United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2005
Covering Kids Act of 2005 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities to: (1) conduct innovative outreach and enrollment efforts that are designed to increase the enrollment and participation of eligible children under SCHIP; and (2) promote understanding of the importance of health insurance coverage for prenatal care and children. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to grant a state the option to provide for simplified determinations of a child's financial eligibility for medical assistance under Medicaid or child health assistance under SCHIP.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2005
Farming Flexibility Act of 2005 - Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, with respect to direct and counter-cyclical payments, to: (1) permit a producer to reduce a covered commodity base acreage by electing to plant such acres with fruits or vegetables for processing; (2) require such election to be made annually; and (3) provide that if a farm's base acreage is recalculated, such fruit or vegetable production shall be considered the same as the planning, prevented planting, or production of the covered commodity.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Supports the participants of the historic meeting of the Assembly to Promote the Civil Society in Cuba in May 2005 in Havana. Urges the international community to support the Assembly's mission to bring democracy and human rights to Cuba. Encourages the international community to oppose any attempts by the Cuban Government to repress Assembly organizers and participants. Shares the Assembly's pro-democracy ideals and believes that the Assembly and its mission will advance Cuba's freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to make all States eligible to have specified summer food pilot projects carried out by service institutions within those States. (Eliminates a formula under current law for determining whether a State is eligible for such pilot projects.)
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 Energy Bonds Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow holders of clean energy bonds a nonrefundable tax credit of 25 percent of an annual credit amount as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury. Defines "clean energy bond" as any bond issued by a clean energy bond lender, a cooperative electric company, a governmental body, or the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) that is used for capital expenditures for specified projects for producing electricity from certain renewable resources, such as wind, biomass, solar energy, small irrigation power, and municipal solid waste. Sets forth rules for maturity limitations, arbitrage, and expenditures, including a requirement that 95 percent of proceeds from the sale of a bond issue be spent on a renewable resource project within five years from the date of a bond issuance. Terminates the authority to issue clean energy bonds after 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2005
E-85 Fuel Utilization and Infrastructure Development Incentives Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax credits for: (1) 50 percent of the cost of installing residential or commercial alternative fuel vehicle refueling property to store or dispense E-85 fuel (alternative vehicle fuel consisting of at least 85 percent ethanol); and (2) the retail sale of E-85 fuel for use in an alternative fuel motor vehicle.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2005
Commonsense Consumption Act of 2005 - Prohibits new and dismisses pending civil actions by any person against a manufacturer, marketer, distributor, advertiser, or seller of food or a trade association for any injury related to a person's accumulated acts of consumption of food and weight gain, obesity, or any associated health condition, excluding actions alleging: (1) a breach of express contract or express warranty provided that the grounds of recovery are unrelated to a person's weight gain, obesity, or related health condition; (2) a knowing violation of a federal or state statute applicable to the marketing, advertisement, or labeling of food with intent for a person to rely on that violation, where such person relied on that violation, and where such reliance was the proximate cause of injury related to that person's weight gain, obesity, or related health condition; or (3) a violation brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under the Federal Trade Commission Act or by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Requires in any excluded action: (1) a stay of discovery during the pendency of any motion to dismiss, unless necessary to preserve evidence or to prevent undue prejudice; and (2) evidence preservation during the stay. Requires the complaint in such an action to plead with particularity: (1) each element of the cause of action; (2) the Federal and State statutes that were allegedly violated; (3) the specific facts alleged to constitute the violation of law; and (4) the specific facts that are alleged to have caused the claimed injury.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2005
Calls for the Administration to: (1) address the lack of intellectual property protection in China and Russia; (2) ensure that any country receiving benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, such as Russia, provides such protection; (3) ensure that action is taken against any country with which the United States shares mutual commitments under the World Trade Organization (WTO), such as China, when the country fails to live up to its WTO commitments; and (4) urge Russia to promote measures to enforce such protection to comply with commitments required by WTO. Urges the President to take appropriate additional action to protect the intellectual property rights of U.S. businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2005
Commends, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the removal of the last nuclear warhead from the territory of Kazakhstan, the people and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan for their historic decision to rid Kazakhstan of nuclear weapons.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2005
Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act- Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require: (1) biennial (currently, annual) budget resolutions; (2) biennial appropriations Acts; and (3) biennial Government strategic and performance plans. Defines the budget biennium as the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to: (1) determine the impact and feasibility of changing the definition of a fiscal year and the budget process based on that definition to a two-year fiscal period with a biennial budget process based on such period; and (2) report the findings to the House and Senate Budget Committees.
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
North American Cooperative Security Act - Directs the Secretary of State to provide a framework for enhanced security management, communication, and coordination among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Directs the Secretary to: (1) negotiate border-related information sharing agreements with Mexico; (2) establish a program to improve Mexico's southern border security, including U.S., Canadian, and Mexican financial and technical assistance to Belize and Guatemala to help secure their borders; (3) establish a database to track Central American gangs; (4) examine the feasibility of an agreement with Panama and other Central American countries regarding the aerial interdiction program (Airbridge Denial); and (5) negotiate with other countries to accept the International Civil Aviation Organization Annex 9 one-time travel document in lieu of official travel documents if an inadmissible immigrant has not presented official travel documents or has presented fraudulent ones, and facilitate the removal and repatriation of inadmissible aliens from the United States, with a focus on criminal aliens who are dangerous or potential terrorists. Directs the Secretary of Defense to examine the feasibility of strengthening institutions for consultations on intelligence sharing and defense and border issues among the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Directs the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees every six months regarding: (1) security, cargo security, and the movement of goods; (2) border infrastructure and wait times; (3) security clearances and document integrity; (4) immigration and visa management; (5) visa policy coordination and immigration security; (6) North American visitor overstay program; (7) terrorist watch lists; (8) money laundering, income tax evasion, currency smuggling, and alien smuggling; (9) counterterrorism programs; (10) law enforcement cooperation; (11) biosecurity cooperation; (12) protection against nuclear and radiological threats; (13) emergency management cooperation; (14) cooperative energy policy; and (15) feasibility of a common external tariff and development assistance with Mexico.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2005 or the FAIR Act of 2005 - Establishes within the Department of Labor the Office of Asbestos Disease Compensation, to be headed by an Administrator responsible for processing claims for compensation for asbestos-related injuries and managing the Asbestos Injury Claims Resolution Fund (Fund) (established within such Office). Requires the Administrator to: (1) establish an Advisory Committee on Asbestos Disease Compensation; (2) establish a Medical Advisory Committee; (3) establish a comprehensive asbestos claimant assistance program that includes legal assistance; and (4) appoint physicians to claim-specific Physicians Panels. Stays all asbestos claims pending on the date of enactment of this Act (except for specified civil actions already at trial). Sets forth special procedures for the settlement of exigent health claims. Allows non-exigent claims to proceed in Federal or State court if the Fund is not certified as operational within 24 months of enactment. Establishes: (1) procedures for handling claims of asbestos-related disease and injury; (2) occupational exposure presumptions; (3) medical evidence auditing and review procedures and applicable medical criteria; and (4) award amounts and payment methods. Imposes a general five-year statute of limitations for filing claims, with special provisions for pending claims and multiple injuries. Specifies the funding allocation for asbestos defendants required to pay into the Fund. Establishes the Asbestos Insurers Commission to determine Fund payment obligations. Authorizes the Administrator to impose a pro rata surcharge on Fund participants if certain bankruptcy trust assets are unavailable to the Fund and borrowing is insufficient to ensure liquidity. Directs the Administrator to establish a program for the education, consultation, medical screening, and medical monitoring of persons with asbestos exposure. Vests exclusive jurisdiction to review, under expedited consideration: (1) final determinations regarding fund obligations and actions for declaratory and injunctive relief under this Act in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia; and (2) award decisions in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the circuit in which the claimant resides. Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit and establish penalties for fraud and false information in connection with Fund claims. Amends the bankruptcy code to state that Fund contribution obligations are not subject to an automatic stay or dischargeable in bankruptcy. States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to preclude personal injury claims attributable to silica exposure where certain pleading and evidentiary requirements are met. Requires remedies provided by this Act to be the exclusive remedy for asbestos claims except with regard to specified civil actions already at trial. Addresses the effect of this Act on insurance and reinsurance contracts. Requires the sunset of specified provisions of this Act if the Administrator determines that the Fund has insufficient resources. Requires the Administrator to refer possible violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Clean Air Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to listed officials for possible civil or criminal penalties. Amends OSHA to enhance criminal penalties for willful violations of occupational standards for asbestos. Directs the Administrator to assess Fund contributions from individuals who have violated asbestos laws administered by the Department of Labor, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and their State counterparts. Requires the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review Federal sentencing guidelines to ensure that environmental crimes relating to asbestos are sufficiently punished. Prohibits discrimination in health insurance coverage against persons who participate in medical monitoring programs under this Act. Amends TSCA to require the Administrator of EPA to promulgate regulations prohibiting the manufacture, processing, or distribution in commerce of asbestos containing products, subject to specified exemptions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Global Health Corps Act of 2005 - Establishes the Office of the Global Health Corp within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to assist in improving the health, welfare, and development of communities in foreign countries and regions through the provision of health care personnel, items, and related services. Directs the Secretary of HHS to establish the Global Health Corps to: (1) improve the heath, welfare, and development of communities in select foreign countries and regions; (2) advance U.S. public diplomacy in such locations; and (3) provide individuals in the United States with the opportunity to serve such communities by providing a broad range of needed health care and related services. Requires that Corp participants be available to provide: (1) health care items and related services; (2) preventive care, treatment, and services; (3) veterinary and related services; and (4) sanitation, hygiene, food preparation, and clean water training. Requires the Director of the Global Health Corps to establish and carry out a program to provide members of the Corps with training in a variety of health care disciplines. Requires the head of the Volunteers for Prosperity program to establish the Health Care for Peace initiative to make non-Federal volunteers available to participate in the Corps. Permits members of the Public Health Service and volunteers in the Peace Corps to participate in the Global Health Corps. Allows the Director to establish private-public partnerships to further the purpose of this Act.
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 · 15 April 2005
Welcomes: (1) the official resignation of Askar Akayev as President of the Kyrgyz Republic; and (2) the close relationship between the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic. Supports the the Kyrgyz Republic's independence and territorial integrity. Urges: (1) strong support for democratic reform in the Kyrgyz Republic; (2) the interim government in the Kyrgyz Republic to move swiftly toward the democratic government ratified by the people of Kyrgyz by holding free presidential elections in July 2005; and (3) the people of the Kyrgyz Republic to take advantage of the readiness of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to expand its assistance in preparing for free and fair presidential elections in the Kyrgyz Republic.
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 · 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 · 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
Children's Express Lane to Health Coverage Act of 2005 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to give States the option of providing that Medicaid or SCHIP financial eligibility requirements are met for children based on their eligibility for nutrition assistance or similar public programs with comparable income standards and methodologies.
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
Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable or educational purposes and which make collegiate housing and infrastructure improvement grants to continue to be treated as tax-exempt organizations so long as all of the active members of the recipient organization are full-time students at the college or university with which the recipient organization is associated.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2005
Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Act or PREEMIE Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand and coordinate NIH research on preterm labor and delivery, infant mortality, and low birthweight infants. Establishes the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network and the Neonatal Research Units Network within NIH. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) expand and coordinate CDC activities on preterm labor and delivery and infant mortality; (2) conduct a study on the relationship between prematurity, birth defects, and developmental disabilities; and (3) review the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Survey. Requires the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's national longitudinal study of environmental influences on children's health and development to consider the impact of assisted reproduction technologies. Requires the Director of NIH to contract with the Institute of Medicine to study the health and economic consequences of preterm birth. Directs the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to assess certain core performance and outcome measures utilized under the Social Security Act for purposes of expanding such measures to include known risk factors of low birthweight and prematurity. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) conduct a demonstration project to improve the provision of information on prematurity to health professionals and the public; (2) conduct projects to support the informational and emotional needs of families during the stay of an infant in a neonatal intensive care unit, during the transition of the infant to the home, and in the event of a newborn death; and (3) establish an Interagency Coordinating Council on Prematurity and Low Birthweight.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2005
Prevent Prematurity and Improve Child Health 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 cover: (1) low-income pregnant women; and (2) low-income legal immigrant pregnant women and children under Medicaid and SCHIP. Extends coverage under Medicaid of prescription drugs and counseling services to tobacco cessation medications to help pregnant women enrolled in the program quit using tobacco. Requires coverage of tobacco cessation counseling services for pregnant women, and exempts such services from cost-sharing charges. Covers tobacco cessation medications and counseling for pregnant women, also, under the Maternal and Child Health Services program under SSA title V. Gives States the option under Medicaid to: (1) provide family planning services and supplies to individuals with incomes that do not exceed a State's income eligibility level for medical assistance; and (2) extend the postpartum period for provision of family planning services and supplies. Gives States the option to provide wrap-around SCHIP coverage to children who have other health coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2005
Joins the world in mourning the death of Pope John Paul II, and pays tribute to him by pledging to be ever faithful to our national calling to be "one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,'' and to help our neighbors in immeasurable ways.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that an aerial applicator of agricultural fertilizer or other substances who is the ultimate purchaser of gasoline used on farms may qualify for an excise tax exemption for such gasoline without the necessity of a waiver by farm owners, operators, or tenants of their right to be treated as users and ultimate purchasers of such gasoline. Includes within such tax exemption gasoline used for the direct flight between the airfield and one or more farms. Exempts fixed-wing aircraft used for forestry purposes from the passenger air transportation excise tax.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Fuels Security Act of 2005 - Amends the Clean Air Act to require that motor vehicle fuel contain a specified volume of renewable fuel. Establishes a system of: (1) tradeable credits for motor vehicle fuel containing more renewable fuel than required; and (2) waivers for States and small refineries. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to require Federal agency heads to ensure that ethanol-blended gasoline and biodiesel-blended diesel fuel is purchased for agency vehicles in areas where such fuel is available at competitive prices. Amends the Clean Air Act to eliminate the oxygen content requirement for reformulated gasoline. Requires the Administrator to: (1) establish standards for toxic air pollutants from the use of reformulated gasoline; and (2) within 30 days of enactment of this Act, determine the adequacy of any petition from a State Governor to exempt gasoline sold in the State from certain requirements for reformulated gasoline. Permits States additional opt-in areas under the reformulated gasoline program. Requires Federal enforcement of State fuels requirements. Sets forth various data collection and reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
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 · 17 March 2005
Designates August 16, 2005 as National Airborne Day (to recognize the airborne forces of the U.S. Armed Forces). Requests that the President issue a proclamation calling on Federal, State, and local administrators and the people of the United States to observe National Airborne Day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Designates the week of May 1, 2005, as Holocaust Commemoration Week. Commemorates the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II and the liberation of the concentration camps. Encourages all Americans to commemorate this occasion through reflection, acts of compassionate caring, and learning about the terrible consequences and lessons of the Holocaust.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
Authorizes the President to extend unconditional and permanent nondiscriminatory (permanent normal trade relations) treatment to the products of the Ukraine.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
Support our Scouts Act of 2005 - Prohibits any Federal law from being construed to limit any Federal agency from providing any form of support for a youth organization (including the Boy Scouts of America or any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America) that would result in that Federal agency providing less support to that youth organization (or any similar organization chartered under Federal law relating to the Boy Scouts of America) than was provided during each of the preceding four fiscal years. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to prohibit any State or unit of general local government that has a designated open forum, limited public forum, or nonpublic forum and that is a recipient of assistance under the Act from denying equal access or a fair opportunity to meet to, or discriminate against, any youth organization, including the Boy Scouts of America or any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, that wishes to conduct a meeting or otherwise participate in that designated open forum, limited public forum, or nonpublic forum.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
Commemorates the 65th Anniversary of the Black Press of America by recognizing the significant contributions African-American newspapers have made from the time of slavery and segregation to the present and the continued contribution of such newspapers to the ideal of equal opportunity.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2005
Health Promotion Funding Integrated Research, Synthesis, and Training Act or the Health Promotion FIRST Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a plan for health promotion that includes coordinating the health promotion activities of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and addressing how best to: (1) develop the basic and applied science of health promotion; (2) disseminate health promotion research; (3) support the health promotion community; and (4) modify or develop policies, structure, and legislation to integrate health promotion into all health professions and sectors of society. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, to: (1) develop a plan on how best to develop the basic science of health promotion through NIH agencies; and (2) conduct or support early research programs and research training regarding health promotion. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to develop a plan to establish a research agenda regarding health promotion for CDC. Requires the Director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion to award grants to develop Health Promotion Research Centers. Requires the Director of CDC to: (1) make an effort to attract grant applications from groups experienced in providing programs; (2) fund research to develop the applied science of health promotion for specified settings; and (3) develop a research agenda for workplace health promotion. Requires the Secretary to modify the application process for grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts awarded under this Act to attract the most qualified individuals and organizations, rather than those most experienced with the application process.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2005
Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize expansion of Medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy services to diseases, conditions, or disorders other than diabetes or a renal disease.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the tax credit for biodiesel used as fuel to include a credit for the production of agri-biodiesel fuel equal to 10 cents for each gallon produced. Limits: (1) the amount of qualified agri-biodiesel production of a producer to 15 million gallons for any taxable year; and (2) eligible producers to those with a productive capacity not exceeding 60 million gallons. Revises the small ethanol producer tax credit to: (1) expand the eligibility of small ethanol producers for the credit; (2) exclude the credit from the definition of passive activity credit; and (3) exclude credit amounts from inclusion in gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Foreign Affairs Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007 - Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007 - Authorizes FY 2006 and 2007 appropriations for: (1) the Department of State; and (2) U.S. international broadcasting activities. Revises provisions respecting Department: (1) authorities and activities, including protective and security functions, grants, establishment of a Victims of Crime Office, and educational programs in the Islamic world; and (2) personnel. Limits the U.S. share for United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations. International Broadcasting Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007 - Amends the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 to: (1) make funds available available to Middle East Broadcasting Networks; (2) extend funding for Radio Free Asia; and (3) pay personnel dependent school costs in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Amends the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act to enhance broadcasting to Cuba. Reconstruction and Stabilization Civilian Management Act of 2005 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide reconstruction and stabilization assistance. Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to direct the Secretary of State to establish within the Department an Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization. Foreign Assistance Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007 - Authorizes FY 2006 and 2007 appropriations for: (1) development assistance and related programs; (2) counternarcotics, security assistance, and related programs; and (3) independent agencies. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 respecting: (1) development policy; (2) nongovernmental organizations; (3) unanticipated contingencies; (4) lethal excess property; (5) reconstruction and famine assistance; (6) the Independent States of the former Soviet Union; (7) war reserve stockpiles for allies; (8) economic support funds for Lebanon; (9) demining programs; (10) military coups; (11) alternative dispute resolution; (12) law enforcement assistance; (13) debt relief for the poorest countries; (14) Congo Basin Forest Partnership; (15) landmine clearance; (16) Middle East Foundation; and (17) Millennium Challenge assistance. Amends the Arms Export Control Act, including provisions respecting: (1) FREEDOM Support Act waiver authority; and (2) Pakistan, Indonesia, and Haiti. Radiological Terrorism Security Act of 2005 - Sets forth provisions respecting: (1) embassy threat assessments; and (2) foreign first responders. Global Pathogen Surveillance Act of 2005 - Provides assistance for specified pathogen surveillance, personnel training, and regional health programs. Safe Water: Currency for Peace Act of 2005 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to: (1) authorize the President to provide assistance to improve water access and sanitation; and (2) establish a clean water infrastructure development program. Protection of Vulnerable Populations During Humanitarian Emergencies Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary to develop a protection strategy for vulnerable populations, especially women and children, during humanitarian emergencies. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide assistance to protect vulnerable populations during humanitarian emergencies. Expresses the sense of Congress that the UN should strengthen its ability to protect civilians, especially women and children, from sexual exploitation by peace mission personnel. Conventional Arms Disarmament Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary to carry out a global program to secure or eliminate stocks of man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), other conventional weapons, and tactical missile systems that pose a proliferation threat.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2005
Ronald Reagan Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2005 - 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 · 9 March 2005
Little Rock Central High School Desegregation 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 $1 coins emblematic of the desegregation of the Little Rock Central High School and its contribution to civil rights in America, beginning January 1, 2007. Terminates such minting authority after December 31, 2007. States that all sales shall include a surcharge of $10 per coin, to be equally divided and paid to: (1) the Jefferson National Parks Association for the purpose of providing support for programs and other developmental activities at the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site and support for the ongoing mission of the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site; and (2) the Secretary of the Interior for site improvements at the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site, including the establishment of cooperative agreements to preserve and restore the historic character of the vicinity in the historic site's boundaries. States that Congress intends for such surcharges to supplement amounts provided to the Secretary in appropriation Acts for the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site, and are not intended to be a substitute for such appropriated amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Protection of Vulnerable Populations During Humanitarian Emergencies Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) develop a comprehensive strategy for the protection of vulnerable populations, especially women and children, who are affected by a humanitarian emergency; and (2) designate an individual within the Department of State or the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as the coordinator for such efforts. Authorizes USAID to establish a fellowship program to increase USAID expertise in carrying out protective activities of vulnerable populations, especially women and children, affected by a humanitarian emergency. Prohibits certain Department or USAID funds for refugees or internally displaced persons to be provided to a primary grantee or contractor unless the grantee or contractor has adopted a code of conduct that is consistent with the six core principles recommended by the United Nations (UN) Inter-Agency Standing Committee. Directs the coordinator to seek to provide health services to vulnerable populations, including: (1) prevention of of sexual violence; (2) reduction of HIV transmission; (3) provision of obstetric care; and (4) integrating women's health services into the primary health care services provided during a humanitarian emergency. Amends the Microenterprise for Self-Reliance Act of 2000 to seek to extend microcredit program availability to vulnerable populations. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to: (1) permit providing military education and training where it would provide for the protection vulnerable populations; and (2) authorize the President to provide assistance for programs to protect vulnerable populations during humanitarian emergencies. Expresses the sense of Congress that the UN should strengthen the ability of its Department of Peacekeeping Operations to protect civilians, especially women and children, from sexual exploitation by peacekeeping personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Nonprofit Athletic Organization Protection Act of 2005 - Exempts a nonprofit athletic organization from liability for harm caused by an act or omission in the adoption of rules of play for sanctioned or approved athletic competitions or practices if: (1) the organization was acting within the scope of its duties; (2) the organization was properly licensed, certified, or authorized for the competition or practice; and (3) the harm was not caused by the organization's willful or criminal misconduct, gross negligence, or reckless misconduct. Makes exceptions where State law: (1) requires such an organization to adhere to risk management procedures, including mandatory training; (2) makes the organization liable for the acts or omissions of its employees, agents, and volunteers to the same extent as an employer is liable for its employees; and (3) makes a limitation of liability inapplicable if the civil action was brought by an officer of a State or local government .
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2005
Designates March 8, 2005, as International Women's Day. Reaffirms the Senate's commitment to: (1) improve women's access to quality health care, including HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment; (2) prevent violence against women, including the trafficking of women and girls worldwide; (3) end discrimination and increase the participation of women in government and private sector decisionmaking positions; and (4) extend full economic opportunities to women.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Great Lakes Environmental Restoration Act - Establishes a Great Lakes Environmental Restoration Grant Program in the Great Lakes National Program Office of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide grants to States, municipalities, and other applicants for: (1) contaminated sediment buildup; (2) wetland restoration; (3) invasive species control and prevention; (4) coastal wildlife and fisheries habitat improvement; (5) public access improvement; (6) water quality improvement; (7) sustainable water use; or (8) nonpoint source pollution reduction. Allocates funds among the Great Lakes States, requiring the funding of at least one project or activity per Great Lakes State per fiscal year. Stipulates that projects result in tangible improvements in the Great Lakes watershed and address at least one of the priority issues identified by the Great Lakes Environmental Restoration Advisory Board. Prohibits the use of restoration grant funds for: (1) roads not connected with sewer upgrades; (2) research, monitoring, or beautification projects unrelated to tangible watershed improvements; or (3) litigation and lobbying expenses. Establishes the Great Lakes Environmental Restoration Advisory Board which includes Federal, State, and local members as well as specified observers. Establishes the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the Administrator of the EPA to: (1) develop and implement science-based indicators of water quality and related environmental factors in the Great Lakes, including measures of accumulated toxic pollutants; (2) establish a Federal network to regularly monitor and collect this data; and (3) report its findings to Congress and identify in such report any emerging problems.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2005
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States should: (1) urge Russia to live up to its commitments at the 1999 Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Summit regarding Georgia and Moldova; (2) in cooperation with its European allies, maintain diplomatic pressure to permit the OSCE Border Monitoring Operation (BMO) in Georgia to continue; and (3) if the BMO ceases to exist, seek, in cooperation with its European allies, an international presence to monitor border crossings between Georgia and the Russian republics of Chechnya, Dagestan, and Ingushetia.
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