United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2002
Medicare, Medicaid, and MCH Tobacco Use Cessation Promotion Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide coverage of counseling for cessation of tobacco use. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to: (1) provide for coverage of tobacco use cessation medications; and (2) require coverage of tobacco use cessation counseling for pregnant women. Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to make part of quality maternal and child health services counseling for cessation of tobacco use, drugs and biologicals used to promote tobacco use cessation, and the inclusion of antitobacco messages in health promotion counseling.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2002
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers, Farmers, Fishermen, Communities, and Firms Act of 2002 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to revise requirements with respect to: (1) agreements between the United States and cooperating States for certain services for workers adversely affected by import competition; (2) eligibility certification of a group of adversely affected workers for trade adjustment assistance; (3) payment to them of trade adjustment allowances; (4) training programs for them; and (5) the maximum amount of job search and relocation allowances payable to an adversely affected worker. Provides for the eligibility certification for such assistance of adversely affected secondary workers employed at a downstream producer (a firm that performs additional, value-added production processes to articles produced by another firm) or a supplier. Establishes a self-employment training pilot program to be administered by the Small Business Administration for adversely affected workers. Reauthorizes the trade adjustment assistance program for firms adversely affected by import competition. Revises eligibility requirements for certification of communities for trade adjustment assistance. Establishes trade adjustment assistance programs for adversely affected groups of agricultural commodity producers and commercial fishermen or U.S. fish processors. Establishes a program to provide 75 percent of the premium for COBRA continuation health coverage for workers (and their families) eligible for trade adjustment assistance. Allows a State to elect to provide temporary coverage under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act for: (1) certain uninsured workers; and (2) for the unsubsidized portion of COBRA continuation premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2002
Independent Investment Advisers Act of 2002 - Amends the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to require investment advisers that publish any analysis or report regarding a company or its securities to disclose prominently: (1) the amount of fees received from the company during the five-year period preceding the date of publication; (2) any merger or acquisition transaction handled by the adviser that involves debt or equity instruments of that company during such five-year period; (3) any personal debt or equity holdings that the investment adviser have in the company; and (4) the extent to which the investment adviser has debt or equity holdings in that company. Instructs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to prohibit an investment adviser from engaging in transactions with respect to any security of a company during the 30 days beginning on the date on which such adviser publishes any analysis or report regarding such company or its securities. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to instruct the SEC to prohibit any independent public accountant or associated person from engaging in (auditor) trading or transactions with respect to any security of a company during the 30 days preceding, and the 30 days following, the date on which the accountant certifies any financial document regarding the company or its securities.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2002
Employee Pension Freedom Act of 2002 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to set forth requirements for disclosure, diversification, account access, and accountability under defined contribution plans that are individual account plans (401(k) and similar plans). Requires pension plan administrators to provide certain benefit information to participants or beneficiaries periodically. Requires plan sponsors (employers) and plan administrators to provide all material investment information to participants and beneficiaries, in an accurate form, as required to be disclosed to investors under applicable securities laws, and treats misleading investment information as a violation. Requires individual account plans that permit participants or beneficiaries to exercise control over their account assets to grant them the right to allocate all their nonforfeitable accrued benefits which are readily tradable employer securities to any investment option provided under the plan. Reduces, from three years to one year, the maximum vesting period for individual account plans (so that an employee who has completed at least one year of service has a nonforfeitable right to all of the employee's accrued benefit derived from employer contributions). Requires individual account plan fiduciaries to give 30 days notice to plan participants and beneficiaries before a lockdown limiting their control over their account assets, and limits the maximum duration of any such lockdown to ten business days. Requires each fiduciary of an individual account plan to be bonded or insured in an amount sufficient to ensure coverage of financial losses due to failures to meet certain ERISA requirements. Requires joint boards of trustees, representing interests of employers and those of employee participants and beneficiaries, to hold in trust the assets of single-employer plans which are individual account plans with some or all assets derived from employee contributions. Makes liable anyone who participates in or conceals certain breaches of fiduciary duty. Provides that rights or claims under ERISA may not be waived, with specified exceptions. Establishes an Office of Pension Participant Advocacy in the Department of Labor. Directs the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation to study and report to specified congressional committees on the feasibility of and options for developing an insurance system for individual account plans.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2002
Homeland Security Fund Act of 2002 - Amends the Federal Internal Revenue Code to authorize each taxpayer to designate $3 of tax liability to a Homeland Security Fund established by this Act. Authorizes disbursements from the fund prior to January 1, 2007, for a variety of purposes, including: (1) helping law enforcement battle terrorism; (2) securing all modes of transportation; and (3) preventing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and helping the military to fight terrorism. Establishes an Office of Homeland Security, to be headed by a Director of Homeland Security. Grants the Director cabinet-level status. Assigns the Director tasks coordinating the effort by the Federal, State, and local governments to safeguard the nation from terrorism. Directs the Director, among other tasks, to: (1) develop a national strategy for homeland security in consultation with Congress and Federal and State agencies; and (2) establish a national budget for homeland security in collaboration with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2002
Expresses support for the efforts of the Ukrainian people to promote democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights in Ukraine. Urges the Government of Ukraine to: (1) enforce impartially the Law on Elections of People's Deputies of Ukraine, signed by President Leonid Kuchma on October 30, 2001; and (2) meet its commitments on democratic elections, as delineated in the 1990 Copenhagen Document of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), with respect to the campaign period and election day; and (3) address issues identified by the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of OSCE in its final report on the 1999 presidential election, such as state interference in the campaign and pressure on the media. Calls upon the Ukrainian Government to allow election monitors from the ODIHR, other participating OSCE states, and foreign and domestic private institutions and organizations full access to all aspects of the parliamentary election process.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2002
Medicare Drug and Service Coverage Act of 2002 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Outpatient Prescription Drug Benefit Program), a voluntary prescription drug benefit program to provide eligible enrollees covered outpatient prescription drugs, covered medication preparation services, and covered medication therapy management services. Requires such an enrollee to be entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and enrolled in Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Establishes within the Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund the Prescription Drug Benefit Insurance Account for the payment of benefits under the program. Makes program enrollees responsible for a $250 annual deductible and a co-payment for services for which payment may be made under the program. Establishes a Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Advisory Commission. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, with the Commission's advice, to: (1) determine and promulgate a coinsurance amount that qualified beneficiaries pay with benefits covered under this program for the next calendar year; and (2) determine and promulgate a monthly premium.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2002
Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services and Supports Act of 2002 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for: (1) mandatory coverage of community-based attendant services and supports; and (2) increased Federal financial participation for early coverage States for certain expenditures with respect to community-based attendant services and supports. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible States to carry out certain capacity building activities with respect to community-based attendant services and supports. Requires each State to establish a Consumer Task Force to assist the State in the development, implementation, and evaluation of real choice systems change initiatives. Directs the Secretary to conduct a project to evaluate service coordination and cost-sharing approaches with respect to the provision of community-based services and supports to non-elderly dually eligible individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2001
Rural Equity Payment Index Reform Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish a minimum geographic cost-of-practice index value for physicians' services furnished under the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2001
United States Security (USA) Act of 2001 - Sets forth "Buy America" provisions permitting, subject to exception, Federal financial assistance under this Act for a project only if steel and manufactured goods used in the project are of U.S. origin. Authorizes appropriations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) design, construct, and equip new facilities and renovate existing facilities for defending against and combating bioterrorism and other public health threats; (2) establish a Scientific Communication Center; and (3) improve security at CDC facilities. Amends the: (1) Atomic Energy Act to provide for sufficient potassium iodide tablet stockpiles; and (2) Public Health Service Act to provide for a contingency bone marrow donor program. Requires national standards for the implementation of quarantines. Authorizes appropriations for sequencing the genomes of biological pathogens. Directs the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make grants to units of local government and emergency response units to plan, train, and equip emergency responders. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to provide staffing for adequate fire and emergency response. Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to local educational agencies and institutions of higher learning to enhance security and emergency preparedness. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Transportation to establish programs to: (1) address the lack of security on critical highway infrastructure; (2) improve interagency training for and communication among first responders to a terrorist attack; (3) provide real-time information and guidance for the traveling and non-traveling public; and (4) address the lack of adequate security for locks and dams, the lack of cargo information, and the inability to share information in a timely fashion with agencies such as the Coast Guard. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to assess the vulnerability of the 50 busiest U.S. seaports and establish: (1) in the Coast Guard the position of Assistant Commandant for Maritime Security; (2) a sea marshal program; (3) a national port security task force; (4) a maritime security institute; and (5) terrorism response plans for responding to a maritime terrorist attack. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Transportation for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) for specified passenger rail and freight rail protection projects. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Transportation with respect to public transit security, including installation of communications, surveillance, detection systems, and personal protective and detection equipment at public transit facilities. Requires a National Academy of Sciences energy pipeline security study. Authorizes appropriations for upgrading and expanding the current infrastructure of the Aviation Safety Reporting System of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Directs the Secretary of Transportation to carry out pilot projects with air carriers for real-time transmission to the FAA of cockpit voice and flight data and cabin video data from aircraft. Establishes a pilot program to deploy commercially available fuel cells at public use airports to ensure a reliable energy supply for new and emerging aviation security technologies, airport control towers, airport terminals, and other airport facilities. Requires the following officials to submit risk management assessment reports to Congress: (1) the Secretary of Energy regarding oil refineries, natural gas, and liquid natural gas storage facilities; (2) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency regarding chemical manufacturing facilities; (3) the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regarding nuclear facilities; (4) the Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding the domestic electric power grid; (5) the Secretary of Commerce regarding the Nation's fiber optic infrastructure; and (6) the Administrator of the General Services Administration regarding Federal buildings. Directs the Secretary of Energy to coordinate development and implementation of an interagency plan to prepare for and defend against terrorist attacks against high-level nuclear waste transportation facilities and infrastructure, interim storage facilities, intermodal transfer facilities, and central repositories. Directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate and develop a plan to ensure that Federal, State, and local governments can respond adequately to the consequences of a terrorist attack against the transportation or storage of high-level nuclear waste. Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to direct the NRC to: (1) establish a system to ensure that transportation of nuclear materials under its jurisdiction meets certain requirements; and (2) commence a rulemaking to consider changes to the design basis threat for NRC-licensed facilities. Authorizes the President, whenever a state of war or national emergency exists, to: (1) deploy either the Armed Forces or the National Guard to defend NRC-licensed facilities from terrorist attack or threat from any foreign power; and (2) restrict air space in the vicinity of such facilities. Requires each Federal agency to take certain steps to enhance cyber security. Authorizes appropriations for State and local governments to do the same. Requires the Attorney General to update a specified study assessing the vulnerability of Federal facilities. Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Director of Central Intelligence to investigate whether existing computer knowledge assessment technologies meeting specified criteria can be used to detect individuals with terrorist training. Directs the Attorney General to create a pilot program for establishing civilian supplemental incident response teams. Authorizes appropriations to the U.S. Postal Service to enhance its ability to detect and neutralize, or otherwise respond to, any dangerous matter entered into the mails without authorization. Directs the United States Customs Service to expedite the development and deployment of pulsed fast neutron analysis technology and authorizes appropriations for the development of scanners capable of sensing biological and chemical contaminants in microscopic airborne quantities. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) take specified measures for identifying individuals crossing U.S. Borders; and (2) increase to specified levels the number of U.S. Border Patrol personnel, U.S. marshals, and Immigration and Naturalization Service and Customs Service inspectors at ports of entry by 2003. Requires the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization to establish a border health inspectors corps to inspect individuals who may be intending to infect others for infectious disease. Requires the Director of Homeland Security to consider a program to improve aerial reconnaissance activities at U.S. borders, to include the use of unmanned aerial vehicle systems. Directs the President, acting through the Office of Homeland Security, to oversee the appropriate sharing of information among Federal, State, and local agencies involved in intelligence collection and law enforcement. Directs the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security to develop within such Office an entity to develop a system-wide information network to integrate existing watch lists of suspected terrorists. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require the prompt assignment of specified channels for public safety purposes. Requires the Attorney General to establish regional emerging threat workspaces. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to maintain a secure database on select biological agents that pose a threat to public health by terrorist attack. Directs the President to establish within the Office for Homeland Security a center to develop an interagency clearinghouse for new counterterrorism technologies. States the policy of the United States to work with other nations, especially Russia, to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction and the proliferation of necessary materials and expertise. Authorizes appropriations for cooperative threat reduction programs. Requires the Secretary of Defense to develop an integrated plan for the use of technology to combat terrorism. Creates within the Executive Office of the President a Director of Homeland Security who shall conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of threat to the United States and develop a five-year homeland security strategy in response.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2001
Declares that it is necessary to state that the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act supersedes American Samoa law and American Samoa must comply with it. Requires a primary election to be held in American Samoa on the first Tuesday of August of any general election year when three or more eligible individuals have filed by the first Tuesday of July as candidates for the office of Delegate representing American Samoa in the U.S. House of Representatives.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2001
Child Development and Family Employment Act of 2002 - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (CCDBGA) to increase and extend the authorization of appropriations. Revises State plan requirements to include preservice training for child care providers. Requires payment rates to: (1) ensure access to comparable quality and types of services; (2) be adjusted to reflect increases in cost of living, as determined by market surveys at least every two years; and (3) reflect cost variations for different ages of children and different types of care. Revises requirements for activities to improve child care quality services. Earmarks funds for: (1) services for children from birth through three years of age; and (2) a statewide system of local child care resource and referral organizations carrying out certain functions, including training, to assist parents and providers. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make incentive grants to States to increase reimbursement rates for child care providers. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) a national training and technical assistance center specializing in infant and toddler care and their families; and (2) a national data system on supply, demand, and quality of child care, early education, and non-school hours programs. Includes foster children among those who may be eligible for CCDBGA services if other conditions are met. Focus On Committed and Underpaid Staff for Children's Sake Act - FOCUS Act - Establishes: (1) the Child Care Provider Retention and Development Grant Program; and (2) the Child Care Provider Scholarship Program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 December 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that women throughout the world should join together for a week of workshops, forums, and other events to speak up for world peace.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2001
White House Commission on National Military Appreciation Month Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the President should establish the White House Commission on National Military Appreciation Month to make recommendations to the President on the proclamation of National Military Appreciation Month to be celebrated each year; and (2) any such Commission should be composed of specified members. Expresses the sense of Congress that if such Commission is established, the President should also establish the Spirit of America Alliance to assist the Commission: (1) in the planning, organization, and conduct of an annual White House Conference on National Military Appreciation and other similar events; (2) in the promotion of the observance of such Month and other military commemorative events through appropriate means, subject to any guidelines developed by the Commission; (3) in the establishment of necessary incentives for Federal, State, and local governments and private sector entities to sponsor and participate in programs initiated by the Commission or the Alliance; (4) in the evaluation of the effectiveness of efforts by the Commission and the Alliance in carrying out this Act; and (5) by the performance of any other related duties that are assigned by the Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2001
Calls for: (1) U.S. support for efforts to facilitate the establishment and development of trans-frontier conservation areas in the Southern African Development Community countries; and (2) non-governmental organizations and foundations in the United States to support and promote sustainable economic development and benefits through the preservation of wildlife in peace parks on an expanded and inclusive basis to the benefit of the countries concerned and their people.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2001
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.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2001
Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a national education and information campaign promoting stroke prevention and immediate treatment. Directs the Secretary to: (1) maintain the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry and Clearinghouse, including conducting and/or making available research concerning best practices for prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation; (2) make grants to States to establish statewide stroke prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation systems; and (3) develop a model curriculum for training emergency medical services personnel. Sets forth requirements for the State grant program, including matching funds, standards for care and facilities, central data reporting and analysis, special consideration for geographic areas with high rates of disability from stroke or significant need, and technical assistance. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to develop and implement education programs for appropriate medical personnel with regard to newly developed diagnostics, technologies, and therapies for stroke prevention and treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2001
Afghanistan Freedom and Reconstruction Act of 2001 - States that United States policy should be to support the convening of a traditional Afghan assembly in order to facilitate a transition in Afghanistan to a popularly elected representative government. Authorizes the President to send aid under the Foreign Assistance Act to support transition to a multiethnic democratic government in Afghanistan. Authorizes the Broadcasting Board of Governors to increase Voice of America broadcasts into Afghanistan and to use Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to create "Radio Free Afghanistan" broadcasts in local languages. Authorizes the President to disburse additional humanitarian aid to Afghanistan in 2002 and 2003, to be distributed equitably and to include assistance for Afghan refugees in Central Asia. Expresses the sense of Congress that development aid should be targeted toward refugees, women, and the urban and rural poor, and that emphasis for all aid should be placed on needs of women and children, particularly girls. Authorizes the President to disburse assistance for a multinational security force in Afghanistan, and to make a donation to the United Nations Drug Control Program to combat trafficking in illicit drugs in Afghanistan, particularly heroin. Directs the President to institute economic sanctions against governments not complying with specific United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning the former Taliban government of Afghanistan.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2001
Comprehensive Holocaust Accountability in Insurance Measure - Prohibits certain foreign insurance companies from conducting business in the United States, or with a U.S. bank, unless such companies disclose to the Attorney General the name of any listed Holocaust victim with whom such companies had any financial dealing. Instructs the Attorney General to: (1) designate an office in the Department of Justice to manage such disclosures; (2) obtain from both the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims and from such foreign insurance companies information regarding any outstanding requests that is necessary to implement this Act; (3) notify victims of the requirements of this Act; (4) submit requests on behalf of beneficiaries; and (5) grant beneficiaries the option of waiving their rights to such request. Authorizes the Attorney General to prohibit a non-complying insurance company from conducting business in the United States (including participation in any aspect of the payment system within the jurisdiction of the United States or conducting business with a U.S. bank). Provides for civil actions to enforce this Act. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to prohibit domestic insured depository institutions from engaging in business transactions with such non-complying insurance companies. Amends the International Banking Act of 1978 to prohibit uninsured branches, agencies, and commercial lending company affiliates of foreign banks from engaging in transactions with such non-complying insurance companies or their affiliates.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2001
Extends the tax benefits available under the Internal Revenue Code for services performed in a combat zone to duty performed by a member of the U.S. armed forces in the Republic of Korea from July 1 to December 31, 2000, during which such member was entitled to hardship duty pay.
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2001
Condemns the terrorist attacks resulting in the death of 26 and the wounding of at least 175 innocent people in Israel within 14 hours during December 1-2, 2001, and extends the deepest sympathies of Congress to Israel and to the families of the victims. Expresses outrage at the ongoing Palestinian terrorist campaign and insists that the Palestinian Authority take all necessary steps to end it. Urges the President to take all necessary steps to ensure that the Palestinian Authority takes specified actions. Urges the President to insist that countries harboring or materially supporting Palestinian terrorist groups end their support, dismantle the groups, and bring them to justice. Commends the President for his strong leadership against international terrorism. Expresses U.S. solidarity with Israel in their struggle against terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2001
National Sea Grant College Program Act Amendments of 2001 - Amends the National Sea Grant College Act to include an emphasis on ocean and coastal resources conservation and management and collaboration between academia and the scientists and programs of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Excludes grants to assist coastal and ocean research from the two-thirds limitation otherwise applicable. Revises and expands the terms of membership for the sea grant review panel. Authorizes appropriations for zebra mussel, oyster, harmful algal bloom, and coastal ocean research.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2001
Embassy Employee Compensation Act - Directs the Attorney General to provide compensation for American citizens who were victims of the bombings of the United States Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya and of the United States Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on August 7, 1998. Authorizes payments for physical harm, economic losses and noneconomic losses such as physical and emotional pain or loss of enjoyment of life for individuals present at either of the bombings or their immediate aftermath. Allows relatives of an individual killed to collect on behalf of the deceased. Declares that individuals filing claims waive the right to participate in civil suits in any Federal or State court for damages sustained in the bombings, except for suits that involve recovery of "collateral source" obligations such as life insurance, pension funds, death benefit programs and payments by Federal, State and local governments. Declares that only one claim may be filed by an individual or on behalf of a deceased person and that there will be no punitive damages awarded.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2001
Nuclear Security Act of 2001 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to instruct the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to: (1) establish a nuclear security force to provide for the security of sensitive nuclear facilities against the design basis threat; (2) develop and implement a security plan to ensure such facilities' security; and (3) periodically revise the design basis threat to address specified threats. Establishes the Nuclear Security Fund to administer such programs. Amends the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 to establish the Operation Safeguards and Response Unit to: (1) conduct operation safeguards and response evaluations; (2) conduct emergency response exercises; and (3) establish a Mock Terrorist Team comparable to special operations forces of the Armed Forces. Mandates establishment of: (1) an operation safeguards and response evaluation program to assess periodically the ability of each sensitive nuclear facility to defend against the design basis threat; and (2) an emergency response program to evaluate emergency response personnel ability to respond to a radiological emergency within a 50-mile radius of a sensitive nuclear facility. Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to direct the Commission to ensure sufficient stockpiles of potassium iodide tablets to provide adequate protection to the affected population within a 50-mile radius of a sensitive nuclear facility.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2001
Firefighters Affordable Housing Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide mortgage assistance to qualified volunteer firefighters. Ends such assistance upon termination of: (1) use as primary residence; or (2) firefighter duties within ten years of the mortgage's execution. Amends the National Housing Act to provide for one percent downpayments (and deferral and reduction of up-front premium) for Federal Housing Administration mortgage loans for qualified professional firefighters to purchase homes within the jurisdictions of their employing public fire service or rescue or ambulance agency. (Requires the mortgagor to not have had an ownership interest in a principal residence within such jurisdiction during the 12-month period ending upon the mortgage's insurance.)
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2001
Protect Victims of Identity Theft Act of 2001 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act, with respect to the statute of limitations on actions, to provide that an action to enforce a liability may be brought not later than two years after the date on which the violation is discovered or should have been discovered by the exercise of reasonable diligence. Tolls such limitation period during any period during which a defendant has materially and willfully misrepresented information statutorily required to be disclosed where such misrepresentation is material to establishment of liability.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2001
Small Business Insurance Data Disclosure Act - Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to establish requirements for insurers to compile and submit information to the Administrator for each annual reporting period, as required in this Act. Requires such information to include the analysis and comparison of the availability and affordability of insurance coverage and the quality and type of coverage for small businesses, including small businesses located in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods and minority- and women-owned small businesses. Directs the Administrator to provide for the waiver of such reporting requirements for each insurer within a State which requires insurers to submit a level of information at least equivalent to that required herein and which provides for adequate enforcement of such requirements. Requires: (1) each insurer to maintain submitted information for at least three years after each reporting period; (2) all submitted information to be made available to the public; (3) the Administrator to designate appropriate lines of insurance and coverage types for small businesses; and (4) the Administrator to survey a representative sample of small business owners regarding their experience in applying for, obtaining, and being refused small business insurance. Provides civil penalties against insurers violating the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2001
Designates the headquarters and visitors center at Humboldt Bay National Wild Life Refuge located at 1020 Ranch Road in Loleta, California, as the Richard J. Guadagno Headquarters and Visitors Center.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2001
Veterans' Memorial Preservation and Recognition Act of 2001 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants for the repair, restoration, or maintenance of veterans' memorials on public property. Establishes in the Treasury a Veterans' Memorial Restoration Fund consisting of appropriations, civil penalty amounts, and donations to fund such grants. Establishes criminal and civil penalties for the willful damage of such memorials. States that a veterans cemetery shall be treated as a site for which a supplemental guide sign may be placed on any Federal-aid highway.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2001
Quality Care for Nursing Home Patients Act of 2001 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) impose minimum direct care staffing requirements on nursing facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid funding; (2) revise the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 with respect to disclosure of staffing levels at such facilities, adding notice requirements; (3) prescribe administrative staffing requirements for such facilities; and (4) apply quality of care requirements to all residents of skilled nursing facilities, without regard to whether the resident is entitled to have payment made for nursing facilities under Medicare or Medicaid.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2001
Reservist Pay Security Act of 2001 - Entitles a person who is absent from his or her position of Federal employment to perform service in the uniformed services or the National Guard to receive from his or her agency an amount that, when added to the pay and allowances for such service, equals the basic pay which would have been payable to such employee for such period of service for which such employee is not otherwise compensated.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2001
Medicare Physician Protection Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to specify the conversion factor (update) for payments under the Medicare physician fee schedule for 2002.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2001
Cancer Testing, Education, Screening, and Treatment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to qualifying health centers for programs providing cancer information, education, screening, counseling, and treatment. Targets service populations with significant numbers of low-income minority individuals who are at-risk for cancer, requiring programs to provide outreach and culturally sensitive services (including same language) to such populations. Requires the Secretary to designate the type(s) of cancer covered by a grant.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2001
Expresses: (1) gratitude to the Government and people of the Philippines for their sympathy and support since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States; (2) sympathy to the Filipino victims of terrorism and their families; and (3) support for the Philippine Government in its efforts to prevent and suppress terrorism. Affirms the U.S. commitment to the Republic of the Philippines pursuant to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. Declares that Congress acknowledges the economic and military needs of the Philippines and pledges to continue to assist in addressing those needs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2001
Cleanup and Reconstruction Assistance Act of 2001 - Requires the President, if and when he vests and liquidates assets frozen pursuant to Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 2001, or subsequent Executive orders issued as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, to: (1) deposit such assets in a separate account in the Treasury; and (2) distribute amounts in the account to the State of New York, the State of Pennsylvania, and the Department of Defense to cover costs associated with the removal of debris left as a result of the damage caused by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and the crash of the hijacked airliner in Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001, including reconstruction on the damaged sites.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2001
Bruce Vento Stand Down Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that several branches of the Armed Forces and the National Guard have provided and should continue to provide valuable service in the delivery of services to veterans at Stand Down events (events to provide food, shelter, health care, benefit certification and other help to veterans in need of assistance). Commends veterans' organizations for their outstanding contributions to these events and encourages their continued efforts. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide outreach and other services as well as property and resources in support of these events. Requires the Secretary to establish a pilot program to conduct (alone or collaboratively) at least one Stand Down event in each State each year.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2001
Medicare+Choice Consumer Protection Act of 2001 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for: (1) continuous open enrollment and disenrollment in Medicare+Choice plans; and (2) limitation on Medicare+Choice cost-sharing to the same maximum as cost-sharing otherwise applicable under Medicare parts A (Hospital Insurance) and B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) to an individual not enrolled in a Medicare+Choice plan..
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2001
Spirit of America Commemorative Coin Act of 2001 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $50 gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the tragic events that occurred at the Pentagon, in New York City, and in Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001. Establishes the Victims of September 11th Fund which shall consist of amounts from surcharges received from the sale of such coins transferred to the Office for Victims of Crime for individuals who were injured, and to the families of individuals who were killed or injured, in the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2001
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) recognizes the grave humanitarian crisis that existed in Afghanistan before the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, and that has since been exacerbated; (2) commends the heroic work of organizations led by Afghan women that have persevered during this time of crisis to assist vulnerable Afghan women and their families; (3) urges the Secretary of State to support, and the United Nations to provide funding to, these organizations in order to strengthen their ability to deliver services during this humanitarian crisis and to enhance their role in fostering a more civil society; (4) urges the President to direct the international coalition engaged in combating terrorism in Afghanistan to protect women's rights as it attempts to provide humanitarian relief to the Afghani people; and (5) urges the President to encourage any new government established in Afghanistan to include women as leaders and as full and active participants.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2001
Welcomes the Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to the United States. Expresses gratitude to the Government of India for its expressions of sympathy for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and its demonstrated willingness to fully cooperate with the United States in the campaign against terrorism. Pledges commitment to the continued expansion of friendship and cooperation between the United States and India.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2001
Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to place limitations on the mandatory overtime hours a nurse may be required to work in certain providers of services.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2001
Late Fee Relief Act - Establishes a six-month period during which consumers of financial services shall be extended a two-week grace period to make any obligatory payments. Prohibits a financial services business from: (1) imposing either a late fee or additional financing fee upon a consumer account for failure to make payment by the due date, unless a payment is not received by the end of the two-week grace period; or (2) providing any information adverse to the consumer or the consumer's credit status as a result of such payment failure before the two-week grace period. States that this Act shall be enforced under the Truth in Lending Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2001
Puerto Rico Karst Conservation Act of 2001 - 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 geological and ecological values of the region, with particular emphasis on the maintenance of biodiversity within a tropical forest ecosystem and protection of the aquifers. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) carry out such land acquisition using amounts in the Puerto Rico Karst Conservation Fund established by this Act, amounts appropriated for the Forest Legacy Program, and amounts in the Land and Water Conservation Fund; and (2) make grants to and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, other Federal agencies, organizations, and corporations for the acquisition, protection, and management of Federal and non-Federal land in such region. Makes all lands in such region eligible for inclusion in the Forest Legacy Program.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that the trade and economic development policies of the United States toward Africa should respect and support the rights of African farmers with respect to their agricultural and biological resources, traditional knowledge, and technologies, and the provisions of the African Model Legislation for the Protection of the Rights of Local Communities, Farmers and Breeders, and for the Regulation of Access to Biological Resources.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2001
Disaster Relief Charities Accountability Act - Establishes the Charity Accountability Board which shall: (1) request information from and make recommendations to qualifying charitable organizations regarding the amount of disaster relief funds collected and dispersed by such organizations, administrative costs incurred, and the criteria used in dispersing disaster relief funds; (2) provide information about disaster relief funds to disaster victims and those wishing to contribute to such funds; and (3) report to the President and Congress on the status of such funds.