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Bill· SS. 2894 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2004
Prevention of Childhood Obesity Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure that the Federal Government coordinates efforts to develop, implement, and enforce policies to prevent obesity among children and youth. Requires the Secretary to establish within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a Federal Leadership Commission to Prevent Childhood Obesity. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess the effect of Federal nutrition assistance programs and agricultural policies on the prevention of childhood obesity. Sets forth procedures to establish and enforce guidelines for nutritional food and physical activity advertising and marketing to prevent childhood obesity. Requires the Secretary, acting through the CDC Director, to award grants to: (1) implement a State children's obesity prevention and control plan; and (2) disseminate childhood obesity prevention evidence-based practices to individuals, families, schools, organizations and communities. Requires the Secretary to: (1) award grants to develop obesity prevention behavior change curricula for early childhood home visitation programs and afterschool programs; and (2) establish and implement activities to prevent obesity by encouraging healthy nutrition choices and physical activity in schools. Provides for grants to promote good nutrition and physical activity for students in schools and children in communities. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to award grants to support the training of early childhood professionals about obesity prevention. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand and intensify research that addresses the prevention of childhood obesity.
Bill· SS. 2887 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2004
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise provisions 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.
Bill· HRH.R. 5223 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2004
National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004 - Establishes as an independent executive entity the National Intelligence Authority (Authority), headed by a National Intelligence Director (Director), to, among other things: (1) unify and strengthen efforts of the intelligence community (IC); (2) operate the National Counterterrorism Center and national intelligence centers; and (3) establish clear responsibility and accountability for counterterrorism and other intelligence matters relating to U.S. national security. Requires the Director to: (1) serve as the head of the IC; (2) advise the President on intelligence related to national security; (3) direct and oversee the National Intelligence Program (formerly the National Foreign Intelligence Program); (4) determine the annual budget for intelligence and intelligence-related activities; and (5) establish standards for information technology and communications across the IC. Authorizes the Director to establish and train a National Intelligence Reserve Corps for the temporary reemployment on a voluntary basis of former IC employees during periods of emergency. Establishes within the Authority, with specified functions: (1) the Reserve for Contingencies of the National Intelligence Director; (2) an Office of the National Intelligence Director; (3) a principal Deputy National Intelligence Director (second in command); (3) a National Intelligence Council (Council) (to provide national intelligence estimates for the U.S. Government and evaluate the collection and production of intelligence by the IC); (4) a General Counsel; (5) a Comptroller General; (6) an Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties; (7) a Privacy Officer; (8) a Chief Information Officer; (9) a Chief Human Capital Officer; (10) a Chief Financial Officer; (11) an Inspector General; and (12) an Ombudsman. Establishes a National Counterterrorism Center (Center) to: (1) unify strategy for U.S. civilian and military counterterrorism efforts; and (2) integrate counterterrorism intelligence and operations across agency boundaries, both inside and outside the United States. Establishes within the Center a Directorate of Planning with primary responsibility for developing interagency counterterrorism plans. Authorizes the Director to establish one or more national intelligence centers to address intelligence priorities established by the Council. Requires the Director to establish the Intelligence Community Scholarship Program for the award of scholarships designed to recruit and prepare students for civilian careers meeting critical IC needs. Directs the President to establish an information sharing network to promote the sharing of terrorist information among all relevant Federal departments and agencies, State, tribal, and local authorities, and private entities. Establishes an Advisory Council on Information Sharing. Prohibits the 108th Congress from adjourning until jurisdiction over proposed legislation and other matters relating to: (1) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is consolidated into a single committee in each House with a nonpartisan staff; and (2) intelligence resides in a joint committee or a committee with combined authorization and appropriation authority, with a subcommittee devoted solely to oversight. Requires specified reports from the President to Congress concerning, among other things: (1) terrorist sanctuaries; (2) efforts to support Pakistan; (3) aid to Afghanistan; (4) the U.S.-Saudi Arabia relationship; (5) a strategy to help win the struggle of ideas within the Islamic world; (6) U.S. policy toward dictatorships; (7) the promotion of U.S. values through broadcast media; (8) proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and (9) efforts to curtail the international financing of terrorism. Directs the President to establish an International Youth Opportunity Fund to provide financial assistance for the improvement of public education in the Middle East. States U.S. policy concerning the humane treatment of prisoners. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to submit to Congress a: (1) strategy for combining terrorist travel intelligence, operations, and law enforcement into a cohesive effort to intercept terrorists, find terrorist travel facilitators, and constrain terrorist mobility both domestically and internationally; and (2) plan describing how DHS and the State Department can acquire and deploy, to all consulates, ports of entry, and immigration benefits offices, technologies that facilitate document authentication and the detection of potential terrorist indicators on travel documents. Directs the Secretary to develop plans: (1) for a comprehensive integrated screening system; (2) to accelerate the full implementation of an automated biometric entry and exit data system for preventing the entry of terrorists; (3) to expedite the processing of registered travelers who enter and exit the United States through a single registered traveler program; and (4) to require biometric passports and other secure identification for all travel into the United States by U.S. citizens and individuals for whom immigration and nationality documentation requirements have previously been waived. Directs the Secretary to develop, implement, and revise as necessary a National Strategy for Transportation Security for the protection from terrorist or other hostile acts of all transportation infrastructure assets. Requires the use of watchlists in connection with passenger air transportation screening. Directs the Secretary to allocate homeland security assistance grants to communities based on threat levels, presence of critical infrastructure, population density, and other criteria. Calls for adoption by all appropriate entities of the Incident Command System (a national, coordinated emergency response system developed by the National Incident Management System). Authorizes specified officials of the National Capital Region to enter into, provide, or request from other Region entities mutual aid assistance for emergency services related to an emergency or public service event. Directs the Secretary to: (1) encourage and support the establishment of consistent and effective communications capabilities in high risk urban areas; (2) establish a program to promote private sector preparedness; (3) undertake certain critical infrastructure readiness assessments; and (4) regularly assess the adequacy of the United States Northern Command to respond to all military and paramilitary threats within the United States. Establishes within the Executive Office of the President a Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.
Bill· HRH.R. 5217 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2004
Railroad Security and Public Awareness Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and issue detailed guidance for a rail worker security training program to prepare front-line workers for potential threat conditions. Requires railroad carriers to develop a rail worker security training program that meets the Secretary's approval. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to railroads (including intercity, heavy, and light rail), hazardous materials shippers, owners of hazardous materials rail cars, universities, colleges, and research centers, and State and local governments (for railroad facilities and infrastructure) for full or partial reimbursement of: (1) rail worker security training program costs; and (2) security upgrade costs incurred by a railroad to prevent or respond to acts of terrorism, sabotage, or other railroad security threats. Directs the Secretary to develop a national plan for public outreach and awareness of measures that the general public, railroad passengers, and railroad employees can take to increase railroad security.
Bill· SS. 2885 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2004
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a community college capacity-building grant program. Directs the Secretary of Education to award such grants, on a competitive basis, to individual community colleges or consortia of community colleges to meet capacity challenges.
Bill· SS. 2868 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2004
International Remittance Consumer Protection Act of 2004 - Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to require a remittance transfer provider to: (1) clearly and conspicuously make specified disclosures in writing and in a form that the consumer may keep to each consumer requesting a remittance transfer; and (2) make such disclosures in English and in the same languages principally used by the remittance transfer provider, or its agents at that office, if other than English. Prescribes error resolution guidelines and remedies governing remittance transfer errors. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to publish electronically on each business day the foreign currencies dollar exchange rate. Subjects a remittance transfer provider to liability for violations committed by its agents or subsidiaries. Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to empower Federal Credit Unions to: (1) provide remittance transfers to persons in the field of membership; and (2) to cash checks and money orders for such persons for a fee. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to work with the Federal reserve banks to expand the use of the automated clearinghouse system for remittance transfers to foreign countries. Requires certain Federal banking agencies to provide guidelines to financial institutions regarding the offering of low-cost remittance transfers and no-cost or low-cost basic consumer accounts, as well as agency services to remittance transfer providers. Requires such agencies and the Secretary to assist the Financial Literacy and Education Commission in improving the financial literacy and education of consumers who send remittances.
Bill· SS. 2877 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2004
Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act of 2004 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to: (1) reduce certain special allowance payments to holders of student loans; and (2) provide for additional amounts of student loan forgiveness for certain elementary or secondary school teachers of mathematics, science, or special education.
Bill· SS. 2876 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2004
American Hospital Preservation Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to revise the indirect medical education adjustment percentage in order to eliminate reductions in payments to hospitals.
Law· HRH.R. 5186 (108th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2004
Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act of 2004 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to: (1) reduce certain special allowance payments to holders of student loans; and (2) provide for additional amounts of student loan forgiveness for certain elementary or secondary school teachers of mathematics, science, or special education.
Law· HRH.R. 5185 (108th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2004
Higher Education Extension Act of 2004 - Provides for a temporary extension of programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Bill· HRH.R. 5200 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2004
No Child Left Behind Improvement and Flexibility Act of 2004 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise certain requirements which were added by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, including ones relating to: (1) academic assessments and adequate yearly progress; (2) teacher qualifications; (3) special education students; and (4) rural schools.
Bill· SS. 2863 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004
Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2005 through 2007 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 2005 through 2007 to carry out the activities of the Department of Justice. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (Safe Streets Act) to: (1) merge the Byrne grant program and the local law enforcement block grant program into an Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program; and (2) establish within the Office of Justice Programs an Office of Weed and Seed Strategies to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, criminal drug-related activity, and gang activity. Amends the USA PATRIOT Act to authorize grants for nonprofit neighborhood and community-based victim service organizations and coalitions to improve outreach and services to crime victims. Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act of 2004 - Amends the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to expand its scope to cover acts or threats involving burglary, embezzlement, and fraud in the purchase of securities. Prevention and Recovery of Missing Children Act of 2004 - Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require each State reporting on missing children to ensure that no law enforcement agency within the State establishes or maintains a policy that requires the removal of an entry from its State law enforcement system or the National Crime Information Center computer network based solely on the person's age and provide that any relevant information shall be entered within two hours of receipt. Revises the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act to require the responsible official to obtain from a sex offender who is required to register: (1) information regarding the offender's anticipated future residence, employer's name and address, license plate number and vehicle, and student enrollment; and (2) fingerprints and a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sample, unless they were obtained within the previous three months. Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2004 - Amends the Safe Streets Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program. Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act or PACT Act - Amends the Jenkins Act to prohibit any person or other legal entity from selling, transferring, or shipping cigarettes into a State that taxes the sale or use of cigarettes (or from advertising or offering cigarettes for such a sale or transfer and shipment) without filing specified information with the tobacco tax administrator of such State within a specified time frame. Grants the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives authority to conduct certain undercover investigative operations and to inspect records and cigarettes of cigarette sellers who ship, sell, distribute, or receive any quantity in excess of 10,000 cigarettes within a single month. Cooperative Research and Technology Enhancement of 2004 or CREATE Act - Amends patent and trademark law to deem subject matter developed by another person and a claimed invention to have been owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person, for purposes of provisions that treat inventions of a common owner similarly to inventions made by a single person, if: (1) the claimed invention was made by or on behalf of parties to a joint research agreement that was in effect on or before the date the claimed invention was made; (2) the claimed invention was made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of the agreement; and (3) the application for patent for the claimed invention discloses, or is amended to disclose, the names of the parties to the agreement. Protecting Intellectual Rights Against Theft and Expropriation Act of 2004 - Amends copyright law to authorize the Attorney General to: (1) commence a civil action against any person who engages in conduct constituting copyright infringement; (2) collect damages and profits resulting from such infringement; and (3) collect statutory damages. Koby Mandell Act of 2004 - Establishes within the Department of Justice an Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism. Seniors Safety Act of 2004 - Directs the Federal Trade Commission to establish procedures regarding telemarketing fraud. Federal Prosecutors Retirement Benefit Equity Act of 2004 - Includes Federal prosecutors within the definition of "law enforcement officer" (thus making them eligible for certain benefits). Anti-Atrocity Alien Deportation Act of 2004 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to provide for the inadmissibility and removability of aliens who have committed or otherwise participated in acts of torture or extrajudicial killings abroad. Parental Responsibility Obligations Met through Immigration System Enforcement Act or PROMISE Act - Amends the INA to make an alien excludable from U.S. admission for nonpayment of child support, with an exception. Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act - Authorizes the President to present to the personal representative or next of kin of each individual who died on or after September 11, 2001, as a direct result of the act of terrorism within the United States on that date, a Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Congressional Medal. National Film Preservation Act of 2004 - Amends the National Film Preservation Act of 1996 to reauthorize appropriations to the Library of Congress for the National Film Preservation Board. National Film Preservation Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2004 - Amends specified Federal law to reauthorize appropriations to the Library of Congress for the National Film Preservation Foundation. Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2003 (sic) or DREAM Act - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on State residence unless a U.S. national is similarly eligible without regard to such State residence. Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Database Act of 2004 or Dru's Law - Directs the Attorney General to establish a national sex offender registry that: (1) makes publicly available, via the Internet, information about sexually violent predators and persons convicted of a sexually violent offense or a criminal offense against a minor; and (2) allows users to determine which registered sex offenders are currently residing within a specified area.
Bill· SS. 2862 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004
Education for All Act of 2004 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to establish as a policy priority of the United States the achievement of universal education by working with foreign countries and international organizations to: (1) assist developing countries committed to serious reforms in providing all children with quality elementary and secondary education; and (2) provide incentives to encourage educational system reform and educational service improvement in countries lacking such commitment. Requires the President to establish an Education for All Task Force to carry out such policy and to develop a unified strategy to promote universal basic education. Authorizes the President to provide funds or other assistance to eligible entities to assist a foreign country in developing and implementing a comprehensive national education plan that allows its citizens to access and complete basic education. Sets forth requirements for such plans. Authorizes the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish an education fellowship program at USAID to increase the expertise of agency personnel in promoting universal basic education and to carry out this Act.
Bill· SS. 2861 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004
Student Loan Abuse Prevention Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reduce certain special allowance payments to holders of student loans. Appropriates, for each fiscal year after enactment of this Act, an additional amount to increase the maximum Pell grant for that fiscal year. Makes such amount equal to the amount by which expenditures for such special allowances are reduced by this Act for that fiscal year, as determined by the Congressional Budget Office.
Bill· HRH.R. 5177 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004
Education for All Act of 2004 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to establish as a policy priority of the United States the achievement of universal education by working with foreign countries and international organizations to: (1) assist developing countries committed to serious reforms in providing all children with quality elementary and secondary education; and (2) provide incentives to encourage educational system reform and educational service improvement in countries lacking such commitment. Requires the President to establish an Education for All Task Force to carry out such policy and to develop a unified strategy to promote universal basic education. Authorizes the President to provide funds or other assistance to eligible entities to assist a foreign country in developing and implementing a comprehensive national education plan that allows its citizens to access and complete basic education. Sets forth requirements for such plans. Authorizes the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish an education fellowship program at USAID to increase the expertise of agency personnel in promoting universal basic education and to carry out this Act.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 504 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004
Expresses support for the observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month to provide a special opportunity to offer education on the importance of monthly breast self-examinations and annual mammograms. Recognizes breast cancer survivors, the efforts of victims, volunteers, and professionals who combat breast cancer, and the work of national and community organizations in promoting breast cancer awareness, providing information, and offering treatment.
Bill· SS. 2852 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2004
Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004 - Authorizes the Secretaries of Education, of State, and of Health and Human Services to award grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, Special Olympics for specified education, international, and health activities, including ones promoting Special Olympics and a greater understanding of contributions to society by individuals with intellectual disabilities both within and outside of the United States.
Bill· HRH.R. 5159 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2004
Community Security Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to give business tax credits to employers of volunteer first responders. Provides individual tax deductions for travel and training expenses of such volunteers. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish a local critical need homeland security grant program for first responders. Requires the Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response to establish a standard of basic preparedness for local first responders. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to award grants to States and localities for basic personal equipment and communications enhancement for disaster response, mitigation, and recovery missions. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a safe schools through mental health grant program to: (1) train school personnel to identify and prevent avoidable disasters and to assist children in dealing with the aftermath; (2) provide school-based mental health services; and (3) provide such services to students who face or have faced disciplinary action. Establishes a school-based disaster mitigation refund program. Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide financial assistance to affected State and local governments for school-based community mental health counseling. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a Homeland Security Competitive Research Grant Program to award grants to universities and colleges for homeland security-related research. Establishes a program to award research grants to colleges and universities to examine the social dimensions of terrorism.
Law· HJRESH.J.Res. 107 (108th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2004
Makes continuing appropriations for FY 2005. Appropriates amounts for continuing, at the current rate of operations, projects or activities which were conducted in FY 2004 and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available in the: (1) Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004; (2) Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004; (3) District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2004; (4) Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2004; (5) Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2004; (6) Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2004; (7) Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004; (8) Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004; (9) Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2004; (10) Military Construction Appropriations Act, 2004; (11) Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004; and (12) Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004. Provides funding under this resolution until the earliest of: (1) enactment of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in this joint resolution; (2) enactment of the applicable appropriations Act without any provision for such project or activity; or (3) November 20, 2004. Authorizes continuation of other specified activities (including activities for entitlements and other mandatory payments) through such date.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 804 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2004
Congratulates Andrew Wojtanik, the champion of the 16th Annual National Geographic Bee. Acknowledges the commitment of the National Geographic Society to improving the geographic literacy of all people in the United States. Recognizes the need to find innovative, effective solutions to improve geography education in the United States.
Bill· SS. 2850 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2004
Authorizes the President to posthumously award a gold medal, on behalf of Congress, to Fred McFeely Rogers ("Mister Rogers" of "Mister Rogers Neighborhood" public television program) in recognition of his lasting contributions to the application of creativity and imagination in the early education of our Nation's children, and to his lasting example to the Nation and the world of what it means to be a good neighbor.
Bill· SS. 2846 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2004
Nye County Higher Education Campus Conveyance Act - Requires the conveyance, without consideration, of all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to specified Bureau of Land Management land in the State of Nevada to the University and Community College System of Nevada for use as a campus for the Nye County Nevada Higher Education Campus in Pahrump Valley, Nevada.
Law· HRH.R. 5149 (108th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2004
Welfare Reform Extension Act, Part VIII - Continues through March 31, 2005, in the manner authorized for FY 2004, any activities authorized by part A of title IV (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of the Social Security Act (SSA), as well as: (1) the separate program for abstinence education; (2) the entitlement of U.S. territories to matching grants for aid and services to needy families with children and for child-welfare services under title IV; (3) extensions of eligibility for Medicaid under SSA title XIX; (4) supplemental grants for population increases in certain States; and (5) extension of the National Random Sample Study of child welfare and child welfare waiver authority. Makes necessary appropriations. Allows grants and payments made pursuant to this authority through the second quarter of FY 2005 to be at the level provided for such activities through the second quarter of FY 2004.
Law· HRH.R. 5131 (108th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004
Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004 - Authorizes the Secretaries of Education, of State, and of Health and Human Services to award grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, Special Olympics for specified education, international, and health activities, including ones promoting Special Olympics and a greater understanding of contributions to society by individuals with intellectual disabilities both within and outside of the United States.
Bill· HRH.R. 5145 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004
National Fish and Wildlife Policy Fellowship Program Act of 2004 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to award fellowships to qualified graduate and post-graduate level students engaged in advanced degree programs concerning freshwater and anadromous fish, wildlife, conservation management, or biology in order to: (1) provide such students with opportunities to participate in the policy process within executive and legislative branches of the Federal Government; and (2) provide Federal agencies and Congress with specific expertise to aid in the effective management of the nation's natural living resources. Requires the Secretary to strive to ensure equal access to the fellowship program for minority and disadvantaged students and to report to Congress on such efforts. States that the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shall administer fellowships awarded under this Act.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 790 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2004
Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4473) making appropriations for the Department of Education for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 792 (108th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2004
Declares that the House of Representatives recognizes the United Negro College Fund, on the occasion of its 60th anniversary, for its outstanding commitment towards providing a quality education for minority and low-income students and towards strengthening our communities.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 787 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2004
Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4422) making appropriations for the Departments of Agriculture, Education, Health and Human Services, and Transportation for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005.
Bill· SS. 2826 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2004
District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2005 - Makes appropriations to the District of Columbia for FY 2005, including amounts for the Federal payments: (1) for District of Columbia Resident Tuition Support; (2) for emergency planning and security costs in the District; (3) to District of Columbia Courts; (4) for Defender Services in District of Columbia Courts; (5) to the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia (including transfer of funds); (6) to the DC Water and Sewer Authority; (7) to the Department of Transportation in the District for the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative; (8) to the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council; (9) to the Unified Communications Center; (10) to the Department of Transportation in the District for a downtown circulator transit system and to offset a portion of the District's allocated operating subsidy payment to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority; (11) for foster care improvement in the District; (12) to the Chief Financial Officer of the District (CFO); (13) for a school improvement program in the District; and (14) for construction of a bioterrorism and forensics laboratory in the District. Appropriates specified sums out of the District's general fund and/or other funds for the current fiscal year for: (1) operating expenses (with limitations); (2) governmental direction and support; (3) economic development and regulation; (4) public safety and justice; (5) the public education system (including transfer of funds); (6) human support services (including transfer of funds); (7) public works; (8) the Cash Reserve; (9) the Emergency and Contingency Reserve Fund; (10) repayment of certain loans and interest; (11) payment of interest on short-term borrowing; (12) principal and interest payments on the District's Certificates of Participation, issued to finance the ground lease underlying the building located at One Judiciary Square; (13) refunds and the payment of legal settlements or judgments that have been entered against the District government; (14) the John A. Wilson Building; (15) workforce investments; (16) certain non-departmental agency costs; (17) pay-as-you-go capital in lieu of capital financing; (18) emergency planning and security costs; (19) the Old Convention Center Demolition Reserve; (20) a Tax Increment Financing Program; (21) the Pay-As-You-Go Contingency Fund; (22) the Water and Sewer Authority; (23) the Washington Aqueduct; (24) the Stormwater Permit Compliance Enterprise Fund; (25) the Lottery and Charitable Games Enterprise Fund; (26) the Sports and Entertainment Commission; (27) the District of Columbia Retirement Board; (28) the Washington Convention Center Enterprise Fund; (29) the National Capital Revitalization Corporation; (30) the University of the District of Columbia; (31) the Unemployment Compensation Fund; (32) the District of Columbia Personnel Trust Fund; (33) the District of Columbia Public Library Trust Fund; and (34) capital outlay (including rescissions). Earmarks funds, under specified conditions, out of the CFO's revised revenue estimate to the: (1) Office of Property Management; (2) D.C. Public Library; (3) D.C. Police and Firefighters Retirement and Relief Board; and (4) Police and Fire Clinic.
Bill· SS. 2819 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2004
Higher Education Preparation Program Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award: (1) a competitive grant to a nonprofit organization to develop a curriculum-based higher education preparation program curriculum for students in grades eight, nine, and ten; and (2) competitive grants to up to five State educational agencies to use such curriculum in a demonstration project for providing higher education preparation programs to students in such grades in middle and secondary schools.
Bill· HRH.R. 5113 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2004
Emergency Loan Abuse Prevention Act of 2004 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reduce certain special allowance payments to holders of student loans. Appropriates, for each fiscal year after enactment of this Act, an additional amount to increase the maximum Pell grant for that fiscal year. Makes such amount equal to the amount by which expenditures for such special allowances are reduced by this Act for that fiscal year, as determined by the Congressional Budget Office.
Bill· SS. 2815 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2004
Asthmatic Schoolchildren's Treatment and Health Management Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in making certain PHSA grants or any other asthma-related grant to a State, to give preference to States that require public elementary and secondary schools to allow students to self-administer medication to treat that student's asthma or anaphylaxis under specified conditions. Provides that this Act does not create a cause of action or in any other way increase or diminish the liability of any person under any other law. Expresses the sense of Congress: (1) commending the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for identifying and creating strategies for addressing asthma within a coordinated school program; and (2) encouraging all schools to review these strategies and adopt policies that will best meet the needs of their student population.
Bill· SS. 2810 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2004
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2005 - Makes appropriations for FY 2005 for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and related agencies. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds and transfers of funds. Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 2005 - Makes appropriations for FY 2005 to the Department of Labor for: (1) the Employment and Training Administration, training and employment services; (2) community service employment for older Americans; (3) Federal unemployment benefits and allowances; (4) State unemployment insurance and employment service operations; (5) advances to the Unemployment Trust Fund and the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund; (6) employment and training program administration; (7) the Employee Benefits Security Administration; (8) the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation; (9) the Employment Standards Administration; (10) certain special benefits, including ones for disabled coal miners; (11) the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Fund; (12) the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund; (13) the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; (14) the Mine Safety and Health Administration; (15) the Bureau of Labor Statistics; (16) the Office of Disability Employment Policy; (17) departmental management; (18) veterans employment and training; (19) the Office of Inspector General; and (20) a working capital fund for a new core accounting system. Department of Health and Human Services Appropriations Act, 2005 - Makes appropriations for FY 2005 to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for: (1) the Health Resources and Services Administration, for specified health resources and services activities; (2) health education assistance loans; (3) the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Trust Fund; (4) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), for disease control, research, and training; (5) the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the John E. Fogarty International Center, the National Library of Medicine, and the Office of the Director; (6) the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, for substance abuse and mental health services; (7) the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; (8) the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for grants to States for Medicaid, payments to health care trust funds, program management, and the Health Maintenance Organization Loan and Loan Guarantee Fund; (9) the Administration for Children and Families for payments to States for child support enforcement and family support programs; (10) low-income home energy assistance; (11) refugee and entrant assistance; (12) payments to States for the child care and development block grant; (13) the social services block grant; (14) children and families services programs; (15) promoting safe and stable families, through family preservation and support; (16) payments to States for foster care and adoption assistance; (17) the Administration on Aging; (18) the Office of the Secretary for general departmental management; (19) the Office of Inspector General; (20) the Office for Civil Rights; (21) policy research; (22) retirement pay and medical benefits for Public Health Service commissioned officers, and medical care of dependents and retired personnel; and (23) the public health and social services emergency fund, for expenses related to countering potential biological, disease, and chemical threats to civilian populations, for the Strategic National Stockpile, and for activities to ensure a year-round influenza vaccine production capacity and the development and implementation of rapidly expandable influenza vaccine production technologies, as well as any purchase of such vaccine the Secretary determines necessary. Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2005 - Makes appropriations for FY 2005 to the Department of Education for: (1) education for the disadvantaged; (2) impact aid; (3) school improvement programs; (4) Indian education; (5) innovation and improvement activities; (6) safe schools and citizenship education; (7) English language acquisition and language enhancement; (8) special education; (9) rehabilitation services and disability research; (10) special institutions for persons with disabilities, including the American Printing House for the Blind, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School, the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, and Gallaudet University; (11) vocational and adult education; (12) certain student financial assistance programs, as well as Federal administrative expenses for such programs (and sets a maximum individual Pell Grant amount); (13) specified higher education programs; (14) Howard University; (15) the college housing and academic facilities loans program account; (16) the historically Black college and university capital financing program account; (17) the Institute of Education Sciences; and (18) departmental management and program administration; (19) the Office for Civil Rights; and (20) the Office of the Inspector General. Makes appropriations for FY 2005 to the: (1) Armed Forces Retirement Home; (2) Corporation for National and Community Service, for domestic volunteer service programs and operating expenses; (3) Corporation for Public Broadcasting; (4) Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; (5) Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission; (6) Institute of Museum and Library Services; (7) Medicare Payment Advisory Commission; (8) National Commission on Libraries and Information Science; (9) National Council on Disability; (10) National Labor Relations Board; (11) National Mediation Board; (12) Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission; (13) Railroad Retirement Board for the dual benefits payments account, Federal payments to the railroad retirement accounts, administration, and the Office of Inspector General; (14) Social Security Administration for payments to the Social Security trust funds, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program, and administrative expenses, and the Office of Inspector General; and (15) U.S. Institute of Peace.
Bill· HRH.R. 5092 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2004
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include hold-harmless provisions for local educational agencies that no longer meet the minimum eligibility criteria for targeted grants and education finance incentive grants, under part A (Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies) of title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged).
Bill· HRH.R. 5084 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2004
Smart from the Start Preschool Education for America Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make formula grants to States to provide families with access to high-quality, voluntary preschool education. Directs the Secretary to develop program quality standards based on recommendations of an independent panel of experts convened by the National Academy of Sciences. Reserves specified amounts for outlying areas, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations, including Native Hawaiian organizations.
Bill· SS. 2797 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2004
Textbook Affordability Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include the cost of books required for enrollment or attendance at an institution of higher education in the tax deduction for qualified tuition and related expenses. Limits the amount of such deduction to $1,000 with a prorated reduction for taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes over $65,000 (adjusted for inflation). Makes the tax deduction for such books permanent.
Bill· SS. 2794 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2004
No Child Left Behind Improvement Act of 2004 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, to subject to school facility capacity requirements the obligation of a local educational agency (LEA) to provide a public school choice option for students to transfer under certain conditions. Authorizes school construction and renovation grants to LEAs experiencing school overcrowding, with priority to LEAs having difficulty in meeting public school choice requirements. Revises requirements for: (1) supplemental educational services personnel qualifications, and nondiscrimination in such services; and (2) State qualifications for teachers and paraprofessionals. Directs the Secretary of Education to require LEAs and State educational agencies (SEAs) to give schools and LEAs, respectively, an opportunity to request a review of a determination that they did not make adequate yearly progress (AYP) for the 2002-2003 school year. Prohibits the Secretary, an SEA, or an LEA, with respect to subsequent determinations of whether a school is subject to school improvement, corrective action, or restructuring as a result of not making AYP, from taking into account a 2002-2003 non-AYP determination that was revised under this Act, if the school received a final determination of AYP for such school year. Authorizes competitive grants to SEAs for increasing State and local data system capacity for assessment and accountability, including measuring student academic progress, achievement, and graduation rates. Requires competitive grants to SEAs or SEA consortia to collaborate with institutions of higher education and research organizations in designing, improving, and ensuring accurate assessments of academic content and achievement standards for students who are limited English proficient and students with disabilities. Directs the Secretary to collect, from SEAs, LEAs, and schools, annual reports on student enrollment in grades 7 through 12 and graduation rates. Sets forth provisions relating to civil rights and to technical assistance and research.
Bill· SS. 2795 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2004
Higher Education Affordability, Access, and Opportunity Act of 2004 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a student loan program for workforce development for high-growth occupations or industries. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for: (1) job skill training in high-growth occupations or industries, to partnerships of community colleges and workforce investment boards; and (2) training and job skills for small business owners or operators, to partnerships of institutions of higher education (IHEs) and entities that help small business development. Prohibits, under the student loan program, IHEs and accrediting agencies and associations from restricting transfer of credits in specified ways. Requires studies and dissemination of comparative data on college costs and related matters. Revises teacher quality enhancement grants, with respect to high-need local educational agencies and eligible partnerships. Allows States to submit applications, under the leveraging educational assistance partnership program, with philanthropic organizations and public or private IHEs.
Bill· HRH.R. 5069 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2004
Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Enhancement Act of 2004 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish and maintain special access programs associated with research, development, test and evaluation, and acquisition of technology. Directs: (1) the Secretary to submit to Congress certain budget request information for the Directorate of Science and Technology; and (2) the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to transmit to Congress a summary of the solicitations and resulting contracts and grants awarded in the past fiscal year. Requires the Secretary to conduct an assessment of: (1) the development of national capabilities in homeland security science and technology; and (2) the methods used by the Directorate for the prioritization of science and technology projects among and within research portfolios. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity, to establish a program to award grants to institutions of higher education for: (1) the establishment or expansion of professional development programs and associate degree programs in cybersecurity; and (2) the purchase of equipment to provide training in cybersecurity for either professional development or degree programs. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements or partnerships with foreign governments that are U.S. allies in the war on terrorism and have extensive experience in counterterrorism. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a Geospatial Management Office; and (2) a program to enhance public safety interoperable communications. Provides for the establishment of a homeland security technology and equipment transfer program.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 490 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2004
Expresses the sense of Congress that it: (1) sends its most heartfelt wishes for a full, speedy, and healthy recovery to William Jefferson Clinton; (2) acknowledges the danger that undiagnosed heart ailments pose and the importance of heart disease prevention; and (3) supports heart disease education and prevention programs, and funding for research into new and improved treatments.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 422 (108th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2004
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should designate the week beginning September 12, 2004, as "National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week".
Bill· HRH.R. 5040 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004
9/11 Commission Report Implementation Act of 2004 - National Intelligence Authority Act of 2004 - Establishes as an independent executive entity the National Intelligence Authority (Authority), headed by a National Intelligence Director (Director), to, among other things: (1) unify and strengthen efforts of the intelligence community (IC); (2) operate the National Counterterrorism Center and national intelligence centers; and (3) establish clear responsibility and accountability for counterterrorism and other intelligence matters relating to U.S. national security. Requires the Director to: (1) serve as the head of the IC; (2) advise the President on intelligence related to national security; and (3) direct, manage, and oversee the execution of the National Intelligence Program (formerly the National Foreign Intelligence Program). Establishes a National Intelligence Council (Council) to produce national intelligence estimates for the U.S. Government and evaluate the collection and production of intelligence by the IC. Establishes a National Counterterrorism Center (Center) to: (1) unify strategy for U.S. civilian and military counterterrorism efforts; and (2) integrate counterterrorism intelligence and operations across agency boundaries, both inside and outside the United States. Requires the President to publicly disclose certain intelligence funding information for fiscal years after 2005. Merges the Homeland Security Council into the Council. Maintains within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) the direction and execution of clandestine and covert operations. Makes the Secretary of Defense responsible for directing and executing paramilitary operations, whether clandestine or covert. Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to develop and maintain within the FBI a national security workforce of agents, analysts, linguists, and surveillance specialists. Directs the President to: (1) establish an information sharing network to promote the sharing of terrorism information among all relevant Federal departments and agencies, State, tribal, and local authorities, and private sector entities in a manner consistent with national security and the protection of privacy and civil liberties; and (2) submit to Congress a network system design and implementation plan. Establishes an Advisory Council on Information Sharing. Prohibits the 108th Congress from adjourning until jurisdiction over proposed legislation and other matters relating to: (1) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is consolidated into a single committee in each House with a nonpartisan staff; and (2) intelligence resides in a joint committee or a committee with combined authorization and appropriations authority, with a subcommittee devoted solely to oversight. Requires the President-elect to be provided detailed, classified summaries by relevant outgoing executive officials of specific operational threats to national security, major military or covert operations, and pending decisions on possible use of military force. Outlines procedures for the President-elect to designate, the FBI to investigate, and the Senate to expeditiously consider nominees for high-level national security positions. Requires specified reports from the President to Congress concerning, among other things: (1) terrorist sanctuaries; (2) efforts to support Pakistan; (3) aid to Afghanistan; (4) the U.S.-Saudi Arabia relationship; (5) a strategy to help win the struggle of ideas within the Islamic world; (6) proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and (7) efforts to curtail the international financing of terrorism. Provides, through specified activities of the Secretary of State, for the expansion of international educational and cultural exchange programs between the United States and countries with sizable Muslim populations. Directs the President to establish an International Youth Opportunity Fund to provide financial assistance for the improvement of public education in the Middle East. Authorizes the President to establish an international counterterrorism policy contact group with leaders of governments of other countries to develop a comprehensive coalition strategy to fight Islamist terrorism. States U.S. policy concerning the humane treatment of prisoners. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to submit to Congress a: (1) strategy for combining terrorist travel intelligence, operations, and law enforcement into a cohesive effort to intercept terrorists, find terrorist travel facilitators, and constrain terrorist mobility domestically and internationally; and (2) plan describing how DHS and the State Department can acquire and deploy, to all consulates, ports of entry, and immigration benefits offices, technologies that facilitate document authentication and the detection of potential terrorist indicators on travel documents. Directs the Secretary to develop plans: (1) for a comprehensive integrated screening system; (2) to accelerate the full implementation of an automated biometric entry and exit data system for preventing the entry of terrorists; (3) to expedite the processing of registered travelers who enter and exit the United States through a single registered traveler program; and (4) to require biometric passports and other secure identification for all travel into the United States by U.S. citizens and individuals for whom immigration and nationality documentation requirements have previously been waived. Directs the Secretary to develop, implement, and revise as necessary a National Strategy for Transportation Security for the protection from terrorist or other hostile acts of all transportation infrastructure assets. Directs the Secretary to allocate homeland security assistance grants to communities based on threat levels, presence of critical infrastructure, population density, and other criteria. Calls for adoption by all appropriate entities of the Incident Command System (a national, coordinated emergency response system developed by the National Incident Management System). Authorizes specified officials of the National Capital Region to enter into, provide, or request from other Region entities mutual aid assistance for emergency services related to a terrorist or other hostile act. Directs the Secretary to: (1) encourage and support the establishment of consistent and effective communications capabilities in high risk urban areas; (2) establish a program to promote private sector preparedness; (3) undertake certain critical infrastructure readiness assessments; and (4) regularly assess the adequacy of the United States Northern Command to respond to all military and paramilitary threats within the United States. Establishes within the Executive Office of the President a Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.
Bill· HRH.R. 5042 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004
Amends the Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944 to make Forest Service appropriations available to cover the cost of primary and secondary schooling (which may include transportation costs) of dependents of Forest Service personnel who are stationed in Puerto Rico and are subject to transfer to other U.S. locations if the Secretary of Agriculture determines that the area schools are unable to provide adequately for such dependents' education.
Bill· SS. 2779 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2004
Orderly and Timely Interstate Placement of Foster Children Act of 2004 - Amends the Social Security Act to require each State to: (1) have in effect procedures for orderly and timely placement of children, in foster care or for adoption, across State lines; and (2) complete home studies for such purpose within 60 days of another State's request. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make incentive grants to States that complete timely interstate home studies. Revises requirements for checking of child abuse registries to eliminate an opt-out provision. Allows access to the Federal parent locator service to courts in foster care or adoptive placement cases. Provides for consideration of out-of-state placements in permanency hearings, case plans, and case reviews. Revises provisions relating to caseworker visits, health and education records, notice of proceedings, and use of interjurisdictional resources. Directs the Comptroller General to study State performance of background checks for child placements. Expresses the sense of Congress that States should: (1) revise the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children; and (2) use private agencies to conduct home studies and give full faith and credit to other States' home study reports.
Bill· SS. 2774 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2004
9/11 Commission Report Implementation Act of 2004 - National Intelligence Authority Act of 2004 - Establishes as an independent executive entity the National Intelligence Authority (Authority), headed by a National Intelligence Director (Director), to, among other things: (1) unify and strengthen efforts of the intelligence community (IC); (2) operate the National Counterterrorism Center and national intelligence centers; and (3) establish clear responsibility and accountability for counterterrorism and other intelligence matters relating to U.S. national security. Requires the Director to: (1) serve as the head of the IC; (2) advise the President on intelligence related to national security; and (3) direct, manage, and oversee the execution of the National Intelligence Program (formerly the National Foreign Intelligence Program). Establishes a National Intelligence Council (Council) to produce national intelligence estimates for the U.S. Government and evaluate the collection and production of intelligence by the IC. Establishes a National Counterterrorism Center (Center) to: (1) unify strategy for U.S. civilian and military counterterrorism efforts; and (2) integrate counterterrorism intelligence and operations across agency boundaries, both inside and outside the United States. Requires the President to publicly disclose certain intelligence funding information for fiscal years after 2005. Merges the Homeland Security Council into the Council. Maintains within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) the direction and execution of clandestine and covert operations. Makes the Secretary of Defense responsible for directing and executing paramilitary operations, whether clandestine or covert. Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to develop and maintain within the FBI a national security workforce of agents, analysts, linguists, and surveillance specialists. Directs the President to: (1) establish an information sharing network to promote the sharing of terrorism information among all relevant Federal departments and agencies, State, tribal, and local authorities, and private sector entities in a manner consistent with national security and the protection of privacy and civil liberties; and (2) submit to Congress a network system design and implementation plan. Establishes an Advisory Council on Information Sharing. Prohibits the 108th Congress from adjourning until jurisdiction over proposed legislation and other matters relating to: (1) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is consolidated into a single committee in each House with a nonpartisan staff; and (2) intelligence resides in a joint committee or a committee with combined authorization and appropriations authority, with a subcommittee devoted solely to oversight. Requires the President-elect to be provided detailed, classified summaries by relevant outgoing executive officials of specific operational threats to national security, major military or covert operations, and pending decisions on possible use of military force. Outlines procedures for the President-elect to designate, the FBI to investigate, and the Senate to expeditiously consider nominees for high-level national security positions. Requires specified reports from the President to Congress concerning, among other things: (1) terrorist sanctuaries; (2) efforts to support Pakistan; (3) aid to Afghanistan; (4) the U.S.-Saudi Arabia relationship; (5) a strategy to help win the struggle of ideas within the Islamic world; (6) proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and (7) efforts to curtail the international financing of terrorism. Provides, through specified activities of the Secretary of State, for the expansion of international educational and cultural exchange programs between the United States and countries with sizable Muslim populations. Directs the President to establish an International Youth Opportunity Fund to provide financial assistance for the improvement of public education in the Middle East. Authorizes the President to establish an international counterterrorism policy contact group with leaders of governments of other countries to develop a comprehensive coalition strategy to fight Islamist terrorism. States U.S. policy concerning the humane treatment of prisoners. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to submit to Congress a: (1) strategy for combining terrorist travel intelligence, operations, and law enforcement into a cohesive effort to intercept terrorists, find terrorist travel facilitators, and constrain terrorist mobility domestically and internationally; and (2) plan describing how DHS and the State Department can acquire and deploy, to all consulates, ports of entry, and immigration benefits offices, technologies that facilitate document authentication and the detection of potential terrorist indicators on travel documents. Directs the Secretary to develop plans: (1) for a comprehensive integrated screening system; (2) to accelerate the full implementation of an automated biometric entry and exit data system for preventing the entry of terrorists; (3) to expedite the processing of registered travelers who enter and exit the United States through a single registered traveler program; and (4) to require biometric passports and other secure identification for all travel into the United States by U.S. citizens and individuals for whom immigration and nationality documentation requirements have previously been waived. Directs the Secretary to develop, implement, and revise as necessary a National Strategy for Transportation Security for the protection from terrorist or other hostile acts of all transportation infrastructure assets. Directs the Secretary to allocate homeland security assistance grants to communities based on threat levels, presence of critical infrastructure, population density, and other criteria. Calls for adoption by all appropriate entities of the Incident Command System (a national, coordinated emergency response system developed by the National Incident Management System). Authorizes specified officials of the National Capital Region to enter into, provide, or request from other Region entities mutual aid assistance for emergency services related to a terrorist or other hostile act. Directs the Secretary to: (1) encourage and support the establishment of consistent and effective communications capabilities in high risk urban areas; (2) establish a program to promote private sector preparedness; (3) undertake certain critical infrastructure readiness assessments; and (4) regularly assess the adequacy of the United States Northern Command to respond to all military and paramilitary threats within the United States. Establishes within the Executive Office of the President a Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.
Bill· SS. 2777 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2004
Safety for Americans from Nuclear Weapons Testing Act - Deems each of the following actions undertaken by a Federal agency to be a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment for which a separate environmental impact statement is required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969: (1) the resumption of underground nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site (Site); or (2) the use of any other location for such testing. Outlines information required to be included in such statement, including: (1) the possibility of radiation containment failure and the effects of such failure; (2) possible long-term effects on the water table from underground radiation leakage; and (3) information with respect to certain kiloton categories of weapons. Prohibits the United States from resuming any such testing unless authorized by a law enacted after the enactment of this Act. Requires: (1) advance (seven days) public notice of each test; (2) prompt notice of each release of radiation resulting from a test at the Site; and (3) a study by the National Academy of Sciences on the safety and health of citizens in the vicinity of the Site. Establishes a Nevada Test Site Citizens Review Board to address environmental, health, and safety issues related to nuclear testing at the Site. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to make grants to institutions of higher education to acquire and operate for ten years radiation detection equipment and sensors. Directs the Secretary of Energy, through the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency, to monitor the nature and extent of any radiation released into the atmosphere as a result of such testing. Requires: (1) DOE radiation containment assessment; and (2) public notice of monitoring data. Requires the: (1) Director of the National Institutes of Health to make a grant to establish the National Center for the Study of Radiation and Human Health; and (2) Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study of individuals exposed to nuclear weapons tests.
Bill· HRH.R. 5023 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2004
G.I. Advanced Education in Science and Technology Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly stipend to each individual who is entitled to veterans' basic educational assistance and is pursuing full-time a doctoral degree in the physical or natural sciences, engineering, mathematics, or other scientific or technology disciplines. Allows such payment in addition to any other authorized Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance. Makes such payment $1,200 a month (adjusted for inflation for fiscal years after 2005) for up to 60 months. Requires that such payments be disregarded by an institution of higher learning when determining any financial assistance that may be available to such doctoral candidate.
Bill· HRH.R. 5022 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2004
Higher Education Science and Technology Competitiveness Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award grants for articulation agreements between institutions of higher education that specifies the acceptability of courses in transfer toward meeting specific degree requirements, especially in mathematics, science, engineering, and technology. Allows the use of grant funds to establish articulation agreements: (1) statewide, among public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education, to provide a seamless transition for the transfer of students through a common core curricula that reflects the workforce needs of private industry; and (2) within community colleges, between occupational competency or certification programs and associate degree programs, to increase the proportion of students who enroll to complete their associates degree. Allows such grants also to be used to: (1) collect data on transfers from two-year to four-year institutions, for monitoring purposes; (2) develop a statewide articulation guide in consultation with public colleges and universities to provide students with descriptions of articulation requirements; and (3) develop a plan for professional development of two-year college faculty.
Bill· HRH.R. 5014 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2004
John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Sustainability Report Act - Requires the Director of the National Park Service (NPS) to prepare a report on the sustainability of the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Requires the report to: (1) document progress made in accomplishing the purpose of the law establishing the Corridor and the strategies and goals set forth in the Cultural Heritage and Land Management Plan for the Corridor, including historic preservation, interpretation and education, environmental recovery, recreational development, and economic improvement; (2) identify further actions and commitments needed to protect, enhance, and interpret the Corridor; (3) determine the extent of Federal funding and determine how such funds have leveraged additional Federal, State, local, and private funding for the Corridor since its establishment; and (4) evaluate the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Commission's form of authority and management structure for the Corridor, and identify and evaluate options for a permanent NPS designation or a State park or regional entity as a sustainable framework to achieve the national interest of the Blackstone Valley. Directs that: (1) the Director prepare the report in coordination with the NPS Advisory Board; and (2) funding to prepare the report be made available from annual appropriations for the Commission.
Bill· HRH.R. 5006 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2004
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2005 - Makes appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for FY 2005. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds and transfers of funds. Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 2005 - Makes appropriations for FY 2005 to the Department of Labor for: (1) the Employment and Training Administration; (2) community service employment for older Americans; (3) Federal unemployment benefits and allowances; (4) State unemployment insurance and employment service operations; (5) advances to the Unemployment Trust Fund and the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund; (6) employment and training program administration; (7) the Employee Benefits Security Administration; (8) the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation; (9) the Employment Standards Administration; (10) certain special benefits, including ones for disabled coal miners; (11) the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Fund; (12) the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund; (13) the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; (14) the Mine Safety and Health Administration; (15) the Bureau of Labor Statistics; (16) the Office of Disability Employment Policy; (17) departmental management; (18) veterans employment and training; (19) the Office of Inspector General; and (20) a working capital fund for a new core accounting system. Department of Health and Human Services Appropriations Act, 2005 - Makes appropriations for FY 2005 to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for: (1) the Health Resources and Services Administration; (2) health education assistance loans; (3) the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Trust Fund; (4) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), for disease control, research, and training; (5) the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the John E. Fogarty International Center, the National Library of Medicine, and the Office of the Director; (6) the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; (7) the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; (8) the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for grants to States for Medicaid, payments to health care trust funds, program management, and the Health Maintenance Organization Loan and Loan Guarantee Fund; (9) the Administration for Children and Families for payments to States for child support enforcement and family support programs; (10) low-income home energy assistance; (11) refugee and entrant assistance; (12) payments to States for the child care and development block grant; (13) the social services block grant; (14) disabled voter services; (15) children and families services programs; (16) promoting safe and stable families, through family preservation and support; (17) payments to States for foster care and adoption assistance; (18) the Administration on Aging; (19) the Office of the Secretary for general departmental management; (20) the Office of Inspector General; (21) the Office for Civil Rights; (22) policy research; (23) retirement pay and medical benefits for Public Health Service commissioned officers, and medical care of dependents and retired personnel; and (24) the public health and social services emergency fund, for expenses related to countering potential biological, disease, and chemical threats to civilian populations, for the Strategic National Stockpile, and for activities to ensure a year-round influenza vaccine production capacity and the development and implementation of rapidly expandable influenza vaccine production technologies. Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2005 - Makes appropriations for FY 2005 to the Department of Education for: (1) education for the disadvantaged; (2) impact aid; (3) school improvement programs; (4) Indian education; (5) innovation and improvement activities; (6) safe schools and citizenship education; (7) English language acquisition and language enhancement; (8) special education; (9) rehabilitation services and disability research; (10) special institutions for persons with disabilities, including the American Printing House for the Blind, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School, the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, and Gallaudet University; (11) vocational and adult education; (12) certain student financial assistance programs, as well as Federal administrative expenses for such programs (setting a maximum individual Pell Grant amount); (13) specified higher education programs; (14) Howard University; (15) the college housing and academic facilities loans program; (16) the historically Black college and university capital financing program account; (17) the Institute of Education Sciences; (18) departmental management and program administration; (19) the Office for Civil Rights; and (20) the Office of the Inspector General. Makes appropriations for FY 2005 to the: (1) Armed Forces Retirement Home; (2) Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled; (3) Corporation for National and Community Service, for domestic volunteer service programs and operating expenses; (4) Corporation for Public Broadcasting; (5) Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; (6) Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission; (7) Institute of Museum and Library Services; (8) Medicare Payment Advisory Commission; (9) National Commission on Libraries and Information Science; (10) National Council on Disability; (11) National Labor Relations Board; (12) National Mediation Board; (13) Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission; (14) Railroad Retirement Board for the dual benefits payments account, Federal payments to the railroad retirement accounts, administration, and the Office of Inspector General; and (15) Social Security Administration for payments to the Social Security trust funds, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program, administrative expenses, and the Office of Inspector General.