United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Captive Supply Reform Act - Amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 respecting livestock producer-packer forward contracts to: (1) require the inclusion of fixed dollar amount base pricing and public bidding; (2) prohibit formula pricing; (3) limit individual contract size; and (4) exclude from the definition of "formula price" futures-based prices and base adjustments resulting from factors outside packer control.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Clean Energy Bonds Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow holders of clean energy bonds a nonrefundable tax credit of 25 percent of an annual credit amount as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury. Defines "clean energy bond" as any bond issued by a clean energy bond lender, a cooperative electric company, a governmental body, or the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) that is used for capital expenditures for specified projects for producing electricity from certain renewable resources, such as wind, biomass, solar energy, small irrigation power, and municipal solid waste. Sets forth rules for maturity limitations, arbitrage, and expenditures, including a requirement that 95 percent of proceeds from the sale of a bond issue be spent on a renewable resource project within five years from the date of a bond issuance. Terminates the authority to issue clean energy bonds after 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2005
Natural Gas Production Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to qualify an onshore well from a formation more than 15,000 feet deep for the tax credit for producing fuel from a nonconventional source.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2005
Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2005 - Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions ordinarily incident to such travel relating to: (1) accompanied personal baggage; (2) payment of living expenses and the acquisition of personal-use goods or services; (3) travel arrangements; (4) nonscheduled air, sea, or land voyage transactions (such provision does not permit the carriage of articles other than accompanied baggage into Cuba or the United States); and (5) normal banking transactions. States that such provision does not: (1) restrict presidential authority in time of war or armed hostilities between the United States and Cuba, or of imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers; and (2) authorize U.S. importation of personal consumption goods acquired in Cuba.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2005
Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act- Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require: (1) biennial (currently, annual) budget resolutions; (2) biennial appropriations Acts; and (3) biennial Government strategic and performance plans. Defines the budget biennium as the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to: (1) determine the impact and feasibility of changing the definition of a fiscal year and the budget process based on that definition to a two-year fiscal period with a biennial budget process based on such period; and (2) report the findings to the House and Senate Budget Committees.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2005
Theodore Roosevelt Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 silver coins: (1) emblematic of the life and legacy of President Theodore Roosevelt, bearing his image as a Rough Rider on one side and an eagle design on the other side; and (2) bearing his image on horseback on one side and depicting a flaming sword of righteousness on the other side. Expresses the sense of Congress that the coins should be struck at the U.S. Mint at West Point, New York. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) issue such coins beginning on January 1, 2006; and (2) initiate coin sales before such date. (2006 will mark the 100th anniversary of Roosevelt's award of the Nobel Peace Prize.) Requires payment of $10 surcharges from the coin sales to the Theodore Roosevelt Association, to be used exclusively for educational programs at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, including a visitor's center.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Combating Autism Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): (1) to develop a scientifically justified budget for research on autism spectrum disorders; (2) acting through the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, to provide for centers of excellence regarding research on autism; and (3) acting through the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Disorders, to provide for Collaborative Programs of Excellence in Autism. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish: (1) regional centers of excellence in autism and pervasive developmental disabilities epidemiology; and (2) a clearinghouse for the collecting and storage of data generated. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) a program to provide information and education on autism and its risk factors to health professionals and the general public; and (2) the Autism Coordinating Committee to coordinate autism related activities within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to award grants or cooperative agreements to develop statewide autism screening, diagnosis, and intervention programs and systems. Requires the Director of NIH, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, to provide for centers of excellence regarding environmental health and autism.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2005
Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 2005 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from requiring a surety bond or any other financial assurance to guarantee payment of deferred bonus bid installments regarding any coal lease issued on a cash bonus bid to certain lessees or successors in interest having a history of timely payments of noncontested coal royalties and advanced coal royalties in lieu of production (where applicable) and bonus bid installment payments. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a mining plan period of more than 40 years upon a determination that the longer period: (1) will ensure the maximum economic recovery of a coal deposit; or (2) is in the interest of the orderly, efficient, or economic development of a coal resource. Repeals the 160-acre limitation placed upon coal leases. Revises the statutory formula for the payment of advance royalties. Extends from ten years to twenty years the lease term for which advance royalties may be accepted in lieu of the condition of continued operation. Eliminates the deadline for submission of a coal lease operation and reclamation plan. Requires the Secretary to review and identify for Congress coal assessments on public lands and the restrictions or impediments to development of those resources.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2005
Amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to prohibit livestock packers from owning, controlling, or feeding livestock to such an extent that the producer no longer materially participates in the management of the operation, with exceptions for: (1) animals held for not more than seven days before slaughter; (2) certain cooperatives that own, control or feed livestock and provide such livestock for slaughter; (3) packers that are not required to report price and quantity information on each reporting day; or (4) packers that own one livestock processing plant.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a 15-year recovery period for the depreciation of certain property used in the transmission at 69 or more kilovolts of electricity for sale.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
Right-to-Ride Livestock on Federal Land Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to manage National Park System land in a manner that preserves and facilitates the continued use and access of pack and saddle stock animals on land where there is a historical tradition of using such animals. Requires such National Park System land to remain open and accessible to the use of such animals. Allows the Secretary of the Interior to implement a proposed reduction in the use and access of such animals on such land after complying with the full review process required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Makes the same amendments to other laws regarding other public land as follows: (1) the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, with respect to Bureau of Land Management land; (2) the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, with respect to National Wildlife Refuge System land and (3) the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, with respect to National Forest System land (with the Secretary directed to act in this case being the Secretary of Agriculture). Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to issue final rules to define the term "historical tradition of use of pack and saddle stock animals" for purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
National Drought Preparedness Act of 2005 - Establishes in the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture the National Drought Council which shall develop a comprehensive National Drought Policy Action Plan, evaluate and coordinate Federal drought-related programs, establish and improve the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), and undertake public awareness activities. Terminates the Council eight years after enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary to establish the National Office of Drought Preparedness to assist the Council. Establishes in the Treasury the Drought Assistance Fund, which shall be used to pay the cost of technical and financial assistance to States, Indian tribes, local governments, watershed groups, and critical service providers for: (1) drought preparedness plans and drought mitigation; (2) expanding the technology transfer of drought and water conservation strategies and innovative water supply techniques; (3) developing post-drought evaluations and recommendations; and (4) supplementing the costs of implementing NIDIS-related actions undertaken pursuant to this Act. Directs the Secretary to issue related implementing guidelines, including special requirements applicable to interstate watersheds. Requires Federal agencies to develop and implement drought preparedness plans. Authorizes States, Indian tribes, local governments, watershed groups, and regional water providers to develop and implement such plans. Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to require the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse States for costs of prepositioning wildfire suppression resources.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2005
Small Business Compliance Assistance Enhancement Act of 2005 - Amends the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 to require an agency to prepare a compliance guide to assist small entities in complying with a Federal rule or group of related rules for which an agency is required to prepare a final regulatory flexibility analysis whenever an agency determines that a Federal rule or group of rules will have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable or educational purposes and which make collegiate housing and infrastructure improvement grants to continue to be treated as tax-exempt organizations so long as all of the active members of the recipient organization are full-time students at the college or university with which the recipient organization is associated.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal specified occupational taxes relating to distilled spirits, wine, and beer. Revises recordkeeping requirements for wholesale and retail liquor dealers. Requires liquor dealers who are subject to recordkeeping requirements to register with the Secretary of the Treasury. Makes it unlawful for any liquor dealer to purchase distilled spirits for resale from any person other than a wholesale dealer in liquor subject to recordkeeping requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2005
Joins the world in mourning the death of Pope John Paul II, and pays tribute to him by pledging to be ever faithful to our national calling to be "one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,'' and to help our neighbors in immeasurable ways.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2005
Notes with deep sorrow and solemn mourning the death of His Holiness, Pope John Paul II. Extends the Senate's heartfelt sympathy to all people who have been touched by his passing. Commends his ability to transcend the bounds of religion, race, and political thought, and his becoming a formidable champion, uniter, and defender in humanity's struggle for peace and basic human rights. Calls on all the people of the United States to reflect on his life and legacy during this international period of remembrance.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit any person or entity, in or affecting interstate commerce, from knowingly: (1) performing or attempting to perform human cloning; (2) participating in such an attempt; or (3) shipping or receiving an embryo produced by human cloning or any product derived from such an embryo. Prohibits knowingly importing such an embryo. Sets forth criminal and civil penalties. Provides that nothing in this Act restricts areas of scientific research not specifically prohibited, including research in the use of nuclear transfer or other cloning techniques to produce molecules, DNA, cells other than human embryos, tissues, organs, plants, or animals other than humans. Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess the need to amend such prohibition, including through: (1) a discussion of new developments, the need for somatic cell transfer to produce medical advances, current public attitudes and prevailing ethical views concerning its use, and potential legal implications of somatic cell transfer research; and (2) a review of any technological developments that may require technical changes to such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 $1 coins emblematic of the design selected by the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, in commemoration of disabled American veterans. Restricts such coin issuance period to the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2010. Requires a $10 dollar surcharge from such coin sales to be paid to the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation in order to establish an endowment to support the construction of the American Veterans' Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
Support our Scouts Act of 2005 - Prohibits any Federal law from being construed to limit any Federal agency from providing any form of support for a youth organization (including the Boy Scouts of America or any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America) that would result in that Federal agency providing less support to that youth organization (or any similar organization chartered under Federal law relating to the Boy Scouts of America) than was provided during each of the preceding four fiscal years. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to prohibit any State or unit of general local government that has a designated open forum, limited public forum, or nonpublic forum and that is a recipient of assistance under the Act from denying equal access or a fair opportunity to meet to, or discriminate against, any youth organization, including the Boy Scouts of America or any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, that wishes to conduct a meeting or otherwise participate in that designated open forum, limited public forum, or nonpublic forum.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2005
Investment in America Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the tax credit for increasing research activities; (2) increase the rates of the alternative incremental credit for certain research expenses; and (3) permit a taxpayer election of an alternative simplified tax credit for research expenses in lieu of the standard tax credit for increasing research activities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2005
Freedom From Union Violence Act of 2005 - Amends the Hobbs Act to authorize imposition of a fine of up to $100,000, 20 years imprisonment, or both for: (1) obstructing, delaying, or affecting commerce or the movement of any article or commodity in commerce by robbery or extortion (or attempting or conspiring to do so); and (2) threatening physical violence to any person or property in furtherance of a plan or purpose to interfere with commerce by threats or violence. Makes provisions regarding any such interference inapplicable to conduct that: (1) is incidental to otherwise peaceful picketing during the course of a labor dispute; (2) consists solely of minor bodily injury, or minor damage to property, or threat or fear of such minor injury or damage; and (3) is not part of a pattern of violent conduct or of coordinated violent activity. Subjects such conduct to prosecution only by the appropriate State and local authorities.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Glendo Unit of the Missouri River Basin Project Contract Extension Act of 2005 - Amends the Irrigation Project Contract Extension Act of 1998 to extend each of the water service or repayment contracts identified in the Act for the Glendo Unit of the Missouri River Basin Project, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado, until December 31, 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
No Net Loss of Private Land Act - Allows the United States to acquire an interest in 100 or more acres of land within a State in which 25 percent or more of the land within that State is owned by the United States only if the United States disposes of the surface estate to land in that State approximately equal in value to the land being acquired. Specifies exceptions and authorizes a waiver in times of war or a national emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to designate patient safety data as privileged and confidential. Permits certain disclosures of patient safety data by a provider or patient safety organization (PSO), including: (1) voluntary disclosures of non-identifiable data; (2) disclosures of data containing evidence of a wanton and criminal act to directly harm the patient; (3) disclosures necessary to carry out PSO or research activities; and (4) voluntary disclosures for public health surveillance. Defines a "patient safety organization" as an organization certified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services that conducts efforts to improve patient safety and the quality of health care delivery through the collection and analysis of patient safety data. Prohibits an accrediting body from: (1) taking any accrediting action against a provider based on the provider's good faith participation in collecting, developing, reporting, or maintaining patient safety data; or (2) requiring a provider to reveal its communications with any PSO. Prevents a provider from taking an adverse employment action against an individual based upon the good faith reporting of information. Requires the Secretary to: (1) maintain a patient safety network of databases that has the capacity to accept, aggregate, and analyze non-identifiable patient safety data voluntarily reported and that provides an interactive resource for providers and PSOs; (2) develop or adopt voluntary national standards to promote the electronic exchange of health care information; and (3) contract with a research organization to study the impact of medical technologies and therapies on health care.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Voluntary Public Access and Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program Act of 2005 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program under which States and tribal governments may apply for grants to encourage owners and operators of privately-held farm, ranch, and forest land to voluntarily make such land available for public access under State- and tribally-administered plans. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to exclude from excess base acreage computation for direct and counter-cyclical payment purposes certain conservation enrolled farm land not planted in an agricultural commodity.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Declares Ashley Ross Fuller to be eligible for issuance of an immigrant visa or for adjustment of status to that of an alien lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Declares Executive Order 13166, relating to improving access to services for persons with limited English proficiency, to be null and void. Prohibits the use of funds for the promulgation or enforcement of an executive order that creates an entitlement to services provided in a language other than English.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
RU-486 Suspension and Review Act of 2005 - Deems the approved application for the drug mifepristone (marketed as Mifeprex, commonly known as RU-486, and used for the chemically induced termination of intrauterine pregnancy) to have been withdrawn. Deems the drug misoprostol as misbranded under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) if it bears labeling providing that the drug may be used for the medical termination of intrauterine pregnancy. Directs the Comptroller General to review and report on the process by which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved mifepristone. Provides for the reinstatement of the approved application for such drug if the report determines the approval to have been in accordance with FFDCA.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Caring for Children Act of 2005 - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (CCDBGA) to reauthorize appropriations and revise its provisions. Includes among CCDBGA goals early learning, school preparedness, and parental and involvement in the education of young children in child care settings. Revises CCDBGA requirements for: (1) State plans with respect to lead agencies, consumer and child care provider education information, use of block grant funds for child care resource and referral systems, direct services, and payment rates; (2) activities to improve the quality of child care, including early learning and school preparedness standards; (3) national activities; and (4) a child's eligibility based on a State-determined income level. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reserve specified amounts for: (1) annual grants to improve child care quality and access; and (2) a toll-free hotline. Directs the following Federal officials to issue regulations concerning matters relating to occupant emergency plans, evacuations, and relocation sites for their respective child care facilities: (1) the Administrator of General Services for executive facilities; (2) specified officers of the House and Senate, and the Librarian of Congress, for legislative facilities; and (3) the Director of the Office of the U.S. Courts for judicial facilities. Directs the Secretary of HHS to establish a demonstration program of competitive grants to assist States to enable small businesses to establish and operate child care programs.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2005
National Geologic Mapping Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 to extend deadlines for development of a five-year strategic plan for the geologic mapping program and for appointment of the advisory committee. Removes from program objectives the development of a geophysical- and geochemical- map database. Directs that mapping priorities be based in part on the needs of the Department of the Interior land management agencies. Modifies the composition of the advisory committee. Requires the advisory committee to provide a scientific overview of geologic maps (including maps of geologic-based hazards) used or disseminated by Federal agencies for regulation or land-use planning. Directs that the national geologic map database include all maps developed with funding provided by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, including under the Federal, State, and education components. Authorizes appropriations for each of FY 2006 through 2010. Increases the percentages allocated for the State and education components.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2005
Native American Housing Enhancement Act of 2005 - Amends the Native American Housing Assistance Act of 1996 to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from restricting access to a Native American affordable housing grant based solely on one of four specified factors. Amends title V (Farm Housing) of the Housing Act of 1949 to state that federally recognized Indian tribes who exercise powers of self-government (or their instrumentalities) shall comply with the Indian Civil Rights Act (title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1968) when receiving assistance under title V. States that title VI (Federally Assisted Programs) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and title VIII (Fair Housing) of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 shall not apply to tribes: (1) covered by Federal law commonly known as the Indian Civil Rights Act; or (2) tribes acting under affordable housing provisions of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996. Amends the Cranston-Gonzales National Affordable Housing Act to make Indian tribes, tribally designated housing entities, or other agencies primarily serving Indians eligible for Youthbuild grants.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2005
Designates the second week of March 2005 as Extension Living Well Week. Encourages the people of the United States to take advantage of the educational opportunities that Extension Family and Consumer Sciences educators provide.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Military Personnel Financial Services Protection Act - Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to state it is unlawful: (1) for any registered investment company to issue any periodic payment plan certificate; or (2) for such company or any other person to sell such a certificate. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require a registered securities association to establish a system for collecting and retaining registration, disciplinary, and other information, including a toll-free telephone listing for prompt response to inquiries regarding registration information on members. Amends the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to authorize the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require an investment adviser to file with the SEC, through any designated entity, any fee, application, report, or notice required to be filed. Directs the SEC to require such entity to establish and maintain a toll-free telephone listing, or a readily accessible electronic or other process, to receive and promptly respond to inquiries regarding registration, disciplinary, and other information involving investment advisers and associated persons. States that any State law, regulation, or order regarding the business of insurance shall apply to insurance activities conducted on Federal land or facilities in the United States and abroad, including military installations, unless specified conditions exist. Prohibits an insurer or producer from selling or soliciting in person any life insurance product to any member of the Armed Forces on a Federal military installation, unless specified written disclosures have been provided before the sale. Expresses the sense of Congress that the National Association of Insurance Commissioners should study and report to certain congressional committees on ways of improving the quality and sale of life insurance products sold by insurers and producers on Federal military installations. Prohibits any insurer from contracting with an insurance producer that solicits or sells life insurance on U.S. military installations unless the insurer has implemented a system to report to certain State insurance commissioners any disciplinary actions taken against the producer with respect to such sales or solicitations. Requires the Secretary of Defense to establish a registry of insurance agents and financial advisors that have been barred or banned from doing business on Federal military installations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2005 - Provides that the sunset provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (i.e., December 31, 2010) shall not apply to the repeal of the Federal estate tax and generation-skipping transfer tax (thus making such repeal permanent).
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Child Custody Protection Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit transporting a minor across a state line to obtain an abortion (deems such transporting to be a de facto abridgment of the right of a parent under any law in the minor’s state of residence that requires parental involvement in the minor’s abortion decision). Makes an exception for an abortion necessary to save the life of the minor. Protects from prosecution or civil liability the minor or the minor’s parents for violations of this Act. Makes it an affirmative defense to a prosecution or civil action under this Act that a defendant reasonably believed that before the minor obtained the abortion, the required parental consent or notification or judicial authorization took place. Authorizes any parent who suffers harm from a violation of this Act to seek relief in a civil action. Defines "parent" to include a guardian, legal custodian, or person standing in loco parentis.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2005
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act - Prohibits a qualified civil liability action from being brought in any State or Federal court against a manufacturer or seller of a firearm, ammunition, or a component of a firearm that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce (or against a trade association of such manufacturers or sellers) for damages, punitive damages, injunctive or declaratory relief, abatement, restitution, fines, or penalties, or other relief, resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm. Requires pending actions to be dismissed. Excludes actions: (1) brought against persons who transfer a firearm knowing that it will be used to commit a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime, by a party directly harmed by such crime; (2) brought against a seller for negligent entrustment or negligence per se; (3) in which a manufacturer or seller of a firearm knowingly violated a State or Federal statute applicable to the sale or marketing of the firearm, and the violation was a proximate cause of the harm for which relief is sought; (4) for breach of contract or warranty in connection with the purchase of the firearm; or (5) for death, physical injuries, or property damage resulting directly from a defect in design or manufacture of the firearm when used as intended or in a reasonably foreseeable manner, except that where the discharge was caused by a volitional act that constituted a criminal offense, such act shall be considered the sole proximate cause of any resulting death, personal injuries, or property damage.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2005
Rural America Preservation Act - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to reduce maximum annual direct and counter-cyclical commodity payments to $20,000 and $30,000, respectively. Revises limitation provisions for marketing loan gains, loan deficiency payments, and commodity certificate transactions, and establishes an annual combined limitation of $75,000 for such payments. Doubles payment limitations for single farming operations. Limits an individual to a combined annual payment of $250,000. Makes a person who commits fraud in connection with a scheme or device to evade certain program limitations (multiple entities, citizenship) ineligible for farm benefits for six years.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2005 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit an alien counted toward the numerical limitation applicable to H-2B nonimmigrants (temporary nonagricultural workers) during any of the three fiscal years prior to submission of an H-2B petition from being counted toward the limitation in the year of petition approval. Makes this provision effective as if enacted on October 1, 2004. Provides for its expiration on October 1, 2006. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to impose a fraud prevention and detection fee on employers filing H-2B petitions. Mandates the deposit of such fees into the Fraud Prevention and Detection Account. Authorizes additional penalties for a substantial failure to meet any condition of an H-2B petition or the willful misrepresentation of a material fact in such a petition. Requires the allocation of the numerical limitation on the issuance of H-2B visas (currently, 66,000) such that the total number of H-2B nonimmigrants entering the United States during the first six months of a fiscal year is not more than 33,000. Amends the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 to require the Secretary to submit to the Committees on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Senate information regarding: (1) the numbers of aliens granted H-2B status or terminated from H-2B status, on a quarterly basis; and (2) the countries of origin, occupations of, and compensation paid to aliens granted H-2B status, the number of aliens terminated from such status, and the number of aliens provided such status during both the fiscal year reported and the preceding fiscal year, on an annual basis. Requires the Secretary of State to provide information relevant to such reports.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Agricultural Export Facilitation Act of 2005 - Amends the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (TSREEA of 2000) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to authorize, under a general license, certain travel-related transactions specified in the Code of Federal Regulations, for travel to, from, or within Cuba in connection with activities undertaken in connection with sales and marketing, including the organization and participation in product exhibitions, and the transportation by sea or air of products pursuant to this Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should issue visas for temporary entry into the United States of Cuban nationals whose itinerary documents an intent to conduct activities, including phytosanitary inspections, related to purchasing U.S. agricultural goods under the provisions of TSREEA of 2000. Prohibits the President from restricting direct transfers from a Cuban financial institution to a U.S. financial institution executed in payment for a product authorized for sale under TSREEA of 2000. Repeals the ban in the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 on certain transactions with respect to intellectual property in which the Cuban Government or a Cuban national has an interest regarding a mark or trade or commercial name that is the same as or substantially similar to one that was used in connection with a business or assets that were confiscated, unless the original owner or successor-in-interest has expressly consented. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to amend the Cuban Asset Control regulations to authorize under general license the transfer or receipt of any trademark or trade name subject to U.S. law in which a designated national has an interest.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Reaffirmation of State Regulation of Resident and Nonresident Hunting and Fishing Act of 2005 - Expresses the policy of Congress that it is in the public interest for each State to continue regulating the taking for any purpose of fish and wildlife. Prohibits congressional silence from being construed as imposing a commerce clause barrier to such regulation by a State or Indian tribe. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to: (1) limit the applicability or effect of any Federal law related to the protection or management of fish or wildlife or to the regulation of commerce; (2) limit the authority of the United States to prohibit hunting or fishing on U.S. lands; or (3) abrogate, abridge, affect, modify, supersede, or alter any treaty-reserved or other right of any Indian tribe as recognized by any other means.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Act of 2005 - Amends the Soviet Nuclear Threat Reduction Act of 1991, the Cooperative Threat Reduction Act of 1993, and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, respectively, to repeal specified restrictions on the use of Cooperative Threat Reduction program (program) funds and activities. Amends the the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 to modify authority to use program funds outside the former Soviet Union, including transferring such authority from the President to the Secretary of Defense. Directs the Secretary of State to report on each country in which a program is being carried out, including its adherence to arms control and nonproliferation agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2005
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Improvement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise provisions regarding the National Foundation for Biomedical Research. Allows the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to accept transfers of funds from the Foundation. Requires the Director of NIH to transfer not less than $500,000 to the Foundation from amounts appropriated to NIH for each fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2005
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to expand the prohibition against discrimination by group health plans and health insurance issuers in the group and individual markets on the basis of genetic information or services to prohibit: (1) enrollment and premium discrimination based on information about a request for or receipt of genetic services; and (2) requiring genetic testing. Sets forth penalties for violations. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit issuers of Medicare supplemental policies from discriminating on the basis of genetic information. Extends medical privacy and confidentiality rules to the disclosure of genetic information. Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or training program to discriminate against an individual or deprive such individual of employment opportunities because of genetic information. Prohibits the collection and disclosure of genetic information, with certain exceptions. Establishes a Genetic Nondiscrimination Study Commission to review the developing science of genetics and advise Congress on the advisability of providing for a disparate impact cause of action under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2005
Commends the people of Iraq on the January 2005 elections, and congratulates the new members of the Transitional National Assembly and the leaders of the provincial and regional governments. Urges the new leadership of Iraq to move forward with drafting the constitution, upholding the law, and holding a referendum on the new constitution. Honors the sacrifices made for freedom by the people of Iraq. Commends the Iraqi security forces and the U.S. Armed Forces and Coalition forces who ensured the elections could be conducted in a relatively safe and credible manner. Condemns all acts of violence and intimidation by members of the former Iraqi regime, insurgents, and other extremists and terrorists. Declares that it is in the interest of the people of Iraq, the Middle East, the United States, and the international community that Iraq transitions to a democratic state and serves as a catalyst for regional peace and stability. Calls on the international community, particularly Arab states, countries with predominantly Muslim populations, and all North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members, to provide military and police personnel to train Iraqi security forces and to otherwise assist in Iraq's political and economic development. Encourages the newly-elected transitional government of Iraq to ensure that all Iraqis, including members of the Sunni community, are represented in the Constitution-writing process and in the new Iraqi cabinet.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2005
State High Risk Pool Funding Extension Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize funds for States to create high risk health insurance pools and to operate existing State high risk pools. Amends the formula for appropriating funds to States to operate such pools to give one-half of the funds to eligible States equally and apportion the other half based on the number of uninsured individuals in each State and the number of enrollees in the State's qualified high risk pool. (Currently, all funds are allotted based solely on the number of uninsured individuals in the State.) Authorizes appropriations for the program through FY 2009.
![Official portrait of Sen. Enzi, Michael B. [R-WY]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/e000285_200.jpg)