Records whose title is actually about this topic. Use a country filter if the list is still too broad.
Records
Bill· HRH.R. 5430 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2004
Smarter Funding for All of America's Homeland Security Act of 2004 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a State and Regional First Responder Grant Program under which the Secretary may make grants to States and eligible regional entities on the basis of the threat to a State or region's population and critical infrastructure, as determined by the Under Secretary for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Under Secretary, to evaluate and prioritize grant applications, considering factors such as threats to the population, specific economic sectors, major communications nodes and transportation systems, specific elements of the food supply, the water and energy supplies, civic infrastructure and emergency response capabilities, and specific structures of symbolic national importance. Bars the use of grant funds to supplant State or local funds that would otherwise be available for homeland security or first responder projects. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish the Advisory Council on First Responders, which shall report to the Secretary through the head of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination; and (2) revise the Homeland Security Advisory System to require that any designation of a threat level or other warning be accompanied by a designation of the geographic regions and economic sectors to which it applies. Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to conduct a study of whether there is a need to assign additional bands of frequencies of electromagnetic spectrum to assist first responders.
Bill· HRH.R. 5426 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2004
Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Technical Corrections Act of 2004 - Makes technical corrections to certain amendments made by the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004.
Bill· SS. 3024 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2004
National Center for Transportation Solutions Act of 2004 - Establishes the National Center for Transportation Solutions, consisting of the National Center for Transportation Solutions Board and the Director of National Transportation Research. Directs the Center to develop and encourage the execution of a long-term national policy for the promotion of research and development related to multimodal transportation. Requires the Director to award grants to establish regional centers for transportation solutions located in each of four regions established by the Board for the northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest regions of the United States.
Bill· HRH.R. 5417 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2004
Amends the Federal Aid Highways program to require a State agency that has jurisdiction over the operation of a HOV facility to establish the occupancy requirements of vehicles operating on the facility. Requires such agency to permit motorcycles and bicycles to use the HOV facility. Permits a State agency to restrict use of the HOV facility by motorcycles or bicycles (or both) if it certifies to the Secretary of Transportation that such use would create a safety hazard. Prescribes guidelines under which a State agency may permit use of an HOV facility by: (1) public transportation vehicles and high occupancy toll vehicles; and (2) inherently low-emission vehicles and other low emission and energy-efficient vehicles. Permits tolls to be charged on a HOV facility on the Interstate System. Requires a State agency that allows low-emission and energy-efficient vehicles to use a HOV facility to certify to the Secretary that it will establish: (1) a continuous monitoring, assessment, and reporting program regarding the impacts such vehicles may have on the operation of the facility and adjacent highways; and (2) an enforcement program that ensures the facility is operated in accordance with this Act. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection to issue a final rule establishing certification requirements for low emission and energy-efficient vehicles.
Bill· SS. 3001 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2004
Amends the Federal Aid Highways program to require a State agency with jurisdiction over the operation of a HOV facility to establish the occupancy requirements of vehicles operating on the facility. Requires such agency to permit motorcycles and bicycles to use the HOV facility. Permits a State agency to restrict use of the HOV facility by motorcycles or bicycles (or both) if it certifies to the Secretary of Transportation that such use would create a safety hazard. Prescribes guidelines under which a State agency may permit use of an HOV facility by: (1) public transportation vehicles and high occupancy toll vehicles; (2) inherently low-emission vehicles and low emission and energy-efficient vehicles; and (3) advanced lean burn technology vehicles. Permits tolls to be charged on a HOV facility on the Interstate System. Requires a State agency that allows low-emission and energy-efficient vehicles to use a HOV facility to certify to the Secretary that it will establish: (1) a continuous monitoring, assessment, and reporting program regarding the impacts such vehicles may have on the operation of the facility and adjacent highways; and (2) an enforcement program that ensures the facility is operated in accordance with this Act. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection to issue a final rule establishing certification requirements for low emission and energy-efficient vehicles and for advanced lean burn technology vehicles.
Bill· HRH.R. 5388 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2004
Establishes the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force to develop a national strategy 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 for occupational information and for workforce education, training, and certification resources, including grants, loans, and scholarships.
Bill· HRH.R. 5389 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2004
Hybrid HOV Access Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal Aid Highways program to require a State agency that has jurisdiction over the operation of a HOV facility to establish the occupancy requirements of vehicles operating on the facility. Requires such agency to permit motorcycles and bicycles to use the HOV facility. Permits a State agency to restrict use of the HOV facility by motorcycles or bicycles (or both) if it certifies to the Secretary of Transportation that such use would create a safety hazard. Prescribes guidelines under which a State agency may permit use of an HOV facility by: (1) public transportation vehicles and high occupancy toll vehicles; (2) inherently low-emission vehicles and low emission and energy-efficient vehicles; and (3) advanced lean burn technology vehicles. Permits tolls to be charged on a HOV facility on the Interstate System. Requires a State agency that allows low-emission and energy-efficient vehicles to use a HOV facility to certify to the Secretary that it will establish: (1) a continuous monitoring, assessment, and reporting program regarding the impacts such vehicles may have on the operation of the facility and adjacent highways; and (2) an enforcement program that ensures the facility is operated in accordance with this Act. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection to issue: (1) a final rule establishing certification requirements for low emission and energy-efficient vehicles and advanced lean burn technology vehicles; and (2) guidance on methods for determining whether a vehicle meets the fuel efficiency standards required to qualify as a hybrid vehicle.
Bill· SS. 2993 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2004
National Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2004 - Establishes the National Commission on the Infrastructure of the United States to ensure that U.S. infrastructure meets current and future demand and facilitates economic growth. Requires the Commission to study the state of U.S. infrastructure, including such matters as: (1) the capacity of infrastructure improvements to sustain economic development; (2) the age and condition of public infrastructure; (3) the methods used to finance the construction, acquisition, rehabilitation, and maintenance of public works improvements; (4) investment requirements needed to maintain and to improve facilities and the projected share of investment requirements and expenditures on infrastructure facility improvements by Federal, State, and local governments; and (5) estimates of the return to the economy from public works investment. Directs the Commission to develop recommendations regarding: (1) a Federal infrastructure plan that will detail national infrastructure program priorities; (2) public works improvements and methods of delivering and providing for public work facilities; (3) analysis or criteria and procedures that may be used by Federal agencies and State and local governments in inventorying existing and needed public works improvements, assessing the condition of improvements, and developing uniform criteria and procedures; and (4) proposed guidelines for the uniform reporting by Federal agencies of data regarding infrastructure improvements.
Bill· HRH.R. 5380 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2004
Flight 587 Accountability Act - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to: (1) require each aircraft manufacturer to list any information in the limitation section of each flight manual that may affect the safe operation of an aircraft; and (2) resolve a dispute between an aircraft manufacturer and an aircraft operator that arises regarding the safe operation of an aircraft (except in cases in which an adjudicatory resolution is sought). Sets a deadline by which the Government Accountability Office must review the effectiveness and timeliness of the FAA in implementing recommendations made by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Bill· SS. 2953 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Coordinated Environmental Health Network Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish and operate the Coordinated Environmental Health Network (the Network), including by: (1) identifying, expanding, and coordinating among existing Federal public health and environmental infrastructure; (2) providing for public access to an electronic national database on the incidence and prevalence of specified priority chronic conditions and relevant environmental and other factors; (3) operating a National Environmental Health Rapid Response Service to develop strategies to rapidly respond to, and conduct investigations of, higher than expected incidence and prevalence rates of priority chronic conditions and environmental exposures; (4) awarding grants to States, local governments, territories, and Indian tribes to establish, maintain, and operate State Environmental Health Networks; (5) developing minimum standards and procedures for data collection and reporting for State Networks, including mechanisms for allowing States to set priorities and allocate resources accordingly; (6) establishing an Advisory Committee for the Network; (7) awarding John H. Chafee Public Health Scholarships to eligible students who are enrolled in an accredited school of public health or medicine; and (8) entering into a cooperative agreement with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to train and place applied epidemiology fellows in State and local health departments. Allows the Secretary to award grants to accredited schools or programs of public health to establish, maintain, and operate Centers of Excellence for research and demonstration with respect to chronic conditions and relevant environmental factors, which may include investigating causal connections between chronic conditions and environmental factors.
Bill· SS. 2952 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Norman Y. Mineta Research and Special Programs Improvement Act - Amends Federal transportation law to establish, and replace the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) with, the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), which shall be headed by an Administrator appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Establishes in RITA an Office of Intermodalism. Transfers the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to RITA. Establishes the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) in the Department of Transportation (DOT), headed by an Administrator with professional experience in pipeline safety, hazardous materials safety, or other transportation safety, appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Requires the Director of the Office of Intermodalism to develop a plan to improve the national intermodal transportation system. Revises sanitary food transportation requirements to direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish procedures for transportation safety inspections in order to identify suspected incidents of contamination or adulteration of food, meat, and poultry products and to train DOT personnel in the appropriate use of the procedures. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to notify the Secretaries of HHS and of Agriculture of instances of potential food contamination or adulteration of a food identified during transportation safety inspections. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of HHS to require shippers, motor vehicle or rail vehicle carriers, receivers, and other persons engaged in the transportation of food to use sanitary transportation practices prescribed by the Secretary of HHS to avoid the adulteration of food.
Bill· SS. 2960 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Rush Hour Congestion Relief Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal-Aid Highways Program to direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish and implement a traffic incident management program to assist States and localities in: (1) regional traffic incident management program planning; and (2) carrying out projects to mitigate the effects of traffic delays resulting from accidents, breakdowns, and other non-recurring incidents on highways. Prohibits funds apportioned under this Act from being obligated for an urbanized area with a population greater than 300,000 until such time as a regional traffic incident management plan is developed for the urbanized area. Requires an urbanized area that receives funds under this Act to engage in certain regional collaboration and coordination activities to develop a prescribed regional traffic incident management plan. Prescribes an apportionment formula for funds distribution among the States to implement this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 5314 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Clean Trucks Act of 2004 - Amends Federal transportation law to require motor carriers, as part of registering with the Secretary of Transportation to provide transportation, to comply with the heavy duty vehicle and engine emission performance standards and related regulations established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Directs the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to: (1) collect annually information on the year, make, model, certification level, travel routes, trip duration, fuel quality and consumption, and related activities of long-haul heavy duty trucks operating in the United States; and (2) submit such information to the Adminstrator of the EPA for use in developing and publishing estimates of the total national emissions of all criteria pollutants and hazardous air pollutants associated with long-haul heavy duty trucks.
Bill· HRH.R. 5291 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Winning the War on Terror Act of 2004 - Provides for increases in the numbers of U.S. special operations forces. Provides counter-proliferation measures, including a Global Threat Reduction Initiative (to secure nuclear and radiological materials outside the United States) and radiological material threat assessments. Requires elimination of the U.S. chemical stockpile no later than the end of 2012. Establishes a Terrorist Screening Center in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Secure Borders Act - Institutes, or modifies, measures related to: (1) border infrastructure and monitoring, transportation workers and cargo containers, and public and tribal lands; (2) identification document standards; (3) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement staffing, detention and removal operations, informant aliens, and alien smuggling penalties; (4) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) foreign coordination, visa security, and the visa waiver program; and (5) immigration benefit functions, including identification techniques. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (the Secretary) to make grants for public transportation security. Directs the Secretary to develop public transportation best practices, public awareness, and security plans. Requires a Memorandum of Agreement between the Secretaries of Homeland Security and of Transportation concerning their respective roles in public transportation security matters. Secure Containers from Overseas and Seaports from Terrorism Act or Secure COAST Act - Requires establishment of security standards and verification procedures for maritime cargo containers moving within the intermodal transportation system. Imposes validation and inspection requirements, including deployment of radiation detection portal equipment at all ports of entry and a staffing assessment. Authorizes appropriations for port security grants and requires funding for an information sharing and analysis capability within the maritime industry. Increases funding for Coast Guard components associated with the Integrated Deepwater System. Increases authorized Coast Guard active duty personnel levels. Requires aviation security measures that include provision of checked baggage screening for explosives, phaseout of passenger "bag-matching" programs, technology assessment, a shipping companies database, wireless flight crew communications, a national transportation security strategy, and passenger watchlists. Private Sector Preparedness Act of 2004 - Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and implement a private sector emergency preparedness program. Sets forth requirements for promoting the sharing of intelligence and homeland security information. Requires the Secretary to develop: (1) a plan for security critical infrastructure; and (2) a national biodefense strategy. Rapid Pathogen Identification to Delivery of Cures Act - Requires a strategy and research programs to expedite the development and approval of countermeasures against novel or unknown pathogens or toxins. Chemical Security Improvement Act of 2004 - Establishes procedures for assessment of the vulnerability of chemical sources to terrorist release and planning to address security concerns. Authorizes establishment of a program to fund cybersecurity professional development programs. Creates a National Cybersecurity Office in DHS. Connecting the Operations of National Networks of Emergency Communications Technologies for First Responders Act of 2004 - Establishes an Office of Wireless Public Safety Interoperable Communications and a program to fund communications interoperability improvements. Strengthening Homeland Innovation to Emphasize Liberty, Democracy, and Privacy Act or the SHIELD Privacy Act - Requires designation of a Chief Privacy Officer within the Office of Management and Budget and of an official primarily responsible for privacy policy in each executive branch agency. Establishes a Commission on Privacy, Freedom, and Homeland Security and a Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. Homeland Security Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Protection Act of 2004 - Revises DHS organizational provisions to institute certain civil rights and civil liberties safeguards. Sets forth policies (and measures) regarding prevention of future international terrorism, including concerning: (1) the role of Pakistan; (2) the future of Afghanistan; (3) the U.S.-Saudi relationship; (4) politics, culture, and education in the Islamic world; and (5) the use of economic and trade policies as part of a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy. Urges a comprehensive coalition strategy to fight Islamist terrorism.
Bill· HRH.R. 5335 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Coordinated Environmental Health Network Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish and operate the Coordinated Environmental Health Network (the Network), including by: (1) identifying, expanding, and coordinating among existing Federal public health and environmental infrastructure; (2) providing for public access to an electronic national database on the incidence and prevalence of specified priority chronic conditions and relevant environmental and other factors; (3) operating a National Environmental Health Rapid Response Service to develop strategies to rapidly respond to, and conduct investigations of, higher than expected incidence and prevalence rates of priority chronic conditions and environmental exposures; (4) awarding grants to States, local governments, territories, and Indian tribes to establish, maintain, and operate State Environmental Health Networks; (5) developing minimum standards and procedures for data collection and reporting for State Networks, including mechanisms for allowing States to set priorities and allocate resources accordingly; (6) establishing an Advisory Committee for the Network; (7) awarding John H. Chafee Public Health Scholarships to eligible students who are enrolled in an accredited school of public health or medicine; and (8) entering into a cooperative agreement with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to train and place applied epidemiology fellows in State and local health departments. Allows the Secretary to award grants to accredited schools or programs of public health to establish, maintain, and operate Centers of Excellence for research and demonstration with respect to chronic conditions and relevant environmental factors, which may include investigating causal connections between chronic conditions and environmental factors.
Bill· HRH.R. 5326 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Requires the Secretary of Transportation to prohibit any commercial or private aircraft from flying below 18,000 feet within a ten-mile radius of a commercial nuclear power reactor licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission if the threat alert level determined by the Homeland Security Advisory System is elevated to code orange or code red.
Bill· HRH.R. 5325 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Guaranteeing Airport Physical Screening Standards Act of 2004 - Amends Federal transportation law to set a deadline of 120 days after enactment of this Act for the Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security of the Department of Homeland Security to require screening or inspection of all individuals, goods, property, vehicles, and other equipment before entry into a secured area of a U.S. airport. Requires such screening requirements to include at a minimum physical screening for metal objects. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to require random screenings and inspections until such deadline. Authorizes the Secretary to hire additional passenger and baggage screeners to ensure aviation security.
Bill· HRH.R. 5305 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Requires automobile dealers to disclose to consumers the presence of Event Data Recorders (EDRs) on new automobiles at the time of purchase in a clear and conspicuous format that communicates: (1) the presence and location of the EDR; (2) the type of information recorded by the EDR and how such information is recorded; and (3) that information recorded by the EDR also may be used in law enforcement proceedings. Requires automobile manufacturers to include the same information in the owner's manual of any new automobile containing an EDR. Prohibits persons from manufacturing for sale, selling, offering for sale, introducing or delivering into interstate commerce, or importing automobiles manufactured after 2006 (and bearing a model year of 2007 or later) that are equipped with EDRs, unless those EDRs can be disabled by the consumer. Treats a violation of EDR requirements of this Act as an unfair or deceptive act or practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA) and requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce this Act accordingly. Requires the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to study and report to Congress on the potential utility and still unknown consequences of implementing EDR technology.
Bill· SS. 2924 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004
Clinical Research Act of 2004 - Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health to award clinical research support grants to eligible academic health centers to: (1) defray the costs of unfunded Federal requirements for the protection of human research costs; and (2) support activities leading to innovative ways to meets such requirements in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Requires that health centers receive a proportionate share of the total grant money awarded based on the amount invested by the grantee in clinical research compared to the total clinical research investment of all grantees. Allows the Director to award clinical research infrastructure grants to eligible academic health centers for: (1) necessary infrastructure to facilitate the transfer of new understandings of disease mechanisms gained in the laboratory into the development of new methodologies for diagnosis, therapy, and prevention; (2) the initial testing of human subjects; and (3) addressing obstacles impeding the expeditious application of new science, including a lack of up-to-date information technology systems and a shortage of willing participants. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make up to five grants to eligible academic health centers to form partnerships between the centers involved and health care providers for carrying out clinical human subject research to demonstrate how academic research centers may collaborate with the practicing health care community in such research.
Bill· SS. 2941 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004
North American Investment Fund Act - Authorizes the President to negotiate with Canada and Mexico to create a North American Investment Fund to: (1) promote economic and infrastructure integration among Canada, Mexico, and the United States; (2) promote education and economic development in Mexico; and (3) reduce the wealth gap between Mexico and Canada, and between Mexico and the United States.
Bill· SS. 2931 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004
Auto Choice Reform Act of 2004 - Authorizes motor vehicle insurers to offer a choice between the personal injury protection and tort maintenance systems prescribed by this Act. Deems persons who fail to select a type of insurance to have elected insurance under the tort maintenance system. Authorizes the appropriate State official to establish a consumer notification program regarding: (1) the comparative cost of insurance under the personal injury protection and tort maintenance systems; and (2) the benefits, rights, and obligations of the insurers and insureds under such systems. Requires insurers to provide such information to a consumer before the consumer chooses insurance. Prescribes minimum requirements for the personal injury protection system and the tort maintenance system. Exempts a State from application of this Act if the State: (1) declares by statute by a specified date that this Act shall not apply; or (2) finds that average premiums will not be reduced by an average of at least 30 percent for persons choosing the personal injury protection system.
Bill· HRH.R. 5267 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004
Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) ensure that Department of Homeland Security personnel along the United States-Mexico border have the security clearances required to access information to adequately screen entering immigrants, including IDENT and IAFIS databases and databases used by the Department's inspectors in secondary inspections; (2) develop the interagency agreements and information technology infrastructure necessary for such screening; and (3) increase by 2,000 the number of detention beds in the Port Isabel Service Processing Center at Los Fresnos, Texas.
Bill· HRH.R. 5268 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004
Fatal Grade Crossing Accident Investigations Act - Amends Federal transportation law to require the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate all railroad grade crossing accidents that involve a fatality or substantial property damage.
Bill· HRH.R. 5250 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004
Federal Flight Deck Officer Improvement Act of 2004 - Instructs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) study and report to certain congressional committees on the feasibility of conducting Federal flight deck officer initial training; (2) ensure that eligible pilots are offered a choice of training dates, and given advance notice of them; (3) establish a program to improve travel access to Federal flight deck officer training facilities through the use of charter flights or improved scheduled air carrier service; (4) establish qualification standards for facilities where Federal flight deck officers can receive requalification and recurrent training; and (5) provide Federal flight deck officer training, requalification training, and recurrent training at no cost to the pilots or the air carriers that employ them. Directs the Secretary to establish a secure means for personnel of the Transportation Security Administration to communicate with Federal flight deck officers, and for Federal flight deck officers to communicate with each other. Directs the Secretary to implement a pilot program to allow pilots participating in the Federal flight deck officer program to transport their firearms on their persons. Encourages the President to pursue aggressively agreements with foreign governments to allow maximum deployment of Federal flight deck officers on international flights. Requires the Secretary to work with relevant Federal agencies to obtain compensation for the death or injury of a Federal flight deck officer sustained while in the performance of his or her duties under the program. Expresses the sense of Congress that air carriers should permit Federal flight deck officers to take a leave of absence from their employment as required to attend initial and requalification Federal flight deck officer training.
Bill· SS. 2907 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2004
Information Technology for Health Care Quality Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of Health Information Technology to: (1) improve the quality and efficiency of health care delivery through the use of health information technology; (2) provide national leadership relating to such technology; (3) direct all Federal health information technology activities; (4) facilitate the interaction between the Federal Government and the private sector relating to the development and use of such technology; and (5) develop a national strategy for improving the quality and enhancing the efficiency of health care through the use of such technology and the creation of a National Health Information Infrastructure. Requires the Director of the Office to approve or disapprove the policies of Federal departments or agencies that would significantly affect the use of such technology, and provide for the adoption and dissemination of Government standards that promote the efficient exchange of data between health information technology systems. Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from purchasing any health care information technology system that is not in compliance with such standards. Requires the Director to guarantee payment of the principal and interest on loans made to eligible entities, and award competitive matching grants, to: (1) implement local health information infrastructure to facilitate the development of interoperability across health care settings; or (2) facilitate the purchase and adoption of health information technology. Requires the Secretary, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish uniform health care quality measures and public reporting requirements across all federally supported health delivery programs.
Bill· HRH.R. 5234 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2004
Eastern Santa Clara River Basin Protection Act - Requires the Secretary of the Army to participate in studies and other investigative activities and in the construction, planning, and design of projects determined by the Secretary to offer a long-term solution to groundwater perchlorate contamination in the Eastern Santa Clara River Basin in Santa Clarita, California. Requires investigative activities and projects to include sites that are sources of perchlorate and located in Santa Clarita. Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1992 to authorize the Secretary to provide environmental infrastructure and construction assistance for such projects. Directs the Secretary to allow credit for in-kind services provided by a non-Federal sponsor before initiation of a project.
Bill· HRH.R. 5230 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2004
Amends Federal transportation law to require the National Driver Registry to include information that specifies if an individual has been convicted in the previous ten years of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of, or impaired by, alcohol or a controlled substance. Authorizes a State or local prosecutor and district attorney to obtain from the State chief driver licensing official certain Registry information about a driver who is under investigation for a traffic related offense.
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. 5214 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2004
Save Every Child Using Restraints Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to prescribe regulations establishing a safety standard requiring that all school buses with a gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds be equipped with three-point safety belts on all seats.
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. 2884 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2004
Public Transportation Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to define and clarify the respective public transportation security roles and responsibilities of the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Requires DOT's Federal Transit Administration to submit all public transportation security assessments to DHS and the Secretary to review and augment such assessments. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish security improvement priorities and to update them annually; (2) conduct assessments of all transit agencies considered to be at greatest risk of a terrorist attack, of local bus-only public transportation systems, and of selected rural transportation systems; and (3) use information collected to establish the process for developing security guidelines. Directs the Secretary to award grants directly to public transportation agencies for allowable capital security improvements (including tunnel and perimeter protection systems and surveillance and communications equipment); and (2) operational security improvements (including security training for transit employees, drills, public awareness campaigns, and canine patrols for chemical, biological, or explosives detection). Directs the Secretary to: (1) ensure that DOT receives appropriate and timely notification of all credible terrorist threats against U.S. public transportation assets; and (2) award grants for research, development, and demonstration of technologies and methods to reduce and deter terrorist threats or mitigate damages resulting from such attacks. Requires DHS to fund the reasonable costs of an Information Sharing and Analysis Center for Public Transportation.
Bill· SS. 2878 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2004
Hoopa-Yurok Settlement Amendment Act of 2004 - Amends the Hoopa-Yurok Settlement Act to provide for the acquisition of land for the Yurok Reservation. Provides that Federal law enforcement and tribal court funds and programs shall be made available to the Hoopa Valley Tribe and Yurok Tribe on the same basis as the funds and programs are available to other Indian tribes. Provides for recognition of the Yurok Tribe. Directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into stewardship agreements with the Yurok Tribe with respect to management of Klamath River Basin fisheries and water resources. Authorizes appropriations for Yurok infrastructure development and for Yurok economic development. Amends the Klamath River Basin Fisheries Act to revise the membership of the Klamath Fishery Management Council to include as voting members a representative of the Yurok Tribe appointed by the Yurok Tribal Council and a representative of the Department of the Interior appointed by the Secretary of the Interior. Amends the Hoopa-Yurok Settlement Act to require the Secretary to enter into negotiations with the Yurok Tribe to establish a plan for the economic self-sufficiency of the Yurok Tribe.
Bill· HRH.R. 5187 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2004
Amends the International Air Transportation Competition Act of 1979 to add Tennessee to the number of States outside Texas between which and Love Field, Texas, flights are authorized, if the air carrier: (1) does not offer or provide any through service or ticketing with another air carrier or foreign air carrier; and (2) does not offer for sale transportation to or from, and the flight or aircraft does not serve, any point which is outside Tennessee.
Bill· SS. 2865 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004
Freedom From Foreign Oil Act of 2004 - Amends Federal transportation law to require that passenger automobiles, automobiles capable of off-highway operation, or light trucks that are manufactured after model year 2005 be capable of operating on a flexible fuel mixture (mixture containing at least 85 percent of ethanol by volume with gasoline). Requires the Secretary of Transportation to prescribe regulations requiring such automobiles or trucks to display prominently (including in the owner's manual of each vehicle) information indicating that such vehicles are capable of operating on a flexible fuel mixture. Directs the Secretary to promote the use of a mixture containing at least 85 percent of ethanol by volume with gasoline in motor vehicles in the United States.
Law· HRH.R. 5163 (108th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004
Norman Y. Mineta Research and Special Programs Reorganization Act - Amends Federal transportation law to establish the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) in the Department of Transportation (DOT), headed by an Administrator with professional experience in pipeline safety, hazardous materials safety, or other transportation safety, appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Provides for a Deputy Administrator and an Assistant Administrator for Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety (who shall also be the Chief Safety Officer). Transfers the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (established by this Act). Replaces the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) with the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), which shall be headed by an Administrator appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Establishes in RITA an Office of Intermodalism.
Bill· HRH.R. 5184 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004
Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2004, Part V - Extends Federal highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, and transit programs for seven months, and authorizes appropriations, through May 31, 2005. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) apportion funds made available for Federal-aid highway programs under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) to each State according to the ratio of the State's FY 2004 obligation authority to the FY 2004 obligation authority for all States; and (2) ensure that each State is apportioned funds for the Interstate maintenance program, the National Highway System program, the bridge program, the surface transportation program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the recreational trails program, the Appalachian development highway system program, and the minimum guarantee. Sets forth provisions: (1) for reducing future apportionments, and for recovering funds not apportioned, under a multi-year law reauthorizing the Federal-aid highway program that is enacted after enactment of this Act; (2) prohibiting after May 31, 2005, the obligation of any Federal-aid highway program funds until the date of enactment of a multi-year law reauthorizing such program that is enacted after enactment of this Act; and (3) prohibiting a State from transferring after May 31, 2005, unobligated Federal-aid highway funds from amounts apportioned to it for the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program and the surface transportation program. Authorizes appropriations through May 31, 2005, for specified Federal-aid highway programs, highway safety programs, the Motor Carrier Safety Administration program, Federal transit programs, and sport fishing and boating safety programs. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) and TEA-21, respectively, to set related discretionary spending limits and obligation limitations for FY 2005. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend authorization for the use of the Highway Trust Fund (including the mass transit account) and the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund for obligations under TEA-21. Amends the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2003 to extend highway programs through end of FY 2004. Amends TEA-21 to authorize appropriations for the high priority projects program through May 31, 2005 (including specified allocation percentages for such projects for FY 2004 through 2009).
Bill· HRH.R. 5168 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004
Bennett Freeze Rehabilitation Act of 2004 - Amends Federal law commonly referred to as the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974 to authorize the Commissioner of the Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation Commission to carry out a rehabilitation program to redress the effects of Federal development restrictions in the western portion of the Navajo Reservation (the Bennett Freeze, issued administratively in 1966 by former Bureau of Indian Affairs Commissioner Robert Bennett to restrict the Navajo tribe in Arizona from constructing and repairing their dwellings on land subject to a land dispute with the Hopi Tribe.) Limits such rehabilitation program to housing construction and renovation, infrastructure improvements, and economic development initiatives. Provides that, upon the Secretary of the Interior's approval of an agreement between the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe settling the land dispute over the lands subject to the Bennett Freeze, certain provisions of such Act concerning any development of lands in litigation are repealed.
Bill· HRH.R. 5178 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004
Driver's License Improvement and Security Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to carry out a pilot program to assist States in developing and implementing a driver's license and identification card program that meets certain requirements. Requires a State to: (1) embed computer chips in licenses and cards it issues; (2) obtain biometric data for the identification of individuals to whom the State issues a new or renewed driver's license or identification card; (3) participate in a program to link State motor vehicle databases in order to provide electronic access by a State to information contained in the motor vehicle databases of other States; (4) include on each new or renewed driver's license or identification card multiple tamper-resistant security features or optical image layers, such as biometric scans, barcodes, 3D, flip, or motion imaging; and (5) adopt and implement procedures to document accurately the identity and residence of an individual before issuing him or her a driver's license or identification card. Authorizes the Secretary to make a grant to assist a State in developing and implementing a driver's license and identification card program that meets the requirements of this Act. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to study and report to the Secretary of Transportation on which on-card biometric technology is most effective and usable for the pilot program.
Law· HRH.R. 5183 (108th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004
Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2004, Part V - Extends Federal highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, and transit programs for seven months, and authorizes appropriations, through May 31, 2005. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) apportion funds made available for Federal-aid highway programs under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) to each State according to the ratio of the State's FY 2004 obligation authority to the FY 2004 obligation authority for all States; and (2) ensure that each State is apportioned funds for the Interstate maintenance program, the National Highway System program, the bridge program, the surface transportation program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the recreational trails program, the Appalachian development highway system program, and the minimum guarantee. Sets forth provisions: (1) for reducing future apportionments, and for recovering funds not apportioned, under a multi-year law reauthorizing the Federal-aid highway program that is enacted after enactment of this Act; (2) prohibiting after May 31, 2005, the obligation of any Federal-aid highway program funds until the date of enactment of a multi-year law reauthorizing such program that is enacted after enactment of this Act; and (3) prohibiting a State from transferring unobligated Federal-aid highway funds from amounts apportioned to it for the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program and the surface transportation program. Authorizes appropriations through May 31, 2005, for specified Federal-aid highway programs, highway safety programs, the Motor Carrier Safety Administration program, Federal transit programs, and sport fishing and boating safety programs. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) and TEA-21, respectively, to set related discretionary spending limits and obligation limitations for FY 2005. Amends the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2003 to extend highway programs through the end of FY 2004. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend authorization for the use of the Highway Trust Fund (including the mass transit account) and the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund for obligations under TEA-21.
Bill· HRH.R. 5170 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004
Requires the Secretary of Transportation to determine apportionments of Federal highway funds to the States by using the amount of tax receipts that the Secretary estimates would have resulted for a fiscal year had any increase in taxes on fuels containing alcohol enacted after this Act taken effect at the beginning of such fiscal year.
Bill· SS. 2842 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004
Clean Trucks Act of 2004 - Amends Federal transportation law to require motor carriers, as part of registering with the Secretary of Transportation to provide transportation, to comply with the heavy duty vehicle and engine emission performance standards and related regulations established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Directs the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to: (1) collect annually information on the year, make, model, certification level, travel routes, trip duration, fuel quality and consumption, and related activities of long-haul heavy duty trucks operating in the United States; and (2) submit such information to the Adminstrator of the EPA for use in developing and publishing estimates of the total national emissions of all criteria pollutants and hazardous air pollutants associated with long-haul heavy duty trucks.
Bill· HRH.R. 5130 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004
Secure Borders Act - Establishes the Land Border Infrastructure Improvement Fund. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to conduct a vulnerability assessment of land ports of entry (POEs). Directs the Secretary to: (1) make permanent specified pre-enrollment programs that allow expedited inspections at POEs for participants; (2) develop a comprehensive plan to deploy technological surveillance systems along U.S. borders; (3) increase the number of K-9 units working within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); (4) ensure that radiation portal monitors are installed at all southern border POEs no later than September 30, 2005; (5) contract with an independent entity to study the necessary allocation of personnel at POEs and Border Patrol sectors; and (6) provide ongoing training for inspectors. Requires the Commissioner of Customs to submit a report to Congress on the One Face at the Border Initiative (a Department of Homeland Security [DHS] initiative that unifies customs, immigration, and agricultural inspection functions by cross-training CBP personnel) that addresses: (1) the effectiveness of the initiative in enhancing security and facilitating trade; (2) the number of CBP personnel who worked for the former Customs Service or the former Immigration and Naturalization Service before the DHS was established and the number hired after its establishment; (3) training time provided to each employee for initiative components; (4) steps taken by CBP to ensure that expertise is retained with regard to customs, immigration, and agriculture inspection functions under the initiative; and (5) whether the missions of customs, agriculture, and immigration are equally emphasized. Requires the Comptroller General to review such reports and report on the effectiveness of the initiative. Requires the Secretary to: (1) submit unclassified and classified versions of a comprehensive border security strategy; (2) integrate the IDENT and IAFIS databases; and (3) make interoperable those databases used by inspectors in secondary inspections. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to create the positions of Northern Border Coordinator and Southern Border Coordinator within the DHS's Directorate of Border and Transportation Security. Requires the President to submit information regarding progress toward implementation of the Smart Border Accords. Expresses the sense of Congress that Mexicans and Canadians should be treated with parity in establishing periods of lawful admission. States that, once the entry-exit data system required by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 is fully implemented, the period of admission for aliens holding border crossing cards shall be six months. Requires the Secretary to create an Office of US-VISIT Outreach to inform local border officials, residents, and businesses about developments in the US-VISIT program. Amends the Immigration and Naturalization Service Data Management Improvement Act of 2000 to reconstitute the integrated entry-exit system task force. Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure implementation of electronic arrival/departure records no later than December 1, 2005; (2) report on the development and distribution of a transportation worker identification card; and (3) establish standards and verification procedures for the security of intermodal cargo containers. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the need for additional staff for the U.S. Consulate-General in Mexico. Establishes the Office of Tribal Security within DHS. Requires the Secretary to transfer the CBP Customs Patrol Officers unit operating on the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation (known as the Shadow Wolves) to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Requires development and implementation of State identification document standards as a prerequisite for the acceptance of such documents by Federal agencies. Requires the Secretary to make grants to assist States and localities in issuing documents that meet those standards. Authorizes appropriations for an increase in staff and detention space for ICE. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) immigration cases involving incarcerated criminal aliens should be processed while the alien is in prison; and (2) appropriations should be authorized for staff increases for judicial and prosecutorial offices to better enforce immigration laws. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to create a new subclass in the S (witness or informant) nonimmigrant visa category for certain aliens in possession of critical reliable information regarding commercial alien smuggling organizations or enterprises. Provides for adjustment of status for such nonimmigrants. Imposes increased penalties for, and establishes a rewards program to combat, aggravated alien smuggling. Requires the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) to promulgate sentencing guidelines that reflect enhanced sentences and fines for alien smuggling. Amends the Federal criminal code to enhance penalties for smuggling merchandise into the United States. Requires the USSC to amend sentencing guidelines to provide sentencing enhancements for merchandise smuggling that results in a death. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to create an Office of Overseas Service within DHS's Office of International Affairs. Requires the Secretary to: (1) report on implementation of prior recommendations regarding visa security; (2) establish an electronic advance passenger screening system for visa waiver program (VWP) participants as part of an integrated entry-exit system; (3) create a VWP Office; and (4) provide fraud detection and foreign language training for inspectors inspecting VWP aliens. Requires the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Ombudsman to launch a public information campaign and to establish an advisory group that provides private sector input. Directs the Comptroller General to assess CIS and report findings to the Secretary, the Secretary of State, and appropriate congressional committees. Requires the Secretary to study biometric identifiers that might be used for immigration benefit applications and petitions. Requires all fingerprints taken for adjudicating such applications or petitions to be digitized, and all such applications or petitions to be registered using a biometric identifier, no later than January 1, 2005.
Bill· HRH.R. 5143 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004
Secure Domestic Container Partnership Act of 2004 - Amends Federal shipping law to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to carry out an empty shipping container sealing pilot program to encourage shipping container handlers to seal empty shipping containers after they have unpacked them. Allows the Secretary to authorize a shipper, cargo carrier, freight forwarder, terminal operator, port authority, or labor organization that is a qualified container handler to secure, under a seal approved by the Secretary, a shipping container that is emptied by the person.
Bill· HRH.R. 5132 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004
Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2004 - Directs the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Border and Transportation Security to complete a vulnerability assessment of freight and passenger rail transportation for identification of: (1) critical assets and infrastructures and threats to them; (2) vulnerabilities specific to the transportation of hazardous materials via railroad; and (3) security weaknesses in passenger and cargo security, transportation infrastructure, protection systems, procedural policies, communications systems, employee training, emergency response planning, and any other area identified by the assessment. Requires the Under Secretary based on the assessment to develop specific prioritized recommendations for improving rail security. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to review existing Department of Transportation (DOT) rail regulations to identify areas for revision to improve rail security. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the rail passenger transportation security programs in Japan, the European Union (EU), and other foreign countries in order to identify effective rail transportation security measures. Directs the Under Secretary to: (1) analyze the cost and feasibility of requiring security screening for passengers, baggage, and mail on passenger trains; and (2) conduct a pilot program of random security screening of passengers and baggage at a specified number of passenger rail stations served by Amtrak. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to Amtrak for fire and life-safety improvements and infrastructure upgrades to tunnels on the Northeast Corridor. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure that DOT receives timely notification, through the Information Sharing and Analysis Center for Public Transportation, of all credible terrorist threats against public transportation assets. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to award research, development, and demonstration grants to public and private entities to reduce and deter terrorist threats against public transportation systems. Amends Federal transportation law to direct Amtrak to submit to the National Transportation Safety Board a plan to address the needs of families of passengers involved in rail passenger accidents. Authorizes the Under Secretary to make grants for certain system-wide Amtrak security upgrades and freight and hazardous materials transportation and passenger rail security upgrades. Directs the Federal Railroad Administration to set forth certain standards for welded rail and tank car safety improvements. Requires the Under Secretary to report to specified congressional committees: (1) an assessment of the current system for preclearance and screening of rail and airline passengers and baggage, as well as freight railroad traffic, between the United States and Canada; and (2) information on progress toward finalizing a protocol with Canada on preclearance of rail passengers between the two countries. Authorizes the Under Secretary to make operating grants and capital grants for mass transportation system security improvements.
Bill· HRH.R. 5121 (108th)reported
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2004
Amends Federal transportation law to direct the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration (TSA)) to issue guidance for the use of biometrics or other technology that positively verifies the identity of each airport employee and law enforcement officer who enters a secure area of an airport. (Currently, the Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is authorized to provide for such use). Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Assistant Secretary to establish a program to enter into multi-year contracts with airport operators or other non-Federal entities to provide electronic explosive detection system images of checked baggage for screening purposes. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to prepare a transportation sector specific plan and transportation modal security plans that at a minimum: (1) set risk-based priorities for defending aviation assets; (2) assign roles and missions to Federal, State, regional, and local authorities and to stakeholders; (3) establish a damage mitigation and recovery plan for the aviation system in the event of a terrorist attack; and (4) include a threat matrix document that outlines each threat to the U.S. aviation system and corresponding layers of security in place to address such threat. Directs the Assistant Secretary to commence testing of a next generation passenger prescreening system that will allow the DHS to assume the performance of comparing passenger name records (including airport employees) to the automatic selectee and no fly lists, utilizing the Federal Government's terrorist watchlist. Sets forth requirements for: (1) the deployment and use of explosive and nonmetallic weapon detection equipment at airport screening checkpoints; (2) a pilot program to evaluate the use of blast-resistant containers for cargo and baggage on passenger aircraft; (3) the establishment in the DHS of a Checkpoint Screening Security Fund; (4) a pilot program to test and deploy next generation security checkpoint screening technology at a certain number of U.S. airports; (5) civil penalties for failure to secure a cockpit door; (6) appropriate in-flight counterterrorism procedures and tactic training to Federal law enforcement officers; (7) a pilot program to allow pilots participating in the Federal flight deck officer program to transport their firearms on their persons; (8) implementation of the registered traveler program; (9) the establishment of an Under Secretary for Local Government and Tourism; (10) the Federal Air Marshal Service to provide air marshal training to foreign law enforcement personnel; and (11) international efforts to limit the availability, transfer, and proliferation of man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS).
Bill· HRH.R. 5119 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2004
Prohibits a railroad carrier from operating or causing to be operated a remote control locomotive to carry hazardous materials. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring that: (1) railroad carriers inventory and maintain continuous accounting of remote control transmitters, such transmitters be kept in a secure location when not in use, and be assigned only to personnel with proper identification and authorization to use them; and (2) the manual operational control area of any remote control locomotive be kept under lock and key when such locomotive is operated without personnel of the railroad carrier present. Sets forth civil penalties for a railroad carrier that violates such requirements, including criminal penalties if such violation involves the release of a hazardous material that results in death or bodily injury.
Bill· SS. 2822 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2004
Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2004, Part VI - Extends Federal highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, and transit programs for five months, and authorizes appropriations, through March 31, 2005. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) apportion funds made available for Federal-aid highway programs under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) to each State according to the ratio of the State's FY 2004 obligation authority to the FY 2004 obligation authority for all States; and (2) ensure that each State is apportioned funds for the Interstate maintenance program, the National Highway System program, the bridge program, the surface transportation program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the recreational trails program, the Appalachian development highway system program, and the minimum guarantee. Sets forth provisions: (1) for reducing future apportionments, and for recovering funds not apportioned, under a multi-year law reauthorizing the Federal-aid highway program that is enacted after enactment of this Act; and (2) prohibiting after March 31, 2005, the obligation of any Federal-aid highway program funds until the date of enactment of a multi-year law reauthorizing such program that is enacted after enactment of this Act. Authorizes appropriations through May 31, 2005, for specified Federal-aid highway programs, highway safety programs, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration program, the Motor Carrier Safety Administration program, and Federal transit programs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend authorization for the use of the Highway Trust Fund (including the mass transit account) and the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund for obligations under TEA-21.
Bill· HRH.R. 5109 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2004
Airport Noise Curfew Act of 2004 - Establishes the Airport Noise Curfew Commission to study and make recommendations to Congress regarding the establishment of curfews on nonmilitary aircraft operations over populated areas of the United States during normal sleeping hours.
Bill· HRH.R. 5104 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2004
Prescott Marine Mammal Stranding Program Amendments of 2004 - Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA) to authorize appropriations for FY 2005 through 2009 for: (1) the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program; and (2) the Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Event Fund. Limits the import and export of marine mammal products to noncommercial or cultural exchange activities of specified groups. Requires the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to: (1) publish for public comment necessary changes to the list of commercial and recreational fisheries that have frequent, occasional, or remote likelihood of incidental mortality and serious injury of marine mammals; and (2) develop and implement a take reduction plan designed to assist in the recovery, or prevent the depletion of, each strategic stock that interacts with a fishery. Directs the Secretary to conduct research on the nonlethal removal and control of nuisance pinnipeds (seals and sea lions). Authorizes the Secretary to provide grants to eligible applicants to carry out such nonlethal control projects. Makes it unlawful for any person subject to U.S. jurisdiction to release any captive marine mammal unless specifically authorized by law. Prohibits the export of marine mammals for public display unless the Secretary of Agriculture evaluates and verifies, and thereafter notifies the Secretary, that the receiving facility meets certain standards. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a research mini-grant program to foster the use of gear that reduces the incidental taking of marine mammals. Expands the marine mammal research grant program to include research into ecosystems. Increases penalties for MMPA violations. Authorizes the use of Alaska Native organizations to enforce MMPA. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative management agreements with such organizations to conserve and manage stocks of marine mammals and provide comanagement of subsistence use by Alaska Natives. Makes it unlawful for any Alaska Native within the geographic area to which a harvest management plan covers to take, transport, sell, or possess a marine mammal in violation of any regulation adopted by an Alaska Native organization to implement and enforce a harvest management plan.
Bill· SS. 2809 (108th)reported
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2004
Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2005 - Makes appropriations for FY 2005 for the Departments of Commerce, of Justice and of State, the judiciary and related agencies. Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2005 - Makes appropriations for the Department of Justice for FY 2005 for: (1) general administration; (2) the Office on Violence Against Women; (3) the U.S. Parole Commission; (4) legal activities (including transfer of funds); (5) the Federal Bureau of Investigation (including transfer of funds); (6) the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force; (7) the Terrorist Threat Integration Center; (8) the Terrorist Screening Center; (9) the Drug Enforcement Administration (including transfer of funds); (10) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (including transfer of funds); (11) the Federal prison system; and (12) Office of Justice programs. Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2005 - Makes appropriations for FY 2005 for: (1) the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (including transfer of funds); (2) the National Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordination Council (including transfer of funds); (3) the International Trade Commission; (4) the International Trade Administration (including transfer of funds); (5) the Bureau of Industry and Security; (6) the Economic Development Administration; (7) the Minority Business Development Agency; (8) economic and statistical analysis programs; (9) the Bureau of the Census; (10) the National Telecommunications and Information Administration; (11) public telecommunications facilities planning and construction grants; (12) information infrastructure grants; (13) the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (including transfer of funds); (14) the Under Secretary for Technology/Office of Technology Policy; (15) the National Institute of Standards and Technology; (16) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (including transfer of funds); (17) restoration of Pacific salmon populations; (18) the Coastal Zone Management Fund; (19) the Fishermen's Contingency Fund; (20) the Foreign Fishing Observer Fund; (21) the fisheries finance program account; and (22) departmental management, including for the U.S. Travel and Tourism Promotion Advisory Board, and the Office of Inspector General. Judiciary Appropriations Act, 2005 - Makes appropriations to the Judiciary for FY 2005 for: (1) the U.S. Supreme Court; (2) the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; (3) the U.S. Court of International Trade; (4) the courts of appeals, district courts, and other judicial services; (5) the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts; (6) the Federal Judicial Center; (7) judiciary retirement funds; and (8) the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Department of State and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2005 - Makes appropriations for the Department of State for FY 2005 for: (1) administration of foreign affairs, diplomatic and consular programs (including transfer of funds) and a centralized information technology modernization program; (2) international organizations and conferences; (3) the Center for Middle Eastern-Western Dialogue Trust Fund; (4) the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West in the State of Hawaii; and (5) the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Makes appropriations for FY 2005 for the: (1) Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad; (2) Commission on Civil Rights; (3) Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe; (4) Congressional-Executive Commission on the People's Republic of China; (5) Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; (6) Federal Communications Commission; (7) the Federal Trade Commission; (8) Legal Services Corporation; (9) Marine Mammal Commission; (10) National Veterans Business Development Corporation; (11) Securities and Exchange Commission; (12) Small Business Administration; (13) Surety Bond Guarantees Revolving Fund; (14) State Justice Institute; (15) United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission; and (16) United States Senate-China Interparliamentary Group. Amends Federal patent law to: (1) lower patent filing and basic national fees; (2) increase excess claims, disclaimer, appeal, extension, revival, and maintenance fees; and (3) add new application examination, patent search, and patent issuance fees. Prescribes fees under the Trademark Act of 1946 for electronic and paper applications for trademark registration. Koby Mandell Act of 2003 - Establishes within the Department of Justice an Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism. Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004 - Amends the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990 to modify the definition of "anabolic steroid" to include tetrahydrogestrinone (THG), androstenedione, and specified related chemicals.