Rep. Sandlin, Max [D-TX-1]

An amendment in the nature of a substitute numbered 4 printed in House Report 108-148. Section 1 of the amendment contains a short title, reference, and table of contents. Section 2 establishes improved procedures for certain class actions, including provisions for the use of coupon settlements, court approval of settlements, sealing of class action documents, and interlocutory appeals. Section 3 enacts the recommendations of the U. S. Judicial Conference with respect to notice to class members. Section 4 establishes a state court multi-district litigation panel for class actions. The panel allows for the consolidation of class actions pending in different state courts for pretrial proceedings. Section 5 of the amendment authorizes the National Center for State Courts to develop and implement a procedure by which state courts or the state court multi-district litigation panel may transfer certain class actions to federal courts.

United States · United States Congress

Permanent Sales Tax Deduction Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2004

Permanent Sales Tax Deduction Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make the taxpayer election to deduct State and local sales taxes in lieu of State and local income taxes permanent.

National Guard and Reserve Bill of Rights Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2004

National Guard and Reserve Bill of Rights Act of 2004 - Requires the Secretary of Defense to limit the length of assignment of reservists during U.S. Central Command deployments of not less than one year. Requires the Secretary to submit to specified congressional committees a report on Department of Defense policies and communications regarding the length of deployments for reservists in connection with Operation Iraqi Freedom. Directs the Secretary of the Army to designate a senior level official of the Department of the Army to implement recommendations for executive action to address military pay problems. Expands reenlistment bonus eligibility and the amount of such bonuses for members of the Selected Reserve. Removes conditions on Ready Reserve members' eligibility for TRICARE enrollment. Makes such eligibility permanent. Requires the Secretary concerned to pay applicable premiums to continue qualified health benefit plan coverage for family members of eligible reservists serving on active duty for the benefits coverage continuation period. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to fund child care for members of the Armed Forces on active duty for Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom. Requires employers to provide notice of rights and benefits under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Office of Special Counsel to carry out a demonstration project under which certain USERRA claims against Federal agencies are referred to the Office of Special Counsel. Increases monthly educational assistance benefits for members of the Selected Reserve. Expands eligibility for such benefits to include reservists who have served on active duty for a cumulative period of 24 months during any five-year period. Reduces from 60 to 55 the age at which members of Reserve components may receive military retirement pay. Establishes the position of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (Reserve Affairs). Eliminates the position of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. Reduces the number of Assistant Secretaries of Defense.

Clean Trucks Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004

Clean Trucks Act of 2004 - Amends Federal transportation law to require motor carriers, as part of registering with the Secretary of Transportation to provide transportation, to comply with the heavy duty vehicle and engine emission performance standards and related regulations established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Directs the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to: (1) collect annually information on the year, make, model, certification level, travel routes, trip duration, fuel quality and consumption, and related activities of long-haul heavy duty trucks operating in the United States; and (2) submit such information to the Adminstrator of the EPA for use in developing and publishing estimates of the total national emissions of all criteria pollutants and hazardous air pollutants associated with long-haul heavy duty trucks.

Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to establish a standing Committee on Homeland Security and a standing Committee on Intelligence (with jurisdiction over appropriations for intelligence activities), and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004

Amends rule X (Organization of Committees) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to establish the House Committees on Homeland Security and on Intelligence. Grants jurisdiction to the House Committee on Homeland Security over matters regarding the Department of Homeland Security and homeland security, generally. Grants exclusive jurisdiction to the House Committee on Intelligence over: (1) the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Director of Central Intelligence, and the National Foreign Intelligence Program (NFIP); (2) intelligence and intelligence-related activities of all other Federal departments and agencies, including the tactical intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the Department of Defense (DOD); (3) the organization or reorganization of a Federal department or agency to the extent relating to a function or activity involving intelligence or intelligence-related activities; and (4) authorizations for appropriations, both direct and indirect, as well as appropriations, for the CIA and such other staff, programs, and activities. Specifies the composition of the Committee on Intelligence.

PROTECTION Act

United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004

Providing Reliable Officers, Technology, Education, Community Prosecutors, and Training In Our Neighborhoods Act of 2004 or PROTECTION Act - Modifies provisions of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 regarding public safety and community policing ("cops on the beat" program, COPS) to authorize the Attorney General to use COPS grants to: (1) increase prosecutor presence and to enhance law enforcement access to new technologies; (2) pay overtime to existing career law enforcement officers for community policing; and (3) promote higher education among in-service State and local law enforcement officers by reimbursing them for certain educational costs. Includes among permitted additional grant projects: (1) specialized integrity and ethics training; and (2) innovative proactive crime control and prevention programs involving school officials and religiously-affiliated organizations. Authorizes the Attorney General to use up to five percent of appropriated funds for technical assistance and training to States, local governments, Indian tribal governments, and other entities. Repeals provisions of the Act regarding termination of grants for hiring officers. Allows grants to be used to assist: (1) police departments in employing specified professional, scientific, and technological advancements; (2) State, local, or tribal prosecutors' offices in implementation of community-based prosecution programs that build on local community policing efforts; and (3) in paying overtime to existing career law enforcement officers. Reserves specified funds for local governmental units with a population of less than 50,000. Authorizes the Attorney General to use no more than 50 percent of grant renewal funds to award grants targeted for police officer retention.

Voter Protection Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004

Voter Protection Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit willfully providing misleading or fraudulent information to an individual and thereby interfering with that individual's voting, qualifying to vote, qualifying or campaigning as a candidate, or qualifying or acting as any legally authorized official in any primary, special, or general election.

To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 115 South Swenson Street in Stamford, Texas, as the "Gordon Wood Post Office Building".

United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2004

Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 115 South Swenson Street in Stamford, Texas, as the "Gordon Wood Post Office Building."

Boutique Fuels Reduction Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004

Boutique Fuels Reduction Act of 2004 - Amends the Clean Air Act (CAA) to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to temporarily waive controls or prohibitions on the use of a fuel or fuel additive regulated under specified provisions of that Act or prescribed in an applicable State Implementation Plan (SIP) if the Administrator determines that: (1) extreme and unusual circumstances exist in a State or region that prevent distribution of an adequate supply of the fuel or fuel additive to consumers; (2) such circumstances are the result of a natural disaster, an Act of God, a pipeline or refinery equipment failure, or another unforeseeable event; and (3) it is in the public interest to grant the waiver. Permits such a waiver only if it: (1) applies to the smallest necessary geographic area; (2) is effective for 20 days or the shortest practicable time period; (3) permits a transitional period after the termination of the temporary waiver to allow wholesalers and retailers to blend down their inventory; (4) applies to all persons in the motor fuel distribution system; and (5) is preceded by public notice to all parties in the distribution system, local and State regulators, public interest groups, and consumers in the State or region covered by the waiver. States that the Administrator shall have no authority, when considering a SIP or SIP revision regarding State controls or prohibitions on motor vehicle fuel or fuel additives, to approve any fuel: (1) if doing so would increase the total number of approved and fully implemented fuels as of September 1, 2004, in all SIPs; and (2) unless that fuel was approved and fully implemented in at least one SIP in the applicable Petroleum Administration for Defense District (with the exception of fuels with a specified summertime Reid Vapor Pressure). Requires the Administrator and the Secretary of Energy jointly to study and report to Congress on the effects on air quality, number of fuel blends, fuel availability, fuel fungibility, and fuel costs of SIPs adopted pursuant to CAA provisions regarding State controls or prohibitions on motor vehicle fuel or fuel additives.

National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2004

National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004 - Establishes as an independent executive entity the National Intelligence Authority (Authority), headed by a National Intelligence Director (Director), to, among other things: (1) unify and strengthen efforts of the intelligence community (IC); (2) operate the National Counterterrorism Center and national intelligence centers; and (3) establish clear responsibility and accountability for counterterrorism and other intelligence matters relating to U.S. national security. Requires the Director to: (1) serve as the head of the IC; (2) advise the President on intelligence related to national security; and (3) direct and oversee the National Intelligence Program (formerly the National Foreign Intelligence Program). Authorizes the Director to establish and train a National Intelligence Reserve Corps for the temporary reemployment of former IC employees during periods of emergency. Establishes in the Treasury the Reserve for Contingencies of the National Intelligence Director. Establishes a National Intelligence Council (Council) to produce national intelligence estimates for the U.S. Government and evaluate the collection and production of intelligence by the IC. Establishes a National Counterterrorism Center to, among other things: (1) unify strategy for U.S. civilian and military counterterrorism efforts; and (2) integrate counterterrorism intelligence and operations across agency boundaries, both inside and outside the United States. Authorizes the Director to establish within the Authority one or more national intelligence centers to address intelligence priorities established by the Council. Requires the Director to establish the Intelligence Community Scholarship Program to award scholarships designed to recruit and prepare students for civilian careers in the IC. Requires the President to publicly disclose certain intelligence funding information for fiscal years after 2005. Merges the Homeland Security Council into the Council. Establishes a Joint Intelligence Community Council to assist the Director in developing and implementing a joint, unified national intelligence effort to protect national security. Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to develop and maintain within the FBI a national security workforce of agents, analysts, linguists, and surveillance specialists. Federal Bureau of Investigation Intelligence Career Service Authorization Act of 2005 - Authorizes the FBI Director to establish an FBI Intelligence Career Service for FBI intelligence analysts. Directs the President to establish an information sharing network to promote the sharing of intelligence and homeland security information among all relevant Federal departments and agencies, State, tribal, and local authorities, and private sector entities. Establishes an Executive Council on Information Sharing. Establishes within the Executive Office of the President a Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. Requires the congressional intelligence committees to be provided all intelligence estimates and assessments other than those prepared exclusively for the President.

Secure Borders Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004

Secure Borders Act - Establishes the Land Border Infrastructure Improvement Fund. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to conduct a vulnerability assessment of land ports of entry (POEs). Directs the Secretary to: (1) make permanent specified pre-enrollment programs that allow expedited inspections at POEs for participants; (2) develop a comprehensive plan to deploy technological surveillance systems along U.S. borders; (3) increase the number of K-9 units working within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); (4) ensure that radiation portal monitors are installed at all southern border POEs no later than September 30, 2005; (5) contract with an independent entity to study the necessary allocation of personnel at POEs and Border Patrol sectors; and (6) provide ongoing training for inspectors. Requires the Commissioner of Customs to submit a report to Congress on the One Face at the Border Initiative (a Department of Homeland Security [DHS] initiative that unifies customs, immigration, and agricultural inspection functions by cross-training CBP personnel) that addresses: (1) the effectiveness of the initiative in enhancing security and facilitating trade; (2) the number of CBP personnel who worked for the former Customs Service or the former Immigration and Naturalization Service before the DHS was established and the number hired after its establishment; (3) training time provided to each employee for initiative components; (4) steps taken by CBP to ensure that expertise is retained with regard to customs, immigration, and agriculture inspection functions under the initiative; and (5) whether the missions of customs, agriculture, and immigration are equally emphasized. Requires the Comptroller General to review such reports and report on the effectiveness of the initiative. Requires the Secretary to: (1) submit unclassified and classified versions of a comprehensive border security strategy; (2) integrate the IDENT and IAFIS databases; and (3) make interoperable those databases used by inspectors in secondary inspections. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to create the positions of Northern Border Coordinator and Southern Border Coordinator within the DHS's Directorate of Border and Transportation Security. Requires the President to submit information regarding progress toward implementation of the Smart Border Accords. Expresses the sense of Congress that Mexicans and Canadians should be treated with parity in establishing periods of lawful admission. States that, once the entry-exit data system required by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 is fully implemented, the period of admission for aliens holding border crossing cards shall be six months. Requires the Secretary to create an Office of US-VISIT Outreach to inform local border officials, residents, and businesses about developments in the US-VISIT program. Amends the Immigration and Naturalization Service Data Management Improvement Act of 2000 to reconstitute the integrated entry-exit system task force. Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure implementation of electronic arrival/departure records no later than December 1, 2005; (2) report on the development and distribution of a transportation worker identification card; and (3) establish standards and verification procedures for the security of intermodal cargo containers. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the need for additional staff for the U.S. Consulate-General in Mexico. Establishes the Office of Tribal Security within DHS. Requires the Secretary to transfer the CBP Customs Patrol Officers unit operating on the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation (known as the Shadow Wolves) to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Requires development and implementation of State identification document standards as a prerequisite for the acceptance of such documents by Federal agencies. Requires the Secretary to make grants to assist States and localities in issuing documents that meet those standards. Authorizes appropriations for an increase in staff and detention space for ICE. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) immigration cases involving incarcerated criminal aliens should be processed while the alien is in prison; and (2) appropriations should be authorized for staff increases for judicial and prosecutorial offices to better enforce immigration laws. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to create a new subclass in the S (witness or informant) nonimmigrant visa category for certain aliens in possession of critical reliable information regarding commercial alien smuggling organizations or enterprises. Provides for adjustment of status for such nonimmigrants. Imposes increased penalties for, and establishes a rewards program to combat, aggravated alien smuggling. Requires the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) to promulgate sentencing guidelines that reflect enhanced sentences and fines for alien smuggling. Amends the Federal criminal code to enhance penalties for smuggling merchandise into the United States. Requires the USSC to amend sentencing guidelines to provide sentencing enhancements for merchandise smuggling that results in a death. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to create an Office of Overseas Service within DHS's Office of International Affairs. Requires the Secretary to: (1) report on implementation of prior recommendations regarding visa security; (2) establish an electronic advance passenger screening system for visa waiver program (VWP) participants as part of an integrated entry-exit system; (3) create a VWP Office; and (4) provide fraud detection and foreign language training for inspectors inspecting VWP aliens. Requires the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Ombudsman to launch a public information campaign and to establish an advisory group that provides private sector input. Directs the Comptroller General to assess CIS and report findings to the Secretary, the Secretary of State, and appropriate congressional committees. Requires the Secretary to study biometric identifiers that might be used for immigration benefit applications and petitions. Requires all fingerprints taken for adjudicating such applications or petitions to be digitized, and all such applications or petitions to be registered using a biometric identifier, no later than January 1, 2005.

Cancer Care Preservation Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004

Cancer Care Preservation Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to allow the average sales price system to go into effect but also to ensure that Medicare payments for cancer drugs do not go below 95 percent of 2004 levels in 2005, and 95 percent of 2005 levels in 2006. Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 with respect to the transitional adjustment in practice expense relative value units in the physician fee schedule for drug administration services. Extends application of the transition adjustment through December 31, 2006. Increases from three percent to 27 percent during 2005 the applicable percentage of the fee schedule amount that shall be paid to a physician from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund. Reduces this applicable percentage during 2006 to 22 percent. (Current law reduces the 32 percent transitional payment for practice expenses in 2004 to 3 percent in 2005 and 0 percent in 2006.)

National Fish and Wildlife Policy Fellowship Program Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004

National Fish and Wildlife Policy Fellowship Program Act of 2004 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to award fellowships to qualified graduate and post-graduate level students engaged in advanced degree programs concerning freshwater and anadromous fish, wildlife, conservation management, or biology in order to: (1) provide such students with opportunities to participate in the policy process within executive and legislative branches of the Federal Government; and (2) provide Federal agencies and Congress with specific expertise to aid in the effective management of the nation's natural living resources. Requires the Secretary to strive to ensure equal access to the fellowship program for minority and disadvantaged students and to report to Congress on such efforts. States that the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shall administer fellowships awarded under this Act.

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage.

United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004

Constitutional Amendment - Marriage Protection Amendment - Declares that marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Prohibits the Constitution or any State constitution from being construed to require that marital status or its legal incidents be conferred upon any union other than that of a man and a woman.

Reservists' Employment Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2004

Reservists' Employment Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a business tax credit for employing a military reservist as a full time employee for a three-year period. Sets the amount of such credit at $1,000 and allows the credit to be taken in the taxable year in which the military reservist's three-year employment period ends. Allows an inflation adjustment to the credit amount after 2005.

Veterans' Employment Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2004

Veterans' Employment Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a business tax credit for employing a veteran as a full-time employee for a three-year period. Sets the amount of such credit at $1,000 and allows the credit to be taken in the taxable year in which the veteran's three-year employment period ends. Allows an inflation adjustment to the credit amount beginning after 2005.

Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Enhancement Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2004

Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Enhancement Act of 2004 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish and maintain special access programs associated with research, development, test and evaluation, and acquisition of technology. Directs: (1) the Secretary to submit to Congress certain budget request information for the Directorate of Science and Technology; and (2) the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to transmit to Congress a summary of the solicitations and resulting contracts and grants awarded in the past fiscal year. Requires the Secretary to conduct an assessment of: (1) the development of national capabilities in homeland security science and technology; and (2) the methods used by the Directorate for the prioritization of science and technology projects among and within research portfolios. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity, to establish a program to award grants to institutions of higher education for: (1) the establishment or expansion of professional development programs and associate degree programs in cybersecurity; and (2) the purchase of equipment to provide training in cybersecurity for either professional development or degree programs. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements or partnerships with foreign governments that are U.S. allies in the war on terrorism and have extensive experience in counterterrorism. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a Geospatial Management Office; and (2) a program to enhance public safety interoperable communications. Provides for the establishment of a homeland security technology and equipment transfer program.

Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2004

Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2004 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish in the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Directorate for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection a National Cybersecurity Office, headed by an Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity, who shall assist the Secretary in promoting cybersecurity for the Nation. Grants the Assistant Secretary primary authority within DHS for all cybersecurity-related critical infrastructure programs of DHS. Includes among the responsibilities of the Assistant Secretary to: (1) establish and manage a national cybersecurity response system, a national cybersecurity threat and vulnerability reduction program, a national cybersecurity awareness and training program, a government cybersecurity program, and a national security and international cybersecurity cooperation program; (2) coordinate specified activities with the private sector, with other directorates and offices within DHS (including with the Chief Information Officer), and with the Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response; (3) develop processes for information sharing with the private sector; (4) consult with the Secret Service's Electronic Crimes Task Force on private sector outreach and information activities and with the Office for Domestic Preparedness to ensure that realistic cybersecurity scenarios are incorporated into tabletop and recovery exercises; and (5) consult and coordinate with other Federal agencies on cybersecurity-related programs, policies, and operations and with other relevant Federal agencies and within DHS on security of digital control systems. Grants the Assistant Secretary primary authority within DHS over the National Communications System.

9/11 Commission Report Implementation Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004

9/11 Commission Report Implementation Act of 2004 - National Intelligence Authority Act of 2004 - Establishes as an independent executive entity the National Intelligence Authority (Authority), headed by a National Intelligence Director (Director), to, among other things: (1) unify and strengthen efforts of the intelligence community (IC); (2) operate the National Counterterrorism Center and national intelligence centers; and (3) establish clear responsibility and accountability for counterterrorism and other intelligence matters relating to U.S. national security. Requires the Director to: (1) serve as the head of the IC; (2) advise the President on intelligence related to national security; and (3) direct, manage, and oversee the execution of the National Intelligence Program (formerly the National Foreign Intelligence Program). Establishes a National Intelligence Council (Council) to produce national intelligence estimates for the U.S. Government and evaluate the collection and production of intelligence by the IC. Establishes a National Counterterrorism Center (Center) to: (1) unify strategy for U.S. civilian and military counterterrorism efforts; and (2) integrate counterterrorism intelligence and operations across agency boundaries, both inside and outside the United States. Requires the President to publicly disclose certain intelligence funding information for fiscal years after 2005. Merges the Homeland Security Council into the Council. Maintains within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) the direction and execution of clandestine and covert operations. Makes the Secretary of Defense responsible for directing and executing paramilitary operations, whether clandestine or covert. Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to develop and maintain within the FBI a national security workforce of agents, analysts, linguists, and surveillance specialists. Directs the President to: (1) establish an information sharing network to promote the sharing of terrorism information among all relevant Federal departments and agencies, State, tribal, and local authorities, and private sector entities in a manner consistent with national security and the protection of privacy and civil liberties; and (2) submit to Congress a network system design and implementation plan. Establishes an Advisory Council on Information Sharing. Prohibits the 108th Congress from adjourning until jurisdiction over proposed legislation and other matters relating to: (1) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is consolidated into a single committee in each House with a nonpartisan staff; and (2) intelligence resides in a joint committee or a committee with combined authorization and appropriations authority, with a subcommittee devoted solely to oversight. Requires the President-elect to be provided detailed, classified summaries by relevant outgoing executive officials of specific operational threats to national security, major military or covert operations, and pending decisions on possible use of military force. Outlines procedures for the President-elect to designate, the FBI to investigate, and the Senate to expeditiously consider nominees for high-level national security positions. Requires specified reports from the President to Congress concerning, among other things: (1) terrorist sanctuaries; (2) efforts to support Pakistan; (3) aid to Afghanistan; (4) the U.S.-Saudi Arabia relationship; (5) a strategy to help win the struggle of ideas within the Islamic world; (6) proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and (7) efforts to curtail the international financing of terrorism. Provides, through specified activities of the Secretary of State, for the expansion of international educational and cultural exchange programs between the United States and countries with sizable Muslim populations. Directs the President to establish an International Youth Opportunity Fund to provide financial assistance for the improvement of public education in the Middle East. Authorizes the President to establish an international counterterrorism policy contact group with leaders of governments of other countries to develop a comprehensive coalition strategy to fight Islamist terrorism. States U.S. policy concerning the humane treatment of prisoners. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to submit to Congress a: (1) strategy for combining terrorist travel intelligence, operations, and law enforcement into a cohesive effort to intercept terrorists, find terrorist travel facilitators, and constrain terrorist mobility domestically and internationally; and (2) plan describing how DHS and the State Department can acquire and deploy, to all consulates, ports of entry, and immigration benefits offices, technologies that facilitate document authentication and the detection of potential terrorist indicators on travel documents. Directs the Secretary to develop plans: (1) for a comprehensive integrated screening system; (2) to accelerate the full implementation of an automated biometric entry and exit data system for preventing the entry of terrorists; (3) to expedite the processing of registered travelers who enter and exit the United States through a single registered traveler program; and (4) to require biometric passports and other secure identification for all travel into the United States by U.S. citizens and individuals for whom immigration and nationality documentation requirements have previously been waived. Directs the Secretary to develop, implement, and revise as necessary a National Strategy for Transportation Security for the protection from terrorist or other hostile acts of all transportation infrastructure assets. Directs the Secretary to allocate homeland security assistance grants to communities based on threat levels, presence of critical infrastructure, population density, and other criteria. Calls for adoption by all appropriate entities of the Incident Command System (a national, coordinated emergency response system developed by the National Incident Management System). Authorizes specified officials of the National Capital Region to enter into, provide, or request from other Region entities mutual aid assistance for emergency services related to a terrorist or other hostile act. Directs the Secretary to: (1) encourage and support the establishment of consistent and effective communications capabilities in high risk urban areas; (2) establish a program to promote private sector preparedness; (3) undertake certain critical infrastructure readiness assessments; and (4) regularly assess the adequacy of the United States Northern Command to respond to all military and paramilitary threats within the United States. Establishes within the Executive Office of the President a Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.

Disabled Veterans Transition Assistance Act of 2004

United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004

Disabled Veterans Transition Assistance Act of 2004 - Requires the Secretary of Defense to carry out a program to provide a support system for members of the Armed Forces who incur severe disabilities on or after September 11, 2001, including a system of advocacy and follow-up to assist those members to transition from military service to the civilian community. Requires the Secretary to designate an executive agent to carry out the program throughout the Department of Defense and, in cooperation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, for members of the Coast Guard with severe disabilities.

To amend title 10, United States Code, to increase the amount of the military death gratuity from $12,000 to $50,000.

United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004

Increases the death gratuity payable with respect to members of the Armed Forces from $12,000 to $50,000. Makes this increase applicable to deaths occurring on or after September 11, 2001. Requires the Secretary of Defense to derive funds for payments under this Act in FY 2005 from travel funds for personnel of the Office of the Secretary.

Congratulating Lance Armstrong on his record-setting victory in the 2004 Tour de France.

United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004

Congratulates Lance Armstrong on his historic victory in the 2004 Tour de France and commends his commitment to cancer awareness and survivorship.

Recognizing Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.

United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2004

Recognizes Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.

To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 102 East Alexander Street in Three Rivers, Texas, as the "Private Felix Z. Longoria Veterans' Memorial Post Office".

United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004

Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 102 East Alexander Street in Three Rivers, Texas, as the "Private Felix Z. Longoria Veterans' Memorial Post Office."