United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Child Care Public-Private Partnership Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a business-incentive grant program to provide child care through public-private partnerships. Provides program grants to cover not more than one-third of the costs for: (1) businesses or consortia (two or more businesses acting jointly, which may also include a nonprofit private organization) to start up, or provide additional, employee child care services; and (2) nonprofit business organizations to provide technical information and assistance to enable businesses to provide employee child care services. Sets forth eligibility and application requirements, including: (1) provision of such services equitably and affordably to low- and moderate-income employees; and (2) compliance with State and local licensing requirements. Gives priority in grant selection to business and consortia applicants, especially businesses with fewer than 100 full-time employees. Requires equitable geographic distribution. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit: (1) Federal civilian and military retirees to pay Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis; and (2) a deduction (available to itemizers and nonitemizers) for TRICARE supplemental premiums and enrollment fees. Sets an implementation deadline of the first open enrollment period beginning not less than 90 days following enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Investment in Quality School Leadership Act - Establishes a program of grants to consortia for professional development of superintendents, principals, and prospective superintendents and principals. Directs the Secretary of Education to award such competitive grants to consortia to establish programs that serve a State or region and provide superintendents, principals, and prospective superintendents and principals, particularly those serving, or intending to serve, in high-poverty, low-performing school districts and schools, with ongoing, intensive professional development opportunities to improve their capacity to serve as effective leaders and successfully implement standards-based reforms. Requires a consortium, to be eligible to apply for such a grant, to include at least: (1) one local educational agency (LEA) serving a high concentration of children living in poverty; (2) one institution of higher education; and (3) one organization that does not usually provide educational services, but has the necessary expertise to provide professional development to school administrators. Allows such consortia also to include: (1) one or more additional LEAs; (2) State educational agencies; (3) for-profit organizations with expertise; and (4) public or private nonprofit organizations with expertise. Gives priority for awards to those consortia in which the participating LEA serves the highest concentration of children living in poverty. Sets forth required program activities and additional uses of grant funds. Requires grantees to provide 50 percent of the project's annual costs, in cash or in kind. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) waive such matching requirement for applicants that serve low-income areas; and (2) reserve certain funds for technical assistance, evaluation, dissemination of information on effective programs, activities to encourage the spread and adoption of successful leadership development centers, and other national activities that support the programs.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Gift of Life Congressional Medal Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike a bronze medal to commemorate organ donors and their families. Makes any organ donor, or the family of any organ donor, eligible for the medal. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to direct the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to arrange for medal presentation to eligible individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Better Screening Test for Women Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY 2003 through 2007 for the National Cancer Institute to support clinical research concerning early detection for breast cancer, including treatments as well as the link between such detection and reduction of mortality rates.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Act of 2003 - Amends the Clean Air Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish and administer: (1) a national greenhouse gas emissions information system to collect annual lists required to be submitted under this Act of an entity's greenhouse gas emissions; and (2) a national greenhouse gas registry (included in such system) to collect voluntarily reported information on emissions reductions. Specifies factors for adjustment of emissions records by a reporting entity.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Amendment Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with cardiovascular diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Constitutional Amendment - States that: (1) equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex; (2) Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article; and (3) this amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to terminate the authority for the establishment of a memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr., in the District of Columbia, on November 12, 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Federal Living Wage Responsibility Act - Requires the Federal government and any employer under a Federal contract or subcontract exceeding $10,000 to pay each of their respective workers: (1) an hourly wage (or salary equivalent) necessary for such employee to earn, while working 40 hours a week on a full-time basis, the amount of the Federal poverty level for a family of four; and (2) an additional amount, based on the locality in which a worker resides, sufficient to cover the costs to such worker to obtain any fringe benefits not provided by the worker's employer. Exempts employers that are: (1) small business concerns; or (2) nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations, if the ratio of the total compensation of the chief executive officer to that of the full-time equivalent of their lowest-paid employee is not greater than 25 to 1. Directs the Secretary of Labor to enforce this Act. Makes Federal contractors that are part of a pattern or practice of violations of such wage requirements subject to Federal contract suspension, a five-year ineligibility period, and liability for Government costs of obtaining a replacement contractor. Provides for judicial review of the Secretary's determinations, and authorizes the President to suspend the provisions of this Act in times of emergency. Allows an aggrieved worker to bring a civil action against an employer for appropriate relief for a violation of this Act, if the employer has not paid or reinstated the worker as a result of the administrative action.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Medicare Rx Drug Benefit and Discount Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) under which each individual who is entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) or eligible to enroll under Medicare part B (Supplemental Medical Insurance) is entitled to obtain qualified prescription drug coverage. Outlines standard coverage benefit packages. Includes for the standard package a monthly premium of $25, an annual deductible of $100, a coinsurance of 20 percent and an annual out-of-pocket spending limit of $2,000. Directs the Secretary to negotiate fair prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers. Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of SSA title XVIII to provide for the availability of prescription medicine benefits under the Medicare+Choice program. Provides for accelerated generic drug competition under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Consumer Assurance of Radiologic Excellence Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to prohibit certain payments to States for expenditures for medical imaging procedures or radiation therapy procedures, unless the State meets specified requirements for State medical radiation licenses, including minimum licensing standards the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
American Health Security Act of 2003 - Establishes the American Health Security Program to be administered by the States. Requires a State to establish a State health security program (program) to receive Federal health care funding. Entitles every individual who is a U.S. resident and is a U.S. citizen or national or a lawful resident alien to benefits under a program. Makes benefits portable. Supersedes titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). Prohibits: (1) deductibles, coinsurance, or copayments for acute care and preventive benefits, subject to exception; (2) providers from charging a patient for covered services; and (3) duplicative private insurance. Considers a health care provider to be qualified if the provider is licensed or certified and meets State law requirements, Federal requirements, and additional standards specified by the Board. Establishes the American Health Security Standards Board (the Board) to develop policies and procedures for enrollment, benefits, provider participation, national and State funding levels, assisting programs with planning for capital expenditures and service delivery, and other functions. Mandates uniform reporting standards. Establishes the American Health Security Quality Council to review and evaluate: (1) practice guidelines; (2) standards of quality, performance measures, and medical review criteria; and (3) develop minimum competence criteria. Directs the Board to establish a national health security budget specifying the total expenditures to be made by the Federal Government and the States for covered health care services. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to create the American Health Security Trust Fund and appropriates to the Fund specified tax liabilities and current health program receipts.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Holocaust Victims Insurance Relief Act of 2003 - Directs the Archivist of the United States to establish and maintain a Holocaust Insurance Registry of information on holders, issuers, and related liable entities of Holocaust-era insurance policies that were: (1) in effect after January 30, 1933, and before December 31, 1945; and (2) issued to a policyholder domiciled in any area of Europe that was occupied or controlled by Nazi Germany or any ally or sympathizer during such period. Requires: (1) insurers to file such information in an electronic format with the Secretary of Commerce by a specified deadline; (2) the Secretary to assess a civil penalty for each day of insurer noncompliance; and (3) the Secretary to notify each State's commissioner of insurance of the identity of any insurer that has failed to file either such information or to satisfy such civil penalty. Declares that nothing in this Act preempts the right of any State to adopt or enforce any State law requiring an insurer to disclose information regarding insurance policies that may have been confiscated or stolen from victims of Nazi persecution. Expresses the sense of Congress that if any litigation challenging such a State law is dismissed because the State's commissioner of insurance chooses to rely on this Act and therefore no longer seeks to enforce the State law, each party should bear its own legal fees and costs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
MediKids Health Insurance Act of 2003 - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to allow certain eligible individuals born after December 31, 2004, who have not attained age 23, to enroll in the MediKids Program under new SSA title XXII established by this Act for entitlement to benefits specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Includes among such benefits early and periodic screening, diagnostic services, and treatment services under Medicaid (SSA title XIX), and prescription drugs and biologicals. Provides for: (1) cost-sharing; (2) a payment schedule for covered benefits; (3) a monthly MediKids premium and the means for payment of it; and (4) a reduction in premium for certain low-income families. Creates in the Treasury the MediKids Trust Fund for collected premiums, appropriated amounts, and other revenues for use in funding the coverage provided under the MediKids Program and maintaining its financial solvency. Authorizes the Secretary to implement a care coordination services program including specified elements under which eligible individuals may elect to have health care services covered under SSA title XXII managed and coordinated by a designated care coordinator. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to increase the membership of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, with the initial terms of additional members staggered. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a MediKids premium tax in the case of any taxpayer (with certain exceptions) required to pay a premium under the MediKids Program for an eligible individual; and (2) provide for a refundable tax credit for 50 percent of cost-sharing expenses under the MediKids Program. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to propose a gradual schedule of progressive tax changes to fund the MediKids Program as the number of enrollees grows in the out-years.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Funding Act of 2003 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 2004 and 2005 for U.S. voluntary contributions to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Withholds from the U.S. voluntary contribution to the UNFPA amounts allocated by UNFPA for the country program in China, if the Secretary of State certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that the UNFPA country program in China does not: (1) focus on improving the delivery of voluntary family planning information and services; (2) conform with the human rights principles affirmed at the International Conference on Population and Development with the support of 180 nations including the United States; (3) operate only in counties of China where all quotas and targets for the recruitment of program participants have been abolished and the use of coercive measures has been eliminated; (4) operate in consultation with and under the oversight and approval of the UNFPA executive board, including the U.S. representative; (5) subject itself to regular, independent monitoring to ensure compliance with the principles of informed consent and voluntary participation; and (6) suspend operations in project counties found to be in violation of program guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) proposed changes to Title IX athletics policies contradict the spirit of athletic equality and gender equity; (2) current Title IX athletics policies, the Department of Education's 1979 Policy Interpretation as clarified in the 1996 Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Guidance, should remain unchanged and be enforced vigorously to eliminate the continuing discrimination against women and girls in athletics; and (3) if the Department of Education changes Title IX athletics policies, Congress should restore the intent of Title IX through policies that preserve the right to equal opportunities in athletics.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Supports the goals and ideals of the Day of Silence (during which students vow to remain silent to bring attention to the harassment and discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in schools). Requests that the President issue a proclamation calling for observation of April 9, 2003, as such Day. Encourages each city and State to adopt laws, and each school district to adopt policies, to prohibit such discrimination and harassment.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the water boundaries established in the 1923 Lausanne Treaty of Peace, the 1932 Convention and Protocol Between Italy and Turkey, and the 1947 Paris Treaty of Peace, under which the Dodecanese islands and adjacent islets were ceded by Italy to Greece, are the borders between Greece and Turkey in the Aegean Sea; and (2) any party, including Turkey, objecting to such boundaries should seek redress in the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2003
Active Reservists and National Guard Student Loan Relief Act of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for deferments of repayments and for Federal interest subsidy payments on student loans for borrowers who are called to active duty. Provides such deferments and interest payments for up to three years under the Federal Family Education Loan, direct subsidized loan, and Perkins loan programs.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Freedom to Read Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (the Act) to provide that no application by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to a U.S. court for an order requiring the production of tangible things for an investigation to obtain foreign intelligence information from a U.S. person or to protect against international terrorism may be made for the sole purpose of searching for, or seizing from, a bookseller or library documentary materials that contain personally identifiable information concerning a patron. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to preclude a physical search for documentary materials (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) under other provisions of law. Revises congressional reporting requirements under the Act to require the Attorney General, in informing Congress with respect to applications for orders approving requests for the production of tangible things, to: (1) describe the specific purpose of each order application; (2) analyze the effectiveness of each application that was granted or modified in protecting U.S. citizens against terrorism; and (3) make public such information provided in a manner consistent with the national security of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Asthma Awareness, Education and Treatment Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public and nonprofit private entities for projects for specified asthma-related activities for low-income communities, including screening and referrals, information and education, and workshops for parents and other individuals who supervise children. Authorizes the Secretary also to award contracts to provide for a national media campaign to inform the public and health care providers on asthma, allergies, and related respiratory problems, especially in children. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a taxpayer licensed and engaged in the trade or business of providing pest control services or heating, ventilation, and air conditioning services, an income tax credit for the aggregate cost of providing such services without charge to: (1) public housing; or (2) any multifamily residential rental property at least 75 percent of whose occupants are reasonably expected to have incomes below 200 percent of the official poverty line. Requires the Secretary to disseminate information about such credit. Directs the Secretary to provide for research into whether and to what extent there is a causal relationship between air pollutants and the occurrence of asthma, allergies, and related respiratory problems. Requires the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, through the National Asthma Education Prevention Program Coordinating Committee, to: (1) identify all Federal programs that carry out asthma-related activities; and (2) develop and submit to Congress a Federal plan for responding to asthma.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Milk Import Tariff Equity Act - Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to impose tariff-rate quotas (quantitative import limits) and provide various duty rates on certain casein, caseinates, milk protein concentrate, and other casein derivatives and glues imported into the United States (except imports from Mexico). Authorizes the President to: (1) enter into a trade agreement with a foreign country to grant new concessions as compensation in order to maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions; and (2) proclaim any necessary modification or continuance of any existing duty, or continuance of existing duty-free or excise treatment, or any quantitative limitation. Sets forth certain limits on the reduction of duties on such products.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Yellowstone Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to implement the final rule to phase out snowplane use in Grand Teton National Park and snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park, the John. D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, and Grand Teton National Park. Prohibits the Secretary from modifying or superseding any provisions of that final rule.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
National Computer Recycling Act - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, after submitting to Congress a study of waste materials in used computers that may be hazardous to human health or the environment, to require assessment of a fee on the sale to an end-user of any computer, monitor, or other designated electronic devices. Requires fees collected to be used for administration of this Act and grants for: (1) collecting or processing used computers, monitors, or other devices for recycling; (2) reusing or reselling such articles; and (3) extracting and using, or selling for reuse, raw materials from such articles. Requires reports to Congress on the status of computer recycling, which shall include descriptions of fee collection and use.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Civil Rights Tax Relief Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income amounts received by a claimant on account of claims based on unlawful discrimination (as defined). Permits income averaging for backpay and frontpay awards received on account of such claims.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Peace Corps HIV/AIDS Training Enhancement Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2003 - Authorizes additional appropriations for FY 2003 for the Peace Corps for additional health volunteers working with HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention methodologies, particularly the training of local HIV/AIDS trainers.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to repeal the Medicare outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2003 - Establishes the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund in the Treasury to promote the development, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable and safe low-income housing through grants to States and local jurisdictions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to authorize funding to reach the Federal Government's goal of providing 40 percent of the national average per pupil expenditure to assist States and local educational agencies with the excess costs of educating children with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations for IDEA part B programs of assistance for education of all children with disabilities, in specified amounts for FY 2004 through 2007, and as necessary thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to award grants or cooperative agreements to develop State-wide lifespan respite care programs. Defines "lifespan respite care" to mean a coordinated system of accessible community-based respite care services for family caregivers regardless of the individual's age, race, ethnicity, or special need. Requires the Secretary to establish a review panel to make recommendations on applicants. Permits the use of funds for respite care services and training programs. Limits grants to five years. Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a National Resource Center on Lifespan Respite Care to maintain a national database and provide training, technical assistance, and information.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Salmon Planning Act - Requires the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences providing for scientific analysis of Federal salmon and steelhead recovery efforts. Requires the Comptroller General of the United States to study the potential effects of partially removing the four lower Snake River dams, including those on: (1) the economy of surrounding communities; (2) water transportation; (3) irrigation; (4) energy production; and (5) the extinction of salmon and steelhead populations in Snake River. Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Corps of Engineers, to partially remove the dams if found necessary by: (1) the Secretary to restore Snake River salmon and steelhead populations to meet obligations under the Endangered Species Act of 1973; (2) the Secretary of the Interior to meet treaty obligations to Indian tribes or other sovereign nations; or (3) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to meet requirements of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act - Designates the following lands in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System (System): (1) Greater Glacier/Northern Continental Divide ecosystem; (2) Greater Yellowstone ecosystem; (3) Greater Salmon/Selway ecosystem; (4) Greater Cabinet/Yaak/Selkirk ecosystem; (5) Islands in the Sky Wilderness; and (6) Blackfeet Wilderness. Designates: (1) specified wild land areas as Biological Connecting Corridors to protect the life flow of the Northern Rockies Bioregion; (2) the inventoried roadless areas identified as part of the Corridors as components of the System; and (3) certain biological connecting corridors as special corridor management areas. Establishes the Hells Canyon/Chief Joseph National Park and Preserve as a National Park System unit. Repeals Federal law provisions that establish the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) implement a program of ecosystem restoration in the Preserve; and (2) study the feasibility of creating a Flathead National Park and Preserve in the area generally known as the Glacier View Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest. Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of specified rivers and creeks in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Establishes the National Wildland Restoration and Recovery System and the National Wildland Recovery Corps. Requires the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to assure nonexclusive access to the specified areas and corridors designated by this Act by Native Americans for traditional cultural and religious purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Reaffirms Congress' support for the mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) to Haiti and calls on the President to urge that the mission work closely with the Haitian Government and people to advance their goals and not the objectives of other governments or international organizations. Calls on certain international financial institutions to convene a meeting of donors to Haiti with the objective of launching a new humanitarian initiative, including a lending program to bolster Haiti's economic and infrastructure bases. Calls specifically on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reevaluate current stall monitoring program conditions outlined for Haiti and work in the long-term toward a poverty reduction agreement for Haiti. Urges the President to: (1) direct the Secretary of State to conduct a review of U.S. policy toward Haiti, including appropriate consultations with relevant congressional committees; and (2) instruct the Secretary of the Treasury to direct the U.S. Executive Director at the Inter-American Development Bank to release the four social sector and development loans for health, education, water and sanitation, and transportation that have been approved by the Board of Executive Directors of the Bank and ratified by the Haitian Parliament.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act - Amends the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 to make the sunset provisions inapplicable to provisions that expanded and increased the adoption credit and adoption assistance programs under the Internal Revenue Code.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include pancreases procured by an organ procurement organization and used for islet cell transplantation or research to be counted toward organ procurement organization certification. Establishes the Interagency Committee on Islet Cell Transplantation within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Requires the Committee to study related issues, including Federal research funding, the effect of specified policies on transplantation, and data collection. Instructs the Secretary of HHS to request the Institute of Medicine to provide a study of the impact of islet cell transplantation on juvenile diabetes patients, including their health and the treatment's cost-effectiveness. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to establish a demonstration project to assess the efficacy of pancreatic cell islet transplantation for individuals who: (1) have Type I (juvenile) diabetes; and (2) have end-stage renal disease; and (3) are Medicare beneficiaries. Establishes reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
Debbie Smith Act of 2003 - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) survey Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement jurisdictions to assess the amount of DNA evidence from sexual assault crimes that has not been subjected to testing and analysis; (2) review national, State, local, and tribal government protocols on the collection and processing of DNA evidence at crime scenes; and (3) make grants for sexual assault examiner programs, examiner training and certification, acquisition or improvement of forensic equipment, and other training. Amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to: (1) ensure that DNA testing and analysis of samples from rape kits and non-suspect cases are carried out in a timely manner; (2) reauthorize grants; (3) make local governments eligible for grants; (4) direct the Attorney General to give priority to a State or local governmental unit that has a significant rape kit or non-suspect case backlog; and (5) expand the scope of DNA samples subject to privacy protections. Amends: (1) the Federal criminal code and the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to authorize "John Doe" DNA indictments for sexual abuse (allows describing a person as an unknown individual who has a particular DNA profile if the identity of the accused or defendant is unknown); and (2) the DNA Identification Act of 1994 to authorize appropriations to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to carry out a redesign of the Combined DNA Index System.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
Constitutional Amendment - Provides that all U.S. citizens 18 years of age or older shall have the right to vote in any public election held in the jurisdiction in which the citizen resides. Requires each State to: (1) administer public elections in the State in accordance with election performance standards established by the Congress; and (2) provide any eligible voter the opportunity to register and vote on the day of any public election. Requires each State and the District of Columbia to establish and abide by rules for appointing its respective number of Electors.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Urban and Rural Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants and loans for the development of indoor centers for disease prevention and health promotion, specifically, indoor recreational facilities. Makes State and local government agencies and community development public authorities eligible for such grants and loans. Allocates funds according to population. Requires matching funds for grants. Requires compliance with the prevailing wage in the locality.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
A Living Wage, Jobs for All Act - Declares that the Congress affirms the basic economic rights and responsibilities under the 1944 "Economic Bill of Rights," while updating and extending it to include: (1) certain rights to decent jobs, income security for individuals unable to work for pay, a decent living for farm families, freedom from monopolies, decent housing, adequate health services, social security in old age, sickness, accidental injury, and unemployment, and education and work training; and (2) certain other rights relating to collective bargaining, a safe working environment, information on trends in pollution sources and products and processes that affect the well-being of workers throughout the world, voting and campaigning, and personal security. Requires corporations registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission to disclose fully in annual reports the impact of their activities in the United States and other countries on environmental quality and on the rights of other stakeholders, including employees, consumers, and communities. Requires each State, as a condition of Federal grants and contracts, also to require all State-chartered corporations to submit such annual reports. Directs the Attorney General to establish a computerized registration program of all corporations found guilty of violating a Federal or State law. Authorizes the President to deny Federal contracts, loans, or loan guarantees to non-compliant corporations. Requires Federal agencies and commissions, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, to help establish and maintain conditions under which all adult Americans may freely exercise the economic rights specified in 1944 and in this Act. Prohibits Federal agencies or commissions from promoting recession, stagnation, or unemployment to reduce wages or inflation. Directs the President to establish a full employment framework for the annual budget submitted to the Congress that meets specified goals for: (1) quality of life and environment; (2) responsible, sustainable growth; (3) unemployment reduction; and (4) human rights. Requires the Joint Economic Committee to oversee actions under this Act and submit an annual Concurrent Resolution on Economic Policy setting forth its proposed employment goals.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit certain employee group health plans or related insurances providing both medical-surgical and mental health benefits from imposing mental health treatment limitations or financial requirements unless comparable limitations and requirements are imposed upon medical-surgical benefits. States that the foregoing shall not be construed as requiring a group health plan (or related insurances) to: (1) provide any mental health benefits; (2) prevent the medical management of mental health benefits; or (3) require the provision of specific mental health services, except to the extent that failure to provide such services would result in a disparity between the coverage of mental health and medical-surgical benefits. Exempts specified small employers from such requirements. Requires that, in the case of a group health plan that offers a participant or beneficiary two or more benefit package options, the coverage requirements shall be applied separately with respect to each such option. Provides that, in the case of a plan or insurance providing in-network mental health benefits, out-of-network mental health benefits need not be provided at parity to medical-surgical benefits, as long as in-network mental health benefits are provided at parity with medical-surgical benefits and the plan or insurance provides reasonable access to in-network providers and facilities. Requires a General Accounting Office study of such requirements' effects upon health insurance costs, access, and quality and a cost estimation of extending such requirements to the treatment of substance abuse and chemical dependency.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Seniors Health and Independence Preservation Act of 2003 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) consolidate and restate the Federal laws relating to the social health maintenance organization (SHMO) demonstration projects; and (2) make them permanent. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate a regulation that permits each SHMO demonstration project to expand its service area to include areas within the State served by the organization that are not contiguous to any other service area of the organization. Permits the participation in the SHMO demonstration project program of: (1) the five organizations authorized under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to demonstrate the concept of SHMOs that were approved by the Secretary in 1995; and (2) each entity that received a planning grant in 1998 under the 1997 Grants Program for Reforming Service Delivery for Dual Eligible Beneficiaries to develop a Second Generation Social HMO Demonstration Program. Requires the Secretary to notify the appropriate congressional committees before making any change to the benefits available under a SHMO demonstration project. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to study and report to Congress on the cost-effectiveness of SHMO demonstration projects and their potential expansion. Requires the Secretary to conduct, and report to Congress on, a comparative qualitative survey of the satisfaction of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in: (1) the original Medicare fee-for-service program under Medicare parts A (Hospital Insurance) and B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); (2) a Medicare+Choice plan under Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice); and (3) an SHMO.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Alaska Rainforest Conservation Act - Designates: (1) specified public lands in the Chugach National Forest, Alaska, as National Wilderness Preservation System components; and (2) specified public lands in the Tongass National Forest, Alaska, as wilderness areas or System components. Provides with respect to specified public lands in the Tongass National Forest, Alaska, for: (1) a wilderness designation study; (2) designation as Land Use Designation II lands; (3) designation as restoration lands; and (4) designation as special management areas. Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate, or study for designation, as wild, scenic, and recreational rivers specified waters in the Chugach and Tongass National Forests, Alaska.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Clean Water Authority Restoration Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to replace the term "navigable waters," throughout the Act, with the term "waters of the United States," defined to mean all waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, the territorial seas, and all interstate and intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds, and all impoundments of the foregoing, to the fullest extent that these waters, or activities affecting them, are subject to the legislative power of Congress under the Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to (restore) increase and make permanent the exclusion from gross income for amounts received under qualified group legal services plans.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Training for Realtime Writers Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants to eligible entities to promote training and placement of individuals, including individuals who have completed a court reporting training program, as realtime writers to meet requirements for closed captioning in video programming. Sets forth priorities to be given in the award of such grants. Limits grants to a two-year period and a maximum amount of $1.5 million.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2003 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the Federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.90 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after enactment of this Act; and (2) $6.65 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day. Makes Federal minimum wage requirements applicable to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Sets forth a transition period during which a specified minimum wage there shall be gradually increased to equal the Federal minimum wage.
![Official portrait of Rep. Hinchey, Maurice D. [D-NY-22]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h000627_200.jpg)