United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2002
Grants the consent of the Congress to the SMART Research and Development Compact (to promote the contribution of the Mid-Atlantic region to the Nation's research and development in science and technology and to create an organization for strengthening the Mid-Atlantic region for tomorrow) if it is entered into by the States of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2002
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that each State should examine its existing statutes, practices, and procedures governing special elections so that, in the event of a catastrophe, vacancies in the House of Representatives may be filled in a timely fashion.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2002
Commends: (1) Greece for its outstanding contributions to the global war against terrorism, including military support for Operation Enduring Freedom, humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan, and participation in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan; and (2) U.S.-Greek law enforcement cooperation. Recognizes Greece's success in apprehending key members of the November 17 terrorist organization and urges continued efforts to completely dismantle the organization.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2002
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2002 - Adjusts the basic Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity amount for surviving spouses, age 62 or over, of former military personnel to: (1) 35 percent of the retired pay of the decedent (current law), for months beginning on or before the enactment of this Act; (2) 40 percent of such pay, for months beginning after enactment of this Act until October 2005; (3) 45 percent of such pay for months beginning after September 2005 and before October 2012; and (4) 55 percent of such pay for months after September 2012. Adjusts similarly the percentage amounts of SBP supplemental annuity authorized to be provided for such surviving spouses. Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure appropriate adjustments in the computation of retired pay reductions for such supplemental annuities.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2002
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Horsham, Pennsylvania, as the Victor J. Saracini Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2002
Recognizes September 11 as both a day to remember those taken from their families and a day for Americans to recommit to the Nation, to their freedom, and to each other. Extends deepest sympathies to the countless innocent victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, their families, friends, and loved ones. Honors the heroic actions of first responders, law enforcement personnel, State and local officials, volunteers, and others who aided the innocent victims. Expresses thanks and gratitude to the foreign leaders and citizens of all nations who have assisted and continue to stand in solidarity with the United States against terrorism. Remains resolved to pursue all those responsible for the terrorist attacks and their sponsors until they are discovered and punished.
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 2002
National AMBER Alert Act of 2002 - Directs the Attorney General to establish an AMBER (America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert Coordinator position to: (1) establish guidelines for implementing a statewide AMBER Alert plan; (2) provide technical assistance to the States, broadcasters, and law enforcement agencies in implementing such plans; (3) certify to the Secretary of Transportation any State that has established or agrees to establish such a plan and a reciprocal arrangement with other States; and (4) monitor compliance and revoke certification of any State that fails to establish such a plan. Directs the Secretary to make grants to certified States to develop, acquire, install, and construct facilities and equipment along highways to notify the public about missing children and their abductors.
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 2002
Urges recognition of certain named trapped coal miners for their stamina and courage and the rescue crews for their outstanding effort and cooperation resulting in their safe rescue on July 27, 2002, in Pennsylvania.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Tobacco Smuggling Eradication Act of 2002 - Amends chapter 52 (Tobacco Products and Cigarette Papers and Tubes) of the Internal Revenue Code to require all packages of tobacco products to carry a unique legibly printed serial number by which the Secretary of the Treasury can identify the manufacturer or importer and the location and date of manufacture or importation. Requires tobacco products sold on Indian reservations to be labeled as such. Requires a tobacco wholesaler to have a permit and to maintain certain records. Requires export warehouse proprietors to file certain reports with the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into certain tobacco related information agreements with foreign countries. Establishes new offenses relating to the distribution of tobacco. Raises the $1,000 civil penalty under chapter 52 to $10,000. Amends the Contraband Cigarette Trafficking Act to: (1) expand the applicability of such Act from cigarettes only to "tobacco product" (cigars, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and pipe tobacco); (2) define "contraband tobacco product" as a quantity of tobacco product that is equivalent to or more than 30,000 cigarettes (currently, 60,000) which bear no evidence of the payment of applicable State tobacco taxes; (3) establish new unlawful acts; and (4) require additional recordkeeping. Repeals Federal law provisions concerning reports required to State tobacco tax administrators by individuals engaged in interstate cigarette commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Act to Save America's Forests - States that the purposes of this Act are to protect native biodiversity and ecosystems on Federal land from losses caused by: (1) clearcutting and other forms of even-age logging operations; and (2) logging in ancient forests, roadless areas, watershed protection areas, and special areas. Amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 to revise eligibility criteria for members of the land and resource management scientific committee. Revises the committee termination date to ten years after enactment of this Act. Provides for conservation and restoration of native biodiversity in forested areas. Prohibits clearcutting or other even-age logging operations on any stand or watershed on certain Federal land, National Forest System land, and National Wildlife Refuge System land. Provides for: (1) Federal enforcement; and (1) a private right of action. Describes special areas as Federal forest land parcels possessing outstanding biological, scenic, recreational, or cultural values which may not meet the definitions of ancient forests, roadless areas, or watershed protection areas. Designates specified special areas which shall be subject to restrictions on road construction and logging in the following States: (1) Alabama; (2) Alaska; (3) Arizona; (4) Arkansas; (5) California; (6) Colorado; (7) Georgia; (8) Idaho; (9) Illinois; (10) Michigan; (11) Minnesota; (12) Missouri; (13) Montana; (14) New Mexico; (15) North Carolina; (16) Ohio; (17) Oklahoma; (18) Oregon; (19) South Carolina; (20) South Dakota; (21) Tennessee; (22) Texas; (23) Vermont; (24) Virginia; (25) Wisconsin; and (26) Wyoming. Provides for the appointment of a committee of independent scientists to recommend additional special areas. Restricts road construction and logging on Federal land in ancient forests, special areas, roadless areas, and watershed protection areas. Provides for: (1) Federal enforcement; and (1) a private right of action.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Veterans Health Care Funding Guarantee Act of 2002 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) make available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health Administration for FY 2004 120 percent of the amount obligated during FY 2002; and (2) adjust the amount provided after FY 2004 based on the number of enrolled veterans and the number of others eligible for and provided care and the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index. Repeals, as of October 1, 2003, requirements for the prior congressional approval of funding for Department major medical facilities projects or leases.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Authorizes the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the victims of the Ukrainian famine-genocide of 1932-1933. Prohibits the U.S. Government from paying any expense for the establishment of the memorial or its maintenance.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2002 - 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 · 26 July 2002
Self-Employed Health Equity Adjustment to Lower Tax Hindrance Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers to take the health insurance deduction into account in determining net earnings from self-employment.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Social Security Preservation Act of 2002 - Repudiates the statements of: (1) the Secretary of the Treasury, Paul O'Neill, that the social security program (title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act) is a "pyramid game" and that the social security trust funds (Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund) have "no assets;" and (2) the statements of congressional leaders that the social security trust funds are "empty," a "total fraud," "a mere accounting device", and consist of "worthless IOUs." Prohibits the use by the Treasury of amounts borrowed from the social security trust funds to pay for other Government expenditures in a fiscal year, unless, during the nine month period immediately preceding the year, the Congress has enacted legislation explicitly affirming that the Treasury will repay these funds. Amends Federal law to require the President to include in each budget: (1) the total amount the Treasury has borrowed from the social security trust funds; and (2) explanations of repayment plans and the impact any legislation enacted in the preceding year will have on them. Requires the Secretary to affirm annually that the Treasury will honor the securities in such trust funds. Allows any individual credited with wages or self-employment income under Medicare to bring an action in an appropriate Federal district court to enjoin any act or practice: (1) by which the Secretary contests an obligation issued for purchase by either social security trust fund; or (2) which constitutes a failure to provide for redemption of the obligation in accordance with its terms or to otherwise honor the full faith and credit of the United States supporting such obligation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Safe Overseas Human Testing Act - Declares it is the policy of Congress to control the export of drugs and other test articles intended for overseas clinical investigations involving human participants in order to foster public health and safety, prevent injury to U.S. foreign policy, and preserve the credibility of the United States as a responsible trading partner. Requires a license approved by the President for the export of such test articles. Sets forth certain export license requirements, including that the license applicant shall: (1) identify each clinical investigation for which the test article is intended; and (2) submit proof that each of the protocols for every clinical investigation has been reviewed by an institutional review board and has, at a minimum, met substantially the same standards for the protection of the rights and welfare of human subjects as that required for Institutional Review Boards approval of protocols for clinical investigations (in the United States) of test articles pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2002
SCHIP Web-Based Enrollment Act of 2002 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to encourage the use of Internet web-based enrollment systems under SCHIP. Directs the Secretary to provide for grants to enable States to develop and implement web-based enrollment systems under their SCHIP child health plans.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2002
Clean Water Authority Restoration Act of 2002 - 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 · 22 July 2002
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 2001 East Willard Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Robert A. Borski Post Office Building.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2002
Highlands Stewardship Act of 2002 - Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to establish the Highlands Stewardship Area in the Highlands region (an area encompassing nearly 2,000,000 acres extending from eastern Pennsylvania through New Jersey and New York to northwestern Connecticut). Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish: (1) within the Department of Agriculture the Office of Highlands Stewardship to implement the strategies of the Highlands Regional Study conducted by the Forest Service in 1990 (study) and the New York-New Jersey Highlands Regional Assessment Update conducted by the Service in 2001 (update); and (2) the Highlands Stewardship Area Work Group to assist with such implementation and to advise the Office and the Secretaries on priorities for projects carried out with assistance under this Act, on land conservation partnership projects, on Highlands region research, and on policy and educational initiatives necessary to implement study and update findings. Authorizes the Office to provide financial and technical assistance to an eligible entity to carry out a project to protect, restore, preserve, promote, or interpret Area resources. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to annually designate land conservation partnership projects that are eligible to receive financial assistance under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2002
Senior Nutrition Act of 2002 - Amends the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 to make a person who is at least 60 years old eligible for the commodity supplemental food program (program) if such person: (1) is eligible for the food stamp program; or (2) has a household income that is not more than 185 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines. Authorizes permanent program appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2002
Children's Mental Health Service Expansion Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to establish programs of educational loan forgiveness and scholarships to encourage qualified individuals to provide mental health services to children and adolescents. Sets forth qualifications, including education and licensing requirements. Limits the program to U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents. Grants priority according to financial need, methodology, and willingness to work with high priority populations in the public sector. Treats such grants as equivalent to those of the National Health Service Corps Programs. Authorizes additional grants for clinical and graduate and paraprofessional training to accredited schools and State-licensed mental health organizations, respectively. Gives priority to applicants with the demonstrated ability to collect data on the numbers trained, certain methodology, and programs to increase the numbers of professionals and paraprofessionals serving high priority populations. Requires training to prioritize cultural competency. Amends the Social Security Act to increase the number of child and adolescent psychiatry residents permitted to be paid under the Medicare Graduate Medical Education Program. Extends the Medicare Board eligibility period for residents and fellows in child and adolescent psychiatry. Directs the Administrator to study and report to Congress on the distribution and need of child mental health service professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2002
Belarus Democracy Act of 2002 - Authorizes the President to support primarily indigenous Belarusian groups that are committed to the support of democratic processes in various activities that may include: (1) observation of elections and the promotion of free and fair electoral processes, including the development of democratic political parties; (2) development of independent media supported by nonstate-controlled printing facilities; (3) support of human rights; and (4) establishment of international exchanges and advanced professional training programs for leaders and members of democratic forces that foster the growth of civil society. Places economic sanctions on Belarus and bars senior Belarusian leaders and their immediate relations from entering the United States. Allows sanctions to be lifted only if the Belarusian Government meets specific democratic conditions. Affirms solidarity with the democratic forces in Belarus and calls upon the Government of Belarus to permit basic freedoms and allow free, fair and transparent presidential and parliamentary elections. Calls upon the Russian Government to use its influence to encourage democratic development in Belarus so that it can become an independent state that is integrated into Europe.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2002
Corporate Governance and Market Integrity Commission Act - Establishes the Market Integrity Commission to study and report to Congress and the President on: (1) issues related to corporate governance; (2) the impact of corporate governance practices on the development, growth, and regulation of interstate and foreign commerce, including the effect of such practices on the market economy and on consumers; and (3) recommendations for legislation to improve the problems identified.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2002
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 · 27 June 2002
Expresses support for the review by the Government of Saudi Arabia of its education curriculum. Calls on such Government to: (1) ensure that such review is thorough, objective, and public; and (2) reform such curriculum in a manner that promotes tolerance, develops civil society, and encourages functionality in the global economy.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2002
No Tax Breaks for Corporations Renouncing America Act of 2002 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny a foreign entity any reduced rate of withholding tax on any deductible foreign payment under any income tax treaty between the United States and the entity's country unless the entity is predominantly owned by residents of such country. Excepts specified conduit payments. Specifies what constitutes predominant ownership.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2002
Health Benefits Claims Prompt Payment Act of 2002 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Internal Revenue Code, and the Public Health Service Act to require that group and individual health insurance coverage and group health plans provide for prompt payment for health benefits claims.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2002
Strengthening Democratic Institutions Act of 2002 - Establishes an international legislative staff training program that will bring legislative staff working for foreign legislative bodies and their elected members to the United States for seminars, workshops, discussions, and meetings concerning techniques, standards, and practices of professional legislative staff work, including, to the extent possible, close observation of the legislative process and the role of such staff in Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2002
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) greater attention should be paid to the negative impact on economic development of the denial of inheritance rights to women, particularly in Africa; (2) programs that focus on ensuring secure inheritance rights to widows and orphans of HIV/AIDS should be considered; (3) ensuring secure inheritance rights for women should be included in strategies addressing violence against women; (4) the rights of widows and other female heads of households to inherit land and property should be included in the priorities of reconstruction; (5) the Secretary of State should examine the issue of women's inheritance rights in Africa in the State Department's annual human rights report; (6) the U.S. Agency for International Development should consider conducting a study of African countries to document the effect of the denial of women's inheritance rights on economic development; and (7) the Annual Day of Acton on Women's Inheritance Rights should be acknowledged and supported.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2002
Calls upon the President of the United States and the Government of Russia to fulfill their commitments under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to work with the other nuclear powers toward eliminating nuclear weapons in stages that are subjected to careful inspection and verification. Calls for the United States to: (1) renounce the first use of nuclear weapons and permanently end the development, testing, and production of nuclear weapons; (2) seek an agreement with Russia that provides for the mutual and verified destruction of nuclear weapons that are withdrawn under signed treaties and that increases resources to secure and implement the destruction of nuclear warheads and material; (3) strengthen non-proliferation efforts by ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, by refraining from providing nuclear reactor technologies that can be exploited for nuclear weapons purposes to North Korea and urging Russia to refrain from providing such technologies to Iran, by supporting United Nations inspections of suspected nuclear weapons facilities and nuclear weapons materials in Iraq, and by participating in locating and reducing fissile material worldwide and negotiating a ban on its production; (4) enter into an agreement with the other nuclear powers to take nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert, thereby reducing the risk of accidental or unauthorized use and preparing for the ultimate elimination of the warheads; and (5) initiate talks on further reductions of nuclear weapons.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2002
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Night Out (an event intended to demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of community participation in crime prevention efforts by having people spend the period from 7 to 10 o'clock p.m. on August 6, 2002, with their neighbors in front of their homes with their lights on). Requests that the President: (1) issue a proclamation calling for appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs; (2) focus appropriate attention on neighborhood crime prevention, community policing, and reduction of school crime by delivering speeches, convening meetings, and directing the administration to make crime reduction an important priority; and (3) coordinate the efforts of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the USA Freedom Corps, the Citizen Corps, the National Senior Service Corps, and AmeriCorps to participate by supporting local efforts, neighborhood watches, and local officials, including law enforcement personnel, to provide homeland security and combat terrorism in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2002
National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2002 - 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 · 22 May 2002
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2002 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the Federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.75 an hour beginning 30 days after enactment of this Act; (2) $6.25 an hour during the year beginning on January 1, 2003; and (3) $6.65 an hour beginning January 1, 2004. 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.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2002
Establishes a National Commission on Terrorist Acts Upon the United States. Directs the Commission to: (1) investigate facts and circumstances relating to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; and (2) evaluate lessons learned regarding the abilities of the Federal Government, and, if appropriate, of State and local governments and nongovernmental entities to detect, prevent, and respond to such attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2002
Our Lady of Peace Act - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to require (currently, authorizes) the Attorney General, at least quarterly, to secure directly from any U.S. department or agency such information on persons for whom receipt of a firearm would violate specified Federal provisions regarding excluded individuals or State law as is necessary to enable the National Instant Criminal Background Check System to operate. Directs the head of such department or agency, at the Attorney General's request, to furnish such information to the System electronically. Sets forth requirements regarding the transmittal of State records, including (with exceptions) State mental health records, to the System. Directs the Attorney General to work with State and local law enforcement and the mental health community to establish protocols for protecting the privacy of information provided. Sets penalties for noncompliance. Requires the Attorney General to make grants to each State: (1) to establish or upgrade information and identification technologies for firearms eligibility determinations; and (2) for use by the State's chief judicial officer to improve the handling of proceedings related to criminal history dispositions and temporary restraining orders as they relate to disqualification from firearms ownership under State and Federal laws. Requires the Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics to study and evaluate the operations of the System and to report on grants and on best practices of States.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2002
National Drought Preparedness Act of 2002 - Establishes the National Drought Council which shall: (1) develop a national drought policy action plan; (2) evaluate Federal drought-related programs; (3) coordinate and prioritize enhancement of the national drought monitoring network; and (4) provide for the development of a drought information delivery system, drought planning models, and drought preparedness plans. Terminates the Council eight years after enactment of this Act. Requires the Director of the National Drought Council to establish the National Office of Drought Preparedness. Establishes within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) the Drought Assistance Fund, which shall be used to: (1) assist State, local, tribal, and critical service entities with drought-related activities; and (2) expand the technology transfer of drought and water conservation strategies. Requires: (1) the Director to publish guidelines for administering a national technical and financial drought assistance program; and (2) the Director, the Secretaries of Agriculture, the Interior, and the Army, and other appropriate Federal agency heads to implement integrated drought preparedness plans. Authorizes States, Indian tribes, local governments, and regional, water providers to develop and implement drought preparedness plans. Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the Director of FEMA to reimburse States for qualifying costs incurred in prepositioning wildfire suppression resources.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2002
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act of 2002 - Provides that, for purposes of the Federal Communications Commission's regulation relating to station antenna structures in the amateur radio services, any private land use rules applicable to such structures shall be treated as a State or local regulation and subject to the same requirements and limitations of such a regulation.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2002
Food Allergen Consumer Protection Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require food labels to identify known food allergens contained therein or be deemed misbranded, without regard as to whether or not the presence of an allergen is intentional or unintentional. Defines "known food allergen" to include milk, eggs, fish, Crustacea, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, soybeans, other grains containing gluten, and any food the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines to cause allergic or adverse responses which endanger human health. Includes spices, flavorings, colorings, or incidental additives that are or contain a known food allergen. Sets forth special requirements for raw agricultural commodities which are or contain a known food allergen. Sets forth criteria for labels, requiring a format comparable to that required for the disclosure of nutrition information. Requires certain manufacturers, packers, or distributors to include a toll-free telephone number on such label. Establishes civil penalties for violations of this Act. Requires the Secretary to issue rules which address the use of good manufacturing practices to minimize the unintentional presence of allergens in food and advisory labeling if such allergens may be unintentionally present. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to annually publish national data on the prevalence of food allergies and the incidence of deaths and injuries. Requires the Secretary to study the adequacy of existing data collection systems and possible alternative systems as well as educate health providers on improving data collection and analysis.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2002
Arafat Accountability Act - Expresses the support of Congress for the President's efforts to achieve comprehensive peace in the State of Israel. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should urge an immediate and unconditional cessation of all terrorist activities and the commencement of a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians; (2) the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) should immediately surrender to Israel for detention and prosecution those Palestinian extremists wanted by Israel for the assassination of Israeli Minister of Tourism Rehavam Zeevi; and (3) Yasser Arafat and the PLO must take immediate and concrete action to publicly condemn all acts of terrorism, confiscate and destroy the infrastructures of terrorism, and end (and urge all Arab nations to end) financial support for terrorism. Prohibits the Secretary of State (Secretary) and the Attorney General, respectively, from issuing a visa or admitting to the United States any member of the PLO or official of the PA. Permits the President to waive this prohibition in the national security interest of the United States. Directs the President to reinstate the prohibition on the establishment or maintenance of a Palestinian information office in the United States, except for operation of the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine (POM) at the United Nations. Requires the Secretary to impose travel restrictions on the senior official of the POM. Requires the President to identify and freeze specific United States assets of the PLO and the PA. Requires the President to report to specified congressional committees on PLO or PA terrorist activities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2002
Establishes the Fort Presque Isle National Historic Site in Erie, Pennsylvania, as a unit of the National Park System. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire lands or interests and to prepare a general management plan for the site.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2002
Clean Water Protection Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to define "fill material" to mean any pollutant which replaces portions of waters of the United States with dry land or which changes the bottom elevation of a water body for any purpose and to exclude any pollutant discharged into the water primarily to dispose of waste.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2002
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nutrient Removal Assistance Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide grants to States and municipalities to upgrade municipal wastewater treatment plants of a specified capacity and located within the Chesapeake Bay watershed with nutrient removal technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2002
Renewable Fuel Equity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the renewable resources credit to include geothermal and solar energy, incremental hydropower and biomass (other than closed-loop biomass). Sets forth qualifying dates of service for facilities using such means to produce electricity. Expands the investment tax credit to include equipment used to produce electricity from certain renewable resources. Increases, from 10 to 20 percent, the "energy percentage" used to determine the energy credit in the case of energy property having a total installed electrical generating capacity of less than one megawatt that is placed in service before January 1, 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2002
Steel Industry Legacy Relief Act of 2002 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to establish a steel industry retiree benefits protection program administered by the Secretary of Commerce and the Board of Trustees of the Steel Industry Legacy Relief Trust Fund (created by this Act) to provide specified medical benefits to eligible steel retirees and beneficiaries. Prescribes qualifying events (acquisition, closing, election, or bankruptcy transfer) as a result of which the United States shall assume liability for the provision of steel retiree benefits for each eligible retiree and eligible beneficiary certified for participation in the retiree benefits program. Requires transfer to the Trust Fund by a qualified steel company and any applicable acquiring company of all assets which, under the terms of an applicable collective bargaining agreement, were required to be set aside under an employee benefit plan or otherwise for the provision of the steel retiree benefits. Requires contributions to the Trust Fund by such companies.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2002
Nurse Retention and Quality of Care Act of 2002 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible health care facilities to carry out demonstrations of models and best practices in nursing care in order to develop strategies for nurse retention. Requires such demonstrations to promote nurse satisfaction, communication, collaboration in decision-making, professional advancement, high quality care, and a balanced work-life environment.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2002
Corporate Subsidy Reform Commission Act of 2002 - Establishes an independent Corporate Subsidy Reform Commission to: (1) identify Federal programs and tax laws that provide inequitable Federal subsidies; (2) review such subsidies; (3) conduct public hearings on agency recommendations regarding inequitable subsidies; and (4) report to the President recommendations for termination, modification, or retention of each subsidy reviewed. Requires each Federal agency to include in budget documents submitted in 2003 a list of programs or tax laws within that agency that provide inequitable Federal subsidies, together with recommendations for appropriate action. Provides a special review requirement for international trade programs. Requires the President to: (1) report to the Commission and Congress on his approval or disapproval of the entire package of Commission recommendations; and (2) certify the recommendations to Congress if the package is approved either initially or after being revised by the Commission after initial disapproval. Sets forth procedures for congressional implementation and consideration of recommendations certified by the President.
![Official portrait of Rep. Hoeffel, Joseph M. [D-PA-13]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h001031_200.jpg)