United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2005
Code Talkers Recognition Act - Requires the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of commemorative medals of appropriate design to Sioux, Comanche, Choctaw, Sac and Fox, and any other Native American Code Talkers during World War I, World War II, and any other foreign conflict in which the United States was involved during the 20th Century in recognition of their contributions to the United States. Allows the posthumous award of a medal authorized by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Colon Cancer Screen for Life Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of the Congress with respect to the use of and reimbursement for colorectal cancer screening tests covered under the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA). Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) increase Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) reimbursement for colorectal cancer screening and diagnostic tests; (2) cover an outpatient office visit or consultation for the purpose of beneficiary education before a colorectal cancer screening test consisting of a colonoscopy, or in conjunction with the beneficiary's decision to obtain such a screening, regardless of whether the screening is medically indicated with respect to the beneficiary; and (3) waive the deductible for such tests.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Stewardship for Our Coasts and Opportunities for Reliable Energy Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to instruct the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer certain Outer Continental Shelf revenues deposited in the Treasury to the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to make payments to producing states and coastal political subdivisions. Sets forth disbursement and allocation guidelines, including requirements for payments to coastal political subdivisions. Requires the Governor of a producing state to submit a coastal impact assistance plan to the Secretary by July 1, 2008. Directs the Secretary to delineate the lateral boundaries between coastal states in areas of the outer Continental Shelf under exclusive federal jurisdiction, to the extent of the exclusive economic zone of the United States, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of December 10, 1982. Prescribes expedited petition and approval procedures under which the Governor of a state whose seaward lateral boundaries have been delineated as restricted for leasing may petition the Secretary for a resource assessment, if the leasing is for: (1) oil and gas leasing; (2) gas-only leasing; or (3) any other energy source leasing, including renewable energy leasing. Authorizes the Secretary to grant a lease, easement, or right-of-way on the outer Continental Shelf for activities not otherwise authorized under existing law if those activities: (1) support exploration, development, production, transportation, or storage of oil, natural gas, or other minerals; (2) produce or support production, transportation, or transmission of energy from sources other than oil and gas; or (3) use, for energy-related or marine-related purposes, facilities in use on or before the date of enactment of this Act for activities authorized under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Hospital Fair Competition Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to hospital payments. Provides for the use of estimated costs rather than average charges in establishing weighting factors for diagnosis-related groups under the inpatient hospital prospective payment system. Revises requirements for exceptions to the prohibition against certain physician self-referrals to specialty hospitals in which a physician has invested. Exempts from the limitation on such referrals, and any liability for criminal penalties, specified arrangements between hospitals and physicians.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Kinship Caregiver Support Act - Authorizes the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants for kinship navigator programs to state agencies, metropolitan agencies, or tribal organizations with experience in addressing needs of kinship caregivers or children and connecting them with services and assistance. Amends part E (Federal Payments for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to authorize all states to opt to enter agreements to provide kinship guardianship assistance payments on behalf of children to grandparents and other relatives who have assumed legal guardianship of children for whom they have cared as foster parents and have committed to care for on a permanent basis. Allows states to use part E funds to make such payments under specified conditions. Provides that adoptive parents of children with special needs remain eligible for adoption assistance, even if they receive kinship guardianship assistance. Authorizes kinship guardianship demonstration projects. Requires states to: (1) notify all adult grandparents and other adult relatives (with exceptions due to family or domestic violence) when a child is removed from custody of a parent or parents; and (2) explain the options the relative has to participate in the child's care and placement. Allows state agencies to establish separate standards for foster family homes in which a foster parent is a relative of the foster child.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2005
Reservists Pay Security Act of 2005 - Entitles Federal employees who are absent from their positions while on active duty in the uniformed services or the National Guard to receive the amount of their basic pay which, when taken together with their military pay and allowances, is no less than the amount of pay that they would have earned if there had been no interruption in their civilian employment. Expands the reemployment rights of Federal employees on active duty in the uniformed services. Makes this Act retroactive to pay periods beginning on October 11, 2002, subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Americans Outdoors Act of 2005 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to require the transfer of qualified outer continental shelf revenues from the Treasury to specified programs. Rewrites coastal impact assistance program provisions to set forth new formulas for allocating amounts transferred for coastal impact assistance payments among producing States (coastal States within a specified distance from qualified Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas drilling leases) and among coastal political subdivisions. Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (LWCFA) to: (1) establish a new formula for apportioning outdoor conservation and recreation funds to the States (including U.S. territories and the District of Columbia); (2) make Indian tribes eligible for funds under a competitive grants program established by the Secretary of the Interior; and (3) require States to allocate a percentage of their annual apportionment to localities. Requires States seeking LWCFA funds to develop State action agendas. Amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to establish a new formula for apportioning Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Account funds to include apportionments to Indian tribes. Amends the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act of 1978 to: (1) include among that Act's purposes the development of new recreation areas and facilities; and (2) address the treatment of funds transferred under OCSLA.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission Act - Establishes the Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission to encourage, plan, develop, coordinate, and execute programs, observances, and activities commemorating the historic events that preceded and are associated with the War of 1812. Requires the Commission to prepare a strategic plan and annual performance plans for any activity carried out by the Commission under this Act. Terminates the Commission on December 31, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Attacking Viral Influenza Across Nations Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit to the Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) a proposal related to establishing a Pandemic Fund for countries affected by pandemic influenza. Establishes the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Policy Coordinating Committee to develop an Interagency Preparedness Plan. Requires the Secretary to strengthen, expand, and coordinate domestic pandemic influenza preparedness activities. Requires states to have an approved state preparedness plan as a condition of receiving funds related to bioterrorism from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC and the Administrator of HRSA, to integrate and coordinate public and private influenza surveillance activities. Directs the Secretary to: (1) procure doses of antivirals and developed vaccines needed during pandemic influenza for the Strategic National Stockpile; and (2) assist other counties in preparation for, and response to, pandemic influenza. Allows the Secretary to provide vaccines, antiviral medications, and supplies from the Stockpile to foreign countries. Requires the Secretary to develop and disseminate pandemic influenza training curricula for health professionals and non-medical volunteers. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Director of CDC to expand and intensify influenza research. Directs the Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine to study topics related to the pandemic influenza. Establishes the National Pandemic Influenza Economics Advisory Committee. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to expand and intensify efforts to prevent pandemic influenza.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Clean Coal Power Initiative Act of 2005 - Instructs the Secretary of Energy to establish a clean coal power initiative under which the Secretary shall provide assistance for projects that advance efficiency, reliability, environmental performance, and cost competitiveness. Prescribes technical conditions and criteria for projects, including gasification projects. Instructs the Secretary to award competitive, merit-based grants to institutions of higher education for the establishment of centers of excellence for energy systems of the future, including clean coal technology. Prescribes guidelines for the Secretary to conduct a program of technology research, development, demonstration, and commercial application for coal and power systems, including programs to facilitate production and generation of coal-based power.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Elimination of Neglected Diseases Act of 2005 or the END Act of 2005 - Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to establish within the Department of State: (1) a Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Combat Malaria Globally; and (2) a Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Combat Tuberculosis Globally. Directs: (1) the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a comprehensive five-year strategy to set U.S. assistance priorities for programs to combat malaria in foreign countries; and (2) the Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Combat Tuberculosis Globally to set similar priorities for tuberculosis. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit the President from providing assistance to combat tuberculosis and malaria (including assistance for mosquito nets and pharmaceuticals) except as set forth under this Act. Establishes the Malaria Scientific Review Board. Authorizes the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement infectious disease control programs in developing countries. Directs the President to: (1) ensure that related clinical and epidemiological activities are carried out through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP); and (2) develop an infectious disease foreign assistance database. Amends the the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the position of Assistant Secretary for Global Health, who shall: (1) direct the Office of Global Health Affairs within HHS; and (2) coordinate HHS international policies and activities, including international aspects of family and social policy. States that two years after enactment of this Act, no Federal agency or department may donate or otherwise supply medicines or medical devices, including insecticide treated nets, insecticides, and other consumables required for disease control, to a foreign country which imposes tariffs or import duties on such medicines or medical devices.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Providing Reliable Officers, Technology, Education, Community Prosecutors, and Training In Our Neighborhoods Act of 2005 or the PROTECTION Act - Modifies provisions of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 regarding public safety and community policing ("cops on the beat" program, COPS) to authorize the Attorney General to use COPS grants to: (1) increase prosecutor presence and to enhance law enforcement access to new technologies; (2) pay overtime to existing career law enforcement officers to the extent that such overtime is devoted to community-oriented policing; and (3) promote higher education among in-service State and local law enforcement officers by reimbursing them for certain educational costs. Includes among permitted additional grant projects: (1) specialized integrity and ethics training; and (2) innovative proactive crime control and prevention programs involving school officials and religiously-affiliated organizations. Authorizes the Attorney General to use up to five percent of funds available for technical assistance and training grants in any fiscal year to States, local governments, Indian tribal governments, and other entities. Allows grants to be used to assist: (1) police departments in employing specified professional, scientific, and technological advancements; and (2) State, local, or tribal prosecutors' offices in implementation of community-based prosecution programs that build on local community-oriented policing efforts. Reserves specified funds for local governmental units with a population of less than 50,000. Authorizes the Attorney General to use no more than 50 percent of grant renewal funds to award grants targeted for police officer retention.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2005
Veterinary Workforce Expansion Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities to improve public health preparedness through increasing the number of veterinarians in the workforce. Defines "eligible entities" as accredited public or nonprofit schools of veterinary medicine, departments of comparative medicine, departments of veterinary science, schools of public health, or schools of medicine that offer training for veterinarians in a public health practice area. Requires the Secretary to give preference to applicants that demonstrate a comprehensive approach by involving more than one eligible entity. Allows grantees to use funds to: (1) pay the costs associated with construction, the acquisition of equipment, and other capital costs relating to the expansion of existing schools or departments; and (2) pay the capital costs associated with the expansion of academic programs that offer postgraduate training for veterinarians or concurrent training for veterinary students in specific areas of specialization.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2005
Medicare Mental Health Modernization Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for: (1) elimination of the lifetime limit on inpatient mental health services; (2) parity in treatment for outpatient mental health services; (3) coverage of intensive residential services under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and of intensive outpatient services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); (4) exclusion of clinical social worker services from coverage under the Medicare skilled nursing facility prospective payment system; and (5) coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report to Congress on whether the criteria for coverage of any therapy service or any oupatient mental health care service under Medicare unduly restricts the access to such a service of any Medicare beneficiary with Alzheimer's disease or a related mental illness because the coverage criteria requires the Medicare beneficiary to display continuing clinicial improvement to continue to receive the service.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2005
Railroad Competition Act of 2005 - Amends Federal transportation law to specify the primary objectives of U.S. rail transportation policy. Requires a rail carrier, upon shipper request, to establish a rate for transportation and provide requested service between any two points on the carrier's system where traffic originates, terminates, or may reasonably be interchanged. Specifies matters the carrier must disregard when establishing such rate. Prohibits the Surface Transportation Board (STB) from issuing a certificate authorizing construction and operation of railroad lines, or exempt from such certificate requirement any related activity, that involves a transfer of interest in a line of railroad, from a Class I rail carrier to a Class II or III rail carrier, if the activity directly or indirectly would result in a restriction of: (1) the ability of the Class II or Class III rail carrier to interchange traffic with other carriers; or (2) competition between or among rail carriers in the region affected by the activity in a manner or to an extent that would violate Federal antitrust laws. Prescribes a procedure for shipper petition and STB review of any activity alleged to have resulted in a restriction of competition for at least ten years. Changes from discretionary to mandatory the authority of the STB to require rail carriers to enter into reciprocal switching agreements. Prohibits the STB from requiring evidence of anticompetitive conduct by a rail carrier from which access is sought. Requires the STB to designate any State or part of a State as an area of inadequate rail competition after making certain findings. Requires the STB to post rail service complaints on its website. Requires submission to arbitration of certain rail rate, service, and other disputes. Requires the STB, with respect to the filing of a complaint, to adopt an alternative method of determining the reasonableness of rail rates using the railroad's actual costs. Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish within the Department of Agriculture an Office of Rail Customer Advocacy with respect to rail transportation of agricultural and forestry commodities or products. Amends the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 to make mandatory the Secretary's authority to provide direct loans and loan guarantees to State and local governments, approved agreements or interstate compacts, sponsored authorities and corporations, railroads, and joint ventures that include at least one railroad for railroad rehabilitation and improvement projects.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2005
Acknowledges and commends charter schools and their students, parents, teachers, and administrators across the United States for their ongoing contributions to education and improving and strengthening our public school system. Supports the sixth annual National Charter Schools Week. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to conduct appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities to demonstrate support for charter schools during this weeklong celebration in communities throughout the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2005
Breast Cancer Patient Protect Action of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan or a health issuer offering group health insurance coverage that provides medical and surgical benefits to ensure that inpatient (and in the case of a lumpectomy, outpatient) coverage and radiation therapy are provided for breast cancer treatment. Prohibits such a plan or issuer from: (1) restricting benefits for any hospital length of stay to less than 48 hours in connection with a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery or 24 hours in connection with a lymph node dissection; or (2) requiring that a provider obtain authorization from the plan or issuer for prescribing any such length of stay. Requires such a plan or issuer to: (1) provide notice to each participant and beneficiary regarding the coverage required under this Act; and (2) ensure that full coverage is provided for secondary consultations by specialists in the appropriate medical fields to confirm or refute a diagnosis of cancer. Applies such requirements to health insurance issuers offering coverage in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2005
Television Information-Enhancement for the Visually Impaired Act or the TIVI Act- Considers authorized and ratified by law the video description rules of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) contained in the year 2000 FCC report and order identified as Implementation of Video Description of Video Programming, notwithstanding the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit in Motion Picture Association of America, Inc., et al., v. Federal Communications Commission, et al. Directs the FCC to: (1) reinstate such rules; and (2) initiate a proceeding to consider whether it is economically and technically feasible and consistent with the public interest to include "accessible information" in such rules. Authorizes the FCC to amend, repeal, or otherwise modify such rules.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2005
Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2005 - Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions ordinarily incident to such travel relating to: (1) accompanied personal baggage; (2) payment of living expenses and the acquisition of personal-use goods or services; (3) travel arrangements; (4) nonscheduled air, sea, or land voyage transactions (such provision does not permit the carriage of articles other than accompanied baggage into Cuba or the United States); and (5) normal banking transactions. States that such provision does not: (1) restrict presidential authority in time of war or armed hostilities between the United States and Cuba, or of imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers; and (2) authorize U.S. importation of personal consumption goods acquired in Cuba.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2005
Honors small businesses during the Small Business Administration's (SBA's) National Small Business Week (beginning on April 24, 2005). Supports the purpose and goals of such Week. Commends the SBA and its resource partners for: (1) their work in helping the Nation's small businesses grow and develop; and (2) being key players in the Nation's economic vitality.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2005
Designates April 21, 2005, as National Kindergarten Recognition Day to raise public awareness about the impact of the kindergarten year on the development of our nation's children. Urges the people of the United States to recognize the historic tradition of kindergarten in the United States and its contribution to preparing children for their elementary and secondary educational achievement and experiences.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2005
Climate Change Technology Deployment and Infrastructure Credit Act of 2005 - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to direct the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a national strategy to promote greenhouse gas intensity reducing technologies and practices developed through research and development programs conducted by National Laboratories, other Federal research facilities, universities, and the private sector. Directs the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) to establish: (1) an Interagency Coordinating Committee on Climate Change Technology (Committee) to coordinate Federal climate change activities and programs; (2) the Climate Change Technology Program; and (3) Climate Change Technology Working Group. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish within the Department of Commerce the Climate Change Science Program. Directs the Committee to develop and propose standards and best practices for calculating, monitoring, and analyzing greenhouse gas intensity. Directs the Secretary to make financial assistance available to eligible project developers and project owners to supplement private sector financing for eligible projects. Instructs the Secretary to establish a Energy Climate Credit Board to implement the greenhouse gas intensity reducing technology deployment program. Sets forth parameters regarding Board assistance, determination of eligibility and project selection.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2005
American History Achievement Act - Amends the National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act (NAEPAA) to direct the Commissioner for Education Statistics to give a priority to conducting national assessments of student achievement in history at least once every four years in grades 4, 8, and 12. Requires the Commissioner to conduct trial State academic assessments, in at least ten geographically diverse States, of student achievement in: (1) U.S. history in grades 8 and 12; and (2) civics in grades 8 and 12. Directs the National Assessment of Educational Progress governing board to select the participating States.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2005
Theodore Roosevelt Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 silver coins: (1) emblematic of the life and legacy of President Theodore Roosevelt, bearing his image as a Rough Rider on one side and an eagle design on the other side; and (2) bearing his image on horseback on one side and depicting a flaming sword of righteousness on the other side. Expresses the sense of Congress that the coins should be struck at the U.S. Mint at West Point, New York. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) issue such coins beginning on January 1, 2006; and (2) initiate coin sales before such date. (2006 will mark the 100th anniversary of Roosevelt's award of the Nobel Peace Prize.) Requires payment of $10 surcharges from the coin sales to the Theodore Roosevelt Association, to be used exclusively for educational programs at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, including a visitor's center.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2005
Puerto Rico Medicare Reimbursement Equity Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the formula for the Medicare inpatient hospital services payment rate for Puerto Rico hospitals to: (1) reduce the applicable Puerto Rico percentage from 25 percent to zero; and (2) increase the applicable Federal percentage from 75 percent to 100 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for and enforcement of prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages to: (1) add nonretaliation requirements; (2) increase penalties; and (3) authorize the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretaries of Labor and Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to provide for certain studies, information, national summit, and guidelines, awards, and assistance for employer evaluations of job categories based on objective criteria. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect certain pay information. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey; (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity; and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Employee Free Choice Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board to certify a bargaining representative without directing an election if a majority of the bargaining unit employees have authorized designation of the representative and there is no other individual or labor organization currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit. Sets forth special procedural requirements for reaching an initial collective bargaining agreement following certification or recognition. Revises enforcement requirements with respect to unfair labor practices during union organizing drives. Provides, under injunction provisions, for priority to be given to preliminary investigation of charges of violations by employers or other entities. Adds to remedies for such violations: (1) back pay plus liquidated damages; and (2) additional civil penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Combating Autism Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): (1) to develop a scientifically justified budget for research on autism spectrum disorders; (2) acting through the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, to provide for centers of excellence regarding research on autism; and (3) acting through the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Disorders, to provide for Collaborative Programs of Excellence in Autism. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish: (1) regional centers of excellence in autism and pervasive developmental disabilities epidemiology; and (2) a clearinghouse for the collecting and storage of data generated. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) a program to provide information and education on autism and its risk factors to health professionals and the general public; and (2) the Autism Coordinating Committee to coordinate autism related activities within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to award grants or cooperative agreements to develop statewide autism screening, diagnosis, and intervention programs and systems. Requires the Director of NIH, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, to provide for centers of excellence regarding environmental health and autism.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Recognizes the special legal and political relationship the Indian tribes have with the United States and the solemn covenant with the land we share. Commends and honors the Native Peoples for the thousands of years that they have stewarded and protected this land. Recognizes that there have been years of official depredations, ill-conceived policies, and the breaking of covenants by the Federal Government regarding Indian tribes. Apologizes on behalf of the people of the United States to all Native Peoples for the many instances of violence, maltreatment, and neglect inflicted on them by U.S. citizens. Expresses the regret of the United States for the ramifications of former wrongs and its commitment to build on the positive relationships of the past and present to move toward reconciliation. Urges the President to acknowledge the wrongs of the United States against Indian tribes in U.S. history. Commends the State governments that have begun reconciliation efforts with recognized Indian tribes located in their boundaries, and encourages all State governments to do the same. Declares that nothing in this Joint Resolution authorizes any claim against the United States or serves as a settlement of any claim against it.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2005
Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to permit the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): (1) acting through the Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, to expand and coordinate NIH activities on paralysis research; (2) to award grants to plan, establish, improve, and provide basic operating support for Christopher Reeve Paralysis Research Consortia; (3) to educate and disseminate information and receive public comment on NIH programs and research regarding paralysis; (4) acting through the Director of the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development and the National Center for Rehabilitation Research, to expand and coordinate NIH research with implications for enhancing daily function for persons with paralysis; and (5) to make grants to plan, establish, improve, and provide basic operating support for multicenter clinical trial networks to design clinical rehabilitation intervention protocols and measures of outcomes on paralysis. Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to study the health challenges associated with paralysis and other physical disabilities and carry out projects and interventions to improve the quality of life and long-term health status of individuals with such conditions. Permits the Secretary to award grants for activities related to paralysis, including to: (1) establish paralysis registries; and (2) disseminate information to the public. Allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) establish Paralysis Research, Education and Clinical Care Centers; and (2) award grants to medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to translate clinical findings and recommendations on paralysis into evidence-based best practices.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2005
Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins emblematic of the life and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln in commemoration of the bicentennial of his birth. Permits issuance of such coins only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2009. Subjects the coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
District of Columbia Budget Autonomy Act of 2005 -Amends the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to provide that the District of Columbia budget passed by the Council of the District of Columbia shall be enacted without referral to the President or approval by the Congress, unless it is the budget for a fiscal year which is a control year. Prohibits the Mayor of the District during a control year from transmitting the budget, or amendments or supplements thereto, to the President until the completion of the budget procedures contained in this Act and the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Act of 1995. Prohibits obligations or expenditures by District government officers and employees without the Council's approval or, in the case of a control year, congressional approval. Allows the Council to reenact provisions of any line-item veto by the Mayor in a budget Act without submitting such veto to the President, unless such item or provision is contained in a budget act for a control year. District of Columbia Independence of the Chief Financial Officer Act of 2005 - Amends the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to revise requirements for the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and the CFO's duties and term of office. Changes the names of, and subordinates to the CFO, the following District government offices or department: (1) Office of Budget and Management to Office of Budget and Planning; (2) Department of Finance and Revenue to Office of Tax and Revenue; and (3) Office of Treasurer to Office of Finance and Treasury. Consolidates the Office of the Controller and the Office of Financial Information Services into the Office of Financial Operations and Systems. Establishes: (1) the Office of Revenue Analysis, headed by the Deputy CFO for the Office of Revenue Analysis; and (2) the Lottery and Charitable Games Control Board. Provides that employees of the CFO Office shall be appointed by, serve at the pleasure of, and act under the direction and control of the CFO as at-will employees not covered by the District of Columbia Merit Personnel Act of 1978. States that nothing in this Act, however, may be construed to prohibit the CFO from entering into a collective bargaining agreement governing such employees or personnel. Grants the CFO independent authority over legal personnel. Amends the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to require the CFO to carry out procurement of goods and services for the CFO Office through a procurement office or division that shall operate independently of, and shall not be governed by, the Office of Contracting and Procurement, or its successor office. Amends the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975 to require, except for emergency declaration, ceremonial, confirmation, and sense of the Council resolutions, all permanent bills and resolutions to be accompanied by a fiscal impact statement before final adoption by the Council.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Database Act of 2005 or Dru's Law - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) make publicly available in a registry via the Internet, from information contained in the National Sex Offender Registry, specified information about sexually violent predators and persons convicted of a sexually violent offense or a criminal offense against a minor, who are required to register with a minimally sufficient State sexual offender registration program; and (2) allow registry users to identify offenders who are currently residing within a radius of the location indicated by the user. Requires registry information to include the offender's name, address, date of birth, physical description, and photograph, the nature and date of commission of the offense, and the date on which the person is released from prison or placed on parole, supervised release, or probation Requires: (1) any State that provides for a civil commitment proceeding to notify the State attorney general of the impending release of a sexually violent predator or a person has been deemed to be at high-risk for recommitting any sexually violent offense or criminal offense against a minor; (2) the State attorney general to consider instituting a civil commitment proceeding; and (3) each State to intensively monitor, for at least a year, any such person who has been unconditionally released by the State and who has not been civilly committed. Makes a State that fails to implement Act requirements ineligible to receive 25 percent of funds that would otherwise be allocated to it under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
Commends the Honorable Annice M. Wagner (Chief Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals) for her commitment and dedication to public service, the judicial system, equal access to justice, and the community.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2005
Small Business Compliance Assistance Enhancement Act of 2005 - Amends the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 to require an agency to prepare a compliance guide to assist small entities in complying with a Federal rule or group of related rules for which an agency is required to prepare a final regulatory flexibility analysis whenever an agency determines that a Federal rule or group of rules will have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2005
Highway Funding Equity Act of 2005 - Amends Federal highway law to revise Federal highway minimum guarantee requirements. Requires the Secretary of Transportation, for each of FY 2005 through 2009, to allocate among the States amounts sufficient to ensure that the percentage for each State of the total apportionments for the fiscal year for certain Federal-aid highway programs (including the basic minimum guarantee under this Act) equals or exceeds 95 percent of the ratio that the estimated gas tax payments attributable to highway users in the State paid into the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) bears to such payments attributable to highway users in all States (with a specified exception for any State having a population density of less than 50 individuals per square mile). Provides for: (1) the programmatic distribution of funds above $2.8 billion for certain Federal-aid highway programs; (2) the apportionment of the remainder of funds to the States; and (3) required adjustments where the sum of State percentages exceeds 100 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2005
People-to-People Engagement in World Affairs Resolution - Expresses the sense of the Senate encouraging the active engagement of Americans in world affairs and urging the Secretary of State to coordinate with implementing partners in creating an online database of international exchange programs and related opportunities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2005
Designates April 15, 2005, as National Youth Service Day. Recognizes and commends the significant contributions of American youth. Encourages the cultivation of a common civic bond among young people dedicated to serving their neighbors, their communities, and the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2005
Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants to public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of not more than eight centers to conduct multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research on environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer. Requires each such center to: (1) be known as a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Center of Excellence; (2) establish ongoing collaborations with community organizations; (3) be formed from a consortium of cooperating institutions; (4) be supported under this Act for a period of not more than five years with additional periods allowed after review and recommendation; and (5) use innovative approaches to study unexplored areas of the environment and breast cancer. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Panel to make recommendations for and to review grants awarded under this Act
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2005
Lupus Research, Education, Awareness, Communication, and Healthcare Amendments of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to expand research on lupus to include: (1) basic research to discover the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the disease; and (2) research to validate lupus biomarkers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to work with a consortium of academic health institutions to undertake an epidemiological study to determine the prevalence and incidence of lupus in the United States. Requires the Director of CDC to: (1) enter into a cooperative agreement with such consortium to develop, implement, and manage a system for lupus data collection and analysis; and (2) ensure that such consortium represents different geographic areas and includes individuals of racial and ethnic backgrounds disproportionately affected by lupus. Requires the Secretary to enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to study and make recommendations related to lupus, to include: (1) evaluating Federal and State activities related to lupus and recommending ways to expand such activities; (2) identifying gaps in Federal research; and (3) recommending ways to improve the quality of life for people with lupus. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office on Women's Health, to conduct and support a national lupus public awareness and health professional education campaign, with an emphasis on reaching populations at highest risk for the disease.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2005
Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to deny an application for a new animal drug that is a critical antimicrobial animal drug unless the applicant demonstrates that there is a reasonably certainty of no harm to human health due to the development of antimicrobial resistance attributable to the nontherapeutic use of the drug. Defines "critical antimicrobial animal drug" as a drug intended for use in food-producing animals that contains specified antibiotics or other drugs used in humans to treat or prevent disease or infection caused by microorganisms. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to withdraw approval of a nontherapeutic use of such drugs in food-producing animals two years after the date of enactment of this Act unless certain safety requirements are met. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make payments to livestock or poultry producers to defray the costs of reducing the use of such drugs, with priority given to family-owned or small farms and ranches. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to award grants to colleges and universities to establish programs to phase out the nontherapeutic use of such drugs in livestock or poultry. Requires the manufacturer of such a drug or an animal feed for food-producing animals containing such a drug to report sales information to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2005
Start Healthy, Stay Healthy Act of 2005- Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to give States new options to: (1) cover low-income pregnant women; and (2) provide for coordination of SCHIP with the Maternal and Child Health Program under SSA title V. Provides for an increase in SCHIP income eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Together-Immediately Defeating Erosion Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to use authorized funds to: (1) collect data relating to the Louisiana coastal area regarding environmental restoration, resource protection, and protection and recovery of fisheries; (2) carry out a restoration project; or (3) enter into an agreement with another federal agency to carry out a conservation, protection, or restoration project in the area. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Geological Survey, to use authorized funds to: (1) collect biological, ecological, environmental, geological, and geographical data relating to the area; (2) monitor and analyze the data collected; or (3) enter into a project agreement with another federal agency.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to carry out a program for ecosystem restoration, Louisiana Coastal Area, Louisiana, substantially in accordance with the report of the Chief of Engineers, dated January 31, 2005. Directs the Secretary to give priority to any: (1) portion of the program identified in that report as a critical restoration feature; (2) Mississippi River diversion project that protects a major population area of the Pontchartain, Pearl, Breton Sound, Barataria, or Terrebonne Basin and that produces an environmental benefit to the coastal area of Louisiana or Mississippi; and (3) barrier island or shoreline project that is carried out in conjunction with a Mississippi River diversion project and that protects a major population area. Directs the Secretary, in coordination with the Governor of Louisiana, to develop a plan for protecting, preserving, and restoring the coastal Louisiana ecosystem. Establishes the Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Protection and Restoration Task Force. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop a plan for modifying the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet that addresses wetland losses attributable to the Outlet, channel bank erosion, hurricane storm surges, saltwater intrusion, navigation interests, and environmental restoration; (2) establish a coastal Louisiana ecosystem science and technology program; (3) contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct a study to identify causes of degradation of the Area ecosystem attributable to an action by the Secretary; and (4) review each federally-authorized water resources project in the Area to determine whether each project could contribute to ecosystem restoration through modification of the project's operations or features.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Water Resources Development Act of 2005 - Authorizes water projects and river and harbor improvements, including new locks on, and modifications to the operation of, the Upper Mississippi River and the Illinois Waterway. Sets forth authorizations for, modifications to, deauthorizations of, and study requirements for navigation, flood damage reduction, hurricane and storm damage reduction, ecosystem restoration, and related projects throughout the country. Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to: (1) modify the operation of the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway System to address cumulative environmental impacts; and (2) restore the ecosystem of the Louisiana Coastal Area. Establishes the Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Protection and Restoration Task Force. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop a plan for modifying the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet; and (2) establish a coastal Louisiana ecosystem science and technology program. Amends the Flood Control Act of 1970 to direct the Secretary to credit toward the non-federal share of the cost of a water resources project the value of in-kind contributions made by the non-federal interest. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) include individuals from the private sector in Corps of Engineers' training classes; and (2) establish centers of expertise to provide specialized planning expertise for water resource projects. Mandates peer review of major engineering, scientific, and technical work products by the Corps. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Corps, to: (1) provide public access to water resource and related water quality data in the Corps' custody; and (2) conduct a national shoreline erosion control development and demonstration program. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study and develop a general management plan for restoration of the Upper Connecticut River ecosystem.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Offshore Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends the Submerged Lands Act to require the Secretary of the Interior to convey the interest of the United States in the expanded submerged land of the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, if the state involved demonstrates that specified conditions will be met. Numbers among such conditions the requirement that the state enact, and keep updated, laws or promulgate regulations equivalent to federal law or regulations regarding: (1) the environmental protection, safety, and operations of any operation pipeline in existence on the date of conveyance; and (2) valuation of oil, gas, or other mineral production from existing interests for royalty purposes. Provides that if any existing federal oil and gas or other mineral lease or unit would be divided by the expanded seaward boundary of a state, the federal interest in the leased minerals underlying the portion of the lease or unit that lies within the expanded submerged boundary shall not be considered to be conveyed to the state until the date on which the lease or unit expires or is relinquished by the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Domestic Offshore Energy Reinvestment Act of 2005 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to establish the Secure Energy Reinvestment Fund, consisting of outer Continental Shelf revenues attributable to royalties received by the United States in excess of prescribed amounts. Instructs the Secretary to pay to each coastal energy State (including its coastal political subdivision) certain amounts remaining in the Fund after payment for: (1) administrative expenses; and (2) the Coastal Restoration and Enhancement through Science and Technology program. Sets forth the uses of the Coastal Restoration and Enhancement through Science and Technology program.
![Official portrait of Sen. Landrieu, Mary L. [D-LA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000550_200.jpg)