United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2006
Condemns the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Danny Faulkner. Urges the municipal government of St. Denis, France, to change the name of Rue Mumia Abu-Jamal and, if such action is not taken by the municipal government of St. Denis, urges the government of France to take appropriate action against St. Denis to change the name of Rue Mumia Abu-Jamal. Commends all police officers in the United States and throughout the world for their commitment to public service and public safety.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2006
Amends the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Act of 1988 to revise the appropriate steps the Delaware and Lehigh Navigation Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission is required to take in implementing its Cultural Heritage and Corridor Management Plan for the Delaware and Lehigh Navigation Canal National Heritage Corridor. Requires the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Incorporated to develop a Strategic Plan for the Corridor that takes into account the findings and recommendations of a specified study conducted by the National Park Service Conservation Study Institute. Requires the plan to compliment the Corridor's management plan. Makes the Corporation the management entity for the Corridor, assuming the Commission's duties in implementing the management action plan. Authorizes the Corporation to use federal funds to make grants to and enter into cooperative agreements with Pennsylvania, local governments, nonprofit corporations, and individuals. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of sites and associated landscape features within the Corridor, including resources of the greater anthracite region of Pennsylvania covered by other designated national heritage areas, that contribute to the understanding of the Corridor's national siginificance. Requires the Secretary, in coordination with the Corporation, to evaluate and report to specified congressional committees on the possibility of: (1) designating one or more sites or landscape features as a unit of the National Park System; and (2) coordinating and complementing actions by the Corporation, Pennsylvania, local governments, and nonprofit agencies in the preservation and interpretation of significant resources within the Corridor and greater anthracite region. Extends the Corporation, in place of the Commission, through November 18, 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2006
Margaret Thatcher Congressional Gold Medal Act - Provides for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Margaret Thatcher in recognition of her dedication to the values of free markets and free minds.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2006
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 101 East Gay Street in West Chester, Pennsylvania, as the "Robert J. Thompson Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2006
Resources Origin and Commodity Knowledge Act - Establishes the Mineral Commodity Information Administration under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior. Vests management of the Administration in an Administrator and Assistant Administrators whose functions include: (1) commodity information development and analysis; (2) mineral industry analysis; and (3) data acquisition and analysis. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer to the Administrator: (1) at least 200 full-time equivalent positions from the U.S. Geological Survey; and (2) at least 100 full time equivalent positions of an administrative nature from the Department of the Interior. Sets forth the duties of the Administrator, including: (1) implementation of a Mineral Commodity Data and Information Program; (2) continuance of the Mineral Commodity Data Time Series; (3) projections of usage patterns; (4) publication of mineral commodity reports; and (5) analyses of the foreign and domestic mineral commodities that will be required by the United States to sustain the energy supply, demand, and prices projected by the Annual Energy Outlook analysis. Directs the Administrator to establish the Mineral Commodity Advisory Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2006
Health Care Access and Rural Equity (H-CARE) Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: (1) the Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment for rural hospitals; (2); payment for clinical laboratory tests furnished by critical access hospitals; (3) rebasing for sole community hospitals; (4) establishment of a rural community hospital program; (5) extension of the Medicare rural hospital hold harmless provision under the prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department services; (6) coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); (7) permanent treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare; (8) extension of the Medicare incentive payment program for a physician scarcity area; (9) proportional representation of interests of rural areas on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission; and (10) additional payments for providers furnishing ambulance services in rural areas and prompt payment of clean claims by Medicare prescription drug plans and MedicareAdvantage-Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans under the Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program). Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to extend: (1) certain Medicare hospital wage index reclassifications and disregarding hospital reclassifications for purposes of group reclassifications; (2) Medicare reasonable costs payments for certain clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished to hospital patients in certain rural areas; and (3) the temporary Medicare payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area. Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award competitive grants to eligible entities in rural areas for purchase and enhanced utilization of qualified health information technology systems; (2) establish a capital infrastructure revolving loan program and a Rural Health Quality Advisory Commission; and (3) provide for delta rural disparities and health systems development.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2006
Declares that the House of Representatives has learned with profound sorrow of the death of Bob O'Connor. Recognizes Bob O'Connor as a role model of entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and public service in southwestern Pennsylvania and throughout the entire Nation. Expresses its deep gratitude to Bob O'Connor for working tirelessly on behalf of the citizens of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Extends condolences to his wife, Judy, his children, Heidy, Terrence, and Corey, his extended family, his many friends, and to the residents of Pittsburgh.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Director of the National Institutes of Health should: (1) be commended for working with leading scientists and researchers to organize the first National Institutes of Health conference on hydrocephalus; and (2) continue the current collaboration among specified entities with respect to such condition. Calls for increased: (1) funding for hydrocephalus research; and (2) public awareness and professional education regarding hydrocephalus through federal government and patient advocacy organization partnerships.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2006
Drake Well Sesquicentennial Commemoration Act - Establishes the Drake Well Sesquicentennial Commission to: (1) represent the United States and take a leadership role with other nations in recognizing the importance of petroleum industry history and the Drake Well discovery; and (2) perform specified related activities. Establishes a Drake Well Sesquicentennial Federal Advisory Board.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2006
Military Fallen Heroes Protection Act of 2006 - Prohibits any person, except with permission, from using the name, image, or likeness of a protected individual in connection with any merchandise, retail product, impersonation, solicitation, commercial, or political activity in a manner calculated to: (1) connect the protected individual with that individual's service in the Armed Forces; and (2) convey the impression that such use is approved, endorsed, or authorized by the protected individual. Defines as a "protected individual" any person who: (1) is a member of the Armed Forces; or (2) was a member at any time after April 5, 1917, and, if not living, has a surviving spouse, child, parent, grandparent, or sibling. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring actions to enjoin violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2006
Permanent Estate Tax Relief Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the estate and gift tax exclusion amount to $5 million beginning in 2010; (2) lower to 15% the estate tax rate for estates up to $25 million and 30% for estates of $25 million or more; (3) repeal after 2009 the estate tax deduction for estate, inheritance, legacy, or succession taxes paid to states; (4) allow a surviving spouse to claim any unused portion of a deceased spouse's estate or gift tax exclusion amount; and (5) allow a taxpayer election to deduct from gross income the lesser of 60% of qualified timber gain or net capital gain. Provides that the general termination date of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001(EGTRRA) (i.e., December 31, 2010) shall not apply to the estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax provisions of EGTRRA not amended by this Act. Repeals provisions of EGTRRA relating to carryover basis of estate property to allow heirs of such property after 2009 to use date-of-death fair market values.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Veterans Identity Protection Act or VIP Act - Establishes as an independent office in the executive branch the Office of Veterans Identity Protection Claims, headed by a Director, to receive, process, and pay claims for injuries suffered as a result of the unauthorized use, disclosure, or dissemination of identifying information stolen from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Authorizes judicial review of claim determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2006
Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Designation Act - Amends the National Trails System Act to designate the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail (a series of water routes extending approximately 3,000 miles along the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and in the District of Columbia that traces the 1607 and 1608 voyages of Captain John Smith to chart the land and waterways of the Chesapeake Bay).
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2006
Condemns the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Danny Faulkner. Urges the municipal government of St. Denis, France, to change the name of Rue Mumia Abu-Jamal and, if such action is not taken by the municipal government of St. Denis, urges the government of France to take appropriate action against St. Denis to change the name of Rue Mumia Abu-Jamal. Commends all police officers in the United States and throughout the world for their commitment to public service and public safety.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2006
Medicare Drug Benefit Enrollment Fairness Act of 2006 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to eliminate the Medicare prescription drug late enrollment penalty for months during calendar year 2006. Amends SSA title XVIII to set additional limitations on the total amount of expenditures from the Medicare Advantage Regional Plan Stabilization Fund for periods prior to October 1, 2007, and during the period from October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2006
Condemns the actions of the Catholic Patriotic Association of China in their coerced ordination of priests Joseph Ma Yinglin and Joseph Liu Xinhong. Extends deepest sympathy to the Catholic population of China and the Catholic Church for this insult. Reaffirms the right of all religious organizations to choose their leaders free of intimidation or terror in accordance with the Uniform Declaration of Human Rights. Urges the government of China to end its repression of religious organizations, recognize the ecclesiastical authority of religious leaders to provide spiritual leadership to their followers, and end the practice of only allowing religious worship through state-sanctioned patriotic religious associations. Insists that China refrain from additional ordinations of Catholic bishops until and unless their elevation is approved by the proper ecclesiastical authorities.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Tax Free Health Savings Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow individual taxpayers a tax deduction for high deductible health plan premiums, a tax credit for employment taxes related to the payment of such premiums, and a refundable tax credit for the coverage costs under a high deductible health plan: (2) direct the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a program for advance payments of tax credit amounts to providers of high deductible health plans; (3) increase the tax deduction for contributions to health savings accounts; (4) allow health savings accounts to incorporate flexible spending arrangements or health reimbursement arrangements, or both; (5) allow payment of high deductible health plan premiums from health savings accounts; and (6) exempt employers from health savings account contribution requirements for certain employees with high levels of medical expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2006
Health Centers Renewal Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2007-FY2011 for health centers to meet the health care needs of medically underserved populations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Independent Pharmacy Protection Act of 2006 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require each prescription drug plan contract entered into with a plan sponsor to provide for: (1) the availability of direct deposit payments; (2) an increased dispensing fee for generic drugs; and (3) payments within 10 days for certain pharmacies. Requires the dispensing fee paid to a participating pharmacy for a generic covered part D drug therapeutically equivalent and bioequivalent to a brand name covered part D drug dispensed through the pharmacy to be at least 50% greater than the dispensing fee for the brand name drug. Limits to $10 the dispensing fee paid to a participating pharmacy for a generic covered part D drug. Prohibits a prescription drug plan, subject to exception by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, from decreasing the dispensing fee paid to a participating pharmacy for a brand name drug to an amount less than the dispensing fee paid for it on the date of enactment of this Act. Applies this Act to contracts with a Medicare Advantage organization in the same manner as they apply to those with a prescription drug plan sponsor.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to the next of kin or personal representative of each passenger or crew member on board United Airlines Flight 93 who is identified by the Attorney General as having aided in the effort to resist the hijackers on board the plane, in recognition of heroic service to the Nation. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions. Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such gold medal. Declares such medals to be national medals. Requires that proceeds from the sale of duplicate bronze medals be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2006
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) Modernization and Reform Act of 2006 - Amends the firearms provisions of the federal criminal code to revise the civil penalties for violations of firearms law and the procedures for assessing such penalties. Requires fines to be based upon the nature and severity of the violation, the size of the firearms business involved, and the prior record of the firearm's licensee. Requires the Attorney General to make a preliminary determination on federal firearms license applications and to notify applicants in writing of intent to deny an application. Grants applicants the right to a hearing for license denials. Directs the Attorney General to establish guidelines for Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) investigations of firearms violations. Requires the Inspector General of the Department of Justice to review the operations of ATF relating to the gun show enforcement program and blanket residency checks of prospective and actual firearms purchasers. Limits the authority of federal agencies to disclose information on firearms purchasers. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to repeal the authority of the Attorney General to delegate to ATF responsibility for investigating violent crimes and acts of domestic terrorism. Grants a firearm licensee whose license has expired or has been suspended or revoked 60 days to liquidate inventory. Allows purchasers of existing firearms businesses the right to cure firearms violations attributable to such businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2006
Honors the goals and ideals of Lemonade Stand Days (designated as the second weekend in June by the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, which was established in the memory of Alexandra Scott, a pediatric cancer patient). Commends the Foundation's fundraising efforts for childhood cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2006
Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to prohibit any U.S. officer or employee, or person operating under color of federal law, under control of a federal official, or providing services to such person, while acting in support of relief from a major disaster or emergency, from: (1) seizing or authorizing seizure of any firearm the possession of which is not prohibited under federal or state law, other than for forfeiture in compliance with federal law or as evidence in a criminal investigation; (2) requiring registration of any firearm for which registration is not required by federal or state law; (3) prohibiting possession of any firearm in any place or by any person where such possession is not otherwise prohibited; or (4) prohibiting the carrying of firearms by any person otherwise authorized to carry firearms, solely because such person is operating under the direction, control, or supervision of a federal agency in support of relief from a major disaster or emergency. Authorizes any individual aggrieved by a violation of this Act to seek relief by bringing an action for redress and by bringing a civil action in U.S. district court for return of a confiscated firearm.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2006
Firearms Corrections and Improvements Act - Amends firearms provisions of the federal criminal code to: (1) lift restrictions on the possession, transfer, and importation of machineguns, and certain other shotguns and rifles, for contractors providing national security services for the United States and training related to such services, and for manufacturers for testing, research, design, or development purposes; (2) prohibit the Attorney General from charging any tax or fee for any background check by the national instant criminal background check system; (3) permit juveniles to possess and use a handgun or ammunition for certain activities without written parental consent if the parent is present when the juvenile is using the handgun; (4) eliminate certain reporting requirements for multiple handgun sales (more than one sale within five days) by dealers to state police and law enforcement agencies; (5) prohibit the Attorney General from electronically retrieving records of gun dealers who have gone out of business by name or any personal identification code; (6) limit disclosure of trace records; and (7) allow importation of barrels, frames, and receivers for firearms other than handguns for repair or replacement purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2006
Military Retirees' Health Care Protection Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Department of Defense (DOD) and the nation have a committed health benefits obligation to retired military personnel that exceeds the obligation of corporate employers to civilian employees; and (2) DOD has many additional options to constrain the growth of health care spending in ways that do not disadvantage beneficiaries, and should pursue such options rather than seeking large fee increases for beneficiaries. Prohibits an increase after December 31, 2005, in: (1) a premium, deductible, copayment, or other charge prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for medical and dental health care coverage for military personnel; and (2) the dollar amount of a cost-sharing requirement under the DOD pharmacy benefits program. Prohibits: (1) charges for DOD inpatient care from exceeding $535 per day; and (2) after December 31, 2005, an increase in premiums under TRICARE (a DOD managed health care program) for certain members of the Selected Reserve.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2006
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 215 West Industrial Park Road in Harrison, Arkansas, as the "John Paul Hammerschmidt Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2006
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 777 Corporation Street in Beaver, Pennsylvania, as the "Robert Linn Memorial Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2006
Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator to promulgate regulations requiring that all gasoline motor vehicle fuel sold or dispensed to consumers in the United States after 2012 contain not less than 10% renewable fuel on an annual average basis.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2006
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 535 Wood Street in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, as the "H. Gordon Payrow Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2006
Federal Aviation Administration Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006 - Amends federal transportation law to revise certain federal aviation administration personnel management system requirements to prohibit the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from implementing any proposed change to the FAA personnel management system in cases where the services of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service do not lead to an agreement between the Administrator and FAA employees unless a bill is enacted into law by Congress that authorizes the change during the 60-day period beginning from the time Congress received the proposed change. (Current law does not require congressional action.) Requires the Administrator and FAA employee bargaining representatives to submit the proposed change to binding arbitration if Congress does not enact a bill into law within the 60-day period.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2006
Heart Disease Education, Analysis, and Research, and Treatment for Women Act or the HEART for Women Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Public Health Service Act to require an application for approval or for investigation of a drug, device, or biological product to include information stratified by gender, race, and ethnicity, including any differences in safety and effectiveness. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) withhold approval of such an application or place a clinical hold on an investigation if such information is not included; and (2) report to the scientific community and make information available to the public on such stratified data upon approval of an application. Requires the Comptroller General to study the drug approval process to ensure compliance with this Act. Requires the Secretary to require that all nonidentifiable patient safety work product reported to a patient safety database be stratified by gender. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) the Social Security Act (SSA) to require the Secretary to make hospital quality data relating to the quality of care in inpatient settings available to the public stratified by gender. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), to report to Congress concerning the quality of and access to care for women with heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. Requires utilization and quality control peer review organizations to offer quality improvement assistance aimed at eliminating gender disparities. Amends title IX (employment security provisions) of SSA to require that data be stratified by gender when collected and used in surveys evaluating whether Medicare providers meet applicable conditions of participation or coverage. Provides for an educational campaign relating to heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases in women.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2006
Idling Reduction Tax Credit Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business tax credit for 25% of the cost of a qualifying idling reduction device, up to $1,000. Defines "qualifying idling reduction device" as any device that is: (1) installed on a heavy-duty diesel-powered on-highway vehicle to provide services that would otherwise require the operation of the main drive engine while the vehicle is temporarily parked or stationary; and (2) certified by the Secretary of Energy to reduce long-duration idling. Directs the Secretary to publish standards for certifying such devices.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2005
National Hepatitis B Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a plan for hepatitis B prevention, control, and medical management. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) support the integration of testing, counseling, immunization, and medical referral activities into existing clinical and public health programs at state, local, and tribal levels; and (2) provide hepatitis B coordinators to health departments in order to ensure the success of such integration. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC, the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to implement programs to increase awareness and enhance knowledge and understanding of hepatitis B. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC, to: (1) support the establishment of a national hepatitis B surveillance program; and (2) report on population-based seroprevalence studies and hepatitis B's economic and clinical impact and its impact on quality of life. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Directors of CDC, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to conduct research on hepatitis B. Requires the Secretary to give priority in carrying out this Act to individuals with limited access to health education, testing, and health care services and groups that may be disproportionately affected by hepatitis B.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2005
Reaffirms the House of Representatives' commitment to the security of Israel. Asserts that: (1) terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, should not be permitted to participate in Palestinian elections until such organizations recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, cease incitement, condemn terrorism, and disarm and dismantle their terrorist infrastructure; and (2) Hamas' or any other terrorist group's inclusion into the Palestinian governing structure will inevitably raise serious U.S. policy considerations, potentially undermining the ability of the United States to provide financial assistance and conduct normal relations with the PA. Calls on the Palestinian Authority (PA) President Abbas before the election to declare openly his intention to dismantle the terrorist organizations. States that progress in the peace process requires sustained Palestinian effort to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2005
Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 to exclude manure from the definition of "hazardous substance" or "pollutant or contaminant" under that Act. Amends the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 to exempt releases associated with manure from the emergency notification requirements under that Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2005
Outer Continental Shelf Natural Gas Relief Act - States that all provisions of federal law that prohibit the expenditure of appropriated funds to conduct natural gas leasing and preleasing activities for any area of the Outer Continental Shelf are without any force or effect. Revokes all withdrawals from leasing of federal submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf, including withdrawals by the President under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. States such withdrawals are no longer in effect with respect to the leasing of areas for natural gas exploration, development, and production. Prohibits granting a gas lease for any area of the Outer Continental Shelf located within 20 miles of a state's coastline unless the Governor grants state approval. Directs the Secretary of Energy, in each five-year oil and gas leasing program, to include lease sales that when viewed as a whole propose to offer for gas leasing at least 75% of the available unleased acreage within each Outer Continental Shelf planning area. Sets forth a scheme for bonus bids and royalties that affects: (1) new and existing gas leases; and (2) leased tracts lying partially within the seaward boundaries of a state. Permits leases that authorize development and production solely of natural gas and associated condensate, including leases for program years 2002-2007, and for program years 2007-2012.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to develop research protocols for collecting and analyzing scientific information about the effectiveness and ecological impacts of catastrophic event recovery projects and emergency stabilization treatments undertaken as part of a burned area emergency response to increase the long-term benefits of management activities and to decrease short-term impacts. Requires such Secretaries to enter into cooperative agreements with land-grant colleges and universities to form forest health partnerships to utilize their education, research, and outreach capacity to address the recovery of forested land after a catastrophic event. Requires such Secretaries to conduct catastrophic event recovery evaluations of damaged federal lands. Directs such Secretaries to prepare a list of pre-approved management practices that may be immediately implemented as part of catastrophic event recovery projects or catastrophic event research projects. Requires determinations of whether or not to: (1) use any pre-approved management practices that can be immediately implemented; and (2) develop and carry out a recovery or research project or part of such a project using the alternative arrangements authorized by this Act. Directs such Secretaries to clarify agency-wide guidance regarding reforestation in response to catastrophic events. Provides for assistance to restore landscapes and communities affected by catastrophic events. Provides for the availability and use of pre-approved management practices and alternative arrangements on National Forest experimental forests.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2005
Recognizes the need for every child to be vaccinated against polio. Urges all appropriate federal departments and agencies to immediately educate: (1) Americans about the need for polio vaccination; and (2) U.S. polio survivors and medical professionals about the cause and treatment of post-polio sequelae. Expresses support for the goals and ideals of observing the Year of Polio Awareness (the year beginning November 1, 2005).
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to prohibit any state or political subdivision from establishing or continuing in effect for any food in interstate commerce: (1) any requirement that is not identical to specified FFDCA provisions (that would result in materially different requirements), including those related to adulterated foods, unsafe food additives, and new animal drugs; or (2) any notification requirement that provides for a warning concerning the food's safety that is not identical to FFDCA provisions. Allows a state to petition for an exemption or to establish a national standard regarding any requirement under FFDCA or the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act relating to food regulation. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Service to provide such an exemption if the requirement: (1) protects an important public interest that would otherwise be unprotected; (2) would not cause any food to be in violation of any federal law; and (3) would not unduly burden interstate commerce. Allows a state to establish a requirement that would otherwise violate FFDCA provisions relating to national uniform nutrition labeling or this Act if the requirement is needed to address an imminent hazard to health that is likely to result in serious adverse health consequences and if other requirements are met. Declares that this Act does not preempt certain state and local laws relating to labeling or a consumer advisory relating to food sanitation imposed on a food establishment or recommended by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
Disabled Veterans Commissary and Exchange Store Benefits Act - Permits a veteran with any compensable service-connected disability (and their dependents) to use commissary and exchange stores on the same basis as a member of the Armed Forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2005
Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act of 2005 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and make available to local educational agencies a voluntary policy to manage the risk of food allergy and anaphylaxis in schools. Directs that such policy address: (1) a parental obligation to provide the school with information regarding a student's food allergy and anaphylaxis; (2) communication strategies between schools and emergency medical services; (3) strategies to reduce the risk of exposure in classrooms and common areas; (4) food allergy management training of school personnel; (5) authorization of school personnel to administer epinephrine when the school nurse is not immediately available; and (6) creation of an individual health care plan tailored to each child's risk for anaphylaxis.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
ALS Registry Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) develop a system to collect data on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); and (2) establish a national registry for the collection and storage of ALS data. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to establish the Advisory Committee on the National ALS Registry to study and make recommendations to the Secretary concerning: (1) the development and maintenance of the registry; (2) the type of information to be included; (3) the manner in which data is to be collected; (4) the use and availability of such data; and (5) the collection of information about diseases and disorders that primarily affect motor neurons that are considered essential to furthering the study and cure of ALS. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director, to award grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, public or private nonprofit entities for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on ALS. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) identify, build upon, expand, and coordinate among existing data and surveillance systems, surveys, registries, and other federal public health and environmental infrastructure wherever possible; and (2) provide for public access to an electronic national database that accepts data from state registries, health care professionals, and others as recommended by the Advisory Committee in a manner that protects personal privacy. Requires the Secretary to ensure that epidemiological and other types of information is made available to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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 · 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."
![Official portrait of Rep. Sherwood, Don [R-PA-10]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001146_200.jpg)