United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Human Rights Information Act - Requires certain Federal agencies to identify, review, and organize all human rights records, for declassification and public disclosure, if the President determines bona fide a request for them by an individual or entity carrying an official mandate to investigate a pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights. Prescribes guidelines under which the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel shall review agency determinations to postpone disclosure of any human rights record. Authorizes postponement of such public disclosures on specified grounds. Requires each Federal agency to identify, review, and organize all human rights records regarding activities occurring in Guatemala and Honduras for declassification and public disclosure.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Downed Animal Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate regulations to provide for the humane treatment, handling, and disposition of nonambulatory livestock by a covered entity, including a requirement that nonambulatory livestock be humanely euthanized. Provides that an entity shall: (1) not move nonambulatory livestock while such livestock is conscious; and (2) humanely euthanize such livestock. Prohibits an establishment covered by the Federal Meat Inspection Act to pass nonambulatory livestock through inspection. Defines "covered entity," and "humanely euthanize."
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act - Requires hospitals, as a condition of receiving Federal funds, to provide emergency contraception to a woman who is a victim of sexual assault.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Redesignates the Federal building located at 935 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest in the District of Columbia, commonly known as the J. Edgar Hoover Federal Building, as the Federal Bureau of Investigation Building.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Women and Children in Conflict Protection Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) develop a strategy for the protection of women and children who are affected by a complex humanitarian emergency (a situation occurring outside the United States and caused by armed conflict, natural disaster, food shortage, or state-sponsored harassment or persecution, which results in a significant number of refugees, internally displaced persons, or other civilians requiring urgent basic humanitarian assistance) (emergency); and (2) designate coordinators to implement such strategy. Requires such coordinators to: (1) maintain and disseminate a database of information on gender-based violence or exploitation of children during an emergency; (2) assist embassies and consular posts in responding to such risks; and (3) establish a gender-based violence or exploitation reporting and monitoring system for U.S. diplomatic missions and consular posts. Prohibits any State Department refugee or migration assistance from being provided to an organization that has failed to adopt a code of conduct regarding the protection of beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance that incorporates six core principles (established herein) against sexual exploitation and abuse as recommended by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. Requests all national, multilateral, and nongovernmental agencies to review and revise their administrative, management, and employment practices in refugee and displaced persons camps. Requires each coordinator to: (1) ensure that U.S.-funded organizations that respond to an emergency have the necessary resources to address the specific health needs of women affected by the emergency; and (2) identify an organization or individual to facilitate the coordination and implementation of such activities. Directs the Secretary to urge the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to work with nongovernmental organizations to design and implement a model whistleblower system under which humanitarian workers, refugees, and internally displaced persons can report instances of gender-based violence or exploitation of children. Requires: (1) the State Department to work with certain entities to ensure that, in situations of long-term displacement, refugees and internally displaced persons are granted work permits and other documentation to enable them to generate legitimate income; and (2) a report from the Secretary on the development of protection initiatives for the prevention of gender-based violence and exploitation of children. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and implement programs to assist communities that have been affected by an emergency and former combatants (women or children affiliated with an armed group); and (2) report on all current programs to assist nations to reconstitute civilian police authority and capability following an emergency. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide assistance to promote the security of, provide equal access to basic services for, and safeguard the human rights and dignity of civilian women and children who are refugees, displaced persons, or inhabitants of areas affected by an emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Recognizes the achievements of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. Expresses support for designation of an Equal Justice Day in honor of the Committee's work and the many hours of pro bono service offered by lawyers and law firms throughout the country.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2003
College Loan Assistance Act of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise student aid requirements for student loans and Pell Grants. Allows refinancing of student consolidation loans under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program. Reduces the amount of a cap on interest rate under the FFEL program. Extends authority for the Pell Grant program. Increases the maximum amount of an individual Pell Grant award to $7,000 for each of academic years 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. Prohibits eligible lenders or the Secretary of Education from collecting origination fees from borrowers, under the FFEL or the Federal direct loan program, for any loan made on or after the first July 1 after the date of enactment of the Student Loan Relief Act of 2003 (sic).
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2003
Directs the Secretary of Defense to permit a former member of the armed forces who is entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability rated as total to travel on unscheduled military flights within the continental United States and on scheduled overseas flights operated by the Air Mobility Command to the same extent as retired members of the armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2003
United States-Cuba Trademark Protection Act of 2003 - Requires the President to direct the Secretary of State to obtain assurances that the Republic of Cuba will: (1) adhere to specified international agreements for the protection of intellectual property; (2) implement the Joint Recommendation Concerning Provisions on the Protection of Well-Known Marks; and (3) subscribe to dispute resolution procedures approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. Repeals provisions of the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 prohibiting certain transactions, payments, or U.S. court recognition with respect to confiscated marks, trade names, or commercial names. Requires the Director of the Patent and Trademark Office to establish an electronic and publicly accessible registry of U.S. trademarks and well-known marks in Cuba. Amends the Cuban Assets Control Regulations to authorize: (1) specified transactions and proceedings regarding blocked foreign domain and trade names by any person who is not a designated national; (2) the transfer or receipt of any trademark, trade name, or domain name subject to U.S. law in which a designated national has an interest, as well as related proceedings; and (3) the payment of fees to foreign governments for research with respect to blocked foreign trademarks, trade names, and domain names, and related enforcement. Makes conforming amendments to the Trademark Act of 1946. Gives U.S. courts authority to validate any assertion by a designated national of rights in any mark or trade name based on common law rights or registration under specified provisions of the Trademark Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2003
Elder Justice Act - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new title XXII (Elder Justice) to establish: (1) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) an Office of Elder Justice; (2) within HHS an Intra-Agency Elder Justice Steering Committee to coordinate HHS elder justice programs and policy; (3) the Elder Justice Coordinating Council to make recommendations for the coordination of activities to HHS, the Department of Justice, and other relevant Federal, State, local, and private agencies and entities; and (4) the Advisory Board on Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation. Outlines provisions with respect to uniform collection, maintenance, and dissemination of national data relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Authorizes the HHS Secretary to award various grants, including grants for: (1) prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (2) five Centers of Excellence nationwide that shall specialize in research, clinical practice, and training relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (3) six diverse communities to examine various types of elder shelters and to test various models for establishing safe havens; (4) nonprofit organizations and faith-based organizations to encourage such organizations to establish or continue volunteer programs that focus on the issues of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, or that provide related services; and (5) various multidisciplinary elder justice activities. Provides for: (1) reporting to law enforcement of crimes occurring in Federally-funded long-term care facilities; (2) revising the quality of long-term care; and (3) increasing consumer information about long-term care. Amends: (1) SSA titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) to establish programs to prevent abuse of skilled nursing facility and nursing facility residents; (2) the Public Health Service Act to increase the number of health care professionals with geriatric training; (3) the Older Americans Act of 1965 with respect to the long-term care ombudsman program; (4) part A (General Provisions) of SSA title XI to establish in HHS the Office of Adult Protective Services; and (5) SSA titles XVIII and XIX to assure safety of residents when nursing facilities close. Establishes in the Department of Justice an Office of Elder Justice. Amends the: (1) Federal criminal code to provide for a cause of action for elder abuse and neglect; and (2) Internal Revenue Code to provide for a long-term care facility worker employment tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act - Redefines the term "law enforcement officer" under provisions of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to include: (1) Federal employees not otherwise covered by such term whose duties include the investigation or apprehension of suspected or convicted individuals and who are authorized to carry a firearm; and (2) such employees of the Internal Revenue Service whose duties are primarily the collection of delinquent taxes and the securing of delinquent returns. Requires that such service which is performed by an incumbent law enforcement officer be treated: (1) on or after the enactment date of this Act, for all purposes, as service performed as a law enforcement officer, irrespective of how such service is treated under the following; and (2) before, on, or after such date, for purposes of CSRS and FERS, as service performed as such an officer, but only if an appropriate written election is submitted to the Office of Personnel Management five years after such date or before separation from Government service, whichever is earlier. Provides that nothing under current law respecting mandatory separation from Government service under CSRS or FERS shall cause the involuntary separation of an officer before the end of the three-year period beginning on such date.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) at the 55th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission the United States should remain firmly opposed to commercial whaling, and take other specified related steps; (2) at the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the United States should oppose all efforts to reopen international trade in whale meat or to downlist any whale population; and (3) the United States should make full use of all appropriate diplomatic mechanisms, relevant international laws and agreements, and other appropriate mechanisms to implement these goals. Urges the United States to take appropriate steps to convince foreign countries whose nationals are engaging in trade in whale meat or a taking which diminishes the effectiveness of the Convention to cease such trade or taking.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2003
Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2003 - Entitles domestic partners of Federal employees to benefits available to spouses of Federal employees. Specifies certifications required for benefit eligibility, filing requirements regarding partnership dissolution, and confidentiality requirements. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax exemption for employer contributions to accident and health plans to domestic partners under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2003
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to compensate States for incarcerating undocumented aliens charged with a felony or two or more misdemeanors.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2003
Constitutional Amendment - Makes a person who has been a citizen of the United States for at least 35 years and who has been a resident within the United States for at least 14 years eligible to hold the office of President or Vice President.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2003
Taxpayer Abuse Prevention Resolution of 2003 - Expresses the sense of Congress that Federal tax collection services should not be paid for on the basis of a commission or as a percentage of taxes collected.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2003 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to award non-renewable grants to eligible applicants to prepare a comprehensive plan for and implement an adult or juvenile collaboration program, which targets adults or juveniles with mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders in order to promote public safety and public health. Directs that grants be used to create or expand: (1) mental health courts or other court-based programs for preliminarily qualified offenders; (2) programs that offer specialized training to the officers and employees of a criminal or juvenile justice agency and mental health personnel in procedures for identifying the symptoms of mental illness; (3) programs that support cooperative efforts by criminal, juvenile justice, and mental health agencies to promote public safety by offering mental health and substance abuse treatment services; and (4) programs that support intergovernmental cooperation between State and local governments with respect to the mentally ill offender.. Requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop a procedure under which applicants may apply simultaneously for a planning grant and an implementation grant; and (2) establish an interagency task force to identify policies which hinder or facilitate local collaborative initiatives. Directs the Attorney General to develop a list of best practices for appropriate diversion from incarceration of adult and juvenile offenders.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act - Identifies roadless areas within the National Forest System set forth in specified documents as National Forest Inventoried Roadless Areas, and directs the Secretary of Agriculture to manage such Areas to maintain their roadless character.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 - Prohibits the importation into the United States of any article that is produced, mined, manufactured, grown, or assembled in Burma (Myanmar) until the President determines and certifies to Congress that Burma has taken certain democratic and counternarcotics actions. Authorizes the President to waive such requirements. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to direct any U.S. financial institution holding funds of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) of Burma or the assets of individuals who hold senior positions in the SPDC or its political arm, the Union Solidarity Development Association, to report those assets to the Office of Foreign Assets Control and take such action as may be necessary to secure them. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. executive director to each appropriate international financial institution to oppose any extension of a loan or financial or technical assistance to Burma until the requirements of this Act are met. Authorizes the President to deny visas and entry to the former and present leadership of the SPDC or the Union Solidarity Development Association. Urges the Secretary of State to use all appropriate fora, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum and Asian Nations Regional Forum, to encourage other states to restrict financial resources to the SPDC and Burmese companies while offering support to Burma's democratic movement, including the National League for Democracy and Burma's ethnic groups. Authorizes the President to assist Burmese democracy activists dedicated to nonviolent opposition to the regime in their efforts to promote freedom, democracy, and human rights in Burma.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act of 2003 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health Administration for FY 2005 130 percent of the amount obligated during FY 2003. Adjusts the amount provided for fiscal years after FY 2005 based on the number of enrolled veterans and the number of other persons eligible but not enrolled who are provided care, multiplied by the per capital baseline amount for FY 2003, as increased by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index. Prohibits the availability of such funds for: (1) construction, acquisition, or alteration of veterans' medical facilities (other than for repairs provided for before the date of enactment of this Act); or (2) grants for the construction of State home facilities for the furnishing of veterans' domiciliary, nursing home, and hospital care.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
Working Taxpayer Fairness Restoration Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the refundability of the child tax credit, to accelerate the increase to the 15 percent rate. Limits, to fair market value immediately following a transaction, the importation of net built-in loss by a corporation. Prohibits an allocation of any decrease in the adjusted basis of partnership property to stock in a corporation which is a partner in the partnership. Repeals part V (Financial Asset Securitization Investment Trusts) of subchapter M (Regulated Investment Companies and Real Estate Investment Trusts). Expands the definition of a disqualified debt instrument with respect to deduction disallowance on certain debt instruments of corporations. Expands the authority to disallow deductions, credits, or other allowances under provisions disallowing such benefits due to acquisitions made to evade or avoid income tax. Amends provisions affecting passive foreign investment companies to state that the term "qualified portion" (of a shareholder's holding period) does not include any period if there is only a remote likelihood of an inclusion in gross income under subpart F (Controlled Foreign Income). Adds to the definition of the term "real estate investment trust" by stating that such term includes a corporation, trust, or association which is not a controlled entity. Directs the Secretary to establish a program requiring the payment of user fees, until September 30, 2013, for: (1) requests to the Internal Revenue Service for ruling letters, opinion letters, and determination letters; and (2) other similar requests.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the ocean is of paramount importance to the economic future, environmental quality, and national security of the United States; (2) the United States has a responsibility to exercise and promote comprehensive stewardship and understanding of the ocean and the living marine resources it contains; and (3) the President should issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe a National Oceans Week with appropriate recognition, programs, ceremonies, and activities to further ocean literacy, education, and exploration.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to provide for an extension of time for States to request payments for activities to improve administration of elections and for replacement of punch card or lever voting machines. Repeals the exemption of the Election Assistance Commission from certain Government contracting requirements (thus requiring the Commission to advertise for proposals for purchases and contracts for supplies or services). Revises audit capacity requirements to require the voting system to produce a voter-verified paper record suitable for a manual audit equivalent or superior to that of a paper ballot box system. Requires the voting system to provide a mechanism for voter-verification of results with respect to individuals with disabilities which separates the function of vote generation from the function of vote casting, but does not require the use of paper. Requires instruction of election officials in the rights of the disabled to vote with the assistance of an aide of their selection under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Requires the Commission to study and develop best practices to enhance accessibility and voter-verification mechanisms for disabled voters. Accelerates the deadline for compliance with voting systems standards from January 1, 2006, to the regularly scheduled November 2004 general Federal election. Requires each State and jurisdiction unable to meet such deadline to receive a paper voting system at Commission expense that shall be deemed compliant with such standards for use in the November 2004 general election. Requires Federal certification of technological security of voter registration lists. Directs the Commission to: (1) conduct manual mandatory surprise recounts of the voter-verified records of each election for Federal office (and, at State or local option, of elections for State and local office) in .5 percent of the jurisdictions in each State and .5 percent of the overseas jurisdictions in which voter-verified records are preserved in accordance with this Act immediately following each general election for Federal office; and (2) promptly publish the results of those recounts.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Judicial Use of Discretion to Guarantee Equity in Sentencing Act of 2003 (JUDGES Act) - Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to report to Congress on the incidence of downward departures from the U.S. sentencing guidelines (i.e., imposition of a sentence below the range established by such guidelines). Includes among required report contents: (1) a discussion of the history and purpose of departures in the Federal system; (2) information on rates of departures from the guidelines among different districts and judicial circuits and among different offense and departure types; (3) an analysis of the grounds provided by district court judges when they depart from the guidelines; (4) a comparison of the departure authority in Federal law with that of State systems; and (5) an assessment of the extent to which departures undermine or promote the purposes of sentencing. Repeals specified nonconforming (sentencing reform) provisions of the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003 (PROTECT Act), including provisions that limit judges' discretion in sentencing, require the Chief Judge of each district court to submit written reports to the Commission within 30 days of entry of judgment in every criminal case, and make changes to the composition of the Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Next Generation Hispanic Serving Institutions - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise provisions for Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) under title V (Developing Institutions). Establishes a program of competitive grants to eligible HSIs that offer postbaccalaureate certifications or degrees (part B grants). Limits a part B grant award's duration to not more than five years. Prohibits the Secretary of Education from awarding more than one part B grant to an HSI in any one fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2005 through FY 2009 for: (1) the current part A program of grants to HSIs that offer baccalaureate degrees or are junior or community colleges; and (2) the new part B program of grants to HSIs that offer postbaccalaureate certifications or degrees. Eliminates the requirement that an eligible HSI provide assurances that at least 50 percent of its Hispanic students are low-income students. Includes, among authorized activities under part A grants, articulation agreements and student support programs to help transfers from two-year to four-year institutions. Eliminates the two-year wait-out period between any two five-year part A grants to an HSI.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act - Transfers marijuana from schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act to schedule II of such Act. Prohibits, in a State in which marijuana may be prescribed or recommended by a physician for medical use under applicable State law, any provision of the Controlled Substances Act from prohibiting or otherwise restricting: (1) the prescription or recommendation of marijuana by a physician for medical use; (2) an individual from obtaining and using marijuana from a prescription or recommendation of marijuana by a physician for medical use by such individual; or (3) a pharmacy from obtaining and holding marijuana for the prescription or recommendation of marijuana by a physician for medical use under applicable State law. Prohibits any provision of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act from prohibiting or restricting a State entity, in a State in which marijuana may be prescribed by a physician for medical use, from producing or distributing marijuana for the purpose of its distribution for prescription or recommendation by a physician.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Assistant United States Attorneys Retirement Benefit Equity Act of 2003 - Makes applicable to Assistant United States Attorneys the provisions of the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System that apply to Federal law enforcement officers. Directs the Department of Justice to provide notice to incumbent Assistant U.S. Attorneys as to their election rights under this Act and the effects of making or not making a timely election under this Act. Allows such incumbents to elect the option to be treated either: (1) in accordance with the amendments made by this Act; or (2) as if this Act had never been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Veterans Burial Benefits Improvement Act of 2003 - Increases the authorized allowance for burial and funeral expenses for deceased veterans who: (1) at the time of death were in receipt of veterans' disability compensation or veterans' pension benefits; or (2) were veterans of any war or were discharged or released from active military service for a service-connected disability and for whom there is no next of kin or sufficient resources to cover funeral and burial costs. Increases the burial plot allowance for veterans who, at the time of death, were receiving hospital or nursing home care in or through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Authorizes the annual adjustment of such allowances based on increases in Social Security benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise the definitions under Medicare regulations of "rehabilitation hospital" and "rehabilitation unit" for purposes of determining the applicable payment methodology under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Requires the Secretary, in determining whether a rehabilitation hospital or unit is eligible for reimbursement for services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries under the prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient rehabilitation facilities, to modify the list of treatment categories otherwise applicable (commonly referred to as the "75 Percent Rule") to include all rehabilitation impairment categories (except miscellaneous) established by the Secretary for purposes of such prospective payment system. (The "75 Percent Rule" requires that a rehabilitation hospital or unit show that during its most recent 12-month cost reporting period it served an inpatient population of whom at least 75 percent required intensive rehabilitative services for treatment of one or more of specified conditions.)
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
National Museum of African American History and Culture Act - Establishes within the Smithsonian Institution (SI) the National Museum of African American History and Culture, to be operated as a center for scholarship and a location for museum training, public education, exhibits, and collection and study of items and materials relating to the life, art, history, and culture of African Americans that encompass the period of slavery, the era of reconstruction, the Harlem renaissance, the civil rights movement, and other periods of the African American diaspora. Establishes the National Museum of African American History and Culture Council to: (1) advise and assist the SI Board of Regents on Museum planning, design, construction, operation, and budgets; and (2) have responsibility and authority with respect to the Museum's collections and work. Requires the Secretary of SI to appoint a Museum Director. Establishes the Office of Education and Liaison Programs within the Museum to work with educational institutions and museums throughout the Nation. Requires the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services to establish specified grant, scholarship, internship, and fellowship programs relating to African American museums. Directs the Board of Regents to select the Museum's site from one of four specified sites on or adjacent to the national mall. Directs the Council and the Board of Regents, in carrying out their duties under this Act, to consider the reports and plans submitted by the National Museum of African American History and Culture Plan for Action Presidential Commission under the National Museum of African American History and Culture Plan for Action Presidential Commission Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-106).
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Recognizes Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez, and those who actively supported their efforts, for ending segregation in schools in Orange County, California, and for setting the precedent for Brown v. Board of Education (which ended segregation in U.S. schools and declared the doctrine of "separate but equal" unconstitutional).
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2003
Fairness and Accountability in International Taxation Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny reduced withholding tax treaty benefits to a foreign entity on any deductible foreign payment (deductible payment made by a domestic entity to a related foreign entity) unless such entity is predominantly owned by individuals who are residents of such foreign country. Exempts from such provision: (1) corporations with substantial business activities in a treaty country with specified tax rates; (2) payments received by controlled foreign corporations from U.S. shareholders; and (3) certain conduit payments made by foreign corporations. Provides a special income and deduction allocation rule for related-party inbound (transfer price increased by deflected tax haven income) and outbound (transfer price increased by deflected tax haven income) transactions. Defines "related-party inbound transaction," "related-party outbound transaction," and "deflected tax haven."
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2003
Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act - Amends Federal transportation law to prohibit a State from prescribing or enforcing any regulation that allows a restricted property-carrying unit (any trailer, semi-trailer, container, or other property-carrying unit longer than 53 feet, except for a fire-fighting unit) to operate on the National Highway System (including the Interstate System), unless the operation of such unit is authorized by the State on June 1, 2003, and in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including seasonal operations) on or before that date. Prohibits a State from allowing the operation of a commercial motor vehicle combination on the National Highway System (except a vehicle or load that cannot be dismantled or divided easily, and that has been issued a special permit under State law) with more than one property-carrying unit (excluding the truck tractor) whose property-carrying units are more than: (1) the maximum combination trailer, semi-trailer, or other type of length limitation allowed by State law on June 1, 2003; or (2) the length of the property-carrying units of those commercial motor vehicle combinations, by specific configuration, in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including continual seasonal operation) in such State on or before June 1, 2003. Permits a commercial motor vehicle combination authorized in a State to continue to operate on System highways provided it is in compliance with State law, including routing-specific and configuration-specific designations and all other restrictions in force in the State on June 1, 2003. Amends Federal highway law to prohibit a State from allowing the operation of a vehicle or combination (other than a longer combination vehicle) exceeding Interstate weight limits on the Interstate System unless its operation was lawful: (1) on July 1, 1956; (2) in the case of the overall gross weight of any group of two or more consecutive axles, on the date of enactment of the Federal-Aid Highway Amendments of 1974; or (3) under a special permit pursuant to State (grandfather) law. Subjects such vehicles and combinations to all routing-specific, commodity-specific, and weight-specific designations in force in such State on June 1, 2003. Sets forth requirements with respect to: (1) the operation of vehicles and loads which cannot be easily dismantled or divided (nondivisible loads) on the Federal-aid highway system as they relate to Interstate weight limitations; and (2) waiver of weight limitations for vehicles that operate on the Federal-aid highway system during periods of national emergency. Declares that Interstate weight limitations on vehicles and combinations (other than longer combination vehicles) that operate on the Interstate System shall also apply to such vehicles and combinations that operate on non-Interstate segments of the National Highway System, unless: (1) such segments are subject to lower State weight limits; or (2) a State allows the operation of any vehicle or combination on an existing non-Interstate segment of the National Highway System that could be so operated lawfully on June 1, 2003. Requires establishment of a model schedule of fines for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2003
National Forest Protection and Restoration Act - Prohibits commercial logging and timber sales (with specified exceptions) on Federal public lands, with a two-year phase-out for existing contracts. Provides for payment of relinquished contracts. Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to each: (1) establish a National Heritage Restoration Corps to restore (and monitor) such lands to their natural pre-logging condition; and (2) develop National Heritage Restoration Plans and related standards for regional ecological restoration and monitoring. Sets forth provisions respecting forest fire and hazardous fuel reduction. Provides for worker retraining of eligible persons whose jobs have been lost due to terminated timber and logging contracts. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to make training grants, including grants for job search and relocation. Sets forth fund allocation provisions, including amounts for an Environmental Protection Agency investigation of non-wood paper and construction alternatives. Amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to make permanent certain education, transportation, and public purpose payments to States and counties containing Federal land. Authorizes a private right of action for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2003
Authorizes: (1) the presiding judge of a U.S. appellate or district court to permit the photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting, or televising to the public of court proceedings; and (2) the Judicial Conference of the United States to promulgate advisory guidelines for the management and administration of such coverage. Directs: (1) the district court, upon the request of any witness in a trial proceeding other than a party, to order the witness's face and voice to be disguised or otherwise obscured to the broadcast audience; and (2) the presiding judge to inform each witness of his or her right to make such request.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2003
Cosmetology Tax Fairness and Compliance Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax credit for social security taxes paid for employee cash tips to employers of cosmetologists. Requires employers of cosmetologists to report income and tips of their cosmetologist employees and to provide income and tip information to self-employed cosmetologists to whom they pay more than $600 in the taxable year. Imposes similar reporting requirements upon individuals who rent chairs to cosmetologists. Requires such employers to provide their cosmetologist employees and self-employed cosmetologists with information on the tax and tip reporting obligations of employees and self-employed individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2003
Keep Our Promise to America's Children and Teachers Act - Keep Our PACT Act - Makes appropriations in order to provide for the full funding of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (ESEA-NCLBA), and for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Makes such appropriations for ESEA-NCLBA programs in a specified amount for FY 2003, and in amounts for each of FY 2004 through 2008 which equal the difference between other appropriations and specified amounts for each of those fiscal years. Amends IDEA to authorize and make appropriations for: (1) each of FY 2004 through 2010 in specified amounts; and (2) each subsequent fiscal year, in amounts necessary to fully fund 40 percent of the average per pupil expenditure for IDEA part B programs of assistance for education of all children with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income certain stipends paid as part of a State program under which individuals 60 years or older perform qualifying volunteer services.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude ($500 maximum) from gross income the value of certain real property tax reduction vouchers received by persons 65 years or older who provide qualifying volunteer services.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit an employee of a State political subdivision from being treated as having terminated the employment relationship with the subdivision due to the subdivision's abolition if, as a result of such abolition (or consolidation), the employee becomes a State employee with the same or substantially the same position.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2003
Export Freedom to Cuba Act of 2003 - Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of specified transactions incident to such travel. Declares that: (1) this prohibition does not authorize the importation into the United States of any goods for personal consumption acquired in Cuba; and (2) the restrictions on authority contained in this Act do not apply in a case in which the United States is at war with Cuba, armed hostilities between the two countries are in progress, or there is imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2003
Freedom of Choice for Women in the Uniformed Services Act - Limits the prohibition against the use of any medical treatment facility of the Department of Defense to perform an abortion except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to full term or in the case of rape or incest to those facilities in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2003
Jobs and Growth Reconciliation Tax Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to accelerate: (1) the increase in the child care credit and the increase in the refundable portion of the credit; (2) the increase in the standard deduction for joint filers to twice that of single filers; and (3) the expansion of the ten percent bracket for married taxpayers filing jointly. Increases the earned income credit phase-out amount on a joint return by $3,000. Extends the work opportunity credit to long-term unemployed individuals. Unemployment Benefits Extension Act - Amends the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 (TEUCA) to: (1) extend the TEUC program; (2) provide for additional weeks of TEUC benefits; (3) revise unemployment rate triggers for TEUC benefit periods; and (4) provide for regular unemployment compensation for certain individuals based on part-time work or an alternative base period. Establishes a program of payments to States to provide: (1) regular unemployment compensation benefits for individuals who otherwise would be ineligible because the base period does not count wages earned in the most recently completed calendar quarter or the individuals seek or are available for less than full-time work; and (2) enhanced unemployment benefits. Establishes in the Treasury the Pressing Domestic Needs Trust Fund. Increases: (1) and extends certain bonus depreciation provisions; and (2) small business expensing limits. Allows a ten percent deduction for income attributable to a corporation's domestic production, with a 2006 through 2009 phase-in period. Eliminates: (1) top individual income tax rate reductions scheduled to began as of 2004 (provides for restoration under specified circumstances); and (2) scheduled elimination of income-based phase-outs for deductions and personal exemptions. Repeals the extraterritorial income exclusion, with a 2004 through 2008 phase-in period. Revises tax shelter provisions to, among other things: (1) define economic substance; (2) impose a penalty for the failure to include in a return information concerning a reportable transaction, a reportable transaction understatement (including imposing the penalty for certain understatements which were based on unreasonable legal or factual assumptions), a noneconomic substance transaction understatement, and interests in foreign financial accounts; (3) modify rules concerning the failure to furnish information regarding reportable transactions and the penalty for such failure, the failure to maintain lists of investors in potentially abusive tax shelters and the penalty for such failure, the authority to seek an injunction to enjoin promoters of abusive tax shelters; and (4) deny a deduction of interest on underpayments attributable to nondisclosed reportable transactions and noneconomic substance transactions. Amends other provisions to, among other things: (1) place a limit on the transfer or importation by a corporation of built-in losses; (2) provide for the partnership treatment of certain contributed property with a built-in loss; (3) repeal part V (Financial Asset Securitization Investment Trusts) of subchapter M (Regulated Investment Companies and Real Estate Investment Trusts); and (4) modify rules concerning the disallowance of a deduction on certain debt instruments of corporations, passive foreign investment companies, and the reduction in a corporate shareholder's basis in stock by the nontaxed portion of extraordinary dividends. Revises corporate expatriation provisions to treat acquiring corporations in "corporate expatriation transactions" as domestic corporations. Defines a "corporate expatriation transaction" as, with certain exceptions, one in which a "nominally foreign corporation" acquires substantially all of the properties held by a domestic corporation and in which, immediately after the transaction, more than 80 percent of the stock of the acquiring corporation is held by former shareholders of the domestic corporation. Lowers the 80 percent threshold to 50 percent when the acquiring "nominally foreign corporation" lacks substantial business activities in the foreign country in which it was created and organized compared to the total activities of the "expanded affiliated group" and the stock is publicly traded, with the principal market of trading being the United States. Defines the terms "nominally foreign corporation" an "expanded affiliated group." Applies similar rules to partnership transactions. Establishes that a series of related transactions relevant to the Act shall be handled as a single transaction. Includes funded deferred compensation in the gross income of certain disqualified employees (corporate insiders).
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2003 - Amends Federal firearms provisions to revise the definition of "semiautomatic assault weapon" (SAW) to include conversion kits (for converting a firearm to a SAW) and any semiautomatic rifle or pistol that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and that has any one of the following characteristics, respectively: (1) a folding or telescoping stock, a threaded barrel, a pistol grip, a forward grip, or a barrel shroud; or (2) a second pistol grip, a threaded barrel, a barrel shroud, or the capacity to accept a detachable magazine at a location outside of the pistol grip. Amends: (1) the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to reauthorize the assault weapons ban and add new restrictions; and (2) the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act to repeal the sunset provision regarding restrictions on large capacity ammunition feeding devices (LCAFDs) and on specified SAWs. Modifies the exemptions from the Brady Act's prohibition against manufacturing, transferring, or possessing a semiautomatic assault weapon to exclude: (1) specified firearms, or replicas or duplicates, as manufactured on October 1, 1993; (2) any semiautomatic rifle that cannot accept a detachable magazine that holds more than five rounds; and (3) any semiautomatic shotgun that cannot hold more than five rounds in a fixed or detachable magazine. Prohibits the transfer of a SAW except through a licensed dealer or a State or local law enforcement agency, subject to specified requirements. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish and maintain a record of the make, model, and date of manufacture of any SAW which the Attorney General is made aware has been used in relation to a crime, and of the nature and circumstances of the crime involved; and (2) annually submit the record to Congress and make the record available to the public. Prohibits: (1) the transfer of any assault weapon with an LCAFD; and (2) a licensed manufacturer, importer, or dealer who transfers an LCAFD that was manufactured on or before September 13, 1994, from failing to certify to the Attorney General, within 60 days of the transfer date, that the device was manufactured on or before that date. Sets penalties for violations. Prohibits: (1) the transfer of a SAW or an LCAFD to a juvenile; and (2) the importation of an LCAFD.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Clean Smokestacks Act of 2003 - Amends the Clean Air Act (CAA) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate regulations to achieve specified reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, and mercury from powerplants (electric generation facilities with a nameplate capacity of 15 megawatts or more that use a combustion device to generate electricity for sale) by January 1, 2009. Requires powerplants, on the later of the date 30 years after the powerplant commenced operation or five years after this Act's enactment, to comply with the most recent new source performance standards under CAA provisions regarding air quality and emissions limitations and with specified requirements for modified sources.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish in the Treasury the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund for the deposit of income, gift, and estate taxes paid by or on behalf of taxpayers: (1) who are designated conscientious objectors opposed to participation in war in any form based upon the taxpayer's deeply held moral, ethical, or religious beliefs or training (within the meaning of the Military Selective Service Act); and (2) who have certified these beliefs in writing. Requires that funds in the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund be allocated annually to any appropriation not for a military purpose. Declares the sense of Congress that any Treasury increase resulting from the creation of the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund shall be allocated in a manner consistent with the purposes of the Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Urges: (1) the United States to play a leading role in the drafting of a thematic United Nations (UN) convention that affirms the human rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, and that, among other things, is consistent with the spirit of the American with Disabilities Act of 1990, the United States Constitution, and other rights enjoyed by U.S. citizens with disabilities; and (2) the President to instruct the Secretary of State to send to the UN Ad Hoc Committee meetings a U.S. delegation that includes individuals with disabilities who are recognized leaders in the U.S. disability rights movement.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to: (1) restrict the application of the windfall elimination provision to individuals whose combined monthly income from the individual's primary insurance amount under such title and the portion of the monthly periodic payment attributable to noncovered service performed after 1956 exceeds $2,000; and (2) provide for a graduated implementation of such provision by specified percentages with respect to incremental amounts above such threshold, up to 100 percent for combined amounts over $3,000.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2003
Public Housing Drug Elimination Program Reauthorization Act of 2003 - Amends the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 to authorize appropriations for the assisted housing drug elimination program. Limits activities for programs designed to reduce drug use in and around assisted low-income housing to: (1) providing drug abuse treatment through rehabilitation or relapse prevention; (2) providing education about the dangers and consequences of drug use or violent crime; (3) identifying drug users, and assisting drug use discontinuance through education or treatment programs; (4) providing after school youth activities; and (5) providing capital improvements and security services to discourage or eliminate drug use or violent crime.
![Official portrait of Rep. Delahunt, William D. [D-MA-10]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000210_200.jpg)