United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2006
Barrier Project Consolidation and Construction Act of 2006 - Considers the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Dispersal Barrier Project (Barrier I) and the project related to the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Dispersal Barrier (Barrier II) to constitute a single project to prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species. Directs the Secretary of the Army, through the Chief of Engineers, to: (1) upgrade and make permanent Barrier I; (2) construct Barrier II; (3) operate and maintain Barriers I and II as a system; (4) study options and technologies for reducing the impacts of hazards that may reduce the Barriers' efficacy; and (5) provide each state with a credit equal to the amount of funds contributed by the state toward Barrier II. Directs the Secretary to: (1) study options and technologies to prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and other aquatic pathways; and (2) determine the the feasibility of, and construct and maintain if found feasible, a dispersal barrier project at the Lake Champlain Canal.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2006
New England Wilderness Act of 2006 - Designates specified federal lands managed by the United States Forest Service in the White Mountain National Forest area of New Hampshire as wilderness areas and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System (lands to be known as the Wild River Wilderness and lands to be incorporated in the Sandwich Range Wilderness). Designates specified federal lands managed by the Forest Service in Vermont as: (1) wilderness areas and National Wilderness Preservation System components (lands to be known as the Glastenbury Wilderness, the Joseph Battell Wilderness, the Breadloaf Wilderness, the Lye Brook Wilderness, the Peru Peak Wilderness, and the Big Branch Wilderness); and (2) the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2006
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States: (1) should continue to demonstrate international leadership regarding the conservation and sustainable use of high seas living marine resources by promoting adoption of a resolution at this year's U.N. General Assembly calling on all nations to prohibit destructive fishing activity in areas where there are no applicable conservation or management measures or in areas with no applicable international fishery management organizations or agreements until conservation and management measures consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement, and other relevant instruments are implemented; and (2) calls upon U.N. member nations to adopt a resolution to protect the living resources of the high seas from destructive fishing practices.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2006
Emergency Farm Relief Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide financial assistance for: (1) crop disaster assistance for qualifying quantity or quality losses for the 2005 or 2006 crop due to weather or related conditions (including disease, insects, and delayed harvest; (2) livestock assistance for 2005 and 2006 disaster-caused losses; (3) livestock indemnity payments for 2005 and 2006 disaster-caused losses (including wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and anthrax); (4) ewe lamb replacement and retention; (5) sugar beet disaster assistance for crop year 2005; (6) sugarcane growers in Hawaii through a payment to an agricultural transportation cooperative in Hawaii; (7) flooded crop and grazing land in the Devils Lake basin, the McHugh, Lake Laretta, and Rose Lake closed drainage areas, North Dakota; and (8) bovine tuberculosis indemnification. Directs the Secretary to make grants to state agriculture departments or comparable agencies in qualified states for direct economic loss payments to eligible small businesses. Directs the Secretary to use specified funds to carry out emergency measures under: (1) the emergency watershed protection program; (2) the emergency conservation program, including wildfire recovery efforts; and (3) the environmental quality incentives program, including wildfire recovery efforts. Directs the Secretary to use specified funds to hire additional state and county Farm Service Agency personnel to expedite the delivery of agricultural disaster and economic assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2006
Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2006 - Entitles federal employees and their domestic partners to benefits available to federal married employees and their spouses. Specifies certifications required for benefit eligibility, filing requirements regarding partnership dissolution, and confidentiality requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2006
Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act - Prohibits any federal funds from being provided to a hospital unless the hospital meets certain conditions related to a woman who is a victim of sexual assault, including that the hospital: (1) provides the woman with accurate and unbiased information about emergency contraception; (2) offers emergency contraception to the woman; (3) provides the woman such contraception at the hospital on her request; and (4) does not deny any such services because of the inability of the woman to pay. Prohibits any federal funds from being provided to a hospital unless the hospital provides to survivors of sexual assault, regardless of ability to pay: (1) an assessment of the individual's risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections; (2) advice concerning significantly prevalent infections for which effective post-exposure prophylaxis exists and for which the deferral of treatment either would significantly reduce treatment efficacy or would pose substantial risk to the individual's health; and (3) such prophylactic treatment for infections, upon request.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2006
Commemorates the life of each individual who died as a result of the attacks of September 11, 2001. Extends deepest condolences to the victims, as well as to their families, friends, and loved ones. Condemns the attacks, the terrorists who perpetrated them, and their sponsors. Commits to support the necessary steps to defeat terrorists who plot to harm the American people. Recommits the Senate and the Nation to bringing the perpetrators of the attacks and their sponsors to justice. Honors members of the Armed Forces, law enforcement personnel, first responders, members of the intelligence community, and others who have bravely participated in the War on Terrorism since September 11, 2001. Declares September 11, 2006, to be a National Day of Remembrance, in commemoration of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States. Declares that when the Senate adjourns today (September 11, 2006), it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to each individual who died as a result of the attacks of September 11, 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2006
Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a hazardous waste electronic manifest system that may be used by a hazardous waste generator or transporter, an owner or operator of a hazardous waste treatment, storage, recycling, or disposal facility, or any other entity that is required to use a manifest to comply with any federal or state requirement to track the shipment, transportation, and receipt of hazardous waste or other material that is shipped from the generation site to an off-site facility for treatment, storage, disposal, or recycling. Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) impose service fees on users to pay for developing, operating, maintaining, and upgrading the system; and (2) deposit the fees into the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest System Fund (established by this Act). Requires the Administrator to: (1) establish the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest System Governing Board; and (2) carry out this Act in each state unless the state program is fully authorized to do so.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2006
Emergency Farm Relief Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide financial assistance for: (1) crop disaster assistance for qualifying quantity or quality losses for the 2005 or 2006 crop due to weather or related conditions (including disease, insects, and delayed harvest; (2) livestock assistance for 2005 and 2006 disaster-caused losses; (3) livestock indemnity payments for 2005 and 2006 disaster-caused losses (including wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and anthrax); (4) ewe lamb replacement and retention; (5) sugar beet disaster assistance for crop year 2005; (6) sugarcane growers in Hawaii through a payment to an agricultural transportation cooperative in Hawaii; (7) flooded crop and grazing land in the Devils Lake basin, the McHugh, Lake Laretta, and Rose Lake closed drainage areas, North Dakota; and (8) bovine tuberculosis indemnification. Directs the Secretary to provide financial assistance for: (1) state grants to promote agriculture; and (2) grants for value of production. Requires a recipient state to give priority for livestock and specialty crops. Directs the Secretary to make supplemental economic loss payments to: (1) producers on a farm who received a crop year 2005 direct payment; and (2) dairy producers eligible to receive a 2005 national dairy market loss payment. Directs the Secretary to make grants to state agriculture departments or comparable agencies in qualified states for direct economic loss payments to eligible small businesses. Directs the Secretary to use specified funds to: (1) carry out emergency measures under the emergency watershed protection and emergency conservation programs; and (2) hire additional state and county Farm Service Agency personnel to expedite the delivery of agricultural disaster and economic assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2006
Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to the University of Hawaii Academy for Creative Media for the establishment, maintenance, and periodic modernization of the Henry Kuualoha Giugni Kupuna Memorial Archives at the University of Hawaii. Requires the Archives to use grant funds for: (1) facilities and equipment to house and provide computer and web access to a repository of Native Hawaiian historical data; (2) scholarships to assist disadvantaged students in attending college; (3) the creation of educational materials from the archives that are applicable to a broad range of indigenous students; (4) outreach to elementary and secondary school students; (5) teacher training, so that the teaching of kindergarten through grade 12 students is culturally congruent with the learning modalities of such students, particularly indigenous students; and (6) the enhancement of the economic and financial literacy of college students.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2006
Health Centers Renewal Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2007-FY2011 for health centers to meet the health care needs of medically underserved populations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2006
Victim-Activated Landmine Abolition Act of 2006 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the government should continue to set an example for other countries by banning procurement of victim-activated landmines and other weapons designed to be victim-activated. Prohibits the federal government from procuring such landmines or weapons in any circumstance.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2006
Protecting Children's Health in Schools Act of 2006 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish requirements for providing and receiving reimbursement for school-based health care for children, including children with special needs, and the related administrative and transportation costs covered under Medicaid. Includes health care provided through Medicaid managed care organizations. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education, acting jointly, to develop and implement a uniform methodology for claims under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2006
Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act - Amends the Clean Air Act to set forth provisions concerning global warming pollution emissions. Directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) set milestones to reduce the aggregate net levels of emissions (authorizes EPA to establish market-based programs to achieve such reduction); (2) require each fleet of automobiles sold by a manufacturer beginning in model year 2016 to meet emission standards; (3) contract with the National Academy of Sciences to study the potential contribution of the non-highway portion of the transportation sector towards meeting the emission reduction goal; (4) require that electric generation units meet an emission standard that is not higher than the emission rate of a new combined cycle natural gas generating unit; and (5) establish a low-carbon generation trading program. Requires covered generators to provide a minimum percentage of the base quantity of electricity produced for sale from low-carbon generation. Requires EPA to: (1) establish a competitive grant program for geological disposal deployment projects; and (2) carry out a global climate change standards and processes research program. Expresses the sense of the Senate that federal funds for clean, low-carbon energy research, development, and deployment should be increased by at least 100% each year for 10 years. Directs: (1) EPA to promulgate requirements concerning the energy efficiency and peak load reduction of electricity suppliers and to establish a renewable energy credit program; (2) the Secretary of Agriculture to establish standards for accrediting certified reductions in carbon dioxide emissions through biological sequestration activities; and (3) major stationary sources to report to EPA on emissions of global warming pollutants. Requires the President to establish the Task Force on International Clean, Low Carbon Energy Cooperation. Authorizes the President to adjust, suspend, or waive any regulation promulgated pursuant to this Act in a national emergency. Requires EPA to require that gasoline contain the applicable volume of low-carbon renewable fuel. Directs EPA to require manufacturers to meet standards for new motor vehicles or engines. Requires executive agency automobiles to be as fuel-efficient as practicable. Requires: (1) the Secretary of Commerce to report on the effects of U.S. failure to adopt measures that require or result in a reduction in total emissions in accordance with the goals of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; (2) the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require securities issuers to inform investors of risks relating to global warming; and (3) the SEC to clarify that U.S. commitments to reduce emissions under the Framework are considered to be a material effect and that global warming constitutes a known trend. Directs federal agency environmental impact statements or analyses to evaluate the effects on, and impact of, global warming.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2006
National Historic Country Store Preservation and Revitalization Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a historic country store preservation and revitalization program to: (1) collect and disseminate information on country stores; (2) promote State and regional partnerships among proprietors of historic country stores; and (3) sponsor and conduct research on the economic impact of historic country stores in rural areas, best practices to improve profitability and protect such stores from foreclosure or seizure, and best practices for developing cooperative organizations that address economic and historic preservation needs of historic country stores and the communities served by them. Allows the Secretary to make grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, an eligible applicant to carry out a project to: (1) rehabilitate or repair a historic country store; (2) enhance the economic benefit of the historic country store to the communities served; (3) identify, document, and conduct research on historic country stores; and (4) develop and evaluate appropriate techniques or best practices for protecting historic country stores. Directs the Secretary to carry out a pilot project in Vermont under which the Secretary shall conduct demonstration activities to preserve historic country stores and the communities served. Authorizes the Secretary, using amounts in the Fund, to make direct loans to eligible applicants for projects to purchase, rehabilitate, or repair historic country stores or to establish microloan funds to make short-term, fixed-interest rate loans to proprietors of such stores.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2006
Medicare Independent Living Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the in-the-home restriction for Medicare coverage of mobility devices for individuals with expected long-term needs. Deems such devices to be durable medical equipment (DME) if they are used in customary settings for the purpose of normal domestic, vocational, or community activities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2006
Recycling Investment Saves Energy or the RISE Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a taxpayer election of a tax credit for 15% of the cost of qualified reuse and recycling property or a tax deduction for 50% of the adjusted basis of such property; and (2) define solid waste disposal facilities to include reuse and recycling functions for purposes of tax-exempt bond financing.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2006
Spent Nuclear Fuel Control and Accounting Act of 2006 - Amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to direct the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to promulgate regulations requiring: (1) each civilian nuclear power reactor to report a detailed record of each individual spent fuel rod, and each fragment of a spent fuel rod, that results from the loading or dismantling of a fuel assembly; and (2) annual inspections to determine the compliance of the civilian nuclear power reactor with NRC regulations relating to the material control and accounting of spent nuclear fuel. Requires the NRC to develop and make available to each civilian nuclear power reactor guidance that describes: (1) best management practices for storing individual fuel rods and fragments; and (2) suitable annual inventory practices. Directs the NRC to develop an electronic data management and waste tracking system to: (1) store and access the records of each civilian nuclear power reactor; and (2) track the location of spent nuclear fuel, including individual rods and fragments. Instructs the NRC to: (1) develop a detailed manifest form for the onsite transportation of spent fuel that indicates whether the package containing the spent fuel contains individual rods or fragments; and (2) promulgate regulations requiring each civilian nuclear power reactor to provide the NRC a complete detailed manifest form to identify and track any spent fuel rod or rod fragment transported within the reactor's premises. Directs the NRC to identify any spent fuel rod or rod fragment transported outside the premises of the civilian nuclear power reactor through use of manifests used by the Department of Transportation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2006
North American Wetlands Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2006 - Authorizes appropriations to carry out the North American Wetlands Conservation Act for FY2007-FY2012.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2006
Brownfields Redevelopment Enhancement Act - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make competitive grants only to eligible public entities and Indian tribes for carrying out projects and activities to assist the development and redevelopment of brownfield sites, including mine-scarred lands.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2006
Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commemoration Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish: (1) the Champlain Quadricentennial Commemoration Commission to plan and execute programs and activities to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the voyage of Samuel de Champlain (the first European to discover and explore Lake Champlain); and (2) the Hudson-Fulton 400th Commemoration Commission to plan and execute programs and activities to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the voyage of Henry Hudson (the first European to sail up the Hudson River) and the 200th anniversary of the voyage of Robert Fulton (the first person to use steam navigation on a commercial basis).
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2006
High-Performance Green Buildings Act of 2006 - Directs the Administrator of General Services to establish an Office of High-Performance Green Buildings. Requires the Office Director to: (1) establish a Green Building Advisory Committee; (2) carry out public outreach; (3) develop and recommend a high-performance green building research plan; (4) analyze current budget and contracting practices that affect achievement of high-performance green buildings; and (5) develop and implement a comprehensive indoor air quality program for federal facilities. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide grants to educational agencies for use in: (1) providing technical assistance for EPA's programs (including the Tools for Schools Program and the Healthy School Environmental Assessment Tool) to schools for use in addressing environmental issues; and (2) developing state school environmental quality plans. Authorizes the EPA to provide grants to nonprofit organizations to assist in community and public education on healthy school environments. Requires the EPA to develop school site acquisition guidelines that account for: (1) the special vulnerability of children to hazardous substances or pollution exposure where the potential for site contamination exists; (2) available modes of transportation; and (3) potential use of the school as an emergency shelter. Requires the EPA to issue guidelines for states in developing and implementing environmental health programs for schools. Requires the Director to identify incentives to encourage the use of green buildings and related technology in federal government operations. Requires the Director of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy to: (1) revise applicable acquisition regulations; and (2) issue guidance to federal procurement executives on renegotiating proposed facilities design, existing facilities renovations, and eased facilities improvements. Requires the Director to consult with the Committee to assist in the implementation of the Environmental Stewardship Scorecard announced at the White House Summit on federal sustainable buildings in 2006. Requires the Office to carry out specified demonstration projects at federal buildings and universities to contribute to its research goals.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2006
Rural Equity Payment Index Reform Extension Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend permanently the floor (at 1.00) on the Medicare work geographic adjustment under the fee schedule for physicians' services. (The Secretary of Health and Human Services is required, after calculating the work geographic index for payment for physicians' services furnished on or after January 1, 2004, to increase the work geographic index to 1.00 for any locality for which the calculated index is less than 1.00.)
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2006
Cleanup Assurance and Polluter Accountability Act of 2006 - Directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) finalize regulations under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) that require facilities to establish and maintain evidence of financial responsibility for the risk associated with the production, transportation, treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous substances; (2) publish proposed financial assurance rules for classes of facilities that present the highest risk associated with such substances; and (3) annually promulgate financial assurance rules for additional classes of facilities, giving highest priority to classes that may contain sites at which unreimbursed response costs are at least $12,000. Requires facilities subject to financial assurance requirements to submit to the EPA: (1) a notification of filings for bankruptcy protection; (2) an estimate of environmental impacts resulting from their activities; and (3) a description of their corporate relationships. Requires the EPA to give priority to the development of requirements for facilities or industries whose prior actions indicate a high risk of default on environmental liabilities. Directs the EPA to require that each affected person: (1) enter a financial assurance agreement that reflects the hazardous substances risk; and (2) provide financial assurances to cover potential response costs and damages. Sets forth factors for the EPA to consider in determining whether to accept financial assurances. Requires the EPA to: (1) make full use of administrative offsets and liens on assets for enforcement purposes; and (2) issue guidance for enforcement of requirements for use of such offsets and liens. Authorizes a trustee in bankruptcy proceedings to avoid any transfer of a debtor's interest in an asset made during the 10 years before the bankruptcy petition is filed, if: (1) the debtor had environmental liability under CERCLA; and (2) the debtor made such transfer with intent to hinder, delay, or defraud any person with respect to such liability. Requires the EPA to report methods to strengthen the government's ability to secure assets needed to pay for response costs at sites contaminated with hazardous substances. Requires the National Bankruptcy Review Commission to evaluate the interaction between bankruptcy and CERCLA and to provide recommendations for action.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) at the 58th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission the United States should remain firmly opposed to commercial whaling (including any linking of a Revised Management Scheme (RMS) to the lifting of the commercial whaling moratorium), and take other specified related steps; and (2) the United States should make full use of all appropriate diplomatic mechanisms, federal law, relevant international laws and agreements, and other appropriate mechanisms to implement these goals.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2006
Veterans and Military Privacy Protection Act of 2006 - Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to develop and implement a program of financial counseling and support to any veteran, spouse of a veteran, and other person who may be a victim of identity theft as a result of the security breach at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on May 3, 2006. Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to direct each consumer reporting agency (CRA), upon the request of such a veteran, spouse, or other person, to provide automatic extended fraud alerts to such individuals. Authorizes the placement in the files of such an individual of a security freeze by a CRA, after which the CRA may not release information from their file for consumer credit purposes to a third party without prior express written authorization from the individual. Requires notification to such individual by a CRA before the removal of a security freeze. Provides security freeze exceptions. Amends the federal criminal code to double the penalties for identity theft when the victim is one of the above individuals. Requires Comptroller General studies on: (1) VA data protection; (2) VA security breach investigation; (3) an FTC program for veterans and others at risk of identity theft; and (4) federal agency compliance with personal data protection requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that it is the goal of the United States that by January 1, 2025, U.S. agricultural, forestry, and working land should provide from renewable resources not less than 25% of the total U.S. energy consumption and continue to produce safe, abundant, and affordable food, feed, and fiber.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2006
Amends the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 to extend from three years to six years after enactment of that Act the maximum duration of any renewal under it of import restrictions on Burmese products. Approves the renewal of import restrictions contained in the Act. Deems this resolution a renewal resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Veterans Privacy Protection Act of 2006 - Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to develop and implement a program of financial counseling and support to any veteran (and spouse of a veteran) who may be a victim of identity theft as a result of the security breach at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on May 3, 2006. Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to direct each consumer reporting agency (CRA), upon the request of such a veteran or spouse, to provide automatic extended fraud alerts to such individuals. Authorizes the placement in the files of such a veteran or spouse of a security freeze by a CRA, after which the CRA may not release information from their file for consumer credit purposes to a third party without prior express written authorization from such veteran or spouse. Requires notification to the spouse or veteran by a CRA before the removal of a security freeze. Provides security freeze exceptions. Amends the federal criminal code to double the penalties for identity theft when the victim is a veteran or their spouse. Requires Comptroller General studies on: (1) VA data protection; (2) VA security breach investigation; (3) an FTC program for veterans and spouses at risk of identity theft; and (4) federal agency compliance with personal data protection requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2006
Grants the consent of Congress to the International Emergency Management Assistance Memorandum of Understanding entered into between the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut and the Provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2006
Declares that the Senate honors the life and legacy of the Honorable Lloyd Bentsen, a former member of the United States Senate. Extends its warmest sympathies to his family members and friends. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on May 23, 2006, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Bentsen.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2006
Calls for Congress to: (1) help women, regardless of income, avoid unintended pregnancy and abortion through access to affordable contraception; and (2) support programs and policies that make it easier for women to obtain contraceptives.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2006
Unintended Pregnancy Reduction Act of 2006 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to: (1) prohibit a state from providing for medical assistance through enrollment of an individual with benchmark coverage or benchmark-equivalent coverage unless it includes certain family planning services and supplies; (2 ) include women who are not pregnant but who meet certain income eligibility standards in a mandatory categorically needy group for family planning services purposes; and (3) allow a state Medicaid plan to provide for making medical assistance available to such individuals during a presumptive eligibility period.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2006
Free Flow of Information Act of 2006 - Prohibits federal courts in criminal or civil proceedings from compelling journalists to disclose their confidential sources or information which they obtain in a professional newsgathering capacity. Allows exceptions if a court finds that: (1) alternative means of obtaining such confidential information have been exhausted and reasonable and timely notice of a demand for such information has been given; (2) subpoenas for such information are limited in scope; (3) such information is critical to pending criminal or civil litigation; and (4) nondisclosure of such information would be contrary to the public interest. Denies journalists a privilege against disclosure of confidential information if such information: (1) was obtained by eyewitness observations of criminal conduct by a journalist or involvement of such journalist in criminal or tortious conduct; (2) is necessary to prevent death or substantial bodily harm; (3) is necessary to protect national security; and (4) was provided or obtained without a promise of confidentiality.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2006
Community Water Treatment Hazards Reduction Act of 2006 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) compile a list of all high-consequence facilities; and (2) notify each owner and operator of a water facility that is included on the list. Requires the Administrator, in determining whether a facility is a high-consequence water facility, to consider: (1) the number of people located in the vulnerability zone for each substance of concern that could be released at the water facility; (2) the critical infrastructure served by the facility; (3) any use by the facility of large quantities of one or more substances of concern; and (4) the quantity and volume of annual shipments of substances of concern to or from the facility. Defines "vulnerability zone" as a geographic area that would be affected by a worst-case release of certain hazardous substances. Requires the Administrator to classify high-consequence water facilities into three tiers and give priority to matters relating to the security of high-consequence water facilities based on the classification. Makes mandatory the designation as a high-consequence facility of those whose vulnerability zone contains more than 10,000 individuals. Prohibits the Administrator from reclassifying such a facility into a tier with a lower priority. Requires the owner or operator of a high-consequence water facility to submit to the Administrator an options feasibility assessment (including a cost estimate) concerning the use of inherently safer technologies no later than 90 days after receiving notice that such facility is listed. Requires the Administrator, subject to the availability of grant funds, to issue an order requiring a facility to eliminate the use of substances of concern and to adopt safer technologies. Authorizes the Administrator to seek enforcement of an order. Directs the Administrator to provide grants to high-consequence facilities for use in paying capital expenditures directly required to complete the transition of such facility to the use of safer technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2006
Medicare Late Enrollment Assistance Act of 2006 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to eliminate months in 2006 from the calculation of any late enrollment penalty under Medicare part D. Makes appropriations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for FY2007 to: (1) make grants to states for state health insurance counseling programs receiving assistance under the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1990; and (2) enable the Assistant Secretary on Aging to provide grants to states for area agencies on aging to provide eligible Medicare beneficiaries with Medicare benefits information. Amends SSA title XVIII to set additional limitations on the total amount of expenditures from the Medicare Advantage Regional Plan Stabilization Fund for periods prior to October 1, 2007, and between October 1, 2007, and September 30, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2006
The Fourteenth Dalai Lama Congressional Gold Medal Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro Tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, in recognition of his many contributions to peace and religious understanding.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2006
Public Transportation Terrorism Prevention Act of 2006 - Requires the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Transit Administration to submit all public transportation security assessments to the Secretary of Homeland Security to review and augment such assessments. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish and update annually security improvement priorities; (2) conduct security assessments of all public transportation agencies considered to be at greatest risk of a terrorist attack; (3) conduct security assessments to determine the specific needs of local bus-only public transportation systems and of selected rural transportation systems; and (4) use information collected to establish the process for developing security guidelines. Directs the Secretary to award grants: (1) directly to public transportation agencies for allowable capital security improvements; and (2) to public or private entities to conduct research into, and demonstrate, methods to reduce and deter terrorist threats or mitigate damages resulting from terrorist attacks against public transportation systems. Directs the Secretary to: (1) ensure that DOT receives 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. Rail Security Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary to establish a task force to complete, and make prioritized recommendations regarding, a vulnerability and risk assessment of freight and passenger rail transportation for identification of: (1) critical assets and infrastructures, and vulnerabilities and risks, to such assets and infrastructures; (2) vulnerabilities and risks specific to the transportation of hazardous materials via railroad; and (3) security weaknesses in passenger and cargo security, transportation infrastructure, protection systems, procedural policies, communications systems, employee training, emergency response planning, and any other area. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for certain system-wide Amtrak security upgrades. Directs the Secretary to require rail carriers transporting high hazardous materials to develop high hazard material security threat mitigation plans containing appropriate measures (including alternative routing and temporary shipment suspension options) to address assessed risks to high consequence targets. Maritime Security Improvement Act of 2006 - Establishes interagency operational centers to provide greater protection against terrorism at high priority ports. Directs the Secretary to identify foreign assistance programs that could facilitate implementation of port security antiterrorism measures in foreign countries.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2006
Standing with Minimum Wage Earners Act of 2006 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after enactment of this Act; and (2) $6.55 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day; and (3) $7.25 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 60th day, such amounts to be automatically adjusted by a percentage equal to the annual increase in pay for Members of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2006
Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 - Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to revise requirements for: (1) the use of election examiners and observers; (2) declaratory judgment on the issue of voting qualifications or standards intended to diminish the ability of U.S. citizens to elect preferred candidates; and (3) award of attorney fees in enforcement proceedings to include expert fees and other reasonable costs of litigation. Extends bilingual election requirements through August 5, 2032. Revises the requirements for determining states and political subdivisions covered by them to require use of 2010 American Community Survey census data. Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with respect to the prohibition against the use of tests or devices to deny the right to vote in any federal, state, or local election. Extends both the prohibition and the date for mandatory congressional reconsideration of it.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2006
Military Family Assistance Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to carry out a program awarding grants to non-federal entities to provide assistance to families of members of the Armed Forces who live more than 180 miles from a military installation where members on active duty are stationed.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2006
Veterans' Choice of Representation Act of 2006 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prescribe: (1) qualifications and standards of conduct for agents and attorneys acting on behalf of veterans in claim proceedings before the Department of Veterans Affairs; and (2) restrictions on fees collected for such services. Provides additional bases for suspensions of agents or attorneys, including: (1) failure to conduct themselves with due regard for the non-adversarial nature of any proceeding; and (2) presenting frivolous claims, issues, or arguments. Repeals the current time period limitation for the hiring or paying of an agent or attorney. Revises the time period during which attorney fee agreements may be filed with the Board of Veterans' Appeals. Allows the Secretary to review such an agreement, and order a fee reduction if the Secretary finds the fee excessive or unreasonable.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2006
Medicare Prescription Drug Simplification Act of 2006 - Revises the Medicare prescription drug program under part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish five national uniform benefit packages consisting of three basic and two supplemental packages. Limits removal or change of coverage of covered part D drugs under a formulary under a prescription drug plan (PDP) or an Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plan. Provides for: (1) additional funding for enrollment assistance; (2) comparative plan information; (3) a standardized definition for cost and utilization management tools, and nomenclature for distinguishing between excluded and nonformulary drugs; (4) standardized enrollee notice regarding coverage determinations; (5) standardized forms and processes for reconsiderations and exceptions; and (6) authority to waive late the enrollment penalty in certain circumstances. Directs the Secretary, jointly with the Commissioner of Social Security, to work to integrate processes and beneficiary information for applying for a premium and cost-sharing subsidy and enrolling in a PDP or an MA-PD plan in order to simplify steps for part D eligible individuals who wish to participate in both. Outlines requirements for comparative information regarding performance of plans under Medicare part D. Specifies factors the Secretary shall use in determining whether, for plan approval purposes, a PDP and its sponsor demonstrate a satisfactory quality of performance.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2006
Securing America's Energy Independence Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2015: (1) the investment tax credit for solar energy property and qualified fuel cell property; and (2) the tax credit for residential photovoltaic, solar water heating, and fuel cell property expenditures. Modifies the maximum amounts for such residential credits based upon kilowatt of capacity. Allows such credits to be taken against the alternative minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2006
Call Home Act of 2006 - Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to to reduce the cost of calling home for military personnel stationed or deployed outside the United States in support of military operations, training exercises, or other purposes approved by the Secretary of Defense. Prohibits the FCC from regulating rates in order to carry out this Act. Amends the Telecommunications Authorization Act of 1992 to repeal current FCC cost reduction authority with respect to personnel stationed or deployed in specified countries.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2006
National Defense Enhancement and National Guard Empowerment Act of 2006 - Expands the: (1) authority of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (Bureau) to include membership on the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) (and raises the grade of the Chief from lieutenant general to general); and (2) functions of the Bureau to include facilitating and coordinating, with other federal agencies and the states, the use of Guard personnel and resources for, and in, contingency operations, military operations other than war, natural disasters, and support of civil authorities. Directs the Chief to: (1) identify gaps between federal and state capabilities to prepare for and respond to emergencies; and (2) make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense on Guard programs and activities to address such gaps. Requires annual Department of Defense (DOD) budget justification documents to include separate amounts for Guard training and equipment for military assistance to civil authorities and other domestic operations. Establishes within the JCS an Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for Reserve Matters. Expresses the sense of Congress calling for consideration of eligible reserve officers for promotion to the grades of lieutenant general or vice admiral on the active duty list. Requires the position of Deputy Commander of the U.S. Northern Command to be filled by a qualified Guard officer eligible for promotion to the grade of lieutenant general.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2006
Common Sense Cross-Border Travel and Security Act of 2006 - Amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to require that the travel document plan for U.S. citizens and others with waived document requirements traveling into the United States: (1) include a fee-free "day pass" system that would permit U.S. citizens to travel to Canada for a 24-hour period without a passport by completing a day pass application at any port of entry along the U.S.-Canadian land border, and certifying that there was not sufficient time to apply for a passport before the excursion; and (2) provide that U.S. citizens under 18 years of age who are accompanied by a parent or guardian shall not be required to present a passport when returning to the United States from Canada. Limits fees to not more that $20 for any passport card or travel document issued pursuant to such plan. Directs the Secretary of State to negotiate with the government of Canada to ensure the acceptance of such U.S. passport cards and day passes for travel to Canada.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
Vermont Wilderness Act of 2006 - Designates as wilderness areas and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System certain lands in Vermont to be known as the Glastenbury Wilderness, Joseph Battell Wilderness, Breadloaf Wilderness, Lye Brook Wilderness, Peru Peak Wilderness, and Big Branch Wilderness. Designates specified federal land as the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to develop and submit to specified congressional committees a comprehensive management plan for the Area.
![Official portrait of Rep. Jeffords, James M. [R-VT-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/j000072_200.jpg)