United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2005
Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act - Rewrites federal criminal code provisions regarding animal enterprise terrorism to prohibit anyone from traveling in, or using the mail or any facility of, interstate or foreign commerce for the purpose of damaging or disrupting an animal enterprise and, in connection with such purpose: (1) intentionally damaging, disrupting, or causing the loss of property used by or owned in connection with such enterprise; (2) intentionally placing a person in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury to that person or a family member through threats, vandalism, property damage, trespass, harassment, or intimidation; or (3) conspiring or attempting to do so. Prescribes escalating penalties. Authorizes restitution for: (1) the reasonable cost of repeating any experimentation that was interrupted or invalidated as a result of such offense; (2) the loss of food production or farm income reasonably attributable to such offense; and (3) any other economic damage, including any losses or costs caused by economic disruption, resulting from such offense.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2005
Child Support Enforcement Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a custodial parent (a parent entitled to receive child support) a refundable tax credit for unpaid child support; and (2) include in the gross income of any taxpayer who is delinquent in the payment of child support the amount of such unpaid child support. Prohibits the Internal Revenue Service from selecting a tax return for audit based upon any discrepancy between the tax returns of a custodial parent and a taxpayer delinquent in the payment of child support.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2005
Constitutional Amendment - Authorizes the President to reduce or disapprove appropriations in any bill, order, resolution, or vote, which is presented to him or her. Declares that any legislation that the President approves and signs after such amendment shall become law as so modified. Requires the President to return those portions of the legislation that contain reduced or disapproved appropriations with objections to the chamber where such legislation originated. Allows Congress to consider separately any reduced or disapproved appropriations in the manner prescribed under the U.S. Constitution for bills disapproved by the President.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2005
American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to allow U.S. manufacturers that use products subject to countervailing or antidumping duty proceedings or use domestic like products (industrial users) to participate in such proceedings. Requires the U.S. International Trade Commission, when deciding whether an antidumping or countervailing duty should be imposed or continued, to weigh harm to industrial users from such imposition or continuation, as well as (under current law) the potential benefits to the industry in the United States materially injured or threatened with material injury by a foreign countervailing subsidy.
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 · 20 October 2005
Federal Judgeship and Administrative Efficiency Act of 2005 - Federal Judgeship Act of 2005 - Directs the President to: (1) appoint additional circuit judges for the first, second, and sixth circuit courts of appeals and a temporary judge for the eighth circuit court of appeals; and (2) appoint additional permanent and temporary district judges for districts in specified states. Establishes a federal judicial district in the Virgin Islands. Revises provisions relating to the jurisdiction of courts of the Virgin Islands. Enhanced Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 2005 - Provides for additional permanent and temporary bankruptcy judgeships in specified states. Circuit Court of Appeals Restructuring and Modernization Act of 2005 - Amends the federal judicial code to divide the Ninth Judicial Circuit into the Ninth Circuit (to be composed of California, Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands) and the Twelfth Circuit (to be composed of Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Directs the President to appoint five additional circuit judges for the new Ninth Circuit and two temporary judges for the former Ninth Circuit. Specifies the locations where the new circuits are to hold regular sessions. Sets forth provisions governing the disposition of cases pending in the former Ninth Circuit prior to the effective date of this Act. Authorizes the temporary assignment of circuit and district court judges of the former Ninth Circuit among the new circuits. Directs that the former Ninth Circuit shall cease to exist for administrative purposes two years after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2005
Hurricane Assistance Accountability Commission Act - Establishes the Hurricane Oversight Board to oversee expenditures of emergency appropriation funds for hurricane assistance relief to ensure that funds are used to assist only individuals in affected areas. Allows a member of the Board to review a project and any proposed or existing expenditure of appropriation funds for hurricane assistance relief under the member’s area of expertise and, with the agreement of a majority of Board members, disallow a project or expenditure considered ineffective or not cost effective.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2005
Government Credit Card Sunshine Act - Requires specified information regarding the use of all federal credit cards to be made publicly available within 15 days after receipt (by the government or the federal employee, as the case may be) of any bill for purchases made with the card. Requires the information to be posted on the official website of the Inspector General of the federal department or agency concerned. Allows the Secretary of a department or agency to omit from the website otherwise required information in the interest of national security. Subjects a federal employee to disciplinary action for fraudulent use of a government credit card that involves a purchase in an amount greater than $500.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2005
Professional Sports Responsibility Act of 2005 - Requires the Attorney General to issue rules requiring major professional leagues (i.e., Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, and the National Hockey League) to test athletes for the illegal use of steroids and other performance-enhancing substances and Schedule I substances. Requires such regulations to establish: (1) the number of times each athlete should be tested and the prohibited substances; (2) a means for exempting substances used for a documented medical condition; (3) sufficient penalties for any athlete who tests positive and procedures for publicly disclosing such athlete's identity; and (4) an appeals process. Requires the Attorney General to authorize a private nonprofit organization to be an accreditation body to annually certify that each league's testing meets established standards. Allows the Attorney General to assess fines for failure to adopt or enforce the required testing policies. Requires the Attorney General to report to Congress regarding any league that fails to comply with such policies and the effectiveness of the regulations under this Act. Amends the Controlled Substances Act to double the maximum penalties for violations regarding anabolic steroids that occur near or at a sports facility or that involve an athlete. Directs the Comptroller General to study the illegal use of performance-enhancing substances and other controlled substances by college athletes. Allows the Attorney General to include as a major professional league any additional professional sports league or National Collegiate Athletic Association entities if such additions would prevent the illegal use of performance-enhancing substances and other controlled substances by athletes.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2005
Declares that new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) hours of service regulations with respect to property-carrying commercial motor vehicles equipped with sleeper berths shall become enforceable on January 1, 2006. Continues the effectiveness and enforceability until such date of the hours of service regulations in effect as of January 4, 2004, and any compatible state law.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2005
Refinery Expansion Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) revise the tax deduction for certain liquid fuels refinery property to allow expensing of the entire cost of such property if the property allows for a production capacity increase of five percent or more on an average daily basis; (2) allow, in lieu of such expensing deduction, a five-year recovery period for the depreciation of such refinery property; (3) allow a seven-year recovery period for the depreciation of certain oil and gas distribution lines; and (4) allow a five-year recovery period for the depreciation of certain petroleum storage facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2005
Refinery Streamlined Permitting Act of 2005 - Instructs the Secretary of Energy to offer assistance to enable states to assign responsibilities delegated to them regarding construction or expansion of a petroleum refining facility in a coordinated and expeditious manner. Requires all federal and state agencies, to which permitting responsibilities for petroleum refining facilities have been delegated, to enter into a memorandum of understanding about facility construction or expansion. Requires an agency to: (1) prepare and submit a Statement of Energy Effects to the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, for each proposed significant energy action; and (2) publish such Statement, or a summary of it, in each related Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and in any resulting Final Rule.
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
Access to Emergency Medical Services Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to deem hospitals, emergency rooms, physicians, and physicians groups that provide emergency care to uninsured individuals to be employees of the Public Health Service for purposes of any civil action that may arise due to items and services furnished. Requires the Attorney General to make separate estimates as to the cost of claims expected to arise under this Act and to establish separate funds for such claims. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to limit the total amount of payments under this Act to the amounts appropriated in advance for such purposes. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide additional payments from the Federal Supplementary Insurance Trust Fund for physicians' services in the emergency department of a hospital or critical access hospital to a Medicare recipient. Provides for incentive payments to hospitals that certify to the Secretary that they meet established standards for prompt admission by a hospital of individuals presenting to the emergency department that need inpatient hospital services. Requires the Comptroller General to submit to the relevant congressional committees a report that evaluates whether such standards will achieve the stated objectives and recommends any changes. Sets forth civil monetary penalties for filing a false certification and engaging in a pattern or practice of failing to meet established standards.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2005
Timber Tax Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax deduction (available to taxpayers whether or not they itemize deductions) for up to 60% of gains from certain sales or exchanges of timber.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2005
Immigration Relief for Hurricane Katrina Victims Act of 2005 - Provides special immigration status to: (1) an alien beneficiary of an immigration petition, nonimmigrant fiance or fiancee K-visa, or labor certification application filed on or before August 29, 2005 (Hurricane Katrina) if the petitioner or applicant died, was disabled, or lost employment due to the damage or destruction of his or her workplace; and (2) an alien who is the grandparent of a child whose parents died as a consequence of Hurricane Katrina, if at least one of the parents was a U.S. citizen, national, or legal permanent resident. Extends for qualifying aliens who, as a result of Hurricane Katrina-related conditions, including death, injury, or inability to either file papers or travel, were unable to meet requirements respecting: (1) nonimmigrant status; (2) filing deadlines for extension or change of nonimmigrant status; (3) lawful U.S. presence; (4) diversity visa immigrant status, including derivative status for the spouse and children of a diversity immigrant who died as a consequence of Hurricane Katrina; (5) immigrant visa validity; (6) voluntary departure; (7) parole; and (8) notice of address change. Considers the alien spouse and child of a U.S. citizen who died as a consequence of Hurricane Katrina as an immediate relative. Provides that the spouse or child of a refugee, asylee, or employment-based immigrant who died as a consequence of Hurricane Katrina shall have his or her respective refugee, asylee, or status adjustment claim determined as if the death had not occurred. Provides that the spouse, child, or unmarried son or daughter of a permanent resident alien who died as a consequence of Hurricane Katrina shall have the family-sponsored immigrant petition date as originally filed by the deceased. Maintains foreign student and exchange program status for an alien who was lawfully in such status on August 29, 2005, but failed to meet a condition of such status as a result of Hurricane Katrina, if the person is reenrolled in a qualifying program by February 1, 2006. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide temporary administrative relief to an alien who was lawfully present in the United States on August 29, 2005, and was the spouse, parent, or child of an individual who died or was disabled as a consequence of Hurricane Katrina; (2) replace identity and employment authorization documents lost, stolen, or destroyed as a consequence of Hurricane Katrina; (3) grant an age-dependent immigration benefit if the failure to meet such age requirement was caused by Hurricane Katrina; and (4) administer the oath of naturalization in any federal court without regard to residence requirements for an alien who resided in a Hurricane Katrina-affected region. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Secretary during a major disaster-declaration period to temporarily waive employer attestation or verification requirements due to disaster-caused document loss.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2005
Fuel Supply Improvement Act of 2005 - Prescribes guidelines to expedite federal permitting procedures for construction or expansion of a domestic petroleum refining facility. Applies such expedited permit procedures exclusively to permits under specified environmental protection statutes. Directs the Secretary of Energy, upon applicant request, to provide direct legal representation to a refining facility applicant to defend against a lawsuit regarding the permit approval procedure, or facility construction or expansion, if the Secretary believes the lawsuit is without merit, is brought solely to delay facility completion, or will have the effect of delaying facility completion in a period when U.S. domestic refining capability is insufficient. Instructs the Secretary to establish an office of regulatory assistance whose sole purpose is to assist applicants with permit applications, planning, and otherwise pursuing the construction or expansion of a domestic petroleum refining facility. Grants the Secretary contracting authority with sponsors of new large-sized petroleum refining facilities. Establishes in the Department of Energy the Refinery Standby Support Program Account and the Refinery Standby Support Grant Account to cover loan costs and costs resulting from certain construction delays. Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide within new source review regulations that equipment replacement shall be considered routine maintenance and repair if it: (1) does not increase actual emissions of any air pollutant by more than 5%; and (2) does not increase actual emissions of any air pollutant by more than 40 tons per year. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to charge a discounted price in any sale to a qualified small refinery of crude oil obtained by the United States as royalty-in-kind.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2005
Emergency Relief Personnel Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit, during a presidentially-declared major disaster or emergency, forcibly assaulting, resisting, or interfering with: (1) any U.S. officer or employee performing official duties relating to the emergency or any person assisting such officer; and (2) any person providing services in support of disaster relief efforts in coordination with a federal coordinating officer. Provides for enhanced penalties for using or possessing a deadly or dangerous weapon or inflicting bodily injury in the commission of such a violation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2005
Authorizes the chief judge of a federal judicial district or circuit to delay, toll, or otherwise grant relief from time deadlines (including the time for filing or perfecting an appeal) applicable to pending civil and criminal cases in the event of a natural disaster, civil disobedience, or other emergency situation requiring the closure of courts.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2005
Amends the federal criminal code to require the tolling of any statutory limitation period for the prosecution, trial, or punishment of an offense in any district in which presidentially-declared major disaster or emergency authority is invoked: (1) during the period courts are closed pursuant to the emergency; and (2) for one year after court operations resume.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2005
Katrina Volunteer Protection Act of 2005 - Grants volunteers who provide assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina immunity from liability for injuries resulting from aid provided to such victims, except for injuries caused by willful, wanton, reckless or criminal conduct or conduct that constitutes a violation of a federal or state civil rights law.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2005
Gas Tax Relief Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to suspend the excise tax on highway motor fuels, other than aviation fuels, for a period of 30 days after the enactment of this Act. Provides for adjustments to such excise tax for floor stocks of highway motor fuels held by dealers prior to, or after, the suspension period provided by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2005
Makes Danish nationals eligible to enter the United States as nonimmigrant traders and investors (E-visa) if Denmark extends reciprocal nonimmigrant treatment to U.S. nationals.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2005
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to an employer of L-visa (intracompany transfer) nonimmigrant aliens to direct: (1) the Secretary of State to impose a $1,500 fee on an employer when an alien files a visa application abroad authorizing initial U.S. admission under a blanket petition; and (2) the Secretary of Homeland Security to impose a $1,500 fee on an employer filing a petition initially to grant an alien L-visa status or to extend for the first time the stay of an L-visa alien. States that: (1) such fee shall apply to the principal alien and not to an accompanying spouse or child; and (2) an employer may not require fee reimbursement from an L-visa alien.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2005
Federal Judiciary Emergency Special Sessions Act of 2005 - Allows federal circuit courts of appeals, district courts, bankruptcy courts, and magistrate judges to hold special sessions outside their circuits or districts upon a finding that, because of emergency conditions, no location within the courts' regular circuits or districts is reasonably available. Authorizes such courts to transact any business, except certain criminal proceedings, at a special session outside their circuits or districts which they might transact at a regular session.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2005
Honors, recognizes, and expresses gratitude for the distinguished service, career, and achievements of the late William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States.
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 · 25 July 2005
Recognizes the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the work of the individuals and organizations who fought to advance the cause of people with disabilities. Declares that the House of Representatives reaffirms its commitment to promoting the rights of Americans with disabilities, recognizes the important role of the federal courts in securing those rights, and strongly supports the purposes and goals of such Act. .
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2005
Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2006 through 2009 - Authorizes appropriations for FY2006-FY2009 to carry out the activities of the Department of Justice. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to merge the Byrne grant program and the local law enforcement block grant program into an Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. Amends the USA PATRIOT Act to provide for the establishment of a secure telecommunications system for regional information sharing between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Establishes within the Office of Justice Programs: (1) an Office of Weed and Seed Strategies; (2) an Office of Audit, Assessment, and Management; (3) a Community Capacity Development Office; and (4) an Office of Applied Law Enforcement Technology. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) designate a senior Department official to assume primary responsibility for privacy policy; and (2) report annually to Congress on the status of U.S. persons or residents detained on suspicion of terrorism. Increases penalties for sexual abuse of a ward and abusive sexual contact in correctional facilities. Extends for one year a prison rape commission. Authorizes the Attorney General to use the services of the nonprofit Center for Criminal Justice Technology. Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Reauthorizes and expands the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. Sets forth provisions: (1) authorizing grants to improve court responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; (2) directing the Attorney General to establish a task force to review privacy and confidentiality issues, including developing a best practices model to prevent the release of personally identifying victim information; (3) authorizing grants for services and training to enhance community response where there is both child maltreatment and domestic violence, for programs to serve teenage youth, and to combat violent crime on college campuses; (4) authorizing grants to mitigate the effects of domestic violence on children and to reduce future victimization; and (5) authorizing grants to middle schools and high schools to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and their impact on students. Directs the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Secretary of State to promulgate regulations to implement the Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 2000. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act regarding the treatment of the spouse and children of victims of trafficking. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) conduct a national study to examine violence against Indian women; and (2) establish the Safety for Indian Women Formula Grants program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2005
States that Congress: (1) observes and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965; (2) pledges to advance the legacy of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to ensure its continued effectiveness in protecting the voting rights of all Americans; and (3) encourages all Americans to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2005
Abolishment of Obsolete Agencies and Federal Sunset Act of 2005 - Establishes the Federal Agency Sunset Commission to: (1) submit to Congress a schedule for review by the Commission, at least once every 12 years, of the abolishment or reorganization of each agency; (2) review and evaluate the efficiency and public need for each agency using specified criteria; (3) recommend whether each agency should be abolished or reorganized; and (4) report to Congress on all legislation introduced that would establish a new agency or a new program to be carried out by an existing agency. Requires the abolishment of any agency within one year of the Commission's review, unless the agency is reauthorized by Congress. Authorizes the deadline for abolishing an agency to be extended for an additional two years by legislation enacted by a super majority of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Directs the Comptroller General and the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, in cooperation with the Director of the Congressional Research Service, to prepare an inventory of Federal programs within each agency for the purpose of advising and assisting Congress and the Commission in carrying out the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2005
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits outlays for a fiscal year (except those for repayment of debt principal) from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year (except those derived from borrowing) unless Congress, by a three-fifths rollcall vote of each House, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires a three-fifths rollcall vote of each House to increase the public debt limit. Directs the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress annually. Prohibits any bill to increase revenue from becoming law unless approved by a majority of each House by rollcall vote. Authorizes waivers of these provisions when a declaration of war is in effect or under other specified circumstances involving military conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2005
USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Repeals sunset dates of December 31, 2005 and 2006, for (and thus makes permanent) specified provisions of: (1) the USA PATRIOT Act (including provisions governing information sharing and the use of wiretaps, search warrants, and electronic surveillance, including under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act [FISA]); and (2) the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (including provisions redefining an "agent of a foreign power" to include persons who engage in international terrorism, and provisions modifying the prohibition against providing material support to terrorists). Requires a government attorney, within a reasonable time after disclosure of the contents of an intercepted communication, to file notice with a judge who authorized the interception identifying the entities to which the contents were disclosed. Makes FISA provisions regulating the duration of an order for electronic surveillance or a physical search applicable to surveillance targeted against an agent of a foreign power who is not a U.S. person. Limits to one year an order (or extension) for the use of pen registers and trap and trace devices where the applicant has certified that the information likely to be obtained is foreign intelligence information not concerning a U.S. person. Revises FISA provisions authorizing orders for for access to certain business records to: (1) require that the information likely to be obtained from tangible things is reasonably expected to be foreign intelligence information not concerning a U.S. person or relevant to an ongoing investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities; and (2) set forth procedures for challenging the legality of such an order by filing a petition. Provides for a three judge panel to review such petitions.
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
Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2005 - Prohibits a state or political subdivision from using economic development as a reason for exercising its power of eminent domain if federal funds would contribute in any way to: (1) the project for which eminent domain is exercised; or (2) the exercise and enforcement of eminent domain over the project. Renders a state or political subdivision that violations this prohibition ineligible for any such federal funds and directs the federal agency involved to withhold those funds. Prohibits the federal government from using economic development as a reason for exercising eminent domain. Defines "economic development" to mean any activity other than making private property available in substantial part for use by the general public or by an entity that makes the property available for use by the general public, or as a public facility, or to remove harmful effects.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Children's Safety Act of 2005 - Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act - Requires: (1) each state, territory, and federally recognized Indian tribe to maintain a sex offender registry; and (2) each sex offender to register in the jurisdictions where the offender resides, is an employee, and is a student. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) maintain a National Sex Offender Registry at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); (2) establish a Sex Offender Management Assistance program; and (3) authorize sex offender apprehension grants. DNA Fingerprinting Act of 2005 - Amends: (1) the DNA Identification Act of 1994 to expand the scope of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) samples to be included in the Combined DNA Index System; and (2) the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to authorize the Attorney General to collect DNA samples from individuals who are arrested or detained under U.S. authority. Prevention and Deterrence of Crimes Against Children Act of 2005 - Increases penalties for violent crimes against persons under age 18, including death or life imprisonment if the crime results in the death of a person under that age. Protection Against Sexual Exploitation of Children Act of 2005 - Increases penalties for sexual offenses against children. Foster Child Protection and Child Sexual Predator Sentencing Act of 2005 - Requires background checks and checks of national crime information databases and state child abuse registries before approval of foster or adoptive placements. Establishes: (1) procedures for the civil commitment of sexually dangerous persons; and (2) mandatory minimum penalties for child sex trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Right-To-Know National Payroll Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require that each employer of more than 100 employees show on the W-2 form of each employee the employer's share of taxes for old-age, survivors, and disability insurance (OASDI) and for hospital insurance (Medicare) for the employee, as well as the total amount of such taxes for such employee. Requires a W-2 also to show any tier 1 railroad retirement tax with respect to OASDI and Medicare the employer has paid.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2005
New IDEA (Illegal Deduction Elimination Act) - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow a tax deduction for wages paid to or on behalf of an unauthorized alien.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2005
United States Parole Commission Extension and Sentencing Commission Authority Act of 2005 - Extends the U.S. Parole Commission for three years. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to amend the federal sentencing guidelines, commentary, and policy statements to implement provisions of: (1) the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requiring increases in statutory penalties and the offense level for making false statements to federal authorities and for obstructing administrative or congressional proceedings if the matter relates to international or domestic terrorism; and (2) the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004 providing for increased penalties with respect to offenses involving anabolic steroids in a manner that reflects the seriousness of such offenses and the need to deter anabolic steroid trafficking and use.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2005
Enacts title 51 of the United States Code into positive law to be entitled "National and Commercial Space Programs." Makes conforming changes to existing law and repeals specified provisions of specified laws.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2005
Teacher Tax Relief Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the allowable tax deduction for the expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers to $400; (2) allow the deduction of professional development expenses; and (3) make such deduction permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2005
Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act of 2005 - Amends the federal criminal code to replace provisions regarding the purchase of prison-made products by federal departments with provisions establishing a government-wide procurement policy relating to purchases from Federal Prison Industries (FPI), which shall generally require the use of competitive procedures. Authorizes a contract award to be made to FPI using other than competitive procedures: (1) if a product or service is only available from FPI; and (2) by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (the Bureau). Requires that an analysis of the probable impact of a proposed expansion of sales within the federal market by FPI on private sector firms and their non-inmate workers be made whenever FPI proposes to authorize the sale of a new specific product or service or to expand production of a current product or service. Prohibits the total dollar value of FPI sales to the government in FY 2007 through 2011 from exceeding specified percentages of FPI sales for the base period. Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to require an executive agency: (1) before purchasing a product listed in the latest edition of the FPI catalog, to determine whether the FPI product is comparable to products available from the private sector; and (2) if such product is not comparable, to use competitive procedures or make an individual purchase under a multiple award. Authorizes FPI to enter into a contract with a federal contractor to produce products as a subcontractor or supplier in the performance of a federal procurement contract. Includes services within the scope of a prohibition against transporting (in interstate commerce or from a foreign country) goods produced by prisoners. Establishes within the Bureau of Prisons: (1) the Enhanced In-Prison Educational and Vocational Assessment and Training Program; and (2) the Cognitive Abilities Assessment Demonstration Program. Directs: (1) the Chief Operating Officer of FPI to develop proposals to have FPI donate products and services to eligible entities that provide goods or services to low-income individuals who would likely otherwise have difficulty purchasing such products or services; (2) the Director of the Bureau to afford to inmates opportunities to participate in programs and activities designed to help prepare such inmates to obtain employment upon release; and (3) the Comptroller General to undertake to have an independent study conducted on the effects of eliminating FPI's mandatory source authority.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2005
American Veterans Homeownership Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) revise the definition of qualified veteran for purposes of the veterans' mortgage bond program to include all veterans who served on active duty regardless of date of service; (2) allow veterans to apply for financing under such bond program up to 25 years after the end of their active duty; and (3) revise volume limitations applicable to the issuance of such bonds in certain states.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2005
Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution - Calls upon the President: (1) to ensure that U.S. foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the U.S. record relating to the Armenian Genocide and the consequences of the failure to realize a just resolution; and (2) in the President's annual message commemorating the Armenian Genocide to characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide, and to recall the proud history of U.S. intervention in opposition to the Armenian Genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2005
Louis Braille Bicentennial--Braille Literacy Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Louis Braille, whose design: (1) on the obverse shall bear a representation of the image of Louis Braille; and (2) on the reverse shall emphasize Braille literacy and include the word for Braille in Braille code. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such coins only during 2009. Subjects all coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin. Requires all surcharges to be promptly paid by the Secretary to the the National Federation of the Blind to further its programs to promote Braille literacy.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that it is necessary to ensure that Congress is presented with reliable information from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation as to the dynamic macroeconomic feedback effects to changes in federal law and the probable behavioral responses of taxpayers, businesses, and other parties to such changes. Requires the Joint Committee and CBO to prepare fiscal estimates of each proposed change in federal revenue law on the basis of assumptions that estimate the probable behavioral responses of personal and business taxpayers and other relevant entities to such change and its dynamic macroeconomic feedback effects. Applies such requirement only to proposed changes that, pursuant to static fiscal estimates, have a fiscal impact exceeding $250 million in any fiscal year.
![Official portrait of Rep. Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [R-WI-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000244_200.jpg)