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Bill· SS. 364 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act - Directs the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish an integrated ocean and coastal mapping program for the Great Lakes and Coastal State waters, the territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone, and the U.S. continental shelf that enhances ecosystem approaches in decision-making for conservation and management of marine resources and habitats, establishes research priorities, supports the siting of research and other platforms, and advances ocean and coastal science. Establishes an Interagency Committee on Ocean and Coastal Mapping to coordinate Federal ocean and coastal mapping and surveying activities with other Federal efforts (including the Digital Coast, Geospatial One-Stop, and the Federal Geographic Data Committee), international mapping activities, and States and user groups through workshops and other appropriate mechanisms. Directs the Administrator to develop a plan for an integrated ocean and coastal mapping initiative within NOAA that: (1) identifies all ocean and coastal mapping programs within NOAA; (2) encourages the development of innovative ocean and coastal mapping technologies and applications through research and development (R&D) cooperative agreements at joint centers of excellence and with the private sector; and (3) documents available and developing technologies, best practices in data processing and distribution, and leveraging opportunities with other Federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. Authorizes the Administrator to establish joint ocean and coastal mapping centers (including a joint hydrographic center) of excellence in institutions of higher education to conduct specified activities, including mapping of the U.S. outer continental shelf.
Bill· SS. 368 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Responsible Education About Life Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception, to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Expresses the sense of Congress that States are encouraged but not required to provide matching funds. Requires the Secretary to provide for a national evaluation of a representative sample of such programs for effectiveness in changing adolescent sexual behavior, including delaying sexual and high-risk activity, preventing pregnancy and disease (including HIV/AIDS), and increasing contraceptive knowledge. Requires States receiving such grants to provide for an individual evaluation of the State's program by an external, independent entity.
Bill· SS. 350 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide assistance, including through nongovernmental or international organizations, for basic care for orphans and other vulnerable children in developing countries, including assistance for: (1) community-based care; (2) school food programs; (3) education and employment training; (4) mental health care; (5) protection of inheritance rights; and (6) HIV/AIDS care. Directs the President to develop and submit to the appropriate congressional committees a coordinating strategy for such assistance.
Bill· SS. 342 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Climate Stewardship Act of 2005 - Expands Federal climate change research initiatives by: (1) establishing a graduate fellowship program; (2) requiring a study of technology transfer barriers, best practices, and outcomes; (3) requiring a report on the effects of the Kyoto Protocol absent participation by the United States; (4) creating a grant program for research in identified priority areas; (5) instituting research programs on potential abrupt climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) related standards, measurement technologies, and processes; (6) requiring research on the impact of climate change on low-income populations; (7) authorizing a program to promote the use by small manufacturers of GHG-reducing technologies; and (8) establishing a Climate Change Education and Outreach Initiative Program for agriculture. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (Administrator) to establish a National Greenhouse Gas Database consisting of: (1) an inventory of GHG emissions by covered entities (specified entities that emit more than 10,000 metric tons of GHGs per year); and (2) a registry of GHG emission reductions and increased sequestration, applicable to both covered and noncovered entities. Establishes a program for the market-driven reduction of GHGs by covered entities through the use of tradeable emissions allowances. Requires covered entities, beginning in 2010, to submit to the Administrator one tradeable allowance for every metric ton of GHGs emitted. Allows tradeable allowances to be sold, exchanged, purchased, retired, or otherwise used as authorized by this Act. Establishes the Climate Change Credit Corporation (CCCC) to receive, manage, buy, and sell tradeable allowances. Directs the Administrator to make allocations of allowances to covered sectors and entities, and to the CCCC, providing initial allocations for early action and accelerated participation. Imposes civil penalties on covered entities that fail to submit allowances.
Bill· SS. 357 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Next Generation Hispanic Serving Institutions Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise requirements for Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) under title V (Developing Institutions). Establishes a program of competitive grants to eligible HSIs that offer postbaccalaureate certifications or degrees (part B grants). Limits a part B grant award's duration to not more than five years. Prohibits the Secretary of Education from awarding more than one part B grant to an HSI in any one fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) the current part A program of grants to HSIs that offer baccalaureate degrees or are junior or community colleges; and (2) the new part B program of grants to HSIs that offer postbaccalaureate certifications or degrees. Eliminates the requirement that an eligible HSI provide assurances that at least 50 percent of its Hispanic students are low-income students. Includes, among authorized activities under part A grants, articulation agreements and student support programs to help transfers from two-year to four-year institutions. Eliminates the two-year wait-out period between any two five-year part A grants to an HSI.
Bill· SS. 347 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Advance Directives Improvement and Education Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to provide for Medicare coverage of end-of-life planning consultations. Requires a service provider, Medicare Advantage organization, or prepaid or eligible organization to give effect to an advance directive executed outside the State in which it is presented, even one that does not appear to meet the formalities of execution, form, or language required by the State in which it is presented, to the same extent as such provider or organization would give effect to an advanced directive that meets such requirements. Permits a provider or organization to decline to honor such a directive if the provider or organization can reasonably demonstrate that it is not an authentic expression of the individual's wishes concerning his or her health care. Makes such advance directive requirements applicable under Medicaid, title XIX of the Social Security Act. Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for grant programs to increase awareness of advance directive planning issues. Directs the Secretary to conduct a national public education campaign to: (1) raise public awareness of the importance of planning for care near the end of life; (2) improve the public's understanding of the various situations in which individuals may find themselves if they become unable to express their health care wishes; (3) explain the need for readily available legal documents that express an individual's wishes, through advance directives (including living wills, comfort care orders, and durable powers of attorney for health care); and (4) educate the public about the availability of hospice care and palliative care. Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a national, toll-free, information clearinghouse as well as clearinghouses that the public may access to find out about State-specific information regarding advance directive and end-of-life decisions. Requires General Accounting Office studies and reports on end-of-life planning issues.
Law· HRH.R. 758 (109th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Establishes the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force to develop a strategy for the federal government for aerospace workforce development. Directs the Task Force to develop: (1) cooperation among federal agencies to provide a skilled workforce; (2) integrated federal policies to promote and monitor public and private sector education and training programs for science, engineering, technology, mathematics, and skilled trades; and (3) partnerships with industry, organized labor, academia, and state and local governments to provide occupational information and to coordinate workforce education, training, and certification resources.
Bill· HRH.R. 761 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Next Generation Hispanic-Serving Institutions Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise requirements for Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) under title V (Developing Institutions). Establishes a program of competitive grants to eligible HSIs that offer postbaccalaureate certifications or degrees (part B grants). Limits a part B grant award's duration to not more than five years. Prohibits the Secretary of Education from awarding more than one part B grant to an HSI in any one fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) the current part A program of grants to HSIs that offer baccalaureate degrees or are junior or community colleges; and (2) the new part B program of grants to HSIs that offer postbaccalaureate certifications or degrees. Eliminates the requirement that an eligible HSI provide assurances that at least 50 percent of its Hispanic students are low-income students. Includes, among authorized activities under part A grants, articulation agreements and student support programs to help transfers from two-year to four-year institutions. Eliminates the two-year wait-out period between any two five-year part A grants to an HSI.
Bill· HRH.R. 778 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Head Start Accountability Act of 2005 - Amends the Head Start Act to require additional accountability measures for Head Start agencies, including: (1) agency designation period limits; (2) redesignation priorities; (3) local oversight boards; (4) administrative and financial management standards; (5) delegate agency evaluations and corrective actions; (6) shorter deadlines for agency corrective actions; (7) revised notice and hearing procedures for assistance suspensions, terminations, or reductions; and (8) annual audits. Prohibits recipients from using Head Start assistance to appeal any decision of the Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 751 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Work, Family, and Opportunity Promotion Act - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of the Social Security Act (SSA), including with respect to: (1) modification of individual responsibility plans; (2) elimination of the caseload reduction rate under mandatory work requirements; (3) the State option to select a job entry rate requirement in lieu of the work participation rate requirement; (4) work rates; (5) employment credit; (6) the effect of wage subsidies on the five-year limit of assistance; (7) workplace discrimination laws; (8) the funding for child care; (9) extension of supplemental grants; (10) additional grants for States with low Federal funding per poor child; (11) the bonus to reward high performance States; (12) contingency fund grants; (13) eligibility of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and Guam for the supplemental grant for population increases, the contingency fund, and mandatory child care funding; (14) education and training; (15) poverty reduction; (16) the family formation fund; (17) two-parent eligibility; (18) treatment of aliens under the TANF program; (19) the authority of States to use TANF funds carried over from prior years to provide TANF benefits and services; (20) funding for tribal TANF programs; and (21) the ban on using Federal TANF funds to replace State and local spending that does not meet the definition of qualified State expenditures. Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to provide for the restoration of funds for the social services block grant. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to provide for a five-year extension and modification of the transitional medical assistance program. Amends SSA title XIX and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) to provide for optional coverage of legal immigrants under Medicaid and SCHIP. Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 with respect to: (1) treatment of aliens under the TANF program; (2) the eligibility of disabled children who are qualified aliens for SSI (SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income)); and (3) an SSI extension for humanitarian immigrants. Amends SSA title XI to provide for an increase in the mandatory ceiling amount with respect to funding for families assisted by a territory program. Extends the TANF program and related authorities through FY 2005.
Bill· HRH.R. 768 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Family Life Education Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception, to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Expresses the sense of Congress that States are encouraged but not required to provide matching funds. Requires the Secretary to provide for a national evaluation of a representative sample of such programs for effectiveness in changing adolescent sexual behavior, including delaying sexual and high-risk activity, preventing pregnancy and disease (including HIV/AIDS), and increasing contraceptive knowledge. Requires States receiving such grants to provide for an individual evaluation of the State's program by an external, independent entity.
Bill· HRH.R. 772 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2005
Resuming Education After Defense Service Act of 2005 - Makes eligible for basic educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill a member of the Selected Reserve who (among other qualifications), during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, and ending on December 31, 2006, serves on active duty in the Armed Forces for one or more periods aggregating not less than two years. Entitles such individuals to one month of educational assistance for each month served on active duty. Makes the amount of such assistance equivalent to that provided for active-duty personnel who have served a minimum of two years of active duty. Requires the basic pay of qualifying members to be reduced by $100 for each of first 12 months of such active duty service. Requires the Secretaries of the military departments concerned to inform eligible Selected Reserve personnel of such entitlement.
Bill· HRH.R. 694 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Act - Establishes the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (Heritage Corridor) to: (1) recognize the important contributions made to American culture and history by African-Americans known as the Gullah/Geechee who settled in the coastal counties of South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia; (2) assist State and local governments and public and private entities in South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia in interpreting the story of the Gullah/Geechee and preserving Gullah/Geechee folklore, arts, crafts, and music; and (3) assist in identifying and preserving sites, historical data, artifacts, and objects associated with the Gullah/Geechee for the benefit and education of the public. Establishes the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission to assist Federal, State, and local authorities to develop and implement a management plan for Gullah/Geechee lands and waters. Requires the Commission to establish one or more Coastal Heritage Centers in the Heritage Corridor in accordance with the Low Country Gullah Culture Special Resource Study and Environmental Impact Study, December 2003, and additional appropriate sites.
Bill· HRH.R. 717 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Permits accelerated payments of educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill to an individual enrolled in an approved program of education that leads to employment as an operator of a commercial motor vehicle. Excludes benefits payable under under the Montgomery GI Bill from consideration as income for purposes of determining eligibility for education grants or loans under any other provision of Federal law.
Bill· HRH.R. 737 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Act of 2005 - Declares it shall be policy of the United States that its research, development, demonstration, and commercial applications programs be designed to enable 20 percent of domestic energy generated from stationary sources to be generated from nonhydropower renewable energy sources by the year 2020. Prescribes research and development program goals to implement such policy in connection with enhanced: (1) renewable energy; (2) energy efficiency; and (3) aeronautical system energy. Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) submit to Congress an assessment of renewable energy resources available for commercial application; and (2) implement a Next Generation Lighting Initiative for advanced solid-state lighting technologies based on white light emitting diodes. Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish: (1) an interagency group to develop a National Building Performance Initiative; and (2) an advisory committee to analyze and provide recommendations on potential private sector roles and participation in the Initiative. Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) commission an independent assessment of innovative financing techniques to facilitate construction of new renewable energy and energy efficiency facilities; (2) establish a demonstration program for innovative technologies for renewable energy sources in buildings owned or operated by a State or local government; (3) provide assistance to small businesses and startup companies for the commercial application of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies developed by or with support from the Department of Energy; (4) establish an education and outreach program on renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies; and (5) establish a competitive matching grant pilot program for voluntary local government programs that seek to promote innovative energy efficiency technologies and processes to reduce the industrial use of water and the discharge of wastewater from commercial and industrial entities.
Bill· HRH.R. 688 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Securing America's Future through Enforcement Reform Act of 2005 (SAFER Act) - Increases the number of personnel assigned to combat alien smuggling. Requires enhanced penalties for certain smuggling-related offenses. Authorizes the use of military personnel for border enforcement. Increases the number of full-time inspectors within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to require Visa Waiver Program (VWP) participants to have machine-readable passports by October 1, 2005. Requires consular officers to conduct in-person interviews of visa applicants. Recodifies and amends grounds of inadmissibility and removability. Applies attestation requirements concerning nondisplacement of U.S. workers to all employers of H-1B (specialty occupation) nonimmigrants. Requires implementation of an integrated entry-exit system at all land border ports of entry by October 26, 2005. Directs institutions of higher education to provide information on courses taken by foreign students. Requires lawful permanent residents to register with the Secretary annually and other aliens to register every three months. Authorizes visa term compliance bonds for nonimmigrants. Addresses the removal of alien terrorists, criminals, and serious human rights violators. Requires aliens to use secure travel and identification documents. Makes the employment eligibility verification system applicable to all employers. Requires the expedited removal of undocumented aliens who have not been continuously physically present in the United States for five years (except criminal aliens and asylum seekers). Establishes criminal and civil penalties for aliens who are knowingly unlawfully present. Makes government agencies that prohibit employees from sharing immigration status information with DHS ineligible for Federal law enforcement grants. Authorizes the Secretary to grant asylum to alien refugees. Places the burden of proof on asylum applicants. Requires corroborating evidence where reasonable. Eliminates review of determinations regarding the withholding of removal under the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Limits review of asylum decisions and orders of removal against criminal aliens. Temporarily suspends the VWP, adjustment of status applications, and renewals of temporary protected status. Discontinues nonimmigrant visas for aliens from countries that deny or delay repatriation. Prohibits the issuance of most visas to aliens from countries determined to be state sponsors of terrorism. Limits visa preference allocations for family-sponsored immigrants. Removes unskilled workers from the allocation for employment-based immigrants. Eliminates diversity visas. Requires congressional approval of refugee quotas that exceed the combined total of refugees accepted by other countries. Increases sponsorship levels for immigration applications. Repeals certain adjustment of status provisions of INA. Requires congressional approval for temporary protected status for undocumented aliens.
Law· HRH.R. 3 (109th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users - Reauthorizes the Federal-aid surface transportation program through FY 2009. Reauthorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) specified highway (including highway safety) programs; (2) research and technology; (3) motor carrier transportation and safety; and (4) transportation research and education. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a National Commission on Future Revenue Sources to Support the HTF. Establishes a National Commission on the Future of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate Defense Highways. Requires States with an urbanized area population of over 200,000 to obligate specified funds for congestion relief. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States that have enacted laws that prohibit the use of racial profiling in the enforcement of State laws regulating the use of Federal-aid highways. Federal Public Transportation Act of 2005 - Revises requirements for public transportation funding and the Secretary's authority to make specified grants, including grants for capital projects, planning, and transit and for commercial driver's license program improvements. Directs the Secretary to establish programs involving: (1) long-term bridge performance; (2) innovative highway safety technologies; (3) freight planning capacity building; (4) freight transportation research; (5) future strategic highway research; (6) surface transportation congestion solutions research; and (7) commercial remote sensing products and spatial information technologies. Intelligent Transportation Systems Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary to conduct an ongoing intelligent system transportation research and development program. Requires: (1) metropolitan planning organizations to develop long-range transportation plans and transportation improvement programs for metropolitan planning areas; and (2) States to develop statewide transportation plans and statewide transportation improvement programs. Revises hazardous materials transportation requirements to provide uniformity in Federal standards regulating the transportation of hazardous materials in intrastate, interstate, and foreign commerce. States that this Act continues the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century provisions which guarantee that specified levels of authorized funding will be available for obligation each year by continuing the highway category and the mass transit category budgetary firewalls.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 79 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Recognizes Archbishop Patrick Flores for: (1) his leadership in improving the opportunities of Hispanics in the United States; (2) his 34 years of service as bishop serving the diverse and growing needs of the Archdiocese of San Antonio; and (3) his life of public service in the causes of civil rights, health, and education for all Americans.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 76 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2005
Recognizes and honors the achievements and contributions of Native Americans to the United States. Urges Congress to amend the U.S. Code, or the President to issue an Executive order, to establish a paid legal public holiday in honor of Native Americans. Urges the States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and territories and possessions of the United States to observe the date established. Encourages public elementary and secondary schools to enhance understanding of Native Americans by providing classroom instruction focusing on their achievements and contributions. Encourages Americans of all backgrounds to observe the date established as Native American Day through appropriate ceremonies and activities.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 44 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Celebrates Black History Month by: (1) acknowledging the tragedies of slavery, lynching, segregation, and by condemning them as an infringement on human liberty and equal opportunity so that they will stand forever as a reminder of what can happen when Americans fail to live up to their noble goals; (2) honoring those Americans who during the time of slavery, lynching, and segregation risked their lives in the underground railway and in other efforts to assist fugitive slaves and other African Americans who might have been targets and victims of lynch mobs and those who have stood beside African Americans in the fight for equal opportunity that continues to this day; (3) reaffirming the Senate's commitment to the founding principles of the United States of America that "all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness;" and (4) committing the Senate to addressing those situations in which the African American community struggles with disparities in education, health care, and other areas where the Federal Government can play a role in improving conditions for all Americans.
Bill· HRH.R. 610 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Energy Research, Development, Demonstration, and Commercial Application Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Energy to conduct research, development, demonstration, and commercial application programs (R&D) in high energy physics and nuclear physics, biological and environmental research, basic energy sciences, advanced scientific and computing research, and fusion energy sciences. Sets a deadline for construction of a Rare Isotope Accelerator. Directs the Secretary to establish an R&D program in: (1) genetics, protein science, and computational biology; (2) catalysis science; and (3) advanced scientific computing research. Instructs the Secretary to plan to implement U.S. policy for a fusion energy sciences program. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a Science and Technology Scholarship Program. Requires the Secretary to establish advisory committees to advise the Department's applied programs in: (1) energy efficiency; (2) renewable energy; (3) nuclear energy; and (4) fossil energy. Directs the Secretary to establish R&D programs in: (1) vehicles, buildings, and industrial processes; (2) renewable energy research; (3) civilian nuclear energy research; (4) fuel recycling technology; (5) fossil energy production, upgrading, conversion and consumption; (6) oil and gas research; (7) fuel cells; and (8) ultra-deepwater and unconventional natural gas. Instructs the Secretary to: (1) plan programs directly related to fuel cells or hydrogen; and (2) conduct programs to address hydrogen production from diverse energy sources. Directs the President to establish an interagency task force to work toward fuel infrastructure for hydrogen and hydrogen-carrier fuels, including buses and other fleet transportation. Establishes the Hydrogen Technical and Fuel Cell Advisory Committee. Directs the Secretary to establish a competitive grant pilot program for acquisition of: (1) alternative fueled vehicles or fuel cell vehicles; (2) hybrid vehicles: and (3) ultra-low sulfur diesel vehicles. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a grant program for: (1) the replacement of certain school buses with alternative fuel school buses and ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel school buses; and (2) installation of retrofit technologies for diesel school buses. Instructs the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements: (1) with private sector fuel cell bus developers for the development of fuel cell-powered school buses; and (2) government entities using natural gas-powered school buses and private sector fuel cell bus developers to demonstrate the use of fuel cell-powered school buses. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a fuel cell transit bus demonstration program; and (2) award grants to universities for the establishment of Centers of Excellence for Energy Systems of the Future to advance new clean coal technologies.
Bill· HRH.R. 614 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
NAFTA-Impacted Communities Relief Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide for the designation of communities as impacted by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) based upon job loss and unemployment resulting from NAFTA; (2) allow employers in such NAFTA-impacted communities a business tax credit for up to 8.5 percent of wages paid to employees; (3) increase depreciation expensing levels for business assets located in NAFTA-impacted communities; and (4) direct the Secretary of Labor to provide grants to States containing NAFTA-impacted communities for education and job training assistance.
Bill· HRH.R. 670 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act of 2005 - Amends the Teacher-Taxpayer Protection Act of 2004 to make applicable to all eligible teachers in mathematics, science, and special education certain additional amounts of student loan forgiveness. (Current law makes such additional amounts applicable only with respect to those who are new borrowers on or after October 1, 1998, and before October 1, 2005.) Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to treat certain speech-language pathologists as special education teachers for purposes of student loan forgiveness, under both the Federal Family Education Loan program and the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program.
Bill· HRH.R. 628 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Flu Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct, annually, a public influenza awareness campaign and education and outreach efforts preceding the flu season. Requires the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to urge early and full preordering of the influenza vaccine by Medicare providers. Requires the Director to: (1) work with the Administrator to publish influenza immunization rates among Medicare recipients; (2) support the development of State adult immunization programs that emphasize improving influenza vaccine delivery to high-risk populations and the general population; and (3) work with appropriate agencies to assess the efficacy of the influenza vaccine. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a vaccine manufacturing facilities investment tax credit (20 percent of qualifying property per year) for property placed in service by December 31, 2009. Requires the Director to: (1) enter into contracts with manufacturers to produce additional necessary doses of the influenza vaccine; and (2) develop a contingency plan for maximizing influenza immunization for high-risk populations in the event of a delay or shortage of the vaccine. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to establish a protocol to prevent, prepare for, and respond to an influenza pandemic or epidemic. Requires a manufacturer that receives Federal authority to distribute a vaccine to provide the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with advance notice of such manufacturer's intent to stop marketplace distribution of the vaccine.
Bill· HRH.R. 609 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
College Access and Opportunity Act of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise and reauthorize various programs. Revises the definition of institution of higher education to eliminate: (1) a requirement that for-profit institutions of higher education derive at least ten percent of their revenue from funds that do not come from HEA title IV student assistance programs (the 90/10 rule); and (2) a restriction on distance education in terms of relative number of courses an institution may offer by telecommunications, and relative number of students enrolled in such courses, for purposes of student assistance program eligibility (the 50 percent rule). Allows for-profit institutions to compete with traditional institutions in applying for campus-based aid. Revises HEA title IV (Student Assistance) to: (1) require a variable rather than a fixed interest rate for consolidation loans; (2) reduce loan origination fees; (3) increase subsidized loan limits; and (4) modify need analysis requirements. Establishes: (1) Pell Grants Plus grants for State scholar students; (2) policies for institutions' transfer of credits; (3) a college access initiative; (4) an expanded distance education demonstration; and (5) a college affordability demonstration. Cancels student loan indebtedness for families of 9/11 victims. Reauthorizes appropriations for HEA title: (1) II, teacher quality enhancement grants for States and partnerships, grants for preparing teachers to use technology, and new centers of excellence for recruiting and preparing teachers; (2) III, grants for American Indian tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and historically Black colleges and universities; (3) IV student assistance, including Pell grants, TRIO, GEAR UP, supplemental educational opportunity grants, LEAP, HEP/CAMP, Byrd scholarships, child care access, Federal Family Education Loans, work-study, Direct Loans, and Perkins Loans; (3) V, developing institutions grants for Hispanic-serving institutions; (4) VI, international education programs, including international and foreign language studies, business and international education, and the Institute for International Public Policy; and (5) VII, graduate and postsecondary improvement programs, including Jacob K. Javits fellowships, graduate assistance in areas of national need, Thurgood Marshall legal educational opportunity assistance, the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, and projects ensuring a quality higher education for students with disabilities (eliminates the Urban Community Service program and certain continuation awards). Reauthorizes appropriations for various programs under the Education of the Deaf Act of 1986, Higher Education Amendments of 1998, Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act of 1978, Navajo Community College Act, and Education Amendments of 1992.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 49 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2005
Recognizes that teaching young people to have an appreciation of Western civilization is important to the development and maintenance of a vibrant, united, and enduring U.S. polity, culture, and society. Encourages local school boards, State education officials, and educators to ensure that all young people gain an understanding and appreciation of the values, contributions, and accomplishments of Western civilization.
Bill· SS. 282 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2005
Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act - Family Income to Respond to Significant Transitions Insurance Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to make five-year grants to a State or local government to pay for the Federal share of the cost of carrying out projects that assist families by providing wage replacement for eligible individuals responding to caregiving needs resulting from the birth or adoption of a son or daughter or other family caregiving needs. Family and Medical Leave Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to extend coverage to employees at worksites where the employer employs at least 25 (currently 50) employees at the worksite and within 75 miles of that worksite. Amends FMLA and Federal civil service law to entitle to leave those employees who must address the effects of domestic violence. Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2005 - Permits the Office of Personnel Management to contract with one or more employing agencies to conduct a demonstration project that provides paid leave for eligible individuals who are responding to caregiving needs resulting from the birth or adoption of a son or daughter or other family caregiving needs. Requires the leave to last for at least six weeks during a 12-month period. Time for Schools Act of 2005 - Amends FMLA to allow employees covered by such Act to take up to 24 hours, during any 12-month period, of school involvement leave to participate in: (1) an academic activity of their child's school, such as a parent-teacher conference or an interview for a school; or (2) literacy training under a family literacy program. Amends Federal civil service law to provide the same school involvement leave allowance for Federal employees.
Bill· SS. 293 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2005
Entitles the University of Alaska to select up to 250,000 acres of Federal lands or interests in lands in or adjacent to Alaska as a land grant and directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the University the Federal lands selected and approved in accordance with this Act. Sets forth requirements regarding permissible and impermissible selections. Requires as a condition of the grant that the University relinquish to the Secretary certain land holdings. Allows the University, after receiving evidence of ownership from the State, to additionally select up to 250,000 acres of Federal lands or interests in or adjacent to Alaska to be conveyed as a matching grant for any lands received from the State after February 1, 2005.
Bill· SS. 286 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2005
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to maximum individual amounts of Federal Pell Grant for academic years 2005-06 through 2009-10. Increases such amount to $7,600 for 2005-06, and by increments in each of specified subsequent academic years, up to $11,600 for 2009-10. Requires a further increase in any such maximum Federal Pell Grant amount, by an amount sufficient to achieve a five percent increase in students' purchasing power relative to the cost of attendance at an institution of higher education, if the Secretary of Education determines that the amount authorized does not increase such purchasing power by at least five percent from one academic year to the next.
Bill· SS. 267 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to extend the Act through FY2013. Revises requirements regarding the merchantable material contracting pilot program. Requires counties participating in county projects to submit a specified notification for each project for which the participating county obligated county funds. Provides for the review of such notifications.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 34 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Authorizes expenditures by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for the 109th Congress.
Bill· HRH.R. 510 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Graduate Opportunities in Higher Education Act of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise requirements and reauthorize appropriations for the following Graduate and Postsecondary Improvement Programs under title VII: (1) the Jacob K. Javits fellowship program; (2) the program of graduate assistance in areas of national need; (3) the Thurgood Marshall legal educational opportunity program; (4) the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education; and (5) demonstration projects to ensure that students with disabilities receive a quality higher education. Eliminates the Urban Community Service program and certain continuation awards.
Bill· HRH.R. 595 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
High School Athletics Accountability Act of 2005 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct coeducational elementary and secondary schools, if they participate in any ESEA program, to: (1) report certain information on equality in their school athletic programs to the Commissioner for Educational Statistics; and (2) make such information available to their students and potential students, upon request, and to the public.
Bill· HRH.R. 551 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Student Privacy Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise provisions for military recruiter access to secondary school student information. Requires ESEA-assisted local educational agencies (LEAs) to notify each secondary school student's parent of the option to consent to a release of the student's name, address, and telephone listing to military recruiters, and to give the parent the opportunity to provide such consent in writing. Requires such LEAs to provide military recruiters, upon their request, with access to such information on a student only if the student's parent has given such written consent.
Bill· HRH.R. 598 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise impact aid program requirements for distribution of school construction payments, and of school facility emergency and modernization grants, to local educational agencies impacted by military dependent children or by children residing on Indian lands.
Bill· HRH.R. 568 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Patient Empowerment and Education Act of 2005 - Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education to jointly make grants to nonprofit organizations for community outreach programs to empower patients and health care consumers by: (1) educating patients, health care consumers, and children about their role in making health care safer for themselves; and (2) supporting victims and family members affected by medical errors.
Bill· HRH.R. 511 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Pell Grants Plus Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to establish a program to award Pell Grants Plus grants to students who: (1) have completed a rigorous secondary school program for State Scholars; (2) are enrolled full-time in their first year of undergraduate education; and (3) are eligible to receive Federal Pell Grants for that year. Sets such Plus grant award at $1,000. Provides for a continuation award for the second year of undergraduate education if the student maintains compliance with certain eligibility requirements and obtains a grade point average of at least 3.0 for the first year. Repeals HEA provisions for Academic Achievement Incentive Scholarships.
Bill· HRH.R. 538 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
ASU/MCCCD Land Conveyance Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to release, without consideration, the reversionary interests retained by the United States and all other terms, conditions, reservations, and restrictions imposed, in connection with the conveyance of portions of former Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, to Arizona State University and Maricopa County Community College District under the authority of the February 1995 Record of Decision for the disposal of excess Federal property at that installation.
Bill· HRH.R. 508 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Fed Up Higher Education Technical Amendments of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to make various technical revisions regarding access to student aid programs. Revises the HEA general definition of institution of higher education (IHE) to include one that admits as regular students those who have been home-schooled (as well as high school graduates or those with equivalency certificates), thus conforming it with provisions that make such home-schooled students eligible for student aid under HEA title IV. Eliminates an HEA title IV requirement that new forbearance agreements between lenders and borrowers be in writing; but requires lenders to notify borrowers of their terms. Requires students withdrawing from an IHE to return only HEA title IV grant aid amounts exceeding 50 percent of the total (if more than $50). Revises requirements for suspension of student aid eligibility owing to conviction for any Federal or State offense involving the possession or sale of a controlled substance. Allows IHEs to use electronic means to comply with requirements for: (1) reports on teacher preparation program quality; and (2) voter registration forms for students. Permits Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to apply for Federal HSI grants under HEA title V without waiting two years between applications. Authorizes the use of HEA title VII funds for: (1) Federal scholarship aid to low-income and minority students for summer institutes to prepare for law school; and (2) Thurgood Marshall Fellowships to attend law school. Amends the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 to make effective on and after July 1, 2006, provisions that exempt institutions with low cohort default rates from certain disbursement and endorsement requirements.
Bill· HRH.R. 599 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Federal Lands Restoration, Enhancement, Public Education, and Information Resources Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the National Park Service Organic Act, the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, and Federal law relating to National Forest System Lands, to make available any moneys received from fines forfeitures, judgments, compromises, or settlements for violations of rules and regulations applicable to Federal lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture for certain restoration and public informational activities on such lands. Transfers any such excess funds to the Crime Victims Fund established under the Victims of Crime Act of 1984.
Bill· HRH.R. 527 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Vocational and Technical Entrepreneurship Development Act of 2005 - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to establish a program under which the Administrator shall make grants to, or may enter into cooperative agreements with, State small business development centers to provide, on a statewide basis, technical assistance to secondary schools, or to post-secondary vocational or technical schools, for the development and implementation of curricula designed to promote vocational and technical entrepreneurship. Provides for the minimum amount of a grant to not be less than $200,000. Directs the association of small business development centers to act as an information clearinghouse regarding vocational and technical entrepreneurship education programs.
Bill· HRH.R. 509 (109th)open
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
International Studies in Higher Education Act of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise requirements and reauthorize appropriations for title VI International Education Programs, including: (1) international and foreign language studies; (2) business and international education programs; and (3) the Institute for International Public Policy. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to use up to one percent of title VI funds for evaluation, outreach, and dissemination. Establishes an independent International Higher Education Advisory Board to advise Congress and the Secretary on title VI programs in relation to national needs with respect to homeland security, international education, international affairs, and foreign language training. Sets forth requirements relating to: (1) U.S. Government agency recruiter access to students and student recruiting information; (2) safety in programs of student travel and study abroad; and (3) a national study of foreign language heritage communities.
Bill· HRH.R. 517 (109th)reported
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to extend the Act through FY2013. Revises requirements regarding the merchantable material contracting pilot program. Requires counties participating in county projects to submit a specified notification for each project for which the participating county obligated county funds. Provides for the review of such notifications.
Bill· HRH.R. 529 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Respecting Our Leaders in Education Model Act of 2005 - ROLE Model Act of 2005 - Authorizes States, in the event of inadequate Federal funding under part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, to waive certain requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
Bill· HRH.R. 555 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
School-As-Lender Reform Act of 2005 - Amends Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish additional requirements for institutions of higher education to be eligible lenders under the Federal Family Education Loan Program.
Bill· HRH.R. 547 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Graduation for All Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to establish a program that will provide grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish reading and writing programs to improve overall reading and writing performance among middle and high school students. Limits eligibility for subgrants to LEAs in a State that are among those that have the lowest graduation rates for public secondary school students. Includes among required uses of LEA subgrant funds: (1) hiring and inservice training of literacy coaches; (2) counseling for at-risk students; and (3) professional development for educators that addresses literacy needs of certain student groups. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include public secondary school graduation rates for all students under requirements for: (1) accountability for adequate yearly progress; and (2) annual State report cards. Amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act to require annual reports on the number participants who are 16, 17, or 18 years of age in certain programs and services, disaggregated by certain attributes.
Bill· HRH.R. 559 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a program to assist States and local educational agencies (LEAs) to recruit, train, and hire additional school-based mental health and student service providers, including additional school counselors, psychologists, and social workers (in order to reduce the student-to-counselor ratios nationally, in elementary and secondary schools, to an average of one school counselor for every 250 students, one psychologist for every 1,000 students, and one social worker for every 800 students, as recommended in a report by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences relating to schools and health). Directs the Secretary of Education, after reserving certain funds for schools in outlying areas and schools run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, to make program allotments to States according to a specified formula. Requires States to allocate funds from Federal and State shares of program costs to LEAs according to specified formulas.
Bill· HRH.R. 507 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
College Access and Opportunity Act of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise and reauthorize various programs. Revises the definition of institution of higher education to eliminate: (1) a requirement that for-profit institutions of higher education derive at least ten percent of their revenue from funds that do not come from HEA title IV student assistance programs (the 90/10 rule); and (2) a restriction on distance education in terms of relative number of courses an institution may offer by telecommunications, and relative number of students enrolled in such courses, for purposes of student assistance program eligibility (the 50 percent rule). Allows for-profit institutions to compete with traditional institutions in applying for campus-based aid. Revises HEA title IV (Student Assistance) to: (1) require a variable rather than a fixed interest rate for consolidation loans; (2) reduce loan origination fees; (3) increase subsidized loan limits; and (4) modify need analysis requirements. Establishes: (1) Pell Grants Plus grants for State scholar students; (2) policies for institutions' transfer of credits; (3) a college access initiative; (4) an expanded distance education demonstration; and (5) a college affordability demonstration. Cancels student loan indebtedness for families of 9/11 victims. Reauthorizes appropriations for HEA title: (1) II, teacher quality enhancement grants for States and partnerships, grants for preparing teachers to use technology, and new centers of excellence for recruiting and preparing teachers; (2) III, grants for American Indian tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and historically Black colleges and universities; (3) IV student assistance, including Pell grants, TRIO, GEAR UP, supplemental educational opportunity grants, LEAP, HEP/CAMP, Byrd scholarships, child care access, Federal Family Education Loans, work-study, Direct Loans, and Perkins Loans; (3) V, developing institutions grants for Hispanic-serving institutions; (4) VI, international education programs, including international and foreign language studies, business and international education, and the Institute for International Public Policy; and (5) VII, graduate and postsecondary improvement programs, including Jacob K. Javits fellowships, graduate assistance in areas of national need, Thurgood Marshall legal educational opportunity assistance, the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, and projects ensuring a quality higher education for students with disabilities (eliminates the Urban Community Service program and certain continuation awards). Reauthorizes appropriations for various programs under the Education of the Deaf Act of 1986, Higher Education Amendments of 1998, Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act of 1978, Navajo Community College Act, and Education Amendments of 1992.
Bill· HRH.R. 596 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Cord Blood Stem Cell Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to enter into contracts with qualified cord blood stem cell banks to assist in establishing and maintaining a National Network of Cord Blood Stem Cell Banks to: (1) acquire, tissue type, test, cryopreserve, and store donated units of human cord blood acquired with the informed consent of the donor; (2) make cord blood units available to transplant centers for stem cell transplantations; and (3) allocate up to 10 percent of the cord blood inventory each year for peer-reviewed research. Requires the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a Board of Directors to administer the Network. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to establish as part of the Network a National Cord Blood Stem Cell Registry to: (1) operate a system for identifying, acquiring, and distributing donated units of cord blood; (2) provide health care professionals with the ability to search the registry for suitable matches for patients; and (3) maintain a database to document the collection, storage, distribution, and transplantation of cord blood units and the clinical outcomes of Network transplantations. Requires the Administrator to report to the Secretary regarding the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of the clinical, research, and education activities of the Network. Requires the Board to ensure that: (1) the Network donor banks meet confidentiality and privacy requirements; and (2) the Network and their birthing hospital collection sites are geographically distributed throughout the United States.
Bill· HRH.R. 583 (109th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2005
Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services: (1) to develop and implement a National Arthritis Action Plan; and (2) acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct, support, and promote the coordination of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases research. Requires the Secretary to award grants to: (1) support arthritis-specific research projects at the Centers for Prevention Research by the CDC; (2) support State comprehensive arthritis control and prevention programs and public health surveillance, prevention, and control activities; and (3) assist in the implementation of a national strategy for arthritis control and prevention. Requires the Secretary to coordinate a national education and outreach program on arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Requires the Secretary to establish an Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases Interagency Coordinating Committee to: (1) improve coordination of Federal research activities related to arthritis and rheumatic diseases; and (2) convene a summit to provide a detailed overview of such current Federal research. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand and intensify juvenile arthritis research. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to support juvenile arthritis data collection. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to support the development of a National Juvenile Arthritis Patient Registry. Requires the Secretary to promote and support pediatric rheumatology training, including by allowing the Secretary to establish a loan repayment program. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct a study on the economic impact of arthritis in the workplace.
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