United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2005
Gulf Coast Recovery Act of 2005 - Authorizes the President to provide assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act) to reimburse an eligible state or local government 75% of the eligible expenses incurred between January 1 and June 30, 2006, for base pay and overtime expenses of employees who provide essential government services for response and recovery operations with respect Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on or after August 29, 2005. Amends the Community Disaster Loan Act of 2005 to limit a disaster loan to 50% of a local government's operating budget for the fiscal year in which the disaster occurs. Sets at 100% the federal share of assistance for debris removal under the Stafford Act with respect to such hurricanes. Requires the President to contribute at least 75% of the cost of hazard mitigation measures approved under the Stafford Act in the one-year period following enactment of this Act with respect to such hurricanes. Amends the Stafford Act to double from 7.5% to 15% of the estimated aggregate amount of federal disaster relief grants to be made with respect to a major disaster the limit on the total amount of contributions the President may make for cost-effective hazard mitigation measures in the disaster area. Extends unemployment assistance in the case of an eligible individual affected by the hurricane disasters. Amends the Stafford Act to require the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to make grants to state and local governments to: (1) purchase or improve commercially available interoperable communications equipment; (2) purchase mobile equipment to generate emergency power; and (3) train first responders and emergency personnel on how to best use such equipment effectively.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2005
Fuel Choices for American Security Act of 2005 - Instructs Director of the Office of Management and Budget to publish an action plan in the Federal Register that targets oil savings for specified years. Directs the Secretaries of Energy and of Transportation, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (Administrator), to promulgate regulations to implement the standards set forth in the Director's action plan. Requires the head of each federal agency to establish an oil usage baseline and develop a specified plan to reduce oil consumption. Directs the Postmaster General to report to Congress on annual fleetwide fuel savings and cost savings associated with eliminating Saturday mail delivery. Directs the Secretary of Energy to conduct a national media campaign to decrease domestic oil consumption. Amends federal transportation law to set forth a national tire efficiency program. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to establish an idling reduction tax credit. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a research and development program for electric drive transportation technology. Directs the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) to establish a lightweight material research and development program. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to direct the Secretary to accelerate hybrid technology improvements by using loan guarantees that target automobile manufacturers and suppliers. Amends the IRC to allow: (1) an advanced technology motor vehicles manufacturing credit; and (2) a qualified flexible fuel hybrid and plug-in hybrid motor vehicle credit. Terminates the limitation on the number of qualified hybrid and advanced lean burn technology vehicles eligible for alternative motor vehicle credit. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations requiring each federal agency to achieve by FY2015 at least a 20% reduction in its fleet petroleum consumption. Amends the IRC to: (1) establish a fuel-efficient tax credit for private fleets; and (2) subject heavy vehicles to the depreciation limitation imposed upon certain luxury automobiles. Prescribes: (1) a production schedule for passenger cars that are either fuel choice enabling motor vehicles, or alternative fuel automobiles; and (2) calculations for flexible fuel vehicle economy. Requires the Secretary to transmit an action plan to Congress to ensure: (1) an increasing supply by non-oil fuels of the total domestic ground transportation fuel demand; and (2) nationwide inclusion of at least 10 % ethanol in the domestic ground transportation fuel supply by December 31, 2015. Amends the IRC to increase the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property credit. Amends federal transportation law to establish the Alternative Fueling Infrastructure Trust Fund. Amends the Clean Air Act to prescribe the minimum quantity of renewable fuel derived from cellulosic biomass for specified calendar years. Amends federal transportation law to direct the Secretary of Transportation to designate Transit-Oriented Development Corridors in certain urbanized areas. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to: (1) repeal the geographical limitation on the Sugar Cane Ethanol Program; (2) authorize preprocessing and harvesting demonstration grants for transportation fuel produced from biomass (in lieu of ethanol production); (3) direct the Secretary to establish a loan guarantee program for conversion of municipal solid waste into transportation fuel produced from biomass (in lieu of ethanol); and (4) instruct the Administrator to fund demonstration projects for producing transportation fuel produced from biomass (in lieu of ethanol).
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2005
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 60 Calle McKinley, West in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, as the "Miguel Angel Garcia Mendez Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2005
Trust and Verify Cargo Shippers Act of 2005 - Requires the Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection of the Department of Homeland Security to: (1) verify on-site biannually the security measures of each individual and entity participating in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program and the Free And Secure Trade (FAST) program; and (2) establish policies for non-compliance with C-TPAT program requirements, including probation or expulsion, as appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2005
Safe Skies Cargo Inspection Act - Amends federal transportation law to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a system to inspect all cargo transported on passenger aircraft operated by a domestic or foreign air carrier in air transportation or intrastate air transportation.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2005
10 by 10 Act - Amends the Clean Air Act to make it unlawful after December 31, 2009, for any person to sell, supply, offer for sale or supply, dispense, transport, or introduce into commerce, for use in any motor vehicle, any gasoline with less than 10% renewable fuel by volume.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2005
Commends U.S., international, Indian, and Pakistani efforts to assist the victims of the October 2005 earthquake in South Asia. Encourages further cooperation between Pakistan and India on relief operations and efforts to expand peace in the region. Urges: (1) the United States and the world community to reaffirm their commitment to additional support for relief and long-term reconstruction efforts in areas affected by the earthquake; and (2) continued attention by international donors and relief agencies to the needs of vulnerable populations in the stricken countries, particularly children who have been left parentless and homeless by the disaster.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2005
Unscreened Cargo Notification Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to notify all passengers flying on an aircraft carrying uninspected air cargo that the aircraft's cargo has not been screened for explosives and other hazardous materials.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2005
Outer Continental Shelf Natural Gas Relief Act - States that all provisions of federal law that prohibit the expenditure of appropriated funds to conduct natural gas leasing and preleasing activities for any area of the Outer Continental Shelf are without any force or effect. Revokes all withdrawals from leasing of federal submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf, including withdrawals by the President under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. States such withdrawals are no longer in effect with respect to the leasing of areas for natural gas exploration, development, and production. Prohibits granting a gas lease for any area of the Outer Continental Shelf located within 20 miles of a state's coastline unless the Governor grants state approval. Directs the Secretary of Energy, in each five-year oil and gas leasing program, to include lease sales that when viewed as a whole propose to offer for gas leasing at least 75% of the available unleased acreage within each Outer Continental Shelf planning area. Sets forth a scheme for bonus bids and royalties that affects: (1) new and existing gas leases; and (2) leased tracts lying partially within the seaward boundaries of a state. Permits leases that authorize development and production solely of natural gas and associated condensate, including leases for program years 2002-2007, and for program years 2007-2012.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2005
Tax Revision Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2006 the: (1) election to include combat zone compensation as earned income for purposes of calculating the earned income tax credit; (2) increased cover over (payment) of distilled spirits excise tax to the Treasuries of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands; (3) authority for certain Internal Revenue Service (IRS) undercover investigative operations; and (4) authority to disclose tax return information for combined employment tax reporting, for combating terrorist activities, and for student loan repayments. Extends eligibility for the tax deduction for domestic production activities to such activities in Puerto Rico. Grants a limited federal guarantee of bonds issued by the states of Alabama, Louisiana, or Mississippi for Hurricane Katrina relief. Allows a taxpayer election to base eligibility for the earned income and child tax credit on earned income reported in a year preceding the year of Hurricanes Rita and Wilma. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to adjust the application of tax laws to prevent taxpayers affected by Hurricanes Rita or Wilma from losing certain tax benefits. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary should designate a series of bonds as Gulf Coast Recovery Bonds in response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2005
Extends through October 24, 2015, the authority of the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation to establish in the District of Columbia or its environs a memorial to honor veterans who became disabled while serving in the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2005
Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) pregnant college students should not have to make a choice between keeping their baby and staying in school; (2) the pilot program under this Act will help institutions of higher education to establish offices that will operate independent of federal funding within five years after enactment of this Act; and (3) amounts appropriated to carry out other federal programs should be reduced to offset the costs of this Act. Directs the Secretary of Education to establish a pilot program to provide grants to encourage eligible institutions of higher education to establish and operate pregnant and parenting student services offices for pregnant students, parenting students, prospective parenting students anticipating a birth or adoption, and students who are placing or have placed a child for adoption.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2005
Veterans' Access to Local Health Care Options and Resources Act - Allows a veteran enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs annual patient enrollment system to elect to receive covered health services through a non-Department facility. (Currently, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may contract for such services when Department facilities are not capable of furnishing economic hospital care or medical services because of geographical inaccessibility or are not capable of furnishing the care or services required.) Directs the Secretary to authorize such services pursuant to a contract with such facility.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2005
Veterans' Right to Know Act - Establishes the Veterans' Right to Know Commission to: (1) investigate chemical or biological warfare tests or projects, especially those carried out between 1954 and 1973, placing particular emphasis on actions or conditions that could have contributed to health risks to any civilian or military personnel who participated in such a test or project or were otherwise potentially exposed to a biological or chemical agent as a result; and (2) report to Congress on its findings and recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2005
Conveys to the government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands submerged lands surrounding such Islands and extending three geographical miles outward from their coastlines. States that Public Law 93-435 is intended to be applied in a consistent manner to Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, except to the extent that there is a specific and express exception regarding its application to one or more of these territories.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2005
Child Health Investment for Long-term Development (CHILD and Newborn) Act of 2005 - Amends the the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to furnish assistance to improve the health of newborns, children, and mothers in developing countries, including activities relating to: (1) health systems and medical and health personnel training; (2) health access; (3) pharmaceutical supplies; (4) health education; (5) HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis counseling and treatment; and (6) safe water and sanitation access. Directs the President to develop a comprehensive strategy to improve the health of newborns, children, and mothers, including reducing newborn, child, and maternal mortality, in developing countries. Establishes the Interagency Task Force on Child Survival and Maternal Health in Developing Countries.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to develop research protocols for collecting and analyzing scientific information about the effectiveness and ecological impacts of catastrophic event recovery projects and emergency stabilization treatments undertaken as part of a burned area emergency response to increase the long-term benefits of management activities and to decrease short-term impacts. Requires such Secretaries to enter into cooperative agreements with land-grant colleges and universities to form forest health partnerships to utilize their education, research, and outreach capacity to address the recovery of forested land after a catastrophic event. Requires such Secretaries to conduct catastrophic event recovery evaluations of damaged federal lands. Directs such Secretaries to prepare a list of pre-approved management practices that may be immediately implemented as part of catastrophic event recovery projects or catastrophic event research projects. Requires determinations of whether or not to: (1) use any pre-approved management practices that can be immediately implemented; and (2) develop and carry out a recovery or research project or part of such a project using the alternative arrangements authorized by this Act. Directs such Secretaries to clarify agency-wide guidance regarding reforestation in response to catastrophic events. Provides for assistance to restore landscapes and communities affected by catastrophic events. Provides for the availability and use of pre-approved management practices and alternative arrangements on National Forest experimental forests.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to permit Puerto Rico to qualify for federal reimbursement of emergency health services furnished to undocumented aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Puerto Rico Hospitals Medicare DSH Equity Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prescribe a formula for the calculation of Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments for prospective payment system hospitals in Puerto Rico.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Recognizes the 30th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (Public Law 94-142). Acknowledges the many and varied contributions of children with disabilities and their parents, teachers, related services providers, and other educators. Reaffirms the support of Congress for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act so that all children with disabilities have access to a free appropriate public education.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
Health Information Technology Promotion Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to add a new title II part D (Health Information Technology). Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services an Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Directs the National Coordinator to: (1) maintain, direct, and oversee the continuous improvement of a strategic plan to guide the nationwide implementation of interoperable health information in both the public and private health care sectors; and (2) serve as the coordinator of federal government activities relating to health information technology. Prescribes conditions under which any nonmonetary remuneration (in the form of health information technology and related training services) made by a hospital or a critical access hospital to a physician shall not be considered a prohibited payment (subject to civil and criminal penalties) made as an inducement to reduce or limit services to certain individuals. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report to Congress on whether pertinent state laws and current federal standards should be conformed to create a single set of national standards to preserve and protect the security and confidentality of patient health information. Amends SSA title XI to provide for establishment of uniform confidentality and security standards with respect to individually identifiiable patient health information. Directs the Secretary to: (1) promulgate a final rule for upgrading specified Accredited Standards Committee X12 (ASC X12) and National Council For Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) Telecommunications standards and International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 9th revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes; and (2) develop a strategic plan related to the need for coordination in the area of health information technology.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
States that Congress: (1) mourns the horrific loss of life caused by the October 2005 floods and mudslides in Central America and Mexico, and expresses its deep condolences to the the victims' families; (2) commits to provide the necessary resources for the relief and rebuilding of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico; (3) recognizes the growing international relief effort; and (4) encourages the Administration and other international donors to provide immediate and long-term assistance for the reconstruction of affected infrastructure. Expresses the sense of Congress that it should be U.S. policy: (1) to promote economic growth and improved living standards, reduce poverty, and promote democracy and the rule of law in the countries of Central America; (2) in concert with multilateral humanitarian organizations, the Organization of American States (OAS), and the Inter-American Development Bank to support the reconstruction of affected communities; and (3) to encourage the governments of these countries to improve disaster mitigation techniques and compliance among key societal sectors.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) following the tragedies of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama should adopt comprehensive, modern, and uniform statewide building codes establishing minimum standards for the construction and maintenance of buildings and other structures to mitigate against future disasters, increase public safety, and enhance such states' rebuilding; and (2) such standards should be at least as comprehensive as the International Code Council's model building standards and codes.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
Stealth Tax Relief Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2006 the increased alternative minimum tax exemption amount for individual taxpayers; and (2) adjust such increased exemption amount for inflation in 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
Family Education Reimbursement Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Education to establish a Family Education Reimbursement Account Program for families of students displaced by Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita. Provides for reimbursing parents for costs of such students or preschool-age children attending schools or preschool programs, chosen by the parents, during the 2005–2006 school year. Requires the Secretary to make a contract with a nongovernmental entity to administer and operate the program.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2005
Hurricane Assistance Accountability Commission Act - Establishes the Hurricane Oversight Board to oversee expenditures of emergency appropriation funds for hurricane assistance relief to ensure that funds are used to assist only individuals in affected areas. Allows a member of the Board to review a project and any proposed or existing expenditure of appropriation funds for hurricane assistance relief under the member’s area of expertise and, with the agreement of a majority of Board members, disallow a project or expenditure considered ineffective or not cost effective.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2005
Government Credit Card Sunshine Act - Requires specified information regarding the use of all federal credit cards to be made publicly available within 15 days after receipt (by the government or the federal employee, as the case may be) of any bill for purchases made with the card. Requires the information to be posted on the official website of the Inspector General of the federal department or agency concerned. Allows the Secretary of a department or agency to omit from the website otherwise required information in the interest of national security. Subjects a federal employee to disciplinary action for fraudulent use of a government credit card that involves a purchase in an amount greater than $500.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2005
Permits statues honoring deceased citizens of U.S. territories (American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) to be placed in Statuary Hall. Limits such statues to one per jurisdiction.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States and other responsible governments send clear signals to the marketplace that the current structure of oversight and management of the Internet's domain name and addressing service works, and will continue to deliver tangible benefits to Internet users worldwide in the future; and (2) the authoritative root zone server should remain physically located in the United States and the Secretary of Commerce should maintain oversight of ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) so that ICANN can continue to manage the day-to-day operation of the Internet's domain and addressing system, remain responsive to Internet stakeholders worldwide, and otherwise fulfill its core technical mission.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2005
Interrogation Procedures Act of 2005 - Prohibits any individual in the custody or control of the U.S. government, regardless of nationality or physical location, from being subject to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. Prohibits any person in the custody or control of the Department of Defense (DOD), or under detention in a DOD facility, from being subject to any treatment or technique of interrogation not authorized by and listed in the U.S. Army Field Manual on Intelligence Interrogation.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2005
Urges the House of Representatives to raise awareness of teen dating violence by supporting the goals and ideals of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week (the week of February 6, 2006).
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2005
Expresses support for National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (October 15, 2005). Salutes Latino AIDS survivors, volunteers, and professionals who combat AIDS every day. Recognizes national and community organizations for promoting AIDS awareness and offering AIDS treatment. Urges organizations and health practitioners to promote AIDS awareness and encourage yearly testing.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2005
Ensure Prescription Drug Coverage Act of 2005 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to lengthen through June 30, 2007, the initial enrollment period for the Medicare prescription drug program. Extends through December 31, 2007, the period during which a discount card eligible individual may enroll in an endorsed discount card program..
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2005
Taxpayer Campaign Fund Elimination Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate, after 2005: (1) taxpayer checkoffs to finance presidential election campaigns; (2) the Presidential Election Campaign Fund (Fund) and related provisions; and (3) presidential primary matching payment accounts. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer any amounts remaining in the Fund after 2005 to the general fund of the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2005
Charitable Giving Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to charitable giving and charitable organizations to: (1) allow individuals who do not itemize a deduction from gross income for a portion of their charitable contributions; (2) allow tax-free distributions from individual retirement accounts for charitable purposes; (3) increase the cap on corporate charitable contributions; (4) allow non-corporate taxpayers a tax deduction for charitable contributions of food inventory; (5) revise certain excise taxes related to private foundations; (6) modify the excise tax on unrelated business taxable income of charitable remainder trusts; (7) extend and expand the charitable contribution for scientific property used for research and for computer technology and equipment used for educational purposes; (8) adjust the basis of S corporation stock for certain charitable contributions; (9) revise church tax inquiry provisions; and (10) exclude from gross income certain landowner initiatives programs to conserve endangered habitats or species. Amends title IV of the Social Security Act to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to any private entity that operates a promising social services program (as defined by this Act): and (2) restore the 10 percent limit on transfers to the Social Services Block Grant Program. Amends the Assets for Independence Act to reauthorize the assets for independence demonstration program through FY2008. Expresses the sense of Congress encouraging corporate contributions to faith-based organizations. Amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to include maternity group homes within the program for transitional living youth projects for homeless youth.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2005
Condemns: (1) the Aleman-Ortega Pact as detrimental to democracy in the Republic of Nicaragua and to regional stability; and (2) the Pact-controlled National Assembly's anti-democratic actions, including efforts to remove democratically-elected President Enrique Bolanos on dubious legal grounds. Supports the efforts of Nicaraguan democratic civil society to create conditions for free and fair elections. Empresses the sense of Congress that: (1) it should be U.S. policy to support democratic political forces in Nicaragua for a full restoration of democracy; and (2) the President of the United States, through the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), should provide assistance to nongovernmental organizations in support of President Bolanos' call for the international community to assist in and monitor the 2006 election.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the national pledge of allegiance recited by public school students is constitutional under the First Amendment to the Constitution; and (2) the Supreme Court, accordingly, should uphold the constitutionality of such practices.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2005
District of Columbia and United States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar Program Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to issue during 2009 redesigned quarter dollars commemorating the District of Columbia and the U.S. Territories.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2005
Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2005 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to require the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure that state and local emergency preparedness operational plans address the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals following a major disaster or emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2005
Protecting Our Children Act of 2005 - Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act - Requires: (1) each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and each federally recognized Indian tribe to maintain a sex offender registry; and (2) each sex offender to register in the jurisdictions where the offender resides, is an employee, and is a student. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) maintain a National Sex Offender Registry at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); (2) establish a Sex Offender Management Assistance program; and (3) provide technical assistance to jurisdictions in identifying and locating sex offenders relocated as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to apprehend sex offenders. Establishes within the Department of Justice a Children's Safety Office. DNA Fingerprinting Act of 2005 - Amends: (1) the DNA Identification Act of 1994 to expand the scope of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) samples to be included in the National DNA Index System; and (2) the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to authorize the Attorney General to collect DNA samples from individuals who are arrested, detained, or convicted under U.S. authority. Prevention and Deterrence of Crimes Against Children Act of 2005 - Increases penalties for violent crimes against minors. Protection Against Sexual Exploitation of Children Act of 2005 - Increases penalties for sexual offenses against children. Foster Child Protection and Child Sexual Predator Sentencing Act of 2005 - Requires background checks and checks of national crime information databases and state child abuse registries before approval of foster or adoptive placements. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the sale of a firearm to a person convicted of a misdemeanor sex offense against a minor. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) create a national register of cases of child abuse or neglect; and (2) establish standards for disseminating that information. Child Pornography Prevention Act of 2005 - Prohibits producers of visual depictions of actual sexually explicit conduct from refusing to permit the Attorney General to conduct inspections of records at business premises. Modifies the definition of "produces" to include actually filming, videotaping, photographing, or digitally manipulating an image of an actual human being that contains a visual depiction of such conduct. Prohibits misappropriating the personally identifiable information of a minor.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2005
Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005 - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to revise various provisions of that Act relating to the determination of endangered and threatened species, procedures for making such determinations, and the role of states and private property owners in the determination process. Defines "best available scientific data" and requires the use of such standard in making endangered species and other determinations under the Act. Revises provisions for designating endangered or threatened species and the process for reviewing lists of such species. Repeals the authority of the Secretary of the Interior (or the Secretary of Commerce) to designate a critical habitat for an endangered or threatened species. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to develop and implement recovery plans for endangered or threatened species and to establish recovery teams to assist in the development of such plans, giving priority to species that will most likely benefit from such plans. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) enter into species recovery agreements and species conservation contract agreements with persons, other than federal or state governments, for conservation activities to protect endangered or threatened species; and (2) make grants to promote the voluntary conservation of endangered and threatened species by private property owners. Eliminates the Endangered Species Committee and the process for granting exemptions from endangered or threatened species determinations. Requires the Secretary to make certain information available to the public on the Internet, including lists of threatened or endangered species, final and proposed regulations under the Act, results of five-year reviews conducted under the Act, all draft and final recovery plans, and certain required reports and data. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress annually on expenditures made primarily for the conservation of species. Authorizes appropriations for FY2006-FY2010.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. Supreme Court should speedily find the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools to be consistent with the Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2005
Displaced Student Relief Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to local educational agencies in FY2005-FY2006 to facilitate the enrollment, attendance, and success in public elementary and secondary schools of students displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Limits such grants to a maximum of $8,305 per student. Deems such students eligible for free lunches under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Minority Diabetes Initiative Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers for the purpose of providing treatment for diabetes in minority communities. Conditions grants on the recipient agreeing to provide: (1) services in the languages most appropriate for, and with consideration for the cultural backgrounds of, service recipients; (2) outreach activities; and (3) offsite information on diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Expresses support for the people of Venezuela in their daily struggle for freedom, democratic self-governance, and the establishment of the rule of law. Calls on the government of Venezuela to: (1) abide by its obligations under international human rights treaties and international humanitarian law to ensure the rights of all individuals, irrespective of their political views; and (2) end killings, torture, and ill treatment by the police and military. Encourages: (1) the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) to monitor the human rights situation in Venezuela; and (2) the President and the Secretary of State to assist democracy and human rights activists and the nonviolent democratic opposition in Venezuela.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax free rollovers of military death gratuities to Roth individual retirement accounts, health savings and Archer medical savings accounts, and Coverdell education savings accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2005
Action Plan for Public Lands and Education Act of 2005 - Makes grants of land to the following states in lieu of receiving, for the support of the common schools, five percent of the proceeds of the sales of federally land owned within such states which have not been sold by the United States as of July 1, 2005: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Makes the amount of land granted to each state five percent of the number of acres of federally owned land within that state as of July 1, 2005. Requires land selected to be held in trust to be sold or leased and the proceeds to be used only for the support of public education.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2005
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 Avenida RL Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, as the "Dr. Jose Celso Barbosa Post Office Building."
![Official portrait of Rescom. Fortuno, Luis G. [R-PR-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000452_200.jpg)