United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2004
Medicare Preventive Services Coverage Act of 2004 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for Aged and Disabled) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the part B program to provide appropriate preventive benefits. Amends part E (Miscellaneous), as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to provide for additional preventive services (including mental health services) under Medicare. Eliminates coinsurance in outpatient department (OPD) hospital settings and application of deductible with respect to additional preventive services.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2004
Recognizes as a compelling national priority the need to increase awareness about and prevent suicide. Reaffirms Congress's commitment to the priorities expressed in prior legislation (which recognized suicide as a national problem and declared suicide prevention to be a national priority). Encourages Americans, communities, and the nation to work to increase awareness about and prevent suicide.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2004
Ronald Reagan Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to make Alzheimer's disease research a priority within the National Institute on Aging. Requires the Director of the Institute to: (1) undertake an Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Initiative to accelerate the discovery of new risk and protective factors, to rapidly identify therapies and preventive interventions, and to implement effective prevention and treatment strategies; (2) conduct and support cooperative clinical research regarding Alzheimer's; and (3) conduct research concerning early detection and diagnosis, the relationship between Alzheimer's and vascular disease, and interventions designed to help caregivers. Authorizes the Director to establish a National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center to facilitate collaboration among Alzheimer's Disease Centers and Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to educate the public and public health community regarding Alzheimer's disease. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants or cooperative agreements to develop coordinated respite care programs on a statewide basis. Defines "respite care" to mean planned or emergency care provided to a child or adult with a special need in order to provide temporary relief to the family caregiver of such child or adult. Directs the Secretary to award a grant or cooperative agreement to a public or private nonprofit entity to establish a National Resource Center on Lifespan Respite Care. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a nonrefundable tax credit for each individual certified as having long-term care needs and for whom the taxpayer is acting as a caregiver; (2) a tax deduction for long-term care premiums paid under a qualified insurance contract; and (3) qualified long-term care insurance to be offered in a cafeteria plan and flexible spending arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2004
Civil Liberties Restoration Act of 2004 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to require removal proceedings to be open to the public subject to specified exceptions. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) serve notice to appear within 48 hours on aliens arrested or detained under the INA and bring them before an immigration judge within 72 hours, with exceptions for aliens certified as engaging in espionage or terrorism; and (2) conduct individualized bond determinations reviewable by an immigration judge. Limits the authority of the Board of Immigration Review (created by this Act) to stay release orders. Abolishes the Executive Office of Immigration Review and replaces it with the Immigration Review Commission. Terminates the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) and most NSEERS-related removal proceedings. Requires the Secretary to use prosecutorial discretion in immigration enforcement. Eliminates criminal penalties and deportation, and establishes civil penalties, for an alien's violation of registration and change of address requirements. Requires data entered into the National Crime Information Center database to meet Privacy Act accuracy requirements. Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to authorize (currently, require) courts to review in camera and ex parte materials relating to, or information derived from, electronic surveillance, physical searches, business records, and pen registers or trap and trace devices under FISA where the Attorney General asserts that disclosure implicates national security. Requires disclosure of such materials to comport with the Classified Information Procedures Act. Requires Federal agencies to report data-mining activities to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2004
AGOA Acceleration Act of 2004 - Declares the sense of Congress that the preferential market access opportunities for eligible sub-Saharan African countries (SSA countries) will be complemented and enhanced if those countries implement specified existing obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO). Urges such countries to participate in and support mutual trade liberalization in ongoing negotiations under WTO auspices, recognizing that such commitments may need to reflect special and differential treatment for developing countries. States that eligible SSA countries will benefit from reduction of trade barriers in other developing countries. Urges all countries to make sanitary and phytosanitary decisions on the basis of sound science. Expresses the sense of Congress that the executive branch, including specified Federal agencies, should enforce African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) provisions relating to preferential treatment of textile and apparel articles, broadly in order to expand trade by maximizing opportunities for imports of such articles from eligible SSA countries. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to extend duty-free treatment for AGOA articles: (1) from FY 2008 through 2015; and (2) made from material produced in former beneficiary SSA countries. Defines former beneficiary sub-Saharan African country as a country that, after being designated as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country under AGOA, ceased to be designated as such a country by reason of its entering into a free trade agreement with the United States. Amends AGOA to revise requirements for textile and apparel products from SSA countries receiving duty-free and other preferential import treatment, including extensions of such treatment to certain apparels. Authorizes duty-free and preferential treatment for certain apparel articles such as ethnic printed fabric of an SSA country that meets certain conditions. Extends preferential treatment to an article containing fibers or yarns not wholly formed in former beneficiary SSA countries (currently, the United States or one or more beneficiary SSA countries) if the total weight of all such fibers and yarns is not more than ten (currently, seven) percent of the total weight of the article. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, under specified conditions, to liquidate or reliquidate as free of duty and free of any quantitative restrictions, limitations, or consultative levels any entries of certain apparel. Requires the President to: (1) study each eligible SSA country, identifying sectors of its economy with the greatest potential for growth, including through export sales, and identifying both domestic and international barriers impeding such growth; (2) make recommendations on how the Federal Government and the private sector can provide technical assistance to assist that country in dismantling such barriers and promoting investment in such sectors; and (3) disseminate information to appropriate Federal agencies on each such country. Requires the President to develop and implement policies to encourage the development of investment in SSA countries, particularly in: (1) infrastructure projects supporting development of land transport road and railroad networks and ports, and the continued upgrading and liberalization of the energy and telecommunications sectors; (2) establishment and expansion of modern information and communication technologies and practices to improve the ability of citizens to research and disseminate specified information; and (3) agriculture, particularly in processing and capacity enhancement. Requires the President to: (1) foster improved port-to-port and airport-to-airport relationships in order to facilitate and increase trade flows between eligible SSA countries; (2) encourage the development of infrastructure projects that will help increase trade capacity and a sustainable ecotourism industry in such countries; (3) identify at least ten eligible SSA countries as having the greatest potential to increase marketable exports of agricultural products to the United States and the greatest need for technical assistance, particularly with respect to pest risk assessments and complying with U.S. sanitary and phytosanitary rules; (4) assign at least 20 full-time personnel to provide assistance to such countries to ensure that their exports of agricultural products meet Federal law requirements; and (5) convene the trade advisory committee on Africa established by Executive Order 11846 of March 27, 1975, under the Trade Act of 1974.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2004
Amends Federal veterans' benefits law to revise the maximum amount of home loan guaranty available under the home loan guaranty program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, specifically the guaranty of any loan of more than $144,000. Replaces the current formula of the lesser of $60,000 or 25 percent of the loan with the lesser of a certain maximum guaranty amount or 25 percent of the loan. Defines maximum guaranty amount as the dollar amount equal to 25 percent of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) conforming loan limit limitation determined under the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act for a single-family residence, as adjusted for the year involved.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2004
Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers with at least 15 or more employees to provide a minimum paid sick leave of: (1) seven days annually for those who work at least 30 hours per week; and (2) a prorated annual amount for those who work less than 30 but at least 20 hours a week, or less than 1,500 but at least 1,000 hours per year. Allows employees to use such leave to meet their own medical needs or to care for the medical needs of certain family members. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority with respect to this Act's provisions regarding employees covered by title I of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Provides that, for employees under their jurisdiction, such authority shall be exercised by the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, the Board of Directors of the congressional Office of Compliance, or the Merit Systems Protection Board. Declares that the requirements under this Act are minimum requirements, and are not to be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2004
Medicare Trust Fund Reimbursement Act of 2004 - Provides that if the Comptroller General of the United States determines that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have violated the restriction on using appropriated funds for publicity or propaganda purposes contained in the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003 or any other provision of law, the principal campaign committee of the President shall reimburse the Federal Government for the amount used in committing such violation as appropriate. Requires the amount reimbursed to be credited to the appropriate Medicare trust fund to the extent that it was initially appropriated to such trust fund.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2004
Amends the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004 to revise the per-unit cost calculation for expiring tenant-based rental assistance contracts under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2004
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should: (1) directly confront OPEC and challenge it to increase oil production immediately; (2) direct the Federal Trade Commission and Attorney General to exercise vigorous oversight over the oil markets to protect the American people from price gouging and unfair practices at the gasoline pump; and (3) suspend deliveries of oil to the SPR and release 1,000,000 barrels of oil per day from the SPR for 30 days following the date of adoption of this resolution, and if necessary, for an additional 30 days beyond that.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2004
Student Bill of Rights - Directs the Secretary of Education to make annual determinations as to whether each State's public school system provides all its students with educational resources to succeed academically and in life. Requires such education to enable students to: (1) acquire knowledge and skills necessary for responsible citizenship; (2) meet challenging academic achievement standards; and (3) compete and succeed in a global economy. Requires each system to do so through: (1) providing specified fundamentals of educational opportunity to students at each public elementary and secondary school; (2) providing educational services in school districts that receive funds for disadvantaged students that are, taken as a whole, at least comparable to educational services provided in school districts not receiving such funds; and (3) complying with any final Federal or State court order in any matter concerning the adequacy or equitableness of the system. Requires withholding of specified portions of its Federal funding for administrative expenses if a system: (1) fails to meet a yearly interim goal; (2) does not remedy, after two school years, a failure to provide comparable educational services to schools that receive funds for disadvantaged children; or (3) does not comply with a court order. Allows students or parents aggrieved by violations of this Act to bring civil actions for enforcement in Federal district courts.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2004
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the U.S. Government and Congress should condemn acts of anti-Semitism and intolerance; (2) officials and elected leaders of all Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) participating states, including all OSCE Mediterranean Partner for Cooperation countries, should also condemn acts of anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia, and discrimination; (3) the participating OSCE states should be commended for supporting the Berlin Declaration and for bringing increased attention to incidents of anti-Semitism and intolerance; (4) the U.S. Government should work with other OSCE participating states to encourage compliance with OSCE commitments and, if necessary, urge the creation of legal mechanisms to combat and track acts of anti-Semitism and intolerance; (5) all participating states should forward their respective laws and data on incidents of anti-Semitism and other hate crimes to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights; (6) the United States should encourage appointment of a high level "personal envoy" to ensure sustained attention to OSCE commitments on the reporting of anti-Semitic crimes; (7) the United States should urge OSCE participating states that have not already done so to join the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research; and (8) all OSCE participating states should renew efforts to implement their existing commitments to fight anti-Semitism and intolerance.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2004
Health Care Modernization, Cost Reduction, and Quality Improvement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for the use of clinical informatics systems that include the ability to access and share patients' medical records. Amends the Public Health Service Act and the the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to require a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer providing group health insurance coverage, to: (1) have an automated, integrated system that allows for adjudication of claims and the detection of fraud and abuse by December 31, 2008; and (2) provide coverage for preventive health care items and services specified by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to support: (1) comprehensive diabetes and arthritis control and prevention programs; (2) stroke care systems that provide high-quality prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation; (3) programs that improve the rate of immunization of adults and adolescents; and (4) programs that improve oral health, especially for adults with intellectual or chronic diseases. Requires Federal agencies that carry out health care-related activities or provide health care-related financial assistance to develop and implement a plan to improve access to such activities and assistance to limited English proficient individuals. Establishes the National Quality Advisory Council to identify national aims and objectives for health care quality improvement, track progress in meeting such aims, and make recommendations to Congress and the public concerning health care quality policies and programs for improvement. Requires the Secretary to establish and implement activities to encourage healthy dietary choice and increase physical activity in schools, work sites, and communities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2004
Expresses the grateful thanks of the Nation to the more than 16 million individuals who served in the Army, Army Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine in World War II and to the millions of Americans on the home front who contributed to the war effort. Recognizes the dedication of the National World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on May 29, 2004, as an occasion to acknowledge and pay tribute to those members of the Armed Forces who served in World War II, who are known collectively as the Greatest Generation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2004
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the Library of Congress shall continue to provide and maintain a publicly accessible website for legislative documents; (2) the website shall provide access to as much information about legislative documents as is reasonably practicable; (3) the Library of Congress shall provide sufficient financial and personnel resources to maintain the website at modern standards of accessibility and usability; and (4) offices and personnel that develop and maintain congressional documents shall cooperate to the maximum extent practicable with the Library of Congress to ensure that the website has full and prompt access to all publicly available congressional documents.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2004
Expresses the sense of the Senate that legislation should be enacted by December 31, 2006, to provide every individual in the United States with the opportunity to purchase health insurance coverage that is the same as, or better than, the health insurance coverage available to members of Congress, at the same or lower rates.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2004
Recognizes the 30th anniversary of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship Program and reaffirms a commitment to support the use of science in governmental decision-making through such Program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2004
Assistance to Firefighters Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal Fire Protection and Control Act of 1974 to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security (currently, the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)) to make grants to State fire departments for the purpose of protecting the health and safety of the public and fire-fighting personnel against fire and fire-related hazards, and to provide assistance for fire prevention programs. Authorizes grants to: (1) volunteer emergency medical service (EMS) organizations; and (2) obtain automated external defibrillator devices. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish specific criteria for the preliminary review of applications; (2) review such criteria at least annually; (3) award grants based on the review of grant applications by a panel of fire service personnel appointed by a national organization recognized for expertise in the operation and administration of fire services; (4) provide for the administration of the review panel and ensure that an individual appointed to such panel is a recognized expert in fire-fighting, medical services provided by fire services, fire prevention, or research on firefighter safety; and (5) provide assistance with the preparation of grant applications. Expands program eligibility. Reduces limitations regarding matching funds. Increases the amount a grant recipient may receive. Earmarks funds for volunteer EMS organizations. Directs: (1) the Secretary to study and report to Congress on firefighter assistance; and (2) the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the administration of assistance and on the Secretary's success in administering FEMA.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2004
States that Congress: (1) acknowledges and welcomes the strong relationship formed between the United States and Ukraine since the restoration of Ukraine's independence in 1991; (2) recognizes that a precondition for the full integration of Ukraine into the Western community of nations, including as an equal member in institutions such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), is its establishment of a democratic political system; (3) urges the Government of Ukraine to guarantee freedom of association and assembly, including the right of candidates, members of political parties, and others to freely assemble, to organize and conduct public events, and to exercise these and other rights free from intimidation or harassment; (4) urges the Government of Ukraine to meet its Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) commitments on democratic elections; (5) urges the Ukrainian authorities to ensure the full transparency of election procedures before, during, and after the 2004 presidential elections; and (6) pledges its support and assistance to the Ukrainian people's establishment of a free and open democratic system, creation of a free market economy, and their country's assumption of a full and equal membership in the Western community of democracies.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2004
Theodore Roosevelt Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than: (1) 500,000 $1 coins with the image of Theodore Roosevelt as a Rough Rider on one side and an eagle design on the other side; and (2) 500,000 $1 coins with the image of Roosevelt on horseback on one side and a flaming sword of righteousness on the other side. Calls for the coins to be struck at the U.S. Mint at West Point, New York. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such minted coins beginning on January 1, 2006, and to initiate coin sales before such date (2006 will mark the 100th anniversary of Roosevelt receiving the Nobel Peace Prize). Requires surcharges from the sale of the coins minted under this Act to be paid to: (1) the Theodore Roosevelt Association to be used exclusively for educational programs at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, including for construction and maintenance of a visitor's center and setting up a curatorial chair and purchase fund for the Theodore Roosevelt Collection at Harvard University Library; and (2) the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation to be used exclusively for educational programs at and around Theodore Roosevelt National Park, including construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Badlands Institute in the badlands of North Dakota. Distributes specified surcharge amounts to the Association and Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2004
Commends all Americans serving nobly abroad. Condemns the despicable acts at Abu Ghraib prison and joins with the President in expressing apology for the humiliation suffered by the prisoners in Iraq and their families. Urges: (1) the Government of the United States to take appropriate measures to ensure that such acts do not occur in the future; and (2) that all individuals responsible for such acts be held accountable. Expresses the belief that the appropriate Senate committees and the President should conduct a full investigation of the abuses alleged to have occurred at Abu Ghraib.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2004
Amends the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 to: (1) provide for the establishment of additional Boys and Girls Clubs of America; and (2) ensure that such facilities are in operation by January 1, 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2004
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2004 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the Federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after enactment of this Act; (2) $6.45 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day; and (3) $7.00 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 60th day. Makes Federal minimum wage requirements applicable to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Sets forth a transition period during which a specified minimum wage there shall be gradually increased to equal the Federal minimum wage. .
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2004
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to extend from FY 2005 through 2009 (currently, 1995 only) the U.S. Trade Representative's mandate to identify and report on trade expansion priorities. Requires the Trade Representative, before initiating an investigation (as under current law), to seek consultations with each foreign country identified in the report as engaging in priority foreign country practices, for the purpose of reaching a satisfactory resolution of such priority practices. Requires initiation of an investigation only if a satisfactory resolution of such practices has not been reached.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2004
Protecting America's Workers Act - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to expand its coverage to Federal, State, and local government employees. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor, under specified conditions, to cede OSHA jurisdiction to another Federal agency with respect to certain occupational standards or regulations for such agency's employees. Declares OSHA inapplicable to working conditions covered by the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977. Sets forth increased protections for whistleblowers under OSHA. Increases civil and criminal penalties for certain OSHA violators. Sets forth provisions relating to: (1) victims' rights; (2) posting of employee rights; (3) investigations of fatalities and serious injuries; (4) prohibition of unclassified citations; (5) right to contest citations and penalties; and (6) objections to modifications of citations. Directs the Secretary to revise regulations and promulgate OSHA standards to require employers to provide personal protective equipment for employees at no cost to employees.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2004
Expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should establish new and expanded supports and services, such as respite care, housing, and subsidized guardianship, for grandparents and other relatives who are raising children inside and outside of the foster care system. Recognizes the commitment of grandparents and other relatives raising children whose parents are unable or unwilling to do so. Urges institutions and government entities to promote public policies that support such caregivers.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2004
States that Congress: (1) applauds the Republic of South Africa for the remarkable transition to a democratic government and the tremendous progress achieved during ten years of majority rule; (2) looks forward to a continued partnership with South Africa focused on a sustained commitment to the health of South Africans; and (3) anticipates continued social development and economic growth in South Africa.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2004
Preserving Access to Affordable Drugs Act of 2004 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to: (1) allow employer contributions on drug costs to count towards the catastrophic limit; and (2) provide for direct subsidies for certain State pharmaceutical assistance programs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure that employer-based plans receive the same subsidization as the Medicare prescription drug plans. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid), as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to ensure that States can provide supplemental Medicaid prescription drug coverage to complement the Medicare drug benefit for seniors who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Repeals the comparative cost adjustment program under Medicare. Amends SSA title XVIII part D, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to allow the provision of wrap-around prescription drug coverage through Medigap.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2004
Safe Health Care Reporting Act of 2004 - Amends the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 to require State licensing boards (currently, boards of medical examiners) to report to the National Practitioner Data Bank regarding: (1) any sanctions taken against a physician or health care practitioner (currently, against a physician); and (2) known instances of health care entities failing to report required information. Requires (current law authorizes) health care entities to report specified information to State licensing boards and the Data Bank regarding any action that adversely affects the clinical privileges of a health care practitioner who is not a physician if the entity would be required to report such information if the practitioner were a physician. Allows the Secretary to impose fines for violations of reporting requirements by health care entities. Requires health care entities and other agencies that employ physicians or other licensed health care providers (currently, requires hospitals) to request from the Data Bank and the State licensing board reported information on licensed health care practitioners who apply to be on the medical staff or who apply for clinical privileges or employment. Provides immunity from civil liability for health care entities that disclose information about employees pursuant to mandatory reporting requirements unless the employer knowingly disclosed false information or violated any legal right of the employee. Prohibits health care entities from retaliating against any employee who, in good faith, reports conduct that may be construed to violate a Federal or State law to a State authority, licensing authority, peer review organization, or employer. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require States to implement a system to report criminal background information to the Data Bank.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2004
Putting Prevention First Act - Title X Family Planning Services Act of 2004 - Authorizes appropriations for family planning services grants and contracts under the Public Health Services Act. Family Planning State Empowerment Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow States to provide family planning services and supplies to certain individuals not otherwise eligible for Medicaid. Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to prohibit a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer providing group coverage, from excluding or restricting benefits in any way for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services. Amends the PHSA to apply those prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market. Emergency Contraception Education Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate information on emergency contraception to the public and to health care providers. Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act - Requires hospitals, as a condition of receiving Federal funds, to offer and to provide, upon request, emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault. Family Life Education Act - Requires the Secretary to make grants to States for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Preventing Teen Pregnancy Act - Amends the PHSA to authorize the Secretary to award grants to public and private entities to establish or expand teenage pregnancy prevention programs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2004
States that Congress: (1) declares that the people of Hong Kong should be free to determine the pace and scope of constitutional developments; and (2) calls upon the President to call upon the People's Republic of China to guarantee that all revisions of Hong Kong law are made according to the wishes of the people of Hong Kong as expressed through a fully democratically elected legislature and chief executive, declare that the continued lack of a fully democratically elected legislature in Hong Kong constitutes a violation of the Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong (the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984), and call upon the People's Republic of China to honor its obligations under such Declaration.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2004
Prompt Payment of Health Benefits Claims Act of 2004 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to require group health plans and issuers of group health insurance to: (1) acknowledge receipt of claims within ten days; (2) notify claimants, within ten days, of any deficiency in submitted claims and of additional information necessary to correct the deficiency; (3) pay complete and uncontested claims and any uncontested portions of claims within ten days if submitted electronically or within 30 days otherwise; and (4) pay escalating, monthly interest for failing to pay claims within such periods. Provides that claims are deemed complete ten days after receipt if no notice of any deficiency is given to the claimant. Prohibits retaliation by the plan or issuer for claimants exercising rights under this Act. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to impose fines for willful and knowing violations of this Act or patterns of repeated violations of this Act. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply the provisions of this Act to plans issued in the individual market. Amends the Social Security Act to apply these requirements to Medicare Advantage plans, prescription drug plans, and Medicaid managed care plans. Allows State laws that provide equal or more stringent requirements, standards, or implementation specifications than imposed under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2004
States that the Senate: (1) applauds the dedication, professionalism, and patriotism of U.S. military members serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world, and remains committed to providing them with the resources that they need; (2) reaffirms its commitment to the creation of a democratic Iraq; (3) recognizes the important role that a United Nations mandate to assist the new Iraqi Government and a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) mandate for peacekeeping in Iraq could play in achieving these goals; (4) urges the President to instruct the Secretary of State to begin consultations with other members of the United Nations Security Council concerning the United Nations mandate for Iraq, with the goal of securing a United Nations Security Council Resolution authorizing such mandate not later than May 15, 2004; and (5) urges the President to instruct the Secretary of Defense to initiate consultations with the Secretary General of NATO and other NATO members with the goal of securing a decision by NATO, not later than May 15, 2004, to deploy forces in Iraq beginning June 30, 2004, in order to assist Iraqi military and security forces and to establish and maintain a security umbrella to facilitate the work of the United Nations and the interim Iraqi government in preparing for nationwide elections in 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2004
States that Congress: (1) condemns the Government of the Republic of Sudan for its attacks, and for its failure to stop militia attacks, on innocent civilians in the Darfur region of Sudan, and demands that the Government of the Republic of Sudan take actions to cease such attacks; (2) calls on the international community to condemn such attacks and demand their cessation; (3) urges Sudan to allow the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Darfur; and (4) urges the President to direct the United States Representative to the United Nations to seek an official investigation into whether Sudan has committed crimes against humanity in Darfur.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2004
Global Anti-Semitism Review Act of 2004 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should continue to support efforts to combat anti-Semitism worldwide through bilateral relationships and interaction with international organizations such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); and (2) the Department of State should thoroughly document acts of anti-Semitism that occur around the world. Directs the Secretary of State to report annually on acts of anti-Semitism around the world, including a description of: (1) acts of physical violence against, or harassment of, Jewish people, and acts of violence against, or vandalism of, Jewish community institutions; and (2) governmental responses to such actions, including enactment and enforcement of laws protecting the right to religious freedom of Jewish people, and efforts to promote anti-bias and tolerance education.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2004
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 14-24 Abbott Road in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, as the "Mary Ann Collura Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2004
Defense of Medicare Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in applying risk adjustment factors to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations under part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), to ensure that payments to such organizations are adjusted based on factors that ensure that the health status of the enrollee is reflected in such adjusted payments, including adjusting for the difference between the health status of the enrollee and individuals enrolled under the original Medicare fee-for-service program under Medicare parts A (Hospital Insurance) and part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Requires payments to such organizations, in the aggregate, to reflect such differences. Amends SSA title XVIII part C, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to: (1) revise the formula for determination of the minimum annual Medicare+Choice (Medicare Advantage) capitation rate for 2005 and subsequent years (making it the same as the minimum rate for 2004); and (2) eliminate the Medicare Advantage (MA) Regional Plan Stabilization Fund. Repeals the Comparative Cost Adjustment Program. Amends SSA title XVIII, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to require the Secretary to ensure that each individual eligible for such program has available a choice of enrollment in at least two prescription drug plans (currently, at least two qualifying plans, which may be a prescription drug plan or a specified Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plan).
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2004
States that the Senate: (1) solemnly observes the tenth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide of 1994; (2) recognizes and is saddened by the failure of the international community, including the United States, to prevent the genocide; (3) reaffirms its commitment to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; (4) supports ongoing efforts to educate the people of the United States and of the world about the Rwandan genocide; (5) commits to continuing efforts to strengthen institutions working to bring to justice those responsible for the genocide; and (6) urges the President and the international community to seize on the occasion of this anniversary to focus attention on the future of Rwanda.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2004
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the President and Congress should take both a short-term and a long-term approach to reducing and stabilizing crude oil prices as well as reducing dependence on foreign sources of energy; (2) the President should address the problem in the short term by communicating to the members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cartel and participating non-OPEC countries that, among other specified messages, the United States seeks to maintain strong relations with crude oil producers, and seeks an immediate increase in the OPEC crude oil production quotas; (3) the President should be commended for sending Secretary of State Powell to communicate personally with leaders of several OPEC members on the need to increase the supply of crude oil; (4) the President should take specified action to ameliorate the long-term problem of the U.S. dependence on foreign oil sources; and (5) the Senate should ameliorate the long-term problem of U.S. dependence on foreign oil sources by appropriating sufficient funds for the development of domestic energy sources, including measures to increase the use of biofuels and other renewable resources.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2004
Rail Security Act of 2004 - Directs the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Border and Transportation Security to complete a vulnerability assessment of freight and passenger rail transportation for identification of: (1) critical assets and infrastructures and threats to such assets and infrastructures; (2) vulnerabilities that are specific to the transportation of hazardous materials via railroad; and (3) security weaknesses in passenger and cargo security, transportation infrastructure, protection systems, procedural policies, communications systems, employee training, emergency response planning, and any other area identified by the assessment. Requires the Under Secretary based on the assessment to develop specific prioritized recommendations for improving rail security. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to review existing Department of Transportation (DOT) rail regulations to identify areas in which those regulations need to be revised to improve rail security. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the rail passenger transportation security programs in Japan, member nations of the European Union (EU), and other foreign countries in order to identify effective rail transportation security measures in use in those foreign rail transportation systems, including innovative measures and screening procedures determined effective. Directs the Under Secretary to: (1) analyze the cost and feasibility of requiring security screening for passengers, baggage, and mail on passenger trains; and (2) conduct a pilot program of random security screening of passengers and baggage at a specified number of passenger rail stations served by Amtrak. Authorizes appropriations for Amtrak for certain fire and life-safety improvements and infrastructure upgrades to tunnels on the Northeast Corridor. Amends Federal transportation law to direct Amtrak to submit to the National Transportation Safety Board a plan to address the needs of families of passengers involved in rail passenger accidents. Authorizes the Under Secretary to make grants for certain system-wide Amtrak security upgrades and freight and hazardous materials transportation and passenger rail security upgrades. Establishes a research and development (R&D) program to improve freight and intercity passenger rail security. Directs the Federal Railroad Administration to set forth certain standards for welded rail and tank car safety improvements. Requires the Under Secretary to report to specified congressional committees: (1) an assessment of the current system for preclearance and screening of rail and airline passengers and baggage, as well as freight railroad traffic, between the United States and Canada; and (2) information on progress toward finalizing a protocal with Canada on preclearance of rail passengers between the two countries.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2004
No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2004 or NOPEC - Amends the Sherman Act to declare it to be illegal and a violation of the Act for any foreign state or instrumentality thereof to act collectively or in combination with any other foreign state or any other person, whether by cartel or any other association or form of cooperation or joint action, to limit the production or distribution of oil, natural gas, or any other petroleum product (petroleum), to set or maintain the price of petroleum, or to otherwise take any action in restraint of trade for petroleum, when such action has a direct, substantial, and reasonably foreseeable effect on the market, supply, price, or distribution of petroleum in the United States. Denies a foreign state engaged in such conduct sovereign immunity from the jurisdiction or judgements of U.S. courts in any action brought to enforce this Act. States that no U.S. court shall decline, based on the act of state doctrine, to make a determination on the merits in an action brought under this Act. Authorizes the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission to bring an action in U.S. district court to enforce this Act. Amends the Federal judicial code to make an exception to the jurisdictional immunity of a foreign state in an action brought under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2004
Clean Cruise Ship Act of 2004 - Prohibits cruise vessels entering U.S. ports from discharging sewage, graywater, or bilge water into the waters of the United States, with specified exceptions, including when in compliance with effluent limits and management standards. Requires the Commandant of the Coast Guard and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to issue regulations establishing effluent limits for sewage and graywater discharged by cruise vessels. Requires the Commandant to issue regulations implementing an inspection, sampling, and testing program sufficient to verify compliance with this Act and other specified laws. Prohibits employment discrimination against persons who institute or testify in proceedings under this Act. Authorizes interested persons to file a petition in U.S. circuit court requesting review of the Commandant's action in promulgating effluent limits or carrying out inspections, sampling, or testing under this Act. Establishes administrative, civil, and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Authorizes rewards for information leading to the payment of such penalties. Establishes in rem liability for cruise vessels violating this Act. Authorizes citizen suits in the U.S. district courts against those who violate this Act or related regulations and orders, or against the Administrator or Commandant for an alleged failure to perform. Establishes special compliance deadlines for Alaskan cruise vessels with advanced treatment systems. Establishes the Cruise Vessel Pollution Control Fund. Requires the Commandant to establish and collect fees from cruise vessels to carry out this Act and to deposit fees in the Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2004
States that the Senate: (1) reaffirms specified Senate resolutions regarding amnesty for political prisoners, human rights, and the crackdown on democracy activists in Cuba; (2) calls on the Government of Cuba to release political prisoners; (3) praises the bravery of those Cubans who, because they practiced free speech and signed the Varela Project petition, have been targeted in this most recent government crackdown; (4) calls on foreign governments to increase the pressure on Cuba to improve its human rights record, and invite civil society leaders and democracy activists in Cuba to official events; (5) calls upon the 60th Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to condemn Cuban human rights abuses, and demand that International Commission of the Red Cross representatives be allowed to inspect prison conditions; and (6) urges the President to direct United States Representatives at the 60th Session of the Commission on Human Rights to make condemnation of the Cuban human rights situation a top priority.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2004
Northern Uganda Crisis Response Act - Directs the Secretary of State to submit a report on the conflict in Uganda, which shall include information on the activities and sources of support for the Lord's Resistance Army, and the actions taken by the United States, Uganda, and the international community to protect civilians, especially children and women, from displacement, abduction, and sexual exploitation.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2004
Electric Reliability Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal Power Act to extend Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) jurisdiction for purposes of approving reliability standards and enforcing compliance with this Act over a FERC-certified electric reliability organization (ERO), a regional entity, and users, owners, and operators of a bulk-power system. Prescribes procedural guidelines for: (1) certification as an ERO; (2) filing of reliability standards; and (3) imposition of penalties by either an ERO or FERC for noncompliance with this Act. Requires an ERO to file with FERC for approval of any proposed rule or rule change. Urges the President to negotiate international agreements with the governments of Canada and Mexico to provide for effective compliance with reliability standards and the efficacy of the ERO in the United States, Canada or Mexico. Requires an ERO to assess periodically the reliability and adequacy of the interconnected bulk-power system in North America. Directs FERC to establish a regional advisory body upon the petition of at least two-thirds of the States within a region that have more than half of their electric loads served within the region. Declares this Act inapplicable to Alaska or Hawaii.
![Official portrait of Sen. Corzine, Jon S. [D-NJ]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001042_200.jpg)