United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins and 500,000 $1 silver coins, which shall be emblematic of the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia (the first permanent English settlement in America). Provides for a $35 per coin surcharge for the $5 dollar coins and $10 per coin for the $1 dollar coins. Directs that: (1) half of the surcharges be used to support programs to promote the understanding of the legacies of Jamestown (to be paid to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation); and (2) half be used to sustain the ongoing mission of preserving Jamestown, to enhance national and international educational programs relating to Jamestown, to improve infrastructure and archeological research activities relating to Jamestown, and conduct other programs to support the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown (to be distributed by the Secretary in equal shares to the Secretary of the Interior, the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation).
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Genetic Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance and Employment Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Public Health Service Act , the Internal Revenue Code, and Medicare supplemental policy provisions to prohibit health plans and insurers, with respect to protected genetic information, from discriminating in enrollment, eligibility, contribution rates, and premium rates based on such information. Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or training program to discriminate because of protected genetic information.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Veterans Housing Fairness Act of 2003 - Authorizes the use of veterans' housing loan benefits to purchase stock or membership in a development, project, or structure (structure) of a cooperative housing corporation as long as such structure: (1) complies with criteria prescribed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and (2) is a one-family residential unit.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Medicare Vision Rehabilitation Services Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of outpatient vision rehabilitation services under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Comprehensive Holocaust Accountability in Insurance Act - Authorizes the States to establish information requirements on insurers as a condition of doing insurance business in the host State. Permits a State to require that an insurer provide specified information regarding Holocaust era insurance policies, including policies sold or held. Permits a State to require that an insurer certify that: (1) proceeds of the policy were paid; (2) the beneficiaries of the policy or heirs could not, after diligent search, be located, and the proceeds were distributed to Holocaust survivors or charities; (3) a court of law has certified a plan for the distribution of the proceeds; or (4) the proceeds have not been distributed. Establishes a Federal cause of action for any covered claim brought under this Act against one of several specified foreign insurance companies that arises out of the insurance coverage involved in an original request for payment made by a listed Holocaust victim or the heirs of beneficiaries of such victim. Requires an action brought under this Act to be filed not later than ten years after its enactment. Lists covered foreign insurance companies.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2003
Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to prohibit group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group health insurance coverage, with regard to hospital stays in connection with breast cancer treatment, from: (1) covering less than 48 hours after mastectomies or less than 24 hours after lymph node dissections; or (2) requiring plan or issuer authorization for prescribing any length of stay. Prohibits: (1) denying eligibility, enrollment, or renewal to avoid these requirements; (2) providing payments or rebates to women; or (3) penalizing or providing incentives to providers. Applies the same requirements to issuers in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2003
Flight Attendant Certification Act - Amends Federal taransportation law to require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to prescribe standards for cabin crew training and certification for individuals working in an aircraft cabin on board a transport category aircraft with twenty or more seats. Requires all new and existing cabin crew members to be certified by the Administrator after successful completion of an air carrier's training program consisting of: (1) initial, indoctrination, and emergency training; (2) air carrier specific training related to aircraft types and operator's certificate; and (3) submission by the air carrier to the Administrator confirming such completion. Declares that the Administrator shall be prohibited from granting an air carrier a waiver of cabin crew training requirements or an exemption from any part of such requirements. Requires a cabin crew member, to qualify for a cabin crew certificate, to successfully: (1) complete the training requirements established by the Administrator, including all initial, indoctrination, emergency, transition, differences, recurrent, and requalification training; (2) complete the cabin security and self-defense training requirements established by the Transportation Security Administrator; and (3) perform the assigned duties of a cabin crew member and complete the approved proficiency check, under the supervision of a certified instructor or supervisor, for not less than five hours of initial operating experience. Requires air carrier training programs to receive the Administrator's approval.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2003
Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 - Declares the sense of Congress that: (1) the Government of Syria should immediately and unconditionally halt support for terrorism, permanently and openly declare its total renunciation of all forms of terrorism, and close all terrorist offices and facilities in Syria, including the offices of Hamas, Hizballah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command; (2) the Government of Syria should take other specified steps to withdraw its armed forces from Lebanon, halt development of certain weapons, halt illegal imports and transshipments of Iraqi oil and illegal sales and supplies of weapons and military-related equipment to Iraq; (3) the Government of Lebanon should deploy the Lebanese armed forces to all areas of Lebanon, including South Lebanon, in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 520 (September 17, 1982) (Security Council Resolution 520); (4) the Governments of Lebanon and Syria should enter into serious unconditional bilateral negotiations with the Government of Israel in order to realize a full and permanent peace; (5) the United States should continue to provide humanitarian and educational assistance to the people of Lebanon only through appropriate private, nongovernmental organizations and appropriate international organizations, until such time as the Government of Lebanon asserts sovereignty and control over all of its territory and borders and achieves full political independence; and (6) being in violation of several key United Nations Security Council resolutions and pursuing policies which undermine international peace and security, Syria should not have been permitted to join the United Nations Security Council or serve as the Security Council's President, and should be removed from the Security Council. Declares that it is U.S. policy: (1) Syria will be held responsible for attacks committed by Hizballah and other terrorist groups with offices or other facilities in Syria, or bases in areas of Lebanon occupied by Syria; (2) the United States shall impede Syria's ability to support acts of international terrorism and efforts to develop or acquire weapons of mass destruction; (3) the Secretary of State will continue to list Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism until it ends support for terrorism, including its support of Hizballah and other terrorist groups in Lebanon and its hosting of terrorist groups in Damascus, and comes into full compliance with U.S. law relating to terrorism and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 (September 28, 2001); (4) efforts against Hizballah will be expanded given the recognition that Hizballah is equally or more capable than al Qaeda; (5) the full restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity is in the U.S. national security interest; (6) Syria is in violation of Security Council Resolution 520 through its continued occupation of Lebanese territory and its encroachment upon its political independence; (7) Syria's obligation to withdraw from Lebanon is not conditioned upon progress in the Israeli-Syrian or Israeli-Lebanese peace process but derives from Syria's obligation under Security Council Resolution 520; (8) Syria's acquisition of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs threaten the security of the Middle East and U.S. national security interests; (9) Syria is in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 661 (August 6, 1990) and subsequent relevant resolutions through its continued purchase of oil from Iraq and shipments of weapons and other military equipment to Iraq; (10) Syria will be held accountable for any harm to Coalition armed forces of Operation Iraqi Freedom caused by shipments of military supplies from Syria to Iraq; and (11) the United States will not provide any assistance to Syria and will oppose multilateral assistance for Syria until Syria withdraws its armed forces from Lebanon, halts the development and deployment of weapons of mass destruction and medium and long range surface to surface ballistic missiles, and complies with Security Council Resolution 661 and subsequent relevant resolutions. Sets forth the following penalties against Syria until the President determines and certifies to Congress that Syria meets the requirements of this Act. Directs the President to prohibit the export to Syria of any item, including the issuance of an export license, on the United States Munitions List or Commerce Control List of dual-use items in the Export Administration Regulations. Requires the President, at the same time, to impose two or more of the following sanctions: (1) prohibit the export to Syria of U.S. products (other than food and medicine); (2) prohibit U.S. businesses from investing or operating in Syria; (3) restrict Syrian diplomats in Washington, D.C., and at the United Nations in New York City, to travel only within a 25-mile radius of Washington, D.C., or the United Nations headquarters building, respectively; (4) prohibit aircraft of any air carrier owned or controlled by Syria to take off from, land in, or overfly the United States; (5) reduce U.S. diplomatic contacts with Syria (other than those required to protect U.S. interests or carry out the purposes of this Act); and (6) block transactions in any property in which the Government of Syria has any interest, by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Authorizes the President to waive such sanctions for one or more six-month periods if the President determines that it is in the vital national security interest of the United States to do so and reports his reasons to Congress. Authorizes the President to provide development assistance to Syria and Lebanon under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 if he certifies to Congress that: (1) Syria meets the requirements of this Act; (2) substantial progress has been made both in negotiations aimed at achieving a peace agreement between Israel and Syria and in negotiations aimed at achieving a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon; and (3) the Government of Syria is strictly respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and political independence of Lebanon under the sole and exclusive authority of the Government of Lebanon through the Lebanese army throughout Lebanon, as required under Security Council Resolution 520. Requires annual reports to the appropriate congressional committees on Syria's progress in complying with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2003
Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal criminal code to replace provisions regarding the purchase of prison-made products by Federal departments with provisions establishing a Government-wide procurement policy relating to purchases from Federal Prison Industries (FPI), which shall generally require the use of competitive procedures. Requires that an analysis of the probable impact of a proposed expansion of sales within the Federal market by FPI on private sector firms and their non-inmate workers be made whenever FPI proposes to authorize the sale of a new specific product or service or to expand production of a current product or service. Authorizes FPI to enter into a contract with a Federal contractor to produce products as a subcontractor or supplier in the performance of a Federal procurement contract. Establishes within the Bureau of Prisons: (1) the Enhanced In-Prison Educational and Vocational Assessment and Training Program; and (2) the Cognitive Abilities Assessment Demonstration Program. Directs: (1) the Chief Operating Officer of FPI to develop proposals to have FPI donate products and services to eligible entities that provide goods or services to low-income individuals who would likely otherwise have difficulty purchasing such products or services; (2) the Director of the Bureau to afford to inmates opportunities to participate in programs and activities designed to help prepare such inmates to obtain employment upon release; (3) the Attorney General to establish the Federal Reentry Center Demonstration Project; and (4) the Comptroller General to undertake to have an independent study conducted on the effects of eliminating FPI's mandatory source authority.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
Authorizes the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation to Dr. Dorothy Height (President of the National Council of Negro Women) of a congressional gold medal in recognition of her many contributions to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
State and Local Reservist First Responders Assistance Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to make grants to reimburse any State, local government, or Indian tribe for costs incurred as a result of a call or order to active duty of armed forces reserves who are first responder personnel, including: (1) costs of hiring first responder personnel to replace such reserves; and (2) overtime pay costs for other first responder personnel. Permits: (1) reimbursement only if the State, local government, or tribe would not have incurred such costs but for the absence of first responder personnel; (2) costs to be reimbursed only for a reserve who serves at least six consecutive months on active duty at any time during the two years preceding the application for the grant; and (3) reimbursable costs to include any costs in connection with such reserve's active duty.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
Medicare Renal Dialysis Payment Fairness Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for an update in the renal dialysis composite rate.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
Job Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the foreign sales corporation/extraterritorial income (FSC/ETI) exclusion, with an exemption for certain binding contracts in effect before the date of enactment of this Act. Permits a foreign corporation that elected to be treated as a domestic corporation to revoke such election and be treated as a domestic corporation transferring its property to a foreign corporation with no gain recognized on such transfer. Provides: (1) a transitional 2004 through 2008 sliding-scale deduction for an FSC/ETI beneficiary based on the corporation's 2001 FSC/ETI benefit; and (2) special rules for 2003 and for fiscal year taxpayers. Defines "FSC/ETI benefit." Allows a deduction for income attributable to U.S. production activities equal to ten percent of qualified production activities. Provides a 2006 through 2009 phase-in period. Defines "qualified production activities" as: (1) the portion of the modified taxable income attributable to domestic activities; and (2) the domestic/foreign fraction. Sets forth related provisions with respect to: (1) determination of income attributable to domestic production activities; (2) domestic production gross receipts; (3) qualifying production property; (4) domestic/foreign fraction; and (5) special rules.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2003 - Designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin; (2) Zion and Mojave Desert; (3) the Grand Staircase and the Escalante Canyons; (4) Moab-La Sal Canyons; (5) Henry Mountains; (6) Glen Canyon; (7) San Juan-Anasazi; (8) Canyonlands Basin; (9) San Rafael Swell; and (10) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. Sets forth administrative provisions regarding: (1) filing by the Secretary of the Interior of a map and a legal description of each designated wilderness area with appropriate congressional committees; (2) the exchange of State-owned lands within such areas; (3) Federal reservation of water rights; (4) measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness; (5) authorized livestock grazing; and (6) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments to States and local governments to coordinate their budget-related actions with Federal Government efforts to stimulate the economy. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2003 for such payments in an amount equal to the total amount appropriated for for FY 2003 for the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund in the Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2003, and subsequent appropriations Acts.Requires not less than one-third of such amount to be made available to local governments. Requires the Secretary to establish a formula for determining the allocation of payments, with priority consideration to the relative unemployment rate, median income, population, and poverty rate. Permits the use of funds received by States and local governments only for: (1) ordinary and necessary maintenance and operating expenses for education; public safety; public health; social services; roads, transportation, and water infrastructure; and housing; and (2) ordinary and necessary capital expenditures authorized by law.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Senior Bill of Rights Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for a voluntary Medicare outpatient prescription medicine benefit program with a monthly premium of $25, a $100 annual deductible, 20 percent coinsurance, and an annual out-of-pocket spending limit of $2,000. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate for maximum prices with medicine manufacturers. Establishes a Medicare Prescription Medicine Advisory Committee. Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) to require Medicare+Choice organizations to make actuarially equivalent outpatient prescription medicines available under their plans. Requires Medigap policies also to cover such medicines. Provides for transitional assistance to low-income beneficiaries. Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors Act of 2003 - Requires each participating manufacturer to make covered outpatient drugs available at a price no greater than the manufacturer's average foreign price. Declares the sense of Congress that the cost disparity between identical prescription drugs sold in the United States, Canada, and Mexico should be reduced or eliminated. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow any deduction for any amount paid or incurred for a direct-to-consumer advertisement of a prescription drug. Greater Access to Affordable Pharmaceuticals Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) with respect to: (1) abbreviated new generic drug applications, including forfeit to the next applicant by previous applicants who fail to market a drug within 90 days of approval or meet other specified requirements; (2) specified bioequivalence tests other than those for absorption rate and extent assessment; (3) requirements for citizen petitions regarding new drug applications; (4) actions for patent infringement; and (5) requirements for new drug applications, including mandatory patent information. Preserving Access to Safe Affordable Canadian Medicines Act of 2003 - Amends FFDCA to prohibit prescription medication manufacturers from taking actions to discriminate against, or cause other persons to discriminate against, U.S. consumers regarding the purchase of prescription medications from Canadian pharmacies. Prohibits the Commissioner of Food and Drugs from approving any new drug application that does not, before completion of the approval process, provide the Secretary a written statement specifying the total cost of research and development with respect to such drug. Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit the chief executive officer of a pharmaceutical company from contributing to a political party or candidate. Rescinds the February 2002 veterans medication copayment increase, and reinstates the $2 copayment. Declares that all Social Security and Medicare funds shall be walled off into a lock box that may not be raided for new programs or tax cuts for the rich.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Armed Forces Citizenship Act of 2003 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act respecting naturalization through service in the armed forces to: (1) eliminate the three-year service requirement; (2) prohibit the imposition of a naturalization fee; (3) provide for overseas naturalization proceedings for members of the armed forces; and (4) provide for revocation of citizenship for separation from military service under other than honorable conditions (such ground for revocation shall be in addition to any other provided by law).
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2003 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend through FY 2007 the authorization of appropriations for the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program (a matching grant program which helps State, tribal, and local jurisdictions purchase armor vests for use by law enforcement officers).
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Health Care Parity for Legal Transportation and Recreational Activities Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a group health plan or health insurance issuer from denying benefits otherwise provided for the treatment of an injury solely because such injury resulted from the participation of the participant or beneficiary in a legal transportation and recreational activity such as motorcycling or skiing.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Men's Health Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Department of Health and Human Services an office to be known as the Office of Men's Health. Requires a report.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Sickle Cell Treatment Act of 2003 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to include primary and secondary preventative medical strategies, treatment, and services, including genetic counseling and testing, for individuals who have Sickle Cell Disease as medical assistance under the Medicaid program. Directs the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration to conduct a demonstration program for the development and establishment of systemic mechanisms, including a National Coordinating Center, to improve the prevention and treatment of Sickle Cell Disease.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
American Hospital Preservation Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) restore the full market basket percentage increase applied to payments to hospitals for inpatient hospital services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries starting in FY 2004, and for FY 2005 and each subsequent fiscal year as well; (2) ensure the full market basket update for any fiscal year after FY 2005; and (3) restore the reimbursement factor for indirect medical education payments to teaching hospitals to the FY 2002 level for FY 2005 and each subsequent fiscal year, after providing for an increase in such factor from current levels for FY 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Services, based on recommendations from the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Advisory Panel (established by this Act), to make grants, after a process of peer review and programmatic review, to public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of not more than eight centers for the purpose of conducting multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research on environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Acknowledges the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act of 1987 (the Proxmire Act) on November 4, 2003. Encourages the people and Government of the United States to rededicate themselves to ending genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. public education system belongs to all Americans and should be celebrated for the role the system plays in strengthening American values and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for this Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2003
Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to require the Attorney General to award grants to States, units of local government, Indian tribes, and other organizations to carry out programs to provide short-term housing assistance and related support services to minors, adults, and their dependents: (1) who are homeless, or in need of transitional housing or other housing assistance, as a result of fleeing a situation of domestic violence; and (2) for whom emergency shelter services or other crisis intervention services are unavailable or insufficient. Limits the duration of such assistance to an 18-month period, except that a grant recipient may extend such assistance for an additional six-month period with respect to any minor, adult, or dependent who has been unable to acquire permanent housing despite a good-faith effort to do so.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2003
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for and enforcement of prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages to: (1) add nonretaliation requirements; (2) increase penalties; and (3) authorize the Secretary of Labor to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Directs the Secretary to provide for certain studies, information, a national summit, guidelines, awards, and assistance for employer evaluations of job categories based on objective criteria. Establishes the National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect certain pay information.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2003
America Rx Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to provide qualified U.S. residents with access to discounted prices for outpatient prescription drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2003
Taxpayers' Cancer Research Funding Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain individuals to designate that five dollars (ten dollars in the case of joint returns) be paid over to the Breast and Prostate Cancer Research Fund. Establishes in the Treasury the Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer Research Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2003
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that a request for the granting of posthumous citizenship to a member of the armed forces who died from an active service-related injury or disease incurred during a period of military hostilities shall be filed on behalf of that person by the Secretary of Defense with the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security immediately upon the death of that person. (Current law provides for such filing by the next-of-kin or other representative.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2003
Teacher Education for Autistic Children Act of 2003 - TEACH Act of 2003 - Authorizes additional appropriations for: (1) training of special education teachers with expertise in autism spectrum disorders (ASD); and (2) improving results for children with ASD, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to carry out a student loan forgiveness program of assuming the obligation to repay up to specified amounts of certain loans under the Higher Education Act of 1965 for borrowers who are employed as full-time special education teachers of children with ASD for three consecutive complete school years. Provides for additional amounts to be repaid at the end of each of the next two additional consecutive years of such employment, up to a total maximum amount. Amends IDEA to require local educational agencies receiving IDEA assistance to report on autism early intervention activities. Directs the Secretary: (1) acting through the Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to establish and provide administrative support for a task force on ASD; (2) with the Secretary of Labor to study and report to Congress on the effectiveness of Federal vocational training programs in providing appropriate assistance to individuals with ASD; and (3) to make grants to each State that establishes and operates at least one State autism ombudsman office.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2003
Taxpayer and Fairness Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise various abusive tax shelter provisions, including: (1) clarification of the economic substance doctrine; and (2) imposition of new, and revision of existing, tax shelter-related penalties. Provides for the prevention of corporate expatriation to avoid U.S. income tax. Revises provisions respecting: (1) the earned income tax credit; (2) specified penalties and interest, including estimated tax penalty and interest; (3) collection procedures; (4) Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employee misconduct; (5) Tax Court authority and jurisdiction; (6) family business; (6) suspension of tax-exempt status for terrorist organizations; (7) confidentiality and disclosure; and (8) IRS user fees. Authorizes grants for low-income return preparation clinics. Amends the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 with respect to the applicability of Federal-State unemployment assistance agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2003
Annie Fox Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of the Institute regarding breast cancer in younger women. Requires that in carrying out this Act, the Director shall provide for: (1) augmented research into various aspects of breast cancer in younger women, including the long-term effects of treatment; and (2) augmented information and education programs regarding breast cancer in younger women.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2003
Unemployment Benefits Extension Act - Amends the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 (TEUCA) to: (1) extend the TEUC program; (2) provide for additional weeks of TEUC benefits; (3) revise unemployment rate triggers for TEUC benefit periods; and (4) provide for regular unemployment compensation for certain individuals based on part-time work or an alternative base period. Extends the TEUC program through weeks of unemployment ending before December 28, 2003. Provides a phaseout period for individual payments up to weeks beginning after July 31, 2004. Increases to 26 weeks an eligible individual's TEUC payments. Provides for an additional seven weeks of payments, for a total of 33 weeks, for individuals in high-unemployment States (TEUC-X). (Current law provides 13 weeks of regular TEUC payments, with an additional 13 and total 26 in TEUC-X States.) Revises requirements for determining TEUC-X States, using certain triggers based on insured unemployment rates and on total unemployment rates. Establishes a program of payments to States to provide regular unemployment compensation benefits for individuals who otherwise would be ineligible because: (1) the base period does not count wages earned in the most recently completed calendar quarter; or (2) the individuals seek or are available for less than full-time work.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2003
Teacher Mentoring Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to authorize the Secretary of Education to make competitive three-year grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish or implement teacher mentoring programs to guide and assist new teachers and improve teacher quality. Requires such programs to provide: (1) training and stipends for mentors; (2) mentoring programs for teachers in their first year of teaching; and (3) regular and ongoing opportunities for mentors and mentees to observe each other's teaching methods in classroom settings during the school day. Requires such programs to establish: (1) minimum qualifications for mentors; and (2) an evaluation and accountability plan for, and report on, program activities. Requires LEAs, in using such program grants, to prioritize funding for mentoring activities at elementary and secondary schools which the LEA identifies under ESEA as failing to make adequate yearly progress. Directs the Secretary to: (1) award at least 50 percent of such grants to low-income LEAs; and (2) report to Congress on program results, including impact on teacher retention rates.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2003
SCHIP Web-Based Enrollment Act of 2003 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to encourage the use of Internet web-based enrollment systems under SCHIP. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services 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 · 3 April 2003
National Rail Infrastructure Program Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a National Rail Infrastructure Program to provide grants for projects addressing railroad infrastructure and systems deficiencies. Makes eligible for such grants projects to: (1) maintain and increase track and intermodal yard capacity; (2) acquire rights-of-way for future expansion; (3) separate railroad and road crossings and make other railroad and road interface improvements; (4) separate rail-to-rail crossings; (5) integrate railroad systems; and (6) construct, repair, and rehabilitate track and related supporting structures. Prohibits the use of grant funds for operating expenses, acquisition of rolling stock, payment of debt, or construction or repair of maintenance facilities, passenger facilities at stations, or other ancillary railroad business structures. Requires at least 20 percent of project costs to be provided by State, local, and other non-Federal public sources. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax of: (1) five percent on the sale of any specified railroad equipment by the manufacturer, producer, or importer; (2) five percent of the amount paid for taxable rail transportation of any person by commuter rail, and of ten percent in any other case; and (3) one percent of the amount paid inside or outside the United States for the taxable rail transportation of property. Establishes in the Treasury a National Rail Infrastructure Program Trust Fund, consisting of amounts equivalent to: (1) specified excise taxes received with respect to fuel used in a train, and the excise tax under this Act on railroad locomotives and rolling stock; (2) ten percent of all customs duties received after September 30, 2003; and (3) ten percent of all royalties attributable to the removal of oil or gas from Federal lands. Makes amounts in the Trust Fund available only for grants under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2003
Medicare Rx Now Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for outpatient prescription drug coverage under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), along with an annual deductible, adjusted for inflation, with a three-tiered copayment structure (with reduced copayments for generic drugs). Allows for high-deductible outpatient prescription drug coverage under such new program with the provision of benefits through Medicare approved prescription drug plans, including a Medicare+Choice plan under Medicare+Choice (Medicare part C). Directs the Secretary to solicit bids from entities to offer prescription drug discount card plans to individuals enrolled under part B as long as the entity offering a prescription drug discount card plan does not offer benefits to designees of the plan in addition to high-deductible prescription drug coverage, access to negotiated prices, and other required benefits under this Act. Outlines benefits for low-income beneficiaries, including eligibility for low-income subsidies under the Medicaid program (SSA title XIX). Provides for changes under Medicaid with respect to the enrollment process, including providing for automatic reenrollment without need to reapply.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2003
Requires engine coolant or antifreeze sold after January 1, 2004, that is manufactured after July 1, 2003, and that contains more than ten percent ethylene glycol, to include denatonium benzoate at a minimum of 30 parts per million (or other equally effective aversive agent) as a bittering agent so as to render it unpalatable. Requires a manufacturer or packager of such product to maintain records of compliance with this Act. Declares that any manufacturer, distributor, recycler, or seller of an automotive product required by this Act to contain an aversive agent shall not be liable (except for willful or wanton misconduct) for personal injury, death, or property damage that results from compliance with this Act. Declares this Act inapplicable to: (1) the sale of a motor vehicle that contains engine coolant or antifreeze; or (2) wholesale containers of engine coolant or antifreeze containing 55 gallons or more of engine coolant or antifreeze.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2003
True American Heroes Act of 2003 - Authorizes the posthumous award of congressional gold medals to the government workers and others who responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Virginia and perished in the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and to the people aboard United Airlines Flight 93 who helped resist the hijackers on board and caused the plane to crash. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $50 dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the tragic events that occurred at the Pentagon, in New York City, and in Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2003
Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to increase the imprisonment penalty for animal fighting violations from one year to two years. Makes it unlawful to sell, buy, transport, or deliver in interstate or foreign commerce a knife, gaff, or other sharp instrument used in a bird-fighting venture. Revises enforcement provisions. Permits euthanasia for an animal in extreme pain. Includes the Internet or any technology as interstate instrumentality.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2003
Whatever It Takes To Rebuild Act of 2003 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to: (1) authorize the President to make community disaster loans to State governments; (2) eliminate the $5 million limit on the amount of any such loan; and (3) prohibit the President from requiring the payment of any interest or principal on such a loan made to a State or local government which may suffer a substantial loss of tax and other revenues as a result of a major disaster caused by a terrorist attack. Provides that this Act shall apply to any major disaster occurring on or after October 30, 2000. Authorizes the President to make community disaster loans to New York City and the State of New York for tax and other revenue losses as a result of the major disaster caused by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Provides that the total amount of such loans shall be $8.8 billion or such greater amount as is determined by the President to be necessary to cover such losses. Prohibits the President from requiring the payment of any interest or principal on such loans.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2003
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to maintaining the security of all freedom-loving nations. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) strike such gold medal (and authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell duplicate bronze medals); and (2) deposit sums received from the sale of the bronze medals into the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2003
Don't Feed the Bears Act of 2003 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to enforce the National Parks System regulatory prohibitions against the feeding and baiting of wildlife on National Park System lands and in wildlife refuge areas, in particular the intentional feeding of bears for the purpose of enticing them to a particular area to be hunted (bear baiting). Requires the Secretary of the Interior with respect to lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, and the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to National Forest System lands, to adopt and enforce a regulation to prohibit individuals from intentionally feeding bears, including feeding for the purpose of bear baiting.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2003
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act - 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 · 27 March 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a taxpayer who owns and operates a shipyard to elect to use the completed contract accounting method with respect to an qualified naval construction contract (more than 24 months in duration).
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2003
Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 2003 - Provides for coverage of qualified acupuncturist services under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act and under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2003
WISEWOMAN Expansion Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to permit the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through a competitive review process, to award grants to States to provide additional specified preventive health services, screenings, education, and referrals under PHSA provisions concerning preventive health measures with respect to breast and cervical cancers. Authorizes appropriations.
![Official portrait of Rep. Israel, Steve [D-NY-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/i000057_200.jpg)