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 · 5 June 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the tax treatment of campaign committees of candidates for State and local public office shall be the same as the tax treatment of campaign committees of candidates for Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Low Income Housing Extension Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide an increased low-income housing credit for property which is contiguous to a qualified census tract and which meets qualified allocation plan criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Capital Construction Fund Qualified Withdrawal Act of 2003 - Amends the Merchant Marine Act and the Internal Revenue Code to permit as qualified withdrawals from fishing capital construction funds money used by retiring fishermen for the following purposes: (1) paying the net proceeds to a person retiring related commercial fishing vessels and permits; (2) making a rollover contribution into an owner's individual retirement plan; (3) making a payment of an industry fee authorized by the fishing capacity reduction program; and (4) acquiring a vessel monitoring system or the aquisition or construction of fishing gear designed to minimize or avoid bycatch.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Fully Fund the No Child Left Behind Act - Suspends amendments made by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA) to titles I or II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) if the Federal Government fails to fully fund them.. Provides for such suspension if the Government appropriates any amount less than the specific dollar amount for that fiscal year in the authorization of appropriations for title I (currently, Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) or title II (currently, Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals). Requires the ESEA provisions in effect before NCLBA's enactment to be in effect during any fiscal year of such suspension for title I (formerly, Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards) or title II (formerly, Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program).
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Trade Law Reform Act of 2003 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to revise various factors that the International Trade Commission (ITC) must consider in making material injury determinations in countervailing duty and antidumping duty proceedings. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to change the standard for determining if an imported product is harming domestic producers by requiring a showing that the product causes or threatens to cause serious injury. (Current law requires a product to be a substantial cause of injury). Amends the Trade Act of 2002 to: (1) direct the U.S. Trade Representative to reject any trade agreement proposal whether through the World Trade Organization (WTO) or with any country if such agreement would weaken existing U.S. trade remedy laws; and (2) expand the President's reporting duties under such Act. Congressional Advisory Commission on WTO Dispute Settlement Act - Establishes the Congressional Advisory Commission on WTO Dispute Settlement to review all decisions made by a WTO appellate body or dispute settlement panel adversely affecting the United States to determine if such entity acted properly under existing law. Authorizes the Commission to hold public hearings to solicit views concerning a report of such an entity. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a private U.S. person who is supportive of a U.S. position in a trade matter before such an entity should be permitted to observe and have access to the proceedings; (2) the U.S. Trade Representative should provide such person with all pertinent information, and (3) the U.S. Trade Representative should consult with such person and involve such person in dispute settlement proceedings. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish and implement a steel import licensing and surge monitoring program. Requires a person to have a steel import license before entering certain steel products into the United States. Applies the amendments made by this Act to goods from Canada and Mexico.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
States that the House of Representatives supports the efforts of organizations such as Second Harvest to provide emergency food assistance to hungry people in the United States, and encourages all Americans to provide volunteer services and other support for local antihunger advocacy efforts and hunger relief charities, including food banks, food rescue organizations, food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency shelters.
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
Includes the Secretary of Homeland Security in the line of presidential succession after the Attorney General. Modifies succession requirements relating to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore to specify, instead, persons holding the office of Speaker or President pro tempore at the time of the need for the succession. Provides that an individual acting as President shall continue to do so until the expiration of the then current Presidential term (as under current law), or until the individual's earlier death, resignation, removal from office, or inability, unless the individual's discharge of the powers and duties of the office is founded in whole or in part on the inability of the President or Vice President, in which case the individual shall act only until the removal of the President's or Vice President's disability. Exempts an acting President from automatic resignation of his or her current office if such person's service as acting President is based in whole or in part on the temporary incapacity of the President or Vice President. Removes acting cabinet officers from the line of presidential succession.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct during fiscal years 2004 and 2005 a pilot program to determine the effectiveness of contracting with private memory care facilities to provide services for veterans suffering from Alzheimer's disease as an alternative to the provision by the Secretary of inpatient or home health care for such veterans. Requires the pilot program to be conducted through five medical centers of the Veterans Health Administration selected by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
Excludes the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund from the Federal and congressional budgets and exempts it from any general budget limitation imposed by statute on U.S. budget outlays.
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 · 4 June 2003
Expresses deep concern that the Islamic Republic of Iran may be attempting to acquire a nuclear weapons capability, in violation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and its International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safeguards Agreement. Calls on: (1) the President, the United Nations Security Council, and other countries to urge Iran to accept an additional, safeguard-strengthening agreement that gives the IAEA greater access in Iran to assure against the presence of undeclared facilities or the diversion of materials or technologies from safeguarded facilities; and (2) Iran to demonstrate its commitment to the Treaty and to peace and stability in the Middle East by accepting such an agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2003
Linking Educators and Developing Entrepreneurs for Reaching Success (LEADERS) Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to support business incubation at institutions of higher education that award associate or baccalaureate degrees. Directs the Secretary to make competitive, matching awards to: (1) a non-profit entity that manages or provides technical assistance to a degree-granting institution's affiliated incubator (or to the institution that manages in the absence of such an entity), for helping acquire or renovate space for incubators, and for developing curricula, providing services, or providing programming for entrepreneurs housed in an incubator; and (2) a degree-granting institution or a nonprofit local government or community development organization, for feasibility studies to determine the need for or siting of incubators. Requires the Secretary to reserve certain amounts for research regarding best practices for incubator programs, including the development of a benchmarking system based on uniform measures, and for dissemination of information regarding such practices. Authorizes contracts for such purposes with organizations with expertise in business incubation practices.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2003
Social Security Earnings Limit Repeal Act of 2003 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal the limitation on the amount of outside income which beneficiaries who have attained age 62 may earn (earnings test) without incurring a reduction in benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2003
Administrative Law Judges Retirement Act of 2003 - Sets forth separate provisions governing Government and employee contributions, annuity eligibility requirements (ten years of service and age 55), early retirement, and annuity computation (2.5 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively, of average pay for each year of service) for administrative law judges under the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees' Retirement System.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2003
Dental Officer Retention Act - Repeals a provision which prohibits the payment of special pay for qualified dental officers in the armed forces during any period of dental internship or residency training.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2003
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a program to assist States and local educational agencies (LEAs) to recruit, train, and hire additional school-based mental health and student service providers, including additional school counselors, psychologists, and social workers (in order to reduce the student-to-counselor ratios nationally, in elementary and secondary schools, to an average of one school counselor for every 250 students, one psychologist for every 1,000 students, and one social worker for every 800 students, as recommended in a report by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences relating to schools and health). Directs the Secretary of Education, after reserving certain funds for schools in outlying areas and schools run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, to make program allotments to States according to a specified formula. Requires States to allocate funds from Federal and State shares of program costs to LEAs according to specified formulae.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2003
Amends title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of the Social Security Act to prescribe procedural guidelines for the collection of child support arrears in interstate cases, including: (1) accelerated transmission of income withholding orders to employers; and (2) certification by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to the Secretary of the Treasury for collection on behalf of the State by the Internal Revenue Service of specified child support arrears owed in a case in which the amount is at least $5,000, and in which the State has undertaken collection proceedings, but income withholding is not available, or diligent efforts have not succeeded.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2003
Loan Forgiveness for Head Start Teachers Act of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend to certain Head Start teachers student loan forgiveness under both the Federal Family Education Loan program and the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2003
Medicaid Nursing Incentive Act of 2003 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to eliminate the State option to include nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, and physician assistants as primary care case managers. Specifies as primary care case managers any nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, or physician assistant that provides primary care case management services under a primary care case management contract. Revises the coverage of certain nurse practitioner services under the Medicaid fee-for-service program to remove the specification of certified pediatric nurse practitioner and certified family nurse practitioner in order to extend such coverage to services furnished by any certified nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist. Includes certified nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists in the mix of service providers which Medicaid managed care organizations are required to maintain.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemoration Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program to be known as the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemoration. Requires the Secretary to: (1) produce and disseminate educational materials related to the Anniversary; (2) enter into appropriate cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding to provide technical assistance to other Federal agencies, States, local governments, private entities, and the governments of the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Canada; (3) assist in the protection of resources associated with the American Revolution; (4) enhance communications, connections, and collaboration among the National Park Service (NPS) units and programs related to the Revolutionary War; (5) expand the research base for American Revolution interpretation and education; and (6) create and adopt an official symbol or device for the theme "Lighting Freedom's Flame: American Revolution, 225th Anniversary." Requires the program to encompass: (1) all NPS units and programs determined to pertain to the American Revolution; (2) other governmental and nongovernmental sites, facilities, and programs of an educational, research, or interpretive nature directly related to the American Revolution; and (3) the participation of such foreign governments.
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
Tribal Government Amendments to the Homeland Security Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to include the participation of Indian tribes with respect to activities of the Secretary of Homeland Security, including information analysis and infrastructure protection, science and technology, the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security, emergency preparedness and response, treatment of charitable trusts for members of the Armed Forces and other governmental organizations, coordination with non-Federal entities, and training of law enforcement officers by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms of the Department of Justice. Amends the Cyber Security Enhancement Act of 2002, the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA Patriot Act), and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to include Indian tribes among the participating entities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Motherhood Protection Act of 2003 - Subjects any person who engages in violent or assaultive conduct against a pregnant woman resulting in that person's conviction of any of specified offenses, and thereby causes an interruption to the normal course of the pregnancy resulting in prenatal injury (including termination of the pregnancy), to specified penalties (including life imprisonment) in addition to any penalty imposed for the violation.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act - Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor to prepare and publish a monthly Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI) that indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are typical for individuals aged 62 years or older. Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) and XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for the use of such new CPI in the computation of cost-of-living increases for Social Security and Medicare benefits under such programs.
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
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to allow pharmacies of the Department of Veterans Affairs to dispose medications pursuant to a valid prescription written by a private practicioner to any veteran who is on a waiting list for a first appointment with the Department for medical services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Start Healthy, Stay Healthy Act of 2003 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) give States the option to expand coverage to certain pregnant women; (2) provide for enhanced matching funds with respect to certain pregnant women if certain conditions are met; (3) pay for such Medicaid expansion costs out of the SSA title XXI (State Child's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) allotment; and (4) no longer require that a newborn child be a member of the mother's household and that the mother remain eligible for Medicaid during the one year period after birth in order for the newborn child to continue to be eligible for Medicaid. Amends SSA title XXI to give certain States the option of providing pregnancy-related assistance for targeted low-income pregnant women in accordance with this Act, which includes: (1) automatic enrollment for children born to women receiving such pregnancy-related assistance; (2) additional allotments for providing coverage of pregnant women; and (3) no cost-sharing for pregnancy-related services. Provides for coordination of SCHIP with the program under SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services). Increases the income eligibility for low-income children under SCHIP. Amends SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to review determinations, made by State agencies in connection with applications for benefits under this title on the basis of blindness or disability, that individuals who have attained 18 years of age are blind or disabled as of a specified onset date.
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
Highway Funding Equity Act of 2003 - Revises Federal highway funding minimum guarantee provisions. Requires the Secretary of Transportation, for each of FY 2004 through 2009, to allocate among the States amounts sufficient to ensure that: (1) the percentage for each State of the total apportionments for the fiscal year for the National Highway System (NHS), the high priority projects program, the Interstate maintenance program, the surface transportation program, metropolitan planning, the highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the recreational trails program, the Appalachian development highway system, and the basic minimum guarantee equals or exceeds 95 percent of the ratio that the estimated tax payments to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) (other than the Mass Transit Account) attributable to highway users in the State bears to such payments attributable to highway users in all States (with a specified exception for any State having a population density of less than 50 individuals per square mile); and (2) when HTF allocations (other than from the Mass Transit Account, for such programs, emergency relief, and the discretionary minimum guarantee) for the fiscal year have been identified, the percentage for each State of all of those allocations for the fiscal year equals or exceeds the percentage that is equal to 95 percent of such tax payments ratio. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the programmatic distribution of NHS funds exceeding $2.8 billion; (2) the apportionment of the remainder of funds to the States; and (3) required adjustments where the sum of State percentages exceeds 100.
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
Obesity Prevention Act - Amends the National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of Education (ED), to award competitive grants to: (1) up to 20 State educational agencies for model nutrition education and physical fitness programs for elementary and secondary school students; and (2) up to 100 local educational agencies (LEAs), at least one per State, for pilot projects to promote healthy eating habits and increase the physical fitness of such students. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to encourage States to implement plans to carry out activities to assist obese children or children at risk of becoming obese. Requires a State, in order to receive such a grant, to: (1) have a State child health plan which provides satisfactorily for certain activities under the children health insurance program of the Social Security Act; and (2) agree to make available at least 15 percent in non-Federal matching funds. Establishes a Commission on Obesity Treatment and Prevention to oversee research, policy formation, and other activities of the Federal Government regarding the prevention and treatment of obesity. Directs the Secretary of HHS, in consultation with the Secretary of ED, to establish programs of: (1) President's Health and Fitness Awards for elementary and secondary schools; and (2) President's Health and Fitness Teacher Achievement Awards for teachers, coaches, or related personnel and the LEAs that employ them.. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include nutrition and health education programs in authorized local activities of 21st century community learning centers' programs before- and after-school and during summer recess.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Positive Aging Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Center for Mental Health Services, to make grants for evidence-based demonstration projects to integrate mental health services for older patients into primary care settings. Requires the inclusion of collaborative care, screening services, referrals, and protocols for prevalent mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, dementia, and substance abuse. Requires the Director to make grants to community-based providers of geriatric mental health services for multi-disciplinary health outreach teams. Authorizes cooperative agreements with senior centers, adult day care programs, assisted living facilities, and other places providing services to senior citizens under the Older Americans Act. Requires the Director to designate a Deputy Director for Geriatric Mental Health Services to develop and implement research programs, demonstration projects, models, and model training programs. Revises the membership of the Advisory Council for the Center for Mental Health Services to include representatives of older Americans, their families, and geriatric mental health specialists. Revises the criteria for State plans under Community Mental Health Services Block Grants to include goals and initiatives for improving access to services for older adult patients.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
National Amusement Park Ride Safety Act of 2003 - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act to extend the definition of consumer product to include amusement rides permanently fixed to a site (thereby granting the Consumer Product Safety Commission jurisdiction over such rides).
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
NIH Security Act - Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a permanent police force, to be known as the National of Institutes of Health Police. Permits officers in such force to be appointed without regard to the standard maximum age limits under Federal law, with officers appointed above a standard maximum age limit not counted as law enforcement officers for purposes of retirement benefits. Authorizes NIH Police officers to: (1) carry firearms; (2) serve warrants and subpoenas; (3) conduct investigations; (4) make arrests; and (5) protect the Director of NIH and other officials determined by the Director. Allows NIH Police officers jurisdiction on all NIH properties and on other properties occupied by NIH, as determined by the Director.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Access to Diabetes Screening Services Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of diabetes screening tests and services.
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
Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to require the Secretary of Transportation to limit allocations under the Act to high priority corridors that connect to the border between the United States and Mexico or the United States and Canada. Requires the Secretary to give priority consideration to only those on which traffic has increased since enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Implementation Act and is projected to increase in the future. Authorizes separate appropriations for the NAFTA corridor planning and development and coordinated border infrastructure programs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Raw Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct owners or operators of publicly-owned treatment works to institute an alert system for sanitary sewer overflow. Requires that the public and the appropriate officials be notified as soon as practicable within 24 hours of the time the owner or operator becomes aware of the overflow. Requires a written report on the overflow, including magnitude and cause, as well as measures taken to eliminate and prevent its recurrence. States that owners or operators must report overflows on their monthly discharge monitoring report to either the State or the Administrator of the Environmental Protection, as appropriate. Makes these alert systems eligible for assistance and authorizes funding.
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
Encourages: (1) Americans to demonstrate their support for veterans on Veterans Day by treating that day as a special day of reflection; (2) houses of worship and other institutions to ring bells at 11:00 AM on such Day; and (3) people to then observe a moment of reflection in recognition of veterans. Authorizes and requests the President to issue a proclamation each year in connection with the observance of Veterans Day calling on Americans to observe it with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Recognizes the "Code Adam" child safety program. Commends all retail businesses and public establishments that have implemented such programs to protect children from an abduction or lost scenario and urges those that have not implemented such programs to consider doing so.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Supports the goals and ideals of a National Epilepsy Awareness Month. Urges: (1) an increase in Federal funding for epilepsy research programs at the National Institutes of Health and at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and (2) that initial funding be provided to the Department of Health and Human Services to create demonstration projects to serve people with epilepsy who may lack access to adequate medical care.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that a minute of silence should be observed annually at 11: 00 a.m. on Veterans Day, November 11, in honor of the veterans of all U.S. wars and to memorialize those members of the Armed Forces who gave their lives in the defense of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Establishes a joint committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate to study and review the procedures which should be adopted by the House, the Senate, and Congress to: (1) ensure congressional continuity and authority during times of crisis; (2) improve congressional procedures necessary for the enactment of measures affecting homeland security during such times; and (3) enhancing the ability of each chamber to cooperate effectively with the other body on major and consequential issues related to homeland security.
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 · 22 May 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative should work to support a fair and expeditious review and assure that no delays occur in resolving current disputes before the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and World Trade Organization (WTO) trade dispute panels involving the imposition of special duties on imported softwood lumber from Canada; (2) U.S. antidumping and countervailing duties are a rules-based system that should proceed to conclusion in WTO and NAFTA trade dispute panels; (3) the President should continue discussions with Canada to promote open trade between the two countries on softwood lumber free of trade restraints that harm consumers; and (4) the President should consult with all interested parties, including consumers, in future discussions regarding such trade.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President, acting through appropriate Federal agencies, should provide assistance for women and women's organizations in Iraq in order to strengthen and stabilize emerging Iraqi democracy, including through the protection of the rights of Iraqi women and their families, the revitalization of the agricultural sector, the restoration of the healthcare system, increased educational opportunities for women and girls, and increased employment opportunities for women in order to afford full participation by women in all aspects of public life, including government.