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United States · Official source
7,990 records where Sen. Kennedy, Edward M. [D-MA] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2005
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 320 High Street in Clinton, Massachusetts, as the "Raymond J. Salmon Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2005
Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a specified segment of the Taunton River in Massachusetts as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2005
Vehicle and Fuel Choices for American Security Act - Instructs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to publish in the Federal Register an oil savings target and action plan for specified calendar years. Amends federal transportation law to direct the Secretary of Transportation to develop a national tire fuel efficiency program for passenger cars and light trucks. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a national testing and assessment program to determine the fuel economy of heavy duty vehicles. Instructs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) prescribe average heavy duty vehicle fuel economy standards; and (2) conduct a research and development program for electric drive transportation technology. Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a lightweight material research and development program. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to direct the Secretary of Energy to accelerate efforts to improve hybrid technologies. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow an advanced technology motor vehicles manufacturing tax credit. Terminates the limitation on the number of qualified hybrid and advanced lean burn technology vehicles eligible for the alternative motor vehicle credit. Directs the Secretary of Energy to issue regulations requiring that by FY2016 each federal agency achieve at least a 30% reduction in its fleet petroleum consumption. Amends the IRC to: (1) establish a fuel-efficient tax credit for private fleets; (2) subject heavy vehicles to the depreciation limitation for certain luxury automobiles; and (3) increase the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property credit. Requires certain minimum percentages of light-duty motor vehicles manufactured for model years 2012 and beyond to use specified propulsion technologies and fuels. Amends federal transportation law to establish the Alternative Fueling Infrastructure Trust Fund. Amends the Clean Air Act to prescribe minimum annual quantities of renewable fuel from cellulosic biomass and sugar. Amends the the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a low-interest loan and grant program for farmer-owned ethanol producers to develop infrastructure, including pump stations, for the retail delivery of any fuel containing at least 85% ethanol. Amends federal transportation law to direct the Secretary of Transportation to develop a program to designate Transit-Oriented Development Corridors. Directs the Secretary of Energy to conduct a national media campaign to decrease oil consumption in the United States over the next decade.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2005
Expresses the sense of the Senate that Veterans Day 2005 shall be commemorated with appropriate tributes to all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, especially to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2005
Urges the government of Nigeria to conduct a thorough judicial review of the trial of the Ogoni 9 and to provide just compensation to the survivors of the Ogoni 9 if a miscarriage of justice is found. Urges the government of Nigeria, international donors, and international oil companies operating in the Niger Delta to increase assistance to improve the lives of the Ogoni and other affected communities and for pollution abatement and cleanup in the Niger Delta region. Urges the government of Nigeria to ensure that the security forces receive training in international standards on the use of force and firearms. Calls upon the Department of State to seek to ensure that American oil companies operating in the Niger Delta comply, at a minimum, with the Voluntary Principles for Security and Human Rights. Urges the Secretary General of the United Nations to institute a ten-year follow-up mission to Ogoniland.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2005
Requires the Joint Committee on the Library to procure a statue of Rosa Parks and cause it to be placed in a suitable location in the Capitol.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2005
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the conferees for any budget reconciliation bill of the 109th Congress shall not report a reconciliation bill that would with respect to low-income children, pregnant women, disabled individuals, elderly individuals, individuals with chronic illnesses like HIV/AIDS, cancer, and diabetes, individuals with mental illnesses, and other Medicaid beneficiaries: (1) impair access to Medicaid services; (2) undermine eligibility for such beneficiaries; (3) make Medicaid services unaffordable, hence unavailable, to them; or (4) cut health care services them. Expresses the sense of the Senate, also, that the conferees shall not report a reconciliation bill that would undermine the federal guarantee of health insurance coverage that the Medicaid program provides, which would threaten not only the health care safety net of the United States, but the entire health care system of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2005
Directs the Architect of the Capitol to enter into an agreement to obtain a statue of Rosa Parks and to place the statue in the Capitol in a suitable permanent location in National Statuary Hall.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2005
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of Henry Giugni, former Sergeant-at-Arms of the United States Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on November 3, 2005, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Henry Giugni.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act or the CLASS Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to create a national, voluntary disability insurance program (CLASS program) under which: (1) all employees are automatically enrolled, but are allowed to waive enrollment; (2) payroll deductions pay monthly premiums; and (3) two-tiered benefits are provided, based on the level of disability, to purchase nonmedical services and supports that the beneficiary needs to maintain independence. Establishes the Independence Fund within the Treasury. Requires the CLASS program to be treated for tax purposes in the same manner as a qualified long-term care insurance contract. Amends the Social Security Act to require each state to: (1) assess the extent to which personal care services providers are serving or able to serve as fiscal agents, employers, and providers of employment-related benefits for personal care attendant workers, who provide personal care services to individuals receiving benefits under this Act; (2) designate or create entities to serve such purposes; and (3) ensure that such entities will not impede the ability of individuals to retain, manage, or dismiss such workers or inhibit individuals from relying on family members for such services. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Personal Care Attendants Workforce Advisory Panel to examine and advise the Secretary and Congress on workforce issues related to personal care attendant workers. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a deduction for premiums paid for the CLASS program; (2) a credit for low-income CLASS program enrollees; and (3) a credit for employers for the cost incurred to automatically enroll employees and withhold monthly premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2005
Expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should not repeal or substantially alter the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Act - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to expand, intensify, and coordinate the Institute's research activities on inflammatory bowel disease, with an emphasis on: (1) genetic research on susceptibility for inflammatory bowel disease; (2) research targeted to increase knowledge about the causes and complications of inflammatory bowel disease in children; (3) animal model research; (4) clinical research; (5) expansion of the Institute's Inflammatory Bowel Disease Centers program with a focus on pediatric research; and (6) other research initiatives identified in specified documents. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prepare a National Inflammatory Bowel Disease Action Plan to: (1) address the burden of inflammatory bowel disease in both adult and pediatric populations; (2) address strategies for determining the prevalence of the disease in the United States and the unique demographic characteristics of the patient community; (3) focus on strategies for increasing awareness about the disease within the general public and the health care community; and (4) address mechanisms designed to prevent the progression of the disease and the development of complications.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2005
Provides that, in recognition of the historic contributions of Rosa Parks, her remains be permitted to lie in honor in the rotunda of the Capitol from October 30-October 31, 2005, so that U.S. citizens may pay their last respects to this great American.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2005
Rebuild with Respect Act - Sets forth employment requirements for workers and businesses during the response to Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita (Gulf hurricanes). Reinstates the application of the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act to all federal contracts in connection with Gulf hurricanes reconstruction efforts in the localities involved, notwithstanding the President's proclamation dated September 8, 2005, or any other provision of law. Reinstates the application of affirmative action requirements to all federal contracts to provide Gulf hurricanes relief, notwithstanding a specified Department of Labor memorandum. Prohibits the heads of federal executive agencies from awarding contracts or grants to procure disaster relief property or services in connection with Gulf hurricanes reconstruction efforts unless the contractors, subcontractors, and grant recipients employ workers affected by Gulf hurricanes as at least 50 percent of the workforce to provide such property or perform such services. Provides for a preference in the award of such contract for organizations, firms, or individuals residing or doing business primarily in an area affected by Gulf hurricanes. Extends the duration of disaster unemployment assistance benefits to up to 52 weeks for eligible workers based on the Gulf hurricanes disasters. Provides for eligible workers in qualified states an increased benefit amount of regular unemployment compensation and emergency extended unemployment compensation. Establishes programs of medical monitoring for individuals working or living in areas affected by Gulf hurricanes. Directs the Secretary of Labor to carry out specified occupational safety and health activities for workers in such areas.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2005
Virgie S. Arden American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act - Amends the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to detain for examination, testing, or the taking of evidence: (1) any horse at any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction which is sore or which the Secretary has probable cause to believe is sore; and (2) any horse or other equine which the Secretary has probable cause to believe is being shipped, transported, moved, delivered, received, possessed, purchased, sold, or donated in violation of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2005
Declares that the Senate honors the life and accomplishments of Rosa Parks and expresses its condolences on her passing.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
Hurricane Katrina Elementary and Secondary Education Recovery Act - Provides elementary and secondary education assistance for schools and students affected by Hurricane Katrina. Encourages the Secretary of Education to exercise the maximum waiver authority available or exercise other actions for affected states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and schools with respect to waiver authority or authorization of actions provided under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Directs the Secretary to report on affected state and LEA requests for waivers under ESEA and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to states for subgrants to LEAs: (1) to provide supplemental educational services or additional programs and activities to displaced students or students attending a school in an affected disaster area; and (2) in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, to restart operations of schools serving affected disaster areas. Gives LEAS serving affected disaster areas special hold-harmless provisions for ESEA funding. Provides reciprocity for affected teachers and paraprofessionals with respect to standards of other states. Authorizes the Secretary to delay certain teacher personnel standards requirements for Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama under ESEA and IDEA. Directs the Secretary to provide: (1) assistance to LEAs serving affected homeless children and youth; (2) grants to states for alternative education programs for affected displaced adolescent students; and (3) temporary emergency impact aid to states and LEAs for affected displaced students.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
Keep the Promise of Medicare Act of 2006 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cap the Medicare part B premium for each month in 2006 at the same rate for each month in 2005, adjusted for inflation.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
Freedom's Way National Heritage Area Act - Establishes the Freedom's Way National Heritage Area encompassing 36 communities in Massachusetts and six communities in New Hampshire that have made important and distinctive contributions to the national character of America.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
Supports the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should continue to raise awareness of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating impact on families.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2005
Supports the goals and ideals of a Korean American Day. Commemorates the 103rd anniversary of the arrival of the first Korean immigrants to the United States. Encourages the people of the United States to share in such commemoration in order to greater appreciate the contributions Korean Americans have made to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2005
Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to carry out a small dam removal or rehabilitation project, including one relating to a privately-owned dam that does not generate hydropower, upon determining that the project will enhance public safety or improve the quality of the environment, or is in the public interest. Directs a non-federal interest to provide 35% of removal or remediation costs. Permits construction to be commenced only after a non-federal interest has entered into a binding agreement with the Secretary to pay: (1) the non-federal share of construction costs; and (2) 100% of any operation and maintenance costs. Limits to $5 million in federal funds the amount that may be allotted for a project at any single location.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2005
San Francisco Old Mint Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins and 500,000 $1 silver coins emblematic of the San Francisco Old Mint Building, its importance to California and U.S. history, and its role in rebuilding San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Requires that all surcharges received by the Secretary from such coin sales be promptly paid to the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society to rehabilitate the Historic Old Mint in San Francisco as a city museum and an American Coin and Gold Rush Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2005
National Biodefense and Pandemic Preparedness Act of 2005 - Establishes the National BioVenture Trust as a federal government corporation to administer the BioShield Act and support the development of countermeasures. Requires the Trust to establish a Vulnerable Populations Working Group. Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for adequate countermeasure domestic manufacturing capacity and construction of additional facilities. Expands the definition of "security countermeasure" to include vaccines or microbicides used to treat or prevent certain diseases or viruses that may contribute to a pandemic. Provides incentives for development and production of countermeasures. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide grants to support the cost of screening, research, development, testing, and initial manufacture of potential candidates for countermeasures. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Commission of Food and Drugs, to facilitate the prompt development, review, and approval of security countermeasures. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require postmarket studies for countermeasures after an exigency requiring the use of the drug arises. Establishes the Biodefense Injury Compensation Program to provide compensation for damages that are likely caused by the administration of a covered countermeasure. Extends liability protection for health professionals administering small pox countermeasures to include other countermeasures. Sets forth provisions regarding pandemic influenza preparedness plans, a buyback program for influenza vaccines, price gouging, an influenza vaccine electronic tracking system, and critical antimicrobial drugs. Establishes the National Institute of Pathology and a Board of Regents of the Institute. Transfers to the Institute certain functions of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. Requires the Secretary to establish the National Advisory Committee on Vulnerable Populations and Terrorism. Requires the Secretary to establish a Select Agent Advisory Committee to advise on matters related to security checks for individuals handling biological agents or toxins.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal: (1) the reduction of the phaseout amount for personal tax exemptions; and (2) the phaseout of the overall limitation on itemized tax deductions. Makes permanent the overall limitation on itemized tax deductions.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
Gulf Coast Recovery and Disaster Preparedness Act of 2005 - Establishes the Gulf Coast Recovery and Disaster Preparedness Agency for the efficient and effective use of federal resources relating to the recovery from Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Prohibits the Agency Director and other executive agency heads, except for professional services or in other specified circumstances, from entering into a contract, or awarding a grant, to procure disaster recovery services in connection with reconstruction efforts, unless the contract or grant requires that workers affected by the two hurricanes compose at least 30% of the workforce involved, including those employed by any indirect recipient of such contract or grant fiunds. Establishes within the Agency the Gulf Coast Revitalization Authority, which shall develop a comprehensive plan for rebuilding and improving the public infrastructure of the hurricane-affected Gulf Coast region.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2005
Commends the late Constance Baker Motley, the first African-American woman appointed and confirmed for a federal judgeship and the former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, for her service on the court and her lifelong commitment to civil rights and social justice.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2005
Medicare Informed Choice Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) provide for an extended period of open enrollment during all of 2006 without late enrollment penalty; (2) give Medicare beneficiaries the opportunity to make a one-time change in prescription drug plan enrollment at any point in 2006; and (3) provide protection from loss of employment-based retiree health coverage upon enrollment for Medicare prescription drug benefit, including a Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug benefit, during 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2005
Pandemic Preparedness and Response Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the President to appoint a National Director of Pandemic Preparedness and Response to strengthen, expand, and coordinate domestic pandemic influenza preparedness activities. Establishes the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Policy Coordinating Committee to develop an Interagency Preparedness Plan. Requires states to have an approved state preparedness plan as a condition of receiving certain funds related to bioterrorism. Provides for the integration and coordination of public and private influenza surveillance activities. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) procure antivirals, developed vaccines, and essential medications for the Strategic National Stockpile; (2) develop a national system for tracking and distributing antiviral medications and vaccines; and (3) assist other counties in preparation for, and response to, pandemic influenza. Provides for the expansion and intensification of influenza research. Directs the Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine to study topics related to the pandemic influenza. Establishes the National Pandemic Influenza Economics Advisory Committee. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to expand and intensify efforts to prevent pandemic influenza. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) enter into contracts with manufacturers to produce additional necessary doses of the influenza vaccine; and (2) develop a national plan for responding to potential influenza vaccine shortages. Sets forth prohibitions against charging excessive prices during a public health emergency for, reporting false pricing information to the Secretary about, or employing a manipulative or deceptive device or contrivance in connection with the purchase or sale of, drugs, devices, or biologics for the prevention or treatment of influenza at wholesale.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2005
Small Business Hurricane Relief and Reconstruction Act of 2005 - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make loans of up to $10 million aggregate to a nonprofit organization located or operating in a disaster area (as designated by the President as a result of Hurricane Katrina or Rita) or providing services to persons who have evacuated from a disaster area. Defers disaster loan payments to the later of one year after the date of enactment of this Act or one year from the date of issuance of the loan (but allows the Administrator to extend such deferral until two years after either date). Authorizes the refinancing of any loan or business debt related to such disasters that was outstanding on August 24, 2005. Authorizes the Administrator to make loans to small businesses or cooperatives that demonstrate a direct adverse economic impact caused by either Hurricane Katrina or Rita. Authorizes the Administrator to make loans to small businesses that have or are likely to suffer substantial economic injury on or after August 24, 2005, as the result of a significant increase in the price of heating oil, natural gas, propane, or kerosene. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize such loans for farms that are also a small business and that suffer substantial economic injury after such date as the result of a significant increase in energy or input costs. Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) make supplemental emergency loans to small businesses located anywhere in the United States that are directly adversely affected by Hurricane Katrina or Rita; and (2) guarantee timely payment on any debentures issued by small business development companies after Hurricane Katrina or Rita. Increases authorized funding for small business loan programs. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Commerce for grants to state government agencies in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Florida, for relief from damages caused by Hurricane Katrina or Rita. Authorizes appropriations to the SBA for specified small business development and counseling activities. Directs or authorizes the Administrator, with respect to small businesses affected by Hurricane Katrina or Rita, to: (1) establish a contracting outreach and technical assistance program; (2) provide performance bonding; and (3) increase the goal of participation in federal prime contracts and subcontracts.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2005
Medicare Do Not Call Act - Prohibits a Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) sponsor offering a prescription drug plan from conducting outbound call telemarketing to solicit enrollment into such a plan. Amends title XI of the Social Security Act to provide for criminal penalties for fraudulent telemarketing acts or practices. Provides for increased funding for state health insurance counseling and assistance programs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to inform individuals eligible for benefits under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act of the availability and confidentality of the hotline maintained by the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services for the reporting of fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2005
Pension Security and Transparency Act of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to establish new minimum funding standards for single-employer and multiemployer defined benefit pension plans. Limits benefits under underfunded plans. Establishes additional funding rules for multiemployer plans in endangered or critical status. Requires measures to forestall insolvency. Revises deduction limits for such plans. Revises deduction rules for combinations of defined contribution plans and defined benefit plans. Sets forth interest rate assumptions for determining lump sum distributions and for applying benefit limitations to such distributions. Increases certain premiums to be paid to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Provides for phasing-in increases of: (1) the annual flat-rate premium paid by all single-employer plans; and (2) the additional risk-based premium, which is to be paid by all underfunded plans. Limits PBGC guarantee of shutdown benefits and other unpredictable contingent event benefits under single employer plans. Revises requirements for defined benefit plan funding notices. Requires additional disclosures in annual reports and to plan participants and beneficiaries. Provides that defined benefit pension plans, including hybrid plans such as cash balance plans, may be deemed nondiscriminatory as to age if they comply with certain requirements, in cases of reduction in accrued benefits because of attainment of any age. Requires defined contribution plans to allow employees to divest employer stock and diversify their pension asset investments. Provides that defined benefit pension plans, including hybrid plans such as cash balance plans, may be deemed nondiscriminatory as to age if they comply with certain requirements, in cases of reduction in accrued benefits because of attainment of any age. Sets forth participant protections, including diversification rights, under defined contribution plans. Revises requirements relating to: (1) portability and distribution rules; (2) information, including investment advice and retirement planning, to assist pension plan participants; (3) spousal pension protection under ERISA and the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974; (4) employee plans compliance resolution systems; (5) governmental and tribal pension plans; (6) black lung disability trust funds; (7) treatment of death benefits from corporate-owned life insurance; and (8) compensation and pensions of Tax Court judges.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2005
Downed Animal Protection Act - States that it is U.S. policy that all nonambulatory livestock in interstate and foreign commerce be immediately and humanely euthanized when such livestock become nonambulatory. Amends the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act of 1958 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate regulations providing for the humane treatment, handling, and disposition of nonambulatory livestock by a covered entity, including a requirement that nonambulatory livestock be humanely euthanized. Requires an entity to: (1) humanely euthanize nonambulatory livestock (while not limiting the Secretary's ability to test nonambulatory livestock for disease, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy); and (2) not move nonambulatory livestock while such livestock is conscious, and ensure that such livestock remains unconscious until death. Prohibits an inspector at an establishment covered by the Federal Meat Inspection Act to pass nonambulatory livestock, carcass, or carcass parts through inspection. Requires an inspector or other employee at such establishment to label such material as "inspected and condemned." Defines "covered entity," "nonambulatory livestock," and "humanely euthanize."
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2005
Recognizes the contributions of Sandra Feldman to public education. Mourns her death and expresses condolences to those who knew and loved her.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2005
Katrina Worker Safety and Filing Flexibility Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of Congress with respect to the safety of workers in Hurricane Katrina-related response and recovery activities, and maintenance of records on such workers. Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for necessary communications including public service announcements, additional personnel, safety standards enforcement, and health and safety training and resources for affected workers and employers. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the OSHA Administrator to give a briefing to specified congressional committees on progress towards providing necessary personnel for such enforcement and training, and on coordination with other federal agencies. Extends annual financial report deadlines under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act for unions or employers in the Hurricane Katrina disaster area. Directs the DOL Inspector General to audit, investigate, and report on each of the DOL programs that includes Hurricane Katrina-related response and recovery activities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2005
Public Health and Health Insurance Emergency Response Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to modify certain requirements during a declared public health emergency, including by: (1) extending deadlines for administrative reporting; (2) waiving matching funds requirements; and (3) waiving health care professionals' licensing requirements. Allows the Secretary to: (1) extend temporary assistance in meeting health emergencies to 18 months (currently, such assistance is limited to six months); and (2) temporarily provide reimbursements (at the same rate provided to qualified health centers) to any health center or facility providing primary and preventive care that treats individuals displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Amends the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 to provide, in the event of a major disaster and declared public health emergency, for the establishment of a registry to identify and maintain information about individuals with disabilities in emergency shelters and assure that such individuals are receiving necessary services and support. Requires the Secretary to provide for an immediate and independent review of the lessons learned from the federal, state, and local public health, mental health, and medical care planning and preparedness for, and response to, Hurricane Katrina. Requires the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct an audit and investigation of Hurricane Katrina related programs of HHS. Requires the Secretary to establish a program to provide emergency health coverage continuation relief through the provision of direct payments of health insurance premiums on behalf of eligible businesses and their employees and purchasers of individual health insurance coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2005
Community Services Disaster Assistance Act of 2005 - Provides that a state that receives a payment or allotment under the Community Services Block Grant Act (CSBGA) may use not more than 1% of the portion of the block grant payment or allotment available for expenditure to transfer funds to Louisana, Mississippi, or Alabama. Requires a state that receives such funds to use them to make community services grants, or carry out related activities. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to waive income limitations on eligibility to receive CSBGA assistance for any area in which the President has determined that an emerency, or a major disaster exists, related to Hurricane Katrina, for the purpose of assisting individuals who resided in such an area on August 22, 2005. Provides that an eligible entity or a state lead agency may send an employee who receives compensation under CSBGA to such an area to provide disaster assistance. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) federal law permits the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to utilize eligible entities to provide emergency assistance under CSBGA; and (2) FEMA should make this emergency assistance available to such entities immediately.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2005
Fair Wages for Hurricane Katrina Recovery Workers Act - Reinstates the application of the wage requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act to all federal contracts in counties affected by Hurricane Katrina, notwithstanding the President's proclamation dated September 8, 2005, or any other provision of law.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2005
Recognizes the life and accomplishments of Simon Wiesenthal, who spent more than 50 years helping to bring Nazi war criminals to justice.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2005
Energy Emergency Consumer Protection Act of 2005 - States that during any presidentially-declared energy emergency it is unlawful to sell crude oil, gasoline, or petroleum distillates in, or for use in, the area involved at a price that: (1) is unconscionably excessive; or (2) indicates the seller is taking unfair advantage of the circumstances to increase prices unreasonably. Makes it unlawful to: (1) report to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) false or misleading data and information regarding the wholesale price of crude oil, gasoline, or petroleum distillates; or (2) use or employ, in connection with the purchase or sale of crude oil, gasoline, or petroleum distillates at wholesale, any manipulative or deceptive device or contrivance, in contravention of FTC-prescribed rules and regulations. Authorizes the President to declare a federal energy emergency if the health, safety, welfare, or economic well-being of American citizens is at risk because there exists either: (1) an actual or imminent shortage of adequate supplies of crude oil, gasoline, or petroleum distillates due to a disruption in the national distribution system; or (2) significant pricing anomalies in national energy markets for such products. Empowers the FTC and state attorneys general to enforce this Act. Prescribes maximum civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Instructs the FTC to: (1) facilitate price transparency in wholesale crude oil and petroleum product markets; and (2) conclude a memorandum of understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and other appropriate agencies relating to information sharing. Instructs the Comptroller General to investigate periodically the extent to which major oil companies and automobile manufacturers have invested in alternative fuels production, infrastructure, and technology development. Directs the National Academy of Sciences to review expenditures and activities by major U.S. companies to protect the energy supply system from terrorist attacks, international supply disruptions, and natural disasters, and ensure a stable and reasonably priced supply of such products to consumers.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a requirement that U.S. citizens obtain photo identification cards before being able to vote has not been shown to ensure ballot integrity and places an undue burden on citizens' legitimate voting rights; (2) the Department of Justice should vigorously enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and challenge any state law that limits a citizen's ability to vote based on discriminatory photo identification requirements; and (3) any effort to impose national photo identification requirements for voting should be rejected.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2005
National Heritage Area Extension Act of 2005 - Amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to: (1) extend to September 30, 2027, the authorization for making grants or providing assistance with respect to the National Coal Heritage Area, Tennessee Civil War Heritage Area, Augusta Canal National Heritage Area, Steel Industry American Heritage Area, Essex National Heritage Area, South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, America's Agricultural Partnership, Ohio & Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor (redesignated by this Act as the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway), and Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area; and (2) increase the amount authorized to be appropriated for such areas. Adds Lincoln County, West Virginia, and Paint Creek and Cabin Creek in Kanawha County, West Virginia, to the National Coal Heritage Area. Requires, with respect to such Area, the Secretary of the Interior to continue a certain contractual agreement with the National Coal Heritage Area Authority rather than the Governor of West Virginia. Adds Berkeley County, South Carolina, to the South Carolina Heritage Area. Reauthorizes appropriations for the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route. Directs the Secretary to prepare a strategic plan for the Route. Adds six members to the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission. Requires the Commission to update the Corridor plan. Mississippi River National Heritage Area Act - Establishes the Mississippi River National Heritage Area. Provides authorities and duties of the management entity for such Area, including development of an Area management plan.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2005
Hurricane Katrina Employment and Training Assistance Act - Allows national emergency grant funds to states under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) for addressing the effects of Hurricane Katrina (HK) to be used to provide disaster relief employment on projects that provide assistance in areas outside of the HK-disaster area. Allows such funds to be used to provide disaster relief employment and other WIA assistance, or temporary general public sector employment, to HK-affected individuals, including those who have relocated from states in the disaster area, who were unemployed at the time of the disaster, or who are without employment history, in addition those who meet WIA eligibility requirements. Limits such general public sector employment to not more than six months in addition to such disaster relief employment. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor, however, to extend the duration of employment under this Act and WIA for up to an additional six months due to extraordinary circumstances. Directs the Secretary, in awarding WIA national emergency grants for disaster relief employment, to give priority: (1) first, to states with major disaster areas; and (2) second, to the remaining states that have been most heavily impacted by the demand for services by HK-affected workers. Prohibits an entity that is providing such disaster relief employment from denying such employment because of an HK-affected worker's inability, due to HK's effects, to provide documentation of eligibility. Allows any state, with the Secretary's approval, to use available WIA national emergency grant funds to assist HK-affected workers, including those who have relocated from states in the HK-disaster area. Authorizes the Secretary to award a WIA national emergency grant for employment and training assistance (ETA) for dislocated workers to an eligible entity to provide ETA to HK-affected workers, including workers who have relocated from HK-disaster areas. (Sec. 3) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) states operating one-stop centers should make them available for use in HK-affected areas and areas where large numbers of HK's victims have been relocated; and (2) one-stop operators should increase access for HK-affected individuals, including through expanded operational hours and on-site services for those in temporary housing locations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2005
Working Waterfront Preservation Act of 2005 - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to award a grant to a state or local government of a coastal state, a nonprofit organization, or a fishing cooperative for projects to: (1) acquire real property in a coastal state to provide access to commercial fishermen or persons in the aquaculture industry to coastal waters in working waterfront areas; or (2) make improvements to real property owned by an eligible entity in a coastal state to provide access to such persons to coastal waters in working waterfront areas.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2005
Provides assistance for students, educational institutions, and individuals with disabilities affected by Hurricane Katrina (HK). Encourages the Secretary of Education (ED) to exercise waiver authority and other actions on behalf of HK-affected states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and schools under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Authorizes ED to: (1) make grants to LEAs for supplemental educational services or additional programs and activities for HK-displaced or -affected students; (2) make payments to LEAs in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to restart operations at schools in HK-disaster areas; and (3) delay applicability of ESEA teacher qualification requirements to Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi and their LEAs due to exceptional or uncontrollable circumstances. Allows any LEA to provide reciprocity for HK-displaced teachers and paraprofessionals. Directs ED to: (1) use the 2004-2005 child count for 2006-2007 funding under ESEA and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) if the LEA serves a school in an HK-disaster area and has a net loss of students; (2) make payments to LEAs to improve instruction of HK-displaced students (if the LEA does not count such students for ESEA and IDEA funding); and (3) assist LEAs serving HK-displaced homeless children and youths. Provides for waiver authority by ED and suspends application of certain student aid requirements under the Higher Education Act of 1965, with respect to HK-affected students or educational institutions, including provisions for: grant assistance repayment, loan deferments, loan limits, work-study, grant uses, and distance education. Directs ED, with respect to HK-affected children with disabilities, to: (1) use 2004-2005 numbers for IDEA funding of sending states; and (2) provide funds to receiving LEAs to provide early intervention services. Directs ED, in reallocating funds under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to give preference to affected states that contain HK-disaster areas or that received a significant number of individuals from such areas. Allows affected states to apply for waivers of nonfederal share requirements and use reallocated funds for apprenticeship programs for individuals with disabilities to participate in reconstruction or other major disaster assistance activities in areas where they lived on August 22, 2005. Allows affected states to apply to use certain grant funds under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 to enable HK-affected individuals with disabilities to replace damaged or lost assistive technology devices. Authorizes ED to make grants to enable affected states to carry out such replacement programs. Requires an audit of each ED program that includes HK-related response and recovery activities. Child Care Disaster Assistance Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) waive, for HK-disaster areas, specified provisions of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 in order to provide child care services to orphaned children or displaced families; and (2) provide technical assistance and guidance to providers of child care services to such children and families. Directs HHS to: (1) waive income eligibility and documentation requirements for HK-affected children in programs under the Head Start Act; and (2) provide technical assistance, guidance, and resources for Head Start agencies serving such children.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2005
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to take appropriate actions to ensure that each state, in its Homeland Security Strategy or other homeland security plan, provides detailed and comprehensive information regarding its pre-disaster and post-disaster plans for the evacuation of individuals with special needs in emergencies that would warrant their evacuation.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2005
National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to waive requirements for awarding breast and cervical cancer grants to states if certain conditions are met, including that the Secretary finds that granting such a waiver will not reduce the number of women in the state receiving examinations and screening for breast and cervical cancers nor the quality of such services. Provides that such waivers are for two-year periods. Requires the Secretary to review performance under the waiver and allows the Secretary to extend such waivers. Authorizes appropriations for such grants through FY2011.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2005
Hurricane Katrina Bankruptcy Relief and Community Protection Act of 2005 - Applies the provisions of federal bankruptcy law, as in effect on August 29, 2005, to any case commenced (except under chapter 12) during the 12-month period beginning on October 17, 2005, (the effective date of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA)) by a debtor: (1) who on August 29, 2005, resided in any area declared by the President as a major disaster related to Hurricane Katrina; and (2) whose financial condition is materially adversely affected by such disaster. Authorizes the bankruptcy court to extend statutory deadlines governing debtor's submission of specified financial documentation if the debtor's status as a victim of a natural disaster necessitates such extension. Expands debtor's non-abusive monthly expenses to include actual reasonably necessary expenses incurred as a result of being a victim of a natural disaster. States that if the debtor is a victim of a natural disaster: (1) the presumption of bankruptcy abuse is inapplicable; and (2) the court may not dismiss or convert the case for either an individual (Chapter 7) or a business debtor (Chapter 11). Authorizes the court to grant an extension of time to comply with bankruptcy deadlines if it finds that: (1) it is warranted by a natural disaster in the case of a small business debtor; and (2) the debtor's status as a victim of a natural disaster necessitates such extension in the case of a chapter 13 debtor capable of making periodic payments. Amends the federal judicial code to permit a case in bankruptcy to be commenced in the district court for the district in which a person who is the victim of a natural disaster resides.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2005
Katrina Emergency Relief Act of 2005 - Temporary Medicaid Disaster Relief Act of 2005 - Allows states to provide medical assistance to Hurricane Katrina survivors under a state Medicaid plan without regard to eligibility requirements. Provides for grants to local educational agencies and states with a large influx of displaced students due to Hurricane Katrina. Requires the Secretary of Education to: (1) authorize higher education institutions to waive federal financial aid requirements for students affected by Hurricane Katrina; and (2) make payments to institutions for financial aid for such students. Helping to House the Victims of Hurricane Katrina Act of 2005 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide temporary rental assistance to individuals and families affected by Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Emergency Limitation on Payments (HELP) Act of 2005 - Prohibits certain penalties against a person affected by Hurricane Katrina for failing to make timely payments on a federal financial obligation. Allows the President to provide mortgage or rental payments to people affected by Hurricane Katrina. Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to require the President to provide appropriate benefit assistance to any individual unemployed as a result of a major disaster. Provides tax relief to taxpayers affected by Hurricane Katrina, including disregarding a specified period in determining the tax liability of such taxpayers and excluding certain withdrawals from retirement plans from gross income. Hurricane Katrina Food Assistance Relief Act of 2005 - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to provide expedited and increased food stamp benefits for households in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. Delays the changes to bankruptcy law for residents of a declared major disaster area in connection with Hurricane Katrina.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2005
September 11 Family Humanitarian Relief and Patriotism Act - Provides permanent resident status adjustment for a requesting alien who was on September 10, 2001, the wife, child, or dependent son or daughter of a lawful nonimmigrant alien who died as a result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States. Authorizes an alien who has been ordered excluded, deported, removed, or ordered to depart voluntarily from the United States to apply for such status adjustment. Provides for cancellation of removal and permanent resident status adjustment for a requesting alien who was: (1) on September 10, 2001, the wife, child, or dependent son or daughter of an alien who died as a result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States; and (2) deemed to be a beneficiary of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Makes the provisions of this Act inapplicable to an alien who is: (1) inadmissible or deportable under criminal or security grounds, including September 11, 2001, terrorist activity; or (2) a family member of such an alien.