United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Responsible Funding to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award competitive grants to public and private entities to establish or expand teenage pregnancy prevention programs. Requires the Secretary to give: (1) highest priority to applicants seeking assistance for programs targeting communities or populations in which teenage pregnancy or birth rates are higher than the state average or are increasing; and (2) priority to applicants seeking assistance for programs that will benefit underserved or at-risk populations or will take advantage of other available resources and be coordinated with other programs that serve youth. Requires funds to be used for programs that: (1) replicate or substantially incorporate elements of teenage pregnancy prevention programs that have proven to delay sexual intercourse or sexual activity, increase condom or contraceptive use (without increasing sexual activity), or reduce teenage pregnancy; and (2) incorporate specified strategies for preventing teenage pregnancy, including outreach or media programs. Requires programs receiving funds that focus on instruction that includes discussion of human sexuality and reproduction to provide medically accurate information regarding the health benefits and side effects of all contraceptives and barrier methods as a means to reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct or provide for a rigorous evaluation of 10% of programs for which a grant is awarded; (2) collect basic data on each program; and (3) report to Congress on grant effectiveness.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Nurse Education, Expansion, and Development Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to award a grant to each eligible school of nursing to increase the number of nursing faculty and students. Requires such schools to formulate and implement a plan to accomplish at least two of specified goals, which include: (1) establishing or significantly expanding an accelerated baccalaureate degree nursing program designed to graduate new nurses in 12 to 18 months; (2) establishing cooperative interdisciplinary training between schools of nursing and other specified health related fields; (3) increasing admissions, enrollment, and retention of qualified individuals who are financially disadvantaged; (4) increasing enrollment of minority and diverse student populations; (5) increasing enrollment of new graduate baccalaureate nursing students in graduate programs that educate nurse faculty members; (6) developing post-baccalaureate residency programs to prepare nurses for practice in specialty areas where nursing shortages are more severe; and (7) increasing integration of geriatric content into the core curriculum. Requires the Comptroller General to study ways to increase participation in the nurse faculty profession and to submit a report to Congress that includes: (1) a discussion of the master's degree and doctoral degree programs that are successful in placing graduates as faculty in schools of nursing; and (2) an examination of compensation disparities throughout the nursing profession and between higher education instructional faculty generally and higher education instructional nursing faculty.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Leave No Abused or Neglected Child Behind Act - Amends the Social Security Act to revise requirements for foster care and adoption assistance and for child welfare services. Provides for: (1) a state-optional child and family services component in the state plan for foster care and adoption assistance, and related federal payments; (2) expanded eligibility for foster care and adoption assistance by eliminating certain income eligibility requirements, revising maintenance payments match rates, and authorizing Indian tribes to receive federal funds for such assistance; (3) state-optional kinship guardianship assistance payments for children, and related federal payments; (4) a state-optional separate standard for relative foster family homes; (5) application of certain care standards to all children in state custody; (6) child welfare service quality improvement grants to states; and (7) an increased payment rate to states for short-term training of certain child welfare agency staff and court personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the government of Zimbabwe: (1) has, through Operation Murambatsvina, created a humanitarian disaster that has compounded the country's humanitarian food and economic crises; (2) has a duty to protect its citizens' economic, social, and political rights; and (3) is subject to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights with respect to forced evictions. Condemns Operation Murambatsvina as a major humanitarian catastrophe caused by the government of Zimbabwe's callousness toward its own people, disregard for the rule of law, and lack of planning to move families and businesses to more desirable locations. Calls on the United Nations, the African Commission for Peoples' and Human Rights, and the African Union to investigate the impact of the demolitions of housing structures and premises from which informal businesses operated and to provide the international community with a strategy to address the problems. Calls on the government of Zimbabwe with respect to Operation Murambatsvina to: (1) allow access to international humanitarian organizations; (2) hold accountable those responsible; and (3) implement politics to promote the private sector and create jobs and build housing. Calls on the President to use U.S. influence to support the International Monetary Fund (IMF) review of Zimbabwe's membership, and to give serious consideration to further IMF action should the government of Zimbabwe continue to pursue destructive economic policies, fail to make payments on its arrears, or block emergency humanitarian assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Medicaid prospective payment system for federally-qualified health centers is critical to ensuring that both Medicaid recipients and the nation's uninsured population have access to quality affordable primary and preventive care services. Recognizes the critical role of such health centers as an essential source of care for millions of Medicaid recipients and uninsured Americans and supports continuation of the prospective payment system in helping to maintain this system of care.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Expresses support for the observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month to provide a special opportunity to offer education on the importance of monthly breast self-examinations and annual mammograms. Recognizes breast cancer survivors, the efforts of victims, volunteers, and professionals who combat breast cancer, and the work of national and community organizations in promoting breast cancer awareness, providing information, and offering treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Russian Federation should provide effective protection of intellectual property rights or it risks losing its eligibility to participate in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2005
Consumer Credit Card Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a creditor from using adverse information concerning a consumer as the basis for increasing any annual percentage rate of interest applicable to a credit card account of the consumer under an open end consumer credit plan, or to remove or increase any introductory annual percentage rate of interest applicable to such account, for reasons other than actions or omissions of the consumer that are directly related to such account (universal default). Expands mandatory disclosures governing an open end consumer credit plan to include clear and conspicuous minimum payment terms with respect to the outstanding balance on the account, including prescribed details expressed in tabular format and in close proximity. Requires a creditor to furnish advance notice as a prerequisite to increasing rates or imposing fees on a consumer credit card account.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2005
Inhumane Trapping Prevention Act - Makes it unlawful to: (1) import, export, or transport in interstate commerce conventional steel jawed leghold traps and articles of fur derived from animals trapped in such traps; or (2) sell or acquire such a trap transported in violation of such provision. Prescribes criminal penalties for violations. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to reward persons (other than government employees performing official duties) for information leading to a conviction under this Act. Empowers enforcement officials to detain, search, and seize suspected containers or merchandise and any accompanying documents, to make arrests without warrants with probable cause, and to execute warrants. Subjects seized merchandise to forfeiture.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2005
Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2005 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee. Requires the Committee to advise the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary for Health regarding how officials can: (1) ensure interagency coordination and communication and minimize overlap regarding efforts to address tick-borne diseases; (2) identify opportunities to coordinate efforts with other federal agencies and private organizations addressing such diseases; (3) ensure interagency coordination and communication with constituency groups; (4) ensure that a broad spectrum of scientific viewpoints is represented in public heath policy decisions and that information disseminated to the public and physicians is balanced; and (5) advise relevant federal agencies on priorities related to Lyme and tick-borne diseases. Requires the Secretary, acting through the appropriate federal officials, to provide for the coordination of all federal programs and activities related to Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, including: (1) developing sensitive and accurate diagnostic tools and tests, (2) improving the efficient utilization of diagnostic testing currently available; (3) accurately determining the prevalence of such diseases; (4) evaluating the feasibility of creating a national uniform reporting system; (5) providing and promoting access to a clearinghouse of information on such diseases; (6) increasing public education related to such diseases; (7) creating a physician education program; (8) establishing epidemiological research objectives to determine the long term course of illness for Lyme disease; and (9) determining the effectiveness of different treatment modalities by establishing treatment outcome objectives
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2005
Condemns the terrorist attacks on Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, and other terrorist attacks directed against Egypt, and expresses condolences and sympathy for those who were killed and injured in the attacks. Joins with President George W. Bush in expressing the solidarity of the people and government of the United States with the people and government of Egypt. Expresses readiness to support the Egyptian authorities in their efforts to bring to justice those individuals responsible for the attacks and to pursue and dismantle the networks which plan and carry out such attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2005
National Forest Protection and Restoration Act - Prohibits commercial logging and timber sales (with specified exceptions) on Federal public lands, with a two-year phase-out for existing contracts. Provides for payment of relinquished contracts. Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to each: (1) establish a National Heritage Restoration Corps to restore (and monitor) such lands to their natural pre-logging condition; and (2) develop National Heritage Restoration Plans and related standards for regional ecological restoration and monitoring. Sets forth provisions respecting forest fire and hazardous fuel reduction. Provides for worker retraining of eligible persons whose jobs have been lost due to terminated timber and logging contracts. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to make training grants, including grants for job search and relocation. Sets forth fund allocation provisions, including amounts for an Environmental Protection Agency investigation of non-wood paper and construction alternatives. Amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to make permanent certain education, transportation, and public purpose payments to States and counties containing Federal land. Authorizes a private right of action for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2005
Congratulates Lance Armstrong and the Discover Channel Pro Cycling Team on an historic victory in the 2005 Tour de France. Commends Lance Armstrong for surviving his battle with cancer and for his unwavering commitment to cancer awareness.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2005
Robin Danielson Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide for the conduct or support of research on the extent to which additives in feminine hygiene products pose any risks to the health of women or the health of the children of women who use those products during or before the pregnancies involved. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) collect, analyze, and make available data on toxic shock syndrome, including data on the causes of such syndrome; and (2) determine the national incidence and prevalence of such syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2005
AMT Credit Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make unused alternative minimum tax credits more than four years old refundable at the greater of 20 percent annually or $5,000 per year; and (2) require corporations to provide stock option recipients with certain tax disclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) over the past four decades Medicaid has been a core component of the American health system; (2) Medicaid has ensured that the vast majority of Medicaid beneficiaries did not join the ranks of the current 45 million Americans with no health insurance; and (3) Congress must continue and strengthen the state-federal partnership that provides this vital health insurance program.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2005
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) for the past 40 years, Medicare has made significant medical, social, and economic contributions to our Nation; (2) the access to care provided by Medicare has changed the course of health outcomes for the elderly and those with disabilities, preventing physical deterioration and preventing more individuals from slipping into poverty; (3) the program standards set under Medicare have brought social benefits such as quality certification and oversight of medical facilities to the benefit of all Americans; and (4) Congress must continue to support and strengthen this vital federal health insurance program that guarantees all Medicare beneficiaries affordable quality health care that meets their needs..
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2005
South Caucasus Integration and Open Railroads Act of 2005 - Prohibits U.S. assistance to develop or promote rail connections or railway-related connections that do not traverse or connect with Armenia, and do traverse or connect Baku, Azerbaijan; Tbilisi, Georgia; and Kars, Turkey.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2005
Teach for America Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to Teach For America, Inc. to implement and expand its program of recruiting, selecting, training, and supporting new teachers.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2005
.Medicaid Formula Fairness Act of 2005 - Prohibits the Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for a state for FY2006 from being less than the greater of: (1) the FMAP determined for the state for FY2005, decreased by 0.5 percentage points; or (2) the FMAP that would have been determined for the state for FY2006 if the per capita incomes for 2001 and 2002 that were used to determine the FMAP for the state for FY2005 were used. Provides that the FMAP applicable to a state for FY2006 after the application of such limitation on reduction shall apply only for purposes of titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance (SCHIP)) of the Social Security Act (SSA) and payments under such titles that are based on a certain enhanced FMAP, and shall not apply with respect to payments under SSA title IV (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)). Repeals such limitation, effective as of October 1, 2006, and provides that it shall not apply to any fiscal year after FY2006. Provides that, only for purposes of computing the fiscal year FMAP for a state, beginning with FY2006, any significantly disproportionate employer pension contribution shall be disregarded in computing the per capita income of such state, but shall not be disregarded in computing the per capita income for the continental United States (and Alaska) and Hawaii.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2005
Congratulates Ambassador Dan Gillerman, Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and the government and people of Israel on Israel's election as Vice-President of the 60th General Assembly of the United Nations. Supports continued expansion of Israel's U.N. role. Notes that Israel: (1) remains the object of vilification by many U.N. members; and (2) remains excluded from the U.N. Asian regional grouping. Calls upon U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to work to end Israel's vilification at the United Nations and to use his good offices to support Israel's bid to join the Asian regional grouping.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2005
Calls for government leaders and law enforcement personnel to ensure that the civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans, including Iranian-Americans, are fully protected. Condemns bigotry and acts of violence or discrimination against any American. Encourages Iranian-Americans to share their experiences with their elected officials and their community to end stereotypes, correct misconceptions, and convey instances of abuse. Calls upon law enforcement authorities to investigate and vigorously prosecute crimes that are based on actual or perceived, race, color, religion, national origin, or ethnicity.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2005
Emergency Contraception Education Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to develop and disseminate to the public information on emergency contraception, including, at a minimum, a description of emergency contraception and an explanation of the use, safety, efficacy, and availability of such contraception. Requires that the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to develop and disseminate to health care providers information on emergency contraception. Requires that the information disseminated to health care providers include, at a minimum: (1) information describing the use, safety, efficacy, and availability of emergency contraception; (2) a recommendation regarding its use in appropriate cases; and (3) information explaining how to obtain copies of information from the CDC.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2005
Honor Our Commitment to Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to administer the health care enrollment system of the Department of Veterans Affairs so as to enroll any eligible veteran who applies. (This directive in effect terminates an administrative freeze on the enrollment of veterans in the lowest priority enrollment category.)
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2005
Environmental Health Research Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants for the development and operation of not more than six centers to conduct multidisciplinary research on environmental factors that may be related to the development of women's health conditions. Requires each center to conduct basic and clinical research, develop training protocols, conduct training, develop model continuing education programs, and disseminate information to professionals and the public, with priority to prevention activities. Allows a center to use grant funds to provide stipends for health and allied health professionals enrolled in training programs. Requires the Director to establish a comprehensive program to: (1) conduct research on the impact of chemicals that affect the health of women and children through disruption of the hormone system; (2) conduct research on the occurrence of hormone-disrupting chemicals in the environment and their effects on ecological and wildlife health; (3) coordinate the design of a multiagency research initiative on hormone disruption; and (4) coordinate research on hormone disruption in the United States with such research conducted in other nations. Requires the Director to establish the Hormone Disruption Research Interagency Commission to advise the Director of the Institute and the Director of the United States Geological Survey on the development of a comprehensive agenda for conducting research on hormone disruption. Establishes a Hormone Disruption Research Panel to advise the Director of the Institute on the scientific hormone-disruption research program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2005
Lupus Research, Education, Awareness, Communication, and Healthcare Amendments of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to expand research on lupus to include: (1) basic research to discover the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the disease; and (2) research to validate lupus biomarkers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to work with a consortium of academic health institutions to undertake an epidemiological study to determine the prevalence and incidence of lupus in the United States. Requires the Director of CDC to: (1) enter into a cooperative agreement with such consortium to develop, implement, and manage a system for lupus data collection and analysis; and (2) ensure that such consortium represents different geographic areas and includes individuals of racial and ethnic backgrounds disproportionately affected by lupus. Requires the Secretary to enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to study and make recommendations related to lupus, to include: (1) evaluating federal and state activities related to lupus and recommending ways to expand such activities; (2) identifying gaps in federal research; and (3) recommending ways to improve the quality of life for people with lupus. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office on Women's Health, to conduct and support a national lupus public awareness and health professional education campaign, with an emphasis on reaching populations at highest risk for the disease.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2005
Requests the President to transmit to the House of Representatives (House), within 14 days of the adoption of this resolution, all documents in the possession of the President relating to the disclosure of the identity of Ms. Valerie Plame as an employee of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the period beginning on May 6, 2003, and ending on July 31, 2003. Directs: (1) the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, CIA Director, and Attorney General to each transmit to the House, within such 14 days, all documents in possession of such officials relating to such disclosure during such period; and (2) the CIA Director to transmit to the House, within such 14 days, the results of any internal investigation by the CIA into such disclosure, whether such results (or reports) are in draft or final form.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2005
Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act - Entitles domestic partners of federal employees to benefits available to spouses of federal employees. Specifies certifications required for benefit eligibility, filing requirements regarding partnership dissolution, and confidentiality requirements. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax exemption for employer contributions to accident and health plans to domestic partners under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2005
Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants or cooperative agreements to an agency, organization, or political subdivision to: (1) develop lifespan respite care at the state and local level; (2) provide respite care services for family caregivers caring for children or adults; (3) train and recruit respite care workers and volunteers; (4) provide information to caregivers about available respite or support services; and (5) assist caregivers in gaining access to such services. Defines "respite care" to mean planned or emergency care provided to a child or adult with a special need in order to provide temporary relief to the family caregiver. Instructs the Secretary to work cooperatively with existing federal respite program officers to ensure coordination of services for family caregivers. Permits the use of funds for: (1) training programs for family caregivers; (2) other services essential to the provision of respite care; or (3) training and education for new caregivers. Limits grants to five years. Directs the Secretary to award a grant or cooperative agreement to a public or private nonprofit entity to establish the National Resource Center on Lifespan Respite Care to: (1) maintain a national database on lifespan respite care; (2) provide training and technical assistance to state, community, and nonprofit respite care programs; and (3) provide information, referral, and educational programs to the public on lifespan respite care.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2005
Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to protect patient safety work product from being subject to certain disclosures, including pursuant to a civil or administrative subpoena. Defines "patient safety work product" to mean a document or communication that: (1) is developed by a provider for the purpose of reporting to a patient safety organization (PSO); (2) is created by a PSO; or (3) would reveal deliberations or analytic process of a patient safety evaluation system. Prohibits: (1) a provider from using the good faith reporting of information to a PSO against an individual in an adverse employment action; or (2) a person from disclosing patient safety work product in violation of this Act if such disclosure constitutes a negligent or knowing breach of confidentiality. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) provide for the establishment and maintenance of a database to receive relevant nonidentifiable patient safety work product; (2) establish a process for certifying PSOs; and (3) develop or adopt voluntary national standards that promote the interoperability of information technology systems involved with health care delivery. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary to require manufacturers, packagers, or labelers of any drug or biological product to include a unique product identifier on the packaging of such drug or product. Allows the Secretary to make grants to qualified practitioners for the purpose of establishing electronic prescription programs. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), to assess the effectiveness of the use of electronic prescription programs. Requires the Secretary to make grants to hospitals and health care providers for acquiring or implementing information technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2005 - Sets forth the sense of Congress with respect to the situation in Darfur, Sudan, including the sense of Congress that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur are genocide. Amends the Comprehensive Peace in Sudan Act of 2004 to direct the President, with waiver authority upon congressional notification, to block the assets and deny visas and entry to any individual (and family member) responsible for acts of genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity in Sudan. Authorizes the President to provide assistance to reinforce the deployment and operations of an expanded African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). Directs the President to instruct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to advocate NATO reinforcement of AMIS, upon request of the African Union. Amends the Sudan Peace Act to include entry denial at U.S. ports to certain cargo ships or oil tankers among the measures available to the President if the government of Sudan fails to take specified peace measures in Darfur. Prohibits, with waiver authority, U.S. assistance to a country in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1556 and 1591(embargo on military assistance to Sudan). Directs the President to instruct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations to urge the adoption of a Security Council resolution supporting AMIS' expansion.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Paid Family and Medical Leave Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a Family and Medical Insurance Program, with benefits to be administered by each state (or by the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration in any state whose Governor requests this). Entitles eligible employees to Program benefits, including 55% of weekly basic earnings for 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period. Requires certification by health care providers of employees or of their eligible family or household members. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a tax on employers to finance a Family and Medical Leave Trust Fund in the Treasury to for Program benefits. Exempts from such tax employers with voluntary plans approved by the Secretary as equivalent or better than the Program. Allows self-employers to elect to pay such tax to receive Program benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Clarification of Federal Employment Protections Act - States that Congress, in order to dispel any public confusion, repudiates any assertion that federal employees are not protected from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Expresses the sense of the Congress that, in the absence of such prohibition, discrimination against federal employees and applicants for federal employment on the basis of sexual orientation is prohibited under current federal law. Amends federal law to prohibit any federal employee who has authority to take, direct others to take, recommend, or approve any personnel action, from discriminating for or against any federal employee or applicant for federal employment on the basis of sexual orientation.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Violence Against Women Act of 2005 - Amends the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994, VAWA of 2000 (VAWA-2000), the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (OCCSSA), the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), the Social Security Act (SSA), the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, the Safe Homes for Women Act of 1994, the United states Housing Act of 1937, the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, the Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 2000, and the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to reauthorize, revise, and establish various programs for prevention and treatment of violence against women, including domestic violence, child abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking (violence). Establishes VAWA grant programs: (1) by the Department of Justice (Justice) for assisting children and youth exposed to violence, and for engaging men, women, and youth in preventing violence; and (2) by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for services, education, protection, and justice for young victims of violence, and for research on effective interventions in the healthcare setting. Revises and reauthorizes: (1) grants under the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 to reduce violence against women on campus; (2) safe havens for children under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. Reauthorizes PHSA rape prevention and education programs, including the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Establishes related PHSA grants. Establishes VAWA grant programs to address the housing needs of victims of violence. Supporting Teens through Education and Protection Act of 2005 - STEP Act - Authorizes the Attorney General, through the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (Justice), to make grants to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in middle and high schools. Security and Financial Empowerment Act - Sets forth entitlement standards and implementation guidelines for employee use of emergency leave to address domestic or sexual violence. Authorizes state use of funds under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) to provide nonrecurrent short-term emergency benefits for emergency leave precipitated by domestic or sexual violence . Amends the Internal Revenue Code relating to approval of state unemployment compensation laws to prohibit denial of compensation where an individual is separated from employment due to circumstances resulting from the individual's experience of domestic or sexual violence. Victims' Employment Sustainability Act - Prohibits certain discriminatory employer practices relating to terms or conditions of employment in connection with victims of domestic or sexual violence. Victims of Abuse Insurance Protection Act - Prohibits denial or restriction of insurance coverage based on the status of the applicant or insured regarding abuse or abuse-related claims. Authorizes the Attorney General to provide a grant for a clearinghouse and resource center to provide information and assistance to employers, labor organizations, and advocates on behalf of victims of domestic or sexual violence. Immigrant Victims of Violence Protection Act of 2005 - Revises the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and the Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 2000 (under VAWA-2000) with respect to victims of violence, including victims of crimes of human trafficking, VAWA petitioners, and children. Prescribes requirements regarding the safety of Indian women. Best Help for Rape Victims Act - Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 to require the Attorney General to include within the national protocol on sexual assault forensic examinations a recommendation that a victim of sexual assault who is at risk of pregnancy from rape should be: (1) offered information about emergency contraception; and (2) provided with such contraception on site at the victim's request. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide various protections for victims of trafficking. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a special unit to investigate trafficking in persons.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Immigrant Victims of Violence Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended by the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 (VAWA), with respect to T-visa (victims of severe form of trafficking in persons) and U-visa (victims of certain crimes) nonimmigrant aliens. Provides a range of immigration protections for abused aliens. Amends: (1) the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 to provide access to legal services for such aliens; and (2) the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to make such aliens eligible for certain public benefits. Amends INA, as amended by VAWA, to apply that Act's deportation protections for transitional relief to all VAWA petitioners. Amends the the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate the VAWA unit (as defined by this Act) as the administrative unit within the Department of Homeland Security with sole jurisdiction over VAWA case adjudication. Amends INA to waive certain grounds of inadmissibility for VAWA petitioners. Authorizes the Attorney General to award trafficking-related law enforcement training grants to state and local governments.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act to specifically include contract employees among employees whose deaths resulting from employers' willful violations of standards under the Act subject such employers to criminal penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Lead-Free Drinking Water Act of 2005 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to review and revise the national primary drinking water regulation for lead to provide the maximum feasible protection for individuals affected by lead contamination, particularly vulnerable populations (e.g., infants, children, and pregnant and lactating women). Requires the revised regulation to establish: (1) a maximum contaminant level for lead in drinking water as measured at the tap; or (2) a drinking water treatment technique that meets specified criteria. Directs community water systems or nontransient noncommunity water systems to: (1) annually replace a percentage of non-lead free service lines until all such lines are replaced; (2) provide notice in English and other appropriate languages to individuals and entities that may be exposed to lead contamination in the drinking water supply; (3) provide water lead test results to tested residences; (4) establish a public education program on lead in drinking water; and (5) provide water filters to residences, schools, and day care facilities. Requires the head of each federal agency to conduct water supply testing in federally-owned or occupied buildings. Directs each water system to test drinking water for lead contamination within one year. Requires the Administrator to revise monitoring requirements under the national primary drinking water regulation to incorporate specified criteria. Prohibits the use of lead pipes and plumbing equipment that is not lead free in public water systems or facilities that provide drinking water. Requires the Administrator to: (1) issue regulations to require states to establish programs to test and remediate lead contamination in school drinking water; and (2) carry out such programs in non-participating states.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Meat and Poultry Pathogen Reduction and Enforcement Act - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act, respectively, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to prescribe: (1) surveys to determine foodborne pathogen contamination levels for raw meat and raw poultry, and meat and poultry products processed in establishments inspected under such Acts; (2) public health goals; and (3) initial and final pathogen reduction performance standards to reduce pathogen contamination and achieve public health goals. Directs the Secretary to: (1) identify, and publish a list of, such pathogens; (2) initiate pathogen surveys to determine existing levels of meat and poultry contamination; (3) establish public health goals and objectives to achieve foodborne illness reduction; and (4) report on the scientific feasibility of establishing health-based performance standards for pathogens. Directs the Secretary to establish a National Advisory Committee for Microbiology Criteria for Foods. Directs the Secretary to enforce Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System requirements and other sanitation requirements in any official establishment. Authorizes the Secretary to prohibit non-complying establishments from labeling any meat or meat product, or poultry or poultry product, as "inspected and passed."
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Fair Access to Clinical Trials Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to establish and operate a data bank of registry information on clinical trials for drugs, biological products, and devices. Requires the Secretary to collect, catalog, store, and disseminate such information. Specifies information required for registration of clinical trials, including the purpose and results of the trial. Requires the responsible person to submit clinical trial information to the Secretary. Sets forth provisions regarding periodic updates of data bank information, compliance with requirements, and violations of this Act. Allows the Secretary to identify any false or misleading information in the data bank and include an accurate version of the information. Requires the Secretary to: (1) disseminate data bank information through an Internet site and through other appropriate means; (2) establish procedures to allow voluntary submission of clinical trial information not required by this Act; and (3) enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to study the extent to which data submitted to the data bank has impacted the public health.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Montgomery GI Bill Second Chance Act of 2005 - Authorizes certain members of the Armed Forces to make an irrevocable election during October of any year beginning in 2005 to become entitled to basic educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill. Requires a reduction in basic pay of those members electing such educational assistance or, if the member is discharged or released from active duty prior to such reduction, the collection of specified amounts from the member or an equivalent reduction in retired or retainer pay. States that members who are enrolled in the post-Vietnam era veterans' educational assistance program shall be disenrolled from that program upon electing the educational assistance described in this Act. Requires the Secretary concerned, in conjunction with the Secretary of Defense, to provide notice of the opportunity created by this Act to elect educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Nurse Faculty Higher Education Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow the Secretary of Education to award grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, partnerships composed of an accredited school of nursing at an institution of higher education and a hospital or other health facility to establish pilot projects to enable such a facility to retain its staff of experienced nurses while providing a mechanism to have these individuals become faculty members of such a school. Requires such individuals to teach for two years for each year of support received under the program.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Dietary Supplement Access and Awareness Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require manufacturers and processors of dietary supplements to report certain information to the Secretary of Health and Human Services annually, including a list of supplements manufactured and the labeling and major ingredients for such supplements. Requires manufacturers and distributors to report to the Secretary any serious adverse experiences regarding a supplement. Authorizes the Secretary to require a manufacturer to: (1) conduct postmarket surveillance if there is a reasonable possibility of a supplement causing adverse health consequences; and (2) demonstrate that a supplement is not adulterated. Requires the Secretary to establish criteria for making a determination that a dietary supplement may pose a significant risk to minors. Deems the act of selling a dietary supplement to a minor after the Secretary has made such a determination to be an act which results in a supplement being misbranded while held for sale. Deems a dietary supplement to be adulterated if the manufacturer fails to comply with the Secretary's order to demonstrate the drug's safety. Requires the Secretary to consider a dietary supplement or ingredient as presenting an unreasonable risk of injury or illness if the Secretary determines that the risks of such product outweighs its benefits. Allows the Secretary to consider even a relatively small risk of a serious adverse health effect to be unreasonable. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, to carry out dietary supplement education programs for health care professionals and consumers.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Iraq Sovereignty Promotion Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States supports: (1) the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, the people of Iraq, and the leaders of Iraq's elected government; and (2) the Iraqi people's desire to rebuild Iraq as a fully sovereign, stable, and peaceful democratic country. States as U.S. policy not to maintain a long-term or permanent military presence in Iraq.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Community Restoration and Revitalization Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow an increased rehabilitation tax credit for certain low-income buildings; (2) allow a basis reduction adjustment for property eligible for the credit; (3) increase the credit for certain smaller buildings; (4) allow property eligible for the credit to be used for lodging purposes; (5) modify placed-in-service rules for credit property; (6) modify qualification rules for credit property that is tax-exempt use property; (7) increase the credit for buildings in high cost areas; and (8) exempt certain condominium transactions from rehabilitation tax credit recapture requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Declares that it is U.S. policy not to enter into any base agreement with the government of Iraq that would lead to a permanent U.S. military presence in Iraq.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2005
Disapproves the rule submitted by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on March 15, 2005, relating to the removal of coal- and oil-fired electric generating units from the list of major sources of hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2005
Clean Money, Clean Elections Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to: (1) prescribe eligibility and qualifying contribution requirements, seed money limits, and benefits of clean money financing of House election campaigns; (2) set forth requirements applicable to clean money candidates; (3) direct the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to certify whether or not a candidate is a clean money candidate; (4) establish in the Treasury a House of Representatives Election Fund for clean money financing; (5) set forth requirements concerning reporting of certain expenditures of private money candidates and reporting of certain independent expenditures; (6) limit expenditures that may be made by political party committees in connection with the general election campaign of a House election in which one or more of the candidates is a clean money candidate; and (7) provide for the treatment of coordinated expenditures as contributions. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to entitle clean money candidates to receive specified free broadcast time and reduced broadcast rates under certain circumstances. Amends federal postal law to prohibit franked mass mailings by Members of Congress (except notices of public meetings) during primary and general election periods, unless they are not candidates for re-election or election to any other federal office. Amends FECA to revise requirements for the composition and terms of FEC Commissioners and mandate electronic filing of FEC reports, among other changes, including those made with respect to audits, authority to seek injunction, and standard for investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2005
WISEWOMAN Expansion Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) remove the limit on the number of states that may receive preventive heath services grants; (2) require a competitive review process; and (3) include among the uses for such grants health education, counseling, and interventions for behavioral risk factors and diseases. Authorizes appropriations.
![Official portrait of Rep. Waxman, Henry A. [D-CA-33]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000215_200.jpg)