United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2005
Rural Universal Service Equity Act of 2005 - Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the need to reform the high cost support mechanism (with respect to universal telephone service) for rural, insular, and high cost areas. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in calculating Federal universal service support for eligible telecommunications carriers that serve such areas, to revise its support mechanism for high cost areas to provide support to each wire center in which the incumbent local exchange carrier's average cost per line exceeds the national average by such amount as the FCC determines appropriate for the purpose of ensuring the equitable distribution of universal service support throughout the United States. Requires: (1) the FCC to ensure that no State receives less Federal support than it would have received, up to ten percent of the total support distributed, under the FCC's previous support mechanism; and (2) the total amount of support for all States to be equal to the total support calculated under the support mechanism in existence before enactment of this Act. States that nothing in this Act shall affect the support provided to rural telephone companies.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to extend the Act through FY2013. Revises requirements regarding the merchantable material contracting pilot program. Requires counties participating in county projects to submit a specified notification for each project for which the participating county obligated county funds. Provides for the review of such notifications.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to make Federal provisions which prohibit the obligation or expenditure of funds either in excess of appropriated amounts or in violation of sequestration orders under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1986 inapplicable to: (1) any amount collected or received as Federal universal service contributions; or (2) the expenditure or obligation of amounts attributable to such contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2005 - Amends the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of 1998 to reauthorize and revise its programs.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 - Amends Federal bankruptcy law governing: (1) conversion of bankruptcy petitions; (2) abusive creditor practices; (3) domestic support obligations; (4) consumer protections, including protection of personally identifiable information; (5) measures to discourage bankruptcy abuse, including reduction of the homestead exemption for fraud; (6) guidelines for general and small business bankruptcies, including appointment of a committee of retired employees; (7) bankruptcy data dissemination and bankruptcy tax provisions; (8) ancillary and other cross-border cases to incorporate the Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency; and (9) financial contracts and transfers entered into with an insolvent insured depository institution before its conservatorship or receivership. Reenacts Chapter 12, Adjustment of Debts of a Family Farmer with Regular Annual Income. Brings family fishermen within the purview of Federal bankruptcy protection. Prescribes guidelines for insolvent health care businesses and related patients' rights. Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Judicial Code to mandate appointments for additional temporary bankruptcy judgeships in designated States. Prescribes additional consumer credit disclosures, including open end credit plans and introductory rates.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2005
Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act - Exempts provisions expanding the adoption tax credit and adoption assistance programs enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 from the general terminating (sunset) provisions of that Act.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2005
Soda Ash Royalty Reduction Act of 2005 - Lowers, for a five-year period, the royalty rate on the quantity or gross value of the output of sodium compounds and related products at the point of shipment to market from federal land to 2%. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to report to Congress, after four years, on the effects of such royalty reduction, including: (1) the amount of sodium compounds and related products at the point of shipment to market from federal land during such four-year period; (2) the number of jobs that have been created or maintained during the royalty reduction period; (3) the total amount of royalty paid to the United States on the quantity or gross value of the output of sodium compounds and related products at the point of shipment to market produced during that four-year period, and the portion of such royalty paid to states; and (4) a recommendation of whether the reduced royalty rate should apply after the end of the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2005
Essential Air Service Preservation Act of 2005 - Amends Federal transportation law to repeal the mandate for the Essential Air Service local participation program (a pilot program under which up to ten designated essential air service communities located near hub airports shall assume ten percent of their essential air service subsidy costs for a four-year period).
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to permit the planting of chicory on base acres for purposes of direct and counter-cyclical payments.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to provide that, if the violator of the terms and conditions of any Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license, permit, or certificate is either a broadcast station licensee or permittee or an applicant for a broadcast license, permit, or certificate, and such violator is determined by the FCC to have broadcast obscene, indecent, or profane language, the amount of forfeiture penalty shall not exceed $325,000 for each violation or day of such violation, to a maximum of $3 million for any single act or failure to act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Deems all contact lenses to be medical devices under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. (Currently, some non-corrective, decorative contact lenses are regulated as cosmetics).
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Department of Defense should continue to exercise its long-standing statutory authority to support activities of the Boy Scouts of America, particularly the periodic national and world Boy Scout Jamborees.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey by quitclaim deed, without consideration and subject to valid existing rights, all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to a specified parcel of land to the town of Frannie, Wyoming. Reserves any oil and gas rights for the United States. Revokes a special use permit and two Secretarial Orders issued by the Commissioner of Reclamation with respect to the land.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Constitutional Amendment - Marriage Protection Amendment - Declares that: (1) marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman; and (2) neither the U.S. Constitution nor the constitution of any state shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents of marriage be conferred upon any other union.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Amends Federal aviation law to prohibit the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, solely by reason of a person's age if the person has not attained his or her Social Security retirement age, from: (1) denying, deferring as to, or failing to renew for any such person an airman or medical certificate for the operation of a commercial aircraft; (2) imposing restrictions or limitations on an airman or medical certificate following initial or periodic competency or medical testing which has the same age discriminatory effect on the person; or (3) requiring an air carrier to terminate the employment of, or not to employ, or to take any other action having the same age discriminatory effect on, such person as a pilot of an aircraft. Declares that such requirements shall not provide the basis for a claim of seniority made under any labor bargaining agreement in effect between the pilots and an air carrier by any pilot seeking re-employment by an air carrier following the pilot's previous termination or cessation of employment.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require an abortion provider, before beginning any abortion of a pain-capable unborn child (defined as an unborn child who has reached a probable stage of development of 20 weeks after fertilization), to: (1) make a specified statement to the pregnant woman that Congress has determined that there is substantial evidence that the process will cause the unborn child pain, and that the mother has the option of having pain-reducing drugs administered directly to the child; (2) provide to the woman an Unborn Child Pain Awareness Brochure (unless she waives receipt) and an Unborn Child Pain Awareness Decision Form; and (3) obtain on the form the woman's signature and her explicit request for or refusal of the administration of drugs to the child. Creates an exception for certified medical emergencies. Establishes penalties for willfully failing to comply with this Act, including civil penalties, medical license suspension, or both. Authorizes: (1) specified officials to bring suit in federal court; and (2) private rights of action by a parent or guardian of a woman who is an unemancipated minor. Requires each state and state medical licensing authority to promulgate procedures for the revocation or suspension of a provider's license upon a court finding that the provider has violated this Act. Subjects a state that fails to implement such procedures to loss of Medicaid funding.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Prohibits the operation during a calendar year of the January 4, 2005, final rule issued by the Secretary of Agriculture to establish standards for the designation of minimal-risk regions for the introduction of bovine spongiform encephalopathy into the United States, including designation of Canada as a minimal-risk region, and the importation into the United States from Canada of certain bovine ruminant products unless country of origin labeling is required for the retail sale of a covered commodity during that calendar year.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Mortgage Insurance Fairness Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat mortgage insurance premium payments as tax deductible interest. Phases out the deduction for taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes exceeding $100,000.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 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 · 24 January 2005
Extends the U.S. Postal Service's authority to issue special postage stamps to help provide funding for breast cancer research through December 31, 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Big Horn Bentonite Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior (with the consent of the Secretary of the Army) to permit mining and removal of bentonite on certain land previously withdrawn for military purposes in Big Horn County, Wyoming. Directs the Secretary to enter into a sole-source mining and removal contract that provides for payment to the Secretary of $1.00 per ton of bentonite removed from such land. Sets forth contract terms and conditions. Requires the Secretary of the Interior, upon notification by the Secretary of the Army that closure of the land is required for purposes of either national emergency, national defense, or national security, to: (1) order the suspension of such authorized mining activity; and (2) close the land until the Secretary of the Army signals that the closure is no longer necessary. Shields both Secretaries from liability for damages resulting from such closure.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to enter into one or more contracts with the City of Cheyenne, Wyoming, for the annual storage of the city's water for municipal and industrial use in the Seminoe Dam and Reservoir of the Kendrick Project (the Bureau of Reclamation project on the North Platte River that was authorized by a finding of feasibility approved by the President on August 30, 1935, and constructed for irrigation and electric power generation, the major features of which include Seminoe Dam, Reservoir, and Powerplant and Alcova Dam and Powerplant). Limits a contract to a term of not more than 40 years, which may be renewed on terms agreeable to the Secretary and the city, for successive terms of not more than 40 years per term. Directs that: (1) any operation and maintenance charges received under such a contract be credited against applicable operation and maintenance costs of the Project; and (2) any other revenues received under such a contract be credited to the Reclamation Fund as a credit to the construction costs of the Project.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Act of 2005 - Makes permanent: (1) reductions in individual income tax rates enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA); (2) reductions in individual capital gains and dividends tax rates enacted by the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003; and (3) the repeal of the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes and reductions of the gift tax enacted by EGTRAA.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2005
Lifetime of Education Opportunities Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of the Senate regarding: Head Start; elementary and secondary education; career and technical education; mathematics and science education; loan forgiveness for teachers; teacher preparation; teacher incentives; teacher tax credits; higher education and lifelong learning opportunities; minority serving institutions; making education more affordable; and a refundable tax credit for public or private school tuition and transportation costs. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise requirements and reauthorize appropriations for teacher quality enhancement grants for States and partnerships. Makes permanent specified affordable education requirements under the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. 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. Give Back to Parents Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a refundable tax credit for education, tuition, and transportation expenses of students assigned to schools identified for school improvement.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Expresses: (1) sympathy for the victims and families of the earthquake and tsunami that struck communities throughout Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Eastern Africa on December 26, 2004; and (2) gratitude and respect for the work of all aid and relief personnel, including U.S. military personnel. Supports President George W. Bush's pledge of $350,000,000 in direct financial assistance, and additional indirect assistance, through the dispatch of U.S. military assets and personnel and through substantial voluntary and annual contributions to international organizations and bodies. Commends the ongoing international relief effort. Recognizes that U.S. Government assistance will be greatly supplemented by private U.S. donations and volunteers. Supports the long-term U.S. commitment to provide financial aid and other assistance to the impacted region.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2004
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Department of Defense should continue to exercise its long-standing statutory authority to support activities of the Boy Scouts of America, particularly the periodic national and world Boy Scout Jamborees.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2004
Directs the Secretary of the Senate to make the following corrections in the enrollment of S. 150 (extension of the moratorium on Internet taxation): (1) add a provision which terminates a certain State telecommunications service tax after November 1, 2006; and (2) add a provision exempting Texas or its political subdivisions from the Internet tax moratorium in imposing or collecting the Texas municipal access line fee.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2004
Amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 with respect to country of origin labeling provisions to: (1) include as a covered commodity ground and muscle cuts of beef, lamb, and pork as a processed food ingredient; and (2) make country of origin provisions applicable to retail sales as of September 30, 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2004
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 · 1 October 2004
Public Transportation Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to define and clarify the respective public transportation security roles and responsibilities of the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Requires DOT's Federal Transit Administration to submit all public transportation security assessments to DHS and the Secretary to review and augment such assessments. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish security improvement priorities and to update them annually; (2) conduct assessments of all transit agencies considered to be at greatest risk of a terrorist attack, of local bus-only public transportation systems, and of selected rural transportation systems; and (3) use information collected to establish the process for developing security guidelines. Directs the Secretary to award grants directly to public transportation agencies for allowable capital security improvements (including tunnel and perimeter protection systems and surveillance and communications equipment); and (2) operational security improvements (including security training for transit employees, drills, public awareness campaigns, and canine patrols for chemical, biological, or explosives detection). Directs the Secretary to: (1) ensure that DOT receives appropriate and timely notification of all credible terrorist threats against U.S. public transportation assets; and (2) award grants for research, development, and demonstration of technologies and methods to reduce and deter terrorist threats or mitigate damages resulting from such attacks. Requires DHS to fund the reasonable costs of an Information Sharing and Analysis Center for Public Transportation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2004
Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004 - Authorizes the Secretaries of Education, of State, and of Health and Human Services to award grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, Special Olympics for specified education, international, and health activities, including ones promoting Special Olympics and a greater understanding of contributions to society by individuals with intellectual disabilities both within and outside of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2004
Higher Education Affordability, Access, and Opportunity Act of 2004 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a student loan program for workforce development for high-growth occupations or industries. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for: (1) job skill training in high-growth occupations or industries, to partnerships of community colleges and workforce investment boards; and (2) training and job skills for small business owners or operators, to partnerships of institutions of higher education (IHEs) and entities that help small business development. Prohibits, under the student loan program, IHEs and accrediting agencies and associations from restricting transfer of credits in specified ways. Requires studies and dissemination of comparative data on college costs and related matters. Revises teacher quality enhancement grants, with respect to high-need local educational agencies and eligible partnerships. Allows States to submit applications, under the leveraging educational assistance partnership program, with philanthropic organizations and public or private IHEs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Safety Advancement for Employees Act of 2004 - SAFE Act - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to direct the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to establish: (1) a program that qualifies individuals to provide consultation services to help employers identify and correct workplace safety and health hazards; and (2) an advisory committee regarding such program. Exempts from civil penalties for one year (with a possible one-year renewal) employers who receive certificates of compliance from qualified consultants. Requires Federal personnel responsible for enforcing OSHA to: (1) meet specified eligibility requirements; and (2) if they carry out inspections or investigations, receive professional education and training at least every five years. Revises inspection methods. Directs the Secretary to provide for: (1) State cooperative agreements for State consultation services for employers; (2) a three-State pilot program for expedited consultation services for small businesses; (3) employer cooperative agreements for comprehensive safety and health management systems; and (4) an employer voluntary program, with increased small business participation, for excellence in technical and managerial protection of employees from occupational hazards. Authorizes employers to establish alcohol and substance abuse testing programs in accordance with Federal guidelines. Authorizes the Secretary's representatives to: (1) provide technical or compliance assistance to employers in correcting a violation discovered during an inspection or investigation, without issuing citations; and (2) issue warnings in lieu of citations if violations have no significant relationship to employee safety or health or if employers act promptly in good faith to abate violations that are not willful or repeated. Directs the Secretary to develop model material safety data sheets for a specified list of highly hazardous chemicals. Establishes the Global Harmonization Commission to consider implementation of the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants for hazardous communication demonstration projects. Increases criminal penalties for willful violations of OSHA that cause a employee's death.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
States that Congress declares that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur, Sudan, are genocide. Reminds the Contracting Parties to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, particularly the Government of Sudan, of their legal obligations under the Convention. Declares that the Government of Sudan has violated such Convention. Deplores the United Nations Human Rights Commission's failure to take appropriate action with respect to the crisis in Darfur, particularly the Commission's failure to support U.S.-sponsored efforts to strongly condemn gross human rights violations committed in Darfur. Calls upon the United Nations (UN) and the UN Secretary General to assert leadership by calling the atrocities being committed in Darfur genocide. Calls on UN member states, particularly member states from the African Union, the Arab League, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, to undertake measures to prevent the genocide in Darfur from escalating further, including the imposition of targeted sanctions against those responsible for the atrocities. Commends the Administration's leadership in seeking a peaceful resolution to the Darfur conflict and in addressing the ensuing humanitarian crisis, including the visit of Secretary of State Colin Powell to Darfur in June 2004, to engage directly in efforts to end the genocide, and the provision of nearly $140 million in bilateral humanitarian assistance through the United States Agency for International Development (AID). Commends the President for appointing former Senator John Danforth as Envoy for Peace in Sudan, and further commends the appointment of Senator Danforth as U.S. Ambassador to the UN. Calls on the Administration to: (1) continue to lead an international effort to stop genocide in Darfur; and (2) impose targeted means, including visa bans and the freezing of assets, against officials of the Government of Sudan and Janjaweed militia commanders who are responsible for the war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Calls on AID to establish a Darfur Resettlement, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2004
Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2004 - Amends the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of 1998 to reauthorize and revise its programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2004
Constitutional Amendment - Federal Marriage Amendment - Declares that marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Prohibits the Constitution or any State constitution from being construed to require that marital status or its legal incidents be conferred upon any union other than that of a man and a woman.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2004
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should: (1) mobilize necessary economic and scientific support to establish a Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise (a virtual consortium to accelerate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine development by enhancing coordination, information sharing, and collaboration globally); (2) urge members of the Group of Eight (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) to garner support from their own communities for the development of an HIV vaccine; and (3) establish a second vaccine research and development center in the United States. Expresses the sense of the Senate that such countries should: (1) leverage financial contributions from the international philanthropic community to provide funding to promote the development of an HIV vaccine; (2) include the scientific and political leadership of the countries most affected by HIV and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) pandemic; and (3) develop a plan for furthering such efforts at their June 2005 meeting. Urges the President to generate global support for the establishment of a Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise by carrying out an initiative that includes: (1) coordinating and partnering with member countries, the private sector, and other countries; (2) encouraging Group of Eight countries to act swiftly to mobilize resources; (3) following a strategic plan to prioritize the challenges to be addressed, to coordinate research and product development, and to encourage greater use of information-sharing networks and technologies; and (4) encouraging the establishment of coordinated global HIV vaccine development centers.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2004
Improving Access to Assistive Technology for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to States for programs for: (1) assistive technology (AT), with required uses of funds for State financing systems to increase access to and funding for AT devices and services, and for device demonstrations, loans, reutilization, training, and technical assistance; and (2) AT-related protection and advocacy services. Authorizes competitive grants for AT-related: (1) supplementary activities; (2) national projects, including research and public awareness; (3) State training, technical assistance, data collection, and reporting; and (4) updating of the National Public Internet Site. Authorizes an assessment of the AT industry. Directs the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration to administer this Act. Repeals the Assistive Technology Act of 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2004
Homeownership Opportunities for Native Americans Act of 2004 - Amends the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 to require Federal guarantees for tribal housing activities to guarantee repayment of 95 percent of the unpaid principal and interest due on the notes or other obligations guaranteed.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2004
Safe Importation of Medical Products and Other Rx Therapies Act of 2004 or Safe IMPORT Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to allow individuals to import Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prescription drugs from Canada for personal use. Permits the importation of prescription drugs from Canada by registered Internet pharmacies, pharmacies, or wholesalers in one year under specified conditions, including meeting proper labeling on all dispensed drugs to indicate that the drug has been imported. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate additional countries from which to allow importation in three years. Requires the Secretary to give high priority to improving the information management systems of the FDA to improve the detection of intentionally adulterated prescription drugs. Sets forth Internet pharmacy licensing requirements and procedures. Makes providers of interactive computer and advertising services liable for violations under this Act if such providers accept advertising: (1) for a prescription drug from an unlicensed Internet pharmacy; or (2) stating that an individual does not need a prescription to obtain a prescription drug. Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations requiring designated payment systems, including credit card companies, to prevent sales by unlicensed Internet pharmacies. Allows the FDA to detain or temporarily hold prescription drug shipments based on credible information that a drug presents a risk to the public health. Allows the Secretary to: (1) suspend or debar importation of a particular drug or dosage that poses such a risk or by a particular importer who violates Act requirements; (2) require owners of prescription drugs that have been refused admission into the United States to indicate that information on the drug containers; and (3) authorize other Federal and State officials to conduct inspections to enforce compliance with this Act Deems to be misbranded a prescription drug offered for importation that has previously been refused admission, unless the person reoffering the drug affirmatively establishes that it complies with applicable requirements. Sets forth anti-counterfeiting provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2004
Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require an abortion provider, before beginning any abortion of a pain-capable unborn child (defined as an unborn child who has reached a probable stage of development of 20 weeks after fertilization), to: (1) make a specified statement to the pregnant woman that Congress has determined that there is substantial evidence that the process will cause the unborn child pain, and that the mother has the option of having pain-reducing drugs administered directly to the child; (2) provide to the woman an Unborn Child Pain Awareness Brochure (unless she waives receipt) and an Unborn Child Pain Awareness Decision Form; and (3) obtain on the form the woman's signature and her explicit request for or refusal of the administration of drugs to the child. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop the brochure and form. Makes such provisions inapplicable to a provider in the case of a medical emergency. Requires the provider to certify that a medical emergency exists. Sets penalties for false statements. Establishes penalties for willfully failing to comply with this Act, including civil penalties, medical license suspension, or both. Authorizes: (1) specified officials to bring suit in Federal court; and (2) private rights of action by a parent or guardian of a woman who is an unemancipated minor. Requires each State and State medical licensing authority to promulgate procedures for the revocation or suspension of a provider's license upon a court finding that the provider has violated this Act. Subjects a State that fails to implement such procedures to loss of Medicaid funding.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2004
Cuba Sanctions Reform Act of 2004 - Provides for the expiration of certain trade and travel restrictions with respect to Cuba unless such restrictions are renewed annually by a specified renewal resolution of the two Houses of Congress. Authorizes the President with respect to Cuba to: (1) impose certain export controls; and (2) exercise certain emergency economic powers.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2004
Expresses the grateful thanks of the Nation to the more than 16 million individuals who served in the Army, Army Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine in World War II and to the millions of Americans on the home front who contributed to the war effort. Recognizes the dedication of the National World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on May 29, 2004, as an occasion to acknowledge and pay tribute to those members of the Armed Forces who served in World War II, who are known collectively as the Greatest Generation.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2004
Commends all Americans serving nobly abroad. Condemns the despicable acts at Abu Ghraib prison and joins with the President in expressing apology for the humiliation suffered by the prisoners in Iraq and their families. Urges: (1) the Government of the United States to take appropriate measures to ensure that such acts do not occur in the future; and (2) that all individuals responsible for such acts be held accountable. Expresses the belief that the appropriate Senate committees and the President should conduct a full investigation of the abuses alleged to have occurred at Abu Ghraib.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2004
Amends the Internet Tax Freedom Act to extend until June 1, 2005, the ban on: (1) State or local taxes on Internet access; and (2) State or local multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce.
![Official portrait of Sen. Enzi, Michael B. [R-WY]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/e000285_200.jpg)