United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2003
College Opportunity for a Better America Act of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide student loan forgiveness for borrowers who are employed full-time in qualified public service positions. Requires the Secretary of Education, depending on the duration of such public service employment, to assume certain portions of such borrowers' obligations to repay specified types of Federal student loans. Makes eligible for such program: (1) highly qualified teachers in low-income communities and of mathematics, science, and bilingual and special education; (2) early childhood educators; (3) nurses; (4) child welfare workers; (5) nutrition professionals; (6) infant and toddler specialists; and (6) other highly-qualified workers who serve low-income or needy communities and who are in public service professions that suffer from a critical lack of qualified personnel. Revises provisions for income-related repayment. Changes those for guaranteed student loan from income-sensitive to income-contingent, thus making them consistent with those for direct student loan provisions. Releases qualified public service employees from income-contingent repayment obligations after a maximum of 15 years. (Other borrowers must repay over a maximum 25-year period.)
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
Latin America Military Training Review Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of the Army to close the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (Institute). Repeals statutory authority for the Institute. Prohibits any training or education facility from being established in the Department of Defense (DOD) for Latin American military personnel for ten months. Establishes a joint congressional task force to assess appropriate education and training for DOD to provide to military personnel of Latin American nations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to prescribe guidelines for a Federal Renewable Portfolio Standard under which retail electric suppliers submit renewable energy credits to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to: (1) encourage federally-owned utilities, municipally-owned utilities, and rural electric cooperatives that sell electric energy to electric consumers for purposes other than resale to participate in the renewable portfolio standard program; and (2) establish, not later than December 31, 2005, a State renewable energy account program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
Access to Cancer Therapies Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to extend Medicare coverage to all oral drugs prescribed for use as an anticancer agent for a medically accepted indication.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a credit to promote the production and usage of biodiesel fuel. Requires a taxpayer to obtain a certification from the producer of the biodiesel which identifies the product produced in order to utilize the credit. Imposes a tax for biodiesel not used as fuel, but for which a credit was granted. Reduces motor fuel excise taxes on biodiesel mixtures. Provides for transfers of funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation to the Highway Trust Fund in amounts equivalent to the reductions that would occur but for this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
Fueling the U.S.A. Through Unlimited Reliable Energy (FUTURE) Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of Energy to undertake full scientific and technological cooperation in the international burning plasma project (ITER). Directs the Secretary to: (1) send an implementation plan to Congress for a domestic burning plasma experiment (FIRE) if at any time during the negotiations on the ITER project, the Secretary determines that construction and operation of the ITER project is unlikely or infeasible; and (2) transmit to Congress a plan for implementing a policy for developing the scientific, engineering, and commercial infrastructure necessary to ensure that the United States is competitive with other nations in providing fusion energy for its own needs and the needs of other nations, including by demonstrating electric power or hydrogen production for the U.S. energy grid utilizing fusion energy at the earliest date possible.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
No Taxation Without Representation Act of 2003 - Provides for full voting representation in Congress for the residents of the District of Columbia, including two Senators and as many Representatives as a similarly populous State would be entitled to under the law. Treats the District of Columbia as a State. Prescribes a procedure for the first elections under this Act. Entitles the District to one Representative until the taking effect of the next reapportionment.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
American Dream Downpayment Act - Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants to participating jurisdictions for downpayment assistance to low-income, first-time home buyers; and (2) make the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 inapplicable to such assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act respecting naturalization through service in the armed forces to: (1) reduce the required service from three years to two years; and (2) prohibit the imposition of a naturalization fee. Provides for overseas naturalization proceedings for members of the armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Patient and Physician Safety and Protection Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require a participating hospital that uses the services of physician residents or postgraduate trainees to limit their working hours to specified schedules. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations to monitor and supervise postgraduate trainees assigned patient care responsibilities as part of an approved medical training program, as well as to assure patient quality care. Prescribes whistleblower protections for employees who in good faith report violations of working hour limits. Makes appropriations to the Secretary to provide for additional payments to hospitals for their reasonable additional, incremental costs of compliance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a special amortization tax deduction for up to $5 million of the intangible property acquired from an eligible small business (i.e., a business with gross receipts not exceeding $5 million for the three preceding taxable years) after December 31, 2002.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit: (1) Federal civilian and military retirees to pay Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis; and (2) a deduction (available to itemizers and nonitemizers) for TRICARE supplemental premiums and enrollment fees. Sets an implementation deadline of the first open enrollment period beginning not less than 90 days following enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Amendment Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with cardiovascular diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Securing Access, Value, and Equality in Health Care Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual a tax credit in an amount equal to the amount paid for qualified health insurance, subject to stated limitations. Requires persons who receive payments for health insurance coverage of an individual to make certain information returns. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make advance payments to the provider of an individual's qualified health insurance equal to the Secretary's estimate of the amount of credit allowable for the eligible individual.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Constitutional Amendment - States that: (1) equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex; (2) Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article; and (3) this amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Declares that it should be U.S. policy to seek a genuine democratic government in Iran that will restore freedom to the Iranian people, abandon terrorism, and live in peace and security with the international community.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Veterans' Education Affordability Act - Increases for months occurring during FY 2005 the amounts authorized for veterans' basic educational assistance. Repeals provisions which require basic pay reductions for eligibility for such assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Medicare Rx Drug Benefit and Discount Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) under which each individual who is entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) or eligible to enroll under Medicare part B (Supplemental Medical Insurance) is entitled to obtain qualified prescription drug coverage. Outlines standard coverage benefit packages. Includes for the standard package a monthly premium of $25, an annual deductible of $100, a coinsurance of 20 percent and an annual out-of-pocket spending limit of $2,000. Directs the Secretary to negotiate fair prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers. Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of SSA title XVIII to provide for the availability of prescription medicine benefits under the Medicare+Choice program. Provides for accelerated generic drug competition under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Commercial Driver's License Devolution Act of 2003 - Amends Federal transportation law to authorize an individual to operate a commercial motor vehicle solely within the borders of a State (intrastate) if such individual: (1) meets State-prescribed minimum standards for fitness for operating a commercial motor vehicle; and (2) has passed written and driving tests meeting those same standards. Requires States to test the fitness of commercial motor vehicle operators, including with written and driving tests, who operate intrastate.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Iris Scan Security Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to law enforcement agencies to use iris scanning technology to conduct background checks on individuals who want to purchase guns.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Gifted and Talented Students Education Act of 2003 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a grants program for gifted and talented students. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award such grants to State educational agencies to make subgrants to local educational agencies to develop or expand gifted and talented education programs, and provide direct educational services and materials. Requires such grants to be made on a competitive basis if appropriations are within certain minimum and maximum amounts, and on a formula basis if appropriations exceed such specified maximum. Sets forth authorized State and local uses of grant funds and authorized activities. Prohibits use of such funds for purchase or upgrading of technological hardware. Directs the Secretary to ensure, where appropriate, that provision is made for the equitable participation of students and teachers in private nonprofit elementary schools and secondary schools, including the participation of teachers and other personnel in professional development programs serving such children.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
MediKids Health Insurance Act of 2003 - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to allow certain eligible individuals born after December 31, 2004, who have not attained age 23, to enroll in the MediKids Program under new SSA title XXII established by this Act for entitlement to benefits specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Includes among such benefits early and periodic screening, diagnostic services, and treatment services under Medicaid (SSA title XIX), and prescription drugs and biologicals. Provides for: (1) cost-sharing; (2) a payment schedule for covered benefits; (3) a monthly MediKids premium and the means for payment of it; and (4) a reduction in premium for certain low-income families. Creates in the Treasury the MediKids Trust Fund for collected premiums, appropriated amounts, and other revenues for use in funding the coverage provided under the MediKids Program and maintaining its financial solvency. Authorizes the Secretary to implement a care coordination services program including specified elements under which eligible individuals may elect to have health care services covered under SSA title XXII managed and coordinated by a designated care coordinator. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to increase the membership of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, with the initial terms of additional members staggered. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a MediKids premium tax in the case of any taxpayer (with certain exceptions) required to pay a premium under the MediKids Program for an eligible individual; and (2) provide for a refundable tax credit for 50 percent of cost-sharing expenses under the MediKids Program. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to propose a gradual schedule of progressive tax changes to fund the MediKids Program as the number of enrollees grows in the out-years.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Funding Act of 2003 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 2004 and 2005 for U.S. voluntary contributions to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Withholds from the U.S. voluntary contribution to the UNFPA amounts allocated by UNFPA for the country program in China, if the Secretary of State certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that the UNFPA country program in China does not: (1) focus on improving the delivery of voluntary family planning information and services; (2) conform with the human rights principles affirmed at the International Conference on Population and Development with the support of 180 nations including the United States; (3) operate only in counties of China where all quotas and targets for the recruitment of program participants have been abolished and the use of coercive measures has been eliminated; (4) operate in consultation with and under the oversight and approval of the UNFPA executive board, including the U.S. representative; (5) subject itself to regular, independent monitoring to ensure compliance with the principles of informed consent and voluntary participation; and (6) suspend operations in project counties found to be in violation of program guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) proposed changes to Title IX athletics policies contradict the spirit of athletic equality and gender equity; (2) current Title IX athletics policies, the Department of Education's 1979 Policy Interpretation as clarified in the 1996 Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Guidance, should remain unchanged and be enforced vigorously to eliminate the continuing discrimination against women and girls in athletics; and (3) if the Department of Education changes Title IX athletics policies, Congress should restore the intent of Title IX through policies that preserve the right to equal opportunities in athletics.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Supports the goals and ideals of the Day of Silence (during which students vow to remain silent to bring attention to the harassment and discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in schools). Requests that the President issue a proclamation calling for observation of April 9, 2003, as such Day. Encourages each city and State to adopt laws, and each school district to adopt policies, to prohibit such discrimination and harassment.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the water boundaries established in the 1923 Lausanne Treaty of Peace, the 1932 Convention and Protocol Between Italy and Turkey, and the 1947 Paris Treaty of Peace, under which the Dodecanese islands and adjacent islets were ceded by Italy to Greece, are the borders between Greece and Turkey in the Aegean Sea; and (2) any party, including Turkey, objecting to such boundaries should seek redress in the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Medical Malpractice Reform Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to permit the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to award grants or contracts to geographic areas that have shortages of one or more types of health providers due to the cost of maintaining malpractice insurance. Declares that medical malpractice actions shall be barred unless the complaint is within three years after the right of action accrues. Sets forth criteria for determining the date on which the right of action accrues. Requires the attorney of a person filing a medical malpractice liability action, or the individual if there is no attorney, to sign a certificate of merit attesting to the justified nature of the action. Directs courts to impose sanctions for violations of the provisions pertaining to the certificate of merit. States that any sanction or relief available under Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure shall be available under the provisions pertaining to the certificate of merit. Prohibits punitive damages from being awarded in a medical malpractice action except upon proof of gross negligence, reckless indifference to life, or one of various types of intentional acts. Requires medical malpractice liability insurance companies to implement a plan to dedicate at least 50 percent of the annual savings from carrying out this section to reducing malpractice premiums. Imposes a civil penalty on medical malpractice liability insurance companies that violate this section. Establishes the Independent Advisory Commission on Medical Malpractice Insurance, which shall investigate the recent dramatic increases in medical malpractice insurance premiums and formulate proposals to reduce such premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Freedom to Read Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (the Act) to provide that no application by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to a U.S. court for an order requiring the production of tangible things for an investigation to obtain foreign intelligence information from a U.S. person or to protect against international terrorism may be made for the sole purpose of searching for, or seizing from, a bookseller or library documentary materials that contain personally identifiable information concerning a patron. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to preclude a physical search for documentary materials (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) under other provisions of law. Revises congressional reporting requirements under the Act to require the Attorney General, in informing Congress with respect to applications for orders approving requests for the production of tangible things, to: (1) describe the specific purpose of each order application; (2) analyze the effectiveness of each application that was granted or modified in protecting U.S. citizens against terrorism; and (3) make public such information provided in a manner consistent with the national security of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Uniformed Services Divorce Equity Act of 2003 - Requires a court, in the case of the disposition of monthly retired pay upon a divorce, to award the former spouse 50 percent of such pay of a member of the uniformed services if the former spouse was married to the member throughout the member's creditable service. Reduces such amount proportionately for the reduced period of the marriage in relation to the total service period. Requires that, if the marriage period is: (1) less than 240 months, such payments shall continue for a period equal to the marriage period; and (2) 240 months or more, such payments shall continue at least until the death of the member or former spouse. Provides that for purposes of such monthly payments, the disposable retired pay of a member to whom a final divorce, disillusionment, annulment, or legal separation decree is issued before the member begins to receive such pay shall be computed based on the pay grade and length of service of the member while married. Increases such amount concurrently with retired pay increases. Prohibits a court from ordering such payments before a member's retirement based upon an imputation of a property interest in future retired pay. Requires a former spouse to obtain a court order for reapportionment of disposable military retired pay within two years of the date of the final decree. Prohibits the court from treating as part of a member's disposable retired pay amounts which: (1) have been waived from such pay in order to receive veterans' disability compensation; or (2) represent payment for service-connected disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Yellowstone Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to implement the final rule to phase out snowplane use in Grand Teton National Park and snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park, the John. D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, and Grand Teton National Park. Prohibits the Secretary from modifying or superseding any provisions of that final rule.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Health Care Antitrust Improvements Act of 2003 - Delineates the relationship between the antitrust laws and negotiations between groups of health care professionals and health plans and health care insurance issuers. Applies the rule of reason standard to negotiations between a health plan and two or more physicians. Awards attorneys' fees to a substantially prevailing plaintiff in certain actions only when the defendant's conduct was unreasonable or in bad faith. Authorizes health care cooperative ventures negotiating with a health plan to file notification with the Attorney General, thereby limiting any potential recovery from conduct within the scope of such notification to actual damages (not punitive or treble). Prohibits tying arrangements (linking the participation in one product line to participation in another) between a health plan and health care professional, except as specified. Directs the Attorney General to establish: (1) at least six demonstration projects where health care professionals in project site States may act together to jointly negotiate contracts and agreements with health plans to provide health care items and services for which benefits are provided under such health plans; and (2) an Advisory Committee on Health Plan Negotiations. Excludes from this Act any negotiations or agreements between health care professionals and health plans pertaining to the provision of benefits under Federal programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP (State children's health insurance program), uniformed services' or veterans' medical care, Federal employees' health benefits, and Indian health care.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Civil Rights Tax Relief Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income amounts received by a claimant on account of claims based on unlawful discrimination (as defined). Permits income averaging for backpay and frontpay awards received on account of such claims.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to repeal the Medicare outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2003 - Establishes the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund in the Treasury to promote the development, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable and safe low-income housing through grants to States and local jurisdictions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Access to Capital for Haiti's Development Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to direct the U.S. Executive Director at the Inter-American Development Bank to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to urge the Bank to: (1) immediately resume lending to Haiti, and disburse all loans to Haiti that the Bank has approved; and (2) assist Haiti with the payment of its arrears, and consider providing debt relief to Haiti.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to award grants or cooperative agreements to develop State-wide lifespan respite care programs. Defines "lifespan respite care" to mean a coordinated system of accessible community-based respite care services for family caregivers regardless of the individual's age, race, ethnicity, or special need. Requires the Secretary to establish a review panel to make recommendations on applicants. Permits the use of funds for respite care services and training programs. Limits grants to five years. Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a National Resource Center on Lifespan Respite Care to maintain a national database and provide training, technical assistance, and information.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2003 - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to establish aquatic invasive species prevention requirements for all vessels operating in U.S. waters. Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to promulgate regulations for ballast water management standards and certification procedures. Directs the Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force to establish a priority pathway management program that identifies those pathways that pose the highest risk for the introduction of aquatic invasive species unless further managed. Prohibits the importation of live aquatic organisms not in trade without specified screening and approval. Requires the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, with the concurrence of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to construct and maintain a national dispersal barrier program to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in U.S. waterways. Provides for expansion of the Brown Tree Snake Control Program and Aquatic Nuisance Species Program information, education, and outreach activities. Requires the Task Force to establish a national subcommittee on nutria for its control. Requires the Invasive Species Council to coordinate with the Task Force to combat aquatic invasive species. Requires the Task Force to recommend to appropriate Federal agencies additions to the list of aquatic invasive species. Requires the Task Force, the Council, and the Secretary of State to coordinate activities to ensure that international efforts to prevent and manage aquatic invasive species are coordinated with U.S. policies.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Salmon Planning Act - Requires the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences providing for scientific analysis of Federal salmon and steelhead recovery efforts. Requires the Comptroller General of the United States to study the potential effects of partially removing the four lower Snake River dams, including those on: (1) the economy of surrounding communities; (2) water transportation; (3) irrigation; (4) energy production; and (5) the extinction of salmon and steelhead populations in Snake River. Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Corps of Engineers, to partially remove the dams if found necessary by: (1) the Secretary to restore Snake River salmon and steelhead populations to meet obligations under the Endangered Species Act of 1973; (2) the Secretary of the Interior to meet treaty obligations to Indian tribes or other sovereign nations; or (3) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to meet requirements of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act - Designates the following lands in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System (System): (1) Greater Glacier/Northern Continental Divide ecosystem; (2) Greater Yellowstone ecosystem; (3) Greater Salmon/Selway ecosystem; (4) Greater Cabinet/Yaak/Selkirk ecosystem; (5) Islands in the Sky Wilderness; and (6) Blackfeet Wilderness. Designates: (1) specified wild land areas as Biological Connecting Corridors to protect the life flow of the Northern Rockies Bioregion; (2) the inventoried roadless areas identified as part of the Corridors as components of the System; and (3) certain biological connecting corridors as special corridor management areas. Establishes the Hells Canyon/Chief Joseph National Park and Preserve as a National Park System unit. Repeals Federal law provisions that establish the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) implement a program of ecosystem restoration in the Preserve; and (2) study the feasibility of creating a Flathead National Park and Preserve in the area generally known as the Glacier View Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest. Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of specified rivers and creeks in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Establishes the National Wildland Restoration and Recovery System and the National Wildland Recovery Corps. Requires the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to assure nonexclusive access to the specified areas and corridors designated by this Act by Native Americans for traditional cultural and religious purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Reaffirms Congress' support for the mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) to Haiti and calls on the President to urge that the mission work closely with the Haitian Government and people to advance their goals and not the objectives of other governments or international organizations. Calls on certain international financial institutions to convene a meeting of donors to Haiti with the objective of launching a new humanitarian initiative, including a lending program to bolster Haiti's economic and infrastructure bases. Calls specifically on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reevaluate current stall monitoring program conditions outlined for Haiti and work in the long-term toward a poverty reduction agreement for Haiti. Urges the President to: (1) direct the Secretary of State to conduct a review of U.S. policy toward Haiti, including appropriate consultations with relevant congressional committees; and (2) instruct the Secretary of the Treasury to direct the U.S. Executive Director at the Inter-American Development Bank to release the four social sector and development loans for health, education, water and sanitation, and transportation that have been approved by the Board of Executive Directors of the Bank and ratified by the Haitian Parliament.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act - Amends the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 to make the sunset provisions inapplicable to provisions that expanded and increased the adoption credit and adoption assistance programs under the Internal Revenue Code.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
Correctional Officers Protection Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to direct that rules and regulations prescribed by the Attorney General regarding Bureau of Prison officers and employees permit such personnel to carry firearms while off duty.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
Authorizes members of the Ready Reserve with 50 or more creditable service points to use military commissary stores during that calendar year on the same basis as members on active duty. Removes a limitation (24 days per year) on store use by new Ready Reserve members. Allows dependents of such members to use such stores on an equal basis. Authorizes store use, on the same basis as members entitled to retired pay, for persons who would be eligible for retired pay but for the fact that they are under 60 years of age. Allows dependents of such persons to use such stores on the same basis as dependents of members entitled to retired pay.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
Arming Cargo Pilots Against Terrorism Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that a flight deck crew member of a cargo aircraft should be armed with a firearm to defend such aircraft against attacks by terrorists that could use the aircraft as a weapon of mass destruction or for other terrorist purposes. Amends Federal transportation law to authorize the training and arming of flight deck crew members (pilots) of all-cargo air transportation flights to prevent acts of criminal violence or air piracy.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
Debbie Smith Act of 2003 - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) survey Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement jurisdictions to assess the amount of DNA evidence from sexual assault crimes that has not been subjected to testing and analysis; (2) review national, State, local, and tribal government protocols on the collection and processing of DNA evidence at crime scenes; and (3) make grants for sexual assault examiner programs, examiner training and certification, acquisition or improvement of forensic equipment, and other training. Amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to: (1) ensure that DNA testing and analysis of samples from rape kits and non-suspect cases are carried out in a timely manner; (2) reauthorize grants; (3) make local governments eligible for grants; (4) direct the Attorney General to give priority to a State or local governmental unit that has a significant rape kit or non-suspect case backlog; and (5) expand the scope of DNA samples subject to privacy protections. Amends: (1) the Federal criminal code and the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to authorize "John Doe" DNA indictments for sexual abuse (allows describing a person as an unknown individual who has a particular DNA profile if the identity of the accused or defendant is unknown); and (2) the DNA Identification Act of 1994 to authorize appropriations to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to carry out a redesign of the Combined DNA Index System.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit certain employee group health plans or related insurances providing both medical-surgical and mental health benefits from imposing mental health treatment limitations or financial requirements unless comparable limitations and requirements are imposed upon medical-surgical benefits. States that the foregoing shall not be construed as requiring a group health plan (or related insurances) to: (1) provide any mental health benefits; (2) prevent the medical management of mental health benefits; or (3) require the provision of specific mental health services, except to the extent that failure to provide such services would result in a disparity between the coverage of mental health and medical-surgical benefits. Exempts specified small employers from such requirements. Requires that, in the case of a group health plan that offers a participant or beneficiary two or more benefit package options, the coverage requirements shall be applied separately with respect to each such option. Provides that, in the case of a plan or insurance providing in-network mental health benefits, out-of-network mental health benefits need not be provided at parity to medical-surgical benefits, as long as in-network mental health benefits are provided at parity with medical-surgical benefits and the plan or insurance provides reasonable access to in-network providers and facilities. Requires a General Accounting Office study of such requirements' effects upon health insurance costs, access, and quality and a cost estimation of extending such requirements to the treatment of substance abuse and chemical dependency.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Medicare Infertility Coverage Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide coverage under the Medicare program of infertility treatment services for individuals entitled to health insurance benefits under that program by reason of a disability.
![Official portrait of Rep. Andrews, Robert E. [D-NJ-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/a000210_200.jpg)