Home > News & Policies > December 2005

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 30, 2005

President Signs House and Senate Resolutions

On Friday, December 30, 2005, the President signed into law:

H.R. 2863, the "Department of Defense, Emergency Supplemental Appropriations to Address Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, and Pandemic influenza Act, 2006," which provides FY 2006 appropriations for DOD Military programs. The bill contains FY 2006 funding for war-related expenses for the first part of the year; contains funding to support relief and reconstruction efforts related to the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and funds the initiative to prepare for the pandemic influenza. Finally, the bill contains a one percent across-the-board reduction to FY 2006 discretionary programs across the Government, excluding emergencies and the Department of Veterans Affairs;

H.R. 3010, the "Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006," which provides FY 2006 appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; and other smaller agencies;

H.R. 4525, the "Second Higher Education Extension Act of 2005," which extends programs authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965;

H.R. 4579, which extends current law provisions prohibiting group health plans and insurance issuers from imposing certain limits on mental health coverage;

H.R. 4635, the "TANF and Child Care Continuation Act of 2005," which extends certain welfare programs that expire on December 31, 2005,"

S. 205, the "Buffalo Soldiers Commemoration Act 2005," which authorizes the American Battle Monuments Commission to establish a memorial in or around the City of New Orleans to honor the Buffalo Soldiers;

S. 652, the "Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Commemoration Act of 2005," which authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide a grant to the Franklin Institute to rehabilitate the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial;

S. 1238, the "Public Lands Corps Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2005," which amends the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to authorize annual appropriations for the Corps and to establish priorities for project activity,"

S. 1281, the "National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005," which authorizes appropriations for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for FYs 2007 and 2008; provides authorities to achieve the President's Vision for Space Exploration; and amends numerous NASA authorities, including those related to the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station.

S. 1310, which modifies an easement to allow expansion of a natural gas pipeline in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and extends the authority and increases the fee for commercial vehicle access through that Area;

S. 1481, which makes corrections and other modifications to the American Indian Probate Reform Act;

S. 1892, which extends the statute of limitations to December 31, 2006, for the filing of claims by Indian tribes against the Federal Government related to the management of trust accounts;

S. 1988, which authorizes the transfer to the Republic of Korea of items in the Department of Defense War Reserve Stockpile; and

S. 2167, which extends from December 31, 2005, to February 3, 2006, the sunset of temporary authorities under the USA PATRIOT Act and the "lone wolf" provision of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act.

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