United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2005
Protection of Homes, Small Businesses, and Private Property Act of 2005 - Declares that the power of eminent domain shall be available only for public use, which shall not be construed to include economic development. Applies such limitation to all exercises of eminent domain by the federal government or by state and local governments through the use of federal funds.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2005
Stop the Raid on Social Security Act of 2005 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish a Social Security Personal Retirement Accounts Program, to be administered by a Social Security Personal Savings Board established within the Social Security Administration. Authorizes any individual credited with wages paid after December 31, 2005, or self-employment income derived in any taxable year ending after such date, who is born on or after January 1, 1950, and who has not filed an election to renounce such individual's status as a participating individual, to participate in the Program. Directs the Board to establish a social security personal retirement account for each participating individual upon initial receipt of a transfer from amounts held in the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make necessary transfers from the general fund of the Treasury to maintain a 100 percent ratio of assets of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund to the annual amount required to pay the full amount of benefits payable for each year up to 2041. Requires designation of a certified account manager by or on behalf of each participating individual to hold the individual's account assets for investment, including in broad-based index funds similar to the index fund investment options available within the Thrift Savings Fund. Prescribes requirements for withdrawal from such accounts, annuitization, and related matters. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make all social security personal retirement accounts exempt from income taxation; but (2) subject distributions from closed accounts to taxation as social security benefits. Exempts assets of Social Security Personal Retirement Accounts from the estate tax.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2005
Parent's Right to Know Act of 2005 - Prohibits any funds appropriated for carrying out federal family planning programs from being made available to any family planning project if any service provider in the project knowingly provides contraceptive drugs or devices to a minor, unless: (1) such provider has given actual written notice to a custodial parent or legal guardian at least five business days prior to providing the drugs or prescription devices; (2) the minor has written consent of a parent or legal guardian; (3) the minor is emancipated; or (4) a court has directed that the minor may receive such drugs or prescription devices. Requires providers to certify to the Secretary of Health and Human Services compliance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2005
Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2005 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) provide grants and low-cost revolving loans, on a competitive basis, to certain governmental and nonprofit agencies for projects to reduce diesel emissions; and (2) support grant and loan programs administered by the states to achieve reductions in diesel emissions. Requires the allocation of at least 50 percent of the funding under this Act for the benefit of public fleets. Requires the Administrator to give priority to proposed projects that will, among other things: (1) maximize public health benefits; (2) serve areas with the highest population density that are poor air quality or nonattainment areas; and (3) maximize the useful life of any retrofit technology. Requires the Administrator to submit to Congress a biennial report evaluating the implementation of programs under this Act. Directs the Administrator to establish a program for informing industry stakeholders (e.g., equipment manufacturers, state and local air quality managers, community organizations, and public health and environmental organizations) and foreign countries with air quality programs of the benefits and uses of technologies for diesel emission reductions.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2005
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable J. James Exon, former United States Senator for Nebraska. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on June 13, 2005, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Exon.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2005
Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Program to protect the environmental integrity of undeveloped coastal and estuarine areas. Authorizes the Secretary to make program grants to coastal States, except to ones that have lost less than one percent of their wetlands to development or conversion to other land uses, for the purpose of acquiring property that will further the goals of an approved Coastal Zone Management Plan or Program, a National Estuarine Research Reserve management plan, or a regional or state watershed protection plan.. Prohibits any more than 75 percent of the grant funding from being derived from Federal sources. Authorizes the Secretary to provide $5 million for a regional watershed protection demonstration project that: (1) leverages land acquisition funding from other Federal conservation or acquisition programs; (2) involves partnerships with Federal, State, and non-governmental entities; (3) creates conservation corridors; (4) protects habitats under imminent threat of development or conversion; (5) provides water quality protection for areas under the National Estuarine Research Reserve program; and (6) provides a model for future regional watershed protection projects. Reserves 15 percent of program funds for acquisitions benefitting the National Estuarine Research Reserve. Specifies that when property is acquired under this program, the grant recipient shall provide assurances that: (1) title will be held by the grant recipient; (2) property will be managed consistent with the purpose of the program; and (3) funds will be returned to the Secretary for redistribution if the property is sold, exchanged, or divested. Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to allow the Secretary to enter into contracts or other arrangements with other Federal agencies (including interagency financing of Coastal America activities) as well as any other qualified person for the purposes of carrying out technical assistance and research to support coastal zone management. (Current law allows the Secretary to enter into such arrangements only with any qualified person).
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2005
Realistic Roofing Tax Treatment Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) classify as 20-year property for depreciation purposes any roof system which meets the requirements of Standard 90.1-2004 of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers; and (2) require use of the straight line method for depreciation of such property.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2005
Secret Ballot Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to make it an unfair labor practice for: (1) an employer to recognize or bargain collectively with a labor organization that has not been selected by a majority of the employees in a secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board; and (2) a labor organization to cause or attempt to cause an employer to recognize or bargain collectively with a representative that has not been selected in such manner.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Commission on the Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies Act - Establishes the Commission on the Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies to: (1) evaluate executive agencies and their programs; and (2) submit to Congress a plan recommending agencies and programs that should be realigned or eliminated and proposing implementing legislation. Directs the President to: (1) establish a systematic method for assessing the effectiveness and accountability of agency programs; and (2) submit to the Commission assessments of not less than 50 percent of the programs that use such method. Prohibits the implementation of such method until it has been reviewed and accepted by the Commission. Requires the Commission to consider submitted assessments in evaluating programs. Requires the President to identify common performance measures for programs having similar functions and provide the Commission with data on such measures.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2005
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should designate the week beginning September 11, 2005, as National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2005
Southern Campaign of the Revolution Heritage Area Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating specified South Carolina counties, including specified public sites, other sites maintained by the State, and National Park Service sites in the State, and, possibly, North Carolina sites, as the Southern Campaign of the Revolution Heritage Area.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2005
College 529 InvEST Act of 2005 - Makes permanent the provision relating to qualified tuition programs enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA).
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2005
District of Columbia Personal Protection Act - Amends specified law prohibiting the killing of wild birds and wild animals in the District of Columbia to declare that nothing in it or any other provision of law shall authorize or be construed to permit the Council, the Mayor, or any governmental or regulatory authority of the District to prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the ability of persons otherwise not prohibited from possessing firearms under Federal law from acquiring, possessing in their homes or businesses, or using for sporting, self-protection or other lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited by Federal law nor subject to the National Firearms Act. Denies the District any authority to enact laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms. Amends the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 to repeal the definition of a machine gun as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading. (Thus repeals the ban on semiautomatic weapons.) Redefines "machine gun" to include the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person. Repeals the District's: (1) registration requirement for possession of firearms; (2) prohibition on possession of handgun restricted pistol bullets; and (3) requirement that, under certain conditions, firearms in the possession of certain individuals must be kept unloaded, disassembled, or with the trigger locked. Repeals the definition of restricted pistol bullet as any bullet designed for use in a pistol which, when fired from a pistol with a barrel of five inches or less in length, is capable of penetrating commercially available body armor with a penetration resistance equal to or greater than that of 18 layers of kevlar. Maintains the current ban on the possession and control of a sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, or short-barreled rifle. Eliminates criminal penalties for possessing an unregistered firearm. Amends Federal law to eliminate criminal penalties for carrying a pistol whether loaded or unloaded in one's dwelling house, place of business, or on land possessed by such person. Amends the District of Columbia Code to extend to firearms generally (currently, only to pistols) the prohibition against carrying such a weapon either openly or concealed within the District without a license issued pursuant to D.C. law. Specifies exceptions to the prohibition against carrying concealed weapons in the District.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2005
Preserving Patient Access to Physicians Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to payment for physicians' services to establish an update to the single conversion factor for 2006 of at least 2.7 %, and a formula for an update to the single conversion factor for 2007. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in calculating the formula for the single conversion factor, to establish an input price index and estimate a productivity adjustment factor for 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2005
Jacob Wetterling, Megan Nicole Kanka, and Pam Lychner Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act or the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act - Repeals existing provisions governing state registration programs for persons convicted of a criminal offense against a minor or of a sexually violent offense. Directs the Attorney General to carry out a Jacob Wetterling, Megan Nicole Kanka, and Pam Lychner Sex Offender Registration and Notification program under which a "covered individual" (an individual convicted of a listed offense against a minor) shall, for that individual's life, provide to the Attorney General specified information, including any change of address and employer. Lists exceptions. Sets penalties for violations. Requires the Attorney General to prescribe regulations to ensure that every covered individual wears and maintains a device that transmits information about that person's whereabouts to the domicile state, subject to specified requirements. Sets penalties for violations. Lists the responsibilities of the Attorney General and State or tribal actors. Provides for specified community notification by law enforcement. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) maintain a National Sex Offender Registry database to track the whereabouts and movements of covered individuals; (2) develop a software application that can be used by state and tribal actors; (3) establish and maintain a database to manage DNA information regarding covered individuals; and (4) carry out a Sex Offender Management Assistance program for awarding grants to states or tribal actors to offset costs associated with implementing this Act. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to subject to deportation any alien who is a covered individual and who fails to provide registration information under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2005
Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 - Amends Federal monetary law to set forth requirements for the redesign and issuance of circulating $1 coins emblematic of each President of the United States. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to issue bullion coins emblematic of the spouse of each such President during the same period in which the $1 coins are issued. Expresses the sense of Congress about the issuance of such coins. Instructs the Secretary to strike and issue for sale $20 gold bullion coins initially bearing the original designs by James Earle Fraser, which appear on the 5-cent coin commonly referred to as the "Buffalo nickel" or the "1913 Type 1." Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue 1-cent coins during the year 2009, whose obverse design continues to bear the Victor David Brenner likeness of President Abraham Lincoln, and whose reverse design bears four different designs each representing a different aspect of Lincoln's life.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2005
Pledge Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal judicial code to deny jurisdiction to any Federal court, and appellate jurisdiction to the Supreme Court, to hear or decide any question pertaining to the interpretation of the Pledge of Allegiance or its validity under the Constitution. Makes this limitation inapplicable to: (1) any court established by Congress under its power to make needful rules and regulations respecting the territory of the United States; or (2) the Superior Court of the District of Columbia or the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2005
Code Talkers Recognition Act - Requires the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of commemorative medals of appropriate design to Sioux, Comanche, Choctaw, Sac and Fox, and any other Native American Code Talkers during World War I, World War II, and any other foreign conflict in which the United States was involved during the 20th Century in recognition of their contributions to the United States. Allows the posthumous award of a medal authorized by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Health Care Choice Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide that the laws of the primary state (as designated by the health insurance issuer) apply to individual health insurance coverage offered by that issuer both in the primary state and in any secondary state if the coverage and issuer comply with this Act. Exempts health insurance issuers from any laws of the secondary state that would: (1) regulate the operation of the health insurance issuer in the secondary state, except for certain activities, including paying taxes and registering with the state insurance commissioner; (2) require any individual health insurance coverage issued by the issuer to be countersigned by an agent or broker residing in the secondary state; or (3) discriminate against the issuer issuing insurance in both the primary state and any secondary state. Prohibits a health insurance issuer that provides individual health insurance coverage in a primary or secondary state from: (1) upon renewal, taking certain actions based on health-status related factors, including increasing premiums assessed; and (2) offering coverage in a secondary state that is not currently offered for sale in the primary state. Allows states to require brokers to obtain a license from that state, but not to impose any requirements that discriminate against nonresident brokers. Requires health insurance issuers offering coverage in both primary and secondary States state to submit to the insurance commissioner of each state: (1) a copy of a plan of operation, a feasibility study, or similar statement; (2) written notice of any change in designation of its primary state; and (3) quarterly financial statements. Sets forth requirements (regarding determination of capital and an independent review process) that must be met by primary states in order for an issuer to provde insurance in a secondary state. Gives sole jurisdiction to primary states to enforce the covered laws in primary and secondary states.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Enhanced Consumer Protection Against Spyware Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) combating spyware should be established as a matter of high priority for Federal Trade Commission (FTC) action; and (2) the resources and tools available to the FTC should be enhanced and expanded to increase the breadth and strength of the FTC's spyware enforcement efforts. Declares that it is a violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA) to install through deceptive acts or practices software on protected computers. Subjects such practices to: (1) enforcement as a proscribed unfair or deceptive act or practice; (2) triple the penalty amounts prescribed in the FTCA; and (3) FTC authority to order disgorgement and seizure of ill-gotten gains. Preempts state and local law or remedies. Denies a private right of action in either federal or state court. Authorizes state Attorneys General to bring enforcement actions in federal court. Prohibits state Attorneys General from bringing an action under this Act if either the U.S. Attorney General or the FTC institutes an enforcement action. Specifies federal and state law enforcement, investigatory, national security, and regulatory activities exempt from liability under this Act. Extends the meaning of unfair or deceptive acts or practices subject to FTC enforcement to any such acts or practices involving foreign commerce that cause or are likely to cause reasonably foreseeable injury, or involve material conduct occurring, within the United States. Amends the federal criminal code to prescribe criminal penalties for illicit indirect use of protected computers.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Jobs Protection and Estate Tax Reform Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to accelerate the repeal of the tax on estates and generation-skipping transfers to January 1, 2005, and to make such repeal permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2005
Healthcare Tax Relief for the Uninsured Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a tax deduction for high deductible health plan premiums; (2) small employers (100 or fewer employees) a refundable tax credit for contributions to a health savings account of an employee who is covered by a high deductible health plan; and (3) a refundable tax credit for certain health insurance costs of uninsured taxpayers and their spouses and dependents. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a program for making advance payments of tax credit amounts for uninsured individuals to health insurance providers.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2005
Truth in Employment Act of 2005 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that nothing in specified prohibitions against unfair labor practices by employers shall be construed as requiring an employer to employ any person who seeks or has sought employment with the employer in furtherance of other employment or agency status.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2005
Acknowledges and commends charter schools and their students, parents, teachers, and administrators across the United States for their ongoing contributions to education and improving and strengthening our public school system. Supports the sixth annual National Charter Schools Week. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to conduct appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities to demonstrate support for charter schools during this weeklong celebration in communities throughout the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2005
Commonsense Consumption Act of 2005 - Prohibits new and dismisses pending civil actions by any person against a manufacturer, marketer, distributor, advertiser, or seller of food or a trade association for any injury related to a person's accumulated acts of consumption of food and weight gain, obesity, or any associated health condition, excluding actions alleging: (1) a breach of express contract or express warranty provided that the grounds of recovery are unrelated to a person's weight gain, obesity, or related health condition; (2) a knowing violation of a federal or state statute applicable to the marketing, advertisement, or labeling of food with intent for a person to rely on that violation, where such person relied on that violation, and where such reliance was the proximate cause of injury related to that person's weight gain, obesity, or related health condition; or (3) a violation brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under the Federal Trade Commission Act or by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Requires in any excluded action: (1) a stay of discovery during the pendency of any motion to dismiss, unless necessary to preserve evidence or to prevent undue prejudice; and (2) evidence preservation during the stay. Requires the complaint in such an action to plead with particularity: (1) each element of the cause of action; (2) the Federal and State statutes that were allegedly violated; (3) the specific facts alleged to constitute the violation of law; and (4) the specific facts that are alleged to have caused the claimed injury.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2005
America Saving for Personal Investment, Retirement, and Education Act of 2005, or the ASPIRE Act of 2005 - Establishes a KIDS Account Fund in the Treasury. Establishes within the Fund a Kids Investment and Development Savings Account (KIDS Account). Makes eligible to contribute to such account, and to receive a matching Federal contribution, any U.S. citizen born after December 31, 2006, and under 18 years of age, whose modified adjusted gross income is below the applicable national median adjusted gross income amount. Creates the KIDS Account Fund Board to establish a default investment program under which, in a manner similar to a lifecycle investment program, sums in each KIDS Account are allocated to investment funds in the KIDS Account Fund based on the amount of time before the account holder attains the age of 18. States that, for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, each KIDS Account shall be treated in the same manner as a Roth IRA. Subjects the Board to the same statutory composition requirements, duties, and responsibilities as the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury, in coordination with the Financial Literacy and Education Commission, to develop programs to promote the financial literacy of account holders of KIDS Accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2005
Social Security Personal Savings Guarantee and Prosperity Act of 2005 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish: (1) a new part B (Personal Social Security Savings Program); and (2) the Social Security Personal Savings Fund in the Treasury, consisting of a separate Tier I Investment Fund and Tier II Investment Fund. Restricts participation in the program to certain individuals born on or after January 1, 1950. Allows a participating individual to elect to direct transfers from the Savings Fund, credited to his or her personal Social Security savings account, into one or more specified Tier III Investment Options. Prescribes requirements for personal Social Security savings annuity and other distributions. Establishes a Personal Social Security Savings Board to administer the program and set policies for the investment and management of the Savings Fund. Provides for recapture of corporate tax on yields attributable to personal Social Security savings account investments. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to exempt the Social Security Personal Savings Fund and each Tier III Investment Option from income taxation. Excludes from gross income any qualified distribution from amounts credited to a personal Social Security savings account. Amends SSA title II part B to create in the Treasury the Self-Liquidating Social Security Transition Fund. Amends SSA title VII (Administration) to prohibit receipts and disbursements of the Social Security and related trust funds from being counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surplus. Amends SSA title II to dedicate budget surpluses to saving Social Security. Amends IRC to provide for a reduction of FICA rates resulting from the program. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to provide for spending safeguards on the growth of entitlements and mandatories.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2005
Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins emblematic of the life and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln in commemoration of the bicentennial of his birth. Permits issuance of such coins only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2009. Subjects the coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin.
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 · 11 April 2005
Federal Internet Tax Prohibition Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt Internet access service from the excise tax on communication services.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2005
Declares that: (1) European governments should reject Airbus' pending application for launch aid for the A350 and any future applications for launch aid; (2) the European Union, acting for itself and on behalf of its Member States, should renew its commitment to the terms agreed to on January 11, 2005; (3) the U.S. Trade Representative should request the formation of a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute resolution panel at the earliest possible opportunity if there is no immediate agreement to eliminate launch aid for the A350 and all future models and no concrete progress toward a comprehensive bilateral agreement covering all government supports in the large aircraft sector; and (4) the President should take any additional action the President considers appropriate to protect the U.S. interests in fair competition in the large commercial aircraft market.
United States · United States Congress · 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
Notes with deep sorrow and solemn mourning the death of His Holiness, Pope John Paul II. Extends the Senate's heartfelt sympathy to all people who have been touched by his passing. Commends his ability to transcend the bounds of religion, race, and political thought, and his becoming a formidable champion, uniter, and defender in humanity's struggle for peace and basic human rights. Calls on all the people of the United States to reflect on his life and legacy during this international period of remembrance.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Grants jurisdiction to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida to hear, determine, and render judgment on a suit or claim by or on behalf of Theresa Marie Schiavo for the alleged violation of any right of hers under the U.S. Constitution or laws relating to the withholding or withdrawal of food, fluids, or medical treatment necessary to sustain her life.
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 · 16 March 2005
Authorizes the President to extend unconditional and permanent nondiscriminatory (permanent normal trade relations) treatment to the products of the Ukraine.
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
Railroad Carriers and Mass Transportation Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal criminal code to rewrite provisions prohibiting acts of destruction and violence against trains, railroad equipment and structures, and the mass transportation system to: (1) correspond with current prohibitions against acts of violence against the mass transportation system; (2) apply such provisions to acts committed knowingly (currently, willfully); (3) specifically cover such acts against passenger vessels; and (4) add as an aggravated offense the commission of such prohibited act under circumstances in which the railroad on-track equipment, passenger vessel, or mass transportation vehicle was carrying high-level radioactive waste, spent nuclear fuel, or specified hazardous material.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2005
Little Rock Central High School Desegregation 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 $1 coins emblematic of the desegregation of the Little Rock Central High School and its contribution to civil rights in America, beginning January 1, 2007. Terminates such minting authority after December 31, 2007. States that all sales shall include a surcharge of $10 per coin, to be equally divided and paid to: (1) the Jefferson National Parks Association for the purpose of providing support for programs and other developmental activities at the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site and support for the ongoing mission of the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site; and (2) the Secretary of the Interior for site improvements at the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site, including the establishment of cooperative agreements to preserve and restore the historic character of the vicinity in the historic site's boundaries. States that Congress intends for such surcharges to supplement amounts provided to the Secretary in appropriation Acts for the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site, and are not intended to be a substitute for such appropriated amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2005
Condemns: (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 · 8 March 2005
Declares Executive Order 13166, relating to improving access to services for persons with limited English proficiency, to be null and void. Prohibits the use of funds for the promulgation or enforcement of an executive order that creates an entitlement to services provided in a language other than English.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2005
Incapacitated Persons Legal Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal judicial code to extend habeas corpus protections to persons who are subject to a court order authorizing or directing the withholding or withdrawal of food, fluids, or medical treatment necessary to sustain the person's life. Deems persons having custody in such cases to encompass parties so authorized or directed. States that there shall be no requirement to produce the body of the incapacitated person at the hearing. Exempts from this Act those cases in which the incapacitated person indisputably executed a written advance directive while having capacity that clearly authorized the withholding or withdrawal of food, fluids, or necessary medical treatment. Defines "incapacitated person" to mean an individual presently incapable of making relevant decisions concerning the provision, withholding, or withdrawal of food, fluids, or medical treatment under applicable State law.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
RU-486 Suspension and Review Act of 2005 - Deems the approved application for the drug mifepristone (marketed as Mifeprex, commonly known as RU-486, and used for the chemically induced termination of intrauterine pregnancy) to have been withdrawn. Deems the drug misoprostol as misbranded under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) if it bears labeling providing that the drug may be used for the medical termination of intrauterine pregnancy. Directs the Comptroller General to review and report on the process by which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved mifepristone. Provides for the reinstatement of the approved application for such drug if the report determines the approval to have been in accordance with FFDCA.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2005
Designates the second week of March 2005 as Extension Living Well Week. Encourages the people of the United States to take advantage of the educational opportunities that Extension Family and Consumer Sciences educators provide.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the outpatient therapy cap.
![Official portrait of Sen. DeMint, Jim [R-SC]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000595_200.jpg)