United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2005
Remembers and commemorates the lives and work of Sisters Maura Clarke, Ita Ford, and Dorothy Kazel and lay missionary Jean Donovan, and extends sympathy and support for the families, friends, and religious communities of the four U.S. churchwomen. Calls upon the people of the United States and religious congregations to participate in local, national, and international events commemorating the 25th anniversary of their martyrdom. Calls upon the President, the Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the heads of other U.S. agencies to support the government of El Salvador and private sector, nongovernmental, and religious organizations in their efforts to reduce poverty and to promote educational opportunity, health care, and social equity for the people of El Salvador.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2005
Credit Card Minimum Payment Warning Act of 2005 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to include among the mandatory disclosures at each billing cycle of open end consumer credit plans: (1) the words "Minimum Payment Warning: Making only the minimum payment will increase the amount of interest that you pay and the time it will take to repay your outstanding balance;" (2) the number of years and months it would take the consumer to pay the entire amount of the balance if the consumer pays only the required minimum monthly payments; (3) the total cost to the consumer, as well as a breakdown in principal and interest payments, of paying that balance in full if the consumer pays only the required minimum monthly payments, and if no further advances are made; (4) the monthly payment amount that would be required to eliminate the outstanding balance in 36 months if no further advances are made; and (5) a toll-free telephone number for information about accessing credit counseling and debt management services. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Trade Commission to issue jointly guidelines for creditors to establish and maintain a toll-free telephone number for such disclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2005
Microbicide Development Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Office of AIDS Research to: (1) expedite the implementation of the Federal strategic plan for the conduct and support of microbicide research; and (2) expand, intensify, and coordinate all activities with respect to research and development of microbicides to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to: (1) establish within the Division of AIDS an organizational unit to carry out microbicide research and development; and (2) assign priority to ensuring adequate funding and support for the integration of basic science and clinical research. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fully implement the CDC's topical microbicide agenda to support microbicide research and development. Directs the head of the Office of HIV/AIDS of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop and implement a program to support the development of microbicides products and facilitate wide-scale availability of such products.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2005
Expresses support for the August 2005 memorandum of understanding signed by the government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement to end the conflict in Aceh, and congratulates both parties for their willingness to compromise. Encourages the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to commit resources in guaranteeing the peace and building a strong civil society in Aceh.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2005
Hurricane Katrina Accountability and Contracting Reform Act - Establishes in the legislative branch the bipartisian Independent Commission to Prevent Fraud and Abuse in the Response to Hurricane Katrina to conduct a complete, independent, and impartial investigation of federal government contracting relative to Hurricane Katrina recovery, relief, and reconstruction, as well as allegations of price gouging or profiteering. Requires a federal agency head, within 14 days after the award of a Hurricane-related contract, to make publicly available, including by posting on the Internet in a searchable database, specified information with respect to the contract, including the name and address of the contractor and the contract's total amount. Requires federal agency heads to provide certain contract-related information to Congress, including copies of the contract and all modifications. Prohibits the federal government from entering into a Hurricane Katrina-related monopoly contract, with certain exceptions. Requires the federal government to use competition in the purchase of goods and services in excess of $100,000 pursuant to any Hurricane Katrina-related multiple award contract. Prohibits an agency from entering into a Hurricane Katrina-related contract for the performance of a function relating to contract oversight wtih any contractor with a conflict of interest. Prohibits an agency from entering into a Hurricane Katrina-related contract for the performance of inherently governmental functions for contract oversight. Revises the prohibition against a former official's acceptance of compensation from a contractor. Prevents former employees of private contractors who become federal government employees from awarding government contracts to their former employers for a period of five years after leaving the private contractor's employ . Subjects additional offenses to criminal penalties. Amends the Second Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to Meet Immediate Needs Arising from the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina to repeal the $250,000 micropurchase threshold (thus applying the regular $2,500 micropurchase threshold of federal procurement law).
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2005
Honors the life and work of Simon Wiesenthal to memorialize the victims of the Holocaust and bring the perpetrators of crimes against humanity to justice. Reaffirms Congress's commitment to fighting anti-Semitism and intolerance. Urges the international community to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of surviving Nazi war criminals and to continue documenting and collecting information on Nazi war crimes.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2005
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 770 Trumbull Drive in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the "Clayton J. Smith Memorial Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2005
Hurricane Katrina Surviving Spouse Student Loan Relief Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to discharge or cancel the federal student loan indebtedness of spouses and parents of victims of Hurricane Katrina, with respect to any principal and accrued unpaid interest outstanding on student loans on behalf of such victims on the date of the injury causing their death or permanent and total disability.
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 · 14 September 2005
Amends federal transportation law to direct the Secretary of Transportation by regulation to prescribe (corporate) average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for automobiles manufactured after 2008 that ensure that the CAFE achieved by automobiles manufactured after 2015 is at least 33 miles per gallon, and meets other specified criteria. Authorizes the Secretary to establish separate standards for different classes of automobiles according to size. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a CAFE credit trading program to allow a manufacturer that exceeds fuel economy standards to sell credits to another manufacturer.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2005
Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief Stamp Act - Directs the United States Postal Service (USPS), in order to afford the public a convenient means by which to contribute to disaster relief for Hurricane Katrina victims, to provide for the issuance and sale of a semipostal (a postage stamp issued and sold at a premium in order to help provide funding for a cause). Transfers all semipostal amounts from the sale of such semipostal to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund for Hurricane Katrina.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2005
Hurricane Katrina Bankruptcy Relief and Community Protection Act of 2005 - Amends federal bankruptcy law governing cases commenced as of October 17, 2005 (the effective date of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005). Excludes from the accounting of current monthly incomepayments to victims of a natural disaster on account of their status as victims of a natural disaster. Defines victim of a natural disaster as one: (1) whose financial condition is materially adversely affected by a natural disaster; and (2) whose domicile, residence, or principal place of business (including principal assets) in the United States is located in a natural disaster zone immediately preceding the event that caused the natural disaster. Permits debtor status for a debtor unable to complete credit counseling because of a natural disaster. Retains automatic stay protections for a debtor who is a victim of a natural disaster. Modifies requirements governing the statutory deadline for completion of debtor's duties. Authorizes the court to extend any such time period if: (1) the debtor is a victim of a natural disaster; and (2) the debtor's status as a victim of a natural disaster necessitates such extension of time. Includes within the permissible monthly expenses of a chapter 7 debtor the actual reasonably necessary expenses incurred as a result of being a victim of a natural disaster. Modifies requirements governing conversion or dismissal of either a Chapter 7 case, a Chapter 11 Reorganization case, or Chapter 13 case if the debtor is a victim of a natural disaster. Authorizes the court to grant an extension of time for filing small business bankruptcy documentation if the debtor is unable to meet the deadline because of a natural disaster.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2005
Establishes the bipartisan National Independent Inquiry Commission on Disaster Preparedness and Response to examine and report on the readiness of federal, state, and local governments and agencies to respond to the dramatic effects of Hurricane Katrina, meet power and utility infrastructure and telecommunications needs immediately following Katrina's landfall and all future disasters, and prepare for, and respond to disasters of all kinds, sizes, and scopes, including natural or man-made. Requires the Commission also to: (1) report on the availability of adequate resources to meet the needs of displaced individuals and families, and the effectiveness of rescue and other life-saving techniques and operations and coordination between the Armed Forces and federal, state, and local governments; (2) determine if the federal response to Hurricane Katrina was and remains coordinated, adequate, and appropriate in size and scope; and (3) investigate and report to the President and Congress on the Federal Government's failure to prepare adequately for and respond to Hurricane Katrina.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Exempts an H-2B visa (temporary nonagricultural worker) alien coming to work in the United States as a boilermaker from fiscal year numerical limitations under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Taking Care of Small Business Tax Simplification Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend the deadline for filing a subchapter S election; (2) authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to abate penalties for payroll taxes timely paid but not deposited in the prescribed manner; and (3) permit married couples who operate certain joint ventures to file separate tax returns.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Commends the Biotechnology Industry Organization for a successful 2005 Annual International Convention at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Total Health Requires Improved Vaccination Efforts Act of 2005 or the THRIVE Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the Center for Disease Control's adult immunization program by: (1) authorizing additional appropriations for activities to increase immunizations rates for adults; and (2) making grants to states for demonstrations projects to provide influenza immunizations to uninsured adults at high risk for influenza. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop and disseminate guidelines to ensure that immunizations are routinely offered to adults by health care providers; and (2) provide for an educational campaign on the importance of adult immunizations. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to: (1) establish standards for adult influenza immunizations under the Medicare and Medicaid programs; (2) determine the feasibility and advisability of including such immunizations as a performance measure under program quality initiatives; and (3) establish standards for immunizations for influenza of health care workers. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), to study the best practices of health insurers and managed care organizations to encourage the use of adult immunizations for influenza by enrollees. Requires the Secretary to determine the feasibility and advisability of requiring compliance with recommendations for immunizations for all health care workers for provider accreditation. Prohibits a contract or plan under the federal employees health benefit program from being made or approved which does not offer and waive the deductible for pneumococcal and influenza immunization services to high risk adult enrollees.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 210 West 3rd Avenue in Warren, Pennsylvania, as the "William F. Clinger, Jr. Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act - Identifies roadless areas within the National Forest System set forth in specified maps as National Forest Inventoried Roadless Areas, and directs the Secretary of Agriculture to manage such Areas to maintain their roadless character. Authorizes the Forest Service to modify such maps for the sole purpose of improving their accuracy or inclusiveness. Requires any substantial modification of those maps to be made through the national forest management planning process and documented in an environmental impact statement.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Nurse Education, Expansion, and Development Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to award a grant to each eligible school of nursing to increase the number of nursing faculty and students. Requires such schools to formulate and implement a plan to accomplish at least two of specified goals, which include: (1) establishing or significantly expanding an accelerated baccalaureate degree nursing program designed to graduate new nurses in 12 to 18 months; (2) establishing cooperative interdisciplinary training between schools of nursing and other specified health related fields; (3) increasing admissions, enrollment, and retention of qualified individuals who are financially disadvantaged; (4) increasing enrollment of minority and diverse student populations; (5) increasing enrollment of new graduate baccalaureate nursing students in graduate programs that educate nurse faculty members; (6) developing post-baccalaureate residency programs to prepare nurses for practice in specialty areas where nursing shortages are more severe; and (7) increasing integration of geriatric content into the core curriculum. Requires the Comptroller General to study ways to increase participation in the nurse faculty profession and to submit a report to Congress that includes: (1) a discussion of the master's degree and doctoral degree programs that are successful in placing graduates as faculty in schools of nursing; and (2) an examination of compensation disparities throughout the nursing profession and between higher education instructional faculty generally and higher education instructional nursing faculty.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax free rollovers of military death gratuities to Roth individual retirement accounts, health savings and Archer medical savings accounts, and Coverdell education savings accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2005
Internet Safety and Child Protection Act of 2005 - Requires: (1) an operator of a regulated pornographic website to verify (using Federal Trade Commission (FTC)-certified software) that any user attempting to access its site is age 18 or older; (2) a bank, credit card company, third-party merchant, Internet payment service provider, or business that performs financial transactions for such a website to only process age-verified Internet pornography credit card transactions; (3) the FTC to require use of appropriate age-screening software and maintain a list of websites that do not comply; and (4) violations of the age verification requirement to be treated as a Federal Trade Commission Act violation. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose upon the operator of a regulated pornographic website for any Internet pornography display or distribution a tax equal to 25 percent of the amounts charged. Establishes in the Treasury the Internet Safety and Child Protection Trust Fund into which such taxes shall be deposited. Requires Fund amounts to be allocated (in order of priority) for: (1) federal agencies to enforce this Act; (2) the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to ensure that the cyber tip line is fully operational and staffed 24 hours a day; (3) states to support Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces; (4) companies to support research and development into new filtering technologies; (5) state agencies to support educational training; and (6) specified federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and nonprofits to support child Internet safety activities, including combating sex trafficking and sex crimes against children.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2005
Jessica Lunsford and Sarah Lunde Act - Directs the Attorney General to award grants to assist state and local governments in: (1) carrying out programs to outfit sexual offenders (i.e., offenders age 18 or older who commit sexual offenses against minors) with electronic monitoring units; and (2) employing law enforcement officials necessary to carry out such programs. Limits grant awards to a three-year period. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) ensure that different approaches to monitoring are funded; and (2) report to Congress on program effectiveness.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2005
Preserving Patient Access to Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospitals Act of 2005 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services, during the period between July 1, 2005, and the date two years after the enactment of this Act, from: (1) requiring a compliance rate, pursuant to the criterion (commonly known as the "75 percent rule") used to determine whether a hospital or hospital unit is an inpatient rehabilitation facility, that is greater than the 50 percent compliance threshold that became effective on July 1, 2004; (2) changing the designation of any inpatient rehabilitation facility in compliance with the 50 percent threshold; or (3) conducting medical necessity review of inpatient rehabilitation facilities using any guidelines other than the national criteria established in the Medicare Benefits Policy Manual. Directs the Secretary to establish procedures for: (1) making any necessary retroactive adjustment to restore the status of a facility as an inpatient rehabilitation facility as a result of this Act; (2) making any necessary payments to inpatient rehabilitation facilities based on such adjustment for discharges occurring on or after July 1, 2005, and before enactment of this Act; and (3) developing and implementing an appeals process that provides for expedited review of any adjustment to the status of a facility as an inpatient rehabilitation facility made during such period Directs the Secretary to establish the National Advisory Council on Medical Rehabilitation to provide advice and recommendations to: (1) Congress and the Secretary concerning the coverage of rehabilitation services under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act; and (2) appropriate federal agencies on how best to utilize available research funds and authorities focused on medical rehabilitation research.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) over the past four decades Medicaid has been a core component of the American health system; (2) Medicaid has ensured that the vast majority of Medicaid beneficiaries did not join the ranks of the current 45 million Americans with no health insurance; and (3) Congress must continue and strengthen the state-federal partnership that provides this vital health insurance program.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2005
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) for the past 40 years, Medicare has made significant medical, social, and economic contributions to our Nation; (2) the access to care provided by Medicare has changed the course of health outcomes for the elderly and those with disabilities, preventing physical deterioration and preventing more individuals from slipping into poverty; (3) the program standards set under Medicare have brought social benefits such as quality certification and oversight of medical facilities to the benefit of all Americans; and (4) Congress must continue to support and strengthen this vital federal health insurance program that guarantees all Medicare beneficiaries affordable quality health care that meets their needs..
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2005
South Caucasus Integration and Open Railroads Act of 2005 - Prohibits U.S. assistance to develop or promote rail connections or railway-related connections that do not traverse or connect with Armenia, and do traverse or connect Baku, Azerbaijan; Tbilisi, Georgia; and Kars, Turkey.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2005
Attacking Viral Influenza Across Nations Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit to the Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) a proposal related to establishing a Pandemic Fund for countries affected by pandemic influenza. Establishes the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Policy Coordinating Committee to develop an Interagency Preparedness Plan. Requires the Secretary to strengthen, expand, and coordinate domestic pandemic influenza preparedness activities. Requires states to have an approved state preparedness plan as a condition of receiving funds related to bioterrorism from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC and the Administrator of HRSA, to integrate and coordinate public and private influenza surveillance activities. Directs the Secretary to: (1) procure doses of antivirals and developed vaccines needed during pandemic influenza for the Strategic National Stockpile; and (2) assist other counties in preparation for, and response to, pandemic influenza. Allows the Secretary to provide vaccines, antiviral medications, and supplies from the Stockpile to foreign countries. Requires the Secretary to develop and disseminate pandemic influenza training curricula for health professionals and non-medical volunteers. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Director of CDC to expand and intensify influenza research. Directs the Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine to study topics related to the pandemic influenza. Establishes the National Pandemic Influenza Economics Advisory Committee. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to expand and intensify efforts to prevent pandemic influenza.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2005
Teach for America Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to Teach For America, Inc. to implement and expand its program of recruiting, selecting, training, and supporting new teachers.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2005
Congratulates Ambassador Dan Gillerman, Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and the government and people of Israel on Israel's election as Vice-President of the 60th General Assembly of the United Nations. Supports continued expansion of Israel's U.N. role. Notes that Israel: (1) remains the object of vilification by many U.N. members; and (2) remains excluded from the U.N. Asian regional grouping. Calls upon U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to work to end Israel's vilification at the United Nations and to use his good offices to support Israel's bid to join the Asian regional grouping.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2005
Honor Our Commitment to Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to administer the health care enrollment system of the Department of Veterans Affairs so as to enroll any eligible veteran who applies. (This directive in effect terminates an administrative freeze on the enrollment of veterans in the lowest priority enrollment category.)
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2005
Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to to acquire necessary lands, waters, and other property interests to establish a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Pennsylvania to be known as the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that an appropriate day should be established for the commemoration of the women suffragists who worked for the right of women to vote in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2005
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3038 West Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the "Congressman James Grove Fulton Memorial Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2005 - Sets forth the sense of Congress with respect to the situation in Darfur, Sudan, including the sense of Congress that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur are genocide. Amends the Comprehensive Peace in Sudan Act of 2004 to direct the President, with waiver authority upon congressional notification, to block the assets and deny visas and entry to any individual (and family member) responsible for acts of genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity in Sudan. Authorizes the President to provide assistance to reinforce the deployment and operations of an expanded African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). Directs the President to instruct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to advocate NATO reinforcement of AMIS, upon request of the African Union. Amends the Sudan Peace Act to include entry denial at U.S. ports to certain cargo ships or oil tankers among the measures available to the President if the government of Sudan fails to take specified peace measures in Darfur. Prohibits, with waiver authority, U.S. assistance to a country in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1556 and 1591(embargo on military assistance to Sudan). Directs the President to instruct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations to urge the adoption of a Security Council resolution supporting AMIS' expansion.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Violence Against Women Act of 2005 - Amends the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994, VAWA of 2000 (VAWA-2000), the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (OCCSSA), the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), the Social Security Act (SSA), the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, the Safe Homes for Women Act of 1994, the United states Housing Act of 1937, the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, the Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 2000, and the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to reauthorize, revise, and establish various programs for prevention and treatment of violence against women, including domestic violence, child abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking (violence). Establishes VAWA grant programs: (1) by the Department of Justice (Justice) for assisting children and youth exposed to violence, and for engaging men, women, and youth in preventing violence; and (2) by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for services, education, protection, and justice for young victims of violence, and for research on effective interventions in the healthcare setting. Revises and reauthorizes: (1) grants under the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 to reduce violence against women on campus; (2) safe havens for children under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. Reauthorizes PHSA rape prevention and education programs, including the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Establishes related PHSA grants. Establishes VAWA grant programs to address the housing needs of victims of violence. Supporting Teens through Education and Protection Act of 2005 - STEP Act - Authorizes the Attorney General, through the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (Justice), to make grants to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in middle and high schools. Security and Financial Empowerment Act - Sets forth entitlement standards and implementation guidelines for employee use of emergency leave to address domestic or sexual violence. Authorizes state use of funds under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) to provide nonrecurrent short-term emergency benefits for emergency leave precipitated by domestic or sexual violence . Amends the Internal Revenue Code relating to approval of state unemployment compensation laws to prohibit denial of compensation where an individual is separated from employment due to circumstances resulting from the individual's experience of domestic or sexual violence. Victims' Employment Sustainability Act - Prohibits certain discriminatory employer practices relating to terms or conditions of employment in connection with victims of domestic or sexual violence. Victims of Abuse Insurance Protection Act - Prohibits denial or restriction of insurance coverage based on the status of the applicant or insured regarding abuse or abuse-related claims. Authorizes the Attorney General to provide a grant for a clearinghouse and resource center to provide information and assistance to employers, labor organizations, and advocates on behalf of victims of domestic or sexual violence. Immigrant Victims of Violence Protection Act of 2005 - Revises the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and the Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 2000 (under VAWA-2000) with respect to victims of violence, including victims of crimes of human trafficking, VAWA petitioners, and children. Prescribes requirements regarding the safety of Indian women. Best Help for Rape Victims Act - Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 to require the Attorney General to include within the national protocol on sexual assault forensic examinations a recommendation that a victim of sexual assault who is at risk of pregnancy from rape should be: (1) offered information about emergency contraception; and (2) provided with such contraception on site at the victim's request. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide various protections for victims of trafficking. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a special unit to investigate trafficking in persons.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Consumer Data Security and Notification Act of 2005 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to cover communication of personally identifiable information by certain unregulated information brokers who, for compensation, regularly assemble or evaluate personally identifiable information for the purpose of furnishing reports to third parties (thereby bringing them within the scope of FCRA coverage). Imposes an affirmative, continuing obligation upon each consumer reporting agency to respect the privacy of consumers and to protect the security and confidentiality of their nonpublic personal information. Instructs the Federal Trade Commission to promulgate safeguards for the protection of nonpublic consumer information. Amends the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act to direct federal oversight agencies to include certain data security notification requirements within the regulations governing financial institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Community Restoration and Revitalization Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow an increased rehabilitation tax credit for certain low-income buildings; (2) allow a basis reduction adjustment for property eligible for the credit; (3) increase the credit for certain smaller buildings; (4) allow property eligible for the credit to be used for lodging purposes; (5) modify placed-in-service rules for credit property; (6) modify qualification rules for credit property that is tax-exempt use property; (7) increase the credit for buildings in high cost areas; and (8) exempt certain condominium transactions from rehabilitation tax credit recapture requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2005
Commemorates the victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923. Calls upon: (1) the President to commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide; and (2) the government of the Republic of Turkey to acknowledge the culpability of its predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire, for the Armenian Genocide, and to promote rapprochement with the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people. Supports the Republic of Turkey's accession to the European Union (EU) if Turkey acknowledges culpability, pursues rapprochement, and meets other EU accession criteria, and calls upon the EU to look with favor upon such actions by the government of the Republic of Turkey. Calls upon the President, the Secretary of State, the EU, and others to assist the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people in this process.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2005
Mortgage Insurance Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax deduction for mortgage insurance premiums. Reduces the amount of such deduction for taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes exeeding $100,000. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to require informational returns from any individual who receives payment of more than $600 in mortgage insurance premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2005
Money Follows the Person Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to states for demonstration projects (MFP demonstration projects) designed to: (1) increase the use of home and community-based, rather than institutional, long-term care services (rebalancing) under state Medicaid programs; (2) eliminate barriers or mechanisms that prevent or restrict the flexible use of Medicaid funds to enable Medicaid-eligible individuals to receive support for appropriate and necessary long-term care services in the settings of their choice; (3) increase the ability of state Medicaid programs to assure continued provision of home and community-based long term care services to eligible individuals who choose to transition from an institutional to a community setting; and (4) ensure that procedures are in place to provide quality assurance for eligible individuals receiving Medicaid home and community-based long-term care services and to provide for continuous quality improvement in such services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2005
Expresses the the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should accelerate Iraqi security force training, and urge the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and other international organizations to take a more prominent training role; (2) the President and the Secretary of Defense should develop a comprehensive plan to deal with the problems that the U.S. military is experiencing because of high operational tempo in Iraq; and (3) the President should develop and explain to the people of the United States a strategy for success in Iraq which includes plans for quicker and more effective training of Iraqi army and police forces, and U.S. military withdrawal once Iraqi security forces are able to provide security on a self-sustaining basis.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2005
True Reinvestment for Amtrak Infrastructure in the 21st Century Act - Amends federal transportation law to authorize appropriations for Amtrak for FY2006-2011 for: (1) capital expenditures and operating expenses; (2) certain mandatory payments; and (3) Amtrak's contractual obligations for commuter and state-supported passenger rail service. Requires Amtrak to transmit annually to the Secretary of Transportation and Congress a comprehensive business plan, including targets for ridership and for each intercity train route (including Autotrain), revenues, and capital and operating expenses. Prohibits the use of amounts appropriated under this Act to subsidize operating losses of commuter rail passenger or rail freight transportation. Requires rail infrastructure improvement projects financed by this Act to comply with specified employee labor standards, including the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act. Amends the Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997 to repeal establishment of the Amtrak Reform Council. Establishes an Enhanced Rail Service Corridor Pilot Program to support certain corridor rail infrastructure projects undertaken by states or multi-state compacts, using funding provided through the Rail Infrastructure Finance Corporation (established by this Act). Amends federal transportation law to authorize states to prepare and maintain a state rail plan that sets forth state policy involving freight and passenger rail transportation, including commuter rail operations. Amends federal highway law to designate additional high-speed rail corridors as eligible for surface transportation funds for the elimination of hazards of railway-highway crossings. Establishes a nonprofit and nonpolitical Rail Infrastructure Finance Corporation to provide financial support for certain rail infrastructure improvement projects through issuance of qualified rail infrastructure bonds. Establishes a Rail Infrastructure Finance Trust. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit to a holder of a qualified rail infrastructure bond.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2005
Directs the Secretary of Veterans to designate, establish, and operate at selected Department of Veterans Affairs health-care facilities six centers for Parkinson's disease research, education, and clinical activities. Requires the Under Secretary for Health to establish a panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of proposals submitted by a facility for the operation of such a center.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2005
Save Biotechnology Innovative Research Act of 2005 or SABIR Act - Amends provisions of the Small Business Act relating to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (a program under which a portion of a Federal agency's research or research and development funds are reserved for award to small businesses) to require a small business, in order to be SBIR-eligible, to have no more than 500 employees and be one of the following; (1) at least 51 percent owned and controlled by individuals or eligible venture capital companies who are U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens; (2) not more than 49 percent owned and controlled by a single eligible venture capital company; (3) at least 51 percent owned and controlled by another business that is itself at least 51 percent owned and controlled by U.S. Citizens or permanent resident aliens; or (4) a joint venture in which each entity meets one of these ownership requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) individuals diagnosed with bone marrow failure diseases and their families should have access to a variety of treatment and counseling options; and (2) such families should be linked to support networks and counseling information serviced provided by nonprofit organizations like the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation. Calls for the federal government to: (1) raise awareness about the importance of early detection of and proper treatment for such diseases; (2) provide adequate funding for research on such diseases; (3) engage in such public health initiatives as surveillance, education, and awareness of such diseases; and (4) continue to consider ways to improve health care services for such diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2005
Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act - Prohibits any federal funds from being provided to a hospital unless the hospital meets certain conditions related to a woman who is a victim of sexual assault, including that the hospital: (1) provides the woman with accurate and unbiased information about emergency contraception; (2) offers emergency contraception to the woman; (3) provides the woman such contraception at the hospital on her request; and (4) does not deny any such services because of the inability of the woman or her family to pay.
![Official portrait of Rep. Schwartz, Allyson Y. [D-PA-13]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001162_200.jpg)