FY2008 funds for the Department of Agriculture.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2005
Social Security COLA Protection Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to limit increases in the monthly Medicare premium, including the Medicare Advantage prescription drug program premium, to 25% of any Social Security cost of living increase.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2005
Small Business Fuel Cost Relief Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain commercial farmers, fishermen, and small business owners a temporary two-year business tax credit for excessive fuel cost (i.e., for gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil, and natural gas. Defines "excessive fuel cost" as the amount currently paid for fuel over the Labor Day 2004 price for such fuel, adjusted for inflation. Allows taxpayers a standard automobile mileage allowance of 60 cents per mile in lieu of the tax credit provided by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2005
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Flood Insurance Buy-In Act of 2005 - Establishes a temporary flood insurance buy-in program. Instructs the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make flood insurance coverage available under such program for eligible structures (but not their contents) for flooding resulting from Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita. Limits eligibility to structures located in an area not subject to the mandatory purchase requirements of the national flood insurance program, and which were not covered by such insurance at the time of the hurricanes. Prescribes a formula for determination of premiums, which may be paid by deduction from the amount of any claims payable under coverage by the buy-in program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2005
Methamphetamine Epidemic Elimination Act - Amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to: (1) reduce the retail sales threshold for the sale of products containing pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine from nine grams to 3.6 grams in a single transaction; (2) eliminate the "regulated transaction" exemption for any over-the-counter sale of such products (including blister packs) by retail distributors; (3) grant authority to establish production quotas for pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine; and (4) penalize violators of such quotas. Amends the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act (CSIEA) to: (1) restrict the importation of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine, with an exception; and (2) require a registered person importing such chemicals to include all information known regarding the chain of distribution. Authorizes the Attorney General to prohibit the importation of such chemicals in cases where a distributor refuses to provide such information. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to: (1) require the President, annually, to identify the countries that are the five largest exporters of methamphetamine precursor chemicals and the five largest importers with the highest rate of diversion of such chemicals to the illicit production of methamphetamine; and (2) include those countries among drug-producing or drug-transit countries from which foreign assistance funds may be withheld. Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) submit to Congress a comprehensive plan to address such diversion; and (2) take steps to prevent methamphetamine smuggling into the United States from Mexico. Amends CSA to lower the threshold for amounts of methamphetamine the manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession, importation, or exportation of which is subject to specified penalties. Directs the Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate as hazardous materials or hazardous waste specified byproducts of the methamphetamine production process. Expands the scope of provisions regarding restitution for the cleanup of clandestine laboratory sites.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2005
Medicare Informed Choice Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) provide for an extended period of open enrollment during all of 2006 without late enrollment penalty; (2) give Medicare beneficiaries the opportunity to make a one-time change in prescription drug plan enrollment at any point in 2006; and (3) provide protection from loss of employment-based retiree health coverage upon enrollment for Medicare prescription drug benefit, including a Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug benefit, during 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2005
Emergency Food and Farm Disaster Assistance Act of 2005 - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to set forth food stamp program provisions applicable to the Hurricane Katrina disaster recovery period and the immediate disaster recovery period (as defined by this Act). Makes additional funds available to the Secretary of Agriculture to provide emergency food assistance for displaced Hurricane Katrina victims. Directs the Secretary to make emergency crop disaster assistance for qualifying: (1) 2005 losses due to weather or related conditions; and (2) 2006 losses due to a hurricane occurring in 2005. Directs the Secretary to carry out: (1) a livestock compensation program for 2005 livestock losses in emergency-designated areas; (2) a livestock indemnity program for 2005 livestock losses due to hurricanes, floods, and anthrax; (3) an assistance program for domestic catfish producers hurricane disaster-designated areas in 2005; and (4) sugarcane disaster assistance for qualifying producers and first handlers in areas of Louisiana designated as disaster areas due to Hurricane Katrina. Authorizes the Secretary to use emergency watershed protection program and emergency conservation program funds for removal and disposal of dead livestock in disaster-designated in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina. Directs the Secretary to provide assistance to certain private forest landowners in hurricane disaster-designated areas in 2005. Directs the Secretary to make grants for Hurricane Katrina assistance to: (1) Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee; and (2) other states housing evacuees or suffering damage from Hurricane Katrina or a related condition. Directs the Secretary to extend marketing assistance loan settlement dates. Provides temporary suspension of farm loan interest in hurricane disaster-designated areas in 2005. Extends the emergency loan application period in such areas. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to provide additional loan write-down authority for farm losses in hurricane disaster-designated areas in 2004 or any subsequent year. Directs the Secretary to temporarily suspend certain administrative offsets in hurricane disaster-designated areas in 2005. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the need for: (1) permanent agricultural disaster relief authority; and (2) additional assistance in response to Hurricane Katrina.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2005
Establishes in the legislative branch a bipartisan Katrina Commission to: (1) examine and report upon the federal, state, and local response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Region of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and other affected areas; (2) evaluate and report on the information developed by all relevant governmental agencies related to Hurricane Katrina before it struck the United States and in the days and weeks following; (3) make a complete accounting of the circumstances surrounding the approach of Hurricane Katrina to the Gulf states, and the extent of the Government's preparedness for and response to it; (4) examine planning necessary for future cataclysmic events that will require a significant marshaling of federal resources, mitigation, response, and recovery to avoid significant loss of life; (5) analyze whether any decisions differed with respect to response and recovery for different communities and what problems occurred as a result of a lack of a common plan, communication structure, and centralized command structure; and (6) investigate and report to the President and Congress on immediate corrective measures that can be taken to prevent problems with federal response to future cataclysmic events.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2005
Fair Wages for Hurricane Victims Act - Reinstates the application of the wage requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act to all federal contracts in counties affected by Hurricane Katrina, notwithstanding the President's proclamation dated September 8, 2005, or any other provision of law.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2005
Emergency Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide emergency financial assistance to eligible agricultural producers who have incurred qualifying 2005 crop losses due to weather or related conditions (including crop disease, insects, and delayed harvest). Directs the Secretary to provide: (1) payments to livestock producers who have incurred 2005 losses in an emergency-designated county, with set-asides for the American Indian livestock program; (2) livestock indemnity payments to producers who have incurred 2005 livestock disaster losses, including losses due to hurricanes, floods, and anthrax; (3) additional assistance for the emergency conservation and the emergency watershed protection programs; (4) compensation for certain owners of flooded crop and grazing land in North Dakota; and (5) supplemental loss payments under a specified rate to producers who received crop year 2005 commodity assistance. Amends the Small Business Act to: (1) provide drought disaster relief authority for farm-related and non-farm-related small businesses; and (2) authorize FY2005-FY2008 drought disaster loans for non-farm-related small businesses. Directs the Secretary to use Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds for: (1) grants for agricultural promotion; (2) state-specified grants; and (3) additional grants for agricultural promotion, including food bank and nutrition program assistance, to Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and any other state that is housing evacuees or suffering damage from Hurricane Katrina or a related condition. Directs the Secretary to extend the settlement date of certain marketing assistance loans. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend the sign-up date and contract duration for national dairy market loss payments to September 30, 2006. Transfers Treasury funds to the Secretary of Commerce for assistance to New England fisheries suffering from the red tide outbreak.