The world's political record
Person
![Official portrait of Del. Underwood, Robert A. [D-GU-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/u000014_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
1,482 records where Del. Underwood, Robert A. [D-GU-At Large] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2002
Proclaims, posthumously, soldiers of Asian descent who fought in the Civil War to be honorary U.S. citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2002
Honors the life of Dr. Roberto Cruz (founder and first president of the National Hispanic University) and extends condolences on his death to the Cruz family and to the University faculty, staff, and students.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2002
Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish and appoint the members of a Marine Protected Areas Advisory Committee in accordance with the Department of Commerce MPA Advisory Committee Supplement 1 Charter of the MPA Federal Advisory Committee, December 18, 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2002
Honors the life of Dr. Roberto Cruz (founder and first president of the National Hispanic University in California) and extends condolences on his death to the Cruz family and to the University faculty, staff, and students.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2002
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Complex Expansion and Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act - Expands the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Complex to include specified land and water in the State of Ohio. Permits the Secretary of the Interior to acquire by donation, purchase, or exchange the land and water and interests in land and water within the boundaries of the Complex. Expands the southern boundary of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (the Refuge) to include additional land and water located in the State of Michigan east of Interstate Route 75. Prescribes requirements for administration of the Complex. Directs the Secretary to ensure that hunting, trapping, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation shall be the priority public uses of the Complex. Requires the Secretary to encourage the State of Ohio to use authority under the recreational trails program under Federal law to provide funding for the acquisition and development of trails within the boundaries of the Complex. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, study and report to Congress on fish and wildlife habitat and aquatic and terrestrial communities in and around two specified dredge spoil disposal sites in Toledo Harbor.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2002
Diabetes Prevention Access and Care Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health to expand, intensify, conduct, coordinate, and support research and other activities with respect to pre-diabetes and diabetes, particularly type 2, in minority populations. Directs that the activities shall include research on the causes and effects of health care access disparities and racial discrimination. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) expand the National Diabetes Education Program; and (2) through the Indian Health Service, conduct research on attention by health care professionals to the American Indian population with regard to diabetes. Directs the Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee to develop a Federal plan to address diabetes mellitus within communities of color. Requires the Secretary to conduct and support programs to treat diabetes in minority populations, including, through the National Institute of Mental Health, to provide for comprehensive mental health services and treatment to certain individuals. Directs the Secretary, acting through the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, to make grants to expand Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program internships and mentoring opportunities for recruitment of minorities in diabetes-focused health fields. Provides for Federal and State loan repayment programs for health profession students of color. Requires the Secretary, acting through the CDC, to: (1) expand the Diabetes Control Program; and (2) fund education and community outreach on diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2002
Suspends for a period of six months beginning on October 20, 2002, the determination of the Librarian of Congress of July 8, 2002, relating to rates and terms for the digital performance of sound recordings and ephemeral recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2002
Aquatic Invasive Species Research Act - Requires the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop and conduct a marine and fresh-water research program to support efforts to detect, prevent, and eradicate invasive species in the Aquatic Ecosystem. Requires the program to: (1) develop standardized protocols for conducting ecological and pathway surveys of nonnative aquatic species; (2) create baseline ecological information of the aquatic ecosystem and pathways; (3) designate the number and location of survey sites required; (4) conduct laboratory and field-based marine and fresh-water research experiments on a range of taxonomic groups to identify the relationship between the introduction and establishment of nonnative aquatic species; and (5) analyze the data collected. Directs the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force to convene a workshop with appropriate researchers. Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to: (1) require that ecological and ballast water discharge surveys examine other potential modes of introducing nonnative aquatic species by ship into the Aquatic Ecosystem, including hull fouling; (2) rename the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse as the National Pathway and Ecological Surveys Database; (3) expand the purview of the database to include ballast water management, delivery practices of ships entering United States ports and their compliance with existing regulations; and (3) make the database widely available to the public. Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establish marine and fresh-water research, development, and demonstration programs with respect to environmental soundness screening and dispersal barrier research. Reauthorizes the ship pathway technology demonstration program. Requires the Coast Guard and the EPA to develop a research program to support implementation of standards to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species by ships into the Aquatic Ecosystem. Requires the National Science Foundation to establish a grant program for institutions of higher education to carry our research programs in systematics and taxonomy.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2002
National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2002 - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to require the Invasive Species Council (Council) to coordinate with the Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force (Task Force) to combat aquatic invasive species. Requires the Task Force to recommend to appropriate Federal agencies additions to the list of aquatic invasive species. Requires the Task Force, the Council, and the Secretary of State to coordinate activities to ensure that international efforts to prevent and manage aquatic invasive species are coordinated with U.S. policies. Establishes minimum invasive species prevention requirements for all vessels entering U.S. ports. Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to promulgate regulations for ballast water management standards and certification procedures. Directs the Task Force to publish a priority pathway management program. Prohibits the importation of live aquatic organisms not in trade without specified screening and approval. Requires the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, with the concurrence of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to construct and maintain a national dispersal barrier program to contain and control aquatic nuisances. Declares that a State with a rapid response contingency strategy shall be eligible to receive emergency funding to implement rapid response measures for aquatic invasive species under specified circumstances. Requires the Task Force, with concurrence of the Council, to encourage the development of regional rapid response contingency strategies and develop a State model for such. Requires the Council, in coordination with the Task Force and the heads of the appropriate Federal agencies, to establish a Federal rapid response team for the ten regions of the Standard Federal Regional Boundary System. Requires the Task Force to establish a national subcommittee on nutria. Provides for expansion of the Brown Tree Snake Control Program and Aquatic Nuisance Species Program information, education and outreach activities.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2002
Recognizes September 11 as both a day to remember those taken from their families and a day for Americans to recommit to the Nation, to their freedom, and to each other. Extends deepest sympathies to the countless innocent victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, their families, friends, and loved ones. Honors the heroic actions of first responders, law enforcement personnel, State and local officials, volunteers, and others who aided the innocent victims. Expresses thanks and gratitude to the foreign leaders and citizens of all nations who have assisted and continue to stand in solidarity with the United States against terrorism. Remains resolved to pursue all those responsible for the terrorist attacks and their sponsors until they are discovered and punished.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2002
Chance to Succeed Act of 2002 - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to include as a work activity satisfactory participation in services to address barriers designed to improve future employment opportunities, including substance abuse treatment and physical rehabilitation, mental health, and mental retardation and developmental disabilities services. Requires the assessment for each assistance recipient to determine whether the recipient has any such barriers. Prohibits a TANF-recipient State from imposing a sanction against an individual or family on the basis of noncompliance with a program requirement if the individual whose conduct is the basis of the sanction is in the uncompleted process of being screened or assessed for a mental health problem, disability, substance abuse problem, or sexual or domestic violence situation, or if the services outlined in the service plan developed for the individual or family were not offered, available, and accessible to the individual or family at the time of the noncompliance. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed as prohibiting a State in compliance with its requirements from imposing a sanction for noncompliance with work requirements against an individual or family who opts to not take full advantage of the opportunity for assessment or the services and supports made available. Requires each State receiving a State family assistance grant to establish an advisory panel to review the efficacy of each TANF-funded program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Internet Radio Fairness Act - Declares that the July 8, 2002, determination by the Librarian of Congress of rates and terms for the digital performance of sound recordings and ephemeral recordings shall not apply to transmissions and ephemeral recordings by a small business, small organization, or small governmental jurisdiction (small entities). Declares further that the first determination of terms and rates of royalty payments made after enactment of this Act shall apply to transmissions made by small business concerns during the period between the enactment of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the date provided for in that determination. Requires the copyright arbitration royalty panel to establish rates and terms in accordance with specified objectives. Amends Federal copyright law to declare that, except in the case of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, it is not a copyright infringement for a transmitting organization entitled to transmit to the public a performance or display of a work, under a license or transfer of the copyright, or for a broadcast radio station licensed by the Federal Communications Commission that makes a broadcast transmission of a sound recording in a digital format on a nonsubscription basis, to make one or more copies or phonorecords of that work, if each copy or phonorecord is: (1) retained and used solely by the transmitting organization that made it; and (2) used solely for the purpose of making the transmitting organization's own transmissions or for purposes of archival preservation or security.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Act to Save America's Forests - States that the purposes of this Act are to protect native biodiversity and ecosystems on Federal land from losses caused by: (1) clearcutting and other forms of even-age logging operations; and (2) logging in ancient forests, roadless areas, watershed protection areas, and special areas. Amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 to revise eligibility criteria for members of the land and resource management scientific committee. Revises the committee termination date to ten years after enactment of this Act. Provides for conservation and restoration of native biodiversity in forested areas. Prohibits clearcutting or other even-age logging operations on any stand or watershed on certain Federal land, National Forest System land, and National Wildlife Refuge System land. Provides for: (1) Federal enforcement; and (1) a private right of action. Describes special areas as Federal forest land parcels possessing outstanding biological, scenic, recreational, or cultural values which may not meet the definitions of ancient forests, roadless areas, or watershed protection areas. Designates specified special areas which shall be subject to restrictions on road construction and logging in the following States: (1) Alabama; (2) Alaska; (3) Arizona; (4) Arkansas; (5) California; (6) Colorado; (7) Georgia; (8) Idaho; (9) Illinois; (10) Michigan; (11) Minnesota; (12) Missouri; (13) Montana; (14) New Mexico; (15) North Carolina; (16) Ohio; (17) Oklahoma; (18) Oregon; (19) South Carolina; (20) South Dakota; (21) Tennessee; (22) Texas; (23) Vermont; (24) Virginia; (25) Wisconsin; and (26) Wyoming. Provides for the appointment of a committee of independent scientists to recommend additional special areas. Restricts road construction and logging on Federal land in ancient forests, special areas, roadless areas, and watershed protection areas. Provides for: (1) Federal enforcement; and (1) a private right of action.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2002
National Naval Force Structure Policy Act - States that it is U.S. policy to rebuild as soon as possible the size of the U.S. Navy fleet to no fewer than 375 vessels in active service, including 15 aircraft carrier battle groups and 15 amphibious ready groups.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2002
Community Protection and Response Act of 2002 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Act) to include a terrorist attack, dispersion of radioactive or other contaminants, dispersion of hazardous substances, or other catastrophic event as a "major disaster" eligible for relief under the Act. Includes as a "private nonprofit facility" for purposes of damages coverage in a major disaster private for-profit telecommunications, phone services, and utilities when losses occur during a homeland security event and are not covered by insurance. Authorizes the President, at the request of a State governor, to declare that a major disaster constitutes a homeland security event and is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capacity of the affected State and local government. Provides specified Federal assistance under the Act upon such a declaration, including reimbursement and grant assistance for lost compensation, sustained losses, and required repairs. Includes as critical services under the Act education systems, providers of counseling, and providers of assistance to the homeless. Removes the $5 million limit on community disaster loans provided under the Act. Requires or provides for: (1) standards for reporting information concerning disasters involving homeland security events; (2) a special commission to review air quality following a homeland security event; (3) guidelines concerning health risks associated with the release of materials following a homeland security event and associated monitoring and analysis; and (4) grants for data collection during public health emergencies, research on assisting victims, and advance preparation for public health emergencies.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2002
Urges the recognition of General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. (who died on July 4, 2002) for his achievement as one of America's most accomplished military officers, whose strength, determination, and character in the face of racial injustice and bigotry could not prevent him from serving with the highest honor and distinction for the country he so proudly loved.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2002
Veterans Emergency Assistance Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants to States for programs to assist veterans and their spouses and dependents suffering financial hardship as a result of an emergency. Prohibits any State from receiving more than five percent of the total funds appropriated, or more than $1 million, in any fiscal year. Defines an emergency as an illness or accident resulting in interruption or loss of employment, a fire or other disaster resulting in loss of a residence, or another event or condition as determined by a State.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2002
Designates the U.S. courthouse located at South Federal Place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the Santiago E. Campos United States Courthouse.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2002
Immigration Security and Efficiency Enhancement Act of 2002 - Directs the Attorney General to submit to Congress an immigration security and efficiency enhancement plan which shall incorporate: (1) establishment of a central computer application and form database and network, and identification of applications and forms appropriate for electronic submission; (2) implementation of an electronic submission pilot project; and (3) within specified time periods, electronic submission of specified percentages of such applications and forms. Directs the Attorney General to establish within the visa, immigration, border patrol, and naturalization functions of the Department of Justice: (1) an electronic file management and computer information system; and (2) an electronic filing and submission system for applications from certified service providers (as provided for by this Act). Authorizes the Attorney General to provide grants for enhancement of immigration service providers. Directs the National Records Center to create and maintain an electronic database of all closed Immigration and Naturalization Service files.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2002
Veterans Right-To-Know Act of 2002 - Requires the Secretary of Defense to identify each developmental or operational test of the Department of Defense (DOD) involving chemical or biological weapons, or defense against such weapons, in which military personnel or civilians were or may have been exposed to actual or simulated hazardous agents, with or without their knowledge or consent. Requires the Comptroller General to establish within the General Accounting Office an Oversight Working Group on Biological and Chemical Testing to: (1) review DOD chemical and biological test activities that involved exposure to military personnel or civilians; (2) report to Congress information concerning Project SHAD (DOD tests to evaluate the effectiveness of shipboard detection and protective procedures against chemical and biological warfare agents) and Project 112 (DOD tests in and around Alaska using chemical and biological agents); (3) continue to review DOD investigations of any other cases of DOD chemical or biological testing; and (4) identify veterans and veterans organizations with significant information involving such test projects and seek to have that information made available to the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) notify any veterans who may have been exposed, with instructions on how to receive a health care evaluation; and (2) review declassified material to determine any lasting health effects that may have been incurred by exposed veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2002
United States Toxic Mold Safety and Protection Act of 2002 or the Melina Bill - Directs: (1) the Centers for Disease Control, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to jointly study the health effects of indoor mold growth and toxic mold; (2) EPA to promulgate standards for preventing, detecting, and remediating indoor mold growth; and (3) EPA, NIH, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to sponsor related public education programs. Directs: (1) rental property lessors to conduct annual indoor mold inspections; and (2) the Secretary of HUD and the Administrator of EPA to promulgate mold hazard disclosure regulations with respect to housing offered for sale or lease. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish, with respect to indoor mold in public housing, inspection requirements for existing housing and construction standards for new housing; and (2) establish model construction standards and techniques for mold prevention in new buildings. Establishes an indoor/toxic mold inspection requirement with respect to federally made or insured mortgages. Amends the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993 to provide for industry standards development with respect to building products that are designed to retard mold development. Directs the Administrator of EPA to make grants to States and local governments for mold growth remediation efforts in buildings owned or leased by such governments, including schools and multifamily dwellings. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an annual tax credit for 60 percent of non-reimbursed mold inspection and remediation expenses ($50,000 annual maximum) paid or incurred by a taxpayer. Requires the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to: (1) establish and carry out a toxic mold insurance program, with priority for one-to-four-family residential properties; and (2) establish in the Treasury a National Toxic Mold Hazard Insurance Fund. Authorizes the Director to assist qualifying insurers to form a federally-assisted toxic mold hazard insurance pool. Provides for Federal operation of such program under specified circumstances. Authorizes State waiver of income, resource, and other Medicaid requirements for an individual whose health has been adversely affected by toxic mold exposure, and who lacks adequate medical insurance coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2002
Transatlantic Security and NATO Enhancement Resolution of 2002 - Declares that it is U.S. policy that: (1) NATO should remain the primary institution through which European and North American allies address security issues of transatlantic concern; (2) NATO members should reaffirm, at the Prague Summit in the Fall of 2002, NATO's importance; (3) NATO should continue to strengthen national and collective capacities to respond to new threats, make clear commitments to remedy shortfalls in specified areas, and ensure a more equitable sharing of contributions; and (4) the President, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense should fully use their offices to encourage the NATO allies to commit the resources necessary to upgrade their capabilities. Calls for NATO to: (1) seek to strengthen its relations with the Russian Federation; and (2) extend invitations at the Summit for accession negotiations to any appropriate candidate country that meets the objectives and targets for NATO membership. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) specified candidate countries should be commended on significant progress made toward meeting objectives for NATO membership; (2) the most qualified candidate countries should be invited to begin the accession process to join the Alliance at the Prague Summit, should accede on a common date before the next NATO summit, and should continue to participate in the Membership Action Plan until accession; and (3) the NATO enlargement process should continue beyond the inclusion of such candidates .
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2002
Dirty Bomb Prevention Act - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to establish a task force on sealed source protection (byproduct material or special nuclear material encased in a capsule designed to prevent leakage or escape of the material). Requires the task force to evaluate and make recommendations to ensure the security of sealed sources from potential terrorist threats, including acts of sabotage, theft, or use of such sources in a radiological dispersal device. Directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to arrange with the National Academy of Sciences for a study of industrial, research, and commercial uses for sealed sources.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2002
Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act of 2002 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) under which each individual who is entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) or eligible to enroll under Medicare part B (Supplemental Medical Insurance) is entitled to obtain qualified prescription drug coverage. Outlines standard coverage benefit packages for FY 2005. Includes for the standard package a monthly premium of $25, an annual deductible of $100, a coinsurance of 20 percent and an annual out-of-pocket spending limit of $2,000. Directs the Secretary to negotiate fair prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers. Provides for accelerated generic drug competition. Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) with respect to: (1) inclusion of the costs of certain military services to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in the calculation of Medicare+Choice payment rates; (2) specialized Medicare+Choice plans for special needs beneficiaries; and (3) continuous open enrollment and disenrollment at any time. Revises requirements for Medicare: (1) part A concerning rural health care, inpatient hospital services, skilled nursing facility services, and hospices; (2) part B concerning physicians services and other services; and (3) part A and B concerning home health services and direct graduate medical education. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) with respect to certain Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotment adjustments and the Q-I1 program. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to add requirements for interstate Internet sellers of prescription drugs. Establishes within the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health the Office of Rare Diseases. Amends the Public Health Services Act with respect to promotion of the pharmacist profession.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2002
Building Opportunities for Our Kids Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize additional appropriations to purchase textbooks for use by eligible schools under the schoolwide program of part A (Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies) of title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged). Directs the Secretary of Education to establish a Textbook Recycling Program to facilitate the donation of textbooks by any local educational agency (LEA) to any other LEA for use by such eligible schools. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress and the Secretary on the condition of textbooks used in public elementary and secondary schools, separating data for such eligible schools from that for ineligible ones.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2002
Veterans Medicare Payment Act of 2002 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for a transfer of payment to the Department of Veterans Affairs for outpatient care furnished to Medicare-eligible veterans by the Department.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2002
Family Violence Prevention Act of 2002 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish an Office of Family Violence within the Department of Health and Human Services. Directs the Office to coordinate intra-departmental family violence programs and develop a Federal family violence prevention Internet website. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for the establishment of five family violence research and education centers through grants or contracts with public and nonprofit private entities. Requires such centers to: (1) include both professional and public education; and (2) be linked to national, State, and local resources. Requires one center to be linked to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and another to the National Institute of Mental Health. Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory board to make recommendations concerning the centers' research agenda. Requires the Director to award grants to eligible entities, including healthcare delivery systems or training entities, to develop and disseminate family violence education and training curricula, programs, and strategies.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2002
Health Care for Filipino World War II Veterans Act - Requires (current law authorizes) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish hospital and nursing home care and medical services to any individual who is a Commonwealth Army veteran or new Philippine Scout (current law) and who is: (1) residing in the United States; and (2) a U.S. citizen or alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Provides a rate of payment equal to the rate provided for active-service veterans and their survivors for: (1) dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of Commonwealth Army veterans or new Philippine Scouts; and (2) veterans' disability compensation for new Philippine Scouts residing in the United States. Provides national cemetery burial benefits for new Philippine Scouts.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2002
Congratulates the Navy League of the United States and its members, on the occasion of the centennial of its founding, for their role as the foremost civilian organization dedicated to supporting the U.S. sea services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2002
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 title III part A (Strengthening Institutions) to direct the Secretary of Education to provide grants and related assistance to certain institutions of higher education for activities to improve their capacity to serve students who are Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Gives priority to eligible institutions with a significant percentage of enrollment made up of such students who are low-income individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2002
Widows of Wartime Veterans Assistance Act - Increases the maximum annual rates of pensions for surviving spouses of veterans of a period of war. Amends the Social Security Act to require that the amount of such rate increases not be included in a surviving spouse's income for purposes of Medicaid (title XIX) eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2002
Reauthorizes funding for the Water Desalination Act of 1996 for FY 2003 through 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2002
Urges the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend to the Postmaster General that a commemorative postage stamp be issued by the U.S. Postal Service each year in honor of Veterans Day.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2002
Honors and commends the Lao Veterans of America, Laotian and Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War who served with or assisted the United States Armed Forces, and their families for their historic contributions to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2002
Space Exploration Act of 2002 - Requires the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to set forth as goals for the future activities of NASA's human space flight program, the development and flight demonstration, within 8, 10, 15, and 20 years, respectively, of a reusable space vehicle capable of carrying humans between: (1) low Earth orbit and Earth-Sun and Earth-Moon libration points; (2) low Earth orbit and an Earth-orbit crossing asteroid; (3) lunar orbit and the surface of the moon, as well as deployment of a human-tended facility on the lunar surface; and (4) low Earth orbit and Martian orbit and between Martian orbit and the surface of Mars, as well as deployment of a human-tended facility on the surface of a Martian moon. Requires the Administrator to establish: (1) an Office of Exploration to be responsible for planning, budgeting, and managing activities undertaken by NASA to accomplish these goals; (2) a process for conducting competitions for innovative, cost-effective mission concepts to accomplish the goals; and (3) an independent panel to conduct a merit-based competitive review of the proposals submitted under each competition and to submit a rank-ordered evaluation of such proposals to the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to provide to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate for each competitively selected proposal its implementation plan and the results of an independent external review of the initial proposal and of each annually updated implementation plan.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2002
Expresses profound gratitude to airline flight attendants for their daily service to make air travel safe and honors their courage and dedication. Expresses support for the flight attendants who displayed heroism on September 11, 2001, and to all flight attendants who continue to display heroism each day.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2002
Removes the requirement that a person attain 60 years of age before being entitled to military retired pay for nonregular (reserve) service.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2002
Nurse Education Promotion Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award competitive grants to: (1) associate degree schools of nursing for nursing student recruitment and scholarships and for nursing faculty hiring; and (2) professional nursing organizations, including nursing union chapters, for cooperative programs of continuing education for nurses with associate degrees to pursue baccalaureate degrees or receive training in understaffed and critical specialties.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2002
Protect Children from Video Game Sex and Violence Act of 2002 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit the sale or rental to a minor of a video game that depicts decapitation, amputation, or mutilation, the killing of humans or human-like beings by the use of an object as a lethal weapon or hand-to-hand fighting, car jacking, the use of illegal drugs, rape or other sexual assault, prostitution, aggravated assault or battery, or any other violent felony.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2002
Aeronautics Research and Development Revitalization Act of 2002 - Establishes an Office of Aeronautics responsible for planning, budgeting, and managing all aeronautics research, development, and demonstration activities undertaken by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Directs the NASA Administrator to establish certain initiatives to develop technologies that would: (1) significantly reduce aircraft noise, harmful emissions, and fuel consumption; (2) make certain performance improvements to existing rotorcraft; and (3) enable overland flight of supersonic civil transport aircraft with certain performance characteristics. Directs the NASA Administrator to provide specified congressional committees a plan for the implementation of such initiatives. Directs the NASA Administrator to: (1) award grants to establish university-based Centers for Research on Aviation Training; and (2) establish NASA aeronautics scholarships for U.S. citizens enrolled in accredited Masters degree programs in aeronautical engineering at institutions of higher education. Authorizes appropriations for certain Federal Aviation Administration research and development projects and activities. Requires certain aviation-related studies and assessments.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2002
Expresses support for the goals of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month and recognizes the contributions of Asian/Pacific Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2002
Disabled Veterans' Caregiver Compensation Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay monthly compensation of $234 to a veteran if and while totally disabled and in need of regular aid and attendance and while unpaid aid and attendance is provided by an adult family member who is dependent upon such veteran for support.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2002
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to Muhammad Ali in recognition of his contribution to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2002
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act respecting naturalization through service in the Armed Forces to: (1) reduce the required service from three years to two years; and (2) prohibit the imposition of a naturalization fee. Provides, and sets forth the conditions, for naturalization through enlistment in the Armed Forces and service with an eligibility for access to classified information. Provides for overseas naturalization proceedings for members of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2002
Tax Exemption for Military Student Loan Repayment Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income repayments by the Department of Defense of certain student loans owed by members of the uniformed services.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2002
Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to make Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and Guam eligible for: (1) the TANF supplemental grant for population increases; (2) the TANF contingency fund; and (3) child care entitlement funds. Amends SSA title XI to: (1) disregard foster care payments to Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and Guam for purposes of the limitation of total payments to each territory; and (2) exempt Medicaid (SSA title XIX) transitional medical assistance in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam from the current Medicaid cap on spending.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2002
Provides additional funding for translation and interpretation services for patients with limited English-speaking ability at community and other health centers funded under the rural health services outreach demonstration grant program under the Public Health Service Act. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure that such funds are expended to increase and not supplant amounts already expended by such centers.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2002
Combat Pay for Combat Risk Act of 2002 - Dictates that a member of the Armed Forces of the United States who is entitled to special pay for being subject to hostile fire or imminent danger as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (or any successor operation) shall be treated in the same manner as if the individual were in a combat zone for the following provisions of the Internal Revenue Code: (1) those relating to the special rule where a deceased spouse was missing in action; (2) those pertaining to exclusion of certain combat pay for soldiers; (3) those relating to income taxes of members of the Armed Forces upon death; (4) those pertaining to members of the Armed Forces dying in combat zone or by reason of wounds suffered in the combat zone; (5) those defining wages relating to combat pay (to apply to remuneration paid after the passage of the Act); (6) those dealing with taxation of phone service for soldiers from a combat zone; (7) those pertaining to a joint tax return where an individual is missing in action; and (8) those relating to time for performing certain acts postponed due to service in a combat zone.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2002
Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned to establish a program under which leave accrued by a member of that military department may be voluntarily transferred to another member of the same department who requires additional leave due to a qualifying emergency. Requires transfer approval by the commanding officers of both the donor and recipient. Defines a qualifying emergency as one which is likely to require prolonged absence and is the result of: (1) a medical condition of an immediate family member; or (2) any other hardship that such Secretary determines appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2002
Domestic Violence Courts Assistance Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (relating to grants to combat violent crimes against women) to allow such grants to be used to provide the resources to establish and maintain a court system dedicated to the adjudication of domestic violence cases. Requires a State to certify that at least five percent of grant funds shall be allocated for specialized domestic violence courts.