United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
United States Employee Ownership Bank Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish the United States Employee Ownership Bank in order to foster increased employee ownership and participation in company decision-making throughout the United States. Lists among the Bank's duties providing loans to enable employees to purchase a business through an employee stock ownership plan or eligible worker-owned cooperative that is at least 51 percent employee-owned. States that such loans are subordinated to the interests of all other creditors, loan guarantees, and technical assistance programs. Amends the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 to provide that in assessing and taking into account the record of a financial institution, the appropriate Federal financial supervisory agency may consider as a factor capital investments, loans, loan participation, technical assistance, financial advice, grants, and other ventures undertaken by the institution to support or enable manufacturing employees to establish employee stock ownership plans or eligible worker owned cooperatives that are at least 51 percent employee-owned plans or cooperatives.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Infant and Toddler Durable Product Safety Act - Instructs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to: (1) promulgate a consumer product safety standard for durable infant or toddler products; and (2) establish an Infant and Toddler Product Review Panel to advise the Commission regarding guidelines and promulgation of consumer product safety standards for such products. Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act to declare the limitation on maximum civil penalty inapplicable to this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Directs the Architect of the Capitol to enter into a contract for the design and construction of a monument, which shall be placed on permanent display in the Capitol Visitor Center, commemorating the contributions of minority women to women's suffrage and to the participation of women in U.S. public life. Requires the monument to depict African, Hispanic, Asian Pacific, Jewish, and Native American women. Requires use of an advisory committee to make recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2003
Cord Blood Stem Cell Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to enter into contracts with qualified cord blood stem cell banks to assist in the establishment, provision, and maintenance of a National Network of Cord Blood Stem Cell Banks. Lists the purposes of qualifying donor banks and requirements qualifying donor banks must meet. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to establish as part of the Network a National Cord Blood Stem Cell Registry. Sets forth the functions of the Registry, which shall include: (1) operating a system for identifying, acquiring, and distributing donated units or cord blood; and (2) maintaining a database with certain information, including the clinical outcomes of all transplantations related to the Network.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2003
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public and nonprofit private entities to establish or operate demonstration projects for increasing the supply of organs donated for human transplantation. Requires certain professional consultation. Allows such projects to establish appropriate financial incentives for organ donation, including the payment of travel and subsistence expenses incurred by individuals making living donations. Requires such incentives to include one or more projects to provide payments for the purchase of life insurance policies or annuities, payable to a donor's designee. Limits evaluation costs to five percent of authorized funds.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2003
Expresses support for designation of "Hire a Veteran Week." Encourages the President to issue a proclamation calling upon employers, labor organizations, veterans service organizations, and Federal, State, and local governmental agencies to lend their support to increase employment of men and women who have served in the armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2003
Declares the sense of Congress that: (1) the victims of the Soviet-engineered Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933 ("Holodomor") be solemnly remembered on its 70th anniversary; (2) the systematic violations of human rights, freedom of self-determination, and freedom of speech of the Ukrainian people by the government of the former Soviet Union should be condemned; (3) information regarding the Holodomor should be disseminated in order to expand the world's knowledge of this man-made tragedy; and (4) on the 70th anniversary of Holodomor efforts in Ukraine should be supported to ensure democratic principles, a free-market economy, and full respect for human rights, thereby enabling Ukraine to achieve its potential as an important strategic partner in the region.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2003
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal honoring Wilma G. Rudolph (three-time gold medal winner in the 1960 Olympics) in recognition of her outstanding and enduring contributions to humanity and to women's athletics.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2003
American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 one dollar silver coins in commemoration of disabled American veterans, which shall be emblematic of the design selected by the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial. Requires: (1) all sales of the coins include a ten dollar per coin surcharge; and (2) the surcharges received to be paid to the Foundation to establish an endowment to support the construction of American Veterans' Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2003
Workers with Disabilities Opportunity Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to remove the limitation on the period of Medicare (SSA title XVIII part A) Hospital Insurance program eligibility for disabled workers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2003
Directs: (1) the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to the family of the late Raul Julia in recognition of his dedication to ending world hunger and his great contributions to the Latino community and the performing arts; and (2) the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer half of the amount by which the sum of any gifts and donations received and any proceeds from the sale of duplicate medals exceeds the costs incurred in carrying out this Act to the New York Public Theater and half to the New York Shakespeare Festival.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2003
Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as of October 2, 2004, to give a higher priority in the provision of hospital care and medical services under the veterans' patient enrollment system to veterans who are eligible for treatment as a low-income family under the United States Housing Act of 1937 for the area in which the veterans reside, regardless of whether such veterans are otherwise treated as single person families or families under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2003
Minority Serving Institution Digital and Wireless Technology Opportunity Act of 2003- Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Minority Serving Institution Digital and Wireless Technology Opportunity Program to assist eligible educational institutions in acquiring, and augmenting use of, digital and wireless networking technologies to improve the quality and delivery of educational services at such institutions. Defines as eligible institutions: (1) historically Black colleges or universities, (2) a Hispanic-, Alaskan Native-, or Native Hawaiian-serving institution; (3) a tribally controlled college or university; or (4) an institution with a sufficient enrollment of needy students as defined under the Higher Education Act of 1965. Outlines authorized assistance activities. Directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology to: (1) establish an advisory council to advise on the best approaches toward maximum Program participation by eligible institutions; and (2) ensure that grant awards are made to all types of eligible institutions. Requires Program assessment every three years by the National Academy of Public Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2003
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to make annually renewable grants to local educational agencies to assist them in recruiting and retaining teachers for high-need elementary or secondary schools that: (1) provide a free public education; (2) at least 75 percent of whose students receive a free or reduced-cost lunch in accordance with the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act; and (3) which have been assigned a school locale code of 7 or 8 (rural or high-poverty). Requires the use of such grants to increase by $5000 the salary of each full-time teacher in such a school.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2003
Food Choking Prevention Act of 2003 - Directs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to establish an Office of Choking Hazard Evaluation to require warning labels on food primarily consumed by children that pose a demonstrably high choking risk. Authorizes the Office to require informational labels on food consumed by children that pose a demonstrably high choking risk. Grants the Office mandatory recall authority over food determined to pose a significant and unacceptable choking hazard to the general public. Requires the Office to: (1) provide educational materials on food choking hazards, precautions, and life-saving procedures for pediatricians and hospitals to distribute to patients aged 14 and younger; and (2) designate one week a year as "National Child Food Choking Prevention Week" and widely publicize choking hazards and life-saving procedures during that week. Mandates establishment of a Choking Hazard Evaluation Task Force to staff establish criteria to determine whether a food poses a significant and unacceptable choking hazard. Directs the FDA to: (1) ensure the operation of a national database of food choking incidents; and (2) provide a reporting system throughout its field offices, which the health care profession and the general public can readily access to report new incidents.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2003
Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act of 2003 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer providing group coverage, from: (1) excluding or restricting benefits for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services; (2) denying eligibility based on use or potential use of such items or services; (3) providing monetary payments or rebates to a covered individual to encourage acceptance of less than the minimum protections available; (4) penalizing, reducing, or limiting a professional's reimbursement because the professional prescribed such drugs or devices or provided such services; or (5) providing incentives to a professional to induce the professional to withhold drugs, devices, or services. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply those prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2003
Profiting from Access to Computer Technology (PACT) Act - Child PACT Act - Directs each Federal agency to: (1) safeguard and identify educationally useful Federal equipment that it no longer needs or that has been declared surplus; (2) transfer such equipment, either directly or through the General Services Administration (GSA), to educational recipients or nonprofit refurbishers; and (3) encourage employees with computer expertise to assist in providing maintenance and technical support for the recipients of such equipment, connecting school classrooms to the Internet, and helping teachers to learn to use computers to teach.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2003
Medicare Patient Access to Drugs for Rare Diseases Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the methodology by which payment for orphan drugs and biologicals is made under the Medicare prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on payment for orphan drugs and biologicals and blood clotting factors for individuals with hemophilia in the OPD setting, including recommendations for either continuing or discontinuing the exclusion of such drugs and biologicals from payment under Medicare. Provides for a moratorium on decreases in payment rates for orphan drugs and biologicals and blood clotting factors for certain individuals with hemophilia.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2003
Providing Our Support to Troops Act of 2003 - Allows personal correspondence or certain parcels to be mailed free of postage if such matter is: (1) sent from within an area served by a U.S. post office; (2) addressed to an active-duty member of the armed forces or a civilian authorized to use postal services at military installations who holds a position or performs a function in support of military operations; and (3) addressed either to such an individual at a military post office established in an overseas area where the armed forces are engaged in operations involving armed conflict against a hostile foreign force, or to an individual who is hospitalized for a disease or injury resulting from service in such an area. Prohibits the free mailing privilege for any mail matter containing any advertising.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2003
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. (posthumously) and his widow, Coretta Scott King, in recognition of their service to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2003
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a study regarding the suitability and feasibility of designating Castle Nugent Farms, located on the southeastern shore of St. Croix, Virgin Islands, as a unit of the National Park System.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2003
Model Alternative Publicly Accountable Schools Act of 2003 - Authorizes appropriations for: (1) public transformation schools in the District of Columbia to expand opportunities for low-income District parents to enroll their children in higher-performing schools, and to fund the additional services necessary to achieve continued improvements in the performance of such students; and (2) the Direct Loan Fund for Charter School Improvement, to be used to expand opportunities for District students to attend charter schools in the District.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2003
Commends: (1) the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for successfully negotiating and signing in Accra, Ghana, on June 17, 2003, the "Agreement on Ceasefire and Cessation of Hostilities Between the Government of the Republic of Liberia and Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy and the Movement for Democracy of Liberia" (Ceasefire Agreement); (2) the Parties to the Ceasefire Agreement; and (3) the Liberian civil society and Liberian communities in exile for continuing to strive for peace and democracy in their country and for sustaining families unable to survive economically under President Taylor's corrupt regime with financial remittances and for steadfast advocacy for their country; Calls on all parties to the Ceasefire Agreement to: (1) refrain from committing, aiding, abetting, or permitting, any acts in violation of the Agreement; and (2) facilitate the sustained delivery of humanitarian relief supplies throughout the country, ensure the safety and freedom of movement of all humanitarian workers, abide by the Ceasefire Agreement timetable, and form a transitional national government. Calls on President Charles Taylor to implement his June 4, 2003, statement that he would seek "a national unity government immediately" and be willing to remove himself from power in the interest of transition to peace for the Liberian people. Commends the Special Court for Sierra Leone for its work to bring justice to the people of Sierra Leone who suffered in the civil war sponsored by President Charles Taylor and fueled by the trade in "conflict diamonds". Calls upon the U.S. Government to: (1) to assume a leadership role in the international community through its membership in the International Contact Group for Liberia to help guide the Ceasefire Agreement and subsequent peace agreement, political transition and establishment of a sustainable democracy with good governance, and economic reconstruction processes; and (2) play a strong and proactive role in supporting the Ceasefire Agreement and peace and reconciliation initiatives. Calls upon the Secretary of State to: (1) take a lead role in collaboration with ECOWAS in negotiating the establishment of the Joint Verification Team under the Ceasefire Agreement; (2) provide leadership and participate in negotiations to establish the Joint Monitoring Committee to supervise the ceasefire; and (3) together with the United Nations, ECOWAS, and the African Union to establish and deploy an International Stabilization Force that will initially monitor the peace agreement and provide security for humanitarian relief efforts. Calls upon the Secretary of Defense to: (1) provide military experts, personnel, logistical support, equipment and funds to support the Joint Verification Team; (2) provide financial, logistical, personnel, and technical support, and to participate in the Joint Monitoring Committee; and (3) play a lead role in creating and deploying an international stabilization force to Liberia. Calls on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to: (1) commit to providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Liberia; (2) focus on the most vulnerable populations, including internally displaced persons and war-affected persons in Monrovia; and (3) coordinate relief efforts with national and international nongovernmental organizations and other donors. Calls on the international community to: (1) support humanitarian efforts to meet the urgent and dire needs of the Liberian people; (2) support efforts that advance the development of democratic civil institutions in Liberia; and (3) assist in the establishment of a government that respects the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of its neighbors. Calls upon Liberian indigenous private and voluntary organizations active in local grassroots rehabilitation, reconstruction, and development efforts and Liberians living overseas to engage fully in the international efforts to help restore Liberia as a viable country in which present and future generations can live peacefully. Calls upon the United Nations to: (1) provide peacekeeping troops to enforce the Ceasefire Agreement, protect humanitarian efforts, and maintain a stable transitional environment; and (2) provide adequate repatriation packages for refugees and resettlement packages for internally displaced persons.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2003
Fishing Quota Standards Act of 2003 - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (the Act) to require the Regional Fishery Management Councils and the Secretary of Commerce or the Secretary's designee, when developing a limited access system for fisheries to achieve optimum yield (fishing quota system), to take into account, among other factors: (1) the conservation requirements of the Act with respect to fisheries; and (2) the fair and equitable distribution of a public resource. Authorizes the establishment of a fishing quota system in a fishery management plan or amendment prepared by any Regional Fishery Management Council or the Secretary. Directs the Councils and Secretary to ensure that any such proposed system comply with certain requirements. Prohibits approval or implementation by the Secretary of any plan or amendment establishing such a system unless it has been approved by more than two-thirds of those voting in a referendum among eligible permit holders. Sets forth requirements for review committees established by Councils and for a Secretarial review committee. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations which establish certain requirements for fishing quota systems.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2003
Honors the life and accomplishments of Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr., the first African-American Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. Recognizes his legendary compassion as a civil rights leader. Extends the condolences of the House of Representatives to the Jackson family and the city of Atlanta on his death.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2003
Expresses sorrow on the death of Lawrence Eugene "Larry" Doby (the first African American to play professional baseball in the American League) and appreciation for the impact that he made in pioneering civil rights by breaking down racial barriers in baseball and in America.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2003
State Threat Alert Reimbursement (STAR) Act of 2003 - Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to reimburse a State for direct expenses and losses that exceed normal operating expenses incurred by State or local government entities in the course of duty during the effective period of an increased threat alert. Allows the Governor of any State to submit a request for reimbursement by not later than 90 days after the declaration of the elevated threat condition. Instructs the Secretary to provide for the submission of requests by use of the Internet. Requires the Secretary to notify the Select Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate before making any payment of greater than $20 million to a State under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2003
Salute to Veterans and the Armed Forces Act of 2003 - Allows the full payment of military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation, without deduction from either (current law), without the enactment of qualifying offsetting legislation. Repeals: (1) special compensation programs for certain severely disabled and combat-disabled military retirees; and (2) provisions requiring a dependency and indemnity compensation offset from surviving spouse annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan. Increases the amount of basic educational assistance for members of the Selected Reserve. Directs the Secretary of Defense, for fiscal years after 2005, to provide a percentage increase in the higher learning cost index for determining basic educational assistance amounts. Directs the Secretary to pay a bonus to members who, at any time during service under Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom, satisfied eligibility requirements for the receipt of special pay for duty subject to hostile fire or imminent danger. Directs the Secretary of Homeland to provide such bonus to qualifying Coast Guard members. Authorizes additional appropriations for veterans' improved access to medical care. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make interim payments under claims for veterans' benefits when the final decision regarding the payment of such benefits is delayed following remand by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims or the Board for Veterans' Appeals to the Secretary for expedited consideration. Prohibits with respect to veterans: (1) increases in medication copayments; and (2) the imposition of health care enrollment fees. Requires the: (1) Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and Labor to provide appropriate information concerning veterans' benefits and employment opportunities; and (2) Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prepare an annual plan for the conduct of veterans' outreach activities. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to place the maximum individual income tax rate at 38.6 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2003
National Heroes Credit Protection Act - Amends the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 to require any consumer credit information entity that receives from a creditor a negative report of nonpayment or late payment with respect to the account of a person in military service to enter a notation that the account is delinquent or paid slowly due to military service. Requires any future potential creditor that receives a credit report that includes such a notation to disregard any negative information so noted.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2003
Acknowledges the strong relationship between the United States and the Republic of Mali and encourages expanded relations between the two countries on issues of importance to them, including assistance programs aimed at promoting economic development in Mali. Applauds Mali for building a democratic society, developing a vibrant civil society, and providing leadership in conflict resolution and peacekeeping activities. Recognizes the support and assistance Mali has provided in combating terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Save Social Security First Act of 2003 - Repeals subtitles A (Repeal of Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Taxes) and E (Carryover Basis at Death; Other Changes Taking Effect With Repeal) of title V (Estate, Gift, and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Provisions) of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. Makes the sunset provisions of such Act inapplicable to the remainder of title V. Sets the unified estate credit at $3 million and the maximum estate rate at 50 percent. Appropriates, beginning in 2005, estate tax revenues to the Social Security trust funds.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Minority Diabetes Initiative Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public and private health care providers for the purpose of providing treatment for diabetes in minority communities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Fairness to All Vietnam Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to study and report to Congress: (1) to identify veterans who died after October 31, 1955, as a result of military operations in southeast Asia whose names are not eligible for inscription on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; and (2) on the feasibility and equitability of revising the eligibility requirements to be more inclusive of such veterans or of creating an alternative means for recognizing them, including alternatives involving an education center at the Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Women and Children in Conflict Protection Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) develop a strategy for the protection of women and children who are affected by a complex humanitarian emergency (a situation occurring outside the United States and caused by armed conflict, natural disaster, food shortage, or state-sponsored harassment or persecution, which results in a significant number of refugees, internally displaced persons, or other civilians requiring urgent basic humanitarian assistance) (emergency); and (2) designate coordinators to implement such strategy. Requires such coordinators to: (1) maintain and disseminate a database of information on gender-based violence or exploitation of children during an emergency; (2) assist embassies and consular posts in responding to such risks; and (3) establish a gender-based violence or exploitation reporting and monitoring system for U.S. diplomatic missions and consular posts. Prohibits any State Department refugee or migration assistance from being provided to an organization that has failed to adopt a code of conduct regarding the protection of beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance that incorporates six core principles (established herein) against sexual exploitation and abuse as recommended by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. Requests all national, multilateral, and nongovernmental agencies to review and revise their administrative, management, and employment practices in refugee and displaced persons camps. Requires each coordinator to: (1) ensure that U.S.-funded organizations that respond to an emergency have the necessary resources to address the specific health needs of women affected by the emergency; and (2) identify an organization or individual to facilitate the coordination and implementation of such activities. Directs the Secretary to urge the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to work with nongovernmental organizations to design and implement a model whistleblower system under which humanitarian workers, refugees, and internally displaced persons can report instances of gender-based violence or exploitation of children. Requires: (1) the State Department to work with certain entities to ensure that, in situations of long-term displacement, refugees and internally displaced persons are granted work permits and other documentation to enable them to generate legitimate income; and (2) a report from the Secretary on the development of protection initiatives for the prevention of gender-based violence and exploitation of children. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and implement programs to assist communities that have been affected by an emergency and former combatants (women or children affiliated with an armed group); and (2) report on all current programs to assist nations to reconstitute civilian police authority and capability following an emergency. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide assistance to promote the security of, provide equal access to basic services for, and safeguard the human rights and dignity of civilian women and children who are refugees, displaced persons, or inhabitants of areas affected by an emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2003
Medicare Extension of Drugs to Seniors (MEDS) Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Prescription Medicine Benefit for the Aged and Disabled) establishing a voluntary insurance program to provide prescription medicine benefits, including pharmacy services, for eligible individuals (including low-income individuals) who are aged or disabled or have end-stage renal disease, and who elect to enroll during a prescribed period. Provides that the program shall be financed from monthly premium payments by enrollees together with Federal appropriations. Creates the Prescription Medicine Insurance Account within the Federal Supplemental Medical Insurance Trust Fund. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and implement an Employer Incentive Program that encourages employers to provide adequate prescription medicine benefits to retired individuals and maintain such existing benefit programs. Outlines provisions for substantial reductions in the price of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as amended by the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001, with respect to the importation of certain prescription drugs, to revise testing requirements (granting the Secretary certain waiver discretion), and add approved labeling requirements. Requires the recipient of a patent to make a reasonable pricing agreement with the Secretary (or the Secretary to waive such an agreement in the public interest) if any Federal agency or any non-profit entity: (1) undertakes federally funded health care research and development; and (2) is to convey or provide a patent or other exclusive right to use such research and development for a drug or other health care technology.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2003
Puerto Rico Karst Conservation Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to acquire land in or immediately adjacent to the Karst Region of Puerto Rico for the purpose of protecting and managing the tropical forest areas of the Region, with particular emphasis on water quality and protection of the aquifers. Authorizes the Secretary to use funds from the Puerto Rico Karst Conservation Fund (established by this Act) as well as funds under the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978, the Forest Legacy Program, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Requires these lands to be managed in accordance with the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978. Makes all lands in such region eligible for inclusion in the Forest Legacy Program.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Diamond-Blackfan Anemia Research and Care Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Director of the National Institutes of Health, in coordination with other specified officials, to expand and intensify research and related activities of the Institute with regard to Diamond-Blackfan Anemia. States that the Director shall as part of such effort award grants to, or enter into contracts with, public or private entities to support a comprehensive research initiative. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to: (1) maintain and expand the Diamond-Blackfan Anemia Registry; and (2) establish a comprehensive clinical care center for Diamond-Blackfan Anemia.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Medicines to Eliminate Diseases in Developing States Act or MEDDS Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to encourage developing countries and pharmaceutical companies to make medicines for HIV/AIDS and other diseases available without charge or at affordable prices in developing countries. Prohibits agencies from obligating or expending Federal funds to seek the revocation or revision of any intellectual property or competition law or policy of a developing country that regulates medicines for HIV/AIDS and other diseases, if the law or policy promotes access to such medicines for the population of the country. Prohibits the USTR from initiating a proceeding in the World Trade Organization (WTO) challenging any law or policy of a developing country that promotes such access. Requires the President to direct the U.S. respresentative to the WTO to urge the WTO to exempt developing countries from the application of any provision of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) or other trade agreements that would prohibit or restrict those countries from establishing law or policy promoting access to medicines for HIV/AIDS and other diseases for their populations, and to support full implementation of the Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health. Requires the USTR to oppose the inclusion in future trade agreements of any provision that would prohibit or otherwise restrict developing countries from establishing or implementing the laws or policies encouraged by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2003
National Great Black Americans Commemoration Act of 2003 - Directs the Attorney General, acting through the Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice, to make a grant to the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Inc., to pay up to 25 percent of the costs of expanding its existing facilities to create the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum and Justice Learning Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2003
Insular Areas Community Development Act - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to make Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands eligible for community development loan guarantees by including them within the definition of "eligible public entity."
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2003
Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 2003 - Amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to revise requirements for health care programs and services for Indians, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations. Provides for enrollment of qualified Indians in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) under title XXI of the Social Security Act (SSA), as well as Medicare under SSA title XVIII and Medicaid under SSA title XIX (as under current law). Replaces the Urban Health Programs Branch with an Office for Urban Indian Health. Directs the Secretary, acting through the IHS and Indian tribes and tribal organizations, to consolidate certain existing programs into a new program of comprehensive behavioral health, prevention, treatment, and aftercare for Indian tribes. Establishes the National Bi-Partisan Indian Health Care Entitlement Commission to: (1) establish a Study Committee to study the extent of Indian health services needs; (2) review and analyze the Study Committee's report; and (3) make recommendations to Congress for providing health services for Indians as an entitlement. Reauthorizes the Indian Health Care Improvement Act through FY 2015. Amends SSA titles XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), and XXI (SCHIP) to conform with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2003
Amends the Organic Act of Guam to revise the local judicial structure of Guam to vest judicial authority, not only in the District Court of Guam (as currently), but also in a unified judicial system composed of: (1) an appellate court designated as the "Supreme Court of Guam"; (2) a trial court designated as the "Superior Court of Guam"; and (3) such other lower local courts as may have been or may hereafter be established by the laws of Guam. Authorizes the Supreme Court of Guam to create divisions of the Superior Court and other local courts of Guam. Lists the courts of record for Guam. Outlines the jurisdiction and powers of the local courts. Provides that the qualifications and duties of the justices and judges of the courts shall be governed by the laws of Guam and the rules of such courts. Repeals provisions granting the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit jurisdiction to review all final decisions of the Supreme Court of Guam (effectively allowing direct review of such decisions to the Supreme Court of the United States).
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2003
Health Coverage, Affordability, Responsibility, and Equity Act of 2003 or the HealthCARE Act of 2003 - Amends Title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow State plans for medical assistance to provide Medicaid coverage to individuals who meet a specified standard for poverty. Amends Title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) of the Act to permit a State to opt to provide coverage of targeted low-income children in excess of the State's allotment. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a credit for the cost of qualified health insurance for the taxpayer or qualifying family members. Provides for the advance payment by the Secretary of the Treasury of credit for health insurance costs of eligible low-income individuals. Establishes a program of health insurance purchasing pools (purchasing pools) for eligible individuals in participating states. Sets conditions entities must meet to enter into contracts with a purchasing pool operator. Prohibits participating insurers from limiting or denying coverage or increasing premiums for any of specified health factors. Directs the Secretary to establish standards for State-based reinsurance programs, and permits the Secretary to award grants to States to cover the costs of such programs. Directs the Secretary to establish the National Advisory Commission on Expanded Access to Health Care, which shall assess the effectiveness of programs designed to expand health care coverage or make such coverage affordable to otherwise uninsured individuals. Permits a State to apply to the Secretary for waivers of such provisions of law as may be necessary for the State to implement policies that make comprehensive, affordable health coverage available for all State residents.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2003
Continued Benefits for Injured Military Spouses Act - Entitles to military health care and commissary and exchange benefits the unremarried former spouse of a member of the armed forces who performed at least 20 years of service creditable for retired pay if such spouse: (1) had been married to such member for at least 20 years on the date of divorce or annullment, of which at least ten years were during the period when the member was performing such service; and (2) sought a divorce or annullment due in whole or part to domestic violence involving that person or a child of that person that is substantiated by counseling or medical records, or to other circumstances that constitute unbearable conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2003
Taxpayer Abuse Prevention Resolution of 2003 - Expresses the sense of Congress that Federal tax collection services should not be paid for on the basis of a commission or as a percentage of taxes collected.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Rural Veterans Access to Care Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that no less than five percent of the funds made available each fiscal year for the Medical Care appropriation of the Department of Veterans Affairs are used to improve access to medical services for highly rural or geographically remote veterans, including the use of such funds for: (1) acute or chronic sympton management; (2) nontherapeutic medical services; and (3) other appropriate medical services as determined by the director of the geographic service region involved. Provides for the allocation of such funds to such service regions. Requires review of the operation of this Act and, if necessary, recommendation for an adjustment to the percentage of Medical Care funds required for such purpose.
![Official portrait of Del. Christensen, Donna M. [D-VI-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c000380_200.jpg)