The world's political record
Person
![Official portrait of Rep. Barr, Bob [R-GA-7]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000169_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
954 records where Rep. Barr, Bob [R-GA-7] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2002
Designates the Federal building located at 324 Twenty-Fifth Street in Ogden, Utah, as the James V. Hansen Federal Building.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2002
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 600 East 1st Street in Rome, Georgia, as the Martha Berry Post Office.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2002
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 206 South Main Street in Glennville, Georgia, as the Michael Lee Woodcock Post Office.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2002
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for the loss of nationality by a native-born or naturalized citizen who voluntarily: (1) joins or acts at the behest of a foreign terrorist organization in terrorist activities against the United States; or (2) engages in terrorist activity.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2002
Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should complete action in the 107th Congress on the Pension Security Act of 2002 and present it to the President for his signature before adjournment.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2002
Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should complete action in the 107th Congress on the Community Solutions Act of 2001 and present it to the President for his signature before adjournment.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2002
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2002 - Adjusts the basic Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity amount for surviving spouses, age 62 or over, of former military personnel to: (1) 35 percent of the retired pay of the decedent (current law), for months beginning on or before the enactment of this Act; (2) 40 percent of such pay, for months beginning after enactment of this Act until October 2005; (3) 45 percent of such pay for months beginning after September 2005 and before October 2012; and (4) 55 percent of such pay for months after September 2012. Adjusts similarly the percentage amounts of SBP supplemental annuity authorized to be provided for such surviving spouses. Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure appropriate adjustments in the computation of retired pay reductions for such supplemental annuities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2002
Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should complete action on the Permanent Death Tax Repeal Act of 2002, and present it to the President before adjournment.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2002
Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that the 107th Congress should complete action on and present to the President, before September 30, 2002, legislation extending and strengthening the 1996 welfare reforms.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2002
Recognizes September 11 as both a day to remember those taken from their families and a day for Americans to recommit to the Nation, to their freedom, and to each other. Extends deepest sympathies to the countless innocent victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, their families, friends, and loved ones. Honors the heroic actions of first responders, law enforcement personnel, State and local officials, volunteers, and others who aided the innocent victims. Expresses thanks and gratitude to the foreign leaders and citizens of all nations who have assisted and continue to stand in solidarity with the United States against terrorism. Remains resolved to pursue all those responsible for the terrorist attacks and their sponsors until they are discovered and punished.
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 2002
Amends the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) to revise the definition of student for purposes of coverage regarding certain family educational and privacy rights (under GEPA provisions which are also known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974). Includes under such coverage any person educated at a home school (whether or not State law treats a home school as a home school or a private school), if an educational agency or institution maintains education records or personally identifiable information on such person (whether or not the home-schooled person is in attendance at the agency or institution). (Current law excludes all those who are not in attendance at the agency or institution.)
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 2002
National AMBER Alert Network Act of 2002 - Requires the Attorney General to assign an AMBER Alert Coordinator of the Department of Justice to act as the national coordinator of the AMBER Alert communications network regarding abducted children. Requires the coordinator to: (1) seek to eliminate gaps in the network; (2) work with States to encourage the development of additional network elements and to ensure regional coordination; and (3) act as the nationwide point of contact for network development and for regional coordination of alerts on abducted children through the network. Directs the Coordinator to: (1) notify and consult with the Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning each child abduction for which an AMBER Alert is issued; and (2) establish minimum standards for the issuance of alerts and for the extent of their dissemination (limited to the geographic areas most likely to facilitate the recovery of the abducted child). Requires the Secretary of Transportation to provide grants to States for the development or enhancement of notification or communications systems along highways for alerts and other information for the recovery of abducted children. Includes among permissible activities the development or enhancement of electronic message boards, and the placement of additional signage, along highways. Directs the Attorney General to provide grants to States for the development or enhancement of programs and activities for the support of AMBER Alert communications plans.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2002
Calls for the Government of the People's Republic of China to: (1) stop interfering in the exercise of religious and political freedoms within the United States, such as the right to practice Falun Gong; (2) cease using diplomatic missions in the United States to spread falsehoods about Falun Gong; (3) release prisoners of conscience; (4) end the harassment, detention, physical abuse, and imprisonment of individuals who are exercising their legitimate rights; and (5) demonstrate its willingness to abide by international standards of freedom of belief, expression, and association. Calls on the President of the United States to take such actions as: (1) issuing a formal protest about repeated Chinese Government human rights violations to the Chinese Foreign Ministry; and (2) working more closely with Chinese human rights activists to identify Chinese authorities who have been personally responsible for acts of violence and persecution in China. Urges the Attorney General to investigate reports that Chinese consular officials in the United States have committed illegal acts while attempting to intimidate or inappropriately influence Falun Gong practitioners or local elected officials and determine an appropriate legal response. Calls on local government officials in the United States to recognize and support organizations and individuals that share the goals of the local community, including Falun Gong practitioners, and report incidents of pressure or harassment by Chinese agents.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2002
Education Freedom Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a tax credit for 50 percent of certain cash contributions by a taxpayer to an education investment organization or to an elementary or secondary school. Sets a maximum credit of $50,000 for corporations and $250 for other taxpayers ($500 for a joint return). Provides other limitations on the amount of the credit in certain specified instances. Excludes from gross income any amount received as a grant for qualified elementary and secondary expenses from an education investment organization. Defines "qualified elementary and secondary expenses" and "education investment organization." Revises definition of "school" for purposes of defining qualified elementary and secondary education expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2002
Back to School Tax Relief Act of 2002 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a taxpayer whose adjusted gross income is $20,000 or less ($40,000 in the case of a joint return) to deduct up to $3,000 in qualified elementary and secondary education expenses. Defines qualified elementary and secondary education expenses and adjusted gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2002
Calls for vigorous enforcement of Federal obscenity laws.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2002
Clemency Lobbying Disclosure Act - Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require disclosure of lobbying contacts involving requests or petitions for executive clemency.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2002
Restore the Apalachicola River Ecosystem Act or the RARE Act - Modifies the project for navigation, Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint Rivers, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, and the project for the West Point Reservoir, Chattahoochee River, Georgia, to: (1) deauthorize the channel between the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway near Apalachicola to Jim Woodruff Dam near Chattahoochee; and (2) authorize the Secretary of the Army to develop a comprehensive plan to restore the Apalachicola River basin with the goal of reestablishing the ecological integrity of the Apalachicola River basin ecosystem.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2002
Aviation Security Enhancement Act of 2002 - Amends Federal aviation law to direct the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security of the Transportation Security Administration to notify the owner or operator of each U.S. airport of the number and type of explosive detection systems that will be required to be deployed at the airport in order to screen all checked baggage without imposing unreasonable delays on the passengers. Requires each owner or operator to: (1) notify the Under Secretary by a specified date if they are not able to make modifications to the airport's terminal buildings that are necessary to accommodate the explosive detection systems; and (2) develop a plan, if notice is given, by a specified date for making necessary modifications to the terminal buildings so as to deploy and fully utilize explosive detection systems to screen all checked baggage. Requires the Under Secretary to carry out demonstration projects for the installation and testing of alternative explosive detection systems at not less than five U.S. airports. Sets forth certain plan and demonstration requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2002
Child Support Enforcement Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (relating to the deduction for bad debts) to allow a custodial parent to claim unpaid child support payments as a deduction. Bars a delinquent debtor from filing an amended return in any subsequent year to reflect the subsequent payment of unpaid child support. Includes unpaid child support in the gross income of the delinquent debtor. Precludes taxpayer information regarding child support payments from serving as a basis for selecting an individual's tax return for general audit.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2002
District of Columbia Student Opportunity Scholarship Act of 2002 - Authorizes the establishment of the District of Columbia Scholarship Corporation as a private, nonprofit corporation to administer, publicize, and evaluate a District scholarship program and determine elementary and secondary student and school eligibility. Establishes a District of Columbia Scholarship Fund, to be administered by the Secretary of the Treasury. Provides for a seven-member Corporation Board of Directors, with six members appointed by the President from House and Senate nominees, and one member appointed by the District Mayor. Authorizes the Corporation to award tuition scholarships and enhanced achievement scholarships to District students in kindergarten through grade 12 with family incomes not exceeding 185 percent of the national poverty line. Allows scholarships to be used for tuition, fees, and appropriate transportation to public, private, or independent schools (or beyond-school-hours enhancement programs) in the District and specified neighboring counties and cities in Maryland and Virginia. Requires the following order of scholarship award priorities to students who: (1) have received such a scholarship in a previous year (in the program's second and subsequent years); (2) District school or kindergarten enrollees; (3) victims of school violence; and (4) other eligible students. Requires use of a lottery whenever amounts are insufficient to provide a scholarship for each student in one of these categories. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report on the District scholarship program. Provides for expedited judicial review of challenges to such program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2002
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the Pledge of Allegiance, including the phrase "One Nation, under God," reflects the historical fact that a belief in God permeated the founding and development of our Nation; (2) the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals's ruling is inconsistent with the U.S. Supreme Court's First Amendment jurisprudence that the Pledge and similar expressions are not unconstitutional expressions of religious belief; (3) such phrase should remain in the Pledge; and (4) the Ninth Circuit should agree to rehear this ruling en banc in order to reverse this constitutionally infirm and historically incorrect ruling.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2002
Homeland Security Act of 2002 - Establishes a Department of Homeland Security (HLS), as an executive department of the United States, headed by a Secretary of Homeland Security who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. States that the primary mission of HLS is to: (1) prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; (2) reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism; and (3) minimize the damage, and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks that occur within the United States. Includes as HLS's primary responsibilities: (1) information analysis and infrastructure protection; (2) chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and related countermeasures; (3) border and transportation security; (4) emergency preparedness and response; and (5) coordination (including the provision of training and equipment) with other executive agencies, with State and local government personnel, agencies, and authorities, with the private sector, and with other entities. Places responsibility with HLS for carrying out other functions of entities transferred to it as provided by law. Creates: (1) a Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, who shall be the Secretary's first assistant for purposes of details; (2) an Under Secretary for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection; (3) an Under Secretary for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Countermeasures; (4) an Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security; (5) an Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response; (6) an Under Secretary for Management; and (7) not more than six Assistant Secretaries. Establishes an Inspector General (to be appointed under the Inspector General Act of 1978), and enlists the Commandant of the Coast Guard and the Director of the Secret Service as well, to assist the Secretary in the performance of his functions. Includes as the primary responsibilities of the Under Secretary for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection: (1) receiving and analyzing law enforcement information, intelligence, and other information in order to understand the nature and scope of the terrorist threat to the American homeland and to detect and identify potential threats of terrorism within the United States; (2) comprehensively assessing the vulnerabilities of the key resources and critical infrastructures in the United States; (3) integrating relevant information, intelligence analyses, and vulnerability assessments (whether provided or produced by the Department or others) to identify protective priorities and support protective measures by the Department, other executive agencies, State and local government personnel, agencies, and authorities, the private sector, and other entities; (4) developing a comprehensive national plan for securing the key resources and critical infrastructures in the United States; (5) taking or seeking to effect necessary measures to protect the key resources and critical infrastructures in the United States; (6) administering the Homeland Security Advisory System, exercising primary responsibility for public threat advisories, and providing specific warning information to State and local government personnel, agencies, and authorities, the private sector, other entities, and the public, as well as advice about appropriate protective actions and countermeasures; and (7) reviewing, analyzing, and making recommendations for improvements in the policies and procedures governing the sharing of law enforcement, intelligence, and other information relating to homeland security within the Federal government and between it and State and local government personnel, agencies, and authorities. Transfers to the Secretary the functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the following entities: (1) the National Infrastructure Protection Center of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (other than the Computer Investigations and Operations Section); (2) the National Communications System of the Department of Defense; (3) the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office of the Department of Commerce; (4) the Computer Security Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology; (5) the National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center of the Department of Energy; and (6) the Federal Computer Incident Response Center of the General Services Administration. Gives the Secretary access to all reports, assessments, and analytical information relating to threats of terrorism in the United States and to other areas of HLS responsibility, and to all information concerning infrastructure or other vulnerabilities of the United States to terrorism, whether or not it has been analyzed, that may be collected, possessed, or prepared by any executive agency, except as otherwise directed by the President. Requires all executive agencies promptly to provide to the Secretary: (1) all reports, assessments, and analytical information relating to threats of terrorism in the United States and to other areas of HLS responsibility; (2) all information concerning infrastructure or other vulnerabilities of the United States to terrorism, whether or not it has been analyzed; (3) all information relating to significant and credible threats of terrorism in the United States, whether or not it has been analyzed, if the President has granted the Secretary such access; and (4) such other material as the President may further provide. Requires the Secretary to ensure: (1) that any such material is protected from unauthorized disclosure and handled and used only for the performance of official duties; and (2) that any shared intelligence information shall be transmitted, retained, and disseminated consistent with the authority of the Director of Central Intelligence to protect intelligence sources and methods, or appropriate similar authorities of the Attorney General concerning sensitive law enforcement information. Exempts from the Privacy Act any information in the Department's possession provided voluntarily by non-Federal entities or individuals with respect to infrastructure vulnerabilities or other vulnerabilities to terrorism. Includes as the primary responsibilities of the Under Secretary for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Countermeasures: (1) securing the people, infrastructures, property, resources, and systems in the United States from acts of terrorism involving chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons or other emerging threats; (2) conducting a national scientific research and development (R&D) program to support the mission of HLS; (3) establishing priorities for, directing, funding, and conducting national research, development, and procurement of technology and systems for preventing the importation of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and related weapons and material, and for detecting, preventing, protecting against, and responding to terrorist attacks that involve such weapons or material; and (4) establishing guidelines for State and local government efforts to develop and implement countermeasures to threats of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorism, and other emerging terrorist threats. Transfers to the Secretary the functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the following entities: (1) the select agent registration enforcement programs and activities of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); (2) the National Bio-Weapons Defense Analysis Center of the Department of Defense; and (4) the Plum Island Animal Disease Center of the Department of Agriculture. Transfers to the Secretary the following programs and activities of the Department of Energy: (1) the chemical and biological national security and supporting programs and activities of the non-proliferation and verification R&D program; (2) the nuclear smuggling programs and activities, and other programs and activities directly related to homeland security, within the proliferation detection program of the non-proliferation and verification R&D program; (3) the nuclear assessment program and activities of the assessment, detection, and cooperation program of the international materials protection and cooperation program; (4) the energy security and assurance program and activities; (5) certain life sciences activities of the biological and environmental research program related to microbial pathogens; (6) the Environmental Measurements Laboratory; and (7) the advanced scientific computing research program and activities, and the intelligence program and activities, at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Directs the Secretary to carry out his civilian human health-related biological, biomedical, and infectious disease defense R&D (including vaccine R&D) responsibilities, with authority to set priorities, through HHS (including the Public Health Service), under agreements with the Secretary of HHS. Authorizes the Secretary to transfer funds to the Secretary of HHS in connection with such agreements. Provides that nothing in this Act, except as specifically provided, shall confer upon the Secretary any authority to engage in warfighting, the military defense of the United States, or other traditional military activities. Includes as the primary responsibilities of the Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security: (1) preventing the entry of terrorists and the instruments of terrorism into the United States;(2) securing the borders, territorial waters, ports, terminals, waterways, and air, land, and sea transportation systems of the United States, including managing and coordinating governmental activities at ports of entry; (3) administering the immigration and naturalization laws of the United States, including establishing rules for the granting of visas, parole, or other forms of permission to enter the United States to individuals who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents; (4) administering Federal customs laws; and (5) in carrying out the foregoing responsibilities, ensuring the speedy, orderly, and efficient flow of lawful traffic and commerce. Transfers to the Secretary the functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the following entities: (1) the United States Customs Service of the Department of the Treasury; (2) the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the Department of Justice; (3) the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture; (4) the Coast Guard of the Department of Transportation, which shall be maintained as a distinct entity within HLS; (5) the Transportation Security Administration of the Department of Transportation, including related functions of the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security; and (6) the Federal Protective Service of the General Services Administration. Grants the Secretary: (1) exclusive authority, through the Secretary of State, to issue regulations with respect to, administer, and enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act and all other immigration and nationality laws relating to the functions of diplomatic and consular officers of the United States in connection with the granting or refusal of visas; and (2) authority to confer or impose upon any officer or employee of the United States, with the consent of the executive agency under whose jurisdiction such officer or employee is serving, any of these specified functions. Authorizes the Secretary of State to refuse a visa to an alien if the Secretary of State deems such refusal necessary or advisable in the interests of the United States. Includes as the primary responsibilities of the Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response: (1) helping to ensure the preparedness of emergency response providers for terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies; (2) establishing standards for the Nuclear Incident Response Team, conducting joint and other exercises and training; (3) providing the Federal government's response to terrorist attacks and major disasters; (4) aiding recovery from terrorist attacks and major disasters; (5) building a comprehensive national incident management system with Federal, State, and local governments to respond to such attacks and disasters; (6) consolidating existing Federal government emergency response plans into a single, coordinated national response plan; and (7) developing comprehensive programs for interoperative communications technology, and their acquisition by emergency response providers. Transfers to the Secretary the functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the following entities: (1) the Federal Emergency Management Agency; (2) the Office for Domestic Preparedness of the Office of Justice Programs; (3) the National Domestic Preparedness Office of the FBI; (4) the Domestic Emergency Support Teams of the Department of Justice; (5) the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness (including the Office of Emergency Preparedness, the National Disaster Medical System, and the Metropolitan Medical Response System) of HHS; and (6) the Strategic National Stockpile of HHS. Provides that at the direction of the Secretary (in connection with an actual or threatened terrorist attack, major disaster, or other emergency), the Nuclear Incident Response Team (including certain entities of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy) shall operate as an organizational unit of HLS under the Secretary's authority and control. Directs the Secretary to carry out through HHS (including the Public Health Service), under agreements with the Secretary of HHS, all biological, chemical, radiological, and nuclear preparedness-related construction, renovation, and enhancement of security for research and development or other facilities owned or occupied by HHS. Directs the Secretary to carry out specified HHS public health-related activities assisting State and local government, non-Federal public and private health care facilities and providers, and public and non-profit health and educational facilities to prepare for, prevent, and respond to biological, chemical, radiological, and nuclear events and public health emergencies, by means including direct services, technical assistance, communications and surveillance, education and training activities, and grants. Places the HLS Inspector General under the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary with respect to audits or investigations, or the issuance of subpoenas, that require access to information concerning various specified matters including intelligence, counterintelligence, or counterterrorism matters. Transfers to the Secretary the functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the United States Secret Service, which shall be maintained as a distinct entity within the Department. Authorizes the Secretary, in regulations prescribed jointly with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, to establish a human resources management system for the organizational units of HLS which shall be flexible, contemporary, and grounded in the public employment principles of merit and fitness. Grants the Secretary limited authority to: (1) reorganize HLS by allocating or reallocating functions within HLS and by establishing, consolidating, altering, or discontinuing organizational units within HLS; and (2) transfer funding between appropriations accounts upon 15 days notice to congressional appropriations committees. Establishes in the Department of Defense a National Bio-Weapons Defense Analysis Center whose mission is to develop countermeasures to potential attacks by terrorists using weapons of mass destruction.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2002
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2002 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit any physician or other individual from knowingly performing a partial-birth abortion, except when necessary to save the life of a mother that is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury. Authorizes the father, if married to the mother at the time of the abortion, and the maternal grandparents of the fetus, if the mother is under 18 years of age, to obtain specified relief in a civil action, unless the pregnancy resulted from the plaintiff's criminal conduct or the plaintiff consented to the abortion. Authorizes a defendant accused of an offense under this Act to seek a hearing before the State Medical Board on whether the physician's conduct was necessary to save the life of the mother. Prohibits the prosecution of a woman upon whom a partial-birth abortion is performed for conspiracy to violate this Act or under provisions regarding punishment as a principal or an accessory or for concealment of a felony.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2002
Equity in Education Act of 2002 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to specify that church employees and persons treated as church employees under the Code are eligible for the exclusion for qualified tuition reduction programs of charitable educational organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2002
Educator Appreciation and Classroom Help Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a $1,000 tax credit for "eligible" primary and secondary school teachers and home school teachers. Defines "eligible" teachers. Eliminates the two-percent floor on miscellaneous itemized deductions from applying to various costs incurred by eligible elementary and secondary school teachers for certain courses to enhance teaching skills. Expands the deduction for eligible elementary and secondary school teachers for unreimbursed costs of classroom supplies to up to $2,000 (currently the maximum allowed deduction is $250) and allows home school educators a deduction of up to $2,000 for supplies.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2002
See summary of: H.J.Res. 41
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2002
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Night Out (an event intended to demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of community participation in crime prevention efforts by having people spend the period from 7 to 10 o'clock p.m. on August 6, 2002, with their neighbors in front of their homes with their lights on). Requests that the President: (1) issue a proclamation calling for appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs; (2) focus appropriate attention on neighborhood crime prevention, community policing, and reduction of school crime by delivering speeches, convening meetings, and directing the administration to make crime reduction an important priority; and (3) coordinate the efforts of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the USA Freedom Corps, the Citizen Corps, the National Senior Service Corps, and AmeriCorps to participate by supporting local efforts, neighborhood watches, and local officials, including law enforcement personnel, to provide homeland security and combat terrorism in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2002
Standards Development Organization Advancement Act of 2002 - Amends the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993 to provide that, in any action under the antitrust laws, the conduct of a standards development organization (SDO) while engaged in a standards development activity shall be subject to a rule of reason standard. Limits the amount recoverable and attorney's fees with respect to standards development activity engaged in by an SDO. States that an SDO may, not later than 90 days after commencing activity for the purpose of developing or promulgating voluntary consensus standards or 90 days after enactment of the Standards Development Advancement Act of 2002, whichever is later, file simultaneously with the Attorney General and the Commission a written notification disclosing: (1) the name and principal place of business of the SDO; and (2) documents showing the nature and scope of such activity. Allows an SDO to file additional disclosure notifications as appropriate to extend protections under this Act to standards development activities that are not covered by, or that have changed significantly since, the initial filing. Includes standards development activity within notice, disclosure, and withdrawal from notification requirements of the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2002
Urges the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend to the Postmaster General that a commemorative postage stamp be issued by the U.S. Postal Service each year in honor of Veterans Day.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2002
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) review the administration of Midway Atoll and the designation of the Atoll as a national memorial to the Battle of Midway; (2) designate an agency within the Department of the Interior to replace the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as administrator of the Atoll and developer of the memorial; and (3) provide for public access to the Atoll in the most cost-effective manner available. Requires that the memorial be given equal consideration with concerns over the preservation of wildlife in all matters related to the administration, development, and preservation of the Atoll.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2002
State's and Parental Rights Improvement Act of 2002 - Prohibits, notwithstanding any other provision of law, considering a State to have violated any term or condition of any Federal health care grant-in-aid program by requiring the consent or notification of a parent or guardian regarding dispensing a prescription drug or device (or any class of drugs or devices specified by the State) to a minor.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2002
Date Certain Tax Code Replacement Act - Prohibits the imposition of any tax by the Internal Revenue Code: (1) for any taxable year beginning after December 31, 2005; and (2) in the case of any tax not imposed on the basis of a taxable year, on any taxable event or for any period after December 31, 2005. Excepts the: (1) tax on self-employment income (chapter 2 of the Code); (2) Federal Insurance Contributions Act (chapter 21 of the Code); and (3) Railroad Retirement Tax Act (chapter 22 of the Code). Establishes the National Commission on Tax Reform and Simplification to review: (1) the present structure and provisions of the Code; (2) whether the tax systems of other countries could provide more efficient and fair methods of funding government revenue requirements; (3) whether the income tax should be replaced with a tax imposed in a different manner or on a different base; and (4) whether the Code can be simplified, absent wholesale restructuring or replacement. Requires a Commission report to Congress on review results, with recommendations for Code reform and simplification. Terminates the Commission 90 days after such report. Authorizes appropriations (with interim funding). Declares that any new Federal tax system should be approved by Congress in its final form before July 4, 2005, and, if not, Congress should be required to vote to reauthorize the Code.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2002
Fairness in Sentencing Act of 2002 - Disapproves Amendment number 4 of the "Amendments to the Sentencing Guidelines, Policy Statements, and Official Commentary," submitted by the United States Sentencing Commission to Congress on May 1, 2002, and provides that it shall not take effect to the extent it: (1) amends provisions setting forth the base offense level for unlawfully manufacturing, importing, exporting, or trafficking of drugs to provide that the base offense level shall not be more than level 30 if the defendant receives a mitigating role adjustment; and (2) instructs the court to apply the appropriate mitigating role adjustment to reduce the defendant's base offense level.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2002
Abortion Non-Discrimination Act of 2002 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Federal Government, and any State or local government that receives Federal financial assistance, from discriminating against any health care entity because (in addition to current prohibited reasons) the entity refuses to provide coverage of, or pay for, induced abortions. Expands the definition of "health care entity" to include (in addition to physicians) other health professionals, a hospital, a provider sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, a health insurance plan, and any other kind of health care facility, organization, or plan.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2002
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) President Bush should be commended for renouncing the U.S. signature from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a step toward protecting American service-members and citizens from the possibility of unwarranted and politically-motivated prosecutions; (2) President Bush should be encouraged to remain steadfast in his intention of protecting such individuals from the unchecked power of the ICC; and (3) Congress should take all steps necessary to grant appropriate authority to the President to defend the American people from the threat of arrest, prosecution, and conviction by the ICC.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2002
Repeals the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 (which bans firearms in the District of Columbia).
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2002
Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act - Amends Federal law to direct the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security to establish a program to: (1) deputize qualified volunteer pilots of passenger aircraft as Federal flight deck officers; and (2) provide training, supervision, and equipment for such officers. Directs the Under Secretary to authorize flight deck officers to carry firearms and to use force, including lethal force, when they judge the security of an aircraft is at risk. Shields air carriers from liability for damages in Federal or State court arising out of the actions or omissions of a flight deck officer defending a plane from criminal violence or air piracy. Shields flight deck officers from liability except in cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2002
Child Obscenity and Pornography Prevention Act of 2002 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit: (1) making a visual depiction that is a computer image or computer-generated image of, or that appears virtually indistinguishable from an image of, a minor engaging in specified sexually explicit conduct; (2) offering, agreeing, attempting, or conspiring to provide, sell, receive, or purchase a visual depiction of a minor engaging in such conduct; (3) producing, distributing, receiving, or possessing with intent to distribute, or possessing a visual depiction that is, or is virtually indistinguishable from, that of a pre-pubescent child engaging in such conduct; (4) showing a minor obscene material or child pornography; (5) providing obscene material, child pornography, or other material assistance to facilitate offenses against minors; or (6) employing or coercing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct outside of the United States for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. Includes the prohibition on the use of materials to facilitate offenses against minors within the scope of enhanced penalties provisions. Authorizes a provider of electronic communication or remote computing services that reasonably believes it has obtained knowledge of facts and circumstances indicating a violation of provisions regarding child pornography to report to the Cyber Tip Line at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which shall forward that report to designated law enforcement agencies. Directs the Attorney General to establish and supervise the development and operation of a comprehensive computerized database to facilitate the identification of child pornography produced with actual children and to facilitate the identification of perpetrators.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2002
Help Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Health Care (HEALTH) Act of 2002 - Makes changes to the health care liability system, including compensation for injured patients and other issues arising out of health care law suits. Requires a suit to be brought within three years of the date of injury or one year after the claimant discovers or should have discovered the injury, whichever occurs first. Sets forth requirements and permissible recovery amounts for compensating patient injury, including: (1) the full amount of economic loss without limitation; (2) noneconomic damages as specified; and (3) a fair share rule. Requires the court to supervise payment-of-damage arrangements, limiting contingency fees. Permits the introduction of evidence of collateral source benefits. Limits the availability of punitive damages, requiring clear and convincing evidence of malicious intent to injure or a deliberate failure to avoid substantially certain, unnecessary injury. Prohibits their award for products that comply with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards, absent material and knowing misrepresentation by those submitting required approval or clearance information to the FDA. Authorizes periodic payment of future damages to claimants. Excludes suits for vaccine-related death or injury from the requirements of this Act if otherwise covered under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Preempts State law unless such law imposes greater protections for health care providers and organizations from liability, loss, or damages. .
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2002
Homeland Security Information Sharing Act - Directs the President to: (1) prescribe procedures for Federal agencies for sharing homeland security information with State and local personnel and for declassifying such information; and (2) ensure that such procedures apply to each element of the intelligence community and that the requisite technology is available. Requires each intelligence community element, under procedures prescribed by the Director of Central Intelligence and the Attorney General, to share homeland security information, with credibility assessments, with State and local personnel. Directs that: (1) such procedures include existing information sharing systems; and (2) each element of the Federal intelligence and law enforcement communities, as well as specified congressional committees, have access to each information sharing system and the information within it. Directs the President to prescribe procedures under which Federal agencies may share classified homeland security information with appropriate State and local personnel, including through security clearance investigations, non-disclosure agreements, and increased use of information-sharing partnerships.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2002
Federal Agency Protection of Privacy Act - Requires Federal agencies: (1) when publishing a general notice of proposed rulemaking for any proposed rule or for an interpretative rule involving the internal revenue laws, to prepare, make available for public comment, and publish an initial analysis describing the rule's impact on the privacy of individuals; and (2) when promulgating the final rule, to prepare, make publicly available, and publish a final privacy impact analysis that includes a summary of the significant issues raised by and changes made pursuant to public comments on the initial analysis. Requires the head of an agency promulgating a rule that may have a significant privacy impact on individuals or on a substantial number of individuals to use specified techniques to assure that individuals have been given an opportunity to participate in the rulemaking. Requires each agency to: (1) carry out a periodic review of promulgated rules that have such impact to determine whether each such rule can be amended or rescinded in a manner that minimizes such impact while remaining in accordance with applicable statutes; (2) carry out such review in accordance with a plan that provides for the review of each rule every ten years after the rule was published as a final rule; and (3) publish annually a list of the rules to be reviewed. Sets forth provisions governing judicial review of agency compliance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2002
Tax Exemption for Military Student Loan Repayment Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income repayments by the Department of Defense of certain student loans owed by members of the uniformed services.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2002
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. Amends the Housing Opportunity Program Extension Act of 1996 to authorize appropriations for the self-help housing provider program. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to authorize appropriations for the public housing agency grant program for project demolition, revitalization, and replacement, and tenant-based assistance. Extends the program sunset date to September 30, 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2002
American Servicemember and Citizen Protection Act of 2002 - Urges the President to formally rescind the signature approving the Statute of the International Criminal Court made on behalf of the United States and to take necessary steps to prevent the Court's establishment. Prohibits the use of appropriated funds for the establishment or operation of the Court. Declares that any action taken by or on behalf of the Court: (1) against any member of the U.S. armed forces shall be considered an act of aggression against the United States; or (2) against any U.S. citizen or national shall be considered an offense against the law of nations. Sets forth both civil and criminal penalties against any person who knowingly violates the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2002
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits outlays for a fiscal year (except those for repayment of debt principal) from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year (except those derived from borrowing) unless Congress, by a three-fifths roll call vote of each House, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires a three-fifths roll call vote of each House to increase the public debt limit. Directs the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress. Prohibits any bill to increase revenue from becoming law unless approved by a majority of each House. Authorizes waivers of these provisions when a declaration of war is in effect or under other specified circumstances involving military conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2002
Declares that Congress expresses its deepest gratitude for the service of the District of Columbia Army National Guard in protecting Congress and increasing security around the Capitol complex. Congratulates the National Guard and Capitol Police on the fine work they have done to increase security around the Capitol grounds since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2002
Personal Responsibility, Work, and Family Promotion Act of 2002 - Amends title IV (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to reauthorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) to award grants to State Family Assistance Programs. Authorizes States to use grants for marriage promotion activities and requires the Secretary to make bonus grants to each state that has achieved formulated employment goals. Revises requirements for the consideration of certain child care expenditures in determining State compliance with Contingency Fund requirements. Revises requirements for the use of TANF grants. Repeals the Secretary's authority to make loans to State welfare programs and revises State work participation requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to establish TANF performance goals and plans. Makes appropriations for research, demonstrations and technical assistance. Repeals waiver continuation authority. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to public and nonprofit community entities for demonstration projects to test the effectiveness of various approaches to create a Fatherhood Program. Reauthorizes funding for State child care entitlement programs and revises State requirements for child support payments. Amends title XI (General Provisions) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to eliminate specified limitations on the Secretary's authority to approve demonstration projects and grant waivers. Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) to require the Commissioner of Social Security to review State agency blindness and disability determinations. Authorizes the Secretary and the Secretary of Labor to authorize innovative State demonstration projects involving individual programs, or integrating multiple public assistance, employment security, and other programs to support working families.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Prohibits Federal agencies from accepting for any identification-related purpose any State-issued driver's license or other comparable identification document unless the State requires such licenses or documents issued to nonimmigrant aliens to expire upon the later of: (1) the expiration of the aliens' nonimmigrant visa; or (2) in an instance where the visa's validity period has been modified, not more than five years after license or document issuance. Directs the Attorney General to make grants to assist States in issuing appropriate licenses and identification documents.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Permanent Investment in American Workers and Workplace Act of 2002 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code as it relates to a special allowance for certain property acquired after September 10, 2001. Strikes the deadline of September 11, 2004 for acquiring such property, thereby permanently extending the bonus depreciation available under the Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002.