United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2004
International Remittance Consumer Protection Act of 2004 - Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to require a remittance transfer provider to: (1) clearly and conspicuously make specified disclosures in writing and in a form that the consumer may keep to each consumer requesting a remittance transfer; and (2) make such disclosures in English and in the same languages principally used by the remittance transfer provider, or its agents at that office, if other than English. Prescribes error resolution guidelines and remedies governing remittance transfer errors. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to publish electronically on each business day the foreign currencies dollar exchange rate. Subjects a remittance transfer provider to liability for violations committed by its agents or subsidiaries. Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to empower Federal Credit Unions to: (1) provide remittance transfers to persons in the field of membership; and (2) to cash checks and money orders for such persons for a fee. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to work with the Federal reserve banks to expand the use of the automated clearinghouse system for remittance transfers to foreign countries. Requires certain Federal banking agencies to provide guidelines to financial institutions regarding the offering of low-cost remittance transfers and no-cost or low-cost basic consumer accounts, as well as agency services to remittance transfer providers. Requires such agencies and the Secretary to assist the Financial Literacy and Education Commission in improving the financial literacy and education of consumers who send remittances.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004
Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2005 through 2007 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 2005 through 2007 to carry out the activities of the Department of Justice. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (Safe Streets Act) to: (1) merge the Byrne grant program and the local law enforcement block grant program into an Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program; and (2) establish within the Office of Justice Programs an Office of Weed and Seed Strategies to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, criminal drug-related activity, and gang activity. Amends the USA PATRIOT Act to authorize grants for nonprofit neighborhood and community-based victim service organizations and coalitions to improve outreach and services to crime victims. Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act of 2004 - Amends the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to expand its scope to cover acts or threats involving burglary, embezzlement, and fraud in the purchase of securities. Prevention and Recovery of Missing Children Act of 2004 - Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require each State reporting on missing children to ensure that no law enforcement agency within the State establishes or maintains a policy that requires the removal of an entry from its State law enforcement system or the National Crime Information Center computer network based solely on the person's age and provide that any relevant information shall be entered within two hours of receipt. Revises the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act to require the responsible official to obtain from a sex offender who is required to register: (1) information regarding the offender's anticipated future residence, employer's name and address, license plate number and vehicle, and student enrollment; and (2) fingerprints and a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sample, unless they were obtained within the previous three months. Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2004 - Amends the Safe Streets Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program. Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act or PACT Act - Amends the Jenkins Act to prohibit any person or other legal entity from selling, transferring, or shipping cigarettes into a State that taxes the sale or use of cigarettes (or from advertising or offering cigarettes for such a sale or transfer and shipment) without filing specified information with the tobacco tax administrator of such State within a specified time frame. Grants the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives authority to conduct certain undercover investigative operations and to inspect records and cigarettes of cigarette sellers who ship, sell, distribute, or receive any quantity in excess of 10,000 cigarettes within a single month. Cooperative Research and Technology Enhancement of 2004 or CREATE Act - Amends patent and trademark law to deem subject matter developed by another person and a claimed invention to have been owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person, for purposes of provisions that treat inventions of a common owner similarly to inventions made by a single person, if: (1) the claimed invention was made by or on behalf of parties to a joint research agreement that was in effect on or before the date the claimed invention was made; (2) the claimed invention was made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of the agreement; and (3) the application for patent for the claimed invention discloses, or is amended to disclose, the names of the parties to the agreement. Protecting Intellectual Rights Against Theft and Expropriation Act of 2004 - Amends copyright law to authorize the Attorney General to: (1) commence a civil action against any person who engages in conduct constituting copyright infringement; (2) collect damages and profits resulting from such infringement; and (3) collect statutory damages. Koby Mandell Act of 2004 - Establishes within the Department of Justice an Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism. Seniors Safety Act of 2004 - Directs the Federal Trade Commission to establish procedures regarding telemarketing fraud. Federal Prosecutors Retirement Benefit Equity Act of 2004 - Includes Federal prosecutors within the definition of "law enforcement officer" (thus making them eligible for certain benefits). Anti-Atrocity Alien Deportation Act of 2004 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to provide for the inadmissibility and removability of aliens who have committed or otherwise participated in acts of torture or extrajudicial killings abroad. Parental Responsibility Obligations Met through Immigration System Enforcement Act or PROMISE Act - Amends the INA to make an alien excludable from U.S. admission for nonpayment of child support, with an exception. Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act - Authorizes the President to present to the personal representative or next of kin of each individual who died on or after September 11, 2001, as a direct result of the act of terrorism within the United States on that date, a Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Congressional Medal. National Film Preservation Act of 2004 - Amends the National Film Preservation Act of 1996 to reauthorize appropriations to the Library of Congress for the National Film Preservation Board. National Film Preservation Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2004 - Amends specified Federal law to reauthorize appropriations to the Library of Congress for the National Film Preservation Foundation. Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2003 (sic) or DREAM Act - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on State residence unless a U.S. national is similarly eligible without regard to such State residence. Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Database Act of 2004 or Dru's Law - Directs the Attorney General to establish a national sex offender registry that: (1) makes publicly available, via the Internet, information about sexually violent predators and persons convicted of a sexually violent offense or a criminal offense against a minor; and (2) allows users to determine which registered sex offenders are currently residing within a specified area.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2004
Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004 - Authorizes the Secretaries of Education, of State, and of Health and Human Services to award grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, Special Olympics for specified education, international, and health activities, including ones promoting Special Olympics and a greater understanding of contributions to society by individuals with intellectual disabilities both within and outside of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 555 West 180th Street in New York, New York, as the "Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 10 West Prospect Street in Nanuet, New York, as the "Anthony I. Lombardi Memorial Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004
Continuing Care for Recovering Families Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to allow an eligible individual to elect continuation coverage for group health benefits as provided for in the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) during the 120-day period that begins on the later of the date of enactment of this Act or the date on which the individual experiences a terrorism-related loss of coverage. Provides that: (1) the maximum period required for such coverage shall not be less than the period during which the individual is an eligible individual; and (2) the period between the loss of coverage and the first day of the election period shall be disregarded for purposes of determining the waiting period for coverage of preexisting conditions. Defines an "eligible individual" as an individual who: (1) is a child or spouse of an individual who suffered physical harm or death as a result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; (2) that has experienced a terrorism-related loss of health benefits coverage associated with the death, injury, or loss of employment of such an individual; and (3) is not otherwise covered under a health benefits plan or entitled to Medicare benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2004
527 Reform Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to revise the definition of political committee to include any committee, club, association, or other group of persons that has as its major purpose the nomination or election of one or more candidates ("Section 527 Organizations" or major purpose organizations). Treats certain expenses by major purpose organizations as expenditures subject to the limitations and reporting requirements of such Act. Provides that any disbursement by separate segregated fund or nonconnected committee shall be allocated between Federal and non-Federal accounts in accordance with this Act and regulations prescribed by the Federal Election Commission. States that disbursements allocated to non-Federal accounts may be paid only from a qualified non-Federal account. Prohibits a separate segregated fund or nonconnected committee from accepting more than $25,000 in funds for its qualified non-Federal account from any one individual in any calendar year.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2004
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income the wages and self-employment income of spouses of members of the Armed Forces serving in a combat zone or hospitalized while serving in a combat zone.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2004
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 19504 Linden Boulevard in St. Albans, New York, as the "Archie Spigner Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2004
Montserrat Immigration Fairness Act - Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to grant lawful permanent resident status to certain nationals of Montserrat previously granted temporary protected status in the United States (and specified family members). Authorizes aliens previously ordered excluded, deported, or removed, or ordered to depart voluntarily, to apply for adjustment of status under this Act. Requires the Secretary to provide work authorization and related documentation to principal aliens seeking the benefits of this Act. Directs the Secretary to provide specified administrative review procedures for such aliens and their qualifying family members. States that the granting of adjustment of status for principal aliens under this Act shall not reduce the number of available immigrant visas.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2004
Congratulates the citizens of Greece, the members of the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the International Olympic Committee, the U.S. Olympic Committee, the members, coaches, and officials of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team, athletes from around the world, and the security personnel and volunteers who ensured that the 2004 Olympic Summer Games in Athens was a great success for a job well done.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2004
Textbook Affordability Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include the cost of books required for enrollment or attendance at an institution of higher education in the tax deduction for qualified tuition and related expenses. Limits the amount of such deduction to $1,000 with a prorated reduction for taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes over $65,000 (adjusted for inflation). Makes the tax deduction for such books permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2004
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should designate the week beginning September 12, 2004, as "National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week".
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Children's Health Protection and Improvement Act of 2004 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise the extended availability through FY 2004 of SCHIP allotments for FY 1998 through 2001. Specifies formulae for amounts to be used in computing redistributions for FY 2003, 2003, and 2004. Provides for reallocation of 70 percent of the expiring FY 1998, 1999, and 2000 funds to States that have fully expended their annual allotments. Extends the availability of the remaining 30 percent of such expiring funds with the States that currently have them. Permits 50 percent of the total amount of a State's unexpended FY 2002 SCHIP allotments to remain available through FY 2006. Permits 50 percent of the total amount of a State's unexpended FY 2003 and 2004 SCHIP allotments to remain available through the end of FY 2007. Requires redistribution of the other 50 percent of such funds to States that have fully spent their allotments during the three-year period they were available. Requires a second redistribution according to the same 70-30 formula of any retained or redistributed funds still unexpended at the end of the two-year extention or redistribution. Provides for continued authority for qualifying States to use certain funds for Medicaid expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Terrorism Insurance Extension Act of 2004 - Amends the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (TRIA) to extend the terrorism risk insurance program from 2005 through 2007. Repeals the condition on the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to pay or adjust compensation for insured losses after termination of the program that limits such losses to those arising from an act of terrorism occurring only during the period in which the program was in effect. Defines "Program Year 4" as calendar 2006 and "Program Year 5" as calendar 2007. Increases the insurance marketplace aggregate retention amount for Program Years 4 and 5. Directs the Secretary to apply TRIA to providers of group life insurance. Instructs the Presidential Working Group on Financial Markets to report to Congress its recommendations for legislation to address the long-term availability and affordability of insurance for terrorism risk.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Cheaper Car Insurance Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit automobile insurance fraud. Directs the Department of Justice to publish best practices for the States to use in licensing: (1) auto body shops that perform work paid for by insurers; and (2) medical treatment provided to people who are injured in automobile accidents. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) cooperate with the offices of the U.S. Attorneys to aggressively investigate fraudulent chop shops and salvage yards, to aggressively prosecute automobile insurance fraud, and to report statistics on investigations, prosecutions, and convictions; and (2) establish Federal-State-Local Anti-Auto Insurance Fraud Task Forces in the offices of the U.S. Attorneys in the ten U.S. cities that are most severely affected. Grants an insurance company the right to require a mandatory inspection by an insurance company representative or agent of any motor vehicle prior to agreeing to provide insurance coverage. Permits a company to waive such right under specified circumstances. Allows an insurer to require a pre-insurance inspection of an otherwise exempt motor vehicle, but prohibits basing such decision on the age, race, sex, religion, or marital status of the applicant or insured or the fact that the vehicle has been insured through a residual or non-voluntary insurance market.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2004 - Amends Federal monetary law to set forth requirements for the redesign and issuance of circulating $1 coins emblematic of each President of the United States. Prohibits inclusion of a President who has not completed his or her term of service (sitting President). Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue during the same period in which such $1 coins are issued commemorative coins emblematic of the spouse of each deceased former President so honored. Mandates that all Federal agencies and instrumentalities and entities that operate any business on Federal premises (including vending machines) take action to ensure that business operations they conduct that involve coins or currency shall be fully capable of accepting and dispensing $1 coins in connection with such operations. Expresses the sense of Congress about the issuance of such coins.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Captive Exotic Animal Protection Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit knowingly transferring, transporting, or possessing a confined exotic animal for purposes of allowing the killing or injuring of that animal for entertainment or the collection of a trophy. Permits any person authorized by the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to: (1) arrest without warrant any person who violates this Act in the presence or view of the arresting person; (2) execute any warrant or other process issued by an officer or court of competent jurisdiction to enforce this Act; and (3) with a search warrant, search for and seize any animal taken in violation of this Act. Declares that any animal seized shall be held by the Secretary of the Interior or a U.S. marshal and, upon a defendant's conviction, be forfeited to the United States and disposed of by the Secretary. Permits the Director to use by agreement the personnel and services of any other Federal or State agency to enforce this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Declares that Congress affirms its support for preserving Alexander Hamilton's image on the face of $10 Federal reserve notes because of his standing as one of the United States' most influential founding fathers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Calls on the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to: (1) to stop funding religious activities that promote hatred, violence, and human rights violations; (2) stop providing diplomatic status to Islamic clerics and educators teaching outside of Saudi Arabia who are not legally entitled to such status; (3) close any Islamic affairs section of a Saudi embassy that has been responsible for propagating intolerance; (4) uphold the international commitments made by Saudi Arabia by respecting and protecting the human rights of citizens and foreigners of both sexes in Saudi Arabia; (5) ratify and comply with international human rights instruments and cooperate with United Nations human rights mechanisms; (6) implement promised judicial, political, economic, and educational reforms; (7) cease messages of hatred, intolerance, or incitement to violence against non-Wahhabi Muslims and non-Muslim religious groups in the educational curricula and textbooks, mosques, and media controlled by the Government of Saudi Arabia; (8) permit the establishment of independent organizations to advance human rights and to promote tolerance in Saudi Arabia; (9) safeguard the freedom of private worship for non-Muslims and for Muslims who do not follow the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam; (10) permit non-Wahhabi places of worship, such as churches, to function openly in special compounds or zones for foreigners or in unadorned buildings; and (11) permit the broadcasting of Radio Sawa throughout Saudi Arabia. Urges the President to: (1) raise public and private concerns with the Government of Saudi Arabia regarding the ongoing violations of human rights, including the right to freedom of religion; (2) designate Saudi Arabia a country of particular concern under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for the ongoing violations of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia; (3) encourage the Government of Saudi Arabia to implement judicial, political, economic, and educational reforms; (4) encourage the Government of Saudi Arabia to cease funding to propagate outside of Saudi Arabia any religious ideology that explicitly promotes hate, intolerance, and other human rights violations, including violence; (5) request that the Government of Saudi Arabia identify and provide an accounting of what kinds of support go to religious schools, mosques, centers of learning, and other religious organizations globally, including in the United States; (6) develop initiatives and programs in Saudi Arabia to advance human rights, including religious freedom, the rights of women, and the rule of law; and (7) report to Congress on U.S. efforts to raise concerns regarding human rights, including religious freedom, with the Government of Saudi Arabia, and the results of such efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2004
Expresses support for: (1) bipartisan efforts of Congress, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and State and local law enforcement officers to combat human trafficking and slavery; and (2) efforts to educate and empower State and local law enforcement officers in the identification of victims of human trafficking. Encourages State legislatures to: (1) carefully examine DOJ's model State anti-trafficking criminal statute and the Federal benefits and protections for victims of human trafficking and slavery contained in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003; and (2) seriously consider adopting laws that combat human trafficking and slavery, wherever such laws do not currently exist, and that offer such explicit protections to the victims.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2004
Expresses support for: (1) bipartisan efforts of Congress, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and State and local law enforcement officers to combat human trafficking and slavery; and (2) efforts to educate and empower State and local law enforcement officers in the identification of victims of human trafficking. Encourages State legislatures to: (1) carefully examine DOJ's model State anti-trafficking criminal statute and the Federal benefits and protections for victims of human trafficking and slavery contained in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003; and (2) seriously consider adopting laws that combat human trafficking and slavery, wherever such laws do not currently exist, and that offer such explicit protections to the victims.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2004
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Supreme Court should act expeditiously to resolve the current confusion and inconsistency in the Federal criminal justice system by promptly considering and ruling on the constitutionality of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2004
Encourages the International Olympic Committee to choose New York City as the site of the 2012 Olympic Games. Expresses the hope that the United States will be selected as the host country of such Games and pledges cooperation and support for their successful fulfillment in the highest Olympic tradition.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2004
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1475 Western Avenue, Suite 45, in Albany, New York, as the "Lieutenant John F. Finn Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2004
Long Island Sound Stewardship Act of 2004 - Establishes the Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative Region in Connecticut and New York. Establishes the Long Island Sound Stewardship Advisory Committee to: (1) evaluate applications from government or nonprofit organizations qualified to hold conservation easements for funds to purchase land or development rights for designated stewardship sites; (2) evaluate applications to develop and implement management plans to address threats; (3) evaluate applications to act on opportunities to protect and enhance stewardship sites; (4) recommend that the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency award grants to qualified applicants; (5) recommend guidelines for evaluating information to identify stewardship sites; (6) publish a list of sites that further the purposes of this Act; (7) raise awareness of the values of and threats to these sites; and (8) leverage additional resources for improved stewardship of the Region. Requires the Committee to submit annual reports to the Administrator. Protects the existing legal rights of private property owners. States that nothing in this Act requires private property owners located within the Region to participate in the Initiative. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize appropriations for the Office of Management Conference of the Long Island Sound Study and implementation of the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan through FY 2009.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2004
U.S. Homeland Security Signal Act of 2004 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish, within the Directorate of Emergency Preparedness and Response, a Homeland Security Signal Corps, comprised of specially trained emergency personnel, to: (1) ensure that first responders can communicate with one another, mobile command centers, headquarters, and the public at disaster sites or in the event of a terrorist attack or a national crisis; (2) provide sufficient training and equipment to enable fire and police units to deal with all threats and contingencies in any environment; and (3) secure joint-use equipment that can access surviving telephone land lines to supplement communications access. Directs the Signal Corps to establish a set of standard operating procedures that will ensure that first responders from each Federal, State, and local agency have the methods and means to communicate with, or substitute for, first responders from other agencies in the event of a multi-state terrorist attack or a national crisis. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Secretary to establish a demonstration signal corps in New York City to ensure communications connectivity between New York's police and fire departments and to serve as a model for other major metropolitan areas. Directs: (1) the Mayor of New York to appoint team captains to command communications companies drawn from such personnel; and (2) the Signal Corps Headquarters, located in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, to provide technical assistance to the demonstration signal corps.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2004
Designates September 2004 as Service for Seniors Month. Recognizes the need for companionship and assistance with daily tasks among seniors with long-term health conditions throughout the year. Encourages: (1) the people of the United States to volunteer regularly with homebound frail elderly or at a nursing home or long-term care facility; (2) volunteer organizations that offer companionship and assistance to seniors to incorporate Service for Seniors Month in their recruitment efforts; and (3) individuals to volunteer in these service organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2004
States that the Senate recognizes Israel's right of self-defense against Palestinian terrorist attacks, and supports the construction of a security fence, the route of which, with the support of the Government of Israel, takes into account the need to minimize Palestinian land confiscation and the imposition of hardships on the Palestinian people. Condemns the decision of the International Court of Justice on the legality of the security fence. Urges the United States to vote against any further United Nations action that could delay or prevent the construction of the security fence and to engage in a diplomatic campaign to persuade other countries to do the same.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2004
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should designate September 11 as an annually recognized day of voluntary service, charity, and compassion.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2004
State Fiscal Relief Act of 2004 - Amends the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 to extend the temporary freeze of the Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) for certain States (continuing the FY 2003 FMAP through each calendar quarter of FY 2004, and the FY 2004 FMAP for each calendar quarter of FY 2005 if the FY 2005 FMAP would otherwise be less than the FY 2004 FMAP). Amends the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 to increase the FMAP: (1) by 2.95 percentage points for the last two calendar quarters of FY 2003 and the first three calendar quarters of FY 2004; and (2) by 1.26 percentage points for the last calendar quarter of FY 2004 and each calendar quarter of FY 2005. Increases by 5.9 percent the ceiling on Medicaid payments to specified territories for the last two calendar quarters of FY 2003 and the first three calendar quarters of FY 2004. Increases such ceiling by 2.52 percent for the last calendar quarter of FY 2004 and each calendar quarter of FY 2005. Amends SSA title XIX, with respect to the transitional increased Federal matching rate for increased administrative costs, to require a specified minimum increase for administrative expenditures that would not be incurred but for enactment of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003. Sets $1.2 billion as the cap on the total amount of additional Federal funds expended as a result of this Act with respect to such administrative expenditures between October 1, 2004, and the later of either: (1) April 1, 2006; or (2) the end of the first fiscal year quarter that begins on or after the date on which benefits are first provided under the voluntary prescription drug benefit program under SSA title XVIII (Medicare) part D.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2004
States that Congress: (1) declares that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur, Sudan, are genocide; (2) reminds the President and the international community of their international legal obligations, as affirmed in the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; (3) commends the President's leadership in seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Darfur and in addressing the humanitarian crisis caused by that conflict, including the provision of assistance in Darfur and Eastern Chad; (4) urges the President to seek a United Nations Security Council resolution that directs the member states of the United Nations to impose sanctions against those responsible for the atrocities committed in Darfur, authorizes a multinational force to guarantee humanitarian access and security for foreign aid workers and internally displaced persons, urges a halt to violence committed by militias and by the armed forces of Sudan, creates a Commission of Inquiry, and calls for the establishment of a formal peace process between Darfurians and the Government of Sudan; (5) calls on the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to establish a Darfur Resettlement, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Fund; and (6) urges the President to provide political and financial support to the African Union to promote its effective intervention in Darfur.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2004
Honors the great importance of the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton to the United States of America on the bicentennial of his death on July 12, 1804, because of his standing as one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States and recognizes the tremendous significance of his contributions to the United States as a soldier, citizen, and statesman.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2004
Recognizes the important and unique contribution of Native Americans to the cultural legacy of the United States. Honors the cultural achievements of all Native Americans. Celebrates the official opening of the National Museum of the American Indian. Encourages all Americans to take advantage of the resources of the Museum to learn about the history and culture of Native Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2004
District of Columbia and United States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar Program Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to issue during 2009 redesigned quarter dollars commemorating the District of Columbia and the U.S. Territories.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2004
Requires the Architect of the Capitol to enter into a contract to revise the statue commemorating women's suffrage located in the rotunda of the United States Capitol (known as the Portrait Monument) to include a likeness of Sojourner Truth.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2004
Prescription Drug Price Comparison for Savings Act of 2004 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish and maintain an Internet website using the information supplied by participating pharmacies to allow an individual to compare for each zip code the usual and customary prices for a range of strengths and quantities of covered outpatient drugs sold by retail pharmacies that receive Medicaid payments. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to direct States to: (1) require a participating pharmacy, concurrent with filling a prescription for an individual receiving assistance under Medicaid, to report to the State its zip code and the usual and customary price for the covered outpatient drug as of the date the prescription is filled; and (2) submit this information to the Secretary to enable the Secretary to post monthly updates on the website.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2004
Benjamin Franklin Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one dollar coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Benjamin Franklin (not more than 250,000 bearing his image as a young statesman and not more than 250,000 with his image as an older numismatist). Directs that all sales of coins minted under this Act include a $10 per coin surcharge, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the Franklin Institute for purposes of the celebration of the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2004
Ending the Medicare Disability Waiting Period Act of 2004 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) phase out the waiting period for disabled individuals to become eligible for Medicare benefits under SSA title XVIII (Medicare); and (2) eliminate the waiting period for individuals with life-threatening conditions to become eligible for Medicare benefits. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to request that the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences conduct a study on the range of disability conditions that can be delayed or prevented if individuals receive access to health care services and coverage before the condition reaches disability levels.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2004
Commends national and community organizations and health care providers for supplying information concerning the importance of screening for prostate cancer and the treatment options. Declares that the Federal Government and the States should ensure that health care providers supply patients with appropriate information and tools necessary to receive readily understandable information about all medically efficacious screening and treatments for prostate cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2004
Amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004, to delete the requirement for a 24-hour time limit for destroying identifying information submitted with respect to a firearm background check from the prohibition against the use of funds to implement national instant criminal background check system provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2004
Screening Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Very Efficiently Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of screening ultrasound for abdominal aortic aneurysms. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a national education and information campaign to promote awareness among health care practitioners and the general public with respect to the importance of early detection and treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2004
Recognizes the 40th anniversary of June 21, 1964, the day civil rights organizers Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner gave their lives. Encourages all people of the United States to observe the anniversary of the deaths of the three men by committing themselves to the fundamental principles of freedom, equality, and democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2004
Ronald Reagan Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to make Alzheimer's disease research a priority within the National Institute on Aging. Requires the Director of the Institute to: (1) undertake an Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Initiative to accelerate the discovery of new risk and protective factors, to rapidly identify therapies and preventive interventions, and to implement effective prevention and treatment strategies; (2) conduct and support cooperative clinical research regarding Alzheimer's; and (3) conduct research concerning early detection and diagnosis, the relationship between Alzheimer's and vascular disease, and interventions designed to help caregivers. Authorizes the Director to establish a National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center to facilitate collaboration among Alzheimer's Disease Centers and Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to educate the public and public health community regarding Alzheimer's disease. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants or cooperative agreements to develop coordinated respite care programs on a statewide basis. Defines "respite care" to mean planned or emergency care provided to a child or adult with a special need in order to provide temporary relief to the family caregiver of such child or adult. Directs the Secretary to award a grant or cooperative agreement to a public or private nonprofit entity to establish a National Resource Center on Lifespan Respite Care. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a nonrefundable tax credit for each individual certified as having long-term care needs and for whom the taxpayer is acting as a caregiver; (2) a tax deduction for long-term care premiums paid under a qualified insurance contract; and (3) qualified long-term care insurance to be offered in a cafeteria plan and flexible spending arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2004
Children's Hospitals Educational Equity and Research Act of 2004 or CHEER Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payments through FY 2010 (currently, through FY 2005) to children's hospitals for costs associated with operating approved graduate medical resident training programs.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2004
National Dairy Equity Act of 2004 - Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to give producers in a State participating in the national dairy market loss payment program 60 days to decide whether to continue participating in such program or to participate in the program established under this Act. Establishes the following five regional dairy marketing areas: (1) Northeast region - Northeast Dairy Marketing Area (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont); (2) Southern region - Southern Dairy Marketing Area (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia); (3) Upper midwest region - Upper Midwest Dairy Marketing Area (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin); (4) Intermountain region - Intermountain Dairy Marketing Area (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) and (5) Pacific region - Pacific Dairy Marketing Area (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington). Administers each region by a Regional Dairy Board. Sets forth Board powers, including authority to establish: (1) over-order price (a price higher than the marketing order or non-marketing area price) for Class I milk; (2) equalization pools to equalize over-order prices to producers throughout a regulated area; and (3) processor administrative fees. Requires producer referendum to approve of a proposed over-order price establishment, amendment, or termination. States that each covered processor that purchases Class I milk during a month that will be sold in the regulated area of a Region shall pay to the Secretary an amount equal to the product of the over-order premium and the quantity of purchased Class I milk. Establishes in the Treasury the National Dairy Producers Fund. Directs the Secretary to make monthly payments from the Fund to the Boards which shall make payments to eligible producers of all milk classes. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend the national dairy market loss payment program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2004
Congratulates the Le Moyne College men's lacrosse team for winning the 2004 NCAA Division II National Championship. Recognizes the achievements of the the team's players, coaches, and support staff and invites them to the U.S. Capitol to be honored.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2004
Congratulates the Syracuse University Orange men's lacrosse team for winning the 2004 NCAA Division I men's lacrosse National Championship. Recognizes the achievements of all the team's players, coaches, and support staff and invites them to the U.S. Capitol to be honored.
![Official portrait of Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000148_200.jpg)