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United States · Official source
1,647 records where Rep. Strickland, Ted [D-OH-6] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2006
Erroneous Deployment Compensation Act - Increases nonregular service retirement credits for members or former members of reserve components of the Armed Forces who were ordered to active duty after September 11, 2001, and deployed to a combat area only by reason of an administrative error by the Department of Defense.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2006
Amends the USEC Privatization Act to permit a contractor employee to bring suit in federal district court on or before June 30, 2008, for a violation of an agreement between an employer and a labor organization that occurred on or before December 31, 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2006
Requires the Secretary of Energy to establish a program to provide health care benefits for workers who: (1) have been employed by a Department of Energy (DOE) contractor to perform duties under a contract for environmental remediation, waste management, decontamination and decommissioning, maintenance, security, and administrative activities at the Fernald Closure Project (Harrison, Ohio), the Mound Closure Project (Miamisburg, Ohio), or the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (Golden, Colorado); and (2) would have qualified for health care benefits available for retirees had the individual's employment not been terminated as a result of the accelerated closure of the site.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2006
Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to provide education on preventing teen pregnancies. Provides for: (1) grants to prevent teen pregnancy; and (2) a national center for parents of adolescents to support parents in preventing teen pregnancy. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of Social Security Act to expand coverage of family planning services. Sets forth requirements for primary care clinics that receive federal financial assistance and provide abortion services. Expands state options to provide health care coverage to low-income pregnant women. Title X Family Planning Services Act of 2006 - Authorizes appropriations for voluntary family planning projects. Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit individual health insurance coverage from excluding pregnancy as a preexisting condition. Provides for: (1) grants for ultrasound equipment and prenatal testing for pregnant women; and (2) programs to better identify and treat pregnant women and mothers who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Allows the Secretary to make grants to public institutions of higher education to assist students who have decided to carry their pregnancies to term and parenting students in continuing their studies and graduating. Requires the Secretary to require that federally funded group homes for pregnant and parenting women provide, upon request, adoption counseling and counseling on parenting skills. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the tax credit for adoption expenses; (2) make such tax credit refundable; and (3) increase the exclusion from gross income for employer-paid adoption expenses. Provides for: (1) education of teen and first-time mothers through home visits by registered nurses; and (2) the collection and reporting of abortion surveillance data.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2006
Designates the federal building located at 2 South Main Street in Akron, Ohio, as the "John F. Seiberling Federal Building."
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 · 28 July 2006
Federal Living Wage Responsibility Act - Requires the Federal government and any employer under a Federal contract or subcontract exceeding $10,000 to pay each of their respective workers: (1) an hourly wage (or salary equivalent) necessary for such employee to earn, while working 40 hours a week on a full-time basis, not less than the amount of the Federal poverty level for a family of four; and (2) an additional amount, based on the locality in which a worker resides, sufficient to cover the costs to such worker to obtain specified fringe benefits not provided by the worker's employer. Exempts employers that are: (1) small business concerns; or (2) nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations, if the ratio of the total compensation of the chief executive officer to that of the full-time equivalent of their lowest-paid employee is not greater than 25 to 1. Directs the Secretary of Labor to enforce this Act. Makes federal contractors that are part of a pattern or practice of violations of such wage requirements subject to federal contract suspension, a five-year ineligibility period, and liability for government costs of obtaining a replacement contractor. Provides for judicial review of the Secretary's determinations, and authorizes the President to suspend the provisions of this Act in times of emergency. Allows an aggrieved worker to bring a civil action against an employer for appropriate relief for a violation of this Act, if the employer has not paid or reinstated the worker as a result of the administrative action.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2006
Patient's Access to Physicians Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, to provide for an increase in the minimum updates for payments for physicians' services under the Medicare program for 2007 and 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2006
Veterans Identity and Credit Security Act of 2006 - Requires: (1) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish policies and standards for federal agencies to follow in the event of a breach of data security involving the disclosure of sensitive personal information; and (2) each federal agency to establish procedures for notifying individuals whose sensitive personal information is compromised. Establishes in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) an Under Secretary for Information Services. Outlines responsibilities of the VA's Chief Information Officer with respect to personal information security management. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report quarterly to the congressional veterans' committees on any data breach with respect to sensitive personal information possessed or maintained by the VA. Requires within the VA, with respect to each data breach, an independent risk analysis to determine the level of risk for the potential misuse of such information. Provides for, after a data breach: (1) fraud alerts; (2) credit security freezes; and (3) credit protection services. Outlines requirements for contractors who contract to perform any VA function that requires access to sensitive personal information. Directs the Secretary, in order to ensure appropriate information security skills for VA employees, to carry out programs to provide financial support for the education of such personnel in information security at institutions of higher education. Authorizes: (1) a scholarship program under which the Secretary may provide financial assistance to an individual for up to five years with a limit of $50,000 per year; and (2) a debt reduction program under which the Secretary makes payments on loans taken by VA employees to obtain appropriate information security education, with a payment limit of $82,500 over a five-year period. Provides a first and second priority, in the provision of assistance under this section, to: (1) veterans with service-connected disabilities; and (2) other veterans. Requires any veteran receiving assistance to have been discharged from the Armed Forces under honorable conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2006
Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Improvement Act of 2006 - Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to instruct the Secretaries of Labor and of Health and Human Services (HHS) to include as part of their annual budget requests the administrative costs necessary to implement their responsibilities under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (including, for the Secretary of HHS, costs for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health). Instructs the Secretary of Energy to designate annually as a beryllium vendor any vendor, processor, or producer of beryllium (or related products) not previously designated as such if the Secretary finds that such person has engaged in activities related to production or processing of beryllium sales. Transfers certain responsibilities from the President to the Secretary of HHS regarding: (1) Program administration; and (2) the Special Exposure Cohort. Revises requirements for: (1) the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health (Board); and (2) the Special Exposure Cohort. Establishes within HHS a Special Exposure Cohort Appeals Board to hear appeals from an adverse Special Exposure Cohort designation. Sets forth conflicts of interest prohibitions. Expands the duties of the Office of Ombudsman to include: (1) assisting individuals in making claims; and (2) acting as advocate for individuals seeking benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2006
Protecting Children's Health in Schools Act of 2006 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish requirements for providing and receiving reimbursement for school-based health care for children, including children with special needs, and the related administrative and transportation costs covered under Medicaid. Includes health care provided through Medicaid managed care organizations. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education, acting jointly, to develop and implement a uniform methodology for claims under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2006
Genuine American Flag Act - Prohibits the importation for sale of foreign-made flags of the United States of America (regardless of size and whether or not in compliance with the standard proportions prescribed by Executive order).
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2006
COBRA Enhancement and Health Care Relief Act of 2006 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, the Internal Revenue Code, and related federal law provisions to extend from 18 to 36 months the period during which employees and other individuals whose group health care coverage has terminated can continue such coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (known as COBRA continuation coverage). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow individual taxpayers a tax credit for the cost of COBRA continuation coverage; (2) provide for advance payments of such credit to cover current COBRA continuation coverage premiums; and (3) increase tax rates for individuals with adjusted gross incomes over $500,000 ($1 million for married taxpayers filing joint tax returns).
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2006
Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Consolidated Coverage Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for the consolidated coverage of home infusion therapy under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance).
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2006
Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a comprehensive program for reducing the incidence of suicide among veterans. Requires the program to include: (1) mandatory training for appropriate staff and contractors of the Department of Veterans Affairs who interact with veterans; (2) screening of veterans who receive medical care at a Department facility for suicide risk factors; (3) referral of at-risk veterans for counseling and treatment; (4) a suicide prevention counselor at each Department medical facility; (5) research for suicide prevention and for mental health care for veterans who have experienced sexual trauma while in military service; (6) 24-hour veterans' mental health care availability; and (7) a toll-free hotline. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) suicide among veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious problem; and (2) the Secretary should take in the special needs of PTSD-afflicted veterans in developing and implementing the program.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2006
Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) revise the national program for traumatic brain injury registries to include grants for a traumatic brain injury surveillance system; and (2) authorize appropriations through 2010 for the prevention and control of injuries. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to conduct a study to: (1) determine the incidence and prevalence of traumatic brain injury; (2) maintain data on the incidence and prevalence of mild traumatic brain injury; (3) report national trends in traumatic brain injury; (4) identify common therapeutic interventions used for the rehabilitation of individuals with such injuries; and (5) develop practice guidelines for such rehabilitation. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), to make grants to states and American Indian consortia to improve access to rehabilitation and other services regarding traumatic brain injury. Requires the Administration and the Commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities to coordinate the collection of data regarding protection and advocacy services. Directs the Administrator to make a grant for training and technical assistance to protection and advocacy systems, if funds permit. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to provide for projects of national significance that: (1) support the development of policies that reinforce and promote self-determination, independence, productivity, integration, and inclusion in all facets of community life for individuals with traumatic brain injury; and (2) hold promise to improve or expand opportunities for such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2006
Honors former President William Jefferson Clinton on the occasion of his 60th birthday on August 19, 2006, and extends best wishes to him and his family.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2006
Cruise Line Accurate Safety Statistics Act - Requires the owner of a cruise ship that calls at a U.S. port to report to the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating each: (1) crime that occurred on the cruise ship in which a U.S. citizen was a victim; (2) incident on a cruise ship in which a U.S. citizen was missing or reported overboard for four hours or more; and (3) crime and incident that occurred on the cruise ship in the preceding three-month period. Requires the Secretary to make such information available to the public, including on a site on the Internet. Directs the Secretary to inspect each cruise ship that enters a U.S. port to determine whether such ship has adequate equipment and trained personnel to investigate such crimes. Requires a cruise line that sells a ticket for carriage of an individual on a cruise ship that will call at a U.S. port to: (1) refer such individual to the Internet site before selling the ticket; and (2) provide the individual with the name of each country the cruise ship will visit, as well as the locations of each U.S. embassy and consulate in such country. Sets forth civil penalties for persons that violate the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2006
United States and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act of 2006 - Declares the sense of Congress that: (1) it may be in the U.S. interest to enter into an agreement for nuclear cooperation under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (AEA) with a country that has never been a member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) with respect to civilian nuclear technology if certain criteria have been met; (2) India meets such criteria; and (3) it is in the U.S. national security interest to deepen its relationship with India across a full range of issues, including peaceful nuclear cooperation. Declares the policy of the United States to oppose the development of a capability to produce nuclear weapons by any non-nuclear weapon state, within or outside of the NPT. Declares certain U.S. policy objectives with respect to South Asia, including to seek to halt the increase of nuclear weapon arsenals in South Asia, and to promote their reduction and eventual elimination. Specifies conditions which the President must determine to exist in order to exercise authority to: (1) exempt a proposed agreement for nuclear cooperation with India from the AEA requirement that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards be maintained for all nuclear materials in peaceful nuclear activities; (2) waive application to India of the AEA prohibition against U.S. export of source material, special nuclear material, production or utilization facilities, and any sensitive nuclear technology unless such safeguards are maintained; and (3) waive certain AEA export restrictions required because of the detonation of a nuclear explosive device by a non-nuclear-weapon state, and failure to take steps representing sufficient progress toward terminating activities involving source or special nuclear material with direct significance for the manufacture or acquisition of nuclear explosive devices. Prescribes procedures for: (1) submission to Congress of information concerning such determinations; and (2) approval by Congress of a proposed agreement for nuclear cooperation with India. Requires termination of nuclear transfers to India if India makes materially significant transfers of nuclear or nuclear-related material, equipment, or technology, or of ballistic missiles or related equipment or technology, that do not conform to guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) or the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2006
Veterans Long Term Care Security Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay for nursing home care furnished in a non-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) nursing home to any veteran in need of such care: (1) for a service-connected disability; or (2) who has a service-connected disability rated at 70 percent or more. Directs the Secretary to furnish such drugs and medicines as ordered by a duly licensed physician for any veteran in need of such drugs and medicines: (1) for a service-connected disability; or (2) who has a service-connected disability rated at 50 percent or more. Authorizes the Secretary, for three years after the enactment of this Act, to treat certain health facilities as state homes for purposes of eligibility for payments for care provided to veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2006
Declares that it is U.S. policy to oppose any effort by the Iraqi government to grant amnesty to anyone known to have attacked, kidnapped, wounded, or killed members of the U.S. Armed Forces or U.S. citizens. Calls for the President to notify the Iraqi government of such opposition.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2006
Expresses support for the National Sexual Assault Hotline and commends the Hotline for counseling and supporting 1 million callers.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2006
Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to revise the prohibition on importing convict-made goods into the United States to make it unlawful to: (1) import into, or export from, the United States any sweatshop good; or (2) introduce into commerce, sell, trade, or advertise in commerce, offer to sell, or transport or distribute in U.S.commerce, any sweatshop good. Grants the President, for reasons of national interest, authority to recommend waiver of the applications set forth in this Act in connection with the goods of any country with respect to one or more of the principles and rights defined in this Act as a core labor standard. Sets forth procedures for consideration of such a waiver. Makes it unlawful for persons to introduce into commerce, sell, trade, or advertise in commerce, offer to sell or transport or distribute in commerce any sweatshop good. Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce this prohibition as if it were an unfair or deceptive act or practice proscribed under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Allows specified persons with standing to bring a civil action in U.S. district courts against sellers of goods, wares, articles, or merchandise on grounds of a violation of such prohibition. Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 and federal law regarding the Armed Forces to prohibit executive agencies from entering into procurement contracts for sweatshop goods.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2006
Recognizes Sam Hornish, Jr., for his victory in the Indianapolis 500.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2006
Comprehensive Veterans' Data Protection and Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2006 - Places upon the Secretary of Veterans Affairs an affirmative obligation to protect from any data breach the sensitive personal information of veterans and any other individuals that the Department of Veterans Affairs possesses, creates, or maintains, as well as information or tools (including passwords and encryption keys) used to protect the integrity of such data. Requires the Secretary to: (1) implement and maintain reasonable security policies and procedures to protect such information; and (2) prescribe policies and procedures regarding employee and third party access to, and use of, such information which the Department receives, maintains, or transmits. Directs the Secretary, upon discovery of a data breach, to: (1) notify the United States Secret Service, the Department's Inspector General, the congressional veterans' committees, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); (2) notify each individual whose information was acquired or accessed by an unauthorized person; and (3) place a conspicuous notice on the Department's Internet website. Requires the Secretary, upon request of an affected individual, to: (1) include a fraud alert in the file of the individual with each nationwide consumer reporting agency; (2) apply a security freeze to the file of such individual; and (3) provide free damage mitigation services, including credit monitoring and annual copies of consumer credit reports. Establishes within the Department an Ombudsman for Data Security.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2006
Supports the goals and ideals of National Homeownership Month, and recognizes the importance of homeownership in building strong communities and families.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that it is the goal of the United States that by January 1, 2025, U.S. agricultural, forestry, and working land should provide from renewable resources not less than 25% of the total U.S. energy consumption and continue to produce safe, abundant, and affordable food, feed, and fiber.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2006
Rural Veterans Health Care Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) conduct an outreach program to identify and provide information to veterans who served in Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom and who reside in rural communities in order to enroll those veterans in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system; (2) expand access to Vet Centers in rural areas; (3) develop and implement a plan for improving veterans access to health care in rural areas; (4) establish a health information technology pilot program to ensure quality care for rural veterans through VA facilities; (5) establish the Advisory Committee on Rural Veterans; (6) designate at least four VA health care facilities as centers of rural health research, education, and clinical activities; (7) include rural veterans in a current VA grant program for homeless veterans with special needs; (8) enhance the education, training, retention, and recruitment of health professionals in rural areas; and (9) expand VA health care presence in Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Native Alaskan rural communities.
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 · 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
Trade Readjustment Allowances for Adversely Affected Workers Act of 2006 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to treat any week in which employment is unavailable to an adversely affected worker because of a lockout as a week of employment. (Thus, counts such weeks for purposes of qualifying such a worker for a trade readjustment allowance.)
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 · 23 May 2006
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2020 excise tax credits and refunds for liquid fuels and mixtures derived from coal (including peat) through the Fischer-Tropsch process.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2006
Veterans' Disability Compensation Automatic COLA Act - Requires that, whenever there is an increase in benefit amounts payable under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall increase by the same percentage the amounts payable as veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled adult children, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2006
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 40 South Walnut Street in Chillicothe, Ohio, as the "Larry Cox Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2006
Veterans Mental Health Care Access Improvement Act of 2006 - Modifies requirements for appointment to positions in the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by establishing eligibility requirements for licensed mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2006
Department of Energy Contractor Employee Equitable Treatment Act of 2006 - Prohibits any funds from being expended to implement, administer, or enforce the guidance of the Department of Energy (DOE) relating to contractor employee pension and medical benefits policy. (DOE will no longer reimburse contractors for new employees' pension and medical costs under defined benefit plans, but will now reimburse only such costs under defined contribution, market-based plans that vary from the average cost of such market-based plans by no more than 5%.) Requires the Secretary of Energy to: (1) withdraw such guidance not later than one day after enactment of this Act; and (2) reinstate eligibility or reimbursement for benefits or reinstate reimbursement for benefits if the Secretary has acted on such guidance.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2006
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of Mental Health Month; and (2) President Bush's Commission on Mental Health's finding that the failure to prioritize mental health is a national tragedy.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 - Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to revise requirements for: (1) the use of election examiners and observers; (2) declaratory judgment on the issue of voting qualifications or standards intended to diminish the ability of U.S. citizens to elect preferred candidates; and (3) award of attorney fees in enforcement proceedings to include expert fees and other reasonable costs of litigation. Extends bilingual election requirements through August 5, 2032. Revises the requirements for determining states and political subdivisions covered by them to require use of 2010 American Community Survey census data. Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with respect to the prohibition against the use of tests or devices to deny the right to vote in any federal, state, or local election. Extends both the prohibition and the date for mandatory congressional reconsideration of it.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2006
Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the newborns and infants hearing loss program to: (1) provide services for young children (currently, limited to infants and newborns); and (2) include diagnostic services among services provided. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to assist in the recruitment, retention, education, and training of qualified personnel and health care providers. Includes within the purposes of such program: (1) developing efficient models to ensure that newborns, infants, and young children who are identified with a hearing loss through screening are not lost to follow-up by a qualified health care provider; and (2) ensuring an adequate supply of qualified personnel to meet the screening, evaluation, and early intervention needs of children. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the Director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, to establish a postdoctoral fellowship program to foster research and development in the area of early hearing detection and intervention. Amends the definition of "early intervention" to require that families be given the opportunity to obtain the full range of early intervention services, educational and program placements, and other options for their child from highly qualified providers.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2006
Veterans Certification and Licensure Act of 2006 - Establishes within the Department of Labor the Veterans Advisory Committee on Certification, Credentialing, and Licensure to carry out a national program to: (1) facilitate the transition of members of the Armed Forces from active-duty service to employment in the private sector through credentialing; (2) collect and disseminate data on certification, licensing, and credentialing programs of the states and of the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs; and (3) advise the Secretary of Labor on certification, licensing, and credentialing issues related to converting the skills acquired by veterans while serving in the Armed Forces to skills relevant to civilian occupations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2006
Federal Locks and Lock and Dam Facilities Act of 2006 - Declares that: (1) water and navigational resource projects and facilities are national critical infrastructures and the operation and maintenance of locks and lock and dam facilities constitute inherently governmental functions that require performance by federal employees; and (2) the transfer of such functions to a different agency shall not change such determination. Permits the Army Corps of Engineers to continue to contract: (1) for private sector performance of such functions that were performed under contracts with the private sector in effect on March 1, 2006, but permits the Corps to use federal employees to perform such functions in the future; and (2) with the private sector to construct new locks and lock and dam facilities.
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
National Defense Enhancement and National Guard Empowerment Act of 2006 - Expands the: (1) authority of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (Bureau) to include membership on the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) (and raises the grade of the Chief from lieutenant general to general); and (2) functions of the Bureau to include facilitating and coordinating, with other federal agencies and the states, the use of Guard personnel and resources for, and in, contingency operations, military operations other than war, natural disasters, and support of civil authorities. Directs the Chief to: (1) identify gaps between federal and state capabilities to prepare for and respond to emergencies; and (2) make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense on Guard programs and activities to address such gaps. Requires annual Department of Defense (DOD) budget justification documents to include separate amounts for Guard training and equipment for military assistance to civil authorities and other domestic operations. Establishes within the JCS an Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for Reserve Matters. Expresses the sense of Congress calling for consideration of eligible reserve officers for promotion to the grades of lieutenant general or vice admiral on the active duty list. Requires the position of Deputy Commander of the U.S. Northern Command to be filled by a qualified Guard officer eligible for promotion to the grade of lieutenant general.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2006
Fair and Speedy Treatment (FAST) of Medicare Prescription Drug Claims Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require prompt payment of clean claims to pharmacies by prescription drug plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans (MA-PD Plans). Defines prompt payment as within 14 calendar days from submission for claims submitted electronically, and within 30 calendar days for claims submitted otherwise. Requires payment of interest, also, if a payment is not issued, mailed, or otherwise transmitted within the applicable number of calendar days. Makes it unlawful for a PDP sponsor of a prescription drug plan to display on the prescription drug card the name, brand, or trademark (co-branding) of any pharmacy. Requires each PDP sponsor to charge not less than the minimum dispensing fee, $14, adjusted annually for inflation, for generic covered Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) drugs. Revises requirements for a covered medication therapy management service, allowing it to be furnished by a health care provider, other than a pharmacist, with advanced training in medication management. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to specify: (1) the population of part D eligible individuals appropriate for services under a medication therapy management program, based on certain characteristics; and (2) a minimum defined package of medication therapy management services that shall be provided to each enrollee. Revises requirements for pharmacy fees. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a two-year demonstration program to examine the impact of medication therapy management furnished by a pharmacist in a community-based or ambulatory-based setting on quality of care, spending, and patient health; and (2) a Best Practices Commission to develop a best practices model for medication therapy management.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2006
Communities Building Access Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public or nonprofit private entities to carry out demonstration projects for the purpose of making health care coverage available, on a cost-sharing basis, to: (1) employees through employers that have not contributed to health care benefits for employees during the prior 12 months; and (2) self-employed individuals who have been without such coverage during the prior 12 months. Requires the Secretary to make matching grants to public or nonprofit private entities to carry out demonstration projects for the purpose of forming and maintaining networks composed of health care specialists who volunteer health services to eligible individuals. Directs the Secretary to make an award of a grant or contract for the establishment and operation of a clearinghouse for information on demonstration projects under this Act and similar projects that are community initiated. Allows the Secretary to carry out a program to encourage public and private entities that plan or operate such projects to submit information to the clearinghouse.
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
Fairness and Accountability in Reorganizations Act of 2006 - Revises federal bankruptcy law to add to the conditions for court confirmation of a corporate reorganization plan that the compensation of an insider who will be employed or retained by the reorganized debtor has been approved by, or is subject to the approval of, the court, as reasonable. Prohibits the payment of a compensation enhancement in order to induce an insider of the debtor to remain with the debtor's business, unless the court finds that any transfers or obligations to or for the insider's benefit are essential to the survival of the business, or to the orderly liquidation and maximization of the value of the debtor's assets. Revises requirements for collective bargaining agreements and retiree health benefits to instruct the court to take into account the ongoing impact on the debtor of the debtor's relationship with all subsidiaries and affiliates, regardless of whether domestic or foreign, or whether any such subsidiary or affiliate is a debtor entity.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Veterans' Pension Improvement Act of 2006 - Increases pension rates for: (1) veterans of a period of war for non-service-connected disability; and (2) surviving spouses and children of veterans.
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.