United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2003
Alzheimer's Treatment and Caregiver Support Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to expand treatment services for patients with Alzheimer's disease and training and support services for families and caregivers. Obligates specified funds for medically underserved communities.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2003
Firefighters Medical Monitoring Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, to monitor the long-term medical health of firefighters who have fought fires in any area for which the President has declared a major disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Bridges to the Cuban People Act of 2003 - Exempts from the embargo on trade with Cuba (including prohibitions under the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 against the unloading at a U.S. port of vessels that previously entered a Cuban port to engage in trade) the export of any agricultural commodity, farm machinery or equipment, medicine, medical device, assistive technology device, personal care products, or products intended for the exclusive use by children, or any travel incident to the sale or delivery of such items. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report on export promotion and credit programs for Cuba. Prohibits the President from prohibiting or regulating travel to or from or within Cuba by U.S. nationals or lawful resident aliens, including specified transactions ordinarily incident to such travel, financial or otherwise. Authorizes the President to provide scholarships, with funds under the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 for Cuban nationals who seek to undertake graduate study in public health, public policy, economics, law, or other field of social science. Authorizes the President to waive certain sanctions against, and restrictions on assistance to, Cuba, including the exclusion from the United States of certain aliens who have confiscated property in Cuba of U.S. nationals or who traffic in such property, if he determines that it will promote the peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba or will further U.S. national economic interests. Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from limiting the amount of remittances to Cuba that any U.S. person may make. Authorizes the import into the United States of a Cuban-originated medical article if the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines that there is a medical need in the United States for such article that is not being met by any medicine or medical device in commercial distribution in the United States. Repeals a prohibition, under the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999, on certain transactions or payments with respect to U.S. intellectual property. Requires the U.S. Postal Service to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba. Amends the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 to provide for expedited security checks for certain visiting Cubans. Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to, from, or within Cuba by U.S. persons for the purpose of engaging in or financing motion picture or television projects, or engaging in music recording projects, or any transactions incidental to such travel. Removes certain restrictions under specified Federal laws in order to allow Cuban nationals to come to the United States to play organized professional sports.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Security and Financial Empowerment Act - Sets forth entitlement standards and implementation guidelines for employee use of emergency leave to address domestic or sexual violence. Permits victims of domestic or sexual violence to substitute existing leave in lieu of emergency leave. Authorizes State use of funds under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) to provide nonrecurrent short-term emergency benefits for emergency leave precipitated by domestic or sexual violence . Amends the Internal Revenue Code relating to approval of State unemployment compensation laws to prohibit denial of compensation where an individual is separated from employment due to circumstances resulting from the individual's experience of domestic or sexual violence. Amends the Social Security Act to include training under this Act for unemployment compensation and TANF personnel. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award a grant to a national victim services organization to develop and disseminate a model program for domestic and sexual violence training. Victims' Employment Sustainability Act - Prohibits certain discriminatory employer practices relating to terms or conditions of employment in connection with victims of domestic or sexual violence. Victims of Abuse Insurance Protection Act - Prohibits denial or restriction of insurance coverage based on the status of the applicant or insured regarding abuse or abuse-related claims. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business related credit for 40 percent of an employer's costs for implementing workplace safety and education programs relating to domestic and sexual violence. Authorizes the Attorney General to provide a grant for a clearinghouse and resource center to provide information and assistance to employers, labor organizations, and advocates on behalf of victims of domestic or sexual violence.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
California FIRE Act - Authorizes emergency supplemental appropriations for FY 2004 to the Department of Homeland Security, Emergency Preparedness and Response Disaster Relief, for "Disaster Relief" activities associated with the California wildfires.
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 · 30 October 2003
Commends the firefighters and public servants who participated in responding to the October 2003 wildfires in southern California for their dedicated service to the people of California.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2003
New Partnership for Haiti Act of 2003 - Directs the President to work with the Government of Haiti and international organizations to establish a comprehensive and integrated strategy to combat infectious diseases in Haiti, including HIV/AIDS, and to establish a comprehensive health infrastructure in Haiti. Authorizes the President: (1) acting through the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to provide assistance to Haiti to develop its health sector, including by supporting infrastructure and education and prevention activities; and (2) acting through the Secretary of State and the Corps of Engineers, to provide assistance to develop Haiti's basic sanitation and transportation infrastructure. Directs the President to establish a program to recruit U.S. health care professionals and engineers to rebuild the health care and physical infrastructures of Haiti. Authorizes the President to provide financial incentives to encourage such individuals to participate in the program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2003
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) condemns bigotry and intolerance against any religious group, including people of the Islamic faith; and (2) calls on the President to clearly censure Lieutenant General William Boykin, United States Army, for his religiously intolerant remarks against people of the Islamic faith and to reassign him to a new position in which his views will not impact U.S. Government policy decisions toward Muslims.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Fallen Patriots Tax Relief Act - Doubles, from $6,000 to $12,000, the military death gratuity payment and amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the full payment shall be tax exempt.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Nursing Home Staffing Act of 2003 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate standards for minimum nurse staffing levels in nursing facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid payments. Reinstitutes (Boren amendment) payment methodology, providing for payment of Medicaid services through the use of rates determined pursuant to the criteria under State Medicaid plan requirements as in effect on August 1, 1997. Establishes safe harbor rates. Provides a permanent 1.50 percent increase of the Medicaid Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for a State beginning with FY 2004. Authorizes inclusion of: (1) financial accountability requirements in the survey and certification process with respect to facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid payments; and (2) professionals trained in financial accounting and auditing in the multidisciplinary survey teams of professionals under Medicare and Medicaid.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Congratulates John Wooden for receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom and for the naming of the Pauley Pavilion basketball floor in his honor. Commends his unparalleled achievements and contributions in sports and education.
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 · 16 October 2003
Northern California Wild Heritage Act of 2003 - Designates specified national forest lands, Bureau of Land Management district lands, and certain lands in Lassen Volcanic National Park in California as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System (System). Designates specified California public lands as: (1) salmon restoration areas; (2) wilderness study areas; and (3) potential wilderness areas. Designates specified California rivers as wild and scenic rivers. Requires the review of the Carson River, East Fork, California, to determine its suitability as a wild, scenic, or recreational river. Establishes the Sacramento River National Conservation Area. Requires the development of a comprehensive plan for the long-range protection and management of such Area.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2003
Save Our Homes Act - Amends the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 to: (1) require itemization and disclosure of the annual percentage rate of mortgage loans and other loans secured by residential real property originated by the lending institution, including the amount of fees and points imposed in connection with loan origination, grouped according to census tract, income level, racial characteristics, age, and gender; and (2) prohibit regulatory exemptions of depository institutions from such reporting requirements. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to: (1) set forth annual percentage rates that define a high-cost mortgage and related points and fees in order to apply high-cost loan protections to home purchase loans; (2) treat certain mortgage broker intermediaries as creditors covered by the Act; (3) subject a creditor to liability for mortgage broker violations of the Act; and (4) prohibit specified provisions and clauses in a high-cost mortgage. Declares unenforceable under both Federal and State law a high-cost mortgage document in which blanks are left to be filled in after the contract is signed. Prescribes requirements for conforming home loans. Prohibits creditors and mortgage brokers from directly or indirectly coercing, intimidating, or withholding compensation from an appraiser in order to influence the appraiser's independent judgment with respect to the value of real estate to be covered by a conforming home loan. Establishes criminal and civil penalties for violation of such prohibition. Excludes from participation in mortgage-backed security pools high-cost or conforming home loans in violation of this Act. Prescribes a formula for determining an alternative maximum amount of civil liability for credit or mortgage broker violations involving high-cost mortgages and conforming loans.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2003
Southern California Wild Heritage Act of 2003 - Designates specified national forest and Bureau of Land Management district lands in California as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System (System). Requires such areas to be administered by the Secretary of the Interior or Agriculture, whichever has current administrative jurisdiction over each area. Designates specified California national park lands as wilderness and components of the System, requiring such lands to be managed by the National Park Service. Designates specified California rivers as wild and scenic rivers. Establishes the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest for public enjoyment and scientific study. Requires the development of a comprehensive management plan for such Forest.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2003
Prevent Prematurity and Improve Child Health Act of 2003 -Amends title XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to give States the option to expand or add coverage of certain pregnant women under Medicaid and SCHIP and to provide optional coverage of legal immigrants under such programs. Extends coverage under Medicaid of prescription drugs and counseling services to tobacco cessation medications to help pregnant women enrolled in the program quit using tobacco. Requires coverage of tobacco cessation counseling services for pregnant women, and exempts such services from cost-sharing charges. Covers tobacco cessation medications and counseling for pregnant women, also, under the Maternal and Child Health Services program under SSA title V. Gives States the option under Medicaid of: (1) providing family planning services and supplies to individuals with incomes that do not exceed a State's income eligibility level for medical assistance; and (2) extending the postpartum period for provision of family planning services and supplies. Gives States the option of providing wrap-around SCHIP coverage to children who have other health coverage. ........................................
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
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
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act - Amends the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 (TEUCA) to: (1) extend the TEUC program; (2) provide for additional weeks of TEUC benefits; (3) revise unemployment rate triggers for TEUC benefit periods; and (4) provide for regular unemployment compensation for certain individuals based on part-time work or an alternative base period. Extends the TEUC program through weeks of unemployment ending before July 1, 2004. Provides a phase-out period for individual payments up to weeks beginning after December 31, 2004. Increases to 26 weeks an eligible individual's TEUC payments. Provides for an additional seven weeks of payments, for a total of 33 weeks, for individuals in high-unemployment States (TEUC-X). (Current law provides 13 weeks of regular TEUC payments, with an additional 13 and total 26 in TEUC-X States.) Revises requirements for determining TEUC-X States, using certain triggers based on insured unemployment rates and on total unemployment rates. Establishes a program of payments to States to provide regular unemployment compensation benefits for individuals who otherwise would be ineligible because: (1) the base period does not count wages earned in the most recently completed calendar quarter; or (2) the individuals seek or are available for less than full-time work.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2003
Recognizes the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church of Birmingham, Alabama. Honors the victims (Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley) and commends the efforts of the law enforcement personnel who worked to bring those responsible to justice.
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 · 1 October 2003
States that the House of Representatives: (1) supports the goals of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, including the need for immigration reform; and (2) recognizes and honors the millions of immigrant workers in the United States who work hard, pay taxes, and contribute to our economy and our communities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2003
Honors the life and accomplishments of Althea Gibson, who broke the color barrier in the sport of tennis in the 1950s, who was the first black woman to win the Wimbledon and United States national tennis titles, and who helped pave the way for future generations of black athletes.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2003
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Rest and Recuperation Leave program for members of the armed forces serving in combat zones in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom should cover all travel and transportation costs necessary to return members granted leave to their homes. (Currently, such program covers transportation to only an approved point of debarkation in the United States.)
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 · 24 September 2003
Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to add provisions entitled the Preparing America to Respond Effectively Act of 2003 (PREPARE Act), which direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a Task Force on Standards for Terrorism Preparedness and authorize the Secretary to make terrorism preparedness and response grants to State governments. Designates the Office for Domestic Preparedness as being responsible for administering all terrorism preparedness and response grant programs of the Department of Homeland Security. Requires the Secretary to revise the Homeland Security Advisory System to include a process for activating the System on a regional or critical infrastructure sector basis. Includes among executive branch responsibilities the making of grants to compensate States and local governments for additional personnel costs incurred as a result of elevated threat level designations. Requires: (1) the President to specify the lead Federal agency for sharing terrorism threat information with State and local governments; and (2) the Secretary to make grants to State and local governments to provide the equipment and facilities necessary to handle and store classified information. Makes the Under Secretary for Science and Technology responsible for first responder equipment and training standards. Requires the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response to conduct studies regarding: (1) electromagnetic spectrum and frequency bands for emergency communications; and (2) the establishment of a nationwide emergency notification system. Requires the Secretary to: (1) procure and deploy equipment to facilitate interoperability between emergency communications systems; (2) award grants for programs at public schools to instruct students in preparing for and responding to a man-made emergency or natural disaster; and (3) establish and maintain a clearinghouse of best practices and curricula for instructing students regarding emergency preparedness and response.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2003
Youth Worker Protection Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to revise provisions relating to child labor and to set forth new requirements relating to the employment of minors. Establishes FLSA requirements for employment of minors, including those for: (1) work permits; (2) working-hour restrictions for minors in specified age groups, and in relation to school attendance; (3) notification of serious work-related injuries; (4) data compilation, retention, and reporting by State agencies; (5) prohibition of youth peddling; (6) civil actions for bodily injury, illness, or death; (7) public disclosure of violations; and (8) civil penalties. Revises FLSA child labor provisions to: (1) set the same minimum age requirements for children in agricultural employment as for those in nonagricultural employment; (2) impose a uniform minimum age for employment in all hazardous occupations; (3) eliminate the Secretary of Labor's authority to issue waivers with respect to certain hand harvest labor by children; (4) eliminate an exception for scrap paper balers and paper box compactors; and (5) declare that youth peddling affects commerce (and thus is subject to Federal regulation). Directs the Secretary of Labor to promulgate: (1) a rule relating to particularly hazardous occupations for children between the ages of 16 and 18, based on a specified report and recommendations of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); and (2) a rule prohibiting employment of minors in seafood processing or in jobs requiring them to handle or dispose of oil or other liquids from fryers. Requires the Secretary to review: (1) restricted occupation and hazardous occupation orders, at least once every five years; and (2) health and safety data on employment of minors in activities involving certain repetitive motions, or lifting, or working alone or late at night in retail establishments with public contact and cash handling, or entertainment industry work detrimental to them, and report with appropriate rules to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2003
Recognizes and honors the life of the late Raul Julia, his dedication to ending world hunger, and his great contributions to the Latino community and the performing arts.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2003
Home Lead Safety Tax Credit Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide owners of residential properties built in the United States before 1978 with a tax credit for lead-based paint abatement costs performed by a certified lead abatement contractor (50 percent of the cost of the abatement, not to exceed $1,500 per dwelling unit).
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2003
Congratulates the Washington Freedom for winning the 2003 Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) title. Requests that the President invite them to a White House ceremony for national championship teams. Expresses disappointment with the suspension of WUSA operations and expresses support for its revival.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2003
Urges any trade and investment agreement that is negotiated by the executive branch with other foreign countries to comply with certain minimum standards regarding: (1) investor and investment policy; (2) certain services; (3) policies to support American workers and small, minority, and women-owned businesses; (4) environmental, labor, and other public interests; (5) U.S. trade laws; (6) food safety; (7) agriculture and food security; (8) transparency; (9) governmental authority; (10) access to medicines and seeds; and (11) special treatment for developing countries.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2003
Public Services Flexibility Act of 2003 - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to make permanent the community block grant public service cap exemption for Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, California.
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 2003
Increases from $6,000 to $12,000 the death gratuity paid upon the active-duty death of a member of the armed forces. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude any such death gratuity from gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2003
Exempts from the requirement to pay subsistence charges while hospitalized in a military facility an officer or former officer, or an enlisted member or former enlisted member not entitled to retired or retainer pay or equivalent pay, who is hospitalized in a military facility because of an injury incurred: (1) as a direct result of armed conflict; (2) while engaged in hazardous service; (3) in the performance of duty under conditions simulating war; or (4) through an instrumentality of war.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2003
Honors the 1963 March on Washington as one of the largest political demonstrations in U.S. history and recognizes its importance in the struggle for civil rights and equal rights for all Americans. Expresses gratitude to the organizers and participants for their dedication and commitment to equality and justice.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
States' Right To Innovate in Health Care Act of 2003 - Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title XXII (State Comprehensive Health Care and Cost Containment Demonstration Projects) to allow up to ten States to receive from the Secretary of Health and Human Services a planning grant and a demonstration grant to achieve a cost-effective delivery system of universal, comprehensive health care with simplified administration.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Genetically Engineered Organism Liability Act of 2003 - States that a biotech company shall be liable, and that the liability may not be waived or avoided, to any party injured by the release of a genetically engineered organism into the environment if the injury results from such genetic engineering. Defines "biotech company" and "injury" for purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Genetically Engineered Crop and Animal Farmer Protection Act of 2003 - Requires a biotech company that sells any genetically engineered animal, plant, or seed that will be used in the United States to: (1) provide the purchaser with written notice of possible legal and environmental risks of such article's use (such disclosure shall neither relieve the company from liability, nor be construed to create purchaser liability); and (2) disclose any technology fees to the Secretary of Agriculture, and not charge fees that are higher than those outside the United States. Sets forth related contract prohibitions and limitations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) identify which plants are outcrossed pollinators and make such information available to affected sellers and purchasers; and (2) issue rules to require mitigationtrategies for predominately outcrossed crops. Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) establish the best achievable resistance plan for plant-incorporated pesticides engineered to include toxins derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt); (2) revoke Bt registrations not in plan compliance; and (3) reduce a pesticide's use if it is determined to be facilitating Bt-toxin resistance in pests. Prohibits: (1) labeling seeds as non-genetically engineered if the Secretary determines such seeds contains genetically engineered material; (2) manufacture, sale, or planting of genetically engineered or chemically induced non-fertile seeds; and (3) loan discrimination against a producer who refuses to use genetically engineered plants or animals. Authorizes, with respect to violations under this Act,: (1) the Secretary to assess civil penalties; and (2) citizen civil actions against the Secretary, a Federal agency, or an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Genetically Engineered Food Safety Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to include genetically engineered food and related materials in the definition of "food additive." Requires that a petition to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for a regulation prescribing the conditions of safe use of a genetically engineered food additive include all data collected or developed pursuant to safety investigations, including data that does not support the claim of safety. Authorizes citizen suits concerning food additives against the alleged violator or against the Secretary for failure to perform a mandatory act or duty under this Act. Mandates a fee from petitioners to cover related costs and to provide for a program of basic and applied research on genetic food additive safety. Authorizes the detention (seizure) of food as well as devices during an inspection where the appropriate officer or employee of the Department of Health and Human Services has reason to believe such food or device is in violation of this Act. Requires all food retailers to register with the Food and Drug Administration to expedite recalls, embargoes, and seizures.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA), and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) to deem a food misbranded if it contains or was produced with a genetically engineered material unless its labeling contains statements meeting specified requirements. Requires the periodic testing of such foods transferred along a chain of distribution to assure accuracy of labels, subject to specified exceptions. Excludes, in all three Acts, food: (1) served in restaurants; or (2) prepared primarily in a retail establishment, ready for human consumption, but not offered for sale for immediate consumption in the establishment. Excludes, for the FDCA, a medical food as defined in the Orphan Drug Act. Subjects violators to civil monetary penalties, exempting recipients who accept a guarantee of the absence of genetically engineered material in good faith or producers whose food inadvertently becomes contaminated by genetically engineered material. Authorizes citizen suits as specified.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Genetically Engineered Pharmaceutical and Industrial Crop Safety Act of 2003 - Prohibits: (1) a pharmaceutical crop or industrial crop to be grown, raised, or otherwise cultivated until the final regulations and tracking system required by this Act are in effect; and (2) cultivation of a pharmaceutical crop or industrial crop in an open air environment, or in a food commonly used for human food or domestic animal feed. Directs: (1) the United States Department of Agriculture to establish a tracking system to regulate the growing, handling, transportation, and disposal of all pharmaceutical and industrial crops and their byproducts to prevent contamination; and (2) the Secretary of Agriculture to issue related regulations. Authorizes the Secretary to assess civil penalties for violations of such provisions. Directs the National Academy of Sciences to report on alternative methods to produce pharmaceuticals or industrial chemicals that may be conducted in controlled production facilities without the risk of contamination. Defines: (1) genetically engineered plant; (2) genetically engineered material; (3) genetically engineered seed; (4) pharmaceutical crop; and (5) industrial crop.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Real Solutions to World Hunger Act of 2003 - Makes it unlawful for any person to ship, or offer to ship, or for any carrier or person to transport, or receive for transportation, to any foreign country, any genetically engineered animal, plant, or seed (as defined by this Act) if the person knows or has reason to believe that the engineered article will be used to produce an agricultural commodity if: (1) such article was denied Federal approval for U.S. marketing, or its application for approval was withdrawn; or (2) the foreign government has not certified that related ecological impacts of such article have been satisfactorily mitigated. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to designated international research institutions to promote development of sustainable agricultural techniques (which may not derive any genetic engineered material) that rely on minimum artificial inputs to meet developing countries' food and fiber needs. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the United States Executive Director at each international financial institution to make no effort to encourage the institution from prohibiting countries eligible for certain assistance from requiring compulsory licensing of genetically engineered animals, plants or seeds. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a tax on a corporation equal to one percent of its gross income that is attributable to the U.S. marketing of any genetically engineered organism (as defined by this Act), or the holding of a patent on any such organism; and (2) establish in the Treasury the Sustainable Agriculture Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to review the proposed project for construction of a remote passenger check-in facility at Los Angeles International Airport. Prohibits the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration from allowing construction of the project until the Secretary has completed his review and has determined that the project will protect the safety and security of air passengers and the public and will offer greater protection than is currently available.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Declares the sense of Congress that: (1) African nations and people have the right to ensure the conservation, evaluation, and sustainable use of their agricultural and biological resources, traditional knowledge, and technologies, and to govern access to them; (2) African farmers have the right to access, use, exchange, and share their agricultural and biological resources, traditional knowledge, and technologies as established by customary law and practice; (3) African nations have the right to protect the rights of farmers and communities to their agricultural and biological resources, traditional knowledge, and technologies; (4) the patenting of life forms that are part of African agricultural and biological resources, traditional knowledge, and technologies violates such rights; (5) the African Model Legislation for the Protection of the Rights of Local Communities, Farmers and Breeders, and for the Regulation of Access to Biological Resources seeks to recognize, protect, and support such rights; and (6) U.S. trade and economic development policies toward Africa should respect and support the rights of African farmers with respect to their agricultural and biological resources, traditional knowledge, and technologies, and the provisions of the African Model Legislation.
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