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United States · Official source
5,492 records where Sen. Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2005
Honors and memorializes the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 for their decisive actions and efforts of bravery on September 11, 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2005
Breast Cancer and Environmental 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 to public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of not more than eight centers to conduct multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research on environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer. Requires each such center to: (1) be known as a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Center of Excellence; (2) establish ongoing collaborations with community organizations; (3) be formed from a consortium of cooperating institutions; (4) be supported under this Act for a period of not more than five years with additional periods allowed after review and recommendation; and (5) use innovative approaches to study unexplored areas of the environment and breast cancer. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Panel to make recommendations for and to review grants awarded under this Act
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2005
Wakefield Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend by one year the length of time for which a grant may be awarded under the emergency medical services for children grant program, which allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States or schools of medicine to support projects to expand and improve emergency medical services for children who need treatment for trauma or critical care. Sets forth as the purpose of the program the reduction of child and youth morbidity and mortality by supporting improvements in the quality of all emergency medical care children receive. Requires the Secretary to support emergency medical services for children by supporting projects that: (1) develop and present scientific evidence; (2) promote existing innovative technologies appropriate for the care of children; and (3) provide information on health outcomes and effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Directs that such program: (1) strive to enhance the pediatric capability of emergency medical service systems; and (2) be coordinated with all research, evaluations, and awards undertaken by the Federal Government related to emergency medical services for children.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2005
International Clean Energy Deployment and Global Energy Markets Investment Act of 2005 - Amends the Global Environmental Protection Assistance Act of 1989 to promote clean energy technology deployment in developing countries. Directs the President to establish a Task Force on International Clean Energy Cooperation. Requires the Task Force to establish an Interagency Working Group on Clean Energy Technology Exports. Establishes an Interagency Center in the Office of International Energy Market Development of the Department of Energy to assist the Working Group. Requires the Task Force to develop and submit to the President (who shall submit to Congress) a Strategy to: (1) support programs and policies in developing countries that promote clean energy and energy efficiency technologies; (2) open and expand clean energy technology markets and facilitate related exports to developing countries; (3) integrate the promotion of clean energy technology deployment and greenhouse gas emissions reduction in developing countries into U.S. foreign policy objectives; (4) establish a pilot program that provides financial assistance for qualifying projects; and (5) develop financial mechanisms and instruments that are cost-effective and facilitate private capital investment in such technologies. Authorizes the Secretary of State to provide assistance to developing countries for activities consistent with the priorities established in the Strategy. Requires the Secretary to establish a pilot program that provides financial assistance for qualifying projects consistent with the Strategy and the performance criteria set forth in this Act. Requires host country contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2005
Children's Express Lane to Health Coverage Act of 2005 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to give States the option of providing that Medicaid or SCHIP financial eligibility requirements are met for children based on their eligibility for nutrition assistance or similar public programs with comparable income standards and methodologies.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2005
Start Healthy, Stay Healthy Act of 2005- Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to give States new options to: (1) cover low-income pregnant women; and (2) provide for coordination of SCHIP with the Maternal and Child Health Program under SSA title V. Provides for an increase in SCHIP income eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2005
Declares that: (1) European governments should reject Airbus' pending application for launch aid for the A350 and any future applications for launch aid; (2) the European Union, acting for itself and on behalf of its Member States, should renew its commitment to the terms agreed to on January 11, 2005; (3) the U.S. Trade Representative should request the formation of a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute resolution panel at the earliest possible opportunity if there is no immediate agreement to eliminate launch aid for the A350 and all future models and no concrete progress toward a comprehensive bilateral agreement covering all government supports in the large aircraft sector; and (4) the President should take any additional action the President considers appropriate to protect the U.S. interests in fair competition in the large commercial aircraft market.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Tribal Colleges and Universities Teacher Loan Forgiveness Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for the cancellation of a specified percentage of the total amount of any Federal Perkins loan, Federal Family Education loan, or direct student loan for each year of employment (up to five) as a full-time teacher at a tribal college or university if the borrower is not in default on such loan. Prohibits a borrower from receiving, for the same service, both a benefit from this Act and a benefit from the National Community Service Act of 1990. Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for repayment by the Secretary of Health and Human Services of educational loans for nurse training costs on behalf of nursing instructors at tribal colleges or universities, or any land-grant institution listed in the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994. Provides that the amount of any loan forgiven under this Act shall not be treated as gross income for federal tax purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Vet Center Enhancement Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to employ up to 50 veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom to provide outreach to veterans on the availability of readjustment counseling and related mental health services at vet centers operated through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Revises provisions concerning the provision of bereavement counseling to the family of members of the Armed Forces who die while serving on active military duty to: (1) include the parents of such members within such authority; and (2) allow such counseling to be provided through vet centers.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Paperwork Relief for Small Business Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit taxpayers who reasonably expect to owe not more than $50,000 in annual taxes on wines and beer to make quarterly (rather than semimonthly) payments of such tax.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
SIMPLE Cafeteria Plan Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a new employee benefit cafeteria plan to be known as a Simple Cafeteria Plan. Defines "Simple Cafeteria Plan" as a cafeteria plan which: (1) is established and maintained by an employer with an average of 100 or fewer employees during a two-year period; (2) requires employers to make contributions or match employee contributions to the plan; (3) requires participating employees to have at least 1,000 hours of service for the preceding plan year and allows such employees to elect any benefit available under the plan; (4) permits participation by self-employed individuals; and (5) includes long-term care insurance as a qualified benefit. Exempts employers who make contributions for employees under a simple cafeteria plans from pension plan nondiscrimination requirements applicable to highly compensated and key employees. Modifies rules applicable to employee benefit flexible spending arrangements, including health and dependent care arrangements, to permit participants to make or modify elections regarding covered benefits and to carry over up to $500 (indexed for inflation) of unused benefits to the succeeding year or transfer such unused amounts to another plan, including an individual retirement plan or a health savings account. Allows an exclusion from the gross income of an employee of up to $7,500 ($10,000 for employees with one or more dependents) for employer contributions to a flexible spending arrangement. Provides for a cost-of-living adjustment to such exclusion amounts beginning in calendar year 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Security and Freedom Enhancement Act of 2005 or the SAFE Act - Amends the USA PATRIOT Act to modify provisions regarding roving wiretaps to require that: (1) an order approving electronic surveillance specify either the identity of the target or the place to be wiretapped; and (2) surveillance be conducted only when the suspect is present at that place. Limits the authority to delay notice of the issuance of a search warrant to circumstances where providing immediate notice will endanger the life or physical safety of an individual or result in flight from prosecution, the destruction of or tampering with evidence, or the intimidation of potential witnesses. Requires delayed notification to be issued within seven days (currently, within a "reasonable period") after execution, with 21-day extensions, subject to specified limitations. Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to require that there be specific and articulable facts giving reason to believe that the person to whom records pertain is a foreign power or agent for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) access to business records for foreign intelligence and international terrorism investigations. Prohibits an order from: (1) containing any requirement that would be held unreasonable if contained in a subpoena issued by a U.S. court in aid of a grand jury investigation of espionage or international terrorism; or (2) requiring the production of documentary evidence that would be privileged from disclosure if demanded by such a subpoena. Prohibits an electronic communication service provider from disclosing that the FBI has sought access to telephone records for 90 days after receipt of such request, with exceptions (current law places no limits on nondisclosure). Makes similar changes to the Right to Financial Privacy Act and Fair Credit Reporting Act. Amends the Federal criminal code to redefine "domestic terrorism" to mean activities that involve acts dangerous to human life that constitute a Federal crime of terrorism (currently, that violate criminal laws).
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2005
Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Act or PREEMIE Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand and coordinate NIH research on preterm labor and delivery, infant mortality, and low birthweight infants. Establishes the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network and the Neonatal Research Units Network within NIH. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) expand and coordinate CDC activities on preterm labor and delivery and infant mortality; (2) conduct a study on the relationship between prematurity, birth defects, and developmental disabilities; and (3) review the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Survey. Requires the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's national longitudinal study of environmental influences on children's health and development to consider the impact of assisted reproduction technologies. Requires the Director of NIH to contract with the Institute of Medicine to study the health and economic consequences of preterm birth. Directs the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to assess certain core performance and outcome measures utilized under the Social Security Act for purposes of expanding such measures to include known risk factors of low birthweight and prematurity. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) conduct a demonstration project to improve the provision of information on prematurity to health professionals and the public; (2) conduct projects to support the informational and emotional needs of families during the stay of an infant in a neonatal intensive care unit, during the transition of the infant to the home, and in the event of a newborn death; and (3) establish an Interagency Coordinating Council on Prematurity and Low Birthweight.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2005
Prevent Prematurity and Improve Child Health Act of 2005 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to give States new options to cover: (1) low-income pregnant women; and (2) low-income legal immigrant pregnant women and children under Medicaid and SCHIP. Extends coverage under Medicaid of prescription drugs and counseling services to tobacco cessation medications to help pregnant women enrolled in the program quit using tobacco. Requires coverage of tobacco cessation counseling services for pregnant women, and exempts such services from cost-sharing charges. Covers tobacco cessation medications and counseling for pregnant women, also, under the Maternal and Child Health Services program under SSA title V. Gives States the option under Medicaid to: (1) provide family planning services and supplies to individuals with incomes that do not exceed a State's income eligibility level for medical assistance; and (2) extend the postpartum period for provision of family planning services and supplies. Gives States the option to provide wrap-around SCHIP coverage to children who have other health coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2005
Joins the world in mourning the death of Pope John Paul II, and pays tribute to him by pledging to be ever faithful to our national calling to be "one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,'' and to help our neighbors in immeasurable ways.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2005
Community Drinking Water Assistance Act - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a program of grants for small public water systems (those serving populations of not more than 200,000 or located in specified communities) in disadvantaged communities, or in those that may become disadvantaged as a result of compliance with drinking water standards, for use in carrying out projects and activities to comply with such standards. Requires the Administrator to: (1) give priority in awarding grants based on, first, the financial need of the community and, second, the per capita cost of the community's compliance; and (2) ensure that not less than 20 percent of grant funds are used for activities in communities with populations of less than 50,000. Sets forth the process for applications. Limits the Federal share of costs for grant-funded activities to 90 percent of the total. Provides temporary relief from enforcement of drinking water standards for eligible entities during and after the grant application process. Delays implementation or enforcement by the Administrator of an arsenic standard in any State until the earlier of January 1, 2006, or the date on which the Administrator certifies that the program has been implemented in that State and the State has made substantial progress in drinking water standards compliance.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act - Directs the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) created by this Act to establish a modern system for regulating rates and classes for market-dominant products. Specifies regulatory requirements for workshare discounts. Directs United States Postal Service (USPS) Governors to establish rates and classes for products in the competitive category of mail. Authorizes the USPS to conduct market tests of experimental products. Establishes a Postal Service Competitive Products Fund. Prohibits the USPS from engaging in unfair competition. Abrogates the USPS's immunity from suit for violations of the Trademark Act of 1946 and those provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act concerning unfair or deceptive acts or practices. Sets forth qualifications and requirements for Governors. Requires the appointment of a mediator (in lieu of current factfinding panel) in the event of USPS labor disputes. Authorizes USPS bonuses or other awards to Postal Service officers and employees in senior executive or equivalent positions. Replaces the Postal Rate Commission with the Postal Regulatory Commission. Postal Civil Service Retirement and Health Benefits Funding Amendments of 2004 - Modifies the USPS's contributions to the Civil Service Retirement System. Establishes a USPS Retiree Health Benefits Fund. Repeals a provision of the Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform Act of 2003 which addressed the disposition of savings under that Act. Addresses the temporary disability and disability retirement of postal employees. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding Postal Service purchasing reform.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Indian and Alaska Native Foster Care and Adoption Services Amendments of 2005 - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to authorize an Indian tribe or intertribal consortium operating a foster care program to receive Federal foster care maintenance payments for children placed in its custody. Requires the State to make such payments if the tribe or consortium does not operate such a program but does have a cooperative agreement with the State for such purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Governmental Pension Plan Equalization Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to specify that rules for governmental plans also apply to plans established for their employees by Indian tribal governments or their subdivisions, agencies, instrumentalities, or entities which they wholly own or control. Amends the IRC and the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 to extend to all governmental plans the prohibition against (moratorium on) application to State and local plans of certain nondiscrimination rules (requiring that the plan satisfy minimum participation standards and not discriminate in favor of highly compensated employees). Subjects tribal governments to the same defined benefit plan rules and regulations applied to State and other local governments, their police and firefighters.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Equity for Our Nation's Self Employed Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow self-employed individuals to deduct health insurance costs in computing the tax on self-employment income.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Designates August 16, 2005 as National Airborne Day (to recognize the airborne forces of the U.S. Armed Forces). Requests that the President issue a proclamation calling on Federal, State, and local administrators and the people of the United States to observe National Airborne Day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Designates July 23, 2005, and July 22, 2006, as National Day of the American Cowboy.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 $1 coins emblematic of the design selected by the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, in commemoration of disabled American veterans. Restricts such coin issuance period to the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2010. Requires a $10 dollar surcharge from such coin sales to be paid to the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation in order to establish an endowment to support the construction of the American Veterans' Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
Support our Scouts Act of 2005 - Prohibits any Federal law from being construed to limit any Federal agency from providing any form of support for a youth organization (including the Boy Scouts of America or any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America) that would result in that Federal agency providing less support to that youth organization (or any similar organization chartered under Federal law relating to the Boy Scouts of America) than was provided during each of the preceding four fiscal years. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to prohibit any State or unit of general local government that has a designated open forum, limited public forum, or nonpublic forum and that is a recipient of assistance under the Act from denying equal access or a fair opportunity to meet to, or discriminate against, any youth organization, including the Boy Scouts of America or any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, that wishes to conduct a meeting or otherwise participate in that designated open forum, limited public forum, or nonpublic forum.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
Widows and Orphans Act of 2005 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to create a new special immigrant visa category N for certain alien minors and females referred by a U.S. Government agency who have a credible fear of harm due to age or sex and who lack adequate protection. States that special immigrant status for such individuals shall be adjudicated within 45 days and that, if granted, the alien shall be paroled into the United States and allowed to apply for adjustment of status within one year of arrival. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to report to specified congressional committees on progress toward implementing the N visa provisions of this Act. Bars an alien's admission into the United States until a search of each database maintained by a Federal agency or department has been conducted to determine whether the alien is ineligible for admission on criminal, security, or related grounds. Requires aliens to be fingerprinted and to submit such fingerprints and other required biometric data to the Secretary within 30 days of entry. Requires completion of database searches within 180 days of entry. Authorizes administrative review of a determination that an alien is ineligible for admission on criminal, security, or related grounds based on a database search. Precludes judicial review of such determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) review surgical procedures, evaluate whether to include among them the full range of dialysis access procedures, and revise them to reflect the findings; and (2) review the relative value units applicable to physicians' services for vascular access procedures, and revise them to reflect accurately the difficulty of such procedures. Directs the Secretary to establish demonstration projects for an outcomes-based ESRD financial incentives reimbursement system to evaluate methods that improve the quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease. Sets forth required training for patient care dialysis technicians. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for the: (1) establishment of annual update framework for the Medicare end stage renal disease composite rate; and (2) extension of Medicare as secondary payer. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the impact of the temporary codes (G-codes) for nephrologists' services applicable under the Medicare fee schedule for physician's services. Requires the Secretary to establish demonstration projects to: (1) increase public awareness about chronic kidney disease; (2) enhance surveillance systems and expand chronic kidney disease research; and (3) enable individuals with ESRD to develop self-management skills. Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for Medicare coverage of kidney disease patient education services. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish blood flow monitoring demonstration projects; (2) provide for appropriate incentives to improve the Medicare home dialysis benefit; (3) arrange with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate the barriers to increasing the number of individuals with ESRD who elect to receive home dialysis services under Medicare; and (4) establish an independent, multidisciplinary, nonpartisan End-Stage Renal Disease Advisory Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
Small Employers Health Benefits Program Act of 2005 - Directs the Office of Personnel Management to administer a separate health insurance program for non-Federal employees who are either self-employed or employees of a small business with fewer than 100 employees. Allows the Office to contract with carriers to provide health insurance under this Act. Requires rates charged to reasonably and equitably reflect the costs of the benefits provided. Requires a carrier to determine the amount of premiums to assess for coverage based on a community rate that may be annually adjusted based on geographic area, family status, and age. Permits the Office to reimburse a carrier for costs that exceed premiums received by a specified percentage. Requires a carrier to make payments to a contingency reserve fund established by the Office if the carrier's costs are lower than expected by a specified percentage. Allows the Office to use such funds to provide assistance to carriers that experience unanticipated financial hardships. Requires the Office to establish a reinsurance fund to provide payments to carriers that experience a catastrophic claim (a claim over $50,000) for benefits provided to an individual enrolled under this Act. Allows a participating employer to offer supplemental coverage options to employees for excepted benefits that are not subject to the Public Health Service Act requirements for health plans. Authorizes the Office to contract with entities to administer this health program regionally. Allows certain benefits to be offered to Medicare beneficiaries. Requires the Office to implement a public education campaign regarding this health insurance program. Allows a refundable tax credit for health insurance expenses of small employers who pay a specific percentage of employee expenses under such a health plan.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2005
Health Promotion Funding Integrated Research, Synthesis, and Training Act or the Health Promotion FIRST Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a plan for health promotion that includes coordinating the health promotion activities of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and addressing how best to: (1) develop the basic and applied science of health promotion; (2) disseminate health promotion research; (3) support the health promotion community; and (4) modify or develop policies, structure, and legislation to integrate health promotion into all health professions and sectors of society. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, to: (1) develop a plan on how best to develop the basic science of health promotion through NIH agencies; and (2) conduct or support early research programs and research training regarding health promotion. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to develop a plan to establish a research agenda regarding health promotion for CDC. Requires the Director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion to award grants to develop Health Promotion Research Centers. Requires the Director of CDC to: (1) make an effort to attract grant applications from groups experienced in providing programs; (2) fund research to develop the applied science of health promotion for specified settings; and (3) develop a research agenda for workplace health promotion. Requires the Secretary to modify the application process for grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts awarded under this Act to attract the most qualified individuals and organizations, rather than those most experienced with the application process.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2005
Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize expansion of Medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy services to diseases, conditions, or disorders other than diabetes or a renal disease.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Encouraging Work Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to consolidate and modify provisions of the work opportunity tax credit and the welfare-to-work tax credit and make the consolidated tax credit permanent. Expands eligibility for the consolidated tax credit by: (1) determining eligibility of ex-felons without regard to family income; and (2) raising the age ceiling for food stamp recipients from 25 to 40. Includes a "designated community resident" (in lieu of "high risk youth") and "long-term family assistance recipient" as members of the targeted group eligible for the consolidated tax credit. Provides for an increased tax credit for employment of long-term family assistance recipients. Repeals the separate welfare-to-work tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Stopping Overseas Subsidies Act of 2005 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to apply its countervailing duty provisions to nonmarket economy countries.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2005
Little Rock Central High School Desegregation 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 $1 coins emblematic of the desegregation of the Little Rock Central High School and its contribution to civil rights in America, beginning January 1, 2007. Terminates such minting authority after December 31, 2007. States that all sales shall include a surcharge of $10 per coin, to be equally divided and paid to: (1) the Jefferson National Parks Association for the purpose of providing support for programs and other developmental activities at the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site and support for the ongoing mission of the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site; and (2) the Secretary of the Interior for site improvements at the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site, including the establishment of cooperative agreements to preserve and restore the historic character of the vicinity in the historic site's boundaries. States that Congress intends for such surcharges to supplement amounts provided to the Secretary in appropriation Acts for the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site, and are not intended to be a substitute for such appropriated amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2005
Condemns the ongoing abductions and murders of young women in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City, Mexico, and expresses condolences to the victims' families. Urges the President and Secretary of State to: (1) incorporate the investigative efforts of the Mexican Government in the bilateral Mexico-U.S. agenda; and (2) continue to support the efforts of the victims' families to seek justice. Encourages the Secretary to: (1) include in the annual Country Report on Human Rights all instances of improper investigatory methods, threats against human rights activists, and the use of torture with respect to such cases; (2) urge the Government of Mexico and the State of Chihuahua to review the cases of murdered women in which the accused or convicted have credibly alleged they were tortured or forced by a state agent to confess; and (3) urge the Government of Mexico to ensure fair judicial proceedings. Supports the work of the special commissioner to prevent violence against women in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City. Expresses the solidarity of the people of the United States with the people of Mexico in the face of these tragic acts.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to designate patient safety data as privileged and confidential. Permits certain disclosures of patient safety data by a provider or patient safety organization (PSO), including: (1) voluntary disclosures of non-identifiable data; (2) disclosures of data containing evidence of a wanton and criminal act to directly harm the patient; (3) disclosures necessary to carry out PSO or research activities; and (4) voluntary disclosures for public health surveillance. Defines a "patient safety organization" as an organization certified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services that conducts efforts to improve patient safety and the quality of health care delivery through the collection and analysis of patient safety data. Prohibits an accrediting body from: (1) taking any accrediting action against a provider based on the provider's good faith participation in collecting, developing, reporting, or maintaining patient safety data; or (2) requiring a provider to reveal its communications with any PSO. Prevents a provider from taking an adverse employment action against an individual based upon the good faith reporting of information. Requires the Secretary to: (1) maintain a patient safety network of databases that has the capacity to accept, aggregate, and analyze non-identifiable patient safety data voluntarily reported and that provides an interactive resource for providers and PSOs; (2) develop or adopt voluntary national standards to promote the electronic exchange of health care information; and (3) contract with a research organization to study the impact of medical technologies and therapies on health care.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Voluntary Public Access and Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program Act of 2005 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program under which States and tribal governments may apply for grants to encourage owners and operators of privately-held farm, ranch, and forest land to voluntarily make such land available for public access under State- and tribally-administered plans. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to exclude from excess base acreage computation for direct and counter-cyclical payment purposes certain conservation enrolled farm land not planted in an agricultural commodity.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of Congress that military retired pay should not be reduced because a military retiree is also eligible for veterans' disability compensation awarded for a service-connected disability. Allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (currently, only a disability rated at 50 percent or more). Repeals provisions phasing in the full concurrent receipt of such pay through December 31, 2013. Makes eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay those individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Microbicide Development Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Office of AIDS Research to: (1) expedite the implementation of the Federal strategic plan for the conduct and support of microbicide research; and (2) expand, intensify, and coordinate all activities with respect to research and development of microbicides to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to: (1) establish within the Division of AIDS an organizational unit to carry out microbicide research and development; and (2) assign priority to ensuring adequate funding and support for the integration of basic science and clinical research. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fully implement the CDC's topical microbicide agenda to support microbicide research and development. Directs the head of the Office of HIV/AIDS of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop and implement a program to support the development of microbicides products and facilitate wide-scale availability of such products.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Medicare Dual Eligible Prescription Drug Coverage Act of 2005 - Provides that, for prescriptions filled between January 1 and June 30, 2006, requirements for the coordination of prescription drug benefits with Medicare as primary payor for dual eligible individuals under the new prescription drug benefit program (PDP) under Medicare part E (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) shall not apply. Requires a State to continue to provide Medicaid medical assistance with respect to prescription drugs as if such coordination requirements had not been enacted. Declares that no State or the District of Columbia shall be required to pay (reimburse) the Secretary of Health and Human Services for Medicaid prescription drug costs for dual eligible individuals (Medicaid clawback payments) for any month before July 1, 2006. Earmarks specified amounts for education and outreach to dual eligibles regarding prescription drug coverage and monitoring of their transition to prescription drug coverage under Medicare. Requires a PDP sponsor and an MA organization offering an MA-PD plan to submit to the Secretary appropriate information regarding the drug utilization of enrollees in such plans who are full-benefit dual eligible individuals. Directs the Secretary to collect data on the drug utilization of full-benefit dual eligible individuals and share it with the States and District of Columbia in as close to a real-time basis as possible. Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to study and report to Congress on the clawback formula.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Designates March 25, 2005, as Greek Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2005
Child Health Care Crisis Relief Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to establish programs related to mental health services for children and adolescents to include: (1) entering into contracts with qualified individuals to pay educational loans in exchange for providing mental health services to children and adolescents; (2) awarding scholarships to students who agree to work as child and adolescent mental health service professionals after graduation or completion of residency; (3) entering into contracts with higher education institutions to establish or expand internship or other field placement programs for students receiving specialized training or clinical experience in child and adolescent mental health; (4) awarding grants to State-licensed mental heath organizations to pay for programs for preservice or in-service training of paraprofessional child and adolescent mental health workers; and (5) awarding grants to higher education institutions to establish or expand graduate child and adolescent mental health programs. Amends Title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to adjust the graduate medical education program to: (1) exclude a reasonable number of residents or fellows in child and adolescent psychiatry when calculating the maximum number of residents in the field of allopathic or osteopathic medicine for which the hospital may be paid; and (2) extend the period of board eligibility for residents and fellows in child and adolescent psychiatry. Directs the Administrator to study and report to Congress on the distribution of, and need for, child mental health service professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Hepatitis C Epidemic Control and Prevention Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and implement a plan for the prevention, control, and management of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) implement programs to increase awareness of HCV; and (2) support activities to promote the early detection of HCV infection, identify risk factors for infection, and conduct surveillance of HCV infection trends. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC and the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to: (1) conduct epidemiologic research to identify best practices for HCV prevention; (2) establish a Hepatitis C Clinic Research Network to conduct research related to the treatment and medical management of HCV; and (3) conduct basic research to identify new approaches to prevent and treat HCV. Requires the Secretary to: (1) promote State, local, and tribal programs to provide referrals for medical evaluation and management to HCV-positive individuals; (2) examine whether the HCV programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) should be part of the Federal plan; and (3) develop benchmarks for evaluating the programs and activities conducted under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to States, political subdivisions of States, Indian tribes, or nonprofit entities to carry out activities under this Act. Requires the Director of NIH to establish a Liver Disease Research Advisory Board.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2005 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or local governments. Directs the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to determine whether State law provides specified rights and responsibilities for public safety officers, including: (1) granting public safety employees the right to form and join a labor organization which excludes management and supervisory employees, and which is, or seeks to be, recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for such employees; and (2) requiring public safety employers to recognize and agree to bargain with the employees' labor organization. Requires the FLRA to issue regulations establishing collective bargaining procedures for public safety employers and employees in States that do not substantially provide for such public safety employee rights and responsibilities. Directs the FLRA, in such cases, to: (1) determine the appropriateness of units for labor organization representation; (2) supervise or conduct elections to determine whether a labor organization has been selected as an exclusive representative by a majority of the employees in an appropriate unit; (3) resolve issues relating to the duty to bargain in good faith; (4) conduct hearings and resolve complaints of unfair labor practices; and (5) resolve exceptions to arbitrator's awards. Grants a public safety employer, employee, or labor organization the right to seek enforcement of such FLRA regulations and authority through appropriate State courts. Prohibits public safety employers, employees, and labor organizations from engaging in lockouts or strikes, or sickouts, work slowdowns, or other actions designed to compel agreement to a proposed contract which will measurably disrupt the delivery of emergency services. Provides that existing collective bargaining units and agreements shall not be invalidated by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2005
Darfur Accountability Act of 2005 - Directs the President to: (1) freeze the assets of persons (and family members) named by the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur to the United Nations (UN) Secretary General as perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Darfur, Sudan, and report such assets to the Office of Foreign Assets Control; (2) deny visas and entry to such persons, and to anyone the President determines has been, is, or may be involved in such activities in Darfur; and (3) report the names of such persons to the appropriate congressional committees.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
National Geologic Mapping Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 to extend deadlines for development of a five-year strategic plan for the geologic mapping program and for appointment of the advisory committee. Removes from program objectives the development of a geophysical- and geochemical- map database. Directs that mapping priorities be based in part on the needs of the Department of the Interior land management agencies. Modifies the composition of the advisory committee. Requires the advisory committee to provide a scientific overview of geologic maps (including maps of geologic-based hazards) used or disseminated by Federal agencies for regulation or land-use planning. Directs that the national geologic map database include all maps developed with funding provided by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, including under the Federal, State, and education components. Authorizes appropriations for each of FY 2006 through 2010. Increases the percentages allocated for the State and education components.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2005
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo. Limits such research to stem cells that meet the following ethical requirements: (1) the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics for the purpose of fertility treatment and were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment; (2) the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and (3) such individuals donate the embryos with written informed consent and receive no financial or other inducements.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2005
Allied Health Reinvestment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop public service announcements to promote the allied health professions. Requires the Secretary to award grants to promote such professions by: (1) supporting relevant State and local campaigns; (2) increasing education opportunities; (3) carrying out programs to facilitate the entry of students into relevant careers; (4) expanding enrollment into such programs; (5) providing education through new technologies and methods; (6) enhancing the workforce through retention programs; (7) developing retention strategies; (8) expanding area health education centers to develop models of excellence for such professionals; and (9) developing clinical education, internship, and resident programs that encourage mentoring and the development of specialties. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to enter into agreements to establish faculty loan funds to increase the number of qualified allied health faculty. Requires the Secretary to: (1) provide scholarships to individuals seeking allied health education who agree to provide service in rural and other medically underserved areas with personnel shortages; (2) develop a system for collecting and analyzing workforce data to determine education pipeline and practitioner shortages and to project future needs for such a workforce; and (3) include allied health schools among the schools eligible to receive grants to support Centers of Excellence in health professions education for underrepresented minority individuals. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct an evaluation of whether this Act has demonstrably increased the number of allied health education program applicants.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 2005
Terrorism Risk Insurance Extension Act of 2005 - Amends the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (TRIA) to extend the terrorism risk insurance program from 2005 through 2007. Defines "Program Year 4" as calendar 2006 and "Program Year 5" as calendar 2007. Extends coverage for insured losses under a policy issued during Program Year 5 through December 31, 2008, at the latest. Increases the insurance marketplace aggregate retention amount for Program Years 4 and 5. Directs the Secretary to apply TRIA to providers of group life insurance. Instructs the Presidential Working Group on Financial Markets to report to Congress its recommendations for legislation to address the long-term availability and affordability of insurance for terrorism risk.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 2005
Pathways to Self-Sufficiency Act of 2005 - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to give States that receive a TANF grant the option to: (1) use the grant to establish a program, including an undergraduate post-secondary or vocational education program, under which an eligible participant may be provided certain support services although the State may not use Federal TANF grant funds to pay the participant's tuition; and (2) credit months of program participation for disregard in calculation of the five-year TANF assistance limitation.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services: (1) to develop and implement a National Arthritis Action Plan; and (2) acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct, support, and promote the coordination of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases research. Requires the Secretary to award grants to: (1) support arthritis-specific research projects at the Centers for Prevention Research by the CDC; (2) support State comprehensive arthritis control and prevention programs and public health surveillance, prevention, and control activities; and (3) assist in the implementation of a national strategy for arthritis control and prevention. Requires the Secretary to coordinate a national education and outreach program on arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Requires the Secretary to establish an Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases Interagency Coordinating Committee to: (1) improve coordination of Federal research activities related to arthritis and rheumatic diseases; and (2) convene a summit to provide a detailed overview of such current Federal research. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand and intensify juvenile arthritis research. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to support juvenile arthritis data collection. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to support the development of a National Juvenile Arthritis Patient Registry. Requires the Secretary to promote and support pediatric rheumatology training, including by allowing the Secretary to establish a loan repayment program. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct a study on the economic impact of arthritis in the workplace.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Military Personnel Financial Services Protection Act - Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to state it is unlawful: (1) for any registered investment company to issue any periodic payment plan certificate; or (2) for such company or any other person to sell such a certificate. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require a registered securities association to establish a system for collecting and retaining registration, disciplinary, and other information, including a toll-free telephone listing for prompt response to inquiries regarding registration information on members. Amends the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to authorize the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require an investment adviser to file with the SEC, through any designated entity, any fee, application, report, or notice required to be filed. Directs the SEC to require such entity to establish and maintain a toll-free telephone listing, or a readily accessible electronic or other process, to receive and promptly respond to inquiries regarding registration, disciplinary, and other information involving investment advisers and associated persons. States that any State law, regulation, or order regarding the business of insurance shall apply to insurance activities conducted on Federal land or facilities in the United States and abroad, including military installations, unless specified conditions exist. Prohibits an insurer or producer from selling or soliciting in person any life insurance product to any member of the Armed Forces on a Federal military installation, unless specified written disclosures have been provided before the sale. Expresses the sense of Congress that the National Association of Insurance Commissioners should study and report to certain congressional committees on ways of improving the quality and sale of life insurance products sold by insurers and producers on Federal military installations. Prohibits any insurer from contracting with an insurance producer that solicits or sells life insurance on U.S. military installations unless the insurer has implemented a system to report to certain State insurance commissioners any disciplinary actions taken against the producer with respect to such sales or solicitations. Requires the Secretary of Defense to establish a registry of insurance agents and financial advisors that have been barred or banned from doing business on Federal military installations.