United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit an alien counted toward the numerical limitation applicable to H-2B nonimmigrants (temporary nonagricultural workers) during any of the three fiscal years prior to submission of an H-2B petition from being counted toward the limitation in the year of petition approval. Makes this provision effective as if enacted on October 1, 2004. Provides for its expiration on October 1, 2006. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to impose a fraud prevention and detection fee on employers filing H-2B petitions. Mandates the deposit of such fees into the Fraud Prevention and Detection Account. Authorizes additional penalties for a substantial failure to meet any condition of an H-2B petition or the willful misrepresentation of a material fact in such a petition. Requires the allocation of the numerical limitation on the issuance of H-2B visas (currently, 66,000) such that the total number of H-2B nonimmigrants entering the United States during the first six months of a fiscal year is not more than 33,000. Directs the Secretary to provide the House and Senate Judiciary Committees with information on: (1) the numbers of aliens granted H-2B status or terminated from H-2B status, on a quarterly basis; and (2) the countries of origin, occupations of, and compensation paid to aliens granted H-2B status, the number of aliens terminated from such status, and the number of aliens provided such status during both the fiscal year reported and the preceding fiscal year, on an annual basis. Requires the Secretary of State to provide information relevant to such reports.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
Designates the segment of Interstate Route 86 between its interchange with New York State Route 15 in the vicinity of Painted Post, New York, and its interchange with New York State Route 352 in the vicinity of Corning, New York, as the "Amo Houghton Bypass."
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefields Commemorative Coin Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 to direct the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the American Battlefield Protection Program, to establish an acquisition grant program for battlefields and associated sites identified in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Historic Preservation Study (battlefield report). Authorizes the Secretary to provide grants to States or local governments (eligible entities) to pay the Federal share of the cost of acquiring such sites. Permits eligible entities to acquire an interest in eligible sites using such grants in partnership with nonprofit organizations. Requires the non-Federal share of the cost of acquisition of eligible sites to be not less than 50 percent of the total. Subjects acquired property to the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act's prohibition against conversion to other than public outdoor recreation uses without the Secretary's approval. Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress a report on activities carried out under this Act and updates to the battlefield report.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Medicare Prescription Drug Sensibility Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exclude coverage of drugs prescribed for the treatment of impotence under the Medicare prescription drug benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission to plan, develop, and carry out programs and activities appropriate to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, and to carry out other specified duties. Directs the National Endowment for the Humanities to award grants for appropriate activities relating to the Civil War sesquicentennial, and to consider for such grants university, museum, or academic programs with national scope that sponsor multidisciplinary projects, including those that concentrate on the role of African Americans in the Civil War.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Notch Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act with respect to the benefit computation formula for individuals affected by the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977 who reached age 65 after 1979 and before 1989. Sets forth a schedule of additional benefit increases for such beneficiaries (and related beneficiaries), with percentages declining from 55 percent to five percent keyed to the year an individual became eligible for such benefits between 1979 and 1989. Provides for an election to receive such payments in a lump sum.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Help Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2005 -Sets forth provisions regulating lawsuits for health care liability claims concerning the provision of health care goods or services or any medical product affecting interstate commerce. Sets a statute of limitations of three years after the date of manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers the injury, with certain exceptions. Provides that nothing in this Act limits recovery of the full amount of available economic damages. Limits noneconomic damages to $250,000. Makes each party liable only for the amount of damages directly proportional to such party's percentage of responsibility. Allows the court to restrict the payment of attorney contingency fees. Limits the fees to a decreasing percentage based on the increasing value of the amount awarded. Prescribes qualifications for expert witnesses. Allows the introduction of collateral source benefits and the amount paid to secure such benefits as evidence. Prohibits a provider of such benefits from recovering any amount from an award in a health care lawsuit involving injury or wrongful death. Authorizes the award of punitive damages only where: (1) it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that a person acted with malicious intent to injure the claimant or deliberately failed to avoid unnecessary injury the claimant was substantially certain to suffer; and (2) compensatory damages are awarded. Limits punitive damages to the greater of two times the amount of economic damages or $250,000. Limits the liability of manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and providers of medical products that comply with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. Provides for periodic payments of future damage awards.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member of the Armed Forces entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member. Directs the Secretary to reimburse such eligible persons for pharmacy benefits received from a pharmacy that is not a TRICARE (Department of Defense managed health care plan) network pharmacy in the same manner as the Secretary would reimburse such person for such benefits received from a TRICARE network pharmacy. Requires such persons, in order to receive such reimbursement, to submit a certification from their physician stating that the person does not have access to a TRICARE network pharmacy due to physical or medical constraints. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive the monthly part B premium (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) with respect to: (1) an individual who is entitled to military retired or retainer pay based upon service that began before December 7, 1956; and (2) the spouse, widow, or widower of such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to disregard State paid annuities for blind veterans and their spouses in determining SSI benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Milk Import Tariff Equity Act - Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to impose tariff-rate quotas (quantitative import limits) and provide various duty rates on certain casein, caseinates, milk protein concentrate, and other casein derivatives and glues imported into the United States (except imports from Mexico). Authorizes the President to: (1) enter into a trade agreement with a foreign country to grant new concessions as compensation in order to maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions; and (2) proclaim any necessary modification or continuance of any existing duty, or continuance of existing duty-free or excise treatment, or any quantitative limitation. Sets forth certain limits on the reduction of duties on such products.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Amends the Federal Law Enforcement Pay Reform Act of 1990 to revise the special pay adjustments for (percentage differentials payable to) Federal law enforcement officers in specified consolidated metropolitan statistical areas. Includes Capitol Police as law enforcement officers under such Act. Eliminates the limitation on the aggregate of basic pay and premium pay with respect to availability pay for Federal criminal investigators.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Amends the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to detain for examination, testing, or the taking of evidence: (1) any horse at any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction which is sore or which the Secretary has probable cause to believe is sore; and (2) any horse or other equine which the Secretary has probable cause to believe is being shipped, transported, moved, delivered, received, possessed, purchased, sold, or donated in violation of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
G.I. Advanced Education in Science and Technology Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly stipend to each individual who is entitled to veterans' basic educational assistance and is pursuing full-time a doctoral degree in the sciences of engineering, mathematics, or other technology disciplines. Allows such payment in addition to any other authorized Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance. Makes such payment $1,200 a month (adjusted for inflation for fiscal years after 2005) for up to 60 months.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
REAL ID Act of 2005 - Amends Immigration and Nationality Act provisions concerning asylum to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security, in addition to the Attorney General, to grant asylum; (2) require asylum applicants to prove that race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion was or will be (if removed) the central reason for their persecution; and (3) provide that an applicant's testimony may be sufficient to sustain this burden of proof only if the trier of fact determines that it is credible, persuasive, and fact-specific. Gives the trier of fact discretion to require corroborating evidence. Lists factors relevant to credibility determinations in asylum cases. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive laws as necessary to ensure expeditious construction of certain barriers and roads at the U.S. border. Expands grounds of inadmissibility and deportability due to terrorist or terrorist-related activity. Modifies the provision defining "engage in terrorist activity" to eliminate the possibility of discretionary waivers of inadmissibility for material support of organizations or individuals that have engaged in terrorist activity. Expands the definition of "terrorist organization." Prohibits Federal agencies from accepting State issued driver's licenses or identification cards unless such documents are determined by the Secretary to meet minimum security requirements. Sets forth issuance standards for such documents that require: (1) evidence that the applicant is lawfully present in the United States; and (2) issuance of temporary driver's licenses or identification cards to persons temporarily present that are valid only for their period of authorized stay (or for one year where the period of stay is indefinite). Authorizes the Secretary to impose additional requirements. Requires States, as a condition of receiving financial assistance, to participate in the interstate compact regarding the sharing of driver's license data. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to assist them in conforming to the document standards of this Act. Repeals overlapping provisions of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Theodore Roosevelt Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than: (1) 500,000 $1 coins with the image of Theodore Roosevelt as a Rough Rider on one side and an eagle design on the other side; and (2) 500,000 $1 coins with the image of Roosevelt on horseback on one side and a flaming sword of righteousness on the other side. Expresses the sense of Congress that the coins should be struck at the U.S. Mint at West Point, New York. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such minted coins beginning on January 1, 2006, and to initiate coin sales before such date. (2006 will mark the 100th anniversary of Roosevelt's award of the Nobel Peace Prize.) Requires payment of $10 surcharges from the coin sales to the Theodore Roosevelt Association, to be used exclusively for educational programs at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, including a visitor's center.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Amends the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act to: (1) prohibit the sale or transfer for commercial product processing of any free-roaming horse or burro on U.S. public lands; and (2) repeal the provisions permitting the sale of certain excess animals or their remains, and excluding from criminal fine or imprisonment a person who processes or permits the processing of such animals' remains.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2005
Iran Freedom Support Act - States that: (1) U.S. sanctions, controls, and regulations relating to weapons of mass destruction with respect to Iran shall remain in effect until the President certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that Iran has permanently and verifiably dismantled its weapons of mass destruction programs and has committed to combating such weapons' proliferation; and (2) such certification shall have no effect on other sanctions relating to Iranian support of international terrorism. Amends the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 to: (1) eliminate mandatory sanction provisions respecting Libya; (2) impose mandatory sanctions on a person or entity that aids Iran acquire or develop weapons of mass destruction or destabilizing types and numbers of conventional weapons; (3) revise multilateral regime reporting requirements, including provisions respecting sanctions on individuals aiding Iranian petroleum development; (4) enlarge the scope of sanctionable entities; and (5) eliminate the sunset provision. Authorizes the President to provide financial and political assistance to eligible foreign and domestic individuals and groups that support democracy in Iran and that are opposed to the Government of Iran. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the President should appoint a special assistant on Iranian matters; (2) contacts should be expanded with democratic Iranian opposition groups; and (3) the President should designate at least one such eligible group within 90 days of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
First Responders Funding Reform Act of 2005 - Amends the USA PATRIOT Act to require: (1) that each State be allocated in each fiscal year not less than .5 percent (currently, .75 percent) of the total amount appropriated for domestic preparedness grants; (2) such grants to be awarded based on a quantitative risk assessment for threat, vulnerability, and consequences; and (3) the Office for State and Local Domestic Preparedness Support of the Office of Justice Programs, by March 1 of each year, to submit that assessment to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
National Small Business Regulatory Assistance Act of 2005 - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), acting through the Associate Administrator for Small Business Development Centers, to establish a program to provide regulatory compliance assistance to small businesses through participating Small Business Development Centers (Centers), the Association for Small Business Development Centers (Association), and Federal compliance partnership programs. Requires the Administrator to enter into arrangements with participating Centers to provide: (1) access to regulatory information and resources; (2) training and education activities; (3) confidential counseling to owners and operators of small businesses regarding compliance with Federal and State regulations; and (4) technical assistance. Directs the Administrator to contract with the Association to act as the repository of and clearinghouse for data and information submitted by Centers. Requires the Administrator, giving substantial weight to the Association's recommendations, to select the Centers programs of two States from each of ten groups of States for participation in the program. Authorizes the Administrator to make additional selections after three years, with a preference for programs that have a plan for consulting with Federal and State agencies to ensure that assistance provided under this Act is not duplicated by any other Federal or State program. Sets forth the formula for determining program grant amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
NASA and JPL 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to mint and issue: (1) ten dollar gold coins; (2) five dollar gold coins; (3) one dollar silver coins; and (4) half-dollar silver coins emblematic of the 50 years of exemplary and unparalleled achievements of NASA and JPL. Directs each Federal agency and U.S. instrumentality that has in its possession any craft or any part of a craft that flew in space to: (1) retrieve any gold, silver, copper, and other precious metal that may be used in the production of any coins under this Act from such craft or part; and (2) deposit such metals with the Director of the United States Mint. Requires that all sales of coins minted under this Act include a surcharge of : (1) $75 per coin for the ten dollar coin; (2) $35 per coin for the five dollar coin; (3) $10 per coin for the one dollar coin; and (4) $3 for the half-dollar coin, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the NASA Family Assistance Fund for the purposes of providing financial assistance to the families of NASA personnel who die as a result of injuries suffered in the performance of their official duties.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Jane's Law - Amends Federal criminal law to provide penalties for failure to pay certain obligations to spouses and ex-spouses that are similar to the penalties imposed for failure to pay child support obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Community Choice in Real Estate Act - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, and the Revised Statutes of the United States, to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury, respectively, from determining that real estate brokerage activity or real estate management activity is financial in nature, is incidental to any financial activity, or is complementary to a financial activity. (In effect, prohibits financial holding companies and national banks from engaging, directly or indirectly, in real estate brokerage or real estate management activities.) Exempts from such prohibition: (1) activities of a bank holding company (or any affiliate) that directly relate to managing any real property owned by national banks or their affiliates; and (2) the right, power, or ability of any financial holding company to engage in any activity, or acquire or retain the shares of any company engaged in an activity authorized for financial holding companies on December 6, 2001 ("grandfather clause").
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Suzanne Lyall Campus Safety Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education to adopt and implement plans providing for prompt and coordinated investigations with local law enforcement agencies of: (1) serious violent felonies occurring at the institutions or on their grounds; and (2) reports of missing students.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Higher Education Science and Technology Competitiveness Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award grants for articulation agreements between institutions of higher education that specifies the acceptability of courses in transfer toward meeting specific degree requirements, especially in mathematics, science, engineering, and technology. Allows the use of grant funds to establish articulation agreements: (1) statewide, among public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education, to provide a seamless transition for the transfer of students through a common core curricula that reflects the workforce needs of private industry; and (2) within community colleges, between occupational competency or certification programs and associate degree programs, to increase the proportion of students who enroll to complete their associate degree. Allows such grants also to be used to: (1) collect data on transfers from two-year to four-year institutions, for monitoring purposes; (2) develop a statewide articulation guide in consultation with public colleges and universities to provide students with descriptions of articulation requirements; and (3) develop a plan for professional development of two-year college faculty.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Acid Rain Control Act - Amends the Clean Air Act to require further reductions in total annual emissions of sulfur dioxide by utility units and nitrogen oxides by facilities with one or more combustion units serving at least one electricity generator with a capacity of at least 25 megawatts. Permits emissions trading and allocation. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations controlling electric utility and industrial source emissions of mercury. Prohibits mercury emission allowance transfers. States that regulations promulgated to carry out emissions reduction and control under this Act shall prevent localized adverse effects and ensure significant reductions in both the Eastern and Western Regions of the United States. Directs the Administrator to identify objectives for and report to Congress on scientifically credible environmental indicators sufficient to protect sensitive ecosystems of the Adirondack, mid-Appalachian, Rocky, and Southern Blue Ridge Mountains as well as the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, Long Island Sound, and the Chesapeake Bay.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Medicare Rural Home Health Services Improvement Act of 2005 - Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to provide for a two-year extension of the temporary Medicare payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2004
Encourages all citizens to be mindful of the contribution of horses to the economy, history, and character of the United States. Expresses the sense of Congress that a National Day of the Horse should be established. Urges the President to issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States and interested organizations to observe National Day of the Horse.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2004
Requires the Secretary of each military department, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, to establish a program as prescribed in this Act to provide educational assistance to members of the Ready Reserve of the Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned. Makes eligible for such benefits on or after September 11, 2001, members of Reserve components who: (1) served on active duty in support of contingency operations for at least 90 consecutive days; or (2) in the case of an Army or Air National Guard member, performed full time duty for at least 90 consecutive days for the purpose of responding to a national emergency declared by the President and supported by Federal funds. Creates an exception to the 90-day requirement for members released from duty because of injury, illness, or disease incurred or aggravated in the line of duty. States that members remain entitled to such educational assistance if ordered to active duty while serving in the Selected Reserve or the Ready Reserve. Terminates educational assistance for disabled members 10 years from the date of entitlement. Requires educational assistance under this Act to be provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2004
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.) Thanks, pays tribute to, and expresses gratitude to all of those who assisted in the significant hospitality, logistical, and security efforts to successfully execute the 2004 national political conventions in Boston, Massachusetts, and New York City, New York.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1475 Western Avenue, Suite 45, in Albany, New York, as the "Lieutenant John F. Finn Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004
Disabled Veterans Transition Assistance Act of 2004 - Requires the Secretary of Defense to carry out a program to provide a support system for members of the Armed Forces who incur severe disabilities on or after September 11, 2001, including a system of advocacy and follow-up to assist those members to transition from military service to the civilian community. Requires the Secretary to designate an executive agent to carry out the program throughout the Department of Defense and, in cooperation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, for members of the Coast Guard with severe disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004
Increases the death gratuity payable with respect to members of the Armed Forces from $12,000 to $50,000. Makes this increase applicable to deaths occurring on or after September 11, 2001. Requires the Secretary of Defense to derive funds for payments under this Act in FY 2005 from travel funds for personnel of the Office of the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2004
G.I. Advanced Education in Science and Technology Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly stipend to each individual who is entitled to veterans' basic educational assistance and is pursuing full-time a doctoral degree in the physical or natural sciences, engineering, mathematics, or other scientific or technology disciplines. Allows such payment in addition to any other authorized Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance. Makes such payment $1,200 a month (adjusted for inflation for fiscal years after 2005) for up to 60 months. Requires that such payments be disregarded by an institution of higher learning when determining any financial assistance that may be available to such doctoral candidate.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2004
Higher Education Science and Technology Competitiveness Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award grants for articulation agreements between institutions of higher education that specifies the acceptability of courses in transfer toward meeting specific degree requirements, especially in mathematics, science, engineering, and technology. Allows the use of grant funds to establish articulation agreements: (1) statewide, among public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education, to provide a seamless transition for the transfer of students through a common core curricula that reflects the workforce needs of private industry; and (2) within community colleges, between occupational competency or certification programs and associate degree programs, to increase the proportion of students who enroll to complete their associates degree. Allows such grants also to be used to: (1) collect data on transfers from two-year to four-year institutions, for monitoring purposes; (2) develop a statewide articulation guide in consultation with public colleges and universities to provide students with descriptions of articulation requirements; and (3) develop a plan for professional development of two-year college faculty.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2004
Samuel de Champlain 400th Commemoration Commission Act of 2004 - Establishes the Samuel de Champlain 400th Commemoration Commission to provide technical and financial assistance to the States of Vermont and New York and communities in those States to commemorate: (1) the arrival of Samuel de Champlain into the Champlain Valley in 1609; and (2) the heritage of the greater Lake Champlain Basin.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2004
NASA and JPL 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to mint and issue: (1) ten dollar gold coins; (2) five dollar gold coins; (3) one dollar silver coins; and (4) half-dollar silver coins emblematic of the 50 years of exemplary and unparalleled achievements of NASA and JPL. Directs each Federal agency and U.S. instrumentality that has in its possession any craft or any part of a craft that flew in space to: (1) retrieve any gold, silver, copper, and other precious metal that may be used in the production of any coins under this Act from such craft or part; and (2) deposit such metals with the Director of the United States Mint. Requires that all sales of coins minted under this Act include a surcharge of : (1) $75 per coin for the ten dollar coin; (2) $35 per coin for the five dollar coin; (3) $10 per coin for the one dollar coin; and (4) $3 for the half-dollar coin, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the NASA Family Assistance Fund for the purposes of providing financial assistance to the families of NASA personnel who die as a result of injuries suffered in the performance of their official duties.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2004
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the actions of terrorists will never cause the date of any Presidential election to be postponed; and (2) no single individual or agency should be given the authority to postpone the date of such an election.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2004
Encourages the International Olympic Committee to choose New York City as the site of the 2012 Olympic Games. Hopes that the United States will be selected as the host country of such Games and pledges cooperation and support for their successful fulfillment in the highest Olympic tradition.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2004
Amends Federal criminal law to provide penalties for failure to pay certain obligations to spouses and ex-spouses that are similar to the penalties imposed for failure to pay child support obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2004
Terrorism Insurance Backstop Extension Act of 2004 - Amends the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 to define: (1) the term "Program Year 4" as the period from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2006; and (2) the term "Program Year 5" as the period from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2007 (thereby extending the terrorism risk insurance program from 2005 through 2007). Sets a deadline for the Secretary of the Treasury to make a final determination regarding: (1) the availability of group life insurance to both insurers and consumers; and (2) whether certain provisions of the Act shall be applied to providers of group life insurance. Sunsets the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program after December 31, 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2004
States that the House of Representatives: (1) is grateful for the support of the people and Government of Portugal; (2) commends the Government of Portugal and the Portuguese people for their friendship, leadership, and support; (3) commends the bravery of all members of the Portuguese armed forces who have participated in the effort to bring an end to international terrorism; and (4) expects the unique friendship between the United States and Portugal to continue.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2004
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 19504 Linden Boulevard in St. Albans, New York, as the "Archie Spigner Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2004
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 10 West Prospect Street in Nanuet, New York, as the "Anthony I. Lombardi Memorial Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2004
National Dairy Equity Act of 2004 - Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to give producers in a State participating in the national dairy market loss payment program 60 days to decide whether to continue participating in such program or to participate in the program established under this Act. Establishes the following five regional dairy marketing areas: (1) Northeast region - Northeast Dairy Marketing Area (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont); (2) Southern region - Southern Dairy Marketing Area (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia); (3) Midwest region - Midwest Dairy Marketing Area (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin); (4) Intermountain region - Intermountain Dairy Marketing Area (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) and (5) Pacific region - Pacific Dairy Marketing Area (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington). Administers each region by a Regional Dairy Board. Sets forth Board powers, including authority to establish: (1) over-order price (a price higher than the marketing order or non-marketing area price) for Class I milk; (2) equalization pools to equalize over-order prices to producers throughout a regulated area; and (3) processor administrative fees. Requires producer referendum to approve of a proposed over-order price establishment, amendment, or termination. States that each covered processor that purchases Class I milk during a month that will be sold in the regulated area of a Region shall pay to the Secretary an amount equal to the product of the over-order premium and the quantity of purchased Class I milk. Establishes in the Treasury the National Dairy Producers Fund. Directs the Secretary to make monthly payments from the Fund to the Boards which shall make payments to eligible producers of all milk classes. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend the national dairy market loss payment program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2004
Declares the sense of Congress that an artistic tribute to commemorate the speech given by President Ronald Reagan at the Brandenburg Gate on June 12, 1987, during which he uttered the immortal lines "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall," should be placed within the U.S. Capitol.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2004
Amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to: (1) extend to September 30, 2027, the authorization for making grants or providing assistance with respect to the National Coal Heritage Area, Tennessee Civil War Heritage Area, Augusta Canal National Heritage Area, Steel Industry Heritage Project (the Steel Industry American Heritage Area), Essex National Heritage Area, South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership, Ohio & Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor (redesignated by this Act as the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway), and Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area; (2) increase the total amount that may be appropriated for such areas (with the exception of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area); and (3) increase the amount authorized to be appropriated for such Area.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2004
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the regulation of tobacco products by the Secretary of Health and Human Services through the Food and Drug Administration, including through disclosure, annual registration, inspection, recordkeeping, and user fee requirements. Sets forth criteria by which tobacco products are deemed adulterated or misbranded. Allows the Secretary to require prior approval of all label statements. Allows the Secretary to restrict the sale or distribution of tobacco products, including advertising and promotion, if the Secretary determines that such regulation would be appropriate for the protection of the public health. Prohibits such regulations from: (1) limiting product sales or distribution to authorization of a practitioner licensed to prescribe medical products; (2) prohibiting product sales in face-to-face transactions by a specific category of retail outlets; or (3) establishing a minimum age greater than 18 years of age for product purchases. Prohibits cigarettes from containing any artificial or natural flavor (other than tobacco or menthol) or an herb or spice, including strawberry, cinnamon, or coffee. Requires the Secretary to establish tobacco product standards to protect the public health, but reserves to Congress the power to ban any tobacco products or reduce the nicotine level to zero. Allows the Secretary to take specified actions, including public notification and recall, against unreasonably harmful products. Requires premarket approval of all new tobacco products. Sets forth standards for the sale of modified risk tobacco products. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) judicial review; (2) coordination with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); (3) congressional review of regulations; and (4) state and local authority. Requires the Secretary to establish a Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to change cigarette warning label and advertising requirements. Amends the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986 to change smokeless tobacco warning label and advertising requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2004
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 73 South Euclid Avenue in Montauk, New York, as the "Perry B. Duryea, Jr. Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2004
Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefields Commemorative Coin Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
![Official portrait of Rep. Sweeney, John E. [R-NY-20]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001149_200.jpg)