United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2004
Korean Defense Service Combat Recognition Act - Directs the Secretary of the Army to provide that, with respect to service in the Republic of Korea after July 28, 1953, eligibility of a member of the Army for the Combat Infantryman Badge or the Combat Medical Badge shall be met under criteria and eligibility requirements that, as nearly as practicable, are identical to those applicable to service elsewhere without regard to specific location or special circumstances such as: (1) serving in a hostile fire area; (2) a minimum number of instances in which the member was engaged with the enemy in active ground combat; or (3) a personal recommendation or approval by a commander in the member's chain of command.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2004
Waives the FY 2004 numerical limitation applicable to H-2B nonimmigrant workers for those employers who lawfully employed such workers in FY 2003, up to the employer's FY 2003 employment levels.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2004
Urges the President to provide encouragement and support for the ratification, establishment, and financing of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for the Prosecution of Crimes Committed during the Period of Democratic Kampuchea for the prosecution of surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2004
North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the human rights of North Koreans should remain a key concern in future negotiations between the United States, North Korea, and other parties in Northeast Asia; (2) the United States should increase its support for radio broadcasting to North Korea; (3) the United Nations has a significant role to play in promoting and improving human rights in North Korea; (4) the United States should pursue an international agreement to adopt a `first asylum' policy, modeled on the first asylum policy for Vietnamese refugees, that guarantees safe haven to North Korean refugees; (5) the Government of China has obligated itself to provide the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with unimpeded access to North Koreans inside its borders to enable UNHCR to determine whether they are refugees and whether they require assistance; and (6) the United States should promote measures similar to humanitarian parole or temporary protected status granted in countries that neighbor North Korea. Authorizes the President to: (1) provide grants to private, nonprofit organizations to promote human rights, democracy, rule of law, and the development of a market economy in North Korea; (2) increase the availability of information inside North Korea by increasing the availability of information sources not controlled by the Government of North Korea; (3) provide assistance to the World Food Program and to U.S. nongovernmental organizations to provide humanitarian assistance to North Koreans inside North Korea; and (4) provide assistance to organizations or persons that provide humanitarian assistance or legal assistance to North Koreans who are outside of North Korea without the permission of the Government of North Korea. Prohibits U.S. agency humanitarian or nonhumanitarian assistance to the Government of North Korea without certification that North Korea has taken steps to ensure the humanitarian, nonpolitical use of such assistance. States that for refugee or asylum status under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a national of the Democratic Republic of Korea shall not be considered a national of the Republic of Korea. Directs the Secretary of State to designate natives or citizens of North Korea who were subjected to disproportionately harsh or discriminatory treatment for their political or religious beliefs as a priority refugee group. Provides, with respect to qualifying citizens and nationals of North Korea, for: (1) parole entry; (2) status adjustment to permanent resident; and (3) temporary protected status.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2004
Calls for the adoption of a Sensible, Multilateral American Response to Terrorism (SMART) security platform for the 21st century. Sets forth various ways in which such platform will: (1) prevent future acts of terrorism by strengthening international institutions and respect for the rule of law; (2) reduce the threat and stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction and reduce proliferation of conventional weapons; (3) address root causes of terrorism and violent conflict in the Middle East and other regions; (4) shift U.S. budget priorities to fulfill unmet security needs; and (5) pursue to the fullest extent alternatives to war.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2004
GEAR UP & GO Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise specified requirements for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) to facilitate the transition of low-income high school students into postsecondary education. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to carry out a GEAR UP & GO grants program to provide low-income high school students participating in GEAR UP partnerships or State programs opportunities for dual/concurrent enrollment in college courses while still enrolled in high school. Provides that students in such program: (1) shall not be required to apply for admission to the institution of higher education; and (2) may receive college credit. Requires up to 25 percent of GEAR UP & GO program funds to be reserved for grants to early/middle college high schools designed to provide 9th through 12th grade low-income and first-generation college students with a coherent course of study enabling them to earn simultaneously a high school diploma and college credit toward a postsecondary degree.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2004
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to confer automatic citizenship on aliens residing in the United States in lawful permanent resident status pursuant to a classification petition approved under a provision that gives preferential treatment to persons born in Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, or Thailand after 1950 and before October 22, 1982, who were fathered by U.S. citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2004
Commends the Girl Scouts of the United States of America (Girl Scouts) for its efforts to launch a national dialogue on the issue of girls' safety. Recognizes the Girl Scouts for its leadership and expertise in knowing the needs of girls through the work of the Girl Scout Research Institute. Commends the Girl Scouts for actively promoting issues important to girls.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2004
Congratulates the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on its 125th anniversary. Expresses support for the USGS as it serves the nation by providing timely, relevant, and objective scientific information.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 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 detailed environmental impact statement is required in conformance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969: (1) any action having as a purpose the resumption of nuclear weapon or nuclear explosive device tests at the Nevada Test Site; or (2) 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 public notice of each test; and (2) prompt notice of each release of radiation beyond the boundaries of the Nevada Test 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 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.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2004
Child Nutrition Improvement and Integrity Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (CNA) to reauthorize various programs, including the national school lunch and breakfast, child and adult care food, after-school snack, summer food service, and special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC). Revises requirements relating to eligibility for and access to such programs. Reauthorizes, without any termination date, the exclusion of military housing allowances from consideration as income in determining eligibility for free or reduced price lunches. Includes as automatically eligible for free lunches and breakfasts: (1) children or youth defined as homeless under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act; and (2) youth served under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. Makes eligible also for such special payments any new schools which draw attendance from schools receiving severe need assistance. Extends through FY 2009 the summer food pilot projects and the summer food service program for children. Allows nonprofit organizations to participate in such programs. Revises the child and adult care food program. Extends indefinitely the period during which private day care providers with at least 25 percent of served children eligible for free and reduced price lunch are eligible to participate. Extends, from three years to five years, the period of a tier classification of a family or group day care home. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretary) to issue regulations requiring States to develop and use a standard form of agreement between each family or group home day care sponsoring organization and their homes participating in the program. Extends through FY 2006 the period during which the Secretary is required to reserve funds for providing training and technical assistance to States to improve program management and oversight. Authorizes the Secretary or a State agency to disregard any overpayment to an institution if the total overpayment does not exceed a collection cost amount consistent with other disregards, except where there is evidence of a violation of criminal law or civil fraud law. Allows children up to age 18 (currently 12) to be served program meals while residing at homeless or domestic violence shelters. Directs the Secretary, in conjunction with States and participating institutions, to examine the feasibility of reducing paperwork under the program. Revises eligibility and certification requirements for free and reduced price lunches. Directs the Secretary to base income eligibility guidelines on nonfarm income poverty guidelines issued by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Requires applications and related descriptive materials for free and reduced price lunches to be distributed at least annually to parents and guardians in clear and understandable format and language. Requires descriptive material to contain: (1) only the income levels for reduced price lunches, and an explanation that lower income levels may mean eligibility for free lunches; and (2) notice that WIC participants in the program are eligible for free or reduced price lunches. Allows applications to be submitted by an adult of the household: (1) as a single application for all children in the household; and (2) electronically if the filing system meets confidentiality standards. Directs local education agencies (LEAs) to verify information in a sample of approved applications, with variations in such samples according to specified formulae based non-response rates. Provides for direct certification of children as eligible for free meals, without further application, based on their being in households receiving assistance under the food stamp program or the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program under title IV part A of the Social Security Act. Sets forth privacy protections. Prohibits requiring LEAs to submit free and reduced price meal policy statements to State agencies after the initial submission unless there is a substantive change in such policy. Requires, with certain exceptions, a child's eligibility for free and reduced price lunches to remain in effect from the date of approval for the current school year until the beginning of school in a subsequent school year, or as otherwise specified by the Secretary. Transfers responsibility for local administration of school lunch and breakfast programs from local school food authorities (LSFAs) to LEAs (including appropriate entities determined by the Secretary in cases of private nonprofit school food authorities). Makes LEAs, as well as LSFAs, responsible for program compliance and accountability. Directs the Secretary to give priority consideration to States that will use reallocated funds for technology and information management improvements. Requires States to describe how they will use technology and information management systems to improve program integrity in certain ways. Raises the amount of the minimum State administrative expense grant, and guarantees that such a grant shall not be less than the one received in a previous fiscal year. Permits eligibility for special assistance to be determined district-wide, as an alternative to determining it on an individual school basis. Directs the Secretary to develop and distribute training and technical assistance materials relating to administration of school meals programs. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide training and technical assistance related to administrative practices to improve program integrity and administrative accuracy to State educational agencies (SEAs), LSFAs, and LEAs; and (2) assist SEAs in reviewing administrative practices of LSFAs. Establishes additional administrative and performance review requirements for selected LSFAs and LEAs that have demonstrated high levels of or high risks for administrative errors. Directs SEAs, where such a selected LSFA or LEA fails to meet performance criteria established by the Secretary, to: (1) require such entity to develop and carry out a plan of corrective action; (2) provide technical assistance; and (3) conduct a follow-up review. Authorizes the Secretary require the SEA to recover funds that were expended in error and use them to improve program integrity and administrative accuracy. Requires States to provide annual training and technical in administrative practices, emphasizing requirements established under this Act. Requires the Secretary to assist the State or provide such training and technical assistance or directly. Authorizes the Secretary or the State to contract with a third party conducting such activities. Requires each LSFA or LEA to insure that an individual conducting or overseeing such administrative procedures receives such training at least annually. Authorizes the Secretary to assist States in carrying out State training and administrative reviews of selected LSFAs and LEAs with excessive error rates. Requires LEAs participating in school meals programs to establish local school wellness policies with: (1) goals for nutrition education, physical activity, and other school-based activities; (2) nutrition guidelines for all foods sold on school campus during the school day in order to promote health and reduce obesity; (3) a plan to ensure policy implementation, including designating persons with operational responsibility; and (4) involvement of parents, students, and representatives of the LSFA, school board, school administrators, and the public. Revises the system of nutrition education grants to SEAs to provide assistance to State agencies, schools, and nonprofit entities for the Team Nutrition Network (TNN) program and other nutrition education projects that improve student understanding of healthful eating patterns, the quality of school meals, and access to local foods in schools and institutions operating programs under NSLA and CNA. Establishes TNN to: (1) promote the Nation's schoolchildren's health through nutrition education, physical fitness, and other activities supporting healthy lifestyles; (2) provide grants to States to develop Statewide, comprehensive, and integrated nutrition education and physical fitness programs; and (3) provide training and technical assistance to States, school and community nutrition programs, and child nutrition food service professionals. Requires State TNN Coordinators to: (1) administer and coordinate a comprehensive integrated statewide nutrition education program; and (2) coordinate efforts with the Food and Nutrition Service and State agencies responsible for children's health programs. Directs the Secretary to provide assistance for the following types of three-year pilot projects: (1) to States on a competitive basis for State TNN Coordinators to create model nutrition education and physical fitness programs for school students; and (2) to not more than 100 LEAs, at least one per State, to promote healthy eating habits and increase physical fitness among school students. Authorizes the Secretary to provide: (1) technical assistance to SEAs to improve school meal quality; and (2) technical assistance and competitive matching grants to schools and nonprofit entities to improve access to local foods in schools and institutions. Includes fruits and vegetables among the foods to be emphasized in commodity distribution. Revises fruit and vegetable pilot program requirements to direct the Secretary to make available fresh and dried fruits and fresh vegetables to 25 schools in each of four additional States and one Indian reservation, with an emphasis on low-income schools. Requires schools to serve milk in a variety of fat contents. Permits substitute nutritionally-equivalent nondairy beverages to be reimbursable, if a note is provided from a medical authority or the child's parent or guardian. Extends the period during which weighted averages are not required to be used in nutrient analysis of foods under the school lunch program, if school food authority has an equivalent nutrient analysis system. Directs the Secretary to: (1) promulgate rules, based on Federal nutrition guidelines, to increase the presence of whole grains in foods offered in school nutrition programs; and (2) enter into an agreement with a science-based organization to study, determine, and report on appropriate nutritional standards for foods available to students in school, considering total daily dietary intake of students participating in the school foods program. Revises WIC program (under CNA) definitions of: (1) nutrition education to include child development and physical activity; and (2) supplemental foods to provide for consideration of the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Revises certification requirements for WIC program participation to allow: (1) a State to certify breastfeeding women for up to one year or until they stop breastfeeding, whichever is earlier; (2) a local agency to waive the physical presence requirement for infants under eight weeks of age; and (3) applicants or participants to reschedule appointments to apply or be recertified. Directs the Secretary to: (1) promulgate a rule updating the prescribed supplemental foods available through the WIC program, within six months of receiving the review of the WIC food package undertaken by the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine in September 2003; and (2) beginning in 2013, and at least every ten years thereafter, conduct scientific reviews of supplemental foods available in the WIC program and recommend changes to reflect nutrition science, current public health concerns, and cultural eating patterns. Requires State agencies to notify vendors in writing of violations, unless the notification would compromise an investigation. Authorizes State agencies to round up to the next whole can of infant formula to ensure all infants receive the full-authorized nutritional benefit. Revises WIC program competitive bidding provisions to require infant formula: (1) rebate invoices to provide reasonable estimates or actual counts of numbers of units sold to program participants; and (2) bid solicitations amounts to be adjusted on a cent-by-cent basis according to changes in the lowest national wholesale truckload price. Authorizes demonstration projects, in up to ten local sites, to evaluate inclusion of fresh, frozen, or canned fruits and vegetables, to be made available through private funds, as an addition to supplemental food provided under the WIC program. Revises WIC program provisions for management information systems to require: (1) States to comply with certain standards for electronic benefit systems; and (2) the Secretary to implement a national Universal Product Code Database for use by all State agencies. Requires participating vendors in the WIC program to purchase infant formula from a State-maintained list of approved manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers. Prohibits State alliances from exceeding 200,000 infant participants (except alliances with such numbers as of October 2003). Allows any State agency serving under 5,000 participants, or any Indian Tribal Organization, to request to join any State alliance. Increases from one to three percent the maximum portion of nutrition services and administration funds a State may expend during the subsequent fiscal year for allowable expenses incurred during a fiscal year. Extends through FY 2009 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) the WIC program; (2) WIC nutrition services and administrative funds; and (3) WIC farmers' market nutrition program. Revises requirements relating to training and technical assistance under NSLA, CNA, and other federally-assisted feeding programs. Directs the Secretary to develop policy and establish procedures regarding the purchase, distribution, notice of consumption, and provision of information regarding irradiated foods in Federal school meals programs. Extends through FY 2009 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) State administrative expenses (CNA); (2) the commodity distribution program (NSLA and the Commodity Distribution Reform Act and WIC Amendments of 1987); (3) purchases of locally produced foods (NSLA); (4) training, technical assistance, and food service management institute (NSLA); and (5) compliance and accountability (NSLA).
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2004
United States-Israel Homeland Security Foundation Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a United States-Israel Homeland Security Foundation for awarding conditional grants to joint business ventures between U.S. and Israeli private corporate entities to develop, manufacture, sell, or otherwise provide products and services with applications related to homeland security. Limits grant amounts to 50 percent of proposed costs. Requires grant recipients to repay the Foundation up to 150 percent of the grant awarded. Directs the Foundation to include an advisory board. Provides Foundation funding through the Acceleration Fund for Research and Development of Homeland Security Technologies. Directs the Secretary, if not establishing the Foundation, to use a specified amount from such Fund to support the efforts of the Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation to make grants to joint U.S.-Israeli business ventures for projects relating to homeland security.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2004
Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) allow pancreata procured for use in islet cell transplantation or research to be counted for certification purposes for qualified organ procurement organization grants; and (2) require the Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee to include in its annual report an assessment of the Federal activities and programs related to pancreatic islet cell transplantation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2004
End Racial Profiling Act of 2004 - Prohibits any law enforcement agent or agency from engaging in racial profiling. Authorizes the United States or an individual injured by racial profiling to bring a civil action for declaratory or injunctive relief in State court or U.S. district court. Makes proof that the routine or spontaneous investigatory activities of law enforcement agents in a jurisdiction have had a disparate impact on racial, ethnic, or religious minorities prima facie evidence of a violation. Authorizes the court to allow a prevailing plaintiff attorney's fees under specified circumstances. Directs Federal law enforcement agencies to: (1) cease practices that encourage racial profiling; and (2) maintain policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling, including the collection of data on routine investigatory activities, procedures for responding meaningfully to complaints alleging racial profiling, and procedures to discipline agents who engage in racial profiling. Requires that an application by a State, local , or Indian tribal government for funding under the Byrne, Cops on the Beat, or Local Law Enforcement Block Grant program include a certification that such government: (1) maintains adequate policies and procedures designed to eliminate racial profiling; and (2) has ceased any practices that encourage racial profiling. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to States and specified entities to develop and implement best practice devices and systems to ensure the racially neutral administration of justice.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2004
Urges that: (1) a commemorative postage stamp be issued in honor of the centennial anniversary of Rotary International and its effort to eradicate polio; (2) the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee of the U.S. Postal Service recommend to the Postmaster General that such a stamp be issued; and (3) the Rotary Clubs of the United States be commended for 100 years of volunteer service.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2004
States that Congress recognizes: (1) as an historic achievement of friendship more than five decades of strategic partnership between the United States and the people of the Marshall Islands in pursuit of international peace and security; and (2) the importance of the nuclear weapon test code-named Bravo at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands on March 1, 1954.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2004
Osteoporosis Education and Prevention Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a national campaign to increase awareness and knowledge with respect to osteoporosis. Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to direct the Assistant Secretary for Aging to make demonstration program grants to public and private nonprofit agencies, organizations, and institutions to provide information and outreach for the prevention of osteoporosis.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2004
Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that there is a critical need to increase awareness and education about heart disease and the risk factors for heart disease among women. Commends First Lady Laura Bush and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in their vital campaign to raise public awareness that heart disease is the number one killer of American women. Recognizes that the more women become cognizant of the scourge of heart disease and how to prevent it, the more likely they can make sound lifestyle changes to help reduce their chances of getting heart disease.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2004
Family and Workplace Balancing Act of 2004 - Balancing Act of 2004 - Provides assistance for working families through: (1) family and medical care leave; (2) expanded child care for young children and incentives for child care providers; (3) preschool, in-school, and afterschool nutrition and education; (4) temporary and part-time workers pension and health plan benefits; and (5) encouragement of business use of employee telecommuting. Family Income to Respond to Significant Transitions Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to make five-year grants to a State or local government to pay for the Federal share of the cost of carrying out projects that assist families by providing wage replacement for eligible individuals responding to caregiving needs resulting from the birth or adoption of a son or daughter or other family caregiving needs. Family and Medical Leave Enhancement Act of 2003 - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to allow employees covered by FMLA to take up to four hours during any 30-day period, and up to 24 hours during any 12-month period, of parental involvement leave to participate in or attend their children's or grandchildren's educational and extracurricular activities. Amends Federal civil service law to apply the same parental involvement leave allowance to Federal employees. Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to authorize additional funds for expanding child care activities for young children less than three years of age. Establishes: (1) the Child Care Provider Development and Retention Grant Program; and (2) the Child Care Provider Scholarship Program. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to allot funds to eligible States (and Indian tribes and tribal organizations) for distribution directly, or at State option through local governments, to pay the Federal share of the cost of making grants to eligible child care providers under both such programs. Healthy Early Education Workforce Grant Program Act - Authorizes the Secretary of HHS to allot funds to eligible States (and Indian tribes and tribal organizations) to pay for the Federal share of the cost of providing access to affordable health benefits coverage for: (1) eligible child care providers; and (2) at State option, the spouses, domestic partners, and dependents of such providers. Directs the Secretary to conduct an evaluation of several such funded State programs representing various approaches to increasing the rate of coverage for child care providers. Child Care Construction and Renovation Incentive Grants Act - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to provide for use of community development block grants to establish child care facilities. Amends the National Housing Act to provide for insurance for mortgages: (1) on new and rehabilitated child care facilities; and (2) for acquisition of or the refinancing of debt on existing child care facilities. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make technical and financial assistance grants to acquire or improve child care facilities or equipment. Directs the Secretary of HHS to establish a business child care incentive grant program. Universal Prekindergarten Act - Directs the Secretary of HHS to make grants to State agencies to develop full-day, full-year universal prekindergarten programs for all children three, four, and five years old. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (CNA) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a universal free school breakfast program without regard to family incomes. Provides that appropriations and expenditures for CNA shall be considered HHS, not Department of Agriculture, functions for budget purposes. Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program of healthy school nutrition environment incentive grants. Revises CNA and NSLA requirements for regulation of competitive foods. Revises NSLA child and adult care food program provisions relating to reimbursements for afterschool dinners and eligibility of private child care centers. Afterschool Education Enhancement Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require State educational agencies to give priority to 21st century community learning centers program applications submitted jointly by eligible entities consisting of at least one local educational agency receiving funds under ESEA provisions for disadvantaged students and at least one community-based organization or other public or private entity. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide for treatment of employees working at less than full-time under participation, vesting, and accrual rules governing pension plans and under group health plans. Expands the definition of employee to include certain individuals whose services are leased or contracted for. United States Business Telework Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to conduct, in not more than five States, a pilot program to raise awareness about telework among employers and to encourage them to offer telework options to employees.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2004
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2004 - Adjusts the basic Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity amount for surviving spouses, age 62 and older, of former military personnel to: (1) 35 percent of the retired pay of the decedent (current law), for months before October 2005; (2) 40 percent for months after September 2005 and before October 2008; (3) 45 percent for months after September 2008 and before October 2014; and (4) 55 percent for months after September 2014 . Adjusts similarly percentage amounts with respect to survivors of reserve personnel and survivors of persons who die while on active duty. Provides a corresponding phased elimination of the SBP supplemental annuity authorized to be provided to such surviving spouses. Requires periodic recomputation of: (1) annuity amounts beginning in October 2005; and (2) retired pay reductions for supplemental survivor annuities. Provides a one-year open enrollment period for SBP participation, commencing October 1, 2005, for those currently not participating, those electing to increase current coverage, and those wishing to participate in the supplemental SBP. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to require appropriate premiums for SBP participation.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2004
Pacific Insular Areas Rural Telemedicine Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require a telecommunications carrier, in providing telecommunications services to health care providers for American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam (collectively referred to as territories), to treat Honolulu, Hawaii, as the urban area whose telecommunications rate shall be used for comparison purposes in determining the appropriate rate to be charged for telecommunications services to health care providers for such territories.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2004
Authorizes and requests the President to award the Medal of Honor posthumously to Colonel Rex T. Barber, U.S. Air Force (retired), for acts of valor while serving with the Army Air Corps during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2004
Recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education (in which the Court determined that segregated schools are not equal, a decision that led to the desegregation of public schools).
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2004
Declares that the House of Representatives offers its gratitude to the seven Space Shuttle Columbia astronauts and its heartfelt sympathy to their families on the anniversary of their loss, with the reassurance that this sacrifice will not have been made in vain, but will strengthen this Nation's resolve to continue their journey of discovery.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2004
Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly benefit of $1,000 to certain honorably-discharged veterans of the U.S. Merchant Marine who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946 (or to their survivors). Includes service in the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service. Exempts benefits paid under this Act from taxation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2004
United States Seaport Multiyear Security Enhancement Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to make grants to seaports to enhance security if the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, determines that the grant will improve security at a seaport or improve the efficiency of the seaport without lessening security.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
National Security Language Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish programs to encourage early foreign language instruction, including grants to: (1) partnerships of institutions of higher education (IHEs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) for activities relating to foreign language instruction at elementary or secondary schools, with priorities for high-need LEAs and less-commonly taught foreign languages; and (2) IHEs that develop innovative programs for the teaching of foreign languages, with priorities for combining foreign languages with science and technology and for less-commonly taught foreign languages. Provides undergraduate student loan forgiveness of up to $10,000 for students who major in a critical need foreign language and are employed as teachers of such language in elementary or secondary schools or as using such language regularly in a Federal agency. Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) establish a foreign language education marketing campaign to encourage students at secondary schools and IHEs to study foreign languages, particularly ones less commonly taught and critical to national security; and (2) conduct a study to identify foreign language heritage communities and recruit speakers of such critical languages. Amends the David L. Boren National Security Education Act of 1991 to establish an International Flagship Language Initiative with grants to IHEs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Resolves that: (1) the House of Representatives (House) does not support the lowering of standards or the weakening of the rules of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) prohibiting obscene and indecent broadcasts to allow network or other communications to use language that is indecent or vulgar; (2) the FCC has a responsibility to utilize its enforcement authority to maintain those rules; and (3) the House will not allow the FCC to permit intrusion upon the family's ability to raise their children in an environment that is not inundated with indecent or profane language on our public airwaves.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Recognizes: (1) the importance of good cervical health, preventing human papillomavirus (HPV), and early cervical cancer detection; and (2) the courage of cervical cancer survivors. Urges: (1) medical institutions to continue to raise public awareness about cervical cancer and early detection; and (2) Federal health agencies to provide the public and health care professionals with medically accurate HPV information.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to give family- or employment-based immigrant visa priority to the children, sons, or daughters of Filipino World War II veterans who were naturalized as U.S. citizens under the Immigration Act of 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Affirms congressional support for preserving President Franklin D. Roosevelt's profile on the dime because of his innumerable contributions to and lasting impact on the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2003
Brown Tree Snake Control and Eradication Act of 2003 - Expresses the sense of Congress that there is a need for better coordinated control, interdiction, research, and eradication of the brown tree snake. Requires all Federal agencies to take measures to prevent the introduction or spread of the snake in the United States and to fund programs for the control and eradication of the snake. Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to: (1) fund snake control, interdiction, research, and eradication efforts; (2) establish quarantine protocols to prevent the introduction or spread of the snake in the United States; and (3) establish a committee to be known as the Brown Tree Snake Control and Eradication Committee to coordinate activities among Federal agencies and between the U.S. Government and State, territorial, and local governments for the control, interdiction, research, and eradication of the snake. Designates the brown tree snake as: (1) an agricultural pest under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act; and (2) non-mailable matter.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2003
Seeds for Soldiers Act - Authorizes the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), using loan authority under the Small Business Act, to make loans to small businesses owned and controlled by veterans. Allows such loans to be made for any business purpose, including the refinancing of outstanding business debt. Defers loan principal payments for one year after loan issuance. Prohibits the total amount outstanding and committed to a borrower from exceeding $3 million. Provides conditions under which the Administrator may participate in SBA-guaranteed loans to such businesses, including collection of a loan guarantee fee. Terminates the loan authority at the end of 2005. Directs the Administrator to make grants to small business development centers to enable such centers to provide to veterans a program of assistance that includes training in a vocational or technical trade and entrepreneurial assistance in establishing and operating a small business that provides services in such trade. Provides a minimum grant amount of $500,000.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2003
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member. Directs the Secretary to reimburse such eligible persons for pharmacy benefits received from a pharmacy that is not a TRICARE (Department of Defense managed health care plan) network pharmacy in the same manner as the Secretary would reimburse such person for such benefits received from a TRICARE network pharmacy. Requires such persons, in order to receive such reimbursement, to submit a certification from their physician stating that the person does not have access to a TRICARE network pharmacy due to physical or medical constraints. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive the monthly part B premium (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) with respect to: (1) an individual who is entitled to military retired or retainer pay based upon service that began before December 7, 1956; and (2) the spouse, widow, or widower of such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2003
Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act - States that the purpose of this Act is to improve minority health and healthcare and to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health and healthcare. FamilyCare Act of 2003 - Amends the Social Security Act respecting: (1) family care; (2) Medicaid coverage for all residents with poverty level incomes; and (3) funding for the territories. Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to provide for optional coverage of legal immigrants under Medicaid and SCHIP (State children's health insurance program). Amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to revise provisions respecting program operations and funding. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a demonstration project to strengthen Medicaid and SCHIP coverage for migrant workers and farmworkers. Establishes the National Commission for Expanded Access to Health Care. Amends the Public Service Health Act to improve limited English speakers' access to health care. Directs the Secretary to establish a Center for Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Healthcare. Provides for health workforce diversity, including provisions respecting: (1) career training and support; (2) data collection; (3) cultural training; (4) Hispanic-serving health professions schools; (5) student assistance, including online degree programs; (6) the Louis Stokes public health scholars program; (7) the Patsy Mink health and gender research fellowship program; (8) the Paul David Wellstone international health fellowship program; and (9) the Edward R. Roybal Healthcare scholar program. Environmental Justice Act of 2003 - Establishes: (1) the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice which shall provide guidance to Federal agencies for identifying disproportionately high and adverse health and environmental effects on minority, low-income, and Native American populations; and (2) the Federal Environmental Justice Advisory Committee which shall advise the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Working Group on areas environmental justice. Border Health Security Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary, through the United States members of the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission, to award grants to eligible entities to improve the health of border area residents that are established by: (1) the United States members of the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission; (2) the State border health offices; and (3) the Secretary. Amends the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission Act to make permanent authorizations of appropriations for activities under such Act. Patient Navigator, Outreach, and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to public and nonprofit private health centers (including Indian Health Service Centers, tribal governments, urban Indian organizations, tribal organizations, clinics serving Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and Alaska Natives, and rural health clinics) for model programs that provide health disparity populations with: (1) cancer and chronic disease prevention and treatment; (2) patient navigators to manage the care of individuals within such groups; and (3) outreach services. Authorizes similar grant programs through: (1) the National Cancer Institute; and (2) the Indian Health Service. Community Health Workers Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States or local or tribal units to promote positive health behaviors for women in target populations, especially racial and ethnic minority women in medically underserved communities. Extends funding for breast and cervical cancer preventive health measures. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to qualifying health centers, nonprofit organizations, and public institutions for cancer treatment and prevention programs for underserved minority and other populations, with consideration given to such population's language and cultural context. Provides for grants and activities respecting: (1) health empowerment zone programs in health disparity communities; (2) the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative; (3) infant mortality and sudden infant death syndrome rates in minority communities; (4) fetal alcohol syndrome treatment and diagnosis; (5) diabetes prevention and treatment activities with Indian tribes, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians; (6) diabetes programs, including youth and children's programs; (7) heart disease; (8) a national stroke education campaign; and (9) obesity treatment and prevention in underserved minority populations; (10) tuberculosis control and prevention; (11) asthma; (12) sickle cell disease; (13) autoimmune disease in minority populations; (14) sexually transmitted diseases; (15) children's dental disease coverage under Medicaid or SCHIP, and dental health services in underserved areas; (16) demonstration projects to reduce violence; (17) uterine fibroid research and education; (18) disease screening; (19) community outreach; (20) immunizations; (21) chronic disease management; and (22) racial and ethnic approaches to community health. Requires HHS funded or operated programs to collect race, ethnicity, and language data to detect ethnic and racial health care disparities. Authorizes demonstration program grants for health plan, health center, and hospital data collection. Amends the Social Security Act to require the Social Security Administration to collect similar data. Directs the Secretary to fund epidemiology centers in Indian health areas lacking such centers. Extends funding for the National Center for Health Statistics. Minority Health and Genomics Act of 2003 - Establishes the Minority Health and Genomics Commission, which shall conduct a study of, and develop recommendations on, issues relating to genomic research as applied to minority groups. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) civil rights compliance offices within each HHS agency that administers a health program; and (2) an Office of Minority Health within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Establishes the Indian Health Service as an agency of the Public Health Service. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to establish an Office of Minority Affairs within the Office of the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to make grants for demonstration programs to improve minority healthcare access and quality. Directs the Secretary to: (1) designate centers of excellence at hospitals and other health systems serving large numbers of minority patients; (2) provide financial assistance to designated healthcare providers and community health centers for facility and service improvements in American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii; and (3) provide grants and loan guarantees from the Health Safety Net Infrastructure Trust Fund (established by this Act) for capital financing assistance to eligible healthcare facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2003
Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2003 or Johanna's Law - Directs The Secretary of Health and Human Services: (1) through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in collaboration with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to carry out a national campaign to increase the awareness and knowledge of women with respect to gynecologic cancers; and (2) through NIH and the Director, to carry out a demonstration program with nonprofit private entities to test different outreach and education strategies to increase such awareness among women and health care providers.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2003
Firefighters Medical Monitoring Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, to monitor the long-term medical health of firefighters who have fought fires in any area for which the President has declared a major disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Federal Government has a responsibility to further research on von Willebrand's disease, improve access to treatment centers for all individuals with bleeding disorders, and increase funding for research; (2) the Director of the National Institutes of Health should develop a 5-year research plan concerning women with bleeding disorders; (3) the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should continue to improve outreach, treatment, and prevention of the complications of women's bleeding disorders; (4) physicians should screen all adolescents and all adult women presenting with severe menorrhagia for von Willebrand's disease; (5) hysterectomy for excessive menstrual bleeding should not be performed without the consideration of a bleeding disorder; (6) referral of women with bleeding disorders to a federally sponsored hemophilia treatment center is critical to comprehensive treatment; (7) physicians should be encouraged to conduct clotting factor assays for carrier diagnosis and to facilitate genotyping of the disorder and patients should be referred for genetic counseling when appropriate; and (8) patient advocate organizations and medical specialty societies should continue to collaborate on public education campaigns to educate women about bleeding disorders.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2003
Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to use amounts in the Multinational Species Conservation Fund to finance projects for the conservation of marine turtles and their nesting habitats in foreign countries. Authorizes the Secretary to approve projects that help recover and sustain viable populations of marine turtles in the wild by assisting conservation programs in foreign countries. Gives preference to projects which: (1) are designed for long-term conservation of marine turtles and their nesting habitats; and (2) have matching funds available. Establishes the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund as a separate account in the Multinational Species Conservation Fund. Authorizes the Secretary to convene an advisory group of individuals representing public and private organizations actively involved in the conservation of marine turtles.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2003
Urges the President to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Pope John Paul II to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the inauguration of his ministry as Bishop of Rome and Supreme Pastor of the Catholic Church.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2003
Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Act or the PREEMIE Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to expand and coordinate research relating to preterm labor and delivery and infant mortality. Establishes within NIH two networks: a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network and a Neonatal Research Unit Network. Requires the Director of the CDC to study and report on the relationship between prematurity, birth defects, and developmental disabilities as well as review the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Survey. Requires the Director of NIH to contract with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences for a study on the health and economic consequences of preterm birth. Directs the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration to assess the current national core performance and outcome measures under the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant with the goal of expanding them to include known risk factors of low birthweight and prematurity such as smoking by pregnant women. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants for a demonstration project to improve the provision of information on prematurity to health professionals and other health care providers and the public. Funds grants for projects to support the informational and emotional needs of families during the stay of an infant in a neonatal intensive care unit (nicu). Establishes an Interagency Coordinating Council on Prematurity and Low Birthweight.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2003
Hospitalized Veterans Financial Assistance Act of 2003 - Makes the commencement date of the period of payment of a temporary increase in veterans' disability compensation for hospitalization or treatment the day on which such hospitalization or treatment commences. (Currently, such date is the first day of the month in which such hospitalization or treatment commences, when the hospitalization or treatment commences and terminates within the same calendar month.)
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2003
Save Our Homes Act - Amends the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 to: (1) require itemization and disclosure of the annual percentage rate of mortgage loans and other loans secured by residential real property originated by the lending institution, including the amount of fees and points imposed in connection with loan origination, grouped according to census tract, income level, racial characteristics, age, and gender; and (2) prohibit regulatory exemptions of depository institutions from such reporting requirements. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to: (1) set forth annual percentage rates that define a high-cost mortgage and related points and fees in order to apply high-cost loan protections to home purchase loans; (2) treat certain mortgage broker intermediaries as creditors covered by the Act; (3) subject a creditor to liability for mortgage broker violations of the Act; and (4) prohibit specified provisions and clauses in a high-cost mortgage. Declares unenforceable under both Federal and State law a high-cost mortgage document in which blanks are left to be filled in after the contract is signed. Prescribes requirements for conforming home loans. Prohibits creditors and mortgage brokers from directly or indirectly coercing, intimidating, or withholding compensation from an appraiser in order to influence the appraiser's independent judgment with respect to the value of real estate to be covered by a conforming home loan. Establishes criminal and civil penalties for violation of such prohibition. Excludes from participation in mortgage-backed security pools high-cost or conforming home loans in violation of this Act. Prescribes a formula for determining an alternative maximum amount of civil liability for credit or mortgage broker violations involving high-cost mortgages and conforming loans.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2003
Compassionate Visitor Visa Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to remove the initial burden of establishing that an alien is entitled to nonimmigrant status in the case of an alien seeking to enter the United States for a temporary stay occasioned by the serious illness or death of a family member who is a U.S. citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence unless such alien is: (1) an excludable alien; or (2) does not intend to leave the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2003
SCHIP Territorial Allocation Equity Act of 2003 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to provide for the allocation of SCHIP allotments to territories in the same manner as for States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2003
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of the World Year of Physics, as designated by the General Assembly of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics. Encourages: (1) the American people to observe such Year as a special occasion for giving impetus to education and research in physics; (2) all science-related government agencies and nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and the media to highlight and give enhanced recognition to the role of physics in social, cultural, and economic development; and (3) those involved in physics education and research to take additional steps to ensure that support for physics continues and that physics studies continue to attract an adequate number of students.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2003
Authorizes the President to award congressional gold medals posthumously, to their next of kin, on behalf of Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson, in recognition of their contributions to the Nation as pioneers in South Carolina in the effort to desegregate public schools that led directly to the landmark desegregation case of Brown et al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka et al. Directs that amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals be deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
![Official portrait of Del. Bordallo, Madeleine Z. [D-GU-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b001245_200.jpg)