United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
Commemorates the 60th anniversary of the historic rescue of 50,000 Bulgarian Jews from the Holocaust and commends the Bulgarian people for preserving and continuing their tradition of ethnic and religious tolerance. Reiterates the support of Congress for strong ties between the United States and Bulgaria.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
English Language Unity Act of 2003 - Amends specified Federal law to declare English to be the official language of the United States. Gives representatives of the Federal Government an affirmative obligation to preserve and enhance the role of English as the official language of the Federal Government, including encouraging greater opportunities for individuals to learn the English language. Requires the official functions of the United States (meaning, in this case, the States and the District of Columbia) to be conducted in English. Sets forth exceptions to and rules of construction for such requirements. Requires a uniform English language rule for U.S. naturalization, and all naturalization ceremonies to be conducted in English. Amends specified Federal law to declare, as a general rule of construction, that English language requirements and workplace policies, whether in the public or private sector, shall be presumptively consistent with the Laws of the United States. Requires the Department of Justice to issue for public notice and comment a proposed rule for uniform testing of English language ability of candidates for naturalization, based upon the principles that: (1) all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Laws of the United States; and (2) any exceptions to this standard should be limited to extraordinary circumstances, such as asylum.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2003 - Amends Federal bankruptcy law governing: (1) conversion of bankruptcy petitions; (2) abusive creditor practices; (3) domestic support obligations; (4) consumer protections, including protection of personally identifiable information; (5) measures to discourage bankruptcy abuse, including reduction of the homestead exemption for fraud; (6) guidelines for general and small business bankruptcies, including appointment of a committee of retired employees; (7) bankruptcy data dissemination and bankruptcy tax provisions; (8) ancillary and other cross-border cases to incorporate the Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency; and (9) financial contracts and transfers entered into with an insolvent insured depository institution before its conservatorship or receivership. Reenacts Chapter 12, Adjustment of Debts of a Family Farmer with Regular Annual Income. Brings family fishermen within the purview of Federal bankruptcy protection. Prescribes guidelines for insolvent health care businesses and related patients' rights. Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Judicial Code to mandate appointments for additional temporary bankruptcy judgeships in designated States. Prescribes additional consumer credit disclosures, including open end credit plans and introductory rates.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to prescribe consumer protection guidelines for rental-purchase transactions, including: (1) the determination of rental-purchase cost; (2) disclosure requirements; (3) prohibitions against confessions of judgment, wage assignments, and waiver of consumer claims or defenses; (4) furnishing of statements of account; (5) point-of-rental disclosures; and (6) rental-purchase advertising disclosures. Establishes civil and criminal liability for violations of this Act. Grants enforcement powers to the Federal Trade Commission and to State attorneys general.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Urges the President, consistent with specified Federal law and the passage of specified House and Senate resolutions, to call upon the United Nations to establish an international criminal tribunal for the purpose of indicting, prosecuting, and imprisoning Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi officials who are responsible for crimes against humanity, genocide, and other criminal violations of international law.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Urges the Secretary of State to draft, introduce, and work toward the passage of a resolution addressing human rights abuses in North Korea at the 59th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Calls on the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to respect and protect the human rights of its citizens, such as those recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2003
Amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to require the Director of the Office for Victims of Crime to ensure that all sums in the Victims of Crime Fund in a fiscal year are in fact obligated in the subsequent fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2003
Rural Community Hospital Assistance Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) provide for establishment of the rural community hospital (RCH) program; (2) remove certain barriers to establishment of distinct part units by RCH and Medicare critical access hospital (CAH) facilities; (3) revise the CAH program; and (4) provide for coverage of costs for emergency room on-call physician assistants and nurse practitioners.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2003
Farm and Ranch Risk Management Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual engaged in an eligible farming or commercial fishing business a deduction for any taxable year of up to 20 percent of taxable income attributable to the eligible farming or commercial fishing business which was paid in cash by the taxpayer to a Farm and Ranch Risk Management Account (FARRM Account). Includes distributions from a FARRM account in the taxpayer's gross income, and subjects to a special ten percent surtax any distributions not made within five years of contribution. Establishes a tax on excess contributions, but exempts the taxpayer from the tax on certain prohibited transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2003
Supports the goals of National Lutheran Schools Week, which is celebrated by several synods that have educational institutions, for the purpose of recognizing their academic achievement. Congratulates Lutheran schools, students, parents, teachers, administrators, and congregations across the Nation for their ongoing contributions to education.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2003
Amends the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to remove from the Secretary of Transportation's authority to determine by rule whether an exemption is not in the public interest the current exemption of certain commercial motor vehicles transporting agricultural commodities and farm supplies from maximum hours of service requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2003
Local Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2003- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a railroad track maintenance credit for qualified railroad track maintenance expenditures with respect to which the expenditures were paid or incurred by the taxpayer for the taxable year for Class II or Class III railroads.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2003
Renewing the Dream Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a community homeownership tax credit based upon an applicable percentage of each qualified residence's eligible basis. Makes such credit available to residences located: (1) in a census tract with a median gross income not exceeding 80 percent of the greater area or statewide median gross income; (2) in a rural area; (3) on an Indian reservation; or (4) in an area of chronic economic distress. Prohibits a buyer's income from exceeding 80 percent (70 percent for families of less than three) of the area gross median income and requires owner occupancy. Specifies that the aggregate homeownership credit dollar amount which a homeownership credit agency (an "agency") may disburse is the portion of the "State homeownership credit ceiling" (the "ceiling") allocated to such agency. Allows "unused homeownership credit carryovers" to be allocated among qualified States. Sets aside at up to 90 percent least ten percent of a State's ceiling for certain housing projects in which a qualified nonprofit organization owns an interest and materially participates in the given project's development and operation throughout the credit period. Requires allocation of credit to residences to be in accordance with a "qualified allocation plan" of the agency issuing credit. Lists certain specified criteria such a plan must include and specifies that the plan must be approved by the governmental unit of which such agency is a part.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2003
Business Checking Freedom Act of 2003 - Amends Federal law to authorize interest-bearing transaction accounts for all businesses, permitting up to 24 transfers per month (or any greater number the Federal Reserve Board may determine) to another account of the owner in the same institution. Authorizes the payment of interest by a Federal reserve bank at least quarterly on balances maintained there on behalf of a depository institution. Amends the Federal Reserve Act to revise the ratio of reserves a depository institution must maintain against its transaction accounts, permitting a ratio of zero. Directs the Federal Reserve banks in FY 2003 through 2007 to transfer to the Board for transfer to the Secretary of the Treasury, for deposit in the general fund, additional surplus funds equal to the net cost of their interest payments to depository institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2003
Clean, Learn, Educate, Abolish, Neutralize, and Undermine Production (CLEAN-UP) of Methamphetamines Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to carry out environmental cleanup and remediation programs involving specified lands that are contaminated with hazardous substances associated with illegal methamphetamine manufacture. Directs: (1) the Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate as hazardous certain byproducts of the methamphetamine production process and expand penalties against laboratory operators; (2) the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration to list byproducts likely to cause long-term environmental harm; (3) the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, to provide grants to State and local law enforcement for specified training and equipment acquisition; (4) the EPA Administrator to study the impact of methamphetamine laboratory operation on the environment; and (5) the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study contamination issues. Amends: (1) the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize grants for educational programs; (2) the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to provide treatment; (3) the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to include among permissible grant projects under the "cops on the beat" program hiring personnel and purchasing equipment; and (4) the Controlled Substances Act to set penalties for promoting, for commercial purposes, an entertainment event where the promoter knows that a controlled substance will be used or distributed in violation of specified law. Urges the President to seek commitments from the Canadian Government regarding the availability of pseudoephedrine.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2003
Fuels Security Act of 2003 - Amends the Clean Air Act to require that gasoline contain a specified volume of renewable fuel. Provides for annual increases in the applicable volume through 2012. Establishes a ratio for determining the volume required from 2013 onward. Defines renewable fuel to include motor vehicle fuel produced from biomass (e.g. grain) or natural gas produced from a biogas (e.g. landfill) source. Establishes a system of credits for gasoline which contains more renewable fuel than required. Requires studies concerning these renewable fuel requirements, specifically: (1) seasonal variations in renewable fuel availability; (2) the impact on consumers; and (3) the impact on small refineries. Establishes a system of waivers for States claiming and proving economic or environmental hardship. Establishes a Federal agency ethanol-blended gasoline and biodiesel purchasing requirement. Establishes a commercial byproducts from municipal solid waste loan guarantee program. Requires data collection concerning the monthly consumption of renewable fuels. Federal Reformulated Fuels Act of 2002 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to permit the use of the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund for methyl tertiary butyl ether (MBTE) remediation purposes. Amends the Clean Air Act to revise guidelines pertaining to: (1) water quality protection from fuels; (2) oxygen content requirements for reformulated gasoline; (3) public health and environmental impacts of fuels and fuel additives; (4) analyses of motor vehicle fuel changes; (5) additional opt-in areas under the reformulated gasoline program; and (6) Federal enforcement of State fuels requirements. Requires a joint study of Federal, State and local requirements concerning motor vehicle fuels. Requires a review of Federal procurement initiatives relating to use of recycled products and fleet and transportation efficiency.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2003
Business Checking Freedom Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act, the Home Owners' Loan Act, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to repeal the prohibition against the payment of interest on demand deposits. States that specified actions and benefits relating to an escrow account maintained at a depository institution in connection with a real estate transaction shall not be treated as the payment or receipt of interest for purposes of this Act and the other named Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2003
Privacy Protection Clarification Act - Amends the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act to exclude attorneys-at-law from its definition of `financial institution' (thereby excluding them from its requirements governing the disclosure of nonpublic personal information pertaining to clients).
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2003
Artists' Contribution to American Heritage Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a fair market value (determined at time of contribution) deduction for charitable contributions of literary, musical, artistic, scholarly compositions, or the copyright created by a qualifying donor. Exempts certain non-personal letters and memoranda from such treatment. Limits such increased deduction to the donor's artistic adjusted income (as defined by this Act).
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2003
Declares that the United States: (1) must honor its treaty commitment to defend Turkey should it be attacked by Iraq; (2) must assist Turkey in planning its defense as requested by the Turkish government in the North Atlantic Council (NAC), regardless of whether such action is approved by the NAC or such action is blocked within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); and (3) should encourage all NATO allies to fulfill their treaty commitments to give similar assistance to the Turkish government. Declares that Turkey's invocation of the North Atlantic Treaty on February 10, 2003, means that France, Germany, and Belgium must honor their North Atlantic Treaty commitments and approve Turkey's request that NATO begin planning steps to defend it against a possible attack from Iraq.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2003
Amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to prohibit livestock packers from owning, controlling, or feeding livestock to such an extent that the producer no longer materially participates in the management of the operation, with exceptions for: (1) animals held for not more than seven days before slaughter; (2) certain cooperatives that own, control or feed livestock and provide such livestock for slaughter; or (3) certain small producer-owned or-controlled packers.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2003
Veterans Prescription Access Improvement Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish to a veteran such drugs and medicines as may be ordered on prescription of a duly licensed physician in the treatment of any illness or injury of such veteran. (Currently, other requirements must be met before such veterans will be furnished drugs and medicines on private practitioner prescriptions.)
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2003
Identification Integrity Act of 2003 - Prohibits a Federal employee from accepting from individuals for purposes of establishing their identity a form of identification issued by a foreign government, except for a passport that is accepted for such purpose on the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2003
Renewable Energy Production Incentive Reform Act - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to modify renewable energy production incentive payment guidelines to provide that if there are insufficient appropriations to make full payments for electric production from all qualified renewable energy facilities in any given year, the Secretary of Energy shall assign 60 percent of appropriated funds for that year to facilities that use solar, wind, geothermal, or closed-loop (dedicated energy crops) biomass technologies to generate electricity, and assign the remaining 40 percent to other projects. Redefines a qualified renewable energy facility as one: (1) owned by certain tax-exempt electricity-generating cooperatives, certain public utilities, a State, territorial, or local governments or an Indian tribal government; and (2) which may involve electricity generation by landfill gas. Extends through FY 2013 the deadline for first use of a facility eligible for incentive payments.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2003
Prohibits Federal agencies (as defined by this Act) 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 on a date that is not later than: (1) the expiration of the alien's authorized U.S. stay; or (2) five years after such document's expiration in any case in which the alien's lawful stay is modified after U.S. admission, or does not expire on a fixed date. Directs the Attorney General to make grants to assist States in issuing appropriate licenses and identification documents.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2003
Social Security Fairness Act of 2003 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal: (1) pension offset provisions applicable to husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and mother's and father's insurance benefits with respect to Old-Age and Survivors insurance benefit payments; and (2) windfall elimination provisions with respect to computation of the primary insurance amount of an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2003
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2003
Dave Thomas Adoption Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow for penalty-free withdrawals from individual retirement plans if used to pay adoption expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2003
Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act of 2003 - Mandates the merger of the Bank Insurance Fund and the Savings Association Insurance Fund into the Deposit Insurance Fund. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) and the Federal Credit Union Act to: (1) increase the amount of deposit insurance coverage; (2) couple such increase with an inflation adjustment; and (3) double the amount of deposit insurance for certain retirement accounts. Amends the FDIA to replace assessment guidelines for achieving and maintaining a designated reserve ratio and for independent treatment of deposit insurance funds with a requirement that the Board of Directors of the FDIC set assessments as it determines appropriate, including a maximum base rate for assessments at one basis point for insured depository institutions in the lowest-risk category. Reduces from five years to three years the mandatory assessment recordkeeping period. Replaces the current 1.25 percent statutory reserve ratio used to recapitalize undercapitalized insurance funds with a reserve ratio range of 1.15 to 1.4 percent of estimated insured deposits, subject to specified factors and annual redetermination. Instructs the FDIC to establish a Deposit Insurance Fund Restoration Plan to ensure adequate reserves whenever the actual ratio in the DIF falls below certain criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2003
Authorizes the President to award a gold medal to each of the seven crew members who perished aboard the space shuttle Columbia: Rick D. Husband; Michael P. Anderson; Laurel Clark; David M. Brown; William C. McCool; Kapana Chawla; and Ilan Ramon.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2003
Calls for the President to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the astronauts who died in the explosion of the space shuttle Columbia: Rick Husband; William McCool; Michael Anderson; Kalpana Chawla; David Brown; Laurel Clark; and Ilan Ramon.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Municipal Deposit Insurance Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to set $2 million as the maximum amount of insurance for in-State municipal depositor accounts held by an insured depository institution.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Rancher HELP (Help Extend Livestock Proceeds) Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to involuntary conversion rules, to extend the replacement period for livestock sold on account of weather related conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Livestock Reinvestment Extension Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow farmers to delay the inclusion in income of the amount earned from the sale of excess livestock due to Federal land management policy or action or to severe weather conditions until the second year following the year in which the special circumstance ceased to exist.(present law allows for inclusion of such income in the year following a year of severe weather). Sets forth new rules for drought designations. Modifies rules for replacement of involuntarily converted livestock, including to extend the replacement period (for both weather-related sales and sales forced by Federal policy) and to prescribe that an heir to an estate may replace such property within the required time frame. Applies this Act to sales and exchanges made after December 31, 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code respecting the Hope Scholarship Credit to: (1) extend coverage to fees, books, supplies, and equipment, and exempt such expenses from information reporting requirements; and (2) not reduce such Credit by Federal Pell Grant and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Instructional Materials Accessibility Act of 2003 - Directs Secretary of Education to: (1) develop and publish instructional materials accessibility standards for the national electronic file format to be used by publishers of instructional materials in the preparation of electronic files suitable for efficient conversion into specialized formats; (2) establish a National Instructional Materials Accessibility Advisory Committee to provide technical expertise and guidance in creating such national electronic file format; (3) periodically review and amend such standards to reflect technological advances or changes; and (4) establish a National Instructional Materials Access Center. Requires State educational agencies, as a condition for receiving Federal financial assistance under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, to develop and implement statewide plans and make contracts with publishers to ensure that instructional materials for classroom use in elementary and secondary schools are made available in specialized formats to individuals who are blind or have other print disabilities at the same time such materials are provided to individuals without such disabilities. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to provide or improve their capacity to prepare or obtain instructional materials in specialized formats, including the national electronic format. Provides for enforcement of rights of children and parents under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
United States Cadet Nurse Corps Equity Act of 2003 - Deems service of a person as a member of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps between July 1, 1943, and December 15, 1945 (qualified service), to be active military service for purposes of all laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Requires: (1) the Secretary of Defense to issue an honorable discharge to each person whose qualified service warrants one; and (2) the discharge to be issued before the end of the one-year period beginning on the enactment of this Act. Prohibits benefits from being paid to persons as a result of such enactment for any period before the enactment date.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code respecting the small ethanol producer credit to: (1) authorize credit allocation among a cooperative's patrons; (2) increase the gallon capacity for eligible producers; (3) make the credit a non-passive income credit; and (4) remove the credit from the alcohol fuel credit gross income inclusion.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the United States Postal Service should issue a postage stamp honoring American farm women; and (2) the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend to the Postmaster General that such a stamp be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Honors the life-long commitment of Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel to human rights and democracy. Recognizes the exceptional achievements of Mr. Havel as playwright and president, and congratulates him for his outstanding service to the people of the Czech Republic.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2003
Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act - Prohibits an athlete agent from: (1) recruiting or soliciting a student athlete to enter into an agency contract by giving false or misleading information, making a false promise or representation, or providing anything of value to the athlete or anyone associated with the athlete before entering into such contract; (2) entering into an agency contract with a student athlete without providing the required disclosure document; or (3) predating or postdating an agency contract. Requires an athlete agent, in conjunction with entering into an agency contract, to provide to the athlete (or, if the student athlete is under age 18, to such athlete's parent or legal guardian) a separate disclosure document that includes notice that if the athlete agrees orally or in writing to be represented by an agent, he or she may lose eligibility to compete as a student athlete. Requires both the student athlete and the agent, within 72 hours or before the athlete's next athletic event, whichever occurs first, to notify the athletic director of the athlete's educational institution that the athlete has entered into an agency contract. Treats a violation of this Act as an unfair or deceptive act or practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Authorizes civil actions by State attorneys general.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2003
District of Columbia-Maryland Reunion Act - Cedes the District of Columbia to Maryland after Maryland's acceptance of such retrocession. Maintains the exclusive legislative authority and control of Congress over the National Capital Service Area in the District of Columbia.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2003
Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to make grants to States for: (1) coordinating mosquito control programs to prevent and control mosquito-borne diseases; and (2) assisting States in making grants to political subdivisions (localities) to help them develop control programs. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director, to make grants to localities for the operation of control programs. Requires each locality receiving such a grant to: (1) develop an assessment on the need for a control program and a plan for carrying out such a program; and (2) make available matching funds in an amount not less than 1/3 of the cost of the program, unless the Secretary waives the requirement due to extraordinary economic conditions in the locality. Allows the Secretary to provide training and technical assistance to: (1) States for the planning, development, and operation of assessments and plans regarding control programs; and (2) localities for the planning, development, and operation of control programs. States that such assistance may be provided directly or through awards of grants or contracts to public or private entities. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to conduct or support research into methods to control the population of insects and vermin that transmit dangerous diseases to humans.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2003
National Right-to-Work Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2003
Tribal College or University Teacher Loan Forgiveness Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for the cancellation of a specified percentage of the total amount of any Federal Perkins loan, Federal Family Education loan, or direct student loan for each year of employment (up to five) as a full-time teacher at a tribal college or university if the borrower is not in default on such loan. Prohibits a borrower from receiving, for the same service, such a benefit and a national service educational award. Provides that the amount of any loan forgiven under this Act shall not be treated as gross income for Federal tax purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Amends the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act to authorize the President to agree to amendments to the Border Environment Cooperation Agreement (the November 1993 Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the United Mexican States Concerning the Establishment of a Border Environment Cooperation Commission and a North American Development Bank) that: (1) enable the North American Development Bank to make grants and non-market rate loans out of its paid-in capital resources with the approval of its Board of Directors for qualified water conservation projects; and (2) amend the definition of "border region" as it relates to such projects to include specified areas in the United States and Mexico that are within a certain distance of the international boundary between the two countries. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) water conservation projects are eligible for funding from the Bank under the Cooperation Agreement; and (2) the Board of Directors of the Bank should support qualified water conservation projects which can assist Texas irrigators and agricultural producers in the lower Rio Grande River Valley, including irrigators and agricultural producers in the border States of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and the financing of projects which address coastal and pollution issues on both sides of the international boundary between the United States and Mexico, including along the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico shores of both countries.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Two Floods and You Are Out of the Taxpayers' Pocket Act of 2003 - Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to require the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in awarding grants for mitigation activities, to give priority to properties for which repetitive flood insurance claim payments (as specified by this Act) have been made. Authorizes the Director to waive mitigation assistance limits when the State or community has repetitive insurance claims properties and such waiver is cost-effective and in the best interests of the National Flood Insurance Fund. Increases amounts credited to the National Flood Mitigation Fund from the National Flood Insurance Fund, such amounts to be used only for repetitive insurance claims properties. Extends through FY 2007 the authority to enter into flood insurance contracts and the authorization of appropriations for the national flood insurance program. Provides chargeable national flood insurance premium rates for: (1) repetitive insurance claims properties; and (2) certain coastal and river properties leased from the Government. Authorizes annual premium increases with respect to such properties. Amends the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 to prohibit Federal disaster relief assistance from being used for repair, replacement, or restoration of any property in the area for which: (1) repetitive claim payments have been made; and (2) Federal mitigation assistance has been offered to, but refused by, the property owner. Authorizes the Director to provide for funding for mitigation actions that reduce flood damages to repetitive insurance claims properties, under certain conditions. Provides funding for such assistance from the National Flood Insurance Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2003 - Permits retired members of the armed forces with service-connected disabilities to be paid both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation. Repeals provisions providing for special compensation for certain severely disabled military retirees and certain combat-related disabled uniformed services retirees.
![Official portrait of Rep. Bereuter, Doug [R-NE-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000403_200.jpg)