United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2005
Imposes an additional duty of 27.5 percent on Chinese goods imported into the United States unless the President submits a certification to Congress that the People's Republic of China (PRC) is no longer manipulating the rate of exchange and is complying with accepted market-based trading policies. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to negotiate with the PRC to ensure a process that leads to a market-based system of currency valuation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2005
Children's Hospitals Educational Equity and Research Act or the CHEER Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payments through FY 2010 (currently, through FY 2005) to children's hospitals for expenses associated with operating approved graduate medical residency training programs. Excludes reductions for unused resident positions when calculating the number of full-time residents in a children's hospital's approved training program for purposes of reimbursing direct expenses. Requires the Secretary to adjust the proportion of such a hospital's costs attributable to wages for differences in hospital wage levels by geographic area. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2010 for direct and indirect expenses associated with operating such programs. Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) perinatal hospitals play an important role in providing quality care and ensuring the best possible outcomes for thousands of seriously ill newborns each year; and (2) medical training programs at perinatal hospitals give providers essential training in treating healthy mothers and babies as well as patients in neonatal intensive care units.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2005
Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act - Family Income to Respond to Significant Transitions Insurance Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to make five-year grants to a State or local government to pay for the Federal share of the cost of carrying out projects that assist families by providing wage replacement for eligible individuals responding to caregiving needs resulting from the birth or adoption of a son or daughter or other family caregiving needs. Family and Medical Leave Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to extend coverage to employees at worksites where the employer employs at least 25 (currently 50) employees at the worksite and within 75 miles of that worksite. Amends FMLA and Federal civil service law to entitle to leave those employees who must address the effects of domestic violence. Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2005 - Permits the Office of Personnel Management to contract with one or more employing agencies to conduct a demonstration project that provides paid leave for eligible individuals who are responding to caregiving needs resulting from the birth or adoption of a son or daughter or other family caregiving needs. Requires the leave to last for at least six weeks during a 12-month period. Time for Schools Act of 2005 - Amends FMLA to allow employees covered by such Act to take up to 24 hours, during any 12-month period, of school involvement leave to participate in: (1) an academic activity of their child's school, such as a parent-teacher conference or an interview for a school; or (2) literacy training under a family literacy program. Amends Federal civil service law to provide the same school involvement leave allowance for Federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2005
Hunger Relief Trucking Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for the cost of transporting food to assist hunger relief efforts of certain charitable organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2005
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to maximum individual amounts of Federal Pell Grant for academic years 2005-06 through 2009-10. Increases such amount to $7,600 for 2005-06, and by increments in each of specified subsequent academic years, up to $11,600 for 2009-10. Requires a further increase in any such maximum Federal Pell Grant amount, by an amount sufficient to achieve a five percent increase in students' purchasing power relative to the cost of attendance at an institution of higher education, if the Secretary of Education determines that the amount authorized does not increase such purchasing power by at least five percent from one academic year to the next.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Training for Realtime Writers Act of 2005 - Directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to make competitive grants to eligible entities to promote training and placement of individuals, including individuals who have completed a court reporting training program, as realtime writers providing closed captioning in video programming. Sets forth priorities to be awarded in making grants. Limits grants to$1.5 million for a two-year period.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to designate a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System under the Wilderness Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Paleontological Resources Preservation Act - Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture (the Secretaries) to: (1) manage and protect paleontological resources on Federal land; and (2) develop plans for inventorying, monitoring, and deriving the scientific and educational use of such resources. Directs the Secretaries to establish a program to increase public awareness about such resources. Prohibits a person from collecting a paleontological resource from Federal land without a permit. Authorizes the Secretaries to allow casual collecting without a permit on certain Federal lands. Recognizes as valid permits issued before enactment. Prohibits: (1) removing or altering a paleontological resource located on Federal lands, with exceptions; (2) receiving, selling, or purchasing a paleontological resource, if the person knew or should have known such resource to have been illegally removed; or (3) making false records of any paleontological resource removed from Federal lands. Imposes criminal penalties. Sets forth requirements for the assessment of civil penalties for violations of any prohibitions issued pursuant to this Act. Requires any recovered amounts to be available for use: (1) to protect or restore paleontological resources and sites; (2) to provide educational materials to the public about paleontological resources and sites; and (3) as a reward. Requires that information on the nature and location of a paleontological resource that requires a permit be withheld from the public, except as specified.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Stop Government Propaganda Act - Imposes a civil penalty on a senior official of an Executive branch agency who authorizes or directs funds appropriated to such agency for publicity or propaganda purposes within the United States. Instructs the Attorney General to diligently investigate such a violation, and if the Attorney General finds that a person has committed such a violation or is committing such a violation, authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil action against that person. Allows a private person to bring a civil action for such a violation for the person and for the U.S. Government in the name of the Government. Permits the dismissal of such an action only if the court and the Attorney General give written consent to the dismissal and their reasons for consenting. Prohibits any person other than the Government from intervening or bringing a related action based on the facts underlying the pending action. Specifies the rights of the parties with regard to such an action. Allows the Government to elect to pursue its claim through any alternate remedy available to it. Sets forth requirements for whistleblower protections. States that the U.S. courts shall take cognizance and notice of any legal decision of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) interpreting the application of this Act. Prohibits a point of order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider legislation providing an appropriation for an agency that the GAO has found in violation of this Act, unless the appropriations for salary and expenses for the head of the relevant agency contains a provision reducing the salary of the head by an amount equal to the illegal expenditure.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Small Business and Farm Energy Emergency Relief Act of 2005 - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration to make disaster loans to assist small businesses that have suffered or are likely to suffer substantial economic injury as the result of a significant increase in the price of heating fuel. Prohibits such loan from being made if the total amount outstanding and committed to the borrower would exceed $1.5 million, unless the borrower is a major source of employment in its surrounding area. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to make loans to farm operations that qualify as a small business and that have or are likely to suffer substantial economic injury on or after October 1, 2004, as the result of a significant increase in energy costs in connection with an energy emergency declared by the President or the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Small Business Military Reservist Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) certain small business employers (50 or fewer employees) and small manufacturers (100 or fewer employees) a tax credit for a percentage of the differential between the average daily civilian compensation and average daily military pay and allowances of their military reservist employees who are called to active duty; (2) such employers a tax credit for the hiring of temporary replacement employees; and (3) self-employed military reservists a comparable tax credit for a percentage of the differential between their average daily self-employment income and their average daily military pay and allowances. Denies a tax credit: (1) to employers who fail to comply with employment or reemployment rights of military reservists; and (2) for employees who are called to active duty for training.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Caring for Children Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities to develop: (1) distance learning child care training technology infrastructures; and (2) model technology-based training courses for child care providers and child care workers, to be provided through distance learning programs made available through the infrastructure. Requires, to the maximum extent possible, that such grants be awarded in regions with the fewest training opportunities for child care providers. Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration program of competitive grants to States to help them provide funds to encourage the establishment and operation of small business employer-operated child care programs. Requires a State to give priority for such assistance to applicants that desire to form a consortium to provide child care in an area where such care is not generally available or accessible. Allows such consortia to include businesses, nonprofit agencies or organizations, local governments, or other appropriate entities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Critical Access to Clinical Lab Services Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide that clinical diagnostic laboratory services furnished by a critical access hospital shall be treated as being furnished as part of outpatient critical access services without regard to whether: (1) the individual for whom the services are furnished is physically present in the critical access hospital at the time the specimen is collected; (2) such individual is registered as an outpatient on the records of, and receives such services directly from, the critical access hospital; or (3) payment is available for such services under the fee schedule established for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Designates the year 2005 as the Year of Foreign Language Study, during which foreign language study is promoted and expanded in elementary and secondary schools, institutions of higher learning, businesses, and government programs.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that rates of pay for civilian employees of the United States should be adjusted at the same time, and in the same proportion, as are rates of pay for members of the uniformed services.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
State Criminal Alien Assistance Program Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize specified appropriations through FY 2011 for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
No Taxation Without Representation Act of 2005 - Provides for full voting representation in Congress for the residents of the District of Columbia, including two Senators and as many Representatives as a similarly populous State would be entitled to under the law. Treats the District of Columbia as a State. Prescribes a procedure for the first elections under this Act. Entitles the District to one Representative until the taking effect of the next reapportionment.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Military Retiree Survivor Benefit Equity Act of 2005 - Repeals the requirement that military Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities be reduced by the amount of survivors' dependency and indemnity compensation being received by such individuals. Prohibits the: (1) payment of retroactive benefits; and (2) recoupment of military retired pay amounts previously refunded to SBP participants.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Family Opportunity Act of 2005 or Dylan Lee James Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to give States the option of allowing families of disabled children to purchase Medicaid coverage for such children. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct demonstration projects under which up to ten States are awarded grants, on a competitive basis, to test the effectiveness in improving or maintaining a child's functional level and cost-effectiveness of providing coverage of home and community-based alternatives to psychiatric resident treatment for children enrolled in the Medicaid program. Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to make appropriations to the Secretary for special projects of regional and national significance for development and support of family-to-family health information centers. Amends SSA title XIX to provide for the restoration of Medicaid eligibility to certain SSI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSA title XVI) beneficiaries under age 21.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include in foreign base company income, for purposes of determining the foreign trade income of controlled foreign corporations, imported property income. Defines "imported property income" as, with certain exceptions, income attributable to property manufactured outside of the United States and imported for sale into the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Transplant Patients Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to remove time limitations on the coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for individuals who have received organ transplants. (Current law provides coverage for such drugs only for certain time periods after the transplant procedure.) Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to: (1) continue entitlement to prescription drugs used in immunosuppressive therapy furnished to an individual who receives a kidney or other organ transplant for which payment is made under Medicare; and (2) extend Medicare secondary payer requirements for end stage renal disease beneficiaries. Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to set forth requirements for group health plans to provide coverage of immunosuppressive drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Ensuring College Access for All Americans Act - Prohibits the application of the annual updates (published in the Federal Register on December 23, 2004) to the allowance for State and other taxes in the tables used in the Federal Needs Analysis Methodology to determine a student's expected family contribution for the award year 2005-2006 under the Higher Education Act of 1965, to the extent such updates will reduce the amount of Federal student assistance for which the student is eligible.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Commends the people and Government of Ukraine for their commitment to democracy and for ensuring a free and fair runoff presidential election. Congratulates Viktor Yushchenko on his election as President of Ukraine. Applauds the Ukrainian presidential candidates, the European Union and other European representatives, and the U.S. Government for the role they played in helping to resolve the crisis. Acknowledges the strong relationship between the United States and Ukraine. Pledges assistance to the strengthening of Ukraine's democracy and a free market system, reaffirmation of its independence and territorial sovereignty, and its full integration into the international community of democracies.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers a tax deduction for charitable contributions of food inventory (the deduction is currently available only to certain corporations).
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Increases from $12,000 to $100,000 the death gratuity payable to survivors of members of the Armed Forces who die while on active duty or inactive duty training. Provides an additional gratuity of $25,000 to any child of such member under 18 years old at the time of the member's death, payable when such child attains 21. Continues TRICARE (a Department of Defense managed health care program) eligibility for the dependents of a member who dies while serving on active duty of more than 30 days for a three-year period after the member's death, with a further conditional extension in the case of a dependent child. Terminates a 45-month limit on the use of survivors' and dependents' educational assistance. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide special restorative training to certain individuals. Increases the amount of basic educational assistance for veterans' survivors and dependents pursuing certain types of institutional education. Authorizes the provision of tutorial assistance to such individuals without charge to their educational assistance entitlement.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Community Choice in Real Estate Act - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, and the Revised Statutes of the United States, to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury, respectively, from determining that real estate brokerage activity or real estate management activity is financial in nature, is incidental to any financial activity, or is complementary to a financial activity. (In effect, prohibits financial holding companies and national banks from engaging, directly or indirectly, in real estate brokerage or real estate management activities.) Exempts from such prohibition activities of a bank holding company (or any affiliate) that directly relate to managing any real property owned by national banks or their affiliates. States that activities that were authorized for financial holding companies and national banks on December 6, 2001, are not affected by the prohibitions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Fair Wage, Competition and Investment Act of 2005 - Overtime Rights Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to deny any force or effect to any portion of a rule promulgated on April 23, 2004, that has the effect of exempting from FLSA overtime compensation requirements (which limit maximum hours at regular compensation) any employee who would not otherwise be exempted if regulations in effect on March 31, 2003, remained in effect. Reinstates that portion of such regulations that would prevent such an employee from being exempt. Directs the Secretary of Labor to increase, in a specified manner, the minimum salary level for the exemption for executive, administrative, and managerial occupations from FLSA overtime compensation requirements. Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2005 - Amends the FLSA to increase the Federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after enactment of this Act; (2) $6.55 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day; and (3) $7.25 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 60th day. Amends the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act to include offshoring of jobs among the circumstances for which employers are required to post notices of employee rights. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) investment in infrastructure in the areas of transportation, water, rail, transit, and aviation; and (2) advanced technology and manufacturing extension partnership programs. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 (TA) to: (1) revise and extend the requirement that the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) identify and report on trade expansion priorities; and (2) establish the position of Chief Enforcement Negotiator. Foreign Debt Ceiling Act of 2005 - Directs the USTR, when a certain level of net U.S. foreign debt or of U.S. trade deficit is reached, to convene an emergency meeting of the Trade Policy Review Group to develop a plan of action to reduce the U.S. trade deficit. Requires specified negotiations and certification regarding the currency valuation policy of the People's Republic of China. Trade Adjustment Assistance Equity for Service Workers Act of 2005 - Amends TA to extend trade adjustment assistance (TAA) to workers in a service sector firm or its subdivision or public agency. Trade Adjustment Assistance for Communities Act of 2005 - Amends TA to revise the TAA program for communities negatively impacted by trade, and to establish a TAA for Communities Program at the Department of Commerce to coordinate the Federal response. Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms Reorganization Act - Amends TA to establish in the International Trade Administration of the Department of Commerce an Office of TAA for TAA to firms that have been adversely affected by import competition. Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management and the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a program to offer TAA workers enrollment in the Federal Employees Health Benefit program (FEHBP). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for: (1) taxing income of controlled foreign corporations attributable to imported property; (2) a broadband access credit; (3) permanent extension and expansion of a research and development credit, and revision of alternative incremental credits; (4) repeal of a limit on contract research expenses paid to small businesses, universities, and Federal laboratories; (5) increased credit for health insurance costs; and (6) revised covered month eligibility for spouses of individuals entitled to Medicare, under a health care credit related to TAA. Expresses the sense of the Senate regarding: (1) multiemployer pension plans; (2) promotion of science and technology funding; and (3) free trade agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Standing With Our Troops Act of 2005 - Increases authorized end strengths for the Army and Marine Corps. Requires the Secretary of Defense to: (1) publish a monthly accounting of military casualties incurred in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and any other operation undertaken under the Global War on Terrorism; and (2) establish within the Department of Defense (DOD) an Advisory Panel on Military Awards and Decorations. Establishes within the National Security Council a Director of Mobilization Planning and Preparedness to identify and develop plans for the performance of necessary governmental and private sector functions on a sustained basis during a national emergency. Requires reports on: (1) necessary reconstitution of military equipment due to Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom; and (2) DOD policies concerning the length of reserve mobilization and deployment periods in connection with Operation Iraqi Freedom. Requires the correction of military pay problems experienced by activated reserve personnel. Establishes a Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (Reserve Affairs). Provides various programs and authorities to afford financial relief to National Guard and reserve personnel activated for overseas warfighting or domestic homeland security missions, including penalty-free early withdrawals from retirement plans, differential wage payments, and the Ready Reserve-National Guard employee tax credit. National Guard and Reserve Comprehensive Health Benefits Act of 2005 - Makes members of the Selected Reserve eligible for TRICARE (a DOD-managed health care program). Allows the continuation of non-TRICARE health benefits coverage for reserves called or ordered to active duty (and their dependents). Increases from $12,000 to $100,000 the death gratuity for survivors of members killed during active duty or inactive duty training. Requires a report on additional needs for funding U.S. military and reconstruction efforts in Iraq.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Meeting Our Responsibility to Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to: (1) negotiating fair prices for Medicare prescription drugs; (2) elimination of the MA Regional Plan Stabilization Fund; (3) application of risk adjustment reflecting characteristics for the entire Medicare population in payments to Medicare advantage organizations; (4) modification of the annual out-of-pocket threshold with respect to prescription drug benefits; (5) requiring two prescription drug plans to avoid Federal fallback; (6) waiver of the part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program); (7) transition of full-benefit dual eligible individuals to coverage under the Medicare drug benefit; and (8) Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) premium reduction. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on providing incentives to preserve retiree coverage. Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to make certain information regarding the sponsor of a qualified prescription drug plan receiving a subsidy under the prescription drug program available to the public through the Internet website of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Unaccompanied Alien Child Protection Act of 2005 - Addresses the care and custody of unaccompanied alien children, defined as children under the age of 18 with no lawful immigration status and no parent or legal guardian in the United States who is available to provide care and physical custody. Directs immigration officers who find such children at U.S. land borders or ports of entry to permit them to withdraw their applications for admission and return to their country of nationality or last habitual residence in certain circumstances. States that such children shall have the right to consult with a consular officer prior to repatriation and with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (the Office) at the Department of Health and Human Services. Gives the Office jurisdiction over the care and custody of all other such children, including trafficking victims, except those charged with or convicted of felonies (excluding offenses proscribed by the Immigration and Nationality Act) or who threaten national security, whose custody and care is vested in the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security (the Directorate) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (the Secretary) to notify the Office promptly of the apprehension or discovery of such children. Specifies the order of preference for placing such children, subject to the discretion of the Director of the Office (the Director) and a suitability assessment by the State of the child's proposed residence or a voluntary agency contracted with the Office. Prohibits the placement of such children in adult detention facilities or in facilities housing delinquent children unless they exhibit violent or criminal behavior. Requires the Director and the Secretary to: (1) promulgate regulations incorporating standards for the conditions of detention of such children; and (2) develop procedures prohibiting the unreasonable use of restraints, solitary confinement, or pat or strip searches. Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. Government should undertake efforts to ensure that it does not repatriate children in its custody into settings that would threaten their life and safety. Requires: (1) the Secretary of State to include in each year's State Department Country Report on Human Rights an assessment of the degree to which each country protects children from smugglers and traffickers; and (2) the Directorate to consult that report and the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000: Trafficking in Persons Report in assessing whether to repatriate an unaccompanied alien child. Requires the Director to develop procedures for promptly determining the age of aliens in the custody of DHS or the Office when age is at issue. Authorizes the Director to appoint qualified and duly trained guardians ad litem for such children. Specifies the duties and powers of such guardians ad litem. Requires the Director to: (1) provide professional training for such guardians ad litem; and (2) implement a pilot program for their appointment. States that the Director should ensure that all such children in the Custody of the Office or the Directorate, except those being repatriated to a contiguous country, have competent counsel to represent them in immigration proceedings or matters. Requires the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) to develop and implement model guidelines for the legal representation of alien children in immigration proceedings. States that counsel shall: (1) have reasonable access to such children; (2) be given 24 hours advance notice of a transfer absent compelling and unusual circumstances; and (3) except in emergency situations involving the child's physical safety, be given prompt and adequate notice of all immigration matters affecting or involving such children. Bars such children in the custody of the Office from consenting to immigration actions, including voluntary departure, unless first afforded an opportunity to consult with counsel. Makes such guardian ad litem and counsel provisions applicable to all such children in Federal custody on, before, or after the effective date of this Act. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to specify that: (1) aliens seeking special immigrant juvenile (SIJ) status must be 18 years of age and under on the date of application; (2) court orders declaring such aliens dependent on a juvenile court located in the United States or placing them in the custody of a State entity due to abuse, neglect, abandonment or similar grounds shall be binding on the Secretary for purposes of SIJ adjudications; and (3) the Office must certify to the Director that SIJ classifications with respect to alien children in Federal custody have not been made solely to provide immigration benefits. Excludes presence without admission or parole as a ground for inadmissibility with regard to aliens seeking SIJ status. Authorizes the Secretary to waive certain additional grounds of inadmissibility. Makes the SIJ-related amendments of this Act applicable to all aliens who were in the United States before, on, or after enactment of this Act. Commends the (former) Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) for its issuance of the Guidelines for Children's Asylum Claims and encourages implementation of such guidelines by INS and its successor. Calls upon EOIR to adopt such guidelines in its handling of children's asylum claims. Requires the Secretary to provide periodic comprehensive training under such guidelines. Requires such children apprehended by the Directorate, except those subject to contiguous country rules, to be placed in removal proceedings. Exempts such children from certain bars to seeking asylum. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (HSA) to make the Director responsible for: (1) continued assessments of the suitability of placements of such children; and (2) ensuring that minimum standards of care are met with regard to such children who reside in settings that are alternatives to detention. States that the amendments to HSA made by this Act shall be effective as if enacted as part of HSA.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Honoring Every Requirement of Exemplary Service Act of 2005 or HEROES Act of 2005 - Increases from $12,000 to $100,000 the death gratuity payable to the survivors of members of the Armed Forces who die: (1) as a direct result of armed conflict; (2) while engaged in hazardous service; (3) in the performance of duty under conditions simulating war; (4) through an instrumentality of war; or (5) in an operation or area designated as a combat operation or a combat zone. Requires the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an additional death gratuity of $238,000 for a member of the Armed Forces who died before the date of enactment of this Act as a direct result of one or more wounds, injuries, or illnesses that were: (1) incurred in the theater of operations of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom; or (2) as a direct result of armed conflict, while engaged in hazardous service, in the performance of duty under conditions simulating war, or through an instrumentality of war on or after October 7, 2001. Increases the maximum amount of life insurance coverage for a member of the armed forces under servicemembers' group life insurance. Provides for $150,000 additional life insurance with no deductible due from the member for combat-related deaths. Requires spousal approval for a member to elect not to have life insurance coverage or have less than the maximum amount allowable.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Extends the U.S. Postal Service's authority to issue special postage stamps to help provide funding for breast cancer research through December 31, 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Combat Meth Act of 2005 - Authorizes funds to provide training to State and local prosecutors and law enforcement agents for investigation and prosecution of methamphetamine offenses, including a set-aside for prosecutors and law enforcement agents for rural communities. Amends: (1) the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand the public safety and community policing grant program to authorize the use of grant funds to hire personnel and purchase equipment to assist in enforcing and prosecuting methamphetamine offenses and in cleaning up methamphetamine-affected areas; (2) the Controlled Substances Act to add pseudoephedrine to schedule V; and (3) the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants for the development of drug endangered children rapid response teams and grants to local governments, Indian tribes, and nonprofit private entities to provide treatment for methamphetamine abuse. Directs the Attorney General to allocate funds for the hiring and training of special assistant U.S. attorneys. Authorizes the Attorney General, acting through the Bureau of Justice Assistance, to award grants to States to establish methamphetamine precursor monitoring programs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Amends the Controlled Substances Act to eliminate the 30-patient limit for medical practitioners in group practices that may dispense specified narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Targeting Terrorists More Effectively Act of 2005 - Sets forth provisions with respect to: (1) Army special operations forces increases; (2) increasing foreign language expertise in the United States for the purpose of improving national security; (3) preventing terrorist financing; (4) prohibiting transactions with countries that support terrorism; (5) preventing the growth of radical Islamic fundamentalism, and promoting democracy and development in the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia; (6) advancing U.S. interests through diplomacy; (7) the treatment of detainees, including establishment of a National Commission to Review Policy Regarding the Treatment of Detainees; (8) strategy for the U.S. relationship with Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia; (9) non-proliferation programs, including Russian nuclear facilities and tactical nuclear weapons; (10) border protection, including border personnel increases; (11) seaport protection, including deployment of radiation detection portal equipment, tanker security, and acceleration of the Megaports Initiative; (12) first responders, including training for law enforcement personnel; and (13) prohibitions on war profiteering.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Quality Education for All Act - Extends authorizations of appropriations under: (1) the Head Start Act (HSA); and (2) the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (CCDBGA). Revises HSA provisions for: (1) Indian and migrant and seasonal programs; (2) expanded access to Early Head Start and Head Start; (3) part-day to full-day programs; (4) school readiness standards; (5) staff training, development, and salaries; and (6) tribal college or university partnership. Revises CCDBGA requirements for staff training and child care quality improvement activities. Directs the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants to rural local educational agencies for purchasing new school buses. Expresses the sense of the Senate regarding: (1) fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act by 2011; (2) funding for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA); and (3) increasing the maximum Pell Grant under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). Revises ESEA requirements for: (1) public school choice, supplemental educational services, and teacher quality; (2) adequate yearly progress determinations; (3) technical assistance; (4) assessment and accountability; and (5) prohibiting discrimination. Revises HEA to provide for: (1) extending and increasing authorizations of appropriations for TRIO and GEARUP programs; (2) no reduction of student aid eligibility based on updates to tax tables; (3) demonstration grants to help low-income students enroll in summer courses to complete their college degrees; and (4) tuition-free college for mathematics, science, and special education teachers, through additional amounts of student loan forgiveness. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) expand the deduction for higher education expenses; (2) establish a credit for interest on higher education loans; and (3) make Hope and Lifetime Learning credits refundable.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Loan Forgiveness for Head Start Teachers Act of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend to certain Head Start teachers eligibility for cancellation of repayment obligations for specified types of student loans.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
National Guard and Reserve Bill of Rights Act of 2005 - Requires the Secretary of Defense to limit the length of assignment of reservists during U.S. Central Command deployments of not less than one year. Requires the Secretary to submit to specified congressional committees a report on Department of Defense policies and communications regarding the length of deployments for reservists in connection with Operation Iraqi Freedom. Directs the Secretary of the Army to designate a senior level official of the Department of the Army to implement recommendations for executive action to address military pay problems. Expands reenlistment bonus eligibility and the amount of such bonuses for members of the Selected Reserve. Removes conditions on Ready Reserve members' eligibility for TRICARE enrollment. Makes such eligibility permanent. Requires the Secretary concerned to pay applicable premiums to continue qualified health benefit plan coverage for family members of eligible reservists serving on active duty for the benefits coverage continuation period. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to fund child care for members of the Armed Forces on active duty for Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom. Requires employers to provide notice of rights and benefits under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Increases monthly educational assistance benefits for members of the Selected Reserve. Expands eligibility for such benefits to include reservists who have served on active duty for a cumulative period of 24 months during any five-year period. Reduces from 60 to 55 the age at which members of Reserve components may receive military retirement pay. Establishes the position of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (Reserve Affairs). Eliminates the position of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. Reduces the number of Assistant Secretaries of Defense.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Fulfilling Our Duty to America's Veterans Act of 2005 - States that, upon enactment, funding for the programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health Administration shall be provided through a combination of discretionary and mandatory funding in order to ensure access to health care for all veterans. Requires: (1) the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the extent to which such funding has achieved its objectives; and (2) congressional consideration of such report via the joint resolution process. Provides for: (1) post-traumatic stress disorder treatment for veterans of service in Afghanistan and Iraq and the Global War on Terrorism; and (2) a review by each military department of the sufficiency of its military health care programs. Authorizes Department of Veterans Affairs pharmacies to dispense medications to Medicare-eligible veterans on prescriptions written by private practitioners. Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2005 - Requires the full concurrent payment of military retired pay and service-connected disability compensation. Requires a joint report from the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs on the development of interoperable electronic records for military personnel and veterans that are utilized by both departments. Expands preseparation physical examination and counseling requirements. Authorizes such Secretaries to carry out epidemiological studies relating to health conditions that develop as a result of occupational exposure during military service. Requires such Secretaries to develop protocols to facilitate the sharing of members' and veterans' duty assignments and medical conditions information. Increased Government Commitment to Veterans' Education Act - Provides for the: (1) exclusion of basic pay contributions for participation in veterans' educational assistance from computations used to determine eligibility for student financial aid; and (2) opportunity to enroll in a basic educational assistance program for certain individuals who participated, or were eligible to participate, in the post-Vietnam era veterans' educational assistance program.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Affordable Health Care Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise provisions governing the importation of prescription drugs. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations allowing the importation of prescription drugs from certain countries. Allows the Secretary to require the sponsor of an approved drug to conduct one or more studies that confirms or refutes a credible hypothesis of a significant safety issue. Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of Health Information Technology to improve the quality and efficiency of health care delivery through the use of health information technology. Requires the Secretary, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish uniform health care quality measures and public reporting requirements across all federally supported health delivery programs. Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to give States the option to expand or add coverage of children, pregnant women, and legal immigrants under titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain small business employers a refundable tax credit for a portion of their employee health insurance costs. Amends SSA to set forth provisions (as a new title XXII) addressing health insurance coverage for small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the maximum Federal Pell Grant for which a student should be eligible during award year 2005-2006 should be $4,500; and (2) the authorized levels for the Federal Pell Grant maximum amount under the Higher Education Act of 1965 should be set high enough to accommodate a Federal Pell Grant amount of $9,000 by award year 2010-2011.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Expresses: (1) sympathy for the victims and families of the earthquake and tsunami that struck communities throughout Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Eastern Africa on December 26, 2004; and (2) gratitude and respect for the work of all aid and relief personnel, including U.S. military personnel. Supports President George W. Bush's pledge of $350,000,000 in direct financial assistance, and additional indirect assistance, through the dispatch of U.S. military assets and personnel and through substantial voluntary and annual contributions to international organizations and bodies. Commends the ongoing international relief effort. Recognizes that U.S. Government assistance will be greatly supplemented by private U.S. donations and volunteers. Supports the long-term U.S. commitment to provide financial aid and other assistance to the impacted region.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2004
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the Government of the People's Republic of China is in violation of international human rights standards by detaining and mistreating Tibetans who engage in peaceful activities to protest China's occupation of Tibet or promote the preservation of a distinct Tibetan identity; (2) sustained international pressure on the Government of the People's Republic of China is essential to improve the human rights situation in Tibet and secure the release of Tibetan political prisoners; (3) the Government of the United States should raise the cases of Tenzin Delek and other political prisoners at every opportunity with officials from the People's Republic of China, and work with other governments concerned about human rights in China, including Tibetan areas, to encourage the release of political prisoners and promote systemic improvement of human rights in China; and (4) the Government of the People's Republic of China should release all political prisoners, including Tenzin Delek.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2004
Microenterprise Results and Accountability Act of 2004 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to repeal existing microenterprise development grant authority and reestablish and revise it as a separate title, title VI - Microenterprise Development Assistance, which shall be administered by an Office of Microenterprise Development (established by this Act) within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2004
National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award one-year grants to each approved State to establish or improve a State controlled substance monitoring program. Requires the Secretary to develop minimum standards for States to ensure security of information collected and to recommend penalties for the provision or use of information in violation of applicable laws or regulations. Requires each approved State to: (1) require dispensers to report to the State within one week of each dispensing of a controlled substance to an ultimate user or research subject; and (2) establish and maintain an electronic searchable database containing the information reported. Allows a State to provide information from the database in response to certain requests by practitioners, law enforcement, narcotics control, licensure, disciplinary, or program authorities, the controlled substance monitoring program of another State, and agents of the Department of Health and Human Services, State Medicaid programs, State health departments or the Drug Enforcement Administration. Requires the Secretary to: (1) specify a uniform electronic format for the reporting, sharing, and provision of information under this Act; and (2) study and report to Congress on such programs, including on interoperability between programs, the feasibility of a real-time electronic controlled substance monitoring program, privacy protections, and technological alternatives to centralized data storage.
![Official portrait of Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000563_200.jpg)