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United States · Official source
4,083 records where Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-37] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2004
Honors and congratulates Don Haskins (basketball coach) on his 50 years of contributions to the game of basketball and his efforts in support of diversity in sports.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2004
Part-time Student Assistance Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide access and assistance to increase college attendance and completion by part-time students. Exempts from student aid need formula determinations earnings up to: (1) $9,000 by dependent students; (2) $12,000 by independent students with no dependents (other than spouse); and (3) $12,000 by independent students with dependents (other than spouse). Provides for a formula for a revised table of income protection allowances. Exempts earned income credits from the calculation of income. Revises and expands a program (child care access means parents in school) which provides grants to institutions of higher education for child care assistance for low-income students. Directs the Secretary of Education to establish a year-round Pell grant pilot program. Authorizes a demonstration program to create a holistic approach to addressing the needs of part-time students. Allows such program to: (1) be at up to 150 associates and bachelors degree-granting institutions; and (2) include grants, leveraging funds from non-Federal sources, comprehensive child care, and better tailored remedial course programs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2004
Bring Our Children Home Act - Amends the Federal judicial code to provide that a contestant may bring an action in U.S. district court to resolve conflicting child custody determinations. Directs the Attorney General to establish a registry of child custody and visitation orders and proceedings. Authorizes State and local law enforcement officers to hold any child listed as missing for a proper custody disposition. Amends the International Child Abduction Remedies Act to require the U.S. Central Authority under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction to establish a funding program for the provision of legal services to persons seeking remedies in interstate or international parental kidnapping cases. Authorizes the Legal Services Corporation to provide Convention-related legal assistance to qualified aliens. Requires the Central Authority to encourage the designation of courts to hear Convention-related cases. Amends the Federal judicial code to require the Federal Judicial Center to include in its continuing education programs information on the Convention and related laws. Requires various reports relating to international child abduction. Requires the Attorney General to support, through specified activities, the adoption and implementation in the States of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act. Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 to expand the Safe Havens for Children Pilot Program to include children at risk of parental kidnapping. Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to authorize the disclosure of taxpayer identity information to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2004
Family Abduction Prevention Act of 2004 - Directs the Attorney General to make grants to States for projects involving: (1) the extradition of individuals suspected of committing a family abduction back to the State from which the child was taken; (2)investigation by law enforcement agencies of family abduction cases; (3) training for law enforcement agencies in responding to family abductions and recovering abducted children; (4) outreach and media campaigns to educate parents on the dangers of family abductions; and (5) notifying law enforcement authorities of the name and address of anyone requesting the school records of an abducted child. Requires that not less than 50 percent of the cost of a project for which a grant is made be provided by non-Federal sources.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2004
Establishes in the legislative branch the Independent Commission on the 2004 Coup d'Etat in the Republic of Haiti. Directs the Commission to examine the United States' role in the February 2004 coup d'etat in the Republic of Haiti, including: (1) the extent to which the United States impeded the democratic process in Haiti, including the extent to which U.S. actions and policies contributed to the overthrow of the democratically-elected Government of Haiti; (2) the circumstances of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's resignation and exile; (3) the extent to which the United States fulfilled its obligations under the Organization of American States (OAS) Inter-American Democratic Charter requiring that each OAS member country come to the aid of another OAS government under attack; (4) the extent to which the United States impeded international efforts, particularly efforts by Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, to prevent the overthrow of the Government of Haiti; (5) the United States' role in influencing United Nations Security Council decisions regarding Haiti and in discussions between Haiti and other countries that were willing to send security forces to assist the Government of Haiti; (6) the extent to which U.S. assistance or personnel, including the Central Intelligence Agency, was used to support the opposition forces; (7) the impact of the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and other organizations funded by the United States Agency for International Development on the political process in Haiti; (8) the impact on Haiti of the U.S. decision to discontinue bilateral assistance and U.S. efforts to block international financial assistance; and (9) the broader implications for Haiti and the Caribbean region of the events culminating in the coup d'etat. Terminates the Commission 60 days after submission of its final report.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2004
States that Congress: (1) condemns the detention of Father Thaddeus Nguyen Van Ly by the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and calls for his immediate and unconditional release; (2) condemns the violations of freedom of speech, religion, movement, association, and the lack of due process afforded to individuals in Vietnam; and (3) urges the Government of Vietnam to consider the implications of its actions for the broader relationship with the United States, including the United States-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should: (1) make the immediate release of Father Ly a top concern; (2) reiterate its deep concern regarding the violation of Father Ly's and other prisoners' human rights, and continue to urge the Government of Vietnam to comply with international standards for freedom and human rights; and (3) make it clear to the Government of Vietnam that the detention and human rights violations of Father Ly and other persons create obstacles to improved bilateral relations with the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2004
National Center for Social Work Research Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the National Center for Social Work Research to conduct, support, and disseminate targeted research on social work methods and outcomes related to problems of significant social concern. Requires the Secretary to appoint a Director of the Center to: (1) promote research and training designed to inform social work practice; (2) provide policy makers with empirically-based research information; and (3) establish research traineeships to address problems of significant social concern. Establishes an advisory council for the Center.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2004
Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) allow pancreata procured for use in islet cell transplantation or research to be counted for certification purposes for qualified organ procurement organization grants; and (2) require the Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee to include in its annual report an assessment of the Federal activities and programs related to pancreatic islet cell transplantation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2004
End Racial Profiling Act of 2004 - Prohibits any law enforcement agent or agency from engaging in racial profiling. Authorizes the United States or an individual injured by racial profiling to bring a civil action for declaratory or injunctive relief in State court or U.S. district court. Makes proof that the routine or spontaneous investigatory activities of law enforcement agents in a jurisdiction have had a disparate impact on racial, ethnic, or religious minorities prima facie evidence of a violation. Authorizes the court to allow a prevailing plaintiff attorney's fees under specified circumstances. Directs Federal law enforcement agencies to: (1) cease practices that encourage racial profiling; and (2) maintain policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling, including the collection of data on routine investigatory activities, procedures for responding meaningfully to complaints alleging racial profiling, and procedures to discipline agents who engage in racial profiling. Requires that an application by a State, local , or Indian tribal government for funding under the Byrne, Cops on the Beat, or Local Law Enforcement Block Grant program include a certification that such government: (1) maintains adequate policies and procedures designed to eliminate racial profiling; and (2) has ceased any practices that encourage racial profiling. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to States and specified entities to develop and implement best practice devices and systems to ensure the racially neutral administration of justice.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2004
Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2004 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to give States the option of providing Medicaid coverage for certain low-income HIV-infected individuals. Provides States taking advantage of this option with an enhanced Federal Medicaid match.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2004
Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to prohibit the operation of the Medicare comparative cost adjustment program in Texas.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2004
Redistricting Integrity Act - Amends Federal law to prohibit a State which has been redistricted after an apportionment from being so redistricted again until after the next apportionment of Representatives, unless the State is required by a Federal court to conduct such subsequent redistricting to: (1) comply with the U.S. Constitution; or (2) enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2004
Amends the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act to provide for a ten-year extension of the assault weapons ban.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2004
Microenterprise Results and Accountability Act of 2004 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to repeal existing microenterprise development grant authority and reestablish and revise it as a separate title, title VI - Microenterprise Development Assistance, which shall be administered by an Office of Microenterprise Development (established by this Act) within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2004
Expresses the sense of Congress that negotiations on access to critical segments of the U.S. automobile market should not take place on a piecemeal basis, but only as part of: (1) negotiations that include all major automobile producing nations; and (2) comprehensive negotiations that address both tariff and nontariff barriers specific to the automobile industry, with progress on eliminating tariff barriers explicitly linked to concrete progress on eliminating nontariff barriers.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2004
Repairing Young Women's Lives Around the World Act - Authorizes appropriations to be used only for U.S. voluntary contributions to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for prevention, remedy, and repair of obstetric fistula.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2004
Sets forth the rule for consideration of H.R. 594 (to amend title II of the Social Security Act to repeal the Government pension offset and windfall elimination provisions).
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2004
Calls upon the Government of France to respect the right of individuals to practice their religion freely and to display insignia of their faith. Joins the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in recommending that the U.S. Government urge the Government of France to reassess its initiative banning conspicuous religious articles and symbols in state schools.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2004
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2004 - Adjusts the basic Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity amount for surviving spouses, age 62 and older, of former military personnel to: (1) 35 percent of the retired pay of the decedent (current law), for months before October 2005; (2) 40 percent for months after September 2005 and before October 2008; (3) 45 percent for months after September 2008 and before October 2014; and (4) 55 percent for months after September 2014 . Adjusts similarly percentage amounts with respect to survivors of reserve personnel and survivors of persons who die while on active duty. Provides a corresponding phased elimination of the SBP supplemental annuity authorized to be provided to such surviving spouses. Requires periodic recomputation of: (1) annuity amounts beginning in October 2005; and (2) retired pay reductions for supplemental survivor annuities. Provides a one-year open enrollment period for SBP participation, commencing October 1, 2005, for those currently not participating, those electing to increase current coverage, and those wishing to participate in the supplemental SBP. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to require appropriate premiums for SBP participation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2004
Freedom of Choice Act - Declares that it is the policy of the United States that every woman has the fundamental right to choose to: (1) bear a child; (2) terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability; or (3) terminate it after fetal viability when necessary to protect her life or her health. Prohibits a governmental entity from : (1) denying or interfering with a woman's right to exercise such choices; or (2) discriminating against the exercise of those rights in its regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information. Authorizes an individual aggrieved by a violation of this Act to obtain appropriate relief, including relief against a governmental entity in a civil action. States that this Act applies to every Federal, State, and local statute, ordinance, regulation, administrative order, decision, policy, practice, or other action enacted, adopted, or implemented before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) carry out a national education and information campaign to promote stroke prevention and increase the number of stroke patients who seek immediate treatment; and (2) maintain the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry and Clearinghouse by collecting specific data points and benchmarks for stroke care analysis, and compiling and disseminating information on State, local, and private care system achievements and problems. Defines "stroke" as an attack in which blood flow to the brain is interrupted, or in which a blood vessel or aneurysm in the brain breaks or ruptures. Includes stroke and traumatic injury prevention, diagnosis, and treatment within the grant program for emergency medicine residency training. Authorizes the Secretary, through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to make grants to qualified entities for health care professionals education programs in the use of diagnostic approaches, technologies, and therapies for stroke and traumatic injury prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Gives preference to areas with a significant incidence of stroke or traumatic injuries. Authorizes the Secretary, through the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, to make up to seven grants to States and to consortia of public and private entities in any non-grantee State to conduct a five-year pilot project (not to extend beyond FY 2009) to improve and coordinate stroke-related health care through telehealth networks.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Act of 2003 - Amends the National Trails System Act to designate El Camino Real de los Tejas as a National Historic Trail. Authorizes establishment of such trail on portions of the trail on: (1) publicly owned lands; and (2) privately owned lands only with the consent of the owner.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Expresses: (1) condolences and deepest sympathy to the families of the young women killed in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, since 1993, many of whom appear to be victims of one or more serial murders; and (2) the solidarity of the people of the United States with the people of Mexico in the face of these tragic and senseless acts. Recognizes the courageous struggle of the victims' families in seeking justice for them. Condemns: (1) the abductions and murders of such young women in Ciudad Juarez and the city of Chihuahua; (2) the use of torture as a means of investigation into these crimes; and (3) all senseless acts of violence in all parts of the world and violence against women in particular. Urges the President and Secretary of State to express: (1) concern over these abductions and murders to the Government of Mexico and to request that the investigative and preventative efforts of such Government become part of the bilateral agenda between the Governments of Mexico and the United States; and (2) support for the efforts of the victims' families to seek justice for the victims, to express concern relating to the continued harassment of these families and the human rights defenders with which they work, and to express concern with respect to impediments in the ability of the families to receive prompt and accurate information in their cases. Supports multilateral efforts to create a DNA database that would allow families to positively identify the remains of the victims and encourages the Secretary to facilitate U.S. participation in such database. Encourages the Secretary to: (1) include in the Department of State's annual Country Report on Human Rights all instances of improper investigatory methods, threats against human rights activists, and the use of torture with respect to cases involving the murder and abduction of young women in the State of Chihuahua; and (2) urge the Government of Mexico to ensure fair and proper judicial proceedings for the individuals accused of these abductions and murders and to impose appropriate punishment for those individuals subsequently determined to be guilty of such crimes. Recommends that the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico visit Ciudad Juarez and the city of Chihuahua to meet with the victims' families, women's rights organizations, and Mexican Federal and State officials responsible for investigating these crimes and preventing future such crimes.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2003
Provides for the admittance of Mexican nationals currently admissible under laser-visa border crossing regulations as six-month nonimmigrant visitors.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2003
States that the executive branch should: (1) amend the permissible period of entry for users of the Laser Visa (border crossing card), and should remove the 25-mile travel restriction on Mexican nationals in the United States, in order to more accurately reflect economic and social realities of the United States-Mexico border region; and (2) in developing the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) for land ports, take into consideration national security and potential harm to any of the economies of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) countries and their border regions.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2003
Memorial to Noncitizen Patriots Act - Directs the Secretary of the Army to construct within Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, a memorial marker honoring the service and sacrifice of noncitizens killed in the line of duty while serving in the U.S. armed forces. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to accept gifts and donations for such purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2003
Urges the President to immediately request the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2003
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member. Directs the Secretary to reimburse such eligible persons for pharmacy benefits received from a pharmacy that is not a TRICARE (Department of Defense managed health care plan) network pharmacy in the same manner as the Secretary would reimburse such person for such benefits received from a TRICARE network pharmacy. Requires such persons, in order to receive such reimbursement, to submit a certification from their physician stating that the person does not have access to a TRICARE network pharmacy due to physical or medical constraints. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive the monthly part B premium (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) with respect to: (1) an individual who is entitled to military retired or retainer pay based upon service that began before December 7, 1956; and (2) the spouse, widow, or widower of such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2003
Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act - States that the purpose of this Act is to improve minority health and healthcare and to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health and healthcare. FamilyCare Act of 2003 - Amends the Social Security Act respecting: (1) family care; (2) Medicaid coverage for all residents with poverty level incomes; and (3) funding for the territories. Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to provide for optional coverage of legal immigrants under Medicaid and SCHIP (State children's health insurance program). Amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to revise provisions respecting program operations and funding. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a demonstration project to strengthen Medicaid and SCHIP coverage for migrant workers and farmworkers. Establishes the National Commission for Expanded Access to Health Care. Amends the Public Service Health Act to improve limited English speakers' access to health care. Directs the Secretary to establish a Center for Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Healthcare. Provides for health workforce diversity, including provisions respecting: (1) career training and support; (2) data collection; (3) cultural training; (4) Hispanic-serving health professions schools; (5) student assistance, including online degree programs; (6) the Louis Stokes public health scholars program; (7) the Patsy Mink health and gender research fellowship program; (8) the Paul David Wellstone international health fellowship program; and (9) the Edward R. Roybal Healthcare scholar program. Environmental Justice Act of 2003 - Establishes: (1) the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice which shall provide guidance to Federal agencies for identifying disproportionately high and adverse health and environmental effects on minority, low-income, and Native American populations; and (2) the Federal Environmental Justice Advisory Committee which shall advise the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Working Group on areas environmental justice. Border Health Security Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary, through the United States members of the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission, to award grants to eligible entities to improve the health of border area residents that are established by: (1) the United States members of the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission; (2) the State border health offices; and (3) the Secretary. Amends the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission Act to make permanent authorizations of appropriations for activities under such Act. Patient Navigator, Outreach, and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to public and nonprofit private health centers (including Indian Health Service Centers, tribal governments, urban Indian organizations, tribal organizations, clinics serving Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and Alaska Natives, and rural health clinics) for model programs that provide health disparity populations with: (1) cancer and chronic disease prevention and treatment; (2) patient navigators to manage the care of individuals within such groups; and (3) outreach services. Authorizes similar grant programs through: (1) the National Cancer Institute; and (2) the Indian Health Service. Community Health Workers Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States or local or tribal units to promote positive health behaviors for women in target populations, especially racial and ethnic minority women in medically underserved communities. Extends funding for breast and cervical cancer preventive health measures. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to qualifying health centers, nonprofit organizations, and public institutions for cancer treatment and prevention programs for underserved minority and other populations, with consideration given to such population's language and cultural context. Provides for grants and activities respecting: (1) health empowerment zone programs in health disparity communities; (2) the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative; (3) infant mortality and sudden infant death syndrome rates in minority communities; (4) fetal alcohol syndrome treatment and diagnosis; (5) diabetes prevention and treatment activities with Indian tribes, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians; (6) diabetes programs, including youth and children's programs; (7) heart disease; (8) a national stroke education campaign; and (9) obesity treatment and prevention in underserved minority populations; (10) tuberculosis control and prevention; (11) asthma; (12) sickle cell disease; (13) autoimmune disease in minority populations; (14) sexually transmitted diseases; (15) children's dental disease coverage under Medicaid or SCHIP, and dental health services in underserved areas; (16) demonstration projects to reduce violence; (17) uterine fibroid research and education; (18) disease screening; (19) community outreach; (20) immunizations; (21) chronic disease management; and (22) racial and ethnic approaches to community health. Requires HHS funded or operated programs to collect race, ethnicity, and language data to detect ethnic and racial health care disparities. Authorizes demonstration program grants for health plan, health center, and hospital data collection. Amends the Social Security Act to require the Social Security Administration to collect similar data. Directs the Secretary to fund epidemiology centers in Indian health areas lacking such centers. Extends funding for the National Center for Health Statistics. Minority Health and Genomics Act of 2003 - Establishes the Minority Health and Genomics Commission, which shall conduct a study of, and develop recommendations on, issues relating to genomic research as applied to minority groups. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) civil rights compliance offices within each HHS agency that administers a health program; and (2) an Office of Minority Health within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Establishes the Indian Health Service as an agency of the Public Health Service. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to establish an Office of Minority Affairs within the Office of the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to make grants for demonstration programs to improve minority healthcare access and quality. Directs the Secretary to: (1) designate centers of excellence at hospitals and other health systems serving large numbers of minority patients; (2) provide financial assistance to designated healthcare providers and community health centers for facility and service improvements in American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii; and (3) provide grants and loan guarantees from the Health Safety Net Infrastructure Trust Fund (established by this Act) for capital financing assistance to eligible healthcare facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2003
School Nutrition Enhancement Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to phase out reduced price lunches and breakfasts by phasing in increases in income eligibility for free lunches and breakfasts by specified increments from 130 percent of the Office of Management and Budget nonfarm income poverty guidelines for July 1, 2003, to 185 percent of such guidelines for July 1, 2008, and every subsequent school year.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2003
Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act - Prohibits an individual from killing, hazing, or capturing any buffalo on Federal lands or land held under Federal conservation easements or using any form of bait to lure buffalo from any Federal land onto private land until the Secretary of the Interior and other appropriate Federal agencies carry out specified duties. Establishes fines and criminal penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2003
Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2003 or Johanna's Law - Directs The Secretary of Health and Human Services: (1) through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in collaboration with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to carry out a national campaign to increase the awareness and knowledge of women with respect to gynecologic cancers; and (2) through NIH and the Director, to carry out a demonstration program with nonprofit private entities to test different outreach and education strategies to increase such awareness among women and health care providers.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
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. Amends the State Justice Institute Act of 1984 to allow funds available pursuant to grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts awarded under the Act to be used to: (1) implement and evaluate court-based approaches to adjudicating domestic violence cases in State courts; and (2) provide technical assistance to State courts to facilitate the development and adoption of improved practices in such adjudication.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Domestic Violence Prevention, Education, and Awareness Act - Requires the Attorney General, acting through the Violence Against Women Office, to make grants to public or private nonprofit entities, States, and Indian tribes and tribal organizations to carry out public information campaigns to educate racial and ethnic minority communities and immigrant communities about domestic violence, including its effects, methods of preventing or reducing it, and available services to such victims.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Truthfulness, Responsibility, and Accountability in Contracting Act of 2003 - Requires the head of each Federal agency to submit to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget a certification that a contracting function decision was based on a public-private competition and that the agency: (1) has established a centralized reporting system; (2) is not managing Federal employees by any arbitrary limitations; and (3) is reviewing work performed by contractors, recompeting or contracting in work when appropriate, and subjecting to public-private competition a certain number of Federal employee and contractor positions. Prohibits the head of an agency from entering into any contract for the performance of services until the Director, after reviewing the certification required, determines that the agency is making substantial progress toward meeting requirements under this Act. Allows the Director to waive the applicability of this Act for national security and other specified reasons. Requires that any decision by an agency to either transfer the performance of a function from Federal employees to a contractor or to assign to a contractor the performance of a function not currently performed by Federal employees to be based on the results of a public-private competition process that formally compares the costs of Federal employee versus contractor performance. Directs the Comptroller General to monitor agency compliance with this Act. Authorizes: (1) the Secretaries of Defense and of Homeland Security to waive the application of the public-private competition requirements under specified circumstances; and (2) the Director to carry out a limited pilot program regarding the use of alternative public-private competition processes.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Unaccompanied Alien Child Protection Act of 2003 - Establishes procedures for immigration officers who find an unaccompanied alien child at a U.S. land border or point of entry who is a national or habitual resident of a contiguous country. Establishes that other unaccompanied alien children, including trafficking victims, shall be in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, except that such children who threaten U.S. security or who are charged with or have been convicted of a felony shall be in the care of the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security. Sets forth a family reunification preference order. Prohibits, with an exception for violent children, detention in adult or delinquent children facilities. Directs the Office to develop procedures for detention and prohibited detention practices. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Government should ensure that it does not repatriate children in its custody into life- and safety-threatening settings. Directs the Secretary of State to include in the annual State Department Country Report on Human Rights an assessment of the degree to which each country protects children from smugglers and traffickers. Directs the Office, with respect to unaccompanied alien children in the custody of the Office or the Department of Homeland Security, to: (1) develop age determination procedures; and (2) provide immigration counsel. Directs the Executive Office for Immigration Review to develop model guidelines for legal representation of children. Authorizes the Office to provide that each unaccompanied child have a guardian ad litem. Requires the Office to implement a pilot program for the appointment of guardians ad litem. Amends special immigrant juvenile provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Expresses congressional commendation of the Immigration and Naturalization Service' s issuance of its "Guidelines for Children's Asylum Claims." Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide immigration officers with related training. Exempts unaccompanied alien children from certain removal and asylum provisions. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to set forth additional responsibilities and authorities of the Office with respect to unaccompanied alien children.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Calls for the House of Representatives, prior to the conclusion of the first session of the 108th Congress, to pass legislation that would create an independent commission or select House committee to investigate U.S. intelligence relating to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2003
Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Act or the PREEMIE Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to expand and coordinate research relating to preterm labor and delivery and infant mortality. Establishes within NIH two networks: a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network and a Neonatal Research Unit Network. Requires the Director of the CDC to study and report on the relationship between prematurity, birth defects, and developmental disabilities as well as review the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Survey. Requires the Director of NIH to contract with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences for a study on the health and economic consequences of preterm birth. Directs the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration to assess the current national core performance and outcome measures under the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant with the goal of expanding them to include known risk factors of low birthweight and prematurity such as smoking by pregnant women. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants for a demonstration project to improve the provision of information on prematurity to health professionals and other health care providers and the public. Funds grants for projects to support the informational and emotional needs of families during the stay of an infant in a neonatal intensive care unit (nicu). Establishes an Interagency Coordinating Council on Prematurity and Low Birthweight.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2003
Hospitalized Veterans Financial Assistance Act of 2003 - Makes the commencement date of the period of payment of a temporary increase in veterans' disability compensation for hospitalization or treatment the day on which such hospitalization or treatment commences. (Currently, such date is the first day of the month in which such hospitalization or treatment commences, when the hospitalization or treatment commences and terminates within the same calendar month.)
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2003
Commission to Establish the National Museum of the American Latino Act of 2003 - Establishes the Commission to Establish a National Museum of the American Latino. Directs the Commission to: (1) report to the President and Congress with recommendations on a plan of action to establish and maintain, in Washington, DC, the National Museum of the American Latino; (2) develop a fundraising plan, examine specified issues (including whether the Museum should be within the Smithsonian Institution), and make legislative recommendations; and (3) convene a national conference on the Museum. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to provide administrative services, facilities, and funds necessary for performance of Commission functions.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2003
Authorizes the President to award congressional gold medals posthumously, to their next of kin, on behalf of Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson, in recognition of their contributions to the Nation as pioneers in South Carolina in the effort to desegregate public schools that led directly to the landmark desegregation case of Brown et al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka et al. Directs that amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals be deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Marine Corps 230th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 one dollar coins which shall be emblematic of the warrior ethos of the United States Marine Corps. Requires all surcharges from the sale of the coins to be paid to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation for construction of the Marine Corps Heritage Center.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Border Economic Recovery Act for Health and the Environment - Amends the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission Act to authorize appropriations. Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 with respect to funding for State-furnished emergency health services for undocumented aliens in the United States-Mexico border area ("border area"). Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, with respect to the special supplemental nutrition program, to require the Secretary of Agriculture to utilize partnerships for increased coordination of food and nutrition assistance for residents of colonias in the border area. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to increase funding for grants and loans for water and waste facilities in communities whose residents face significant health risks. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make grants to selected colleges in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas to provide community resource centers to serve colonias. Amends the Public Health Service Act with respect to funding of: (1) tuberculosis prevention activities in the border area; and (2) interdisciplinary, community-based linkages and centers addressing unmet health care needs in such area and in the State of Florida. Authorizes funding for the Border Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies (concerning youth substance abuse prevention in the border area). Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make awards of grants or cooperative agreements to: (1) conduct cancer screenings in the border area and report diagnosis information to the appropriate State cancer registry; (2) expand a diabetes study; and (3) support community-based sexually transmitted disease control programs. Provides funding for the Department of HUD's Healthy Homes Initiative, reserving specified amounts for border area activities. Provides funding for: (1) the Materials Corridor Partnership Initiative; (2) the Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy; (3) environmental infrastructure projects carried out by the International Boundary and Water Commission (and requires a long-range water supply strategic plan); (4) the U.S. contribution to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation; (5) innovative water conservation programs; (6) the International Consortium for the Environment established at Brooks Air Force Base; (7) the Border Environmental Cooperation Commission for environmental infrastructure projects; and (8) grants for high-priority projects carried out through the North American Development Bank's Border Environmental Infrastructure Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2003 - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by covered entities (including employment agencies, labor organizations, and training programs). Prohibits related retaliation and coercion. Declares this Act inapplicable to the provision of employee benefits for the benefit of an employee's domestic partner. Prohibits the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from: (1) collecting statistics on sexual orientation from covered entities; and (2) compelling covered entities to collect such statistics. Prohibits: (1) quotas and preferential treatment; and (2) an order or consent decree for a violation of this Act that includes a quota or preferential treatment. Declares that this Act is inapplicable to: (1) religious organizations; (2) the relationship between the United States and members of the armed forces; or (3) laws creating special rights or preferences for veterans. Prohibits the imposition of affirmative action for a violation of this Act. Disallows State immunity. Makes the United States or a State liable for remedies to the same extent as under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress should act immediately to adopt and implement the recommendations in the final report of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, "Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America" through legislation or other appropriate action to help ensure affordable, accessible, and high quality mental health care for all Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2003
Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act of 2003 - Rape Kits and DNA Evidence Backlog Elimination Act of 2003 - Amends: (1) the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to reauthorize the Act; (2) the DNA Identification Act of 1994 (Identification Act) to expand the scope of DNA samples to be included in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS); and (3) the Violence Against Women Act to authorize grants to increase the availability of legal assistance to victims of dating violence. DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act of 2003 - Amends the Identification Act to require that CODIS include only information on DNA identification records and analyses that are prepared by laboratories that: (1) have been accredited by a nationally recognized nonprofit professional association of forensic scientists within two years; and (2) undergo external audits at least every two years that demonstrate compliance with specified standards. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants for: (1) DNA training and education; (2) sexual assault forensic examination programs; (3) research and development; (4) using DNA technology to identify missing persons; and (5) tribal domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions. Expands and reauthorizes the Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Grant Program. Innocence Protection Act of 2003 - Sets forth conditions under which a Federal prisoner may obtain post-conviction DNA testing of specific evidence. Directs the Attorney General to award grants to States to improve the quality of legal representation in State capital cases.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2003
Health and Education Access for Students with Diabetes Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to prohibit a State or public or private entity from receiving funds under ESEA title IV part A, also known as the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, unless it has a policy in effect against hindering or restricting a student from engaging in diabetes treatment prescribed or recommended by a physician.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2003
College Opportunity for All Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise and reauthorize requirements relating to: (1) Pell Grants and other student aid amounts and access to higher education for all students; (2) support and educational opportunities for students at minority-serving institutions, including centers for teacher education; (3) postbaccalaureate opportunities at Hispanic-serving institutions; (4) TRIO and other outreach programs to disadvantaged students pursuing a postsecondary education; (5) support for working students through revision of student aid need analysis; (6) student loan forgiveness for certain public service employment; (7) relief to borrowers through elimination of origination fees and allowance of refinancing of consolidation loans; (8) simplification of the student aid process; (9) voluntary flexible agreements with guaranty agencies; and (10) allowance for State and other taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2003
Congratulates the Rice University Owls baseball team for winning the 2003 NCAA baseball championship.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2003
Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, upon completion of specified agricultural work and residency requirements, to adjust the status of a qualifying alien agricultural worker (and spouse and minor children) to that of a: (1) lawfully admitted temporary nonimmigrant; and (2) permanent resident nonimmigrant. Sets forth provisions with respect to: (1) adjustment of status applications, including penalties for false statements; (2) waiver of numerical limitations and certain grounds for inadmissibility; (3) temporary stay of removal and work authorization; (4) administrative and judicial review; and (5) dissemination of program information. Amends the Social Security Act to provide for the correction of such aliens' social security records. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to set forth registry application requirements for H-2A employers and employer associations, including assurances: (1) that the job opportunity is temporary or seasonal, and is not the result of a labor dispute, (2) that attempts have been made to hire U.S. workers; and (3) respecting required wages and benefits, and compliance with labor laws. Sets forth employment requirements with respect to: (1) wages; (2) housing; and (3) transportation reimbursement. Establishes the Commission on Agricultural Wage Standards under the H-2A program. Revises provisions respecting the admission and extension of stay of temporary H-2A workers. Provides special rules for alien sheepherders. Sets forth worker protection and labor standards enforcement provisions for such aliens.