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 · 10 May 2005
Jobs Protection and Estate Tax Reform Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to accelerate the repeal of the tax on estates and generation-skipping transfers to January 1, 2005, and to make such repeal permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Congratulates the National Asphalt Pavement Association on its 50th anniversary. Recognizes and celebrates the achievements of National Asphalt Pavement Association members for their contributions to the economic well-being of U.S. citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Elimination of Neglected Diseases Act of 2005 or the END Act of 2005 - Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to establish within the Department of State: (1) a Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Combat Malaria Globally; and (2) a Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Combat Tuberculosis Globally. Directs: (1) the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a comprehensive five-year strategy to set U.S. assistance priorities for programs to combat malaria in foreign countries; and (2) the Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Combat Tuberculosis Globally to set similar priorities for tuberculosis. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit the President from providing assistance to combat tuberculosis and malaria (including assistance for mosquito nets and pharmaceuticals) except as set forth under this Act. Establishes the Malaria Scientific Review Board. Authorizes the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement infectious disease control programs in developing countries. Directs the President to: (1) ensure that related clinical and epidemiological activities are carried out through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP); and (2) develop an infectious disease foreign assistance database. Amends the the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the position of Assistant Secretary for Global Health, who shall: (1) direct the Office of Global Health Affairs within HHS; and (2) coordinate HHS international policies and activities, including international aspects of family and social policy. States that two years after enactment of this Act, no Federal agency or department may donate or otherwise supply medicines or medical devices, including insecticide treated nets, insecticides, and other consumables required for disease control, to a foreign country which imposes tariffs or import duties on such medicines or medical devices.
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 · 27 April 2005
Volunteer Pilot Organization Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 to exempt from liability a nonprofit volunteer pilot organization that flies for public benefit, its staff members, and its volunteers for harm caused by a volunteer while flying, in furtherance of the purpose of the organization, an aircraft for which the volunteer was properly licensed and insured. Directs the Attorney General to study and report to Congress on the availability of insurance to nonprofit volunteer pilot organizations that fly for public benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2005
Commonsense Consumption Act of 2005 - Prohibits new and dismisses pending civil actions by any person against a manufacturer, marketer, distributor, advertiser, or seller of food or a trade association for any injury related to a person's accumulated acts of consumption of food and weight gain, obesity, or any associated health condition, excluding actions alleging: (1) a breach of express contract or express warranty provided that the grounds of recovery are unrelated to a person's weight gain, obesity, or related health condition; (2) a knowing violation of a federal or state statute applicable to the marketing, advertisement, or labeling of food with intent for a person to rely on that violation, where such person relied on that violation, and where such reliance was the proximate cause of injury related to that person's weight gain, obesity, or related health condition; or (3) a violation brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under the Federal Trade Commission Act or by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Requires in any excluded action: (1) a stay of discovery during the pendency of any motion to dismiss, unless necessary to preserve evidence or to prevent undue prejudice; and (2) evidence preservation during the stay. Requires the complaint in such an action to plead with particularity: (1) each element of the cause of action; (2) the Federal and State statutes that were allegedly violated; (3) the specific facts alleged to constitute the violation of law; and (4) the specific facts that are alleged to have caused the claimed injury.
United States · United States Congress · 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 · 20 April 2005
Nuclear Safety and Security Act of 2005 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to delineate circumstances under which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) may permit the security personnel of its licensees or certificate holders (including an employee of a contractor of such a licensee or certificate holder) to use firearms. Revises guidelines governing: (1) fingerprinting and criminal history record checks of individuals licensed or certificated to engage in activity subject to NRC regulation; and (2) sabotage of nuclear facilities and fuel, including designated material.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2005
Nuclear Fees Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to: (1) repeal the sunset date for Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) user fees and annual charges; and (2) revise the formula governing annual charges collected from licensees and certificate holders. Amends Federal bankruptcy law to except from creditors claims and bankruptcy procedures such funds, assets, or private insurance premiums as are held to comply with NRC decontamination and decommissioning requirements for a nuclear power reactor until such requirements have been satisfactorily completed. Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to provide that requirements governing transmissions of license applications to the Attorney General for antitrust review do not apply to a commercial, industrial, or medical license to construct or operate a utilization or production facility if the application is filed on or after, or is pending on, the date of enactment of this Act. States that the NRC shall not give any consideration to the need for, or any alternative to, the facility to be licensed when conducting any environmental review in connection with a license application or renewal. Prescribes guidelines for an NRC license to export highly enriched uranium to specified countries for medical isotope production. Prescribes procedural guidelines governing NRC: (1) cost recovery from government agencies; (2) conflicts of interest relating to contracts and other arrangements; and (3) hearing procedures. Prescribes guidelines for NRC: (1) support to university nuclear safety, security, and environmental protection programs; (2) payment of promotional items and expenses; (3) scholarship and fellowship program in critical skill areas; (4) partnership program with certain institutions of higher education; and (5) elimination of pension offset for certain rehired federal retirees.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2005
Price-Anderson Amendments Act of 2005 - Amends the Price-Anderson Act provisions of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to extend indemnification guidelines governing public liability arising from nuclear incidents to certain licenses issued between August 30, 1954 and December 31, 2025 (currently December 31, 2003). Declares such guidelines applicable to licenses issued for production and utilization facilities subsequent to December 31, 2025 (currently December 31, 2003). Extends until August 1, 2025, the legislative mandate to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Secretary of Energy to report to Congress regarding the need to continue or modify the Price-Anderson Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2005
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to define "oil and gas exploration, production, processing, treatment operation, or transmission" as all field activities or operations associated with oil or gas exploration, production, or processing, or oil or gas treatment operations or transmission facilities. Includes in such definition activities necessary to prepare sites for oil or gas drilling and for the movement and placement of drilling equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2005
Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to exclude from the definition of "underground injection" (the subsurface emplacement of fluids by well injection) the underground injection of fluids or propping agents pursuant to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil or gas production activities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the definition of certain small crude oil refiners eligible for the exemption from limitations applicable to the percentage depletion allowance for oil and gas wells to provide that such refiners will qualify for the exemption if their average daily refinery runs do not exceed 75,000 barrels (currently, 50,000 barrels).
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
Congratulates the University of Oklahoma Sooners for winning the 2005 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Men's Gymnastics Championship.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Water Resources Development Act of 2005 - Authorizes water projects and river and harbor improvements, including new locks on, and modifications to the operation of, the Upper Mississippi River and the Illinois Waterway. Sets forth authorizations for, modifications to, deauthorizations of, and study requirements for navigation, flood damage reduction, hurricane and storm damage reduction, ecosystem restoration, and related projects throughout the country. Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to: (1) modify the operation of the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway System to address cumulative environmental impacts; and (2) restore the ecosystem of the Louisiana Coastal Area. Establishes the Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Protection and Restoration Task Force. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop a plan for modifying the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet; and (2) establish a coastal Louisiana ecosystem science and technology program. Amends the Flood Control Act of 1970 to direct the Secretary to credit toward the non-federal share of the cost of a water resources project the value of in-kind contributions made by the non-federal interest. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) include individuals from the private sector in Corps of Engineers' training classes; and (2) establish centers of expertise to provide specialized planning expertise for water resource projects. Mandates peer review of major engineering, scientific, and technical work products by the Corps. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Corps, to: (1) provide public access to water resource and related water quality data in the Corps' custody; and (2) conduct a national shoreline erosion control development and demonstration program. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study and develop a general management plan for restoration of the Upper Connecticut River ecosystem.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA) of 2005 - Reauthorizes the Federal-aid surface transportation program through FY 2009. Reauthorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) through FY 2009 for: (1) specified Federal-aid highway programs; (2) administrative expenses of the Federal Highway Administration; and (3) surface transportation research. Amends Federal highway law to establish the Equity bonus program to ensure that States receive a minimum 92 percent rate of return on the portion of excise fuel taxes it sends to the HTF with respect to the allocation of Federal funds to such States for specified highway projects. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish: (1) an infrastructure performance and maintenance program; (2) a freight transportation gateways program; (3) a uniform system to service Federal credit instruments; (4) a National Commission on Future Revenue Sources to Support the HTF and Finance the Needs of the Surface Transportation System; (5) a highway safety improvement program; (6) a safe routes to school program; (7) a surface transportation project delivery pilot program; (8) a planning capacity building initiative; (9) a highway stormwater discharge mitigation program; (10) a transportation systems management and operations program; (11) a real-time system management information program; (12) a multistate corridor program; (13) a border planning, operations, technology, and capacity improvement program; (14) a Puerto Rico highway program; (15) a transportation and community and system preservation program; (16) a commercial truck parking pilot program (including an interstate oasis program); (17) a Delta Region transportation development program; (18) a multistate international corridor development program; (19) centers for surface transportation excellence; and (20) an intelligent transportation system research and technical assistance program. Provides set-asides for FY 2005 through 2009 for interstate discretionary projects. Establishes a Surface Transportation Research Technology Advisory Committee. Requires the National Research Council to establish a new strategic highway research program. Authorizes the Secretary to provide grants to nonprofit institutions of higher learning to establish university transportation centers. Directs the Secretary to continue the deployment of the Transportation Analysis Simulation System (TRANSIMS). Sport Fishing and Recreational Boating Safety Act - Amends the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act to provide for distribution of FY 2004 through 2009 appropriations, including those for the multistate conservation grant program. Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and each agency head to implement fully all procurement requirements and incentives, including Federal procurement guidelines, that provide for the use of cement and concrete incorporating recovered mineral component in cement or concrete projects.
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
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 · 20 March 2005
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the anti-secession law of the People's Republic of China (PRC) provides a legal justification for the use of force against Taiwan, altering the status quo in the region and is of grave concern to the United States; (2) the President should direct appropriate U.S. officials to convey such concern to their PRC counterparts; (3) the U.S. Government should reaffirm its policy that Taiwan's future should be resolved peacefully and with the consent of the people of Taiwan; and (4) the U.S. Government should continue to encourage Taiwan-PRC dialogue.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Grants jurisdiction to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida to hear, determine, and render judgment on a suit or claim by or on behalf of Theresa Marie Schiavo for the alleged violation of any right of hers under the U.S. Constitution or laws relating to the withholding or withdrawal of food, fluids, or medical treatment necessary to sustain her life.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to exclude communications over the Internet from the meaning of public communication subject to the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit any person or entity, in or affecting interstate commerce, from knowingly: (1) performing or attempting to perform human cloning; (2) participating in such an attempt; or (3) shipping or receiving an embryo produced by human cloning or any product derived from such an embryo. Prohibits knowingly importing such an embryo. Sets forth criminal and civil penalties. Provides that nothing in this Act restricts areas of scientific research not specifically prohibited, including research in the use of nuclear transfer or other cloning techniques to produce molecules, DNA, cells other than human embryos, tissues, organs, plants, or animals other than humans. Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess the need to amend such prohibition, including through: (1) a discussion of new developments, the need for somatic cell transfer to produce medical advances, current public attitudes and prevailing ethical views concerning its use, and potential legal implications of somatic cell transfer research; and (2) a review of any technological developments that may require technical changes to such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Human Chimera Prohibition Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit and to set penalties for: (1) creating or attempting to create a human chimera (a being with human and non-human tissue as specified in this Act); (2) transferring or attempting to transfer a human embryo into a non-human womb, or a non-human embryo into a human womb; or (3) transporting or receiving a human chimera.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Declares the sense of the Senate that if the Government of Japan continues to delay in meeting its obligations under the understanding reached with the United States on October 23, 2004, to resume beef imports from the United States, the U.S. Trade Representative should immediately impose retaliatory economic measures on Japan.
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 · 11 March 2005
Reliable Fuels Act - Amends the Clean Air Act to require that gasoline contain a specified volume of renewable fuel. Establishes: (1) a system of tradeable credits for gasoline containing more renewable fuel than required; (2) a system of waivers for States and small refineries; and (3) a renewable fuel safe harbor from liability for manufacturers and distributors. Requires a procedure for States to eliminate a particular vapor pressure limitation for ethanol blends when necessary to prevent increased emissions. Authorizes funding for loan guarantees to carry out cellulosic biomass commercial demonstration projects. Requires the Secretary of Energy to carry out not more than three such projects. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make grants for the development of renewable fuel production technologies. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to merchant producers of cellulosic biomass ethanol for the construction of production facilities that use cellulosic biomass feedstocks. Federal Reformulated Fuels Act of 2005 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to permit the use of the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund for methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) remediation purposes. Restricts the future use of MTBE as a fuel additive. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to merchant producers of MTBE for production facility conversion. Amends the Clean Air Act to eliminate the oxygen content requirement for reformulated gasoline. Requires the Administrator to establish standards for toxic air pollutants from the use of reformulated gasoline. Permits the commingling at retail stations of reformulated gasoline containing and not containing ethanol. Permits States additional opt-in areas under the reformulated gasoline program. Requires Federal enforcement of State fuels requirements. Sets forth various data collection and reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2005
Prenatally Diagnosed Condition Awareness Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through either the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to authorize and oversee certain activities relating to Down syndrome or other prenatally diagnosed conditions, including the awarding of grants, contracts or cooperative agreements to: (1) collect, synthesize, and disseminate current scientific information; and (2) coordinate the provision of, and access to, supportive services for patients affected, which shall include a telephone hotline, an information clearinghouse, peer-support programs, and registries of families willing to adopt children affected by such conditions. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC, to provide assistance to State and local heath departments to integrate the results of prenatal testing into State-based vital statistics and birth defects surveillance programs. Requires a health care provider to provide certain information to a patient who receives a positive test result from a prenatal test for such a condition, including: (1) up-to-date scientific information concerning the life expectancy, clinical course, and intellectual and functional development and treatment options for a fetus diagnosed with, or a child born with, such conditions; and (2) referrals to supportive service providers. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit a report to Congress concerning the effectiveness of current health care and family support programs serving as resources for the families of children with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2005
Incapacitated Persons Legal Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal judicial code to extend habeas corpus protections to persons who are subject to a court order authorizing or directing the withholding or withdrawal of food, fluids, or medical treatment necessary to sustain the person's life. Deems persons having custody in such cases to encompass parties so authorized or directed. States that there shall be no requirement to produce the body of the incapacitated person at the hearing. Exempts from this Act those cases in which the incapacitated person indisputably executed a written advance directive while having capacity that clearly authorized the withholding or withdrawal of food, fluids, or necessary medical treatment. Defines "incapacitated person" to mean an individual presently incapable of making relevant decisions concerning the provision, withholding, or withdrawal of food, fluids, or medical treatment under applicable State law.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Constitution Restoration Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal judicial code to prohibit the U.S. Supreme Court and the Federal district courts from exercising jurisdiction over any matter in which relief is sought against an entity of Federal, State, or local government or an officer or agent of such government concerning that entity's, officer's, or agent's acknowledgment of God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government. Prohibits a court of the United States from relying upon any law, policy, or other action of a foreign state or international organization in interpreting and applying the Constitution, other than English constitutional and common law up to the time of adoption of the U.S. Constitution. Provides that any Federal court decision relating to an issue removed from Federal jurisdiction by this Act is not binding precedent on State courts. Provides that any Supreme Court justice or Federal court judge who exceeds the jurisdictional limitations of this Act shall be deemed to have committed an offense for which the justice or judge may be removed, and to have violated the standard of good behavior required of Article III judges by the Constitution.
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 · 1 March 2005
Federal Consent Decree Fairness Act - Authorizes State or local governments and related officials sued in their official capacity to file a motion to modify or vacate a consent decree upon the earlier of: (1) four years after the consent decree is originally entered; or (2) in the case of a civil action in which a State is a party or in which a local government is a party and the surrounding State is not a party, the expiration of the term of office of the highest elected State or local government official authorizing the consent decree. Places the burden of proof with respect to such motions on the party originally filing the action to demonstrate that continued enforcement is necessary to uphold a Federal right. Nullifies consent decrees pending a ruling on a motion to modify or vacate if the court fails to rule on such motion within 90 days of filing. Addresses compensation and termination of special masters overseeing consent decrees. Makes this Act applicable to all consent decrees regardless of: (1) the date on which the final order of a consent decree is entered; or (2) whether any relief has been obtained before enactment.
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 · 17 February 2005
Reopen Reagan National to General Aviation Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to implement regulations permitting the resumption of non-scheduled, commercial air carrier (air charter) and general aviation operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Allows such regulations to provide reasonable requirements to ensure the security of airport operations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2005
Congratulates the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association for its 75-year history and its contributions to the construction of the infrastructure of the United States, including homes, buildings, bridges, and highways. Recognizes the Association as an invaluable asset in developing the history and character of the United States. Directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit a copy of this resolution to the Association as an expression of public appreciation and for public display at the Association's 2005 national convention.
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 · 14 February 2005
National Right-to-Work Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-Cost, Timely Healthcare Act of 2005 or the HEALTH Act of 2005 - Sets forth provisions regulating lawsuits for health care liability claims concerning the provisions of health care goods or services or any medical product affecting interstate commerce. Sets a statute of limitations of three years after the date of manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers the injury, with certain exceptions. Provides that nothing in this Act limits recovery of the full amount of available economic damages. Limits noneconomic damages to $250,000. Makes each party liable only for the amount of damages directly proportional to such party's percentage of responsibility. Allows the court to restrict the payment of attorney contingency fees. Limits the fees to a decreasing percentage based on the increasing value of the amount awarded. Prescribes qualifications for expert witnesses. Requires the court to reduce damages received by the amount of collateral source benefits to which a claimant is entitled, unless the payor of such benefits has the right to reimbursement or subrogation under Federal or State law. Authorizes the award of punitive damages only where: (1) it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that a person acted with malicious intent to injure the claimant or deliberately failed to avoid unnecessary injury such person knew the claimant was substantially certain to suffer; and (2) compensatory damages are awarded. Limits punitive damages to the greater of two times the amount of economic damages or $250,000. Prohibits a health care provider from being named as a party in a product liability or class action lawsuit for prescribing or dispensing an Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prescription drug or device. Provides for periodic payments of future damage awards.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Iran Freedom and Support Act of 2005 - States that: (1) U.S. sanctions, controls, and regulations relating to weapons of mass destruction with respect to Iran shall remain in effect until the President certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that Iran has permanently and verifiably dismantled its weapons of mass destruction programs and has committed to combating such weapons' proliferation; and (2) such certification shall have no effect on other sanctions relating to Iranian support of international terrorism. Amends the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 to: (1) eliminate mandatory sanction provisions respecting Libya; (2) impose mandatory sanctions on a person or entity that aids Iran acquire or develop weapons of mass destruction or destabilizing types and numbers of conventional weapons; (3) revise multilateral regime reporting requirements, including provisions respecting sanctions on individuals aiding Iranian petroleum development; (4) enlarge the scope of sanctionable entities; and (5) eliminate the sunset provision. Declares that U.S. policy should support: (1) efforts by the Iranian people to exercise self-determination over their form of government; and (2) an internationally-overseen referendum in Iran. Authorizes the President to provide financial and political assistance to eligible foreign and domestic individuals and groups that support democracy and advocate nonproliferation in Iran. Directs the President to notify (which may be in classified form) the appropriate congressional committees not later than 15 days prior to designating an eligible opposition group. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the President should appoint a special assistant on Iranian matters; (2) U.S. representatives and officials in international fora should express support for democratic transition in Iran; (3) representatives of the Government of Iran should be denied access to U.S. Government buildings; (4) efforts to halt the Iranian nuclear weapons program should be intensified; and (5) U.S. officials and representatives should strongly support indigenous efforts in Iran calling for democratic elections.
![Official portrait of Sen. Inhofe, James M. [R-OK]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/i000024_200.jpg)