United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2004
Express Carrier Employee Protection Act - Amends the Railway Labor Act (RLA) to provide for RLA coverage of express carrier employees only if they are licensed airmen, licensed aircraft maintenance technicians, or licensed aircraft dispatchers, and only if they perform duties pursuant to the privileges of an appropriate license. Declares that all other express carrier employees shall be covered by the National Labor Relations Act. Defines express carriers as companies (including affiliates under common control or ownership) that have an integrated network of air and surface transportation for express shipment of packages.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2004
Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2004 - Amends the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of 1998 to reauthorize and revise its programs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2004
SUTA Dumping Prevention Act of 2004 - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to administration of unemployment taxes and benefits. Revises SSA title III (Grants to States for Unemployment Compensation Administration) to require State unemployment compensation laws, as a condition of State eligibility for such grants, to provide for transfer of unemployment experience upon transfer or acquisition of a business. Directs the Secretary of Labor to study and report to Congress on State implementation of such requirement. Revises SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to disclose information on individuals and their employers in the National Directory of New Hires to a State agency that, for purposes of administering a Federal or State unemployment compensation law, transmits such individuals' names and Social Security account numbers to the Secretary. Requires such disclosure only to the extent that it would not interfere with effective operation of the part D program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2004
Kindergarten Plus Act of 2004 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) to provide Kindergarten Plus (K+) programs of voluntary full days of kindergarten during the summer before and the summer after the traditional kindergarten school year determined by the State. Directs the Secretary to ensure, to the extent possible, that each such grant is of sufficient size to enable the SEA to provide K+ to all eligible students served by the local educational agencies (LEAs) within the State with the highest concentrations of eligible students. Makes eligible students those children who are: (1) five-years old, or who will be eligible to attend kindergarten at the beginning of the next school year; (2) from a family with an income at or below 185 percent of the poverty line; and (3) not already served by a high-quality program in the summer before or the summer after the child enters kindergarten. Requires SEAs, in awarding subgrants, to give priority to LEAs that: (1) serve the greatest number or percentage of eligible students; and (2) propose to reduce class size and student-to-teacher ratios in K+ significantly below the average ratios in regular kindergarten classes served by the LEA. Provides for direct grants to LEAs in States that do not apply for grants. Sets forth K+ teacher and personnel quality standards.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2004
John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Sustainability Report Act - Requires the Director of the National Park Service (NPS) to prepare a report on the sustainability of the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Requires the report to: (1) document progress made in accomplishing the purpose of the law establishing the Corridor and the strategies and goals set forth in the Cultural Heritage and Land Management Plan for the Corridor, including historic preservation, interpretation and education, environmental recovery, recreational development, and economic improvement; (2) identify further actions and commitments needed to protect, enhance, and interpret the Corridor; (3) determine the extent of Federal funding and determine how such funds have leveraged additional Federal, State, local, and private funding for the Corridor since its establishment; and (4) evaluate the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Commission's form of authority and management structure for the Corridor, and identify and evaluate options for a permanent NPS designation or a State park or regional entity as a sustainable framework to achieve the national interest of the Blackstone Valley. Directs that: (1) the Director prepare the report in coordination with the NPS Advisory Board; and (2) funding to prepare the report be made available from annual appropriations for the Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2004
States that Congress: (1) declares that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur, Sudan, are genocide; (2) reminds the President and the international community of their international legal obligations, as affirmed in the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; (3) commends the President's leadership in seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Darfur and in addressing the humanitarian crisis caused by that conflict, including the provision of assistance in Darfur and Eastern Chad; (4) urges the President to seek a United Nations Security Council resolution that directs the member states of the United Nations to impose sanctions against those responsible for the atrocities committed in Darfur, authorizes a multinational force to guarantee humanitarian access and security for foreign aid workers and internally displaced persons, urges a halt to violence committed by militias and by the armed forces of Sudan, creates a Commission of Inquiry, and calls for the establishment of a formal peace process between Darfurians and the Government of Sudan; (5) calls on the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to establish a Darfur Resettlement, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Fund; and (6) urges the President to provide political and financial support to the African Union to promote its effective intervention in Darfur.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2004
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) at the 56th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission the United States should remain firmly opposed to commercial whaling, and take other specified related steps; and (2) the United States should make full use of all appropriate diplomatic mechanisms, relevant international laws and agreements, and other appropriate mechanisms to implement these goals.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2004
Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise provisions regarding Federal assistance for programs to reduce suicide among children and adolescents. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to award grants or cooperative agreements to: (1) develop and implement State-sponsored statewide or tribal youth suicide early intervention and prevention strategies in schools, educational institutions, juvenile justice systems, substance abuse programs, mental health programs, foster care systems, and other child and youth support organizations; (2) support public organizations actively involved in State-sponsored statewide or tribal youth suicide early intervention and prevention strategies and in the development and continuation of such intervention and prevention strategies; (3) collect and analyze data on State-sponsored statewide or tribal youth suicide early intervention and prevention services that can be used to monitor the effectiveness of such services and for research, technical assistance, and policy development; and (4) assist eligible entities in achieving their targets for youth suicide reductions. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to award a grant or contract to establish the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. Requires the Secretary to award grants to institutions of higher education to expand mental and behavior health services to students, to provide such services, and to develop best practices for the delivery of such services.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2004
Calls for the President to designate the week of November 7-13, 2003, as National Veterans Awareness Week to emphasize educational programs for elementary and secondary school students regarding the contributions and sacrifices of veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2004
No Child Left Behind Appropriations Support Act of 2004 - Makes a supplemental appropriation for the Department of Education for FY 2004 to carry out this Act. Directs the Secretary of Education to make payments in additional amounts to each local education agency (LEA) that receives a lesser amount of funds for FY 2004 than it received for FY 2003 under subpart 2 (Allocations) of part A (Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies) of title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Requires such payments to equal the difference between the amount the LEA would otherwise receive for FY 2004 and the amount the LEA received in FY 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2004
District of Columbia and United States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar Program Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to issue during 2009 redesigned quarter dollars commemorating the District of Columbia and the U.S. Territories.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2004
Ensuring Quality and Access to Cancer Care Act of 2004 - Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to increase the applicable percentage for services furnished during 2005 to the applicable percentage currently specified for 2004 with respect to transitional adjustment to the physician fee schedule for drug administration services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2004
Improving Access to Assistive Technology for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to States for programs for: (1) assistive technology (AT), with required uses of funds for State financing systems to increase access to and funding for AT devices and services, and for device demonstrations, loans, reutilization, training, and technical assistance; and (2) AT-related protection and advocacy services. Authorizes competitive grants for AT-related: (1) supplementary activities; (2) national projects, including research and public awareness; (3) State training, technical assistance, data collection, and reporting; and (4) updating of the National Public Internet Site. Authorizes an assessment of the AT industry. Directs the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration to administer this Act. Repeals the Assistive Technology Act of 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2004
Benjamin Franklin Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one dollar coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Benjamin Franklin (not more than 250,000 bearing his image as a young statesman and not more than 250,000 with his image as an older numismatist). Directs that all sales of coins minted under this Act include a $10 per coin surcharge, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the Franklin Institute for purposes of the celebration of the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2004
Ending the Medicare Disability Waiting Period Act of 2004 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) phase out the waiting period for disabled individuals to become eligible for Medicare benefits under SSA title XVIII (Medicare); and (2) eliminate the waiting period for individuals with life-threatening conditions to become eligible for Medicare benefits. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to request that the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences conduct a study on the range of disability conditions that can be delayed or prevented if individuals receive access to health care services and coverage before the condition reaches disability levels.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2004
Amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004, to delete the requirement for a 24-hour time limit for destroying identifying information submitted with respect to a firearm background check from the prohibition against the use of funds to implement national instant criminal background check system provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2004
Recognizes and honors the 40th anniversary of passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and commends all persons whose support and efforts led to passage of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2004
No Child Left Behind Fairness Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Education to require local educational agencies (LEAs) and State educational agencies (SEAs) to give schools and LEAs, respectively, an opportunity to request a review of a determination that they did not make adequate yearly progress (AYP) for the 2002-2003 school year. Sets forth standards for such reviews, providing for consideration of subsequent regulations and guidance applicable to AYP determinations under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Prohibits the Secretary, an SEA, or an LEA, with respect to subsequent determinations of whether a school is subject to school improvement, corrective action, or restructuring as a result of not making AYP, from taking into account a 2002-2003 non-AYP determination that was revised under this Act if the school received a final determination of AYP for such school year.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2004
Recognizes as a compelling national priority the need to increase awareness about and prevent suicide. Reaffirms Congress's commitment to the priorities expressed in prior legislation (which recognized suicide as a national problem and declared suicide prevention to be a national priority). Encourages Americans, communities, and the nation to work to increase awareness about and prevent suicide.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2004
Ronald Reagan Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to make Alzheimer's disease research a priority within the National Institute on Aging. Requires the Director of the Institute to: (1) undertake an Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Initiative to accelerate the discovery of new risk and protective factors, to rapidly identify therapies and preventive interventions, and to implement effective prevention and treatment strategies; (2) conduct and support cooperative clinical research regarding Alzheimer's; and (3) conduct research concerning early detection and diagnosis, the relationship between Alzheimer's and vascular disease, and interventions designed to help caregivers. Authorizes the Director to establish a National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center to facilitate collaboration among Alzheimer's Disease Centers and Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to educate the public and public health community regarding Alzheimer's disease. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants or cooperative agreements to develop coordinated respite care programs on a statewide basis. Defines "respite care" to mean planned or emergency care provided to a child or adult with a special need in order to provide temporary relief to the family caregiver of such child or adult. Directs the Secretary to award a grant or cooperative agreement to a public or private nonprofit entity to establish a National Resource Center on Lifespan Respite Care. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a nonrefundable tax credit for each individual certified as having long-term care needs and for whom the taxpayer is acting as a caregiver; (2) a tax deduction for long-term care premiums paid under a qualified insurance contract; and (3) qualified long-term care insurance to be offered in a cafeteria plan and flexible spending arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2004
Children's Hospitals Educational Equity and Research Act of 2004 or CHEER Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payments through FY 2010 (currently, through FY 2005) to children's hospitals for costs associated with operating approved graduate medical resident training programs.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2004
Civil Liberties Restoration Act of 2004 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to require removal proceedings to be open to the public subject to specified exceptions. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) serve notice to appear within 48 hours on aliens arrested or detained under the INA and bring them before an immigration judge within 72 hours, with exceptions for aliens certified as engaging in espionage or terrorism; and (2) conduct individualized bond determinations reviewable by an immigration judge. Limits the authority of the Board of Immigration Review (created by this Act) to stay release orders. Abolishes the Executive Office of Immigration Review and replaces it with the Immigration Review Commission. Terminates the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) and most NSEERS-related removal proceedings. Requires the Secretary to use prosecutorial discretion in immigration enforcement. Eliminates criminal penalties and deportation, and establishes civil penalties, for an alien's violation of registration and change of address requirements. Requires data entered into the National Crime Information Center database to meet Privacy Act accuracy requirements. Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to authorize (currently, require) courts to review in camera and ex parte materials relating to, or information derived from, electronic surveillance, physical searches, business records, and pen registers or trap and trace devices under FISA where the Attorney General asserts that disclosure implicates national security. Requires disclosure of such materials to comport with the Classified Information Procedures Act. Requires Federal agencies to report data-mining activities to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2004
National Dairy Equity Act of 2004 - Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to give producers in a State participating in the national dairy market loss payment program 60 days to decide whether to continue participating in such program or to participate in the program established under this Act. Establishes the following five regional dairy marketing areas: (1) Northeast region - Northeast Dairy Marketing Area (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont); (2) Southern region - Southern Dairy Marketing Area (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia); (3) Upper midwest region - Upper Midwest Dairy Marketing Area (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin); (4) Intermountain region - Intermountain Dairy Marketing Area (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) and (5) Pacific region - Pacific Dairy Marketing Area (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington). Administers each region by a Regional Dairy Board. Sets forth Board powers, including authority to establish: (1) over-order price (a price higher than the marketing order or non-marketing area price) for Class I milk; (2) equalization pools to equalize over-order prices to producers throughout a regulated area; and (3) processor administrative fees. Requires producer referendum to approve of a proposed over-order price establishment, amendment, or termination. States that each covered processor that purchases Class I milk during a month that will be sold in the regulated area of a Region shall pay to the Secretary an amount equal to the product of the over-order premium and the quantity of purchased Class I milk. Establishes in the Treasury the National Dairy Producers Fund. Directs the Secretary to make monthly payments from the Fund to the Boards which shall make payments to eligible producers of all milk classes. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend the national dairy market loss payment program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2004
Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers with at least 15 or more employees to provide a minimum paid sick leave of: (1) seven days annually for those who work at least 30 hours per week; and (2) a prorated annual amount for those who work less than 30 but at least 20 hours a week, or less than 1,500 but at least 1,000 hours per year. Allows employees to use such leave to meet their own medical needs or to care for the medical needs of certain family members. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority with respect to this Act's provisions regarding employees covered by title I of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Provides that, for employees under their jurisdiction, such authority shall be exercised by the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, the Board of Directors of the congressional Office of Compliance, or the Merit Systems Protection Board. Declares that the requirements under this Act are minimum requirements, and are not to be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2004
Medicare Trust Fund Reimbursement Act of 2004 - Provides that if the Comptroller General of the United States determines that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have violated the restriction on using appropriated funds for publicity or propaganda purposes contained in the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003 or any other provision of law, the principal campaign committee of the President shall reimburse the Federal Government for the amount used in committing such violation as appropriate. Requires the amount reimbursed to be credited to the appropriate Medicare trust fund to the extent that it was initially appropriated to such trust fund.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2004
Accessing College through Comprehensive Early Outreach, State Partnerships, and Simplification Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to replace the current special leveraging educational assistance partnership program with a program of allotments to enable States to: (1) expand and enhance partnerships with institutions of higher education, early information and intervention, mentoring, or outreach programs, private corporations, philanthropic organizations, and other interested parties to carry out specified activities and provide coordination and cohesion among Federal, State, and local governmental and private efforts providing financial assistance to help low-income students attend college; (2) provide need-based grants for college access and increased college persistence to eligible low-income students; (3) provide early notification to low-income students of their eligibility for financial aid; and (4) encourage increased participation in early information and intervention, mentoring, or outreach programs. Sets 66.66 percent as the Federal share of the cost of establishing partnerships under the program. Requires partnerships for the award of grants between a State agency and: (1) at least one public and one private degree granting institution of higher education located in the State; and (2) new or existing early information and intervention, mentoring, or outreach programs also located in the State. Permits partnerships with philanthropic organizations located in, or which provide funding in, the State, as well as private corporations located in, or doing business in, the State. Prescribes requirements for the amounts of grants awarded in partnerships with institutions of higher learning: (1) serving less than a majority of students in the State; and (2) serving the majority of students in the State. Requires annual early notification of low-income students of their potential eligibility for student financial assistance. Prescribes minimum eligibility requirements for such students. Revises requirements for the simplified needs test to take into account dislocated workers and recipients of means-tested Federal benefits (such as the supplemental security income program under title XVI of the Social Security Act, the food stamp program, and the free and reduced price school lunch program under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act). Directs the Secretary of Education to develop and use a simplified paper application form of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), to be called the FAFSA-EZ, for students who meet the requirements of the automatic zero expected family contribution. Requires the Secretary to: (1) phase-out by the 2009-2010 award year the paper form (the long form or full FAFSA) for students who do not meet the requirements for a FAFSA-EZ; and (2) produce, distribute, and process common forms in electronic format, including a simplified electronic application form on the Internet. Directs the Secretary to make every effort to provide students with early information about potential financial aid eligibility, both through a widely disseminated printed form and the Internet or other electronic means, including a system for individuals to determine easily, by entering relevant data, approximately the amount of grant, work-study, and loan assistance for which an individual would be eligible. Directs the Secretary to make special efforts to notify: (1) students who qualify for specified means-tested Federal benefits of their potential eligibility for a maximum Federal Pell Grant; and (2) middle school and secondary school students of the availability of student financial assistance and of the approximate amounts of grant, work-study, and loan assistance for which they would be eligible. Requires the Secretary to contract for or establish a toll-free telephone service to provide an application mechanism and timely and accurate information to the general public. Revises requirements for determining the income contribution of dependent students, independent students without dependents other than spouse, and independent students with dependents other than spouse (generally increasing allowances). Excludes qualified education benefits (prepayment and savings plans, State tuition programs, and Coverdell education savings accounts) from consideration as an asset in a needs analysis. Revises the purposes of the independent Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance to reflect this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2004
Amends the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004 to revise the per-unit cost calculation for expiring tenant-based rental assistance contracts under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2004
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the regulation of tobacco products by the Secretary of Health and Human Services through the Food and Drug Administration, including through disclosure, annual registration, inspection, recordkeeping, and user fee requirements. Sets forth criteria by which tobacco products are deemed adulterated or misbranded. Allows the Secretary to require prior approval of all label statements. Allows the Secretary to restrict the sale or distribution of tobacco products, including advertising and promotion, if the Secretary determines that such regulation would be appropriate for the protection of the public health. Prohibits such regulations from: (1) limiting product sales or distribution to authorization of a practitioner licensed to prescribe medical products; (2) prohibiting product sales in face-to-face transactions by a specific category of retail outlets; or (3) establishing a minimum age greater than 18 years of age for product purchases. Prohibits cigarettes from containing any artificial or natural flavor (other than tobacco or menthol) or an herb or spice, including strawberry, cinnamon, or coffee. Requires the Secretary to establish tobacco product standards to protect the public health, but reserves to Congress the power to ban any tobacco products or reduce the nicotine level to zero. Allows the Secretary to take specified actions, including public notification and recall, against unreasonably harmful products. Requires premarket approval of all new tobacco products. Sets forth standards for the sale of modified risk tobacco products. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) judicial review; (2) coordination with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); (3) congressional review of regulations; and (4) state and local authority. Requires the Secretary to establish a Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to change cigarette warning label and advertising requirements. Amends the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986 to change smokeless tobacco warning label and advertising requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2004
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Michael Ellis DeBakey, M.D. (who performed the first successful coronary bypass, pioneered the field of telemedicine, was elected the first President of Baylor College of Medicine, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction and the National Medal of Science) in recognition of his many outstanding contributions to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2004
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should: (1) directly confront OPEC and challenge it to increase oil production immediately; (2) direct the Federal Trade Commission and Attorney General to exercise vigorous oversight over the oil markets to protect the American people from price gouging and unfair practices at the gasoline pump; and (3) suspend deliveries of oil to the SPR and release 1,000,000 barrels of oil per day from the SPR for 30 days following the date of adoption of this resolution, and if necessary, for an additional 30 days beyond that.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2004
Student Bill of Rights - Directs the Secretary of Education to make annual determinations as to whether each State's public school system provides all its students with educational resources to succeed academically and in life. Requires such education to enable students to: (1) acquire knowledge and skills necessary for responsible citizenship; (2) meet challenging academic achievement standards; and (3) compete and succeed in a global economy. Requires each system to do so through: (1) providing specified fundamentals of educational opportunity to students at each public elementary and secondary school; (2) providing educational services in school districts that receive funds for disadvantaged students that are, taken as a whole, at least comparable to educational services provided in school districts not receiving such funds; and (3) complying with any final Federal or State court order in any matter concerning the adequacy or equitableness of the system. Requires withholding of specified portions of its Federal funding for administrative expenses if a system: (1) fails to meet a yearly interim goal; (2) does not remedy, after two school years, a failure to provide comparable educational services to schools that receive funds for disadvantaged children; or (3) does not comply with a court order. Allows students or parents aggrieved by violations of this Act to bring civil actions for enforcement in Federal district courts.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2004
Health Care Modernization, Cost Reduction, and Quality Improvement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for the use of clinical informatics systems that include the ability to access and share patients' medical records. Amends the Public Health Service Act and the the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to require a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer providing group health insurance coverage, to: (1) have an automated, integrated system that allows for adjudication of claims and the detection of fraud and abuse by December 31, 2008; and (2) provide coverage for preventive health care items and services specified by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to support: (1) comprehensive diabetes and arthritis control and prevention programs; (2) stroke care systems that provide high-quality prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation; (3) programs that improve the rate of immunization of adults and adolescents; and (4) programs that improve oral health, especially for adults with intellectual or chronic diseases. Requires Federal agencies that carry out health care-related activities or provide health care-related financial assistance to develop and implement a plan to improve access to such activities and assistance to limited English proficient individuals. Establishes the National Quality Advisory Council to identify national aims and objectives for health care quality improvement, track progress in meeting such aims, and make recommendations to Congress and the public concerning health care quality policies and programs for improvement. Requires the Secretary to establish and implement activities to encourage healthy dietary choice and increase physical activity in schools, work sites, and communities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2004
Expresses the grateful thanks of the Nation to the more than 16 million individuals who served in the Army, Army Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine in World War II and to the millions of Americans on the home front who contributed to the war effort. Recognizes the dedication of the National World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on May 29, 2004, as an occasion to acknowledge and pay tribute to those members of the Armed Forces who served in World War II, who are known collectively as the Greatest Generation.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2004
Medicare Assurance of Rx Transitional Assistance Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for the automatic enrollment of Medicare Savings Program (MSP) beneficiaries under SSA title XIX (Medicaid) in the interim prescription drug discount program and the transitional assistance program, making them eligible for the $600 per year in low-income discount card assistance without requiring a separate enrollment process.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2004
Expresses the sense of the Senate that legislation should be enacted by December 31, 2006, to provide every individual in the United States with the opportunity to purchase health insurance coverage that is the same as, or better than, the health insurance coverage available to members of Congress, at the same or lower rates.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2004
Recognizes the 30th anniversary of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship Program and reaffirms a commitment to support the use of science in governmental decision-making through such Program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2004
Assistance to Firefighters Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal Fire Protection and Control Act of 1974 to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security (currently, the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)) to make grants to State fire departments for the purpose of protecting the health and safety of the public and fire-fighting personnel against fire and fire-related hazards, and to provide assistance for fire prevention programs. Authorizes grants to: (1) volunteer emergency medical service (EMS) organizations; and (2) obtain automated external defibrillator devices. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish specific criteria for the preliminary review of applications; (2) review such criteria at least annually; (3) award grants based on the review of grant applications by a panel of fire service personnel appointed by a national organization recognized for expertise in the operation and administration of fire services; (4) provide for the administration of the review panel and ensure that an individual appointed to such panel is a recognized expert in fire-fighting, medical services provided by fire services, fire prevention, or research on firefighter safety; and (5) provide assistance with the preparation of grant applications. Expands program eligibility. Reduces limitations regarding matching funds. Increases the amount a grant recipient may receive. Earmarks funds for volunteer EMS organizations. Directs: (1) the Secretary to study and report to Congress on firefighter assistance; and (2) the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the administration of assistance and on the Secretary's success in administering FEMA.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2004
Healthy Lifestyles Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish and implement activities to increase physical activity in schools, work sites, and communities. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): (1) to support physical education programs in schools and training for school personnel; (2) with the Secretary of Labor, to develop work sites that encourage employee participation in physical activity; and (3) with the Secretaries of Transportation and Interior, to implement projects to design pedestrian zones, cycling paths, and open space areas linking parks with residential communities. Amends the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990 to require the Secretary to: (1) enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to develop and publish Dietary Guidelines for Americans; (2) ensure that such guidelines serve as the basis of any Federal food, nutrition, or health program; and (3) revise the food guide pyramid. Requires the Secretary to: (1) enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to make recommendations on disseminating dietary information and nutrition guidelines; and (2) publish a plan to implement such recommendations. Requires the Secretary to award grants to improve the consumption of nutritional foods, including by: (1) promoting the intake of nutritional foods; and (2) conducting outreach to grocery stores to increase the availability of healthy foods and beverages. Requires the Secretary to coordinate research on obesity and award grants to: (1) support State comprehensive obesity prevention and control programs; (2) enable States to provide public health surveillance, prevention and control activities; and (3) assist in implementing a national strategy for obesity prevention and control.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2004
Theodore Roosevelt Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than: (1) 500,000 $1 coins with the image of Theodore Roosevelt as a Rough Rider on one side and an eagle design on the other side; and (2) 500,000 $1 coins with the image of Roosevelt on horseback on one side and a flaming sword of righteousness on the other side. Calls for the coins to be struck at the U.S. Mint at West Point, New York. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such minted coins beginning on January 1, 2006, and to initiate coin sales before such date (2006 will mark the 100th anniversary of Roosevelt receiving the Nobel Peace Prize). Requires surcharges from the sale of the coins minted under this Act to be paid to: (1) the Theodore Roosevelt Association to be used exclusively for educational programs at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, including for construction and maintenance of a visitor's center and setting up a curatorial chair and purchase fund for the Theodore Roosevelt Collection at Harvard University Library; and (2) the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation to be used exclusively for educational programs at and around Theodore Roosevelt National Park, including construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Badlands Institute in the badlands of North Dakota. Distributes specified surcharge amounts to the Association and Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2004
Commends all Americans serving nobly abroad. Condemns the despicable acts at Abu Ghraib prison and joins with the President in expressing apology for the humiliation suffered by the prisoners in Iraq and their families. Urges: (1) the Government of the United States to take appropriate measures to ensure that such acts do not occur in the future; and (2) that all individuals responsible for such acts be held accountable. Expresses the belief that the appropriate Senate committees and the President should conduct a full investigation of the abuses alleged to have occurred at Abu Ghraib.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2004
Declares the sense of Congress that: (1) Kids Love a Mystery is a program that helps promote literacy and reading and should be supported and encouraged; and (2) the President should issue a proclamation encouraging the people of the United States and interested groups to promote Kids Love a Mystery with appropriate programs and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2004
Amends the Small Business Act to state that a business shall not be prevented from participating in the Small Business Innovation Research Program (a program under which a portion of Federal agencies' research and development efforts is reserved for award to small businesses) solely because the business is owned in part by: (1) a venture capital operating company managed and controlled by one or more U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens; or (2) an employee benefit or pension plan.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2004
Safe, Orderly, Legal Visas and Enforcement Act (or SOLVE Act) of 2004 - Creates an earned adjustment program for undocumented aliens (and their spouses and children) who meet specified requirements. Excludes aliens granted earned adjustment from numerical visa limitations. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to allow such aliens to correct social security records. Creates transitional status for certain aliens who do not satisfy earned adjustment requirements. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt immediate relatives from the family-sponsored immigrant cap. Redefines "immediate relatives" to include spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents. Recaptures certain unused visa numbers. Reduces the minimum income level for affidavits of support. Increases to 21 the eligibility age for derivative citizenship. Repeals, retroactively, barriers to reentry for unlawful presence. Redefines the H-2B nonimmigrant worker category to include aliens coming temporarily to perform short-term service or labor for nine months or less. Adds an H-1D category for aliens coming temporarily to perform service or labor other than that performed by specified nonimmigrants. Requires employers seeking H-1D or H-2B workers to undertake recruitment efforts for U.S. workers and submit labor attestations. Provides for derivative status for spouses and children of H-1D and H-2B workers. Makes such workers eligible for employment-based immigrant visas and adjustment of status. Authorizes stays of removal for aliens involved in workplace claims. Addresses backpay remedies and unfair immigration-related employment practices. Creates a Temporary Worker Programs Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2004
Recognizes and honors May 17, 2004, as the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Encourages all people of the United States to recognize the importance of the decision. Acknowledges the need for the Nation to recommit to the goals and purposes of this landmark decision to finally realize the dream of equal educational opportunity for all children of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2004
Amends the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 to: (1) provide for the establishment of additional Boys and Girls Clubs of America; and (2) ensure that such facilities are in operation by January 1, 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2004
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2004 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the Federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after enactment of this Act; (2) $6.45 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day; and (3) $7.00 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 60th day. Makes Federal minimum wage requirements applicable to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Sets forth a transition period during which a specified minimum wage there shall be gradually increased to equal the Federal minimum wage. .
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2004
Military Family Morale and Welfare Protection Act of 2004 - Prohibits the Secretary of Defense from closing any commissary store, MWR retail facility (a morale, welfare, and recreation retail facility), or Department of Defense (DOD) dependent elementary or secondary school without the specific authorization of Congress by law. Directs the Comptroller General to report to the congressional defense committees on DOD policy and criteria with respect to the closure of such stores, facilities, and schools, including whether such policy and criteria are consistent with DOD policies and procedures on the preservation of the quality of life of members of the Armed Forces.
![Official portrait of Sen. Kennedy, Edward M. [D-MA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000105_200.jpg)