United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2005
Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act- Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require: (1) biennial (currently, annual) budget resolutions; (2) biennial appropriations Acts; and (3) biennial Government strategic and performance plans. Defines the budget biennium as the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to: (1) determine the impact and feasibility of changing the definition of a fiscal year and the budget process based on that definition to a two-year fiscal period with a biennial budget process based on such period; and (2) report the findings to the House and Senate Budget Committees.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2005
Honors the life and contributions of Frederick C. Branch, and extends the Senate's sympathies to his family for the loss of a courageous and pioneering man.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2005 or the FAIR Act of 2005 - Establishes within the Department of Labor the Office of Asbestos Disease Compensation, to be headed by an Administrator responsible for processing claims for compensation for asbestos-related injuries and managing the Asbestos Injury Claims Resolution Fund (Fund) (established within such Office). Requires the Administrator to: (1) establish an Advisory Committee on Asbestos Disease Compensation; (2) establish a Medical Advisory Committee; (3) establish a comprehensive asbestos claimant assistance program that includes legal assistance; and (4) appoint physicians to claim-specific Physicians Panels. Stays all asbestos claims pending on the date of enactment of this Act (except for specified civil actions already at trial). Sets forth special procedures for the settlement of exigent health claims. Allows non-exigent claims to proceed in Federal or State court if the Fund is not certified as operational within 24 months of enactment. Establishes: (1) procedures for handling claims of asbestos-related disease and injury; (2) occupational exposure presumptions; (3) medical evidence auditing and review procedures and applicable medical criteria; and (4) award amounts and payment methods. Imposes a general five-year statute of limitations for filing claims, with special provisions for pending claims and multiple injuries. Specifies the funding allocation for asbestos defendants required to pay into the Fund. Establishes the Asbestos Insurers Commission to determine Fund payment obligations. Authorizes the Administrator to impose a pro rata surcharge on Fund participants if certain bankruptcy trust assets are unavailable to the Fund and borrowing is insufficient to ensure liquidity. Directs the Administrator to establish a program for the education, consultation, medical screening, and medical monitoring of persons with asbestos exposure. Vests exclusive jurisdiction to review, under expedited consideration: (1) final determinations regarding fund obligations and actions for declaratory and injunctive relief under this Act in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia; and (2) award decisions in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the circuit in which the claimant resides. Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit and establish penalties for fraud and false information in connection with Fund claims. Amends the bankruptcy code to state that Fund contribution obligations are not subject to an automatic stay or dischargeable in bankruptcy. States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to preclude personal injury claims attributable to silica exposure where certain pleading and evidentiary requirements are met. Requires remedies provided by this Act to be the exclusive remedy for asbestos claims except with regard to specified civil actions already at trial. Addresses the effect of this Act on insurance and reinsurance contracts. Requires the sunset of specified provisions of this Act if the Administrator determines that the Fund has insufficient resources. Requires the Administrator to refer possible violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Clean Air Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to listed officials for possible civil or criminal penalties. Amends OSHA to enhance criminal penalties for willful violations of occupational standards for asbestos. Directs the Administrator to assess Fund contributions from individuals who have violated asbestos laws administered by the Department of Labor, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and their State counterparts. Requires the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review Federal sentencing guidelines to ensure that environmental crimes relating to asbestos are sufficiently punished. Prohibits discrimination in health insurance coverage against persons who participate in medical monitoring programs under this Act. Amends TSCA to require the Administrator of EPA to promulgate regulations prohibiting the manufacture, processing, or distribution in commerce of asbestos containing products, subject to specified exemptions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Combating Autism Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): (1) to develop a scientifically justified budget for research on autism spectrum disorders; (2) acting through the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, to provide for centers of excellence regarding research on autism; and (3) acting through the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Disorders, to provide for Collaborative Programs of Excellence in Autism. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish: (1) regional centers of excellence in autism and pervasive developmental disabilities epidemiology; and (2) a clearinghouse for the collecting and storage of data generated. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) a program to provide information and education on autism and its risk factors to health professionals and the general public; and (2) the Autism Coordinating Committee to coordinate autism related activities within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to award grants or cooperative agreements to develop statewide autism screening, diagnosis, and intervention programs and systems. Requires the Director of NIH, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, to provide for centers of excellence regarding environmental health and autism.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Expresses support for the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, North Carolina, and commends those who organize and participate in the Market. Recognizes the Market as a positive economic impact on North Carolina and vital to a region and State adversely affected by a decline in traditional manufacturing.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2005
Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to permit the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): (1) acting through the Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, to expand and coordinate NIH activities on paralysis research; (2) to award grants to plan, establish, improve, and provide basic operating support for Christopher Reeve Paralysis Research Consortia; (3) to educate and disseminate information and receive public comment on NIH programs and research regarding paralysis; (4) acting through the Director of the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development and the National Center for Rehabilitation Research, to expand and coordinate NIH research with implications for enhancing daily function for persons with paralysis; and (5) to make grants to plan, establish, improve, and provide basic operating support for multicenter clinical trial networks to design clinical rehabilitation intervention protocols and measures of outcomes on paralysis. Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to study the health challenges associated with paralysis and other physical disabilities and carry out projects and interventions to improve the quality of life and long-term health status of individuals with such conditions. Permits the Secretary to award grants for activities related to paralysis, including to: (1) establish paralysis registries; and (2) disseminate information to the public. Allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) establish Paralysis Research, Education and Clinical Care Centers; and (2) award grants to medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to translate clinical findings and recommendations on paralysis into evidence-based best practices.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to require that a member insured under the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) program be automatically issued a traumatic injury protection rider that will provide a payment of up to $100,000 per event if the member, while so insured, sustains a traumatic injury that results in: (1) a loss of sight, limbs, movement, speech, or hearing; (2) certain burns; or (3) a coma or the inability to carry out certain daily living activities. Provides coverage exceptions, including attempted suicide or self-inflicted injury, committing or attempting to commit a felony, being legally intoxicated, or willful misconduct. Provides specific payment amounts with respect to each type of injury or loss. Requires the payment, while a member is serving on active or reserve duty, of premiums for such additional coverage. Terminates such coverage upon separation from the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2005
Highway Funding Equity Act of 2005 - Amends Federal highway law to revise Federal highway minimum guarantee requirements. Requires the Secretary of Transportation, for each of FY 2005 through 2009, to allocate among the States amounts sufficient to ensure that the percentage for each State of the total apportionments for the fiscal year for certain Federal-aid highway programs (including the basic minimum guarantee under this Act) equals or exceeds 95 percent of the ratio that the estimated gas tax payments attributable to highway users in the State paid into the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) bears to such payments attributable to highway users in all States (with a specified exception for any State having a population density of less than 50 individuals per square mile). Provides for: (1) the programmatic distribution of funds above $2.8 billion for certain Federal-aid highway programs; (2) the apportionment of the remainder of funds to the States; and (3) required adjustments where the sum of State percentages exceeds 100 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable or educational purposes and which make collegiate housing and infrastructure improvement grants to continue to be treated as tax-exempt organizations so long as all of the active members of the recipient organization are full-time students at the college or university with which the recipient organization is associated.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Commends the University of North Carolina Tarheels for winning the 2005 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2005
Services for Ending Long-Term Homelessness Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to design national strategies for providing services in supportive housing that will assist in ending chronic homelessness and to implement programs that address chronic homelessness. Requires the Secretary to make matching grants to eligible entities to provide services that promote recovery and self-sufficiency and that address barriers to housing stability to chronically homeless individuals in, or who are scheduled to become residents of, permanent supportive housing and to other individuals and families who have voluntarily chosen to seek other housing opportunities after a period of tenancy in supportive housing. Directs the Secretary to require grantees to report data regarding the performance outcomes of projects carried out under this Act, which shall include measuring and reporting specific performance outcomes related to the long-term goals of: (1) increasing stability within the community for people who have been chronically homeless; and (2) decreasing recurrence of periods of homelessness.
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
New Shipper Review Amendment Act of 2005 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 with respect to reviews by the administering authority to establish an individual weighted average dumping margin or an individual countervailing duty rate (as the case may be) for a new exporter or producer that: (1) did not export the merchandise that was the subject of an antidumping duty or countervailing duty order to the United States during the period of investigation; and (2) was not affiliated with any exporter or producer who did. Suspends, until three years after enactment of this Act, the requirement that the administering authority direct the Customs Service to allow, at the option of the importer of such merchandise, the posting, until completion of the review, of a bond or security in lieu of a cash deposit for each entry of the subject merchandise (bonding privileges).
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2005
Amends the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 to prohibit U.S. courts from recognizing, enforcing, or otherwise validating any assertion of rights by an individual (currently, by a designated Cuban national) of a mark, trade name, or commercial name that was used in connection with a business or assets that were confiscated by the Cuban government unless the original owner of such mark or name, or such owner's bona fide successor, has expressly consented. Applies such prohibition only if the individual asserting the rights knew or had reason to know at the time of acquiring the rights asserted that the mark or name was the same or substantially similar to the mark or name used in connection with the business or assets that were confiscated.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Lumbee Recognition Act - Amends federal law relating to the Lumbee Indians of North Carolina to extend federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit any person or entity, in or affecting interstate commerce, from knowingly: (1) performing or attempting to perform human cloning; (2) participating in such an attempt; or (3) shipping or receiving an embryo produced by human cloning or any product derived from such an embryo. Prohibits knowingly importing such an embryo. Sets forth criminal and civil penalties. Provides that nothing in this Act restricts areas of scientific research not specifically prohibited, including research in the use of nuclear transfer or other cloning techniques to produce molecules, DNA, cells other than human embryos, tissues, organs, plants, or animals other than humans. Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess the need to amend such prohibition, including through: (1) a discussion of new developments, the need for somatic cell transfer to produce medical advances, current public attitudes and prevailing ethical views concerning its use, and potential legal implications of somatic cell transfer research; and (2) a review of any technological developments that may require technical changes to such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize qualified physical therapists to provide services for Medicare beneficiaries without the requirement of a physician referral. Provides for treatment of outpatient speech-language pathology services separately from outpatient physical therapy services.
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 · 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
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 · 15 March 2005
Investment in America Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the tax credit for increasing research activities; (2) increase the rates of the alternative incremental credit for certain research expenses; and (3) permit a taxpayer election of an alternative simplified tax credit for research expenses in lieu of the standard tax credit for increasing research activities.
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
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include combat zone compensation (otherwise excludable from gross income) as earned income for purposes of calculating the tax deduction for contributions to retirement savings plans.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2005
Condemns: (1) all acts of terrorism against innocent people in Lebanon and around the world; and (2) the continued presence of Syrian troops in Lebanon and calls for their immediate removal. Urges the President to consider imposing additional sanctions on Syria under the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003. Supports the people of Lebanon in their quest for a democratic government.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Constitution Restoration Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal judicial code to prohibit the U.S. Supreme Court and the Federal district courts from exercising jurisdiction over any matter in which relief is sought against an entity of Federal, State, or local government or an officer or agent of such government concerning that entity's, officer's, or agent's acknowledgment of God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government. Prohibits a court of the United States from relying upon any law, policy, or other action of a foreign state or international organization in interpreting and applying the Constitution, other than English constitutional and common law up to the time of adoption of the U.S. Constitution. Provides that any Federal court decision relating to an issue removed from Federal jurisdiction by this Act is not binding precedent on State courts. Provides that any Supreme Court justice or Federal court judge who exceeds the jurisdictional limitations of this Act shall be deemed to have committed an offense for which the justice or judge may be removed, and to have violated the standard of good behavior required of Article III judges by the Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants for terms of 18 months to each approved State to establish or improve a State controlled substance monitoring program. Requires the Secretary to develop minimum standards for States to ensure security of information collected and to recommend penalties for the provision or use of information in violation of applicable laws or regulations. Requires each approved State to: (1) require dispensers to report to the State within one week of each dispensing of a controlled substance to an ultimate user; and (2) establish and maintain an electronic searchable database containing the information reported. Allows a State to provide information from the database in response to certain requests by practitioners, law enforcement, narcotics control, licensure, disciplinary, or program authorities, the controlled substance monitoring program of another State, and agents of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), State Medicaid programs, State health departments, or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Requires the Secretary to: (1) specify a uniform electronic format for the reporting, sharing, and provision of information under this Act; and (2) study and report to Congress on such programs, including on interoperability between programs, the feasibility of a real-time electronic controlled substance monitoring program, privacy protections, and technological alternatives to centralized data storage.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2005
Interstate Transmission Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Power Act to direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to: (1) establish incentive-based rate treatments for the transmission of electric energy in interstate commerce by any public utility in order to ensure reliability and to decrease the cost of delivered power by reducing transmission congestion; and (2) provide for incentives to each transmitting utility or electric utility that joins a Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) or Independent System Operator. Prescribes guidelines for open nondiscriminatory access by unregulated transmitting utilities. Prohibits FERC from requiring an unregulated transmitting utility to transfer control or operational control of its transmitting facilities to an RTO or any other Commission-approved independent transmission organization designated to provide nondiscriminatory transmission access. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat electric transmission property treated as 15-year property. Repeals the requirement for FERC prior authorization of the disposition of public utility facilities. Grants FERC jurisdiction over Electric Reliability Organizations certified by FERC to establish and enforce reliability standards for the bulk-power system. Exempts Hawaii and Alaska from application of this Act. Prescribes guidelines governing the obligations of electric utilities to provide electric service to either end-users or to a distribution utility (native load service obligation). Specifies conditions under which FERC is required to approve a voluntary transmission pricing plan containing criteria for determining the person or persons that will be required to pay for any construction of new transmission facilities or expansion, modification or upgrade of transmission facilities, or new generator interconnection. Authorizes FERC to promote voluntary development of regional transmission organizations, independent transmission providers, and similar organizations in order to enhance electric energy transmission in interstate commerce.
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
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit: (1) Federal civilian and military retirees to pay Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis (i.e., exclude premiums from gross income); and (2) a tax deduction (available to itemizers and nonitemizers) for TRICARE supplemental premiums or enrollment fees. Directs the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the option of paying FEHBP and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis is available to Federal civilian and military retirees for the first open enrollment period beginning not less than 90 days after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the classification, for depreciation purposes, of any motorsports entertainment complex as seven year property.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to include podiatrists as physicians in order to cover their services under the Medicaid program.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2005 - Provides that the sunset provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (i.e., December 31, 2010) shall not apply to the repeal of the Federal estate tax and generation-skipping transfer tax (thus making such repeal permanent).
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Child Custody Protection Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit transporting a minor across a state line to obtain an abortion (deems such transporting to be a de facto abridgment of the right of a parent under any law in the minor’s state of residence that requires parental involvement in the minor’s abortion decision). Makes an exception for an abortion necessary to save the life of the minor. Protects from prosecution or civil liability the minor or the minor’s parents for violations of this Act. Makes it an affirmative defense to a prosecution or civil action under this Act that a defendant reasonably believed that before the minor obtained the abortion, the required parental consent or notification or judicial authorization took place. Authorizes any parent who suffers harm from a violation of this Act to seek relief in a civil action. Defines "parent" to include a guardian, legal custodian, or person standing in loco parentis.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act - Prohibits a qualified civil liability action from being brought in any State or Federal court against a manufacturer or seller of a firearm, ammunition, or a component of a firearm that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce (or against a trade association of such manufacturers or sellers) for damages, punitive damages, injunctive or declaratory relief, abatement, restitution, fines, or penalties, or other relief, resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm. Requires pending actions to be dismissed. Excludes actions: (1) brought against persons who transfer a firearm knowing that it will be used to commit a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime, by a party directly harmed by such crime; (2) brought against a seller for negligent entrustment or negligence per se; (3) in which a manufacturer or seller of a firearm knowingly violated a State or Federal statute applicable to the sale or marketing of the firearm, and the violation was a proximate cause of the harm for which relief is sought; (4) for breach of contract or warranty in connection with the purchase of the firearm; or (5) for death, physical injuries, or property damage resulting directly from a defect in design or manufacture of the firearm when used as intended or in a reasonably foreseeable manner, except that where the discharge was caused by a volitional act that constituted a criminal offense, such act shall be considered the sole proximate cause of any resulting death, personal injuries, or property damage.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Authorizes the President, on behalf of Congress, to award a gold medal collectively to the Tuskegee Airmen in recognition of their unique military record, which inspired revolutionary reform in the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member. Directs the Secretary to reimburse such eligible persons for pharmacy benefits received from a pharmacy that is not a TRICARE (Department of Defense managed health care plan) network pharmacy in the same manner as the Secretary would reimburse such person for such benefits received from a TRICARE network pharmacy. Requires such persons, in order to receive such reimbursement, to submit a certification from their physician stating that the person does not have access to a TRICARE network pharmacy due to physical or medical constraints. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive the monthly part B premium (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) with respect to: (1) an individual who is entitled to military retired or retainer pay based upon service that began before December 7, 1956; and (2) the spouse, widow, or widower of such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2005
National Right-to-Work Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-Cost, Timely Healthcare Act of 2005 or the HEALTH Act of 2005 - Sets forth provisions regulating lawsuits for health care liability claims concerning the provisions of health care goods or services or any medical product affecting interstate commerce. Sets a statute of limitations of three years after the date of manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers the injury, with certain exceptions. Provides that nothing in this Act limits recovery of the full amount of available economic damages. Limits noneconomic damages to $250,000. Makes each party liable only for the amount of damages directly proportional to such party's percentage of responsibility. Allows the court to restrict the payment of attorney contingency fees. Limits the fees to a decreasing percentage based on the increasing value of the amount awarded. Prescribes qualifications for expert witnesses. Requires the court to reduce damages received by the amount of collateral source benefits to which a claimant is entitled, unless the payor of such benefits has the right to reimbursement or subrogation under Federal or State law. Authorizes the award of punitive damages only where: (1) it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that a person acted with malicious intent to injure the claimant or deliberately failed to avoid unnecessary injury such person knew the claimant was substantially certain to suffer; and (2) compensatory damages are awarded. Limits punitive damages to the greater of two times the amount of economic damages or $250,000. Prohibits a health care provider from being named as a party in a product liability or class action lawsuit for prescribing or dispensing an Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prescription drug or device. Provides for periodic payments of future damage awards.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Iran Freedom and Support Act of 2005 - States that: (1) U.S. sanctions, controls, and regulations relating to weapons of mass destruction with respect to Iran shall remain in effect until the President certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that Iran has permanently and verifiably dismantled its weapons of mass destruction programs and has committed to combating such weapons' proliferation; and (2) such certification shall have no effect on other sanctions relating to Iranian support of international terrorism. Amends the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 to: (1) eliminate mandatory sanction provisions respecting Libya; (2) impose mandatory sanctions on a person or entity that aids Iran acquire or develop weapons of mass destruction or destabilizing types and numbers of conventional weapons; (3) revise multilateral regime reporting requirements, including provisions respecting sanctions on individuals aiding Iranian petroleum development; (4) enlarge the scope of sanctionable entities; and (5) eliminate the sunset provision. Declares that U.S. policy should support: (1) efforts by the Iranian people to exercise self-determination over their form of government; and (2) an internationally-overseen referendum in Iran. Authorizes the President to provide financial and political assistance to eligible foreign and domestic individuals and groups that support democracy and advocate nonproliferation in Iran. Directs the President to notify (which may be in classified form) the appropriate congressional committees not later than 15 days prior to designating an eligible opposition group. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the President should appoint a special assistant on Iranian matters; (2) U.S. representatives and officials in international fora should express support for democratic transition in Iran; (3) representatives of the Government of Iran should be denied access to U.S. Government buildings; (4) efforts to halt the Iranian nuclear weapons program should be intensified; and (5) U.S. officials and representatives should strongly support indigenous efforts in Iran calling for democratic elections.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit up to $500 of unused health benefits in a plan or other arrangement that provides for a health flexible spending arrangement to be carried forward to the next year of such health flexible spending arrangement or be contributed to a health savings account without affecting the status of such plan or arrangement as a tax-exempt employee benefit cafeteria plan.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2005
Commends the people of Iraq on the January 2005 elections, and congratulates the new members of the Transitional National Assembly and the leaders of the provincial and regional governments. Urges the new leadership of Iraq to move forward with drafting the constitution, upholding the law, and holding a referendum on the new constitution. Honors the sacrifices made for freedom by the people of Iraq. Commends the Iraqi security forces and the U.S. Armed Forces and Coalition forces who ensured the elections could be conducted in a relatively safe and credible manner. Condemns all acts of violence and intimidation by members of the former Iraqi regime, insurgents, and other extremists and terrorists. Declares that it is in the interest of the people of Iraq, the Middle East, the United States, and the international community that Iraq transitions to a democratic state and serves as a catalyst for regional peace and stability. Calls on the international community, particularly Arab states, countries with predominantly Muslim populations, and all North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members, to provide military and police personnel to train Iraqi security forces and to otherwise assist in Iraq's political and economic development. Encourages the newly-elected transitional government of Iraq to ensure that all Iraqis, including members of the Sunni community, are represented in the Constitution-writing process and in the new Iraqi cabinet.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2005
Declares that the Senate: (1) apologizes to the victims and survivors of lynching for its failure to enact anti-lynching legislation; (2) expresses its deepest sympathies and most solemn regrets to the descendants of such victims whose ancestors were deprived of life, human dignity, and the constitutional protections accorded all other U.S. citizens; and (3) remembers the history of lynching, to ensure that these personal tragedies will be neither forgotten nor repeated.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2005
Hunger Relief Trucking Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for the cost of transporting food to assist hunger relief efforts of certain charitable organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to extend the Act through FY2013. Revises requirements regarding the merchantable material contracting pilot program. Requires counties participating in county projects to submit a specified notification for each project for which the participating county obligated county funds. Provides for the review of such notifications.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act - Exempts provisions expanding the adoption tax credit and adoption assistance programs enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 from the general terminating (sunset) provisions of that Act.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2005
Calling for 2-1-1 Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award a grant to each State to carry out a program in the Administration on Children and Families for making available throughout that State the 2-1-1 telephone service for information and referral on human services. Requires a participating State to ensure that at least 50 percent of the resources of the program funded by the grant will be derived from other sources. Requires a State seeking a grant to carry out its activities through a lead entity to be known as a 2-1-1 Collaborative. Requires grant amounts to be used solely to make available to a State 2-1-1 telephone service for community information and referral on human services to all citizens of that State with phone access, including telephone connections between families and individuals seeking services and the service providers. Requires grant recipients to: (1) abide by the Key Standards for 2-1-1 Centers; and (2) collaborate with human service organizations to provide an exhaustive database of services with which to provide information or referral to individuals utilizing the 2-1-1 service.
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