United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2005
Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Reform Act of 2005 - Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to repeal the authorized use of certain moneys in the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund (Fund): (1) by the Secretary of Agriculture for reclamation of rural lands; and (2) by the Department of the Interior for studies by contract with organizations for advice and research and development projects and technical assistance. Sets forth a sliding scale reduction for reclamation fees required to be paid by operators of coal mining operations for coal produced by surface coal mining, coal produced by underground mining, and lignite coal. Extends to September 30, 2016, the period for payment of reclamation fees according to the existing formula. Revises Fund allocation requirements governing: (1) reclamation fees; (2) use of funds for abatement of acid mine drainage; and (3) graduated payments to states and Indian tribes. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to use unexpended interest paid into the Fund to execute transfers into the United Mine Workers of America Combined Benefit Fund. Directs the Secretary, upon the request of a state Governor or governing Indian tribal body, to enter into an agreement authorizing such entity to collect reclamation fees. Revises Fund objectives to repeal the objective of general welfare. Revises the prohibition against filing a lien against any person who neither consented to, nor participated in, nor exercised control over a mining operation which necessitated reclamation. Repeals the limitation of such prohibition to persons who owned the surface before May 2, 1977. Authorizes the Secretary to use amounts in the Fund to provide incentives to promote remining of eligible land. Extends from 2004 to 2015 the exception to the prohibition against approval of a permit due to any uncorrected air or water environmental protection violations if such violations result from an unanticipated event or or condition at a surface coal mining operation on lands eligible for remining.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2005
Acknowledges Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist's lifelong service to the United States. Commends his 33-year tenure on the U.S. Supreme Court and his many accomplishments as Chief Justice. Extends sympathy to his family and friends.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2005
Permits a Senator or employee of the Senate to: (1) solicit another Senator or employee of the Senate within Senate buildings for nonmonetary donations for the relief of victims of Hurricane Katrina; and (2) work with a nonprofit organization with respect to the delivery of such donations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2005
Higher Education Amendments of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise and reauthorize various programs. Revises the definition of institution of higher education to eliminate a restriction on distance education in terms of relative number of courses an institution may offer by telecommunications, and relative number of students enrolled in such courses, for purposes of student assistance program eligibility (the 50 percent rule). Establishes a provisional grant assistance program (ProGAP) for students most in need of assistance, and reserves a portion of such program funds for national science and mathematics access to retain talent (SMART) grants for third and fourth year students of mathematics, science, technology, engineering, or critical foreign languages. Increases Pell grant maximums, allows year-round grants, and eliminates tuition-sensitivity. Eliminates programs of 21st Century Scholar Certificates, Academic Achievement Incentive Scholarships, and Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships. Revises HEA title IV need analysis and general provisions for student assistance, including forms. Requires an early financial aid information system and a college access initiative. Raises certain student loan limits. Revises parent loan interest rates. Provides for recapture of excess interest with respect to special allowance payments to lenders. Reduces lender insurance reimbursement rates. Requires guaranty agencies to deposit loan origination fees in a federal fund. Provides for student loan repayment deferment for military service in a combat zone. Prohibits guaranty agencies from: (1) having consolidation lending as an excessive proportion of their recoveries on defaulted loans; and (2) charging excessive collection costs on such consolidation loans. Repeals a single holder rule for consolidation loans. Provides for: (1) a school as lender moratorium; (2) income contingent repayment for public sector employees; (3) an increased income protection allowance for dependent students; (4) a simplified need test; and (5) an increased ceiling for automatic-zero eligibility. Reauthorizes appropriations for: (1) teacher quality enhancement grants for states and partnerships, grants for preparing teachers to use technology, and new centers of excellence for recruiting and preparing teachers; (2) grants for American Indian tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and historically Black colleges and universities; (3) student assistance; (4) developing institutions grants for Hispanic-serving institutions, and new grants for graduate programs at such institutions; (5) international education programs; and (6) graduate and postsecondary improvement programs. Establishes programs relating to: (1) mathematics and science scholars; (2) postsecondary education assessment; (3) job skill training in high-growth occupations or industries; (4) student retention and articulation agreements; (5) knowledge of American history, free institutions, and Western civilization; (6) Teach for America, the national teacher corps; (7) Patsy T. Mink graduate fellowships; and (8) college enrollment rates of secondary schools. Amends the Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act of 2004 to make permanent: (1) a reduction of special allowance payments for loans from the proceeds of tax exempt issues; and (2) expanded student loan forgiveness for special education teachers in elementary and secondary schools and mathematics and science teachers in secondary schools. Reauthorizes appropriations for various programs under the Education of the Deaf Act of 1986 and the Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act of 1978. Repeals certain programs under the Higher Education Amendments of 1998. Navajo Nation Higher Education Act of 2005 - Reauthorizes appropriations for the Navajo Community College Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2005
Declares that the Senate: (1) expresses the condolences of the Nation to the victims of Hurricane Katrina; (2) commends the resiliency and courage of the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama; and (3) commits to provide the necessary resources and to stand by the people of such states in the relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Safe and Fair Deposit Insurance Act of 2005 - Insurance Funds Merger Act of 2005 - Requires the Bank Insurance Fund and the Savings Association Insurance Fund to be merged into the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) established by this Act. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to establish the DIF. Requires deposit into the DIF of all assessments made by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) against insured depository institutions. Authorizes the FDIC to borrow from the federal home loan banks the funds necessary for DIF use. Deposit Insurance Reform Act of 2005 - Amends the FDIA to: (1) prohibit an undercapitalized insured depository institution from accepting employee benefit plan deposits; (2) increase federal insurance coverage (including an inflation adjustment); and (3) include retirement accounts and municipal deposits within such coverage. Requires the FDIC Board of Directors to designate the reserve ratio applicable to the DIF. Prohibits the Board from modifying its information collection requirements if such modification is done solely to change assessment risk classifications and results in placing greater regulatory or reporting burdens upon an insured depository institution. Allows credits based upon past contributions to the DIF.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal in recognition of Constantino Brumidi's contributions to the Nation as a designer and decorator of the U.S. Capitol. Requires the Architect of the Capitol to arrange for the gold medal to be displayed in the Capitol Visitor Center as part of an exhibit honoring Constantino Brumidi.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Keeping Seniors Safe From Falls Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) oversee and support a national education campaign focusing on reducing falls among older adults and preventing repeat falls; and (2) award grants to design and carry out local education campaigns. Directs the Secretary to conduct and support research to: (1) improve the identification of older adults who have a high risk of falling; (2) improve data collection and analysis to identify fall risk and protective factors; (3) design, implement, and evaluate the most effective fall prevention interventions; (4) tailor effective strategies to reduce falls to specific populations of older adults; (5) maximize the dissemination of proven, effective fall prevention interventions; (6) improve the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of elderly fall victims; and (7) assess the risks of falls occurring in various settings. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct research and develop, implement, and evaluate the most effective approaches to reduce falls among high-risk older adults living in long-term care facilities; (2) evaluate the effectiveness of community programs; (3) provide professional education for physicians and allied health professionals in fall prevention; (4) oversee and support specified demonstration and research projects; (5) award grants to design, implement, and evaluate fall prevention programs using proven intervention strategies and carry out a multistate demonstration project; and (6) report to Congress on the effects of falls on health care costs, the potential for reducing falls, and the most effective strategies for reducing associated health care costs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Repeals the termination date in the Jobs Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 for provisions reducing individual tax rates on capital gains and dividend income.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2005
The OTC Medicine Tax Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the provision limiting the tax deduction for medicine and drugs to prescribed drugs and insulin (thus allowing a tax deduction for over-the-counter medications).
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2005
Healthy America Act of 2005 - Patients First Act of 2005 - Sets forth provisions governing health care lawsuits, including provisions establishing a statute of limitations and limiting recovery of non-economic damages and punitive damages. Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish an Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology to develop a nationwide interoperable health information technology infrastructure. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish the public-private American Health Information Collaborative; and (2) facilitate the electronic exchange of health information. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary to: (1) develop quality measurement systems to provide value-based payments to providers; (2) establish a value-based purchasing pilot program; and (3) authorize waivers for states to establish such programs for state Medicaid programs. Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 - Requires the Secretary to maintain a patient safety network of databases to accept, aggregate, and analyze non-identifiable patient safety data voluntarily reported by patient safety organizations. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) an advanceable credit for health insurance; (2) a deduction for premiums under a high deductible health plan; and (3) a credit for a small employer's contribution to an employee's health savings account. Reauthorizes grants to states to create and operate high risk health insurance pools. Covering Kids Act of 2005 - Amends Title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to provide awards for innovative outreach and enrollment efforts. Allows the Secretary to make grants for qualified integrated health care systems that provide care to medically underserved populations. Provides coverage under Medicare and Medicaid for integrated health center services. Allows a forbearance on student loans for volunteering at a free clinic.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2005
Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a three-year pilot program under which up to 15 states may issue electronic migratory bird hunting and conservation stamps. Prohibits a state's participation in the program absent the Secretary's approval of an application providing details of the state's electronic stamp process. Requires the Secretary to publish eligibility requirements and selection criteria. Directs the Secretary to require participating states to: (1) provide an actual (paper) stamp to each individual to whom the state sells an electronic stamp by the date on which the electronic stamp expires; and (2) collect and transmit to the Secretary electronic stamp revenue and customer information. Authorizes participating states to charge a reasonable fee to cover program costs. Sets forth requirements for electronic stamps. Authorizes termination of a state's participation in the program by the Secretary for violations of application terms or by a state upon providing written notice.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2005
Second Amendment Protection Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should not provide financial support to international entities that abridge the constitutionally protected rights of law-abiding U.S. citizens to keep and bear arms. Prohibits U.S. funding to the United Nations for a fiscal year unless the President certifies to Congress that the United Nations has not taken action to restrict or otherwise adversely infringe upon the rights of U.S. individuals to possess a firearm or ammunition, including the imposition of a tax that will interfere with the right to own a firearm or ammunition.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2005
Healthy America Act of 2005 - Patients First Act of 2005 - Sets forth provisions governing health care lawsuits, including provisions establishing a statute of limitations and limiting recovery of non-economic damages and punitive damages. Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish an Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology to develop a nationwide interoperable health information technology infrastructure. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish the public-private American Health Information Collaborative; and (2) facilitate the electronic exchange of health information. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary to: (1) develop quality measurement systems to provide value-based payments to providers; (2) establish a value-based purchasing pilot program; and (3) authorize waivers for states to establish such programs for state Medicaid programs. Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 - Requires the Secretary to maintain a patient safety network of databases to accept, aggregate, and analyze non-identifiable patient safety data voluntarily reported by patient safety organizations. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) an advanceable credit for health insurance; (2) a deduction for premiums under a high deductible health plan; and (3) a credit for a small employer's contribution to an employee's health savings account. Reauthorizes grants to states to create and operate high risk health insurance pools. Covering Kids Act of 2005 - Amends Title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to provide awards for innovative outreach and enrollment efforts. Allows the Secretary to make grants for qualified integrated health care systems that provide care to medically underserved populations. Provides coverage under Medicare and Medicaid for integrated health center services. Allows a forbearance on student loans for volunteering at a free clinic.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2005
Honors the life and legacy of Constantino Brumidi, artist and patriot. Recognizes Brumidi's many contributions to the world of art as well as to the United States, as reflected in his work in the U.S. Capitol Building.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2005
Small Business Drought Relief Act of 2005 - Amends the Small Business Act to include within the definition of "disaster," for purposes of disaster loans provided to small businesses through the Small Business Administration (SBA), droughts and below average water levels in the Great Lakes or any other U.S. body of water that supports commerce by small businesses. Authorizes such loan assistance for farm- and nonfarm-related small businesses affected by droughts. Limits the amount that may be used during each of FY2005-FY2008 to provide drought disaster loans to non-farm related concerns. Requires the SBA to respond in writing to a State Governor regarding its determination concerning the provision of disaster loan assistance within 30 days after receiving such Governor's certification that small businesses in that State have suffered economic injury as a result of a disaster.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2005
Wired for Health Care Quality Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology to develop a nationwide interoperable health information technology infrastructure. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish the public-private American Health Information Collaborative to recommend uniform policies to support the widespread adoption of health information technology; and (2) adopt recommended modifications to standards for the electronic exchange of health information. Prohibits any federal agency from expending federal funds to purchase health information technology that is inconsistent with adopted standards and requires all federal agencies collecting health data to comply with such standards. Requires the Secretary to develop criteria to: (1) ensure uniform and consistent implementation of any standards voluntarily adopted by private entities; and (2) ensure and certify hardware, software, and support services compliance with adopted standards. Allows the Secretary to award grants to: (1) facilitate the purchase and enhance the utilization of qualified health information technology systems; (2) implement regional or local health information plans; and (3) develop academic programs integrating qualified health information technology systems in the clinical education of health professionals. Requires the heads of specified federal agencies to develop a system to measure the quality of care patients receive. Requires the Secretary to: (1) adopt and utilize such system; (2) disseminate recommendations and best practices derived from the analysis of quality measures; and (3) study methods to create efficient reimbursement incentives for improving health care quality. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ), to develop a Center for Best Practices to provide technical assistance and develop best practices to support and accelerate efforts to adopt, implement, and effectively use interoperable health information technology. Reauthorizes appropriations for grants to reduce statutory and regulatory barriers to telemedicine.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2005
Medical Device User Fee Stabilization Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to adjust the formula for setting medical device user fees (e.g., premarket application, premarket report, supplement, and submission fees). Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to grant a waiver of premarket approval fees for small businesses with $75,000,000 (currently, $30,000,000) or less of gross receipts or sales. Deems as misbranded any reprocessed single-use device unless it identifies the manufacturer. Allows the Secretary to waive such identification requirement if compliance: (1) is not feasible due to the device's physical characteristics; or (2) would compromise the provision of reasonable assurance of the device's safety or effectiveness.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2005
National Small Business Regulatory Assistance Act of 2005 - Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a pilot program to provide regulatory compliance assistance to small businesses through participating Small Business Development Centers (Centers). Requires the Administrator to enter into arrangements with participating Centers to provide: (1) access to regulatory information and resources; (2) training and education activities; (3) confidential counseling to owners and operators of small businesses regarding compliance with Federal regulations; (4) technical assistance; and (5) partnerships with Federal compliance programs. Requires the Administrator, giving substantial weight to the recommendations of the majority of the Centers, to select the Center programs of two States from each of ten groups of States for participation in the pilot program. Provides grant limits. Terminates the pilot program four years after disbursement of the first grant.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2005
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Gaylord A. Nelson, a former member of the United States Senate from Wisconsin. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on July 11, 2005, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Nelson.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2005
Declares that the Senate: (1) expresses deepest sympathies and condolences to the people of the United Kingdom and the victims and their families for the heinous terrorist attacks that occurred in London on July 7, 2005; (2) condemns these barbaric and unwarranted attacks on the innocent people of London; (3) expresses strong and continued solidarity with the people of the United Kingdom and pledges to remain shoulder-to-shoulder with them to bring the terrorists responsible for these brutal attacks to justice; and (4) calls upon the international community to renew and strengthen efforts to defeat terrorists by dismantling terrorist networks and exposing the violent and nihilistic ideology of terrorism, increase international cooperation to advance personal and religious freedoms, ethnic and racial tolerance, political liberty and pluralism, and economic prosperity, and combat the social injustice, oppression, poverty, and extremism that breeds terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Better Healthcare Through Information Technology Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology to develop a nationwide interoperable health information technology infrastructure. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the public-private American Health Information Collaborative to recommend to the President uniform policies to support the widespread adoption of health information technology and modifications to standards for the electronic exchange of health information. Requires the President to review and, if appropriate, provide for the adoption of such standards. Prohibits any federal agency from expending federal funds to purchase hardware, software, or support services that are inconsistent with adopted standards. Requires all federal agencies collecting health data to comply with the adopted standards. Requires the Secretary to develop criteria to: (1) ensure uniform and consistent implementation of any standards voluntarily adopted by private entities; and (2) ensure and certify hardware, software, and support services compliance with adopted standards. Allows the Secretary to award grants to: (1) facilitate the purchase and enhance the utilization of qualified health information technology systems; and (2) carry out demonstration projects to develop academic programs integrating qualified health information technology systems in the clinical education of health professionals. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop quality measurement systems for the purposes of measuring the quality of care patients receive; and (2) study methods to create efficient reimbursement incentives for improving health care quality. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ), to develop a Center for Best Practices for the effective use health information technology. Allows the Director of AHRQ to establish a demonstration program to award grants or contracts to support health information network planning, implementation, and evaluation activities. Amends the Social Security Act to allow physicians to receive financial support regarding the electronic exchange of health information.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Medicare Value Purchasing (MVP) Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) to add a new part E (Value-Based Purchasing) under which the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall develop measurement systems to provide value-based payments to: (1) hospitals; (2) physicians and practitioners; (3) health plans; (4) end stage renal disease (ESRD) providers and facilities; and (5) home health agencies. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to study how the Medicare value-based purchasing programs will impact Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare providers, and the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund. Directs the Secretary to establish a program under which value-based payments are provided each fiscal year to hospitals that demonstrate a high quality health care for inpatients entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance). Directs the Secretary to make a value-based payment to a hospital with respect to a fiscal year if the Secretary determines that the quality of the care provided in that year to Medicare inpatients: (1) has substantially improved over the prior year; or (2) exceeds a threshold established by the Secretary. Prescribes a formula for the amount of such value-based payments, ranging from 1% of their Medicare payments for FY2007 by specified increments up to 2% for FY2011 and after. Directs the MEDPAC to study and report to Congress and the Secretary on the advisability and feasibility of establishing Medicare value-based purchasing programs, including ones for prescription drugs and renal dialysis facilities. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a Medicare value-based purchasing demonstration program for critical access hospitals; and (2) a demonstration project to determine the threshold amount of information technology connectivity necessary to improve the ability of rural and frontier physicians and practitioners to collect and use quality of care data. Outlines a Medicare Advantage Plans value-based purchasing program. Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to direct the Secretary to implement a value-based purchasing program for providers and facilities participating in the demonstration of bundled case-mix adjusted payment system for ESRD services. Requires the Secretary to establish chronic kidney disease demonstration projects. Outlines a value-based purchasing program for home health agencies and for skilled nursing facilities. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on appropriate measures to evaluate the quality of health care provided by skilled nursing facilities to Medicare patients. Provides for a national health information network pilot project. Requires the Secretary to study and report to Congress on telehealth and telemedicine.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2005
Fair and Reliable Medical Justice Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award up to ten demonstration grants to states for the development, implementation, and evaluation of alternatives to current tort litigation for resolving disputes over injuries allegedly caused by health care providers or health care organizations. Requires such states to: (1) develop such an alternative to current tort litigation; and (2) promote a reduction of health care errors by allowing for patient safety data related to such disputes to be collected and analyzed by organizations that engage in voluntary efforts to improve patient safety and the quality of health care delivery. Sets forth model alternatives to current tort litigation that states may utilize.
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 · 27 June 2005
Bone Marrow and Cord Blood Therapy and Research Act of 2005 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to contract with qualified cord blood stem cell banks to assist in the collection and maintenance of cord blood to be made available for transplantation through the Bone Marrow and Cord Blood Cell Transplantation Program. Requires the Secretary to require that recipients of such contracts: (1) acquire and store donated units of human cord blood; and (2) make collected cord blood units available for stem cell transplantation or, if not appropriate for clinical use, available for peer-reviewed research. Requires the Secretary to establish a demonstration project for the collection and storage of cord blood units for a family where a relative has been diagnosed with a condition that will benefit from transplantation. Amends the Public Health Service Act to rewrite provisions requiring the Secretary to establish and maintain a National Bone Marrow Donor Registry to require the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to establish and maintain the Bone Marrow and Cord Blood Cell Transplantation Program to increase the number of transplants for recipients suitably matched to biologically unrelated donors of bone marrow and cord blood. Requires the Secretary to establish a related Advisory Council. Prescribes new requirements for the Program, including: (1) operating a system for listing, searching, and facilitating the distribution of donated cord blood units; (2) maintaining and expanding medical contingency response capabilities to prepare for and respond effectively to biological, chemical, or radiological attacks and other ublic health emergencies that can damage marrow; and (3) carrying out recruitment programs and educational activities. Requires the Secretary to: (1) enforce quality standards and donor selection criteria; (2) establish an office of patient advocacy; and (3) establish a scientific database of outcome information.
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 · 20 June 2005
Pest Management and Fire Suppression Flexibility Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to state that the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shall not require a permit under the national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES), or require a State to mandate such a permit, for: (1) the proper use of a pesticide that is registered or otherwise approved for use under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act; and (2) the use by or in cooperation with the Federal or State government of a fire retardant, chemical, or water for fire suppression, control, or prevention in accordance with relevant Federal guidelines; (3) silvicultural activities except for specified point source activities; and (4) the use of biological control organisms for the prevention, control, or eradication of plant pests or noxious weeds pursuant to specified provisions of the Plant Protection Act. Redefines "point source" to exclude from the term those public health protection, pest management, and silvicultural activities excluded from NPDES permit requirements under this Act.
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 · 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
Coal-based Generation Improvement Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to provide certain financial incentives for the deployment of advanced coal-based generation technologies. Allows sponsors of projects using advanced coal-based generation technology to elect certain tax benefits, including an investment tax credit and accelerated depreciation. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for investment in clean energy bonds. Directs the Secretary to designate a federal project coordinator to facilitate federal agency approvals of eligible advanced coal generation projects.
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 · 23 May 2005
Head Start Improvements for School Readiness Act - Amends the Head Start Act to revise and reauthorize Head Start programs. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide financial assistance to Head Start agencies for five-year periods. Extends the authorization of appropriations for Head Start programs through FY 2010. Revises authorized uses of quality improvement funds to include outreach to homeless families, migrant and seasonal farmworker families, and families with children with a limited English proficiency. Directs the Secretary (who is currently authorized) to award collaboration grants for Head Start and other related-agencies within states. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations to require Head Start agencies to ensure that eligible homeless children are identified and prioritized for enrollment. Revises requirements for designation as a Head Start agency. Requires each agency to establish a governing body. Revises the additional educational performance standards included as program quality standards, and performance measures for program monitoring. Requires Head Start agencies to report to the Secretary monthly on enrollment in their Head Start programs. Directs the Secretary to develop plans to reduce or eliminate under-enrollment in program with an enrollment less than 95% of its funded enrollment. Requires each agency to enroll 100% of its funded enrollment, and to maintain an active waiting list and outreach to the community and underserved populations. Establishes a Centers of Excellence in Early Childhood program. Requires Head Start alignment with K-12 education. Changes the Head Start family income eligibility requirement from below the poverty line to below 130 percent of the poverty line. Exempts military housing from being counted as family income in determining a child's eligibility to enroll in a Head Start program. Revises Early Head Start programs, including requiring center-based staff to have specified qualifications. Requires each Head Start agency to ensure that all of its teachers receive ongoing training in language and emergent literacy. Establishes a Tribal Colleges and Universities Head Start Partnership program. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish an independent panel of experts to study research on early childhood; and (2) study the status of children with limited English proficiency and their families in Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Requires Head Start agencies to obtain written parental consent before administering to a child, or referring a child for, a non-emergency intrusive physical examination.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2005
Mineral Leasing Act Amendments of 2005 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to revise the circumstances and reinstatement petition filing deadlines for reinstatement of an oil or gas lease that was cancelled: (1) during the period beginning on September 1, 2001, and ending on the date that is 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act; or (2) after the date that is 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act. Declares that this Act shall not apply to a lessee that received a notice of lease termination from the Secretary within 13 months after termination of the lease.
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 · 17 May 2005
Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 2005 - Amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to revise requirements for health care programs and services for Indians, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations. Provides for: (1) enrollment of qualified Indians in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) under title XXI of the Social Security Act (SSA), as well as Medicare under SSA title XVIII and Medicaid under SSA title XIX (as under current law); and (2) related payments to Indian Health Programs and Urban Indian Organizations operating in the State. Replaces the Urban Health Programs Branch with an Office of Urban Indian Health. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Indian Health Service and Indian tribes and tribal organizations, to consolidate certain existing programs into a new program of comprehensive behavioral health, prevention, treatment, and aftercare for Indian tribes. Establishes the National Bi-Partisan Indian Health Care Commission to: (1) establish a Study Committee to study the extent of Indian health services needs; (2) review and analyze the Study Committee's report; and (3) make recommendations to Congress regarding the delivery of Federal health care services to Indians. Reauthorizes the Indian Health Care Improvement Act through FY 2015. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (SCHIP) to conform with this Act. Amends the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to direct the Secretary to establish the Native American Health and Wellness Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2005
Gas Price Reduction Through Increased Refinery Capacity Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers to elect to expense (i.e., deduct in the current taxable year) the cost of qualified refinery property placed in service before January 1, 2012, or under a binding construction contract before January 1, 2008. Requires that such refinery meet specified production levels and comply with all applicable environmental laws Classifies petroleum refining property as five-year property for depreciation purposes.
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
Workforce Investment Act Amendments of 2005 - Amends title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) to revise requirements and reauthorize appropriations for workforce investment systems for job training and employment services, including the Job Corps. Adult Education and Family Literacy Act Amendments of 2005 - Amends title II of WIA, also known as the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, to revise requirements and reauthorize appropriations for adult basic skills education, including adult education and family literacy programs. Amends the Wagner-Peyser Act to: (1) require employment services offices in each State to be co-located with comprehensive one-stop centers under WIA-I; and (2) revise requirements and reauthorize appropriations for the workforce and labor market information system to be carried out through grants or cooperative agreements with the States. Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 2005 - Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to revise requirements and reauthorize appropriations for vocational rehabilitation services. Amends the Helen Keller National Center Act to reauthorize appropriations for such Act in general and for the Helen Keller National Center Federal Endowment Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Water Resources Research Act Amendments of 2005 - Amends the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 to reauthorize appropriations for water resources research and technology institutes and for research focused on water problems of a regional or interstate nature.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Supports the participants of the historic meeting of the Assembly to Promote the Civil Society in Cuba in May 2005 in Havana. Urges the international community to support the Assembly's mission to bring democracy and human rights to Cuba. Encourages the international community to oppose any attempts by the Cuban Government to repress Assembly organizers and participants. Shares the Assembly's pro-democracy ideals and believes that the Assembly and its mission will advance Cuba's freedom.
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 · 11 May 2005
Veterans Road to Health Care Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay the travel expenses of a veteran whose travel is in connection with treatment or care for a non-service-connected disability at a non-Department of Veterans Affairs facility if the treatment or care: (1) is provided upon the recommendation of Department medical personnel; and (2) is not available at the Department facility at which the recommendation is made. Requires the Secretary, in calculating travel expenses under the Veterans Beneficiary Travel Program, to utilize the current Federal mileage reimbursement rates for the use on official business of privately owned vehicles.
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.
![Official portrait of Sen. Enzi, Michael B. [R-WY]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/e000285_200.jpg)