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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 · 7 September 2005
Acknowledges Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist's lifelong service to the United States. Commends his 33-year tenure on the U.S. Supreme Court and his many accomplishments as Chief Justice. Extends sympathy to his family and friends.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2005
Permits a Senator or employee of the Senate to: (1) solicit another Senator or employee of the Senate within Senate buildings for nonmonetary donations for the relief of victims of Hurricane Katrina; and (2) work with a nonprofit organization with respect to the delivery of such donations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2005
Higher Education Amendments of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise and reauthorize various programs. Revises the definition of institution of higher education to eliminate a restriction on distance education in terms of relative number of courses an institution may offer by telecommunications, and relative number of students enrolled in such courses, for purposes of student assistance program eligibility (the 50 percent rule). Establishes a provisional grant assistance program (ProGAP) for students most in need of assistance, and reserves a portion of such program funds for national science and mathematics access to retain talent (SMART) grants for third and fourth year students of mathematics, science, technology, engineering, or critical foreign languages. Increases Pell grant maximums, allows year-round grants, and eliminates tuition-sensitivity. Eliminates programs of 21st Century Scholar Certificates, Academic Achievement Incentive Scholarships, and Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships. Revises HEA title IV need analysis and general provisions for student assistance, including forms. Requires an early financial aid information system and a college access initiative. Raises certain student loan limits. Revises parent loan interest rates. Provides for recapture of excess interest with respect to special allowance payments to lenders. Reduces lender insurance reimbursement rates. Requires guaranty agencies to deposit loan origination fees in a federal fund. Provides for student loan repayment deferment for military service in a combat zone. Prohibits guaranty agencies from: (1) having consolidation lending as an excessive proportion of their recoveries on defaulted loans; and (2) charging excessive collection costs on such consolidation loans. Repeals a single holder rule for consolidation loans. Provides for: (1) a school as lender moratorium; (2) income contingent repayment for public sector employees; (3) an increased income protection allowance for dependent students; (4) a simplified need test; and (5) an increased ceiling for automatic-zero eligibility. Reauthorizes appropriations for: (1) teacher quality enhancement grants for states and partnerships, grants for preparing teachers to use technology, and new centers of excellence for recruiting and preparing teachers; (2) grants for American Indian tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and historically Black colleges and universities; (3) student assistance; (4) developing institutions grants for Hispanic-serving institutions, and new grants for graduate programs at such institutions; (5) international education programs; and (6) graduate and postsecondary improvement programs. Establishes programs relating to: (1) mathematics and science scholars; (2) postsecondary education assessment; (3) job skill training in high-growth occupations or industries; (4) student retention and articulation agreements; (5) knowledge of American history, free institutions, and Western civilization; (6) Teach for America, the national teacher corps; (7) Patsy T. Mink graduate fellowships; and (8) college enrollment rates of secondary schools. Amends the Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act of 2004 to make permanent: (1) a reduction of special allowance payments for loans from the proceeds of tax exempt issues; and (2) expanded student loan forgiveness for special education teachers in elementary and secondary schools and mathematics and science teachers in secondary schools. Reauthorizes appropriations for various programs under the Education of the Deaf Act of 1986 and the Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act of 1978. Repeals certain programs under the Higher Education Amendments of 1998. Navajo Nation Higher Education Act of 2005 - Reauthorizes appropriations for the Navajo Community College Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2005
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2008, the duty on gemifloxacin, gemifloxacin mesylate, and gemifloxacin mesylate sesquihydrate.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2005
Lowell National Historical Park Boundary Adjustment Act - Modifies the boundary of the Lowell National Historical Park to include certain properties in the City of Lowell, Massachusetts.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2005
Declares that the Senate: (1) expresses the condolences of the Nation to the victims of Hurricane Katrina; (2) commends the resiliency and courage of the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama; and (3) commits to provide the necessary resources and to stand by the people of such states in the relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act - FamilyCare Act of 2005 - Renames title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act as the FamilyCare Program and extends coverage to certain low-income adults. Establishes the National Commission for Expanded Access to Health Care. Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide limited English proficient individuals with improved access to health care, including by establishing the Center for Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Healthcare. Provides for activities regarding: (1) health workforce diversity; (2) disparities in health and health care experienced by indigenous, racial, and ethnic minorities; and (3) data collection, analysis, and reporting by race, ethnicity, and primary language. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish: (1) the Office of Health Disparities within the Office of Civil Rights to prevent discrimination in federal programs; and (2) the Office of Minority Affairs within the Office of the Commissioner of Food and Drugs. Restablishes the Indian Health Service as an agency of the Public Health Service to be administered by an Assistant Secretary of Indian Health. Minority Health and Genomics Act of 2005 - Establishes the Minority Health and Genomics Commission to study issues relating to genomics research as applied to minority groups. Establishes the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice and the Federal Environmental Justice Advisory Committee. Sets forth programs designed to improve the quality of and access to health care for minorities, including by establishing the Health Safety Net Infrastructure Trust Fund. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) the Annie Dodge Wauneka and Susan Laflesche-Picotte Native American Health and Wellness Foundation; and (2) a Joint Working Group on Telehealth. Authorizes integrative eldercare, American Indian and Alaska Native, and oral health telehealth demonstration projects.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Employer Work Incentive Act for Individuals with Severe Disabilities - Amends the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act to require the head of an executive agency, in entering into a contract, to give preference in the source selection process to each offeror that submits with its offer a written pledge that the contractor is an eligible business. Defines an eligible business as a nonprofit or for-profit business entity that: (1) has established an integrated employment setting; (2) on average employs individuals with severe disabilities in not less than 25% of the full-time equivalent positions; (3) pays wages to each of the individuals with severe disabilities at not less than the applicable rate under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA), regardless of whether the individuals are engaged in supported employment or training under a contract with an executive agency or a program that receives federal funds, and does not employ any individual with a severe disability pursuant to a special certification issued under FLSA; and (4) makes contributions for at least 50% of the total cost of the annual premiums for health insurance coverage for its employees. Requires: (1) the Federal Acquisition Regulation to set forth the pledge that is to be used in the administration of this Act; and (2) the Secretary to maintain on the Department of Labor's Internet website a list of contractors that have submitted the pledge.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Solid Waste Environmental Regulation Clarification Affecting Railroads Act of 2005 - Excludes solid waste management facilities and the processing or sorting of solid waste from the jurisdiction of the Surface Transportation Board.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Observes and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Reaffirms the Senate's commitment to advancing the legacy of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to ensure the continued effectiveness of the Act in protecting the voting rights of all citizens of the United States. Encourages the people of the United States to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) for the past 40 years, Medicare has made significant medical, social, and economic contributions to our Nation; (2) the access to care provided by Medicare has changed the course of health outcomes for the elderly and those with disabilities preventing phsical deterioration and preventing more individuals from slipping into poverty; and (3) Congress must continue to support, strengthen, and enhance the quality of care in this vital federal health insurance program that guarantees all Medicare beneficiaries affordable health care that meets their needs.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) over the past four decades Medicaid has been a core component of the American health system; (2) Medicaid has ensured that the vast majority of Medicaid beneficiaries did not join the ranks of the current 45 million Americans with no health insurance; and (3) Congress must continue and strengthen the state-federal partnership that provides this vital health insurance program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Medical Malpractice Insurance Antitrust Act of 2005 - Provides that: (1) nothing in the McCarran-Ferguson Act shall be construed to permit commercial insurers to engage in any form of price fixing, bid rigging, or market allocations in connection with the conduct of the business of providing medical malpractice insurance; and (2) such provision shall not apply to the information gathering and rate setting activities of any state insurance commissions or any other state regulatory body with authority to set insurance rates.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Loan Manageability for Armed Forces in Higher Education Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to provide certain members of the Armed Forces with a deferment of all student loan repayments under HEA title IV during the period of service and for six months after (with principal payments suspended, and accruing interest paid by the Secretary of Education). Requires any institution of higher education that participates in a title IV program to offer an option to reenroll when such service is completed to any student who is enrolled at the time such service begins. Makes eligible, for such deferment and option, members of: (1) the Armed Forces serving in a combat operation or combat zone; or (2) a reserve component of the Armed Forces serving pursuant to a call or order to active duty for a period of more than 30 days.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Vaccine Access and Supply Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) negotiate with producers of the influenza vaccine and other periodic-change vaccines to reach an agreement on the number of doses of the vaccine that each producer will manufacturer for the season; (2) purchase 50% of such a manufacturer's doses that are unsold for the season for the average sales price; and (3) establish a program for the distribution of qualified adult vaccine through states for providers to administer to eligible adults without charge to the state, providers, or eligible adults. Requires each manufacturer or distributor of an approved vaccine to provide the Secretary with the location of vaccine supplies if the Secretary declares there is a shortage of the vaccine that constitutes a public health emergency. Requires the Secretary to develop: (1) a response to potential vaccine supply shortages; and (2) a program to promote immunizations with federally recommended vaccines among the adult population. Requires a manufacturer of an approved vaccine to notify the Secretary 12 months prior to discontinuing manufacture of the vaccine, with exceptions. Requires the Secretary to submit a plan to Congress to facilitate the participation of manufacturers in maintaining a six-month supply of pediatric vaccines. Amends Title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to prohibit a provider from imposing a copayment, cost sharing charge, or similar charge for administering to an eligible individual a vaccine that is included on the recommended vaccine schedule for adults.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2005
Human Cloning Ban Act of 2005 - Prohibits any person or private or public legal entity from: (1) conducting or attempting to conduct human cloning; (2) shipping the product of nuclear transplantation in interstate or foreign commerce for the purpose of human cloning; or (3) exporting to a foreign country an unfertilized blastocyst if such country does not prohibit human cloning. Sets forth criminal and civil penalties for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2005
Grants a federal charter to the Korean War Veterans Association, Incorporated (a nonprofit corporation incorporated under the laws of New York).
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2005
Recognizes and honors the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and salutes all people whose efforts contributed to its enactment. Encourages all Americans to celebrate the advance of freedom and the opening of opportunity made possible by its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2005
Commercial Fishermen Safety Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow commercial fishermen a business tax credit for up to 75 percent of the cost of certain fishing safety equipment. Limits the annual amount of such credit to $1,500.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2005
Honors the life and legacy of Constantino Brumidi, artist and patriot. Recognizes Brumidi's many contributions to the world of art as well as to the United States, as reflected in his work in the U.S. Capitol Building.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2005
Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2005 - Sets forth the sense of Congress with respect to the situation in Darfur, Sudan, including the sense of Congress that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur are genocide. Amends the Comprehensive Peace in Sudan Act of 2004 to direct the President, with waiver authority including congressional notification, to block the assets and deny visas and entry to any individual (and family member) responsible for acts of genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity in Sudan. Authorizes the President to provide assistance to reinforce the deployment and operations of an expanded African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). Directs the President to instruct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to advocate NATO reinforcement of AMIS, upon request of the African Union. Directs the President to deny the government of Sudan access to oil revenues, including by prohibiting U.S. entry to cargo ships or oil tankers engaged in the oil sector of Sudan or involved in the shipment of goods for use by the armed forces of Sudan in order to ensure that the government of Sudan does not utilize any oil revenues to acquire offensive military equipment or to finance offensive military activities. (Exempts from such restriction ships or tankers involved in an internationally-recognized demobilization program or the shipment of non-lethal assistance necessary to carry the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for Sudan.) Prohibits, with waiver authority, U.S. assistance to a country in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1556 and 1591(embargo on military assistance to Sudan). Directs the President to instruct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations to urge the adoption of a Security Council resolution supporting AMIS' expansion.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2005
Expresses support for the missions and goals of the American Academy of Pediatrics on its 75th anniversary.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2005
Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act - Authorizes the President to award a medal to be known as the "Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Congressional Medal," to the personal representative or next of kin of individuals killed as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in recognition of their sacrifice and to honor their deaths. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike three medals, to be representative of and in honor of, respectively: (1) victims of the attack at the World Trade Center, including civilians, public safety officers, emergency workers, and hijack victims; (2) victims aboard United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania; and (3) victims at the Pentagon, including the hijack victims. Declares eligible for such medal any individual who died on or after September 11, 2001, as a direct result of that act of terrorism within the United States. States the medals are national medals.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2005
Wired for Health Care Quality Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology to develop a nationwide interoperable health information technology infrastructure. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish the public-private American Health Information Collaborative to recommend uniform policies to support the widespread adoption of health information technology; and (2) adopt recommended modifications to standards for the electronic exchange of health information. Prohibits any federal agency from expending federal funds to purchase health information technology that is inconsistent with adopted standards and requires all federal agencies collecting health data to comply with such standards. Requires the Secretary to develop criteria to: (1) ensure uniform and consistent implementation of any standards voluntarily adopted by private entities; and (2) ensure and certify hardware, software, and support services compliance with adopted standards. Allows the Secretary to award grants to: (1) facilitate the purchase and enhance the utilization of qualified health information technology systems; (2) implement regional or local health information plans; and (3) develop academic programs integrating qualified health information technology systems in the clinical education of health professionals. Requires the heads of specified federal agencies to develop a system to measure the quality of care patients receive. Requires the Secretary to: (1) adopt and utilize such system; (2) disseminate recommendations and best practices derived from the analysis of quality measures; and (3) study methods to create efficient reimbursement incentives for improving health care quality. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ), to develop a Center for Best Practices to provide technical assistance and develop best practices to support and accelerate efforts to adopt, implement, and effectively use interoperable health information technology. Reauthorizes appropriations for grants to reduce statutory and regulatory barriers to telemedicine.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2005
Medical Device User Fee Stabilization Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to adjust the formula for setting medical device user fees (e.g., premarket application, premarket report, supplement, and submission fees). Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to grant a waiver of premarket approval fees for small businesses with $75,000,000 (currently, $30,000,000) or less of gross receipts or sales. Deems as misbranded any reprocessed single-use device unless it identifies the manufacturer. Allows the Secretary to waive such identification requirement if compliance: (1) is not feasible due to the device's physical characteristics; or (2) would compromise the provision of reasonable assurance of the device's safety or effectiveness.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2005
John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Requires the John. H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission to update the Cultural Heritage and Land Management Plan for the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. Terminates the Commission ten years after this Act's enactment. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of sites and associated landscape features within the boundaries of the Corridor that contribute to the understanding of the Corridor as the birthplace of the industrial revolution in the United States, and evaluate the possibility of: (1) designating one or more site or landscape feature as a unit of the National Park System; and (2) coordinating and complementing actions by the Commission, local governments, and state and federal agencies in the preservation and interpretation of significant resources within the Corridor.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2005
Child, Worker, and Consumer-Safe Chemicals Act of 2005 or the Kid Safe Chemicals Act - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to require each manufacturer of a chemical substance distributed in commerce to submit to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): (1) a statement certifying that the manufacturer's chemical substance meets required safety standards or there is insufficient data to make such determination; and (2) all reasonably available information concerning the chemical substance not previously submitted. Requires manufacturers to update such information at least every three years or at any time new information becomes available on the toxicity of a chemical substance. Prohibits the manufacture of a chemical substance if the Administrator: (1) determines that the manufacturer has failed to comply with this Act or that the substance does not meet applicable safety standards; or (2) has not made a safety determination for such substance within a specified time period. Requires the Administrator to: (1) develop a priority list for making safety determinations of at least 300 chemical substances, giving highest priority to substances posing the greatest risk to humans; (2) determine whether a manufacturer has established that its priority list substances meet applicable safety standards; (3) implement animal testing alternatives; (4) create market incentives for the development of safer alternatives to existing chemical substances; (5) establish an Interagency Science Advisory Board on Children's Health and Toxic Substances; (6) cooperate with international efforts to monitor chemical substances; and (7) create a database to share information on the toxicity and use of chemical substances and provide public access to such data.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2005
Fair Treatment and Due Process Protection Act of 2005 - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require a state to which a family assistance grant is made to provide appropriate interpretation and translation services to individuals who lack English proficiency if the number or percentage of persons lacking English proficiency meets certain standards. Provides for a reduced family assistance grant as a penalty for states failing to provide such services. Requires a pre-sanction review process. Provides for a similar penalty for states not following such process. Revises data collection and reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) conduct longitudinal studies of a representative sample of families that receive TANF assistance; and (2) ensure that public disclosure with respect to any information concerning TANF recipients or applicants is made in a manner that protects their privacy.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2005
Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a geography education grant program under title II, Teacher Quality Enhancement. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to a national nonprofit education organization or consortium, with 75% to be used for subgrants to institutions of higher education associated with state geographic alliances, nonprofit educational organizations, or state or local educational agencies. Requires various grantee and subgrantee activities designed to expand geographic literacy among kindergarten through grade 12 students by improving their teachers' professional development programs offered through institutions of higher education. Includes among such activities state-based conferences to assess geographic literacy and identify improvement strategies.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2005
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Gaylord A. Nelson, a former member of the United States Senate from Wisconsin. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on July 11, 2005, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Nelson.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2005
Declares that the Senate: (1) expresses deepest sympathies and condolences to the people of the United Kingdom and the victims and their families for the heinous terrorist attacks that occurred in London on July 7, 2005; (2) condemns these barbaric and unwarranted attacks on the innocent people of London; (3) expresses strong and continued solidarity with the people of the United Kingdom and pledges to remain shoulder-to-shoulder with them to bring the terrorists responsible for these brutal attacks to justice; and (4) calls upon the international community to renew and strengthen efforts to defeat terrorists by dismantling terrorist networks and exposing the violent and nihilistic ideology of terrorism, increase international cooperation to advance personal and religious freedoms, ethnic and racial tolerance, political liberty and pluralism, and economic prosperity, and combat the social injustice, oppression, poverty, and extremism that breeds terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2005
Recognizes and pays tribute to Sandra Day O'Connor, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Wartime Treatment Study Act - Establishes the Commission on Wartime Treatment of European Americans to review U.S. government wartime treatment (from September 1, 1939, through December 31, 1948) of European Americans and European Latin Americans. Requires the Commission to review: (1) civil liberties violations resulting from enforcement of the Alien Enemies Acts, Presidential Proclamations 2526, 2527, 2655, 2662, Executive Orders 9066 and 9095, and related directives pertaining to the registration, arrest, exclusion, internment, exchange, or deportation of European Americans and European Latin Americans; (2) U.S. government actions against European Americans under the Alien Enemies Acts and Executive Order 9066, including registration requirements, travel and property restrictions, internment, and forced abandonment of property; (3) participation by European Americans in the U.S. Armed Forces; and (4) appropriate remedies, including future protection of civil liberties during wartime. Establishes the Commission on Wartime Treatment of Jewish Refugees to review the U.S. government's refusal to allow entry into the United States of Jewish and other refugees fleeing persecution in Europe. Directs the Commission to include reviews of: (1) the rationale for such refusal, its perceived benefit, and its impact on refugees; and (2) federal refugee policy concerning those fleeing persecution or genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Better Healthcare Through Information Technology Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology to develop a nationwide interoperable health information technology infrastructure. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the public-private American Health Information Collaborative to recommend to the President uniform policies to support the widespread adoption of health information technology and modifications to standards for the electronic exchange of health information. Requires the President to review and, if appropriate, provide for the adoption of such standards. Prohibits any federal agency from expending federal funds to purchase hardware, software, or support services that are inconsistent with adopted standards. Requires all federal agencies collecting health data to comply with the adopted standards. Requires the Secretary to develop criteria to: (1) ensure uniform and consistent implementation of any standards voluntarily adopted by private entities; and (2) ensure and certify hardware, software, and support services compliance with adopted standards. Allows the Secretary to award grants to: (1) facilitate the purchase and enhance the utilization of qualified health information technology systems; and (2) carry out demonstration projects to develop academic programs integrating qualified health information technology systems in the clinical education of health professionals. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop quality measurement systems for the purposes of measuring the quality of care patients receive; and (2) study methods to create efficient reimbursement incentives for improving health care quality. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ), to develop a Center for Best Practices for the effective use health information technology. Allows the Director of AHRQ to establish a demonstration program to award grants or contracts to support health information network planning, implementation, and evaluation activities. Amends the Social Security Act to allow physicians to receive financial support regarding the electronic exchange of health information.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Improved Workplace and Community Transition Training for Incarcerated Youth Offenders Act of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Education to establish performance objectives and reporting requirements necessary to assess program effectiveness for state correctional education agencies receiving grants for transition training for incarcerated youth offenders. Requires grant applications to describe specific performance objectives and evaluation methods that the state agency will use, including: (1) specific and quantified student outcome measures that are referenced to outcomes for non-program participants with similar demographic characteristics; and (2) measures of program completion, knowledge and skill attainment, attainment of and success in employment, and recidivism. Requires descriptions of how the proposed programs will consider or utilize technology. Directs each state agency receiving a grant to: (1) report annually to the Secretary on the results of the evaluations and additional performance objectives and on evaluation methods as necessary to document the attainment of performance objectives; and (2) expend on each participating eligible student for an academic year not more than the maximum federal Pell grant for such year, which shall be used for tuition, books, essential materials, and related services such as career development, substance abuse counseling, parenting skills training, and health education. Makes youth offenders age 35 (currently, 25) or younger eligible for participation. Allows related services to continue for up to one year after release from confinement.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Wireless 411 Privacy Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit a provider of commercial mobile services, or any affiliate or agent of such provider (provider), from including the wireless telephone number (wireless number) of any subscriber in any wireless directory assistance service (WDAS) database unless the provider: (1) provides a conspicuous, separate notice to the subscriber of the right not be listed in any WDAS; and (2) obtains express prior listing authorization from such subscriber, and that authorization has not been withdrawn. Requires a provider to remove the wireless number of any subscriber from a WDAS upon request of that subscriber and without subscriber cost. Provides limited circumstances under which a provider may connect a calling party from a WDAS to a commercial mobile service subscriber. Prohibits a telecommunications carrier from disclosing in billing information provided to customers wireless numbers of subscribers who have indicated a preference to their provider for not having their wireless number disclosed. Prohibits a provider from publishing (listing) in any form, selling, or otherwise distributing the contents of any WDAS database unless the provider: (1) notifies the subscriber of the right not to be listed; and (2) obtains express prior authorization for listing from such subscriber, and that authorization has not been withdrawn. Prohibits a provider from charging a subscriber for the exercise of any rights under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Medicare Value Purchasing (MVP) Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) to add a new part E (Value-Based Purchasing) under which the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall develop measurement systems to provide value-based payments to: (1) hospitals; (2) physicians and practitioners; (3) health plans; (4) end stage renal disease (ESRD) providers and facilities; and (5) home health agencies. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to study how the Medicare value-based purchasing programs will impact Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare providers, and the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund. Directs the Secretary to establish a program under which value-based payments are provided each fiscal year to hospitals that demonstrate a high quality health care for inpatients entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance). Directs the Secretary to make a value-based payment to a hospital with respect to a fiscal year if the Secretary determines that the quality of the care provided in that year to Medicare inpatients: (1) has substantially improved over the prior year; or (2) exceeds a threshold established by the Secretary. Prescribes a formula for the amount of such value-based payments, ranging from 1% of their Medicare payments for FY2007 by specified increments up to 2% for FY2011 and after. Directs the MEDPAC to study and report to Congress and the Secretary on the advisability and feasibility of establishing Medicare value-based purchasing programs, including ones for prescription drugs and renal dialysis facilities. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a Medicare value-based purchasing demonstration program for critical access hospitals; and (2) a demonstration project to determine the threshold amount of information technology connectivity necessary to improve the ability of rural and frontier physicians and practitioners to collect and use quality of care data. Outlines a Medicare Advantage Plans value-based purchasing program. Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to direct the Secretary to implement a value-based purchasing program for providers and facilities participating in the demonstration of bundled case-mix adjusted payment system for ESRD services. Requires the Secretary to establish chronic kidney disease demonstration projects. Outlines a value-based purchasing program for home health agencies and for skilled nursing facilities. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on appropriate measures to evaluate the quality of health care provided by skilled nursing facilities to Medicare patients. Provides for a national health information network pilot project. Requires the Secretary to study and report to Congress on telehealth and telemedicine.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
ALS Registry Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) develop a system to collect data on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); and (2) establish a national registry for the collection and storage of ALS data. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to establish the Advisory Committee on the National ALS Registry to study and make recommendations to the Secretary concerning: (1) the development and maintenance of the registry; (2) the type of information to be included; (3) the manner in which data is to be collected; (4) the use and availability of such data; and (5) the collection of information about diseases and disorders that primarily affect motor neurons that are considered essential to furthering the study and cure of ALS. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director, to award grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, public or private nonprofit entities for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on ALS. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) identify, build upon, expand, and coordinate among existing data and surveillance systems, surveys, registries, and other federal public health and environmental infrastructure wherever possible; and (2) provide for public access to an electronic national database that accepts data from state registries, health care professionals, and others as recommended by the Advisory Committee in a manner that protects personal privacy. Requires the Secretary to ensure that epidemiological and other types of information is made available to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Authorizes the use of the Capitol rotunda on July 26, 2005, for a ceremony to honor Constantino Brumidi on the 200th anniversary of his birth.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2005
Housing America's Workforce Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a business tax credit for up to 50 percent of the qualified housing expenses paid for the benefit of their employees. Defines "qualified housing expenses" to include homeownership assistance and rental assistance. Limits the amount of such credit to the lesser of $10,000 or six percent of an employee's home purchase price, or up to $2,000 for rental assistance. Excludes from employee gross income the value of employer-paid housing assistance. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to award grants in FY2006-FY2008, on a competitive basis, to nonprofit housing organizations or local governments for certain costs, including operating costs and technical assistance costs, of employer-assisted housing programs. Requires the Secretary to establish a national clearinghouse, including a website, to provide information about employer-assisted housing programs to federal, state, and local governments and other interested entities. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a national evaluation of employer-assisted housing programs and provide to the Secretary an interim report by January 1, 2008, and final report by December 31, 2009.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2005
Justice for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2005 - Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to require administrative law judges in the Department of Health and Human Services involved with the Medicare appeals process to be bound only by applicable statutes, regulations, and rulings issued in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act. Declares that such judges shall not be required to give substantial deference to local coverage determinations, local medical review policies, or Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services program guidance. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure, in providing for the geographic distribution of administrative law judges, that: (1) there is at least one site in each state, the District of Columbia, and each territory for in-person hearings before a judge; and (2) there are at least two such sites in the five states with the largest populations, geographically distributed within each state. Directs the Secretary to ensure that: (1) if an individual entitled to or enrolled for Medicare benefits requests a hearing before an administrative law judge, it shall be in-person unless he or she requests that it be conducted using tele- or video-conferencing technologies; and (2) the time frame to decide an appeal is not different for either kind of hearing. Delays from October 1, 2005, until October 1, 2006, the transfer of the adjudication authority of administrative law judges responsible for hearing Medicare cases from the Commissioner of Social Security and the Social Security Administration to the Secretary and the Department of Health and Human Services.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2005
Disapproves the rule submitted by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on March 15, 2005, relating to the removal of coal- and oil-fired electric generating units from the list of major sources of hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2005
American Neighborhoods Taking the Initiative--Guarding Against Neighborhood Gangs Act of 2005 (ANTI-GANG Act) - Amends federal criminal code provisions regarding criminal street gangs. Prohibits specified acts regarding recruitment and retention in a gang, participation in gang activities, and witness intimidation. Requires a certification by the Attorney General or specified other officials for federal prosecution of a crime that is otherwise exclusively chargeable under state law. Authorizes the Attorney General to designate high intensity interstate gang activity areas. Provides for coordination of anti-gang activities with anti-drug trafficking activities. Authorizes grants to: (1) develop community based programs that provide crime prevention, research, and intervention services for gang members and at-risk youth; and (2) fund technology, equipment, and training for state and local sheriffs, police agencies, and prosecutor offices to improve the investigation and prosecution of gangs. Expands the federal witness relocation and protection program to cover gangs. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to state and local prosecutors and the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia to provide short-term protection to witnesses in trials involving gangs. Directs the Comptroller General to report on the costs and benefits associated with expanding federal authority to prosecute offenders under age 18 who are gang members who commit criminal offenses. Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide for a student loan repayment program for prosecutors and public defenders.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2005
Red Tide Emergency Relief Act of 2005 - Amends the Small Business Act to make aquaculture enterprises eligible for Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster assistance loans to small businesses. (Currently, such enterprises are specifically excluded from eligibility for such assistance.)
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2005
Pension Benefits Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code with respect to pension benefits of employees in defined benefit plans. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to apply Code provisions regarding continued accrual of benefits beyond normal retirement age under a defined benefit plan, which prohibit certain discrimination based on age, without regard to the portion of the preamble to a specified Treasury Decision which relates to allocation of interest adjustments through normal retirement age under a cash balance plan. Prohibits forced conversions of certain defined benefit plan participants to cash balance plans, and other such plans that are hybrids of defined benefit and defined contribution plans, by plan amendments which: (1) change the way the accrued benefit to participants or beneficiaries are expressed; and (2) reduce the rate of future benefit accrual of one or more participants. Requires employers, at the time such amendment takes effect, to provide employees who have attained 40 years of age or 10 years of service with certain notices and an election upon retirement to receive benefits as determined either under the plan in effect at time of retirement or under the plan in effect immediately before the plan amendment. Sets forth a formula to determine when a plan amendment adopted by a large (100 or more participants) defined benefit plan shall be treated as wearing away accrued benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2005
Trade Adjustment Assistance Equity for Service Workers Act of 2005 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to extend trade adjustment assistance (TAA) to workers in a service sector firm or its subdivision or public agency. Revises group eligibility requirements for TAA to include: (1) a shift, by a public agency to a foreign country, of production of articles or in provision of services, like or directly competitive with articles which are produced, or services which are provided by the workers' firm, subdivision, or public agency; and (2) the situation where the workers' firm, subdivision, or public agency obtains or is likely to obtain such services from a foreign country. Requires the Secretary of Labor to certify as eligible to apply for TAA any adversely affected secondary workers in a service sector firm or its subdivision or public agency. Specifies criteria for determination of the existence of increased imports of like or directly competitive articles or services. Increases from $220 million to $440 million the amount of fiscal year payments for training of adversely affected workers under the Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to provide technical assistance for the establishment of industrywide programs for new service development. Modifies the trade monitoring system to include imports of services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2005
Designates the federal building located at 333 Mt. Elliott Street in Detroit, Michigan as the "Rosa Parks Federal Building."
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2005
Health Care Accountability Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require the state Medicaid plan to provide for the annual reporting by the state, using data only from medical assistance applications by individuals, on each employer in the state with 50 or more employees who received Medicaid at any time during the previous year.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2005
Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act of 2005 - Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand, intensify, and coordinate programs for the conduct and support of uterine fibroids research. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to develop and disseminate to the public information regarding uterine fibroids, including information on: (1) the incidence and prevalence of uterine fibroids among women; (2) the elevated risk for minority women; and (3) the availability of a range of treatment options. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to develop and disseminate uterine fibroids information to health care providers.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2005
Uniting American Families Act or the Permanent Partners Immigration Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include permanent partners (as defined by this Act) within the scope of such Act.