United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Home Oxygen Patient Protection Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to restore Medicare treatment of ownership of oxygen equipment that existed prior to the enactment of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Repeals: (1) the limitation of Medicare payment to the supplier for such equipment (including portable oxygen equipment) to 36 months of continuous use; and (2) the requirement that the equipment supplier transfer title to the individual at the end of such period, with payments continuing at specified monthly rates.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Amends federal veterans' benefits provisions to: (1) make permanent (currently, terminates on December 31, 2006) the authority for the provision by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of government markers or memorial headstones for the marked graves of veterans buried in private cemeteries; and (2) terminate a reporting requirement on the use of such authority. Amends the Veterans Education and Benefits Expansion Act of 2001 to make eligible for such markers or headstones certain veterans dying on or after November 1, 1990 (currently, September 11, 2001).
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2006
Veterans Identity Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide notice to each veteran whose name or other personal identifying information was part of the VA data that was stolen from the home of a VA employee around May 22, 2006, informing the veteran of: (1) the theft; (2) the nature of the breach of confidentiality; and (3) the veteran's right to request a free credit report once every three months and free monitoring of the veteran's credit report for the next year. Directs the Secretary to: (1) include with each notification a form (with a postage-paid return envelope) by which the veteran may make such requests; (2) enter into discussions with the three principal credit reporting agencies and conclude agreements necessary to implement such elections; and (3) fully implement, as rapidly as possible, each of the 16 information security improvements recommended in the VA Inspector General's report on the March 2005 audit of the VA's Information Security Program. Sets penalties for failure to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2006
National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to waive, for two-year periods, requirements for awarding breast and cervical cancer grants to states if certain conditions are met, including that granting such a waiver will not reduce the number of women in the state receiving examinations and screening for breast or cervical cancer or the quality of such services. Requires the Secretary to review performance under the waiver and allows the Secretary to extend such waivers. Authorizes appropriations for breast and cervical cancer grants through FY2012.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2006
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) it remains a priority for further improvement in U.S.-Libya relations that the government of Libya make a good faith effort to resolve all outstanding claims of U.S. victims of Libyan-supported terrorism; (2) the Secretary of State should not accept the credentials of any representative of the government of Libya until the government of Libya has met its financial commitments to each of the personal representatives of U.S. victims of Pan Am Flight 103 who accepted the settlement with the government of Libya; and (3) the President should urge the government of Libya to make a good faith effort to resolve the claims of those killed or injured in the LaBelle Discotheque bombing, and all other outstanding cases of U.S. victims of Libyan-supported terror.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2006
Veterans Identity Protection Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) certify in writing to Congress that any individual whose personal information is compromised due to lax data security at the VA has been appropriately notified in writing of such compromise; and (2) provide free of charge to each such individual credit monitoring services during the one-year period beginning on the date of this Act's enactment and a copy of the affected individual's credit report (in addition to any other credit report provided under otherwise applicable law) once annually during the two-year period beginning on the date on which the credit monitoring services terminate.
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 · 16 May 2006
District of Columbia Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act of 2006 - Considers the District of Columbia a congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives. Applies to the District in the same manner as it applies to a state the federal law providing for the fifteenth and subsequent decennial censuses and for apportionment of Representatives in Congress. Limits the District to one Member under any reapportionment of Members. Modifies the formula regarding the number of presidential electors to subject it to the Twenty-Third amendment to the Constitution in the case of the District. Makes conforming amendments to federal law regarding the Armed Forces (appointments to service academies). Increases membership of the House from 435 to 437 Members. Provides for a reapportionment of Members resulting from such increase. Makes conforming amendments to the District of Columbia Elections Code of 1955. Repeals provisions of: (1) the District of Columbia Delegate Act establishing the office of District of Columbia Delegate to the House of Representatives; and (2) the District of Columbia Statehood Constitution Convention Initiative of 1979 providing for electing a Senator and Representative for the District.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2006
Cancer Survivorship Research and Quality of Life Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)) to establish and support demonstration, education, and other programs for cancer survivorship. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to: (1) expand and coordinate NIH cancer survivorship research activities; (2) establish a Division of Cancer Survivorship within NCI; and (3) provide for the expansion of cancer survivorship research activities at NCI-designated cancer centers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) expand the National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program; (2) study the unique health challenges associated with cancer survivorship; and (3) carry out projects and interventions to improve the long-term health status of cancer survivors. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish programs that demonstrate how to prevent and control cancer and improve access to quality cancer care among racial and ethnic minorities and medically underserved populations with disproportionate incidence of, or death from, cancer; (2) promote cancer education, prevention, and early detection of cancer; (3) award grants for cancer control and prevention; and (4) establish the National Commission on Cancer Survivorship. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Directors of CDC and NCI, to make grants to monitor and evaluate the quality of cancer care, develop information concerning the quality of care, and monitor cancer survivorship.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2006
National Emergency Management Reform and Enhancement Act of 2006 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide for the establishment within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of a Directorate of Emergency Management (DEM) (replacing the Directorate of Emergency Preparedness and Response). Requires DEM to be headed by an Under Secretary for Emergency Management and to include Deputy Under Secretaries for: (1) Emergency Preparedness and Mitigation; and (2) Emergency Response and Recovery. Directs the Under Secretary to serve as a Cabinet Officer during an Incident of National Significance. Establishes within DEM: (1) an Office of State, Local, and Tribal Government Coordination and an Office of Public and Community Preparedness; (2) a National Citizen Corps Council; (3) a National Incident Management System and National Response Plan Integration Center; and (4) a National Urban Search and Rescue Response System. Establishes in DHS Offices of Grants and Planning, Training and Exercises, Emergency Communications, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity and Telecommunications. Establishes the Emergency Communications Preparedness Center. Directs the Secretary of DHS to: (1) regularly update, revise, or replace essential capabilities for state, local, and tribal government emergency preparedness; (2) require any state or urban area that applies for federal homeland security assistance to maintain a catastrophic emergency plan; (3) establish the National Advisory Council on Emergency Management, a System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders Program, a Homeland Security Education Program in the National Capital Region, a Prepositioned Equipment Program, and a National Asset Inventory Program; (4) develop an integrated national public alert and warning system; and (5) establish within DHS a Gulf Coast Long-Term Recovery Office. Redesignates the Directorate for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection as the Office of Intelligence and Analysis. Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that all programs within DEM administering federal assistance maintain proper internal management controls to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse; and (2) annually certify that such controls are in place. Provides for the establishment within DHS of a Deputy Inspector General for Response and Recovery.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2006
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the increased expensing allowance ($100,000) for depreciable business property. Increases to $500,000 the income threshold for reducing the expensing allowance and makes such threshold amount permanent. Provides for an inflation adjustment to the allowance and the threshold. Allows a tax credit against alternative minimum tax liability for the work opportunity tax credit, the welfare to work tax credit, and the tax credit for increasing research activities. Provides for a minimum standard tax deduction of $2,500 for expenses for the business use of a home. Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to: (1) exempt from minimum wage requirements employers with less than ten employees; (2) increase the minimum wage to $ $6.00 beginning October 1, 2006, $6.50 beginning October 1, 2007, $7.00 beginning October 1, 2008, and $7.50 beginning October 1, 2009; and (3) phase in an increase in the gross volume of sales amount applicable to the small business exemption from minimum wage requirements. Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act to exclude from income determinations under the supplemental security income programs minimum wage income that exceeds certain earned income.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2006
Shoulder-Fired Missile Threat Reduction Act of 2006 - Defines "MANPADS" as: (1) a surface-to-air missile system designed to be man-portable and carried and fired by a single individual; or (2) any other surface-to-air missile system designed to be operated and fired by more than one individual acting as a crew and portable by several individuals. States that it is U.S. policy to assist foreign governments to secure, remove, or eliminate stocks of MANPADS and other conventional weapons that pose a proliferation, security, or humanitarian threat. Authorizes the Secretary of State to carry out an accelerated global program to secure, remove, or eliminate stocks of MANPADS and other conventional weapons that pose a proliferation, security, or humanitarian threat. States that it should be U.S. policy to hold foreign governments accountable for knowingly transferring MANPADS to state-sponsors of terrorism or terrorist organizations. Directs the President, upon a determination that a foreign government which has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism knowingly transfers MANPADS to a foreign government or a terrorist organization, to: (1) report such information to the appropriate congressional committees; and (2) impose specified foreign assistance and military assistance sanctions on the transferring government. Exempts humanitarian assistance from such prohibition. Authorizes a national security waiver. Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. government should pursue strengthened international diplomatic efforts to: (1) limit the availability and proliferation of MANPADS; and (2) exert diplomatic pressure to influence member country compliance with such efforts. Directs the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees respecting MANPADS and conventional weapons threat reduction.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
Preventing Harassment through Outbound Number Enforcement Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the modification of caller ID information with the intent to deceive the recipient of a telephone call as to the identity of the caller. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to five years for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
National Labor Relations Board Reform Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to establish certain deadlines for the National Labor Relations Board to render decisions with respect to complaints filed questioning union collective bargaining representation or alleging unfair labor practices by an employer. Authorizes a Board member to continue to serve on the Board after the expiration of such member's term until a successor has been appointed.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
Senior Independence Act of 2006 - Reauthorizes the Older Americans Act of 1965. Authorizes appropriations for FY2007-FY2011 for the Administration on Aging, the National Eldercare Locator Service, pension counseling and information programs, specified services under such Act, and older American community service employment-based training. Revises the definition of "information and assistance service" for purposes of such Act to include such a service to older individuals at risk for institutional placement. Adds as duties and functions of the Administration on Aging: (1) assisting service providers to inform certain older individuals of the eligibility requirements for specified benefits; and (2) assisting states to support the provision of disease prevention and health promotion services. Repeals the authorization for the Assistant Secretary for Aging to provide staff and assistance to the Federal Council on Aging. Requires the Assistant Secretary to assist entities that serve older individuals in integrated health promotion and disease prevention programs. Includes among state eligibility requirements for grants for programs on aging: (1) assuring that preference will be given to providing services to older individuals, including low-income minority individuals, individuals with limited English proficiency, and individuals living in rural areas; and (2) promoting the development of a comprehensive, coordinated system for providing long-term care in home and community-based settings. Requires area plans to: (1) provide that the area agency on aging shall facilitate the development and implementation of such system; and (2) determine the extent of need for services and senior centers by considering low-income minority older individuals, older individuals with limited English proficiency, older individuals residing in rural areas, and older individuals at risk for institutional placement. Authorizes area agencies to: (1) include in such plan an assessment of how prepared the area is for change in the number of older individuals; and (2) make recommendations to government officials on actions that build the area's capacity to meet needs of older individuals. States as the purpose of the nutrition projects grant program to promote socialization and the health and well-being of older individuals by assisting such individuals to gain access to disease prevention and health promotion services to delay the onset of health conditions resulting from poor nutritional health or sedentary behavior. Requires states to provide nutrition education, counseling, and services to recipients of meals delivered by state nutrition projects. Requires area agencies to encourage using trained volunteers for services and to coordinate with specified volunteer programs. Authorizes the Assistant Secretary to make grants to assess the aging population and facilitate planning and coordination between state and local agencies. Rewrites provisions concerning the older American community service employment program as the Older American Community Service Employment-Based Training Act. Repeals requirements for review and public comment on training projects. Requires the Secretary of Labor to use funds for demonstration, pilot, and evaluation projects for the purpose of developing approaches and demonstrating the effectiveness of methods in addressing older workers' employment and training needs. Requires a state's chief executive officer to submit a plan that outlines a strategy for the statewide provision of training and related activities (currently, the governor submits the plan). Includes among uses of state allotments for the prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation promotion of financial literacy to prevent identity theft and financial exploitation of older individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Federal Energy Price Protection Act of 2006 - Declares that it shall be an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act for any person to sell crude oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, home heating oil, or any biofuel at a price that constitutes price gouging. Instructs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate enforcement rules within six months after enactment of this Act. Grants enforcement authority exclusively to: (1) the FTC; (2) the Attorney General of the United States; or (3) state attorneys general. Prescribes guidelines for enforcement of civil actions by state attorneys general. Preempts state action while federal action is pending. Subjects violations of this Act to specified civil and criminal penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2006
Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to list permissible sources of dogs and cats used by research facilities to include dogs and cats obtained: (1) from a licensed dealer; (2) from a publicly owned and operated pound or shelter that meets specified requirements; (3) by donation from a person who bred and raised the dog or cat and owned it for not less than one year; or (4) from a research facility licensed by the Secretary of Agriculture. Sets forth additional monetary penalties for related violations. Revises provisions to prohibit federal facilities from purchasing or otherwise acquiring dogs or cats for exhibition purposes except from: (1) the operator of an auction that comports with legal requirements; or (2) a person holding a valid dealer or exhibitor license. Revises provisions to prohibit dealers from selling or otherwise providing a research facility with random source dogs or cats unless specified certification requirements are met.
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 · 26 April 2006
Securing America's Energy Independence Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2015: (1) the investment tax credit for solar energy property and qualified fuel cell property; and (2) the tax credit for residential photovoltaic, solar water heating, and fuel cell property expenditures. Modifies the maximum amounts for such residential credits based upon kilowatt of capacity. Allows such credits to be taken against the alternative minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Long Island Sound Stewardship Act of 2006 - States as the purpose of this Act the establishment of the Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative to identify, protect, and enhance sites within the Long Island Sound ecosystem with significant ecological, educational, open space, public access, or recreational value through a bi-state network of sites. Establishes the Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative Region within Connecticut and New York. Establishes the Long Island Sound Stewardship Advisory Committee, which shall: (1) identify 20 initial Long Island Sound stewardship sites; (2) recommend an equal distribution of funds between Connecticut and New York for the initial sites (authorizes site owners to apply to have the sites identified as stewardship sites); (3) identify additional recreation areas and natural areas with ecological value as potential stewardship sites; (4) publish a list of sites that further the purposes of this Act; (5) apply an adaptive management framework to the process of updating the list; and (6) report annually on recommended sites and recommended grants for securing and improving sites. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to review the Committees recommendations, approve stewardship sites, award grants, and report annually on the Initiative. States that nothing in this Act requires private property owners located within the Region to participate in the Initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Expanding American Homeownership Act of 2006 - Amends the National Housing Act to: (1) modify guidelines governing the maximum principal loan obligation; (2) extend the mortgage term; and (3) revise requirements for cash payment by the mortgagor in the eligibility criteria for mortgage insurance. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Secretary) to establish a mortgage insurance premium structure involving a single premium payment collected prior to the insurance of the mortgage that may vary during the mortgage term as long as the basis for determining the variable rate is established before the execution of the mortgage. Permits the Secretary to insure any mortgage covering a one-family unit in a condominium project if the project has a certain blanket mortgage insured by the Secretary. Revises requirements for the Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund. Sets limitations upon the Secretary's authority to enter into commitments for loan guarantees. Makes insurance of a Native Hawaiian or Indian reservation mortgage the obligation of the MMI Fund (instead of the General Insurance Fund). Eliminates the limitation placed upon the aggregate number of home equity conversion mortgages insured under the Act. Authorizes the Secretary to insure a home equity conversion mortgage when its primary purpose is to enable an elderly mortgagor to purchase a 1-to 4 family dwelling in which the mortgagor will occupy one of the units. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements to insure temporarily certain mortgages for a single family residence located within a presidentially declared major disaster area.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Truth in Caller ID Act of 2006 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to make it unlawful for any person in the United States, in connection with any telecommunication service or VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) service, to cause any caller identification service to transmit misleading or inaccurate caller identification information, unless such transmission is exempted in connection with authorized activities of law enforcement agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Tax Return Choice Act of 2006 - Prohibits the Internal Revenue Service from providing individual taxpayers with free electronic tax preparation and filing services except through the Free File program and the Internal Revenue Service's Taxpayer Assistance Centers, Tax Counseling for the Elderly, and volunteer income tax assistance programs. Repeals the provision of the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 directing the Secretary of the Treasury to develop a return-free tax system.
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 · 6 April 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) all restrictions on U.S. visits by high-level elected and appointed officials of Taiwan, including the President of Taiwan, should be lifted; (2) the United States should encourage direct Cabinet level exchanges in order to strengthen a policy dialogue with Taiwan; and (3) it is in the U.S. national interest to strengthen links with the democratically-elected government of Taiwan and demonstrate stronger support for democracy in the Asia-Pacific region.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2006
Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act - National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2006 - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to: (1) require certain vessels operating in U.S. waters to have invasive species management plans; (2) direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish vessel performance requirements, measurable numeric ballast water discharge standards, and civil and criminal penalties for violations; (3) require federal agencies to restrict the importation of live aquatic organisms of species not in trade that have a high or moderate probability of undesirable impacts; and (4) declare importation of such species to be unlawful and prescribe civil and criminal penalties for violations. Directs the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works to: (1) upgrade and make permanent the Chicago sanitary and ship canal dispersal barrier in Chicago, Illinois; and (2) construct dispersal barriers as necessary. Renames the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 as the Nonindigenous Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention and Control Act of 1990. National Invasive Species Council Act - Prohibits federal agencies from authorizing, funding, or carrying out any action that would promote the introduction or spread of invasive species unless the benefits of the action outweigh the harm. Establishes the National Invasive Species Council (NISC) as an independent entity in the executive branch to lead and coordinate efforts to minimize the negative effects caused by invasive species and to reduce the threat of further invasions. Requires NISC to develop a National Invasive Species Management Plan and to establish an Invasive Species Advisory Committee. Reauthorizes and modifies the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 1990. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to: (1) authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide funding for wastewater assistance to certain municipalities and small publicly-owned treatment works; (2) authorize states to provide additional subsidization to benefit certain municipalities or state agencies that already receive assistance from the water pollution control revolving fund or to implement certain alternative techniques; (3) replace each reference to "navigable waters of the United States" with a reference to "waters of the United States"; (4) require the Great Lakes National Program Office to provide grants to reduce the quantity of mercury in the Great Lakes; and (5) require the President include a joint Great Lakes research plan in the annual budget submitted to Congress. Requires: (1) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide grants for Great Lakes research and monitoring activities; (2) the President to establish a system that detects and predicts changes in the ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes environment that impact certain U.S. systems; and (3) the National Ocean Research Leadership Council to establish an interagency program office to be known as OceanUS to be responsible for program planning and coordination of such observing system. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the Program Office to develop specified science-based indicators of water quality and related environmental factors in the Great Lakes. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide financial assistance for certain restoration or remediation projects; and (2) restore and remediate waterfronts and related areas. Establishes: (1) the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, as established by Executive Order 13340, as a task force within EPA; (2) a Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Executive Committee to hold meetings and make recommendations and reports on Great Lakes restoration goals and progress; and (3) the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration to develop a restoration and protection strategy for use in Great Lakes program implementation and funding decisions, to serve as a forum for addressing regional issues relating to ecosystem restoration and protection of the Great Lakes, and to establish an oversight forum to coordinate and enhance implementation of Great Lakes programs. Provides funding for a variety of Great Lakes programs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2006
Congratulates Geno Auriemma, the University of Connecticut women’s basketball head coach, for his selection to the 2006 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Class.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2006
Military Spouses Employment Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include spouses of members of the Armed Forces on extended active duty (more than 90 days or for an indefinite period) as members of a targeted group for purposes of the work opportunity tax credit (thus giving employers a tax incentive for hiring military spouses).
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2006
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) taxpayers making charitable contributions of real property for conservation purposes (qualified conservation contributions) to deduct up to 50% (currently, 30%) of their income for such contributions (100% for certain farmers or ranchers); and (2) a 15-year carryover of excess tax deduction amounts for such contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2006
Recognizes the Golden (50th) Anniversary Year of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways (Interstate Highway System).
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2006
Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act - Prohibits a person from carrying out a demonstration: (1) at a cemetery under the control of the National Cemetery Administration or at Arlington National Cemetery, unless the demonstration has been approved by the cemetery superintendent or director; or (2) within 500 feet of a cemetery at which a funeral or memorial service is to be held, for a period beginning 60 minutes before and ending 60 minutes after the funeral or service, if such demonstration includes any individual making noise or a diversion that disturbs the peace or good order of the funeral or service. Amends the federal criminal code to provide criminal penalties for violations of such prohibitions. Expresses the sense of Congress that each state should enact legislation to restrict demonstrations near any military funeral.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2006
Project Bioshield Material Threats Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Homeland Security (the Secretary) to utilize existing risk assessments to assess current and emerging threats of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear agents and determine which of such agents present a material threat against the U.S. population sufficient to affect national security. Requires the Secretary to group such assessments to facilitate assessments by the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the availability and appropriateness of specific countermeasures to address more than one such agent or address adverse health consequences that are common to exposure to different agents. Requires the Secretary to complete assessments by December 31, 2007, for those agents known to the Secretary by the date of enactment of this Act that are capable of significantly affecting national security. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to reauthorize appropriations through FY2009 for the Secretary to carry out such terror threat assessments. Authorizes additional appropriations to enable the Secretary to meet the deadlines established under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2006
Prevention of Nuclear Terrorism Act of 2006 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide for the establishment within the Department of Homeland Security of a Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to vest in the Office's Director the primary responsibility for: (1) administering the Department's nuclear and radiological detection and prevention functions and assets; and (2) coordinating such administration with other federal detection and prevention activities. Requires the Director to: (1) coordinate the government's implementation of a global nuclear detection architecture; (2) carry out a research and development program and a program to test and evaluate technology; (3) develop and execute a strategy for the acquisition and deployment of detection systems; (4) continuously monitor detection information received from foreign and domestic detection systems to maintain a situational awareness of all nuclear threats; (5) gather and archive detection data measurements taken of benign activities; (6) coordinate with other agencies to ensure that the detection of unauthorized nuclear explosive devices or radiological material is promptly reported; (7) assess nuclear threats communicated by federal, state, tribal, or local officials and provide adequate capability for swift and effective incident resolution; (8) develop and implement security standards for the protection of classified or sensitive information; (9) perform research, development, and acquisition activities pertaining to forensic analysis and attribution of nuclear and radiological attacks; and (10) utilize classified and unclassified threat assessments in designing the architecture. Establishes within the Office an Advisory Council on Nuclear Detection. Requires the Director to establish an interagency coordination council.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2006
Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to: (1) rename the Directorate for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection as the Office of Intelligence and Analysis and the Under Secretary for such Directorate as the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis; (2) expand the intelligence-related duties of the Under Secretary; (3) establish within the Office of Intelligence and Analysis an Internal Continuity of Operations (COOP) Plan to assure the continuation of intelligence operations during emergencies; (4) specify the responsibilities of each intelligence component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); and (5) establish an Office of Infrastructure Protection within DHS to be headed by an Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2006
Homeland Security Information Sharing Enhancement Act of 2006 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Under Secretary for Information and Analysis to implement a Homeland Security Advisory System to provide advisories and alerts regarding threats to homeland security. Requires such an advisory or alert to: (1) include information on protective measures and countermeasures; (2) be limited in scope to a specific region, locality, or economic sector; and (3) not use color designations as the exclusive means of specifying threat conditions. Directs the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) integrate and standardize the information of the Department's intelligence components into a Department information-sharing environment; and (2) designate, for each such component, an information-sharing and knowledge management officer. Requires the Under Secretary to: (1) establish Department-wide procedures for the review and analysis of information gathered from state, local, tribal, and private-sector sources; (2) develop mechanisms to provide analytical and operational feedback; (3) provide Department employees training and educational opportunities; and (4) evaluate how employees of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis and the Department's intelligence components are utilizing homeland security information. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Chief Intelligence Officer, to establish a comprehensive information technology architecture for such Office. Makes the Secretary the executive branch official responsible for disseminating homeland security-related terrorist threat information to state and local government and tribal officials and the private sector. Prohibits any federal official from issuing a homeland security-related analysis, advisory, or alert without the Secretary's approval, with exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2006
Elder Justice Act - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new title XXII (Elder Justice) to establish: (1) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) an Office of Elder Justice (OEJ); (2) within the Office of the Secretary the Elder Justice Coordinating Council to make recommendations to the Secretary and the Attorney General for the coordination of activities of HHS, the Department of Justice, and other relevant federal, state, local, and private agencies and entities, relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation and other crimes against elders; and (3) the Advisory Board on Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation. Prescribes requirements for uniform collection, maintenance, and dissemination of national data relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including an Elder Justice Resource Center in OEJ. Authorizes the HHS Secretary to award grants for: (1) prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (2) five Centers of Excellence nationwide specializing in research, clinical practice, and training relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (3) six diverse communities to examine various types of elder shelters and test various models for establishing safe havens; (4) nonprofit organizations and faith-based organizations to establish or continue volunteer programs focusing on the issues of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, or providing related services; and (5) various multidisciplinary elder justice activities. Provides for: (1) reporting to law enforcement of crimes occurring in federally-funded long-term care facilities; (2) revising the quality of long-term care; and (3) increasing consumer information about long-term care, including an HHS long-term care consumer clearinghouse. Amends: (1) the Older Americans Act of 1965 with respect to the long-term care ombudsman program; (2) part A (General Provisions) of SSA title XI to establish an adult protective services grant program; (3) SSA titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) to assure safety of residents when nursing facilities close; and (4) part E (Miscellaneous) to apply skilled nursing facility preventive abuse requirements to long-term care facilities and providers. Establishes within the Department of Justice an Office of Elder Justice. Authorizes the Attorney General to award: (1) victim advocacy grants; and (2) grants for specified support to local and state prosecutors handling elder justice-related cases. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a long-term care facility worker employment tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2006
Homeland Security Information Sharing Partnerships Act of 2006 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a State, Local, and Tribal Information Fusion Center Initiative to establish partnerships with state, local, tribal, and regional information fusion centers (designated entities that serve as data analysis and dissemination centers for potentially relevant homeland security information). Specifies the Secretary's duties through such Initiative, including: (1) coordinating with the principal official of each state, local, tribal, or regional information fusion center and the official designated as the Homeland Security Advisor of the State; (2) providing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operational and intelligence advice and assistance to such centers; (3) reviewing homeland security information gathered by such centers and incorporate relevant information with Department information; and (4) providing training to such centers and encourage them to participate in terrorist threat-related exercises conducted by the Department. Requires the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees with a concept of operations for the Initiative, including a privacy and civil liberties impact assessment. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, to establish a Homeland Security Information Sharing Fellows Program.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2006
Homeland Security Open Source Intelligence Enhancement Act of 2006 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure that: (1) the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis and the Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection make full and efficient use of open-source intelligence (intelligence that is produced from publicly available information) by acquiring, gathering, processing, and analyzing open-source information to produce open-source intelligence products; and (2) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) makes full and efficient use of such information to analyze U.S. critical infrastructure nodes from the perspective of terrorists using publicly available information. Directs the Secretary to share such analysis with appropriate federal, state, local, tribal, and private-sector officials.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2006
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the Department of Education's Additional Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy: Three-Part Test--part Three issued on March 17, 2005, violates the intent and spirit of the mandate of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to provide equal opportunities in athletics, changes prior Department of Education policies and long-standing title IX law, and should be withdrawn; and (2) the Department should honor its 2003 commitment to enforce the standards of long-standing title IX athletics policies, including the 1996 Clarification.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2006
Security and Accountability For Every Port Act or the SAFE Port Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and implement a strategic plan to enhance the security of the maritime transportation system. Directs the Secretary to develop protocols for the resumption of trade in the event of a transportation security incident that necessitates the suspension of trade. Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a plan for improving the Automated Targeting System for identifying high-risk containers moving through the international supply chain. Requires states to submit to the Secretary biographic information on current and future employees who have access to secured areas of seaports and to compare such information against terrorist watch lists. Establishes in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a Director of Cargo Security Policy to coordinate DHS cargo security policies and programs with other executive agencies relating to cargo security. Establishes minimum standards and verification procedures for securing containers in transit to an importer in the United States, including international standards for the security of containers moving through the international supply chain. Directs the Secretary to submit to the appropriate congressional committees a strategy for the deployment of radiation detection equipment at all ports of entry. Establishes the Container Security Initiative (CSI) to identify and examine maritime containers that pose a risk for terrorism at foreign ports before they are shipped to the United States. Establishes: (1) the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) to strengthen and improve the overall security of the international supply chain and U.S. border security; and (2) a third tier of C-TPAT (Greenlane) that offers additional benefits to validated C-TPAT participants that demonstrate a sustained commitment beyond the minimum requirements for participation in C-TPAT. Establishes a port security grant program to allocate federal assistance to U.S. ports on the basis of risk and need
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2006
Homeland Security Science and Technology Enhancement Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to support the development and promulgation of national voluntary consensus standards for homeland security equipment and training. Directs the Secretary to complete the establishment of the Technology Clearinghouse. Requires the establishment of a homeland security technology transfer program to facilitate the identification, modification, and commercialization of technology and equipment for use to prevent, prepare for, or respond to acts of terrorism or other emergencies. Directs the Secretary to transfer responsibility for administering the Homeland Security Institute to the Under Secretary for Policy, Planning, and International Affairs. Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to: (1) provide technical guidance, training, and other assistance, as appropriate, to support the transfer and integration of homeland security technologies and protocols in urban and other high risk jurisdictions determined by the Secretary to be at consistently high levels of risk from terrorist attack; (2) support research and development in cybersecurity to improve the ability of the United States to prevent against, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber attacks; and (3) establish a program to support the development and promulgation of national voluntary consensus standards for requirements, performance testing, and user training with respect to critical infrastructure information systems. Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to establish a demonstration program to test the effectiveness and varied applications of utilizing surveillance systems technology to enhance homeland security.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2006
Promoting Antiterrorism Capabilities Through International Cooperation Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to establish the Science and Technology Homeland Security International Cooperative Programs Office, headed by a Director who shall be responsible for developing mechanisms, legal frameworks, and strategic priorities for international cooperative activity in support of homeland security research. Requires the Director to facilitate: (1) the planning, development, and implementation of such activity; and (2) the matching of U.S. entities with non-U.S. entities that may partner in homeland security research activities. Requires the Director periodically to hold international homeland security technology workshops and conferences. Provides for the allocation of specified research, development, testing, and evaluation funds of the Directorate of Science and Technology for activities under this Act. Requires the Director to: (1) ensure that funding and resources expended in international cooperative activity will be equitably matched by the foreign partner organization; and (2) work to facilitate development of information sharing and other types of cooperative mechanisms for situational awareness of the genomics and proteomics of exotic animal disease, including with African nations. Provides that partners shall include Israel, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and other allies in the global war on terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2006
Berry Amendment Extension Act - Prohibits the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from procuring specified covered items directly related to national security interests (including clothing, tents, or natural fiber products, specialty metals, or hand or measuring tools) that are not grown, reprocessed, reused, or produced in the United States, except to the extent satisfactory quality and sufficient quantity of any such product cannot be procured at U.S. market prices. Makes additional exceptions for: (1) procurements by vessels in foreign waters; (2) emergency procurements or procurements of perishable foods by establishments located outside the United States for their personnel; and (3) purchases for amounts not greater than the simplified acquisition threshold ($100,000). Directs the Secretary to ensure that: (1) each member of the Department's acquisition workforce who regularly participates in textile acquisition receives training during FY2006 on this Act's requirements; and (2) any such training includes comprehensive information on such requirements. Makes this Act inapplicable to the extent that it is inconsistent with U.S. obligations under an international agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2006
Amends title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of the Social Security Act to provide for the mandatory revocation of passports of individuals who are more than $5,000 in arrears in child support payments.
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 · 9 March 2006
Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the National Cancer Institute, to establish special programs of research excellence in the area of pediatric cancers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a grant mechanism for the establishment of Research Fellowships in Pediatric Cancer to support adequate numbers of pediatric focused clinical and translational investigators. Requires the Director to award a grant for the operation of a population-based national childhood cancer database, the Childhood Cancer Research Network. Requires the Secretary to award grants to recognized childhood cancer professional and advocacy organizations to raise public awareness of currently available information, treatment, and research with intent to ensure access to best available therapies for pediatric cancers.
![Official portrait of Rep. Simmons, Rob [R-CT-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001152_200.jpg)