United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004
Providing Reliable Officers, Technology, Education, Community Prosecutors, and Training In Our Neighborhoods Act of 2004 or PROTECTION Act - Modifies provisions of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 regarding public safety and community policing ("cops on the beat" program, COPS) to authorize the Attorney General to use COPS grants to: (1) increase prosecutor presence and to enhance law enforcement access to new technologies; (2) pay overtime to existing career law enforcement officers for community policing; and (3) promote higher education among in-service State and local law enforcement officers by reimbursing them for certain educational costs. Includes among permitted additional grant projects: (1) specialized integrity and ethics training; and (2) innovative proactive crime control and prevention programs involving school officials and religiously-affiliated organizations. Authorizes the Attorney General to use up to five percent of appropriated funds for technical assistance and training to States, local governments, Indian tribal governments, and other entities. Repeals provisions of the Act regarding termination of grants for hiring officers. Allows grants to be used to assist: (1) police departments in employing specified professional, scientific, and technological advancements; (2) State, local, or tribal prosecutors' offices in implementation of community-based prosecution programs that build on local community policing efforts; and (3) in paying overtime to existing career law enforcement officers. Reserves specified funds for local governmental units with a population of less than 50,000. Authorizes the Attorney General to use no more than 50 percent of grant renewal funds to award grants targeted for police officer retention.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004
Keep the Promise of Medicare Act of 2004 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cap the Medicare part B premium for each month in 2005 at the same rate for each month in 2004, adjusted for inflation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004
Cancer Care Preservation Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to allow the average sales price system to go into effect but also to ensure that Medicare payments for cancer drugs do not go below 95 percent of 2004 levels in 2005, and 95 percent of 2005 levels in 2006. Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 with respect to the transitional adjustment in practice expense relative value units in the physician fee schedule for drug administration services. Extends application of the transition adjustment through December 31, 2006. Increases from three percent to 27 percent during 2005 the applicable percentage of the fee schedule amount that shall be paid to a physician from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund. Reduces this applicable percentage during 2006 to 22 percent. (Current law reduces the 32 percent transitional payment for practice expenses in 2004 to 3 percent in 2005 and 0 percent in 2006.)
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2004
Natural Gas Production Act of 2004 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to qualify an onshore well from a formation more than 15,000 feet deep for the tax credit for producing fuel from a nonconventional source.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2004
Increases the death gratuity payable with respect to members of the Armed Forces from $12,000 to $50,000. Makes this increase applicable to deaths occurring on or after September 11, 2001. Requires the Secretary of Defense to derive funds for payments under this Act in FY 2005 from travel funds for personnel of the Office of the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2004
Medicare Rural Home Health Services Improvement Act of 2004 - Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to provide for a two-year extension of the temporary Medicare payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2004
Enhancement of Veterans Mental Health Services Act - Authorizes appropriations for the employment of additional psychiatrists and other mental health services specialists at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers and outpatient facilities specializing in the diagnoses and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a nationwide outreach program at the community level for veterans who participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom who are or may be suffering from PTSD. Directs the Secretary of each military department to conduct a comprehensive review of the mental health care programs of the Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of that Secretary to determine ways to improve the efficacy of such care. Requires the Secretary of each military department to take special care in providing for as seamless a transition as possible from Department of Defense health care services to Department of Veterans Affairs health care services with regard to members of the Armed Forces who were exposed to combat or are otherwise at risk for PTSD. Requires the Secretary of each military department and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) assess the adequacy of privacy and patient confidentiality standards and practices of their respective departments, particularly with regard to patients seeking treatment for PTSD; and (2) identify other factors that may deter members of the Armed Forces from seeking treatment for PTSD.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2004
Ouachita National Forest Boundary Adjustment Act - Modifies the boundaries of the Ouachita National Forest, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Directs that: (1) any federally-owned lands that, before the enactment date of this Act, have been acquired for National Forest System (NFS) purposes within the boundaries of the Ouachita National Forest as modified by this Act, and any lands that are acquired on or after that date for NFS purposes within such boundaries, be managed as lands acquired under the Weeks Act and in accordance with the other laws and regulations pertaining to the NFS; and (2) for purposes of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, the boundaries of the Ouachita National Forest as modified by this Act be considered to be boundaries of such forest as of January 1, 1965.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2004
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 120 East Illinois Avenue in Vinita, Oklahoma, as the "Francis C. Goodpaster Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2004
Glover River Wild and Scenic River Act - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a segment of the Glover River in the Ouachita National Forest in Oklahoma as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to develop and administer the comprehensive management plan for that segment.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2004
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to qualify resources used to produce climate neutral combustion for the tax credit for producing electricity from renewable resources. Defines "climate neutral combustion" as a combustion system for generating electricity which is fueled by biomass or fossil energy carriers, from which the released carbon dioxide is captured or stored, and from which there are no atmospheric emissions of mercury or greenhouse gases nor emissions that form fine particles, smog, or acid rain.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2004
Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to: (1) direct the Secretary of Agriculture or the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), at State request, to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the State to collect approved State commodity assessments from the proceeds of marketing assistance loans; (2) prohibit the Secretary and CCC from terminating such a memorandum of understanding on the grounds that the State has changed the assessment rate; and (3) direct the Secretary and CCC to reinstate, at State request, any such memorandum that was terminated before the date of the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2004
Ronald Reagan Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to make Alzheimer's disease research a priority within the National Institute on Aging. Requires the Director of the Institute to: (1) undertake an Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Initiative to accelerate the discovery of new risk and protective factors, to rapidly identify therapies and preventive interventions, and to implement effective prevention and treatment strategies; (2) conduct and support cooperative clinical research regarding Alzheimer's; and (3) conduct research concerning early detection and diagnosis, the relationship between Alzheimer's and vascular disease, and interventions designed to help caregivers. Authorizes the Director to establish a National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center to facilitate collaboration among Alzheimer's Disease Centers and Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to educate the public and public health community regarding Alzheimer's disease. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants or cooperative agreements to develop coordinated respite care programs on a statewide basis. Defines "respite care" to mean planned or emergency care provided to a child or adult with a special need in order to provide temporary relief to the family caregiver of such child or adult. Directs the Secretary to award a grant or cooperative agreement to a public or private nonprofit entity to establish a National Resource Center on Lifespan Respite Care. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a nonrefundable tax credit for each individual certified as having long-term care needs and for whom the taxpayer is acting as a caregiver; (2) a tax deduction for long-term care premiums paid under a qualified insurance contract; and (3) qualified long-term care insurance to be offered in a cafeteria plan and flexible spending arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2004
Ephedrine Alkaloids Regulation Act of 2004 - Requires ephedrine alkaloids, including ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, to be listed in schedule V (drugs or other substances having a low potential for abuse, that have a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, abuse of which may lead to limited physical or psychological dependence) of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Excepts pseudoephedrine when contained in a drug that is in liquid or gel form marketed or distributed lawfully in the United States under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (which shall be considered a listed chemical). Amends CSA to revise the definition of: (1) "regulated transaction" to provide that the threshold for any distributor sale of products containing pseudoephedrine products in liquid or gel form, or containing phenylpropanolamine products, shall be nine grams of pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine in a single transaction and sold in package sizes of not more than three grams of pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine base; and (2) "ordinary over-the-counter pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine product" to mean certain products containing pseudoephedrine in liquid or gel form (currently, products containing pseudoephedrine) that meet specified requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2004
National Fishery Mitigation Coordination Act - Directs a sponsor agency (the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, or the Tennessee Valley Authority) to enter into an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to pay the mitigation fishery cost that specified mitigation fishery facilities located in the United States and owned and operated by the Service incur in conducting mitigation activities. Defines mitigation fishery cost as the expenditures necessary to operate, maintain, and rehabilitate facilities to conduct mitigation fishery activities, including the rearing and stocking of native and nonnative fish to replace or maintain harvest levels lost as a result of Federal water resource development projects.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2004
Rural Safety and Law Enforcement Improvement Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: (1) authorize the Attorney General to make grants to rural local and tribal governments for the retention for one additional year of police officers funded through the cops on the beat (or COPS) program; (2) authorize the use of COPS grants on a matching funds basis to assist the police departments of such units in improving police communications, and in developing and improving access to crime-solving technologies; and (3) hire personnel and purchase equipment for rural areas to assist in the enforcement and prosecution of methamphetamine offenses and the environmental cleanup of methamphetamine-affected areas. Directs the Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice to make grants to such units to establish or improve 911 service in those communities. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, to make grants to establish in rural areas substance abuse (particularly methamphetamine) prevention and treatment pilot programs and methamphetamine prevention education programs. Directs the Attorney General to provide for the cleanup of methamphetamine laboratories and related hazardous waste, and for the improvement of contract-related response time for cleanup of methamphetamine laboratories and related hazardous waste by providing additional contract personnel, equipment, and facilities, in rural areas. Makes funding available from the Department of the Treasury Forfeiture Fund for payment for the costs of experts and consultants needed to clean up areas formerly used as methamphetamine laboratories. Establishes a Rural Policing Institute as part of the Small Town and Rural Training Program.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2004
Critical Access to Clinical Lab Services Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide that clinical diagnostic laboratory services furnished by a critical access hospital shall be treated as being furnished as part of outpatient critical access services without regard to whether: (1) the individual for whom the services are furnished is physically present in the critical access hospital at the time the specimen is collected; (2) such individual is registered as an outpatient on the records of, and receives such services directly from, the critical access hospital; or (3) payment is available for such services under the fee schedule established for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2004
Amends Federal provisions concerning the National Guard Challenge Program (a civilian youth opportunities program conducted by the Secretary of Defense) to: (1) provide a maximum Federal matching funds level of 65 percent of the costs of operating the State program during FY 2005, 70 percent during FY 2006, and 75 percent for FY 2007 and beyond; (2) authorize appropriations for the Program for FY 2005; and (3) rename it the National Guard Youth Challenge Program.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2004
Recognizes the contributions of the teachers, administration, and staff of military impacted schools and Department of Defense education activity schools worldwide. Commends the teachers in military impacted communities who educate students during times of peace and conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2004
High Risk Nonprofit Security Enhancement Act of 2004 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) enter into contracts for security enhancements and technical assistance for nonprofit organizations; and (2) issue Federal loan guarantees in connection with loans made by financial institutions to nonprofit organizations for security enhancements and technical assistance. Permits the Secretary to guarantee only such loans that have favorable repayment terms. Directs the Secretary to designate high-risk nonprofit organizations eligible for contracts or loans based on the vulnerability of the specific site of the nonprofit to international terrorist attacks. Sets forth criteria for vulnerability determinations. Authorizes: (1) the use of federally guaranteed funds borrowed from lending institutions for technical assistance and security enhancements; (2) the Secretary to select applications for execution of security enhancement and technical assistance contracts, or issuance of loan guarantees, giving preference to the nonprofit organizations determined to be at greatest risk of international terrorist attack; (3) each State to establish a State Homeland Security Authority; and (4) the Secretary to provide grants to local governments to offset incremental costs associated with law enforcement in areas with a high concentration of nonprofit organizations. Establishes within the Department of Homeland Security the Office of Community Relations and Civic Affairs to administer grant programs for nonprofit organizations and local law enforcement assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2004
States that Congress: (1) condemns Iran's continuing deceptions to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the international community about its nuclear programs and activities, and demands that Iran immediately and permanently cease efforts to acquire nuclear fuel cycle capabilities and cease nuclear enrichment activities; (2) calls upon all State Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), including the United States, to use all appropriate means to deter Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, including ending all nuclear and other cooperation with Iran, until Iran fully implements the Additional Protocol between Iran and the IAEA for the application of safeguards; (3) calls upon all countries to intercede with their commercial entities to ensure that these entities refrain from or cease all investment and investment-related activities that support Iran's energy industry; (4) urges the IAEA Board of Governors to report to the United Nations Security Council that Iran is in noncompliance with its agreements; (5) urges the United Nations Security Council, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Zangger Committee, and other international entities to declare that non-nuclear-weapon states under NPT who commit violations of their safeguards agreements regarding uranium enrichment or plutonium reprocessing, or engage in activities which could support a military nuclear program, thereby forfeit their right to engage in nuclear fuel-cycle activities; (6) urges the United Nations Security Council to consider measures to support IAEA inspection efforts; and (7) urges the President to keep the Congress fully and currently informed concerning the matters addressed in this resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2004
States that Congress: (1) condemns the adoption of United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES-10/14 (December 8, 2003) which requests the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to render an advisory opinion concerning the international legal consequences arising from Israel's construction of a security fence in parts of the West Bank; (2) deplores the use of the International Court of Justice by the United Nations General Assembly for political purposes that only do harm to the credibility of the General Assembly and the Court, and threaten to impede international and United States efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; (3) commends the Administration for its leadership in opposing the manipulation of the International Court of Justice into a political forum for denunciation of Israel and its legitimate self-defense; (4) expresses the continued commitment of the United States to Israel's right to exist as a Jewish democratic state, its security and its right of self-defense, including the right to build a security fence as a direct consequence of more than three years of Palestinian terrorism; (5) condemns the ongoing failure of the Palestinian leadership to take action to cease all violence and terrorism against Israel and to instead pursue misguided political alternatives to the Performance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, democratic reform, and direct peace negotiations; and (6) reiterates support for the President's June 2002 speech setting out the conditions necessary for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and for the achievement of a negotiated two-state solution based on United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), and 1397 (2002) calling for the exchange of territory for peace, direct negotiations between the parties, and the immediate cessation of all violence.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2004
Intercountry Adoption Reform Act of 2004 or ICARE Act - Establishes an Office of Intercountry Adoptions within the Department of State (DOS). Requires the President to appoint an Ambassador at Large to head the Office. Transfers to the Office all immigration functions with respect to intercountry adoptions currently performed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to grant automatic U.S. citizenship to internationally adopted children upon entry of a full and final adoption decree (thus dispensing with the need for such children to obtain visas). Creates a new W nonimmigrant visa category for children traveling to the United States to be adopted by U.S. citizens. Allows adopted children age 18 or under to claim an exception to immunization requirements for purposes of admissibility (currently limited to those age 10 or under). Redefines the term "adoptable child." Requires U.S. citizen adoptive parents to obtain approval of an adoption petition prior to issuance of a W visa or a full and final adoption decree. Provides that such petitions are subject to the terms applicable to orphan petitions. Directs the Ambassador to issue regulations: (1) establishing an expedited reapproval process for families whose prior approvals to adopt have expired; and (2) governing the appeal of petition denials. Requires the Office to determine whether a child is an adoptable child, pursuant to specified procedures, as a prerequisite to the issuance of a W visa or a full and final adoption decree.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2004
Directs each Federal agency that provides grants, loans, or loan guarantees to businesses to require, as a condition of such assistance, that the business provide annually information on: (1) the number of employees employed in the United States and its territories and the number employed outside the United States, as well as wage information on U.S. employees; and (2) the percentage of the workforce that has been laid off or forced to resign during the preceding year. Prohibits, until the situation is corrected, subsequent assistance to a business that lays off a greater percentage of workers in the United States or its territories than in other countries.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2004
Trade Adjustment Assistance Equity for Service Workers Act of 2004 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to extend trade adjustment assistance (TAA) to workers in a service sector firm or its subdivision or public agency. Revises group eligibility requirements for TAA to include: (1) a shift, by a public agency to a foreign country, of production of articles, or in provision of services, like or directly competitive with articles produced or services provided by the workers' firm, subdivision, or public agency; and (2) the situation where such workers' firm, subdivision, or public agency obtains or is likely to obtain such services from a foreign country. Repeals group eligibility requirements that: (1) the country to which the workers' firm has shifted production of the articles be a party to a free trade agreement with the United States; (2) such country be a beneficiary country under the Andean Trade Preference Act, African Growth and Opportunity Act, or the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act; or (3) there has been or is likely to be an increase in imports of articles that are like or directly competitive with articles which are or were produced by such firm or subdivision. Requires the Secretary of Labor to certify as eligible to apply for TAA any adversely affected secondary workers in a service sector firm or its subdivision or public agency. Specifies criteria for determination of the existence of increased imports of like or directly competitive articles or services. Increases from $220 million to $440 million the amount of fiscal year payments for training of adversely affected workers under the Act. Authorizes the Secretary to waive training requirements for an individual receiving a trade readjustment allowance if he or she has an advanced degree or postgraduate certification in a specialized field and there is a reasonable expectation of employment at equivalent wages in the foreseeable future. Permits as a training program for an adversely affected worker to continue enrollment at an institution of higher education for purposes of obtaining a degree for a maximum 104-week period, and there is a reasonable expectation of employment at equivalent wages in the foreseeable future. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to provide technical assistance for the establishment of industrywide programs for new service development. Modifies the trade monitoring system to include imports of services. Amends the Internal Revenue Code relating to tax credits for health insurance costs of certain TAA and Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) pension recipients with respect to: (1) redefining "eligible individual" to include any individual who is covered by a TAA petition, under certain conditions; (2) allowing a 100 percent tax credit for the first month of such costs; (3) modifying the cost requirements and the period of creditable coverage; (4) adding a special rule for eligible PBGC pension recipients; (5) continued qualification of family members after an eligible individual becomes Medicare eligible; and (6) offering by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Secretary of the Treasury jointly of Federal fallback coverage in States not offering State qualified health insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2004
Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) allow pancreata procured for use in islet cell transplantation or research to be counted for certification purposes for qualified organ procurement organization grants; and (2) require the Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee to include in its annual report an assessment of the Federal activities and programs related to pancreatic islet cell transplantation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2004
Declares that Congress: (1) supports Israel's construction of a security fence to prevent Palestinian terrorist attacks; and (2) condemns the United Nations General Assembly's decision to request the International Court of Justice to render an opinion on the legality of the fence.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2004
Microenterprise Results and Accountability Act of 2004 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to repeal existing microenterprise development grant authority and reestablish and revise it as a separate title, title VI - Microenterprise Development Assistance, which shall be administered by an Office of Microenterprise Development (established by this Act) within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2004
Expresses the sense of Congress that negotiations on access to critical segments of the U.S. automobile market should not take place on a piecemeal basis, but only as part of: (1) negotiations that include all major automobile producing nations; and (2) comprehensive negotiations that address both tariff and nontariff barriers specific to the automobile industry, with progress on eliminating tariff barriers explicitly linked to concrete progress on eliminating nontariff barriers.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2004
Abandoned Mine Lands Reclamation Reform Act of 2004 - Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to repeal the authorization that certain moneys in the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund may be used: (1) by the Secretary of Agriculture for reclamation of rural lands; and (2) by the Department of the Interior for studies by contract with organizations for advice and research and development projects technical assistance. Reduces the reclamation fee required to be paid by operators of coal mining operations. Revises Fund allocation requirements with respect to reclamation fees. Repeals Fund objectives concerning: (1) protection , construction, or enhancement of public facilities such as utilities, roads, recreation and conservation facilities adversely affected by coal mining practices; and (2) the development of publicly owned land adversely affected by coal mining practices including land acquired as provided in this subchapter for recreation and historic purposes, conservation, and reclamation purposes and open space benefits. States that no lien shall be filed against any person who neither consented to, nor participated in nor exercised control over the mining operation which necessitated reclamation. Repeals the limitation of such prohibition to persons who owned the surface before May 2, 1977. Expands certification guidelines to prescribe payments to: (1) qualified States and Indian tribes; and (2) non-qualified States and Indian tribes.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2004
Methamphetamine Blister Pack Loophole Elimination Act of 2004 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to eliminate the exemption as a "regulated transaction" for any sale of ordinary over-the-counter pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine products (including blister packs) by retail distributors.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2004
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2004 - Provides that, if there is a deficit in a fiscal year, then: (1) any pay adjustment (including a cost of living adjustment) for Members of Congress scheduled to take effect in the succeeding calendar year shall be null and void; and (2) rates of pay for Members shall be reduced by a specified percentage, but not below zero. Specifies the mandatory pay rate reduction at: (1) five percent, for the first year; or (2) ten percent, for any consecutive subsequent year that expenditures exceed revenues. Specifies conditions for restoration of the original pay rate, together with otherwise scheduled adjustments. Vests authority in the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to make determinations of whether or not a deficit exists in any fiscal year. States that, in making any such determination, the Director shall exclude any budget outlays which directly relate to a military conflict that lasts over 30 days or that is in direct response to a terrorist attack on the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2004
Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly benefit of $1,000 to certain honorably-discharged veterans of the U.S. Merchant Marine who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946 (or to their survivors). Includes service in the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service. Exempts benefits paid under this Act from taxation.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2004
Medicare's Equitable Drugs for Seniors Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to repeal provisions prohibiting the Secretary of Health and Human Services from: (1) interfering with the negotiations between drug manufacturers and pharmacies and prescription drug plan sponsors; and (2) requiring a particular formulary to institute a price structure for the reimbursement of covered Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) drugs. Grants the Secretary instead, in order to ensure that beneficiaries enrolled under prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans pay the lowest possible price, authority similar to that of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Secretary of Defense, and the heads of other Federal agencies and departments that purchase prescription drugs in bulk to negotiate contracts with manufacturers of covered Medicare part D drugs, consistent with the requirements and in furtherance of the goals of providing quality care and containing costs under such part.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Frontier Health Care Access Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include residents of frontier areas (as defined by this Act) within the population groups making a servicing health facility eligible for "health center" grants and loans.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Stock Option Accounting Reform Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require an issuer of registered securities to show as an expense in its mandatory annual report the fair value of all stock purchase options granted to certain of its senior executive officers after December 31, 2004. Exempts small business issuers from such requirement. Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to require reporting of: (1) stock option expenses as a reduction of the total expense in the fiscal year in which they expire or are forfeited; and (2) as income any excess by which such reduction exceeds total option expenses for any fiscal year. Requires any accounting principle recognized as "generally accepted" by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding the expensing of stock purchase options to comply with this Act. Denies recognition to any such accounting principle until the Secretaries of Commerce and of Labor complete a joint study on the economic impact of mandatory expensing of all employee stock options.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Employee Free Choice Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board to certify a bargaining representative without directing an election if a majority of the bargaining unit employees have authorized designation of the representative and there is no other individual or labor organization currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit. Sets forth special procedural requirements for reaching an initial collective bargaining agreement following certification or recognition. Revises enforcement requirements with respect to unfair labor practices during union organizing drives. Provides, under injunction provisions, for priority to be given to preliminary investigation of charges of violations by employers or other entities. Adds to remedies for such violations: (1) back pay plus liquidated damages; and (2) additional civil penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2003
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users - Reauthorizes the Federal-aid surface transportation program through FY 2009. Reauthorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) specified highway (including highway safety) programs; (2) research and technology; (3) motor carrier safety; and (4) transportation research. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a National Commission on Future Revenue Sources to Support the HTF. Establishes: (1) a National Commission on the Future of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate Defense Highways; and (2) a Commission on Intelligent Transportation Systems Procurement Policy. Requires States with an urbanized area population of over 200,000 to obligate specified funds for congestion relief. Federal Public Transportation Act of 2004 - Sets forth revised provisions governing public transportation funding and the Secretary's authority to make specified grants, including grants for capital projects, planning, and transit and for commercial driver's license program improvements. Directs the Secretary to establish programs involving: (1) long-term bridge performance; (2) innovative highway safety technologies; (3) freight planning capacity building; (4) freight transportation research; (5) future strategic highway research; (6) surface transportation congestion solutions research; and (7) commercial remote sensing products and spatial information technologies. Intelligent Transportation Systems Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary to conduct an ongoing intelligent system transportation program to research, develop, and operationally test and advance nationwide deployment of intelligent transportation systems as a component of the U.S. surface transportation systems. Incorporates Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration planning provisions. Reauthorizes the hazardous materials transportation program. Makes the guaranteed funding levels provided under this Act dependent on identifying additional budgetary resources.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2003
Rural Healthcare Improvement Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to services in rural areas, inpatient hospital services, physician services, physician updates, home health services, and the Office of Rural Health Policy. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to provide for a special, temporary increase in disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments on a one-time, non-cumulative basis, and an increase in the floor for treatment as a low DSH State. Provides for allotment adjustments for FY 2004 and 2005 for States without a DSH allotment owing to revocation or termination of a certain waiver. (The Medicare provisions of H.R. 3549 are identical to title I of S. 1926, the Support Our Health Care Providers Act of 2003, which in turn is identical, except with respect to any provider cuts or premium increases, to title IV of the conference report of H.R. 1, the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003, which became Public Law 108-173 on December 8, 2003. The Medicaid provision is very similar to one in title VI, subtitle A of H.R. 3549.)
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2003
Deplores the development by Iran of a nuclear weapons program and the failure of the Government of Iran to report material, facilities, and activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in contravention of its obligations under the safeguards convention it signed in connection with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (Treaty). Concurs with the conclusion of the Department of State that Iran is pursuing a program to develop nuclear weapons. Calls on the President to use all appropriate means to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, with particular attention to the needs of the IAEA for information and access, including information concerning gas centrifuges and the conduct of uranium conversion experiments. Calls on Russia to suspend all nuclear cooperation with Iran until Iran fully complies with a specified IAEA resolution, with particular attention to spent fuel. Calls on the IAEA to declare Iran in violation of the Treaty. Calls on the United Nations Security Council to consider immediately the passage of a Security Council resolution or the taking of other actions that may be necessary to impose diplomatic and economic sanctions against Iran if it fails to meet its obligations to the IAEA. Calls on the Government of Iran to cease all efforts to acquire nuclear fuel cycle capabilities and to end the enrichment and processing of uranium until it is able to provide specific, verifiable assurances that it is not engaged in a clandestine nuclear weapons program.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2003
Chiropractic Health Parity for Military Retirees and Dependents Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense, no later than July 31, 2004, to complete development of a plan to provide chiropractic health care services and benefits, as a permanent part of the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense managed health care program), for covered beneficiaries. Requires plan implementation by December 31, 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2003
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member. Directs the Secretary to reimburse such eligible persons for pharmacy benefits received from a pharmacy that is not a TRICARE (Department of Defense managed health care plan) network pharmacy in the same manner as the Secretary would reimburse such person for such benefits received from a TRICARE network pharmacy. Requires such persons, in order to receive such reimbursement, to submit a certification from their physician stating that the person does not have access to a TRICARE network pharmacy due to physical or medical constraints. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive the monthly part B premium (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) with respect to: (1) an individual who is entitled to military retired or retainer pay based upon service that began before December 7, 1956; and (2) the spouse, widow, or widower of such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2003
Firefighters Medical Monitoring Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, to monitor the long-term medical health of firefighters who have fought fires in any area for which the President has declared a major disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Bridges to the Cuban People Act of 2003 - Exempts from the embargo on trade with Cuba (including prohibitions under the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 against the unloading at a U.S. port of vessels that previously entered a Cuban port to engage in trade) the export of any agricultural commodity, farm machinery or equipment, medicine, medical device, assistive technology device, personal care products, or products intended for the exclusive use by children, or any travel incident to the sale or delivery of such items. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report on export promotion and credit programs for Cuba. Prohibits the President from prohibiting or regulating travel to or from or within Cuba by U.S. nationals or lawful resident aliens, including specified transactions ordinarily incident to such travel, financial or otherwise. Authorizes the President to provide scholarships, with funds under the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 for Cuban nationals who seek to undertake graduate study in public health, public policy, economics, law, or other field of social science. Authorizes the President to waive certain sanctions against, and restrictions on assistance to, Cuba, including the exclusion from the United States of certain aliens who have confiscated property in Cuba of U.S. nationals or who traffic in such property, if he determines that it will promote the peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba or will further U.S. national economic interests. Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from limiting the amount of remittances to Cuba that any U.S. person may make. Authorizes the import into the United States of a Cuban-originated medical article if the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines that there is a medical need in the United States for such article that is not being met by any medicine or medical device in commercial distribution in the United States. Repeals a prohibition, under the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999, on certain transactions or payments with respect to U.S. intellectual property. Requires the U.S. Postal Service to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba. Amends the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 to provide for expedited security checks for certain visiting Cubans. Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to, from, or within Cuba by U.S. persons for the purpose of engaging in or financing motion picture or television projects, or engaging in music recording projects, or any transactions incidental to such travel. Removes certain restrictions under specified Federal laws in order to allow Cuban nationals to come to the United States to play organized professional sports.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Oklahoma City National Memorial Act Amendments of 2003 - Amends the Oklahoma City National Memorial Act of 1997 to give responsibility for administration of the Memorial to the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation (currently administered by the Oklahoma City National Memorial Trust). Requires the Trust to transfer specified Memorial property, rights, authorities, and duties to the Foundation. Dissolves the Trust. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the National Park Service (NPS), to enter into cooperative agreements with the Foundation for the NPS to provide interpretive services related to the Memorial at NPS expense. Requires the Secretary to reimburse the Foundation for funds obligated or expended for interpretive services, security, and other costs and services related to the Memorial prior to enactment of this Act to the extent that funds are made available.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Nursing Home Staffing Act of 2003 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate standards for minimum nurse staffing levels in nursing facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid payments. Reinstitutes (Boren amendment) payment methodology, providing for payment of Medicaid services through the use of rates determined pursuant to the criteria under State Medicaid plan requirements as in effect on August 1, 1997. Establishes safe harbor rates. Provides a permanent 1.50 percent increase of the Medicaid Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for a State beginning with FY 2004. Authorizes inclusion of: (1) financial accountability requirements in the survey and certification process with respect to facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid payments; and (2) professionals trained in financial accounting and auditing in the multidisciplinary survey teams of professionals under Medicare and Medicaid.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Repudiates the anti-Semitic rhetoric of the outgoing prime minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Calls upon other governments and international bodies, notably the European Union, to condemn these remarks as dangerous incitement. Deplores the tacit acquiescence of those in attendance at the October 2003 Organization of the Islamic Conference.
![Official portrait of Rep. Carson, Brad [D-OK-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001044_200.jpg)