United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Digital Opportunity Investment Trust Act - Establishes the Digital Opportunity Investment Trust, which shall receive 30 percent of the proceeds received by the Federal Government each fiscal year quarter through FY 2028 from any use of the publicly owned electromagnetic spectrum after September 30, 2007. Establishes: (1) a Board to oversee administration of the Trust; and (2) a Director of the Trust. Sets forth authorized Trust uses. Obligates specified amounts for public television stations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Family Abduction Prevention Act of 2005 - Directs the Attorney General to make grants to states for projects involving: (1) the extradition of individuals suspected of committing a family abduction; (2) investigation by law enforcement agencies of family abduction cases; (3) training for law enforcement agencies in responding to family abductions and recovering abducted children; (4) outreach and media campaigns to educate parents on the dangers of family abductions; and (5) notifying law enforcement authorities of the name and address of anyone requesting the school records of an abducted child. Requires that not less than 50 percent of the cost of a project for which a grant is made be provided by non-federal sources.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Hospital Fair Competition Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to hospital payments. Provides for the use of estimated costs rather than average charges in establishing weighting factors for diagnosis-related groups under the inpatient hospital prospective payment system. Revises requirements for exceptions to the prohibition against certain physician self-referrals to specialty hospitals in which a physician has invested. Exempts from the limitation on such referrals, and any liability for criminal penalties, specified arrangements between hospitals and physicians.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Medicaid Formula Fairness Act of 2005 - Prohibits the Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for a State for FY2006 from being less than the greater of: (1) the FMAP determined for the State for FY2005, decreased by 0.5 percentage points; or (2) the FMAP that would have been determined for the State for FY2006 if the per capita incomes for 2001 and 2002 that were used to determine the FMAP for the State for FY2005 were used. Provides that the FMAP applicable to a State for FY2006 after the application of the above limitation on reduction shall apply only for purposes of titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance (SCHIP)) of the Social Security Act and payments under such titles that are based on a certain enhanced FMAP, and shall not apply with respect to payments under title IV (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)) of the Social Security Act. Repeals this Act effective as of October 1, 2006, and provides that it shall not apply to any fiscal year after FY2006.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Fair Currency Practices Act of 2005 - Amends the Exchange Rates and International Economic Policy Coordination Act of 1988 with respect to bilateral negotiations with countries considered to manipulate the rate of exchange between their currency and the U.S. dollar for purposes of preventing effective balance of payments adjustments or gaining unfair competitive advantage in international trade. Modifies the preconditions for the initiation of negotiations by the Secretary of the Treasury to make them alternative rather than joint. (Requires the Secretary to consider that such manipulation is occurring with respect to countries that possess material global current account surpluses or (currently, and) significant bilateral trade surpluses with the United States.) Declares that a country shall be considered to be manipulating the rate of exchange between its currency and the U.S. dollar if there is a protracted large-scale intervention in one direction in the exchange markets. Authorizes the Secretary to find that a country is manipulating the rate of exchange based on any other factor or combination of factors. Requires the Secretary to examine and report to Congress on the trade surplus of the People's Republic of China (PRC), particularly on: (1) why the trade surplus with the United States and other countries reported by the PRC differs from the trade surplus reported by the other countries; and (2) quantification of such differences.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Kinship Caregiver Support Act - Authorizes the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants for kinship navigator programs to state agencies, metropolitan agencies, or tribal organizations with experience in addressing needs of kinship caregivers or children and connecting them with services and assistance. Amends part E (Federal Payments for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to authorize all states to opt to enter agreements to provide kinship guardianship assistance payments on behalf of children to grandparents and other relatives who have assumed legal guardianship of children for whom they have cared as foster parents and have committed to care for on a permanent basis. Allows states to use part E funds to make such payments under specified conditions. Provides that adoptive parents of children with special needs remain eligible for adoption assistance, even if they receive kinship guardianship assistance. Authorizes kinship guardianship demonstration projects. Requires states to: (1) notify all adult grandparents and other adult relatives (with exceptions due to family or domestic violence) when a child is removed from custody of a parent or parents; and (2) explain the options the relative has to participate in the child's care and placement. Allows state agencies to establish separate standards for foster family homes in which a foster parent is a relative of the foster child.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2005
Congratulates the members of the National Association of Letter Carriers for their hard work on behalf of the millions of people who go hungry each day and encourages the people of the United States to follow the example of such members by donating food to local food banks and participating in the National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive on May 14, 2005, by placing nonperishable food by their mailboxes.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Clean Efficient Automobiles Resulting From Advanced Car Technologies (CLEAR ACT) Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for investment in alternative motor vehicles, including qualified fuel cell, hybrid, and alternative fuel vehicles. Bases the amount of such credit on criteria relating to vehicle weight and fuel efficiency. Modifies the tax credit for qualified electric vehicles to remove the ten percent limitation and base the credit amount on criteria relating to vehicle weight, mileage, and payload. Makes leased vehicles eligible for such credit. Extends such credit through 2010. Allows a tax credit for: (1) 50 percent of expenditures for the installation of qualified clean-fuel vehicle refueling property; and (2) retail sales of alternative fuels as motor vehicle fuels. Directs the Comptroller General to undertake an ongoing analysis of: the effectiveness of the alternative motor vehicle and fuel incentives provided by this Act and to report to Congress on such study by December 31, 2006, and annually thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce from ten to seven years the period during which certain built-in gains of subchapter S corporations are subject to tax.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Veterans' Health Care and Equitable Access Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make specified funds available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Secretary) for Veterans Health Administration FY 2007 programs. Prohibits fund use for: (1) construction, acquisition, or alteration of veterans' medical facilities (other than for certain repairs); or (2) grants for the construction of State home facilities for veterans' domiciliary, nursing home, and hospital care. Directs the Secretary to conduct a pilot program to improve health care access for rural veterans. Provides: (1) for travel reimbursement for veterans receiving treatment in VA facilities at the same as for Federal employees on official business; (2) that the disability rating for a veteran who loses a limb as a result of a service-connected injury shall be at least 50 percent; and (3) that if a member of the Armed Forces, National Guard, or Reserve dies while on active service or active status such individual's child enrolled in any Federal child care program shall continue receiving such services for 24 months after such death. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a Medicare subvention project under which HHS shall reimburse the VA for Medicare health care services furnished to Medicare-eligible veterans in VA facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2005
Veterinary Workforce Expansion Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities to improve public health preparedness through increasing the number of veterinarians in the workforce. Defines "eligible entities" as accredited public or nonprofit schools of veterinary medicine, departments of comparative medicine, departments of veterinary science, schools of public health, or schools of medicine that offer training for veterinarians in a public health practice area. Requires the Secretary to give preference to applicants that demonstrate a comprehensive approach by involving more than one eligible entity. Allows grantees to use funds to: (1) pay the costs associated with construction, the acquisition of equipment, and other capital costs relating to the expansion of existing schools or departments; and (2) pay the capital costs associated with the expansion of academic programs that offer postgraduate training for veterinarians or concurrent training for veterinary students in specific areas of specialization.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2005
Breast Cancer Patient Protect Action of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan or a health issuer offering group health insurance coverage that provides medical and surgical benefits to ensure that inpatient (and in the case of a lumpectomy, outpatient) coverage and radiation therapy are provided for breast cancer treatment. Prohibits such a plan or issuer from: (1) restricting benefits for any hospital length of stay to less than 48 hours in connection with a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery or 24 hours in connection with a lymph node dissection; or (2) requiring that a provider obtain authorization from the plan or issuer for prescribing any such length of stay. Requires such a plan or issuer to: (1) provide notice to each participant and beneficiary regarding the coverage required under this Act; and (2) ensure that full coverage is provided for secondary consultations by specialists in the appropriate medical fields to confirm or refute a diagnosis of cancer. Applies such requirements to health insurance issuers offering coverage in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a bona fide association (an association which has been actively in existence for at least five years and has been formed and maintained in good faith for purposes other than obtaining insurance) to maintain an additional reserve fund for medical benefits plans not to exceed 35 percent of the sum of certain direct costs and changes in claims incurred.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2005
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of May 2005 as National Better Hearing and Speech Month. Commends those States that have implemented routine hearing screenings for every newborn before they leave the hospital. Encourages all people in the United States to have their hearing checked regularly.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2005
Honors small businesses during the Small Business Administration's (SBA's) National Small Business Week (beginning on April 24, 2005). Supports the purpose and goals of such Week. Commends the SBA and its resource partners for: (1) their work in helping the Nation's small businesses grow and develop; and (2) being key players in the Nation's economic vitality.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2005
Save More for Retirement Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that a 401(k) pension plan which provides for automatic enrollment of new employees shall be treated as meeting nondiscrimination requirements if employers contribute a specified amount to such plans, allow for earlier vesting of employee ownership, and provide certain notices to employees of their rights and obligations under such plans. Permits automatically-enrolled employees to opt out of plan participation. Requires such plans to provide for annual increases in employee contributions up to a maximum level of ten percent of employee compensation. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to: (1) preempt State laws that would prohibit or restrict automatic employee contributions; and (2) direct the Secretary of Labor to provide guidance, by regulations, to employers in selecting default investments for employees who elect not to direct the investment of their pension plan assets.
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 · 21 April 2005
Automobile Fuel Economy Act of 2005 - Specifies increased average fuel economy standards for certain light trucks, automobiles (up to 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight), and certain classes of vehicles in the Federal fleet that are manufactured or purchased after specified dates.
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 · 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
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a 15-year recovery period for the depreciation of certain property used in the transmission at 69 or more kilovolts of electricity for sale.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
Help Expand Access to Recovery and Treatment Act of 2005 or the HEART Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a group health plan or group health coverage that provides both medical and surgical benefits and substance abuse benefits from imposing treatment limitations or financial requirements on the substance abuse treatment benefits unless similar limitations or requirements are imposed for medical and surgical benefits. Excludes such requirements for plans and coverage for small employers and for cases in which the application of such requirements results in an increase in the cost under the plan of at least one percent. Applies such requirements to health insurance coverage offered in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2005
Federal Aviation Safety Security Act of 2005 - Declares that functions performed by air traffic control specialists at Federal Aviation Administration flight service stations are inherently governmental functions, and must be performed by Federal employees. Voids any action taken pursuant to the Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act of 1998 to include such functions on certain annual Federal agency lists (submitted to the Office of Management and Budget) of government activities performed by Federal Government sources for an agency that are not inherently governmental functions.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2005
Small Business Compliance Assistance Enhancement Act of 2005 - Amends the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 to require an agency to prepare a compliance guide to assist small entities in complying with a Federal rule or group of related rules for which an agency is required to prepare a final regulatory flexibility analysis whenever an agency determines that a Federal rule or group of rules will have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2005
Designates April 15, 2005, as National Youth Service Day. Recognizes and commends the significant contributions of American youth. Encourages the cultivation of a common civic bond among young people dedicated to serving their neighbors, their communities, and the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2005
Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants to public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of not more than eight centers to conduct multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research on environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer. Requires each such center to: (1) be known as a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Center of Excellence; (2) establish ongoing collaborations with community organizations; (3) be formed from a consortium of cooperating institutions; (4) be supported under this Act for a period of not more than five years with additional periods allowed after review and recommendation; and (5) use innovative approaches to study unexplored areas of the environment and breast cancer. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Panel to make recommendations for and to review grants awarded under this Act
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2005
Make College Affordable Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the amount of the tax deduction for higher education tuition and related expenses; and (2) allow a tax credit for up to $1,500 of the interest paid annually on certain student loans for higher education expenses. Reduces the allowable amount of both the tax deduction and the tax credit based upon taxpayer adjusted gross income levels. Provides for an inflation adjustment for calendar years after 2005 to such adjusted gross income levels. Makes the tax deduction for higher education tuition and related expenses permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2005
Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to deny an application for a new animal drug that is a critical antimicrobial animal drug unless the applicant demonstrates that there is a reasonably certainty of no harm to human health due to the development of antimicrobial resistance attributable to the nontherapeutic use of the drug. Defines "critical antimicrobial animal drug" as a drug intended for use in food-producing animals that contains specified antibiotics or other drugs used in humans to treat or prevent disease or infection caused by microorganisms. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to withdraw approval of a nontherapeutic use of such drugs in food-producing animals two years after the date of enactment of this Act unless certain safety requirements are met. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make payments to livestock or poultry producers to defray the costs of reducing the use of such drugs, with priority given to family-owned or small farms and ranches. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to award grants to colleges and universities to establish programs to phase out the nontherapeutic use of such drugs in livestock or poultry. Requires the manufacturer of such a drug or an animal feed for food-producing animals containing such a drug to report sales information to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Junk Fax Prevention Act of 2005 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit a person from using any telephone facsimile (fax) machine, computer, or other device to send, to another fax machine, an unsolicited advertisement to a person who has requested that such sender not send such advertisements, or to any other person unless: (1) the sender has an established business relationship with the person; and (2) the advertisement contains a conspicuous notice on its first page that the recipient may request not to be sent any further unsolicited advertisements, and includes a domestic telephone and fax number (neither of which can be a pay-per-call number) for sending such a request. Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide that a request not to send unsolicited advertisements complies with FCC requirements if: (1) the request identifies the recipient fax number to which the request relates; (2) the request is made to the telephone or fax number of the sender; and (3) the person making the request has not subsequently provided express invitation or permission to have such advertisements sent. Authorizes the FCC to allow professional tax-exempt trade associations to send unsolicited advertisements to their members in furtherance of association purposes. Requires the: (1) FCC to report annually to Congress on the enforcement of the above requirements; and (2) Comptroller General to study, and report to specified congressional committees on, complaints received by the FCC concerning unsolicited advertisements sent to fax machines.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Mercury Emission Act of 2005 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate regulations establishing emission limitations for mercury emissions by coal-fired electricity generating facilities. Amends the Clean Air Act (CAA) to require the Administrator to promulgate regulations establishing standards for mercury and mercury compound emissions applicable to: (1) coal- and oil-fired boiler units of a specified capacity; (2) chlor-alkali plants that use the mercury cell production process; and (3) Portland cement plants. Sets forth permit requirements. Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the Administrator to publish a list of mercury-containing items to be separated and removed from waste streams feeding solid waste facilities. Requires mercury-content labeling by manufacturers of listed items. Requires persons who transfer solid waste that may contain a listed mercury-containing item to submit separation and removal plans. Amends the CAA to direct the Administrator to promulgate regulations concerning measurement of mercury emissions from solid waste combustion flue gases. Sets forth permit requirements. Prohibits, three years after this Act's enactment, the sale of mercury-containing products unless the manufacturer has been granted an exemption. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Administrator to establish an advisory committee to report on the progress made in complying with this Act's amendments to the CAA. Increases funding for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program Mercury Deposition Network. Requires various mercury-related studies and reports.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise requirements for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program of campus-based child care. Increases the minimum CCAMPIS grant to an institution of higher education from $10,000 to $30,000. Expands eligibility to participate in CCAMPIS to graduate and professional students, international students, and students from families with certain low-incomes that do not qualify for Federal Pell Grants (as well as, currently, students eligible for Pell Grants). Extends and increases the amount of the authorization of appropriations for CCAMPIS.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
SIMPLE Cafeteria Plan Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a new employee benefit cafeteria plan to be known as a Simple Cafeteria Plan. Defines "Simple Cafeteria Plan" as a cafeteria plan which: (1) is established and maintained by an employer with an average of 100 or fewer employees during a two-year period; (2) requires employers to make contributions or match employee contributions to the plan; (3) requires participating employees to have at least 1,000 hours of service for the preceding plan year and allows such employees to elect any benefit available under the plan; (4) permits participation by self-employed individuals; and (5) includes long-term care insurance as a qualified benefit. Exempts employers who make contributions for employees under a simple cafeteria plans from pension plan nondiscrimination requirements applicable to highly compensated and key employees. Modifies rules applicable to employee benefit flexible spending arrangements, including health and dependent care arrangements, to permit participants to make or modify elections regarding covered benefits and to carry over up to $500 (indexed for inflation) of unused benefits to the succeeding year or transfer such unused amounts to another plan, including an individual retirement plan or a health savings account. Allows an exclusion from the gross income of an employee of up to $7,500 ($10,000 for employees with one or more dependents) for employer contributions to a flexible spending arrangement. Provides for a cost-of-living adjustment to such exclusion amounts beginning in calendar year 2006.
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
Services for Ending Long-Term Homelessness Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to design national strategies for providing services in supportive housing that will assist in ending chronic homelessness and to implement programs that address chronic homelessness. Requires the Secretary to make matching grants to eligible entities to provide services that promote recovery and self-sufficiency and that address barriers to housing stability to chronically homeless individuals in, or who are scheduled to become residents of, permanent supportive housing and to other individuals and families who have voluntarily chosen to seek other housing opportunities after a period of tenancy in supportive housing. Directs the Secretary to require grantees to report data regarding the performance outcomes of projects carried out under this Act, which shall include measuring and reporting specific performance outcomes related to the long-term goals of: (1) increasing stability within the community for people who have been chronically homeless; and (2) decreasing recurrence of periods of homelessness.
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
New Shipper Review Amendment Act of 2005 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 with respect to reviews by the administering authority to establish an individual weighted average dumping margin or an individual countervailing duty rate (as the case may be) for a new exporter or producer that: (1) did not export the merchandise that was the subject of an antidumping duty or countervailing duty order to the United States during the period of investigation; and (2) was not affiliated with any exporter or producer who did. Suspends, until three years after enactment of this Act, the requirement that the administering authority direct the Customs Service to allow, at the option of the importer of such merchandise, the posting, until completion of the review, of a bond or security in lieu of a cash deposit for each entry of the subject merchandise (bonding privileges).
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2005
Software Principles Yielding Better Levels of Consumer Knowledge Act or the SPY BLOCK Act - Makes it unlawful for a person who is not an authorized user of a protected computer (a computer used in interstate or foreign commerce or communication), subject to specified exceptions, to: (1) cause the installation of software on the computer in a manner that conceals the fact of installation from the user or prevents the user from knowingly granting or withholding consent; (2) induce an authorized user to consent to installation through materially false or misleading representations; (3) cause the installation of software that cannot be uninstalled or disabled by an authorized user through usual program removal functions; (4) cause the installation of software that includes a surreptitious information collection feature or use such software to collect information; (5) cause the installation of adware without a means of identifying the software source of each advertisement delivered; or (6) engage in other specified unfair or deceptive acts or practices that thwart user control. Sets forth limitations on liability for: (1) providers of passive transmission, hosting, or linking functions; (2) providers of user-subscribed network security or diagnostic software; (3) manufacturers and retailers who cause the installation of third-party software prior to the first retail sale and delivery of a protected computer; (4) multichannel video programming distributors who use a navigation device in connection with the provision of multichannel video programming if subject to specified privacy requirements; and (5) providers of anti-spyware who, acting in good faith and with the user's consent, remove software programs from a protected computer. Authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to issue rules as necessary to implement or clarify the provisions of this Act. Requires violations of this Act to be treated as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Authorizes States to bring civil actions in U.S. District Court to remedy violations of this Act on behalf of its citizens. Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit, and establish penalties for, the illicit indirect use of protected computers.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act - Directs the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) created by this Act to establish a modern system for regulating rates and classes for market-dominant products. Specifies regulatory requirements for workshare discounts. Directs United States Postal Service (USPS) Governors to establish rates and classes for products in the competitive category of mail. Authorizes the USPS to conduct market tests of experimental products. Establishes a Postal Service Competitive Products Fund. Prohibits the USPS from engaging in unfair competition. Abrogates the USPS's immunity from suit for violations of the Trademark Act of 1946 and those provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act concerning unfair or deceptive acts or practices. Sets forth qualifications and requirements for Governors. Requires the appointment of a mediator (in lieu of current factfinding panel) in the event of USPS labor disputes. Authorizes USPS bonuses or other awards to Postal Service officers and employees in senior executive or equivalent positions. Replaces the Postal Rate Commission with the Postal Regulatory Commission. Postal Civil Service Retirement and Health Benefits Funding Amendments of 2004 - Modifies the USPS's contributions to the Civil Service Retirement System. Establishes a USPS Retiree Health Benefits Fund. Repeals a provision of the Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform Act of 2003 which addressed the disposition of savings under that Act. Addresses the temporary disability and disability retirement of postal employees. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding Postal Service purchasing reform.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for energy-efficient building property. Limits the amount of such credit to the lesser of 30 percent (10 percent for other energy property) of the basis of such energy-efficient building property or $1,000 for each kilowatt of capacity of such property. Defines "energy-efficient building property" as a fuel cell power plant which generates at least 0.5 kilowatt of electricity using an electrochemical process. Allows a similar tax credit for the installation of qualified energy-efficient building property in a taxpayer's residence. Terminates both tax credits after December 31, 2009.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Efficient Energy Through Certified Technologies and Electricity Reliability (EFFECTER) Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide tax incentives affecting: (1) energy efficient commercial building property; (2) new energy efficient homes; (3) certain energy efficient property used in business; (4) nonbusiness energy property; and (5) combined heat and power system property; and (6) energy efficient appliances. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to expand the scope of consumer products that fall within the Energy Conservation Program (other than automobiles), including: (1) commercial package air conditioning and heating equipment; and (2) commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator-freezers. Directs the Federal Trade Commission to initiate a rulemaking regarding: (1) the effectiveness of the current consumer products labeling program in assisting consumers to make purchasing decisions and to improve energy efficiency; and (2) changes to the labeling rules that would improve the effectiveness of consumer product labels. Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to prescribe guidelines under which the head of an executive agency shall procure either an Energy Star product or a Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)-designated product in order to meet agency requirements for an energy consuming product. Repeals the termination of authority to enter into new energy savings performance contracts (thereby making such authority permanent). Amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act to direct the Secretary of Energy to establish certain revised Federal building energy efficiency performance standards. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to include within the mandatory activities funded by the Capital Fund: (1) installing fixtures and fittings to improve energy and water-use efficiency; and (2) integrated utility management and capital planning to maximize energy conservation and efficiency measures. Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate energy efficiency standards for rehabilitation and new construction of certain public and assisted housing. Amends the Federal Power Act to grant the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) jurisdiction over the FERC-certified Electric Reliability Organization, including any regional entities, and all users, owners and operators of the bulk-power system for purposes of approving specified reliability standards.
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
Expresses support for the designation of National Brain Injury Awareness Month (March has been recognized as such by the Brain Injury Association of America).
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 $1 coins emblematic of the design selected by the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, in commemoration of disabled American veterans. Restricts such coin issuance period to the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2010. Requires a $10 dollar surcharge from such coin sales to be paid to the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation in order to establish an endowment to support the construction of the American Veterans' Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
Ferry Transportation Enhancement Act - Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to authorize appropriations for FY 2004 through 2009 for construction of ferry boats and ferry terminal facilities. Amends Federal highway law to make ferry maintenance (currently, only terminal) facilities eligible for Federal funding. Amends Federal transportation law to include ferries within the Federal clean fuels program. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) establish a Ferry Joint Program Office to coordinate Federal programs affecting ferry boat and facility construction, maintenance, and operation, and to promote ferry service as a component of the Nation's transportation system; (2) maintain a national ferry database containing ferry routes, vessels, passengers and vehicles carried, funding sources, and related information; and (3) make grants to an institution of higher education to establish a National Ferry Transportation Institute for research, development, and training programs, relating to U.S. ferry transportation systems.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2005
Investment in America Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the tax credit for increasing research activities; (2) increase the rates of the alternative incremental credit for certain research expenses; and (3) permit a taxpayer election of an alternative simplified tax credit for research expenses in lieu of the standard tax credit for increasing research activities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2005
Veterans Prescription Drugs Assistance Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish such drugs and medicines as may be ordered on prescription of a duly licensed physician as specific therapy in the treatment of any illness or injury suffered by each veteran who is receiving additional compensation or allowance due to a service-connected disability, or increased pension as a veteran of a period of war, by reason of being permanently housebound or in need of regular aid and attendance. Allows any Medicare-eligible veteran to elect to be furnished by the Secretary, on an outpatient basis, such drugs and medicines as ordered on prescription of a duly licensed physician as specific therapy for any illness or injury suffered by the veteran. Requires such election to last for a calendar year and to be irrevocable. Allows for election renewal. Requires appropriate information to be furnished to each veteran prior to such election. Authorizes the Secretary to administer immunizations to voluntary eligible veterans in connection with the provision of care in any Department of Veterans Affairs health care facility. Provides for appropriate copayments for the drugs and medicines received by veterans under authority of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2005
Social Security Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal: (1) Government pension offset requirements applicable to husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and mother's and father's insurance benefits with respect to OASDI payments; and (2) windfall elimination requirements with respect to computation of an individual's primary insurance amount.
![Official portrait of Sen. Snowe, Olympia J. [R-ME]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000663_200.jpg)