United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2004
National Farm Animal Identification and Records Act - Amends the Animal Health Protection Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an electronic nationwide livestock identification system to enhance the Department of Agriculture's response to outbreaks of livestock disease. Requires that such system: (1) be capable of tracing, within 48 hours, livestock from birth to slaughter; (2) provide for access by States and inclusion of State information; and (3) apply to all livestock born or imported into the United Sates, and to interstate and intrastate commerce. Exempts, with specified exceptions, system information from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act or other release into the public domain. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide producer participation assistance; and (2) appoint an international panel of scientific experts to review the Department's response to an outbreak of livestock disease.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2004
Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program Extension and Reform Act of 2005 - Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to repeal the authorization to use certain funds in the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Fund (Fund) by the Secretary of Agriculture for rural land reclamation. Revises guidelines governing: (1) the availability of moneys from the Fund: (2) the disposition of unappropriated Fund balances; (3) transfers to the United Mine Workers of America Combined Benefit Fund; and (4) submission of quarterly reports by operators of surface coal mining operations. Revises requirements governing allocation of funds and allocation of funds to states and Indian tribes. Prescribes guidelines for initial program sites and bond forfeiture sites with insolvent sureties. Revises requirements for the granting of funds to set forth guidelines governing: (1) the application processing deadline; (2) the disposition of unexpended funds; and (3) a state set-aside program. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to require that states assume responsibility for administering the emergency reclamation program in order to remain eligible to receive grants. Authorizes the Secretary to propose regulations prescribing conditions under which the Fund would be used to promote remining of eligible lands, including reclamation fee rebates or waivers and other incentives.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2004
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2004 - Adjusts the basic Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity amount for surviving spouses, age 62 and older, of former military personnel to: (1) 35 percent of the retired pay of the decedent (current law), for months before October 2005; (2) 40 percent for months after September 2005 and before October 2008; (3) 45 percent for months after September 2008 and before October 2014; and (4) 55 percent for months after September 2014 . Adjusts similarly percentage amounts with respect to survivors of reserve personnel and survivors of persons who die while on active duty. Provides a corresponding phased elimination of the SBP supplemental annuity authorized to be provided to such surviving spouses. Requires periodic recomputation of: (1) annuity amounts beginning in October 2005; and (2) retired pay reductions for supplemental survivor annuities. Provides a one-year open enrollment period for SBP participation, commencing October 1, 2005, for those currently not participating, those electing to increase current coverage, and those wishing to participate in the supplemental SBP. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to require appropriate premiums for SBP participation.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2004
Medicare's Equitable Drugs for Seniors Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to repeal provisions prohibiting the Secretary of Health and Human Services from: (1) interfering with the negotiations between drug manufacturers and pharmacies and prescription drug plan sponsors; and (2) requiring a particular formulary to institute a price structure for the reimbursement of covered Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) drugs. Grants the Secretary instead, in order to ensure that beneficiaries enrolled under prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans pay the lowest possible price, authority similar to that of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Secretary of Defense, and the heads of other Federal agencies and departments that purchase prescription drugs in bulk to negotiate contracts with manufacturers of covered Medicare part D drugs, consistent with the requirements and in furtherance of the goals of providing quality care and containing costs under such part.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Keeping America's Promise to Steel Act - Reinstates the safeguard measures implemented under Proclamation 7529 of March 5, 2002, which imposed a tariff on certain steel products, and nullifies Proclamation 7741 of December 4, 2003, lifting such measures.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Employee Free Choice Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board to certify a bargaining representative without directing an election if a majority of the bargaining unit employees have authorized designation of the representative and there is no other individual or labor organization currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit. Sets forth special procedural requirements for reaching an initial collective bargaining agreement following certification or recognition. Revises enforcement requirements with respect to unfair labor practices during union organizing drives. Provides, under injunction provisions, for priority to be given to preliminary investigation of charges of violations by employers or other entities. Adds to remedies for such violations: (1) back pay plus liquidated damages; and (2) additional civil penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to (FCUA) to authorize real estate lease extensions at minimal charge to credit unions that finance the construction of credit union facilities on Federal land. Permits a credit union to make investments in securities for its own account. Increases the maturity date on credit union loans from 12 years to 15 years, or longer as the National Credit Union Administration Board may allow. Increases from up to one percent to up to three percent of the total paid in and unimpaired capital and surplus the limit on an individual credit union's aggregate investment in credit union service organizations. Exempts loans to nonprofit religious organizations from restrictions placed upon member business loans relating to credit union net worth or capitalization standards. Permits a credit union to offer money transfer instruments, including electronic fund transfers, to persons in the field of membership as well as to actual members. Exempts multiple common-bond credit union mergers and conversions from certain numerical limitations on field of membership. Requires the Board to prescribe criteria for the voluntary conversion of a common-bond credit union into a community credit union. Authorizes the board of directors of a Federal credit union to expel a member for just cause, including disruption of credit union operations. States that reimbursement for lost wages owing to voluntary service on a credit union board of directors shall not be treated as prohibited compensation. Revises the criteria for increasing the interest rate ceiling on the unpaid loan balance. Authorizes a credit union to lease specified office space in buildings in underserved areas to any business enterprise if the space is separate and clearly distinct from any office or operation of the credit union. Amends credit union conversion voting requirements. Amends the Clayton Act to exempt from its premerger notification and waiting period requirements mergers among certain insured credit unions. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to treat credit unions as depository institutions for certain purposes. Revises the credit union net worth limitations placed upon member business loans to twenty percent of credit union total assets. Repeals the requirement that an undercapitalized insured credit union become adequately capitalized before it may increase the total amount of member business loans outstanding at any one time. Allows an undercapitalized insured credit union to increase the total amount of such outstanding loans if the Board approves. Redefines: (1) credit union "net worth ratio"; and (2) "critically undercapitalized" credit union. Repeals the mandate that regulations for complex credit unions include a risk-based net worth requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to reimburse a member of the armed forces for the cost of protective body armor purchased by the member, or another person on behalf of the member, for the member's use while deployed in connection with Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, or Iraqi Freedom if the member was so deployed and was not issued protective armor before such deployment.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Affirms congressional support for preserving President Franklin D. Roosevelt's profile on the dime because of his innumerable contributions to and lasting impact on the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2003
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users - Reauthorizes the Federal-aid surface transportation program through FY 2009. Reauthorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) specified highway (including highway safety) programs; (2) research and technology; (3) motor carrier safety; and (4) transportation research. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a National Commission on Future Revenue Sources to Support the HTF. Establishes: (1) a National Commission on the Future of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate Defense Highways; and (2) a Commission on Intelligent Transportation Systems Procurement Policy. Requires States with an urbanized area population of over 200,000 to obligate specified funds for congestion relief. Federal Public Transportation Act of 2004 - Sets forth revised provisions governing public transportation funding and the Secretary's authority to make specified grants, including grants for capital projects, planning, and transit and for commercial driver's license program improvements. Directs the Secretary to establish programs involving: (1) long-term bridge performance; (2) innovative highway safety technologies; (3) freight planning capacity building; (4) freight transportation research; (5) future strategic highway research; (6) surface transportation congestion solutions research; and (7) commercial remote sensing products and spatial information technologies. Intelligent Transportation Systems Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary to conduct an ongoing intelligent system transportation program to research, develop, and operationally test and advance nationwide deployment of intelligent transportation systems as a component of the U.S. surface transportation systems. Incorporates Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration planning provisions. Reauthorizes the hazardous materials transportation program. Makes the guaranteed funding levels provided under this Act dependent on identifying additional budgetary resources.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2003
Rural Healthcare Improvement Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to services in rural areas, inpatient hospital services, physician services, physician updates, home health services, and the Office of Rural Health Policy. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to provide for a special, temporary increase in disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments on a one-time, non-cumulative basis, and an increase in the floor for treatment as a low DSH State. Provides for allotment adjustments for FY 2004 and 2005 for States without a DSH allotment owing to revocation or termination of a certain waiver. (The Medicare provisions of H.R. 3549 are identical to title I of S. 1926, the Support Our Health Care Providers Act of 2003, which in turn is identical, except with respect to any provider cuts or premium increases, to title IV of the conference report of H.R. 1, the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003, which became Public Law 108-173 on December 8, 2003. The Medicaid provision is very similar to one in title VI, subtitle A of H.R. 3549.)
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2003
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member. Directs the Secretary to reimburse such eligible persons for pharmacy benefits received from a pharmacy that is not a TRICARE (Department of Defense managed health care plan) network pharmacy in the same manner as the Secretary would reimburse such person for such benefits received from a TRICARE network pharmacy. Requires such persons, in order to receive such reimbursement, to submit a certification from their physician stating that the person does not have access to a TRICARE network pharmacy due to physical or medical constraints. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive the monthly part B premium (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) with respect to: (1) an individual who is entitled to military retired or retainer pay based upon service that began before December 7, 1956; and (2) the spouse, widow, or widower of such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2003
Post Office Community Partnership Act of 2003 - Modifies Federal postal law to revise requirements for the closing or consolidation of a post office and apply them, as well, to its proposed closing, consolidation, relocation, or construction. Requires a 60-day notice, under certain conditions, to persons (including local government officials) who are (or would be) served by the post office involved to allow such individuals an opportunity to present their views before such proposed action. Requires the notice: (1) by the deadline, to be hand delivered or delivered by mail and published once a week for at least four weeks in one or more newspapers regularly issued and of general circulation within the zip code areas which are (or would be) served by the post office involved; and (2) to include a description of the proposed action, a summary of the reasons for it, and the date on which the action is to be taken (or, in the case of the construction of a post office, the proposed timetable). Revises the factors to be considered in deciding whether or not to take such proposed actions. Requires the Postal Service to follow a community's public participation procedures to address the relocation, closing, consolidation, or construction of buildings in the community if such procedures are more stringent than those provided in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Truthfulness, Responsibility, and Accountability in Contracting Act of 2003 - Requires the head of each Federal agency to submit to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget a certification that a contracting function decision was based on a public-private competition and that the agency: (1) has established a centralized reporting system; (2) is not managing Federal employees by any arbitrary limitations; and (3) is reviewing work performed by contractors, recompeting or contracting in work when appropriate, and subjecting to public-private competition a certain number of Federal employee and contractor positions. Prohibits the head of an agency from entering into any contract for the performance of services until the Director, after reviewing the certification required, determines that the agency is making substantial progress toward meeting requirements under this Act. Allows the Director to waive the applicability of this Act for national security and other specified reasons. Requires that any decision by an agency to either transfer the performance of a function from Federal employees to a contractor or to assign to a contractor the performance of a function not currently performed by Federal employees to be based on the results of a public-private competition process that formally compares the costs of Federal employee versus contractor performance. Directs the Comptroller General to monitor agency compliance with this Act. Authorizes: (1) the Secretaries of Defense and of Homeland Security to waive the application of the public-private competition requirements under specified circumstances; and (2) the Director to carry out a limited pilot program regarding the use of alternative public-private competition processes.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2003
Urges the President to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Pope John Paul II to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the inauguration of his ministry as Bishop of Rome and Supreme Pastor of the Catholic Church.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2003
Financial Literacy Enhancement Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to develop, implement, and conduct a pilot national public service multimedia campaign to enhance the state of financial literacy in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2003
Neighbors in Need Act - Amends the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 (TEUCA) to: (1) extend the TEUCA program in States with high unemployment (States that already qualify for the TEUC-X program (under which second tier benefit amounts are deposited in an individual's account) or would if the trigger for such program were changed) through March 31, 2004, with a phase-out period through June 30, 2004; and (2) provide eight additional weeks of TEUC benefits to those who have exhausted theirs before enactment of this Act. Amends the Social Security Act to require: (1) increases and decreases in the earnings allocated to State accounts when States meet or fail to meet funding goals; and (2) interest-free advances to State accounts in the Unemployment Trust Fund to be restricted to States which meet funding goals. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) suspend the tax on individual unemployment compensation for 2004 and 2005; (2) allow certified States to elect to collect Federal unemployment taxes, under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA); and (3) require States to distribute to unemployed individuals State-specific information packets explaining unemployment insurance eligibility conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2003
Authorizes the President to award congressional gold medals posthumously, to their next of kin, on behalf of Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson, in recognition of their contributions to the Nation as pioneers in South Carolina in the effort to desegregate public schools that led directly to the landmark desegregation case of Brown et al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka et al. Directs that amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals be deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Marine Corps 230th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 one dollar coins which shall be emblematic of the warrior ethos of the United States Marine Corps. Requires all surcharges from the sale of the coins to be paid to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation for construction of the Marine Corps Heritage Center.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2003
Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act of 2003 - Rape Kits and DNA Evidence Backlog Elimination Act of 2003 - Amends: (1) the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to reauthorize the Act; (2) the DNA Identification Act of 1994 (Identification Act) to expand the scope of DNA samples to be included in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS); and (3) the Violence Against Women Act to authorize grants to increase the availability of legal assistance to victims of dating violence. DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act of 2003 - Amends the Identification Act to require that CODIS include only information on DNA identification records and analyses that are prepared by laboratories that: (1) have been accredited by a nationally recognized nonprofit professional association of forensic scientists within two years; and (2) undergo external audits at least every two years that demonstrate compliance with specified standards. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants for: (1) DNA training and education; (2) sexual assault forensic examination programs; (3) research and development; (4) using DNA technology to identify missing persons; and (5) tribal domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions. Expands and reauthorizes the Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Grant Program. Innocence Protection Act of 2003 - Sets forth conditions under which a Federal prisoner may obtain post-conviction DNA testing of specific evidence. Directs the Attorney General to award grants to States to improve the quality of legal representation in State capital cases.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2003
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Rest and Recuperation Leave program for members of the armed forces serving in combat zones in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom should cover all travel and transportation costs necessary to return members granted leave to their homes. (Currently, such program covers transportation to only an approved point of debarkation in the United States.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2003
Benjamin Franklin Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one dollar coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Benjamin Franklin (not more than 250,000 bearing his image as a young statesman and not more than 250,000 with his image as an older numismatist). Directs that all sales include a $10 per coin surcharge, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission, to be used to educate people about Franklin's legacy.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2003
District of Columbia Personal Protection Act - Amends the District of Columbia Code to provide that the D.C. Council's regulatory authority regarding firearms, explosives, and weapons in the District shall not be construed to permit the Council, the Mayor, or any governmental or regulatory authority of the District to prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the ability of persons otherwise permitted to possess firearms under Federal law from acquiring, possessing in their homes or businesses, or using for sporting, self-protection or other lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited by Federal law nor regulated by the National Firearms Act. Denies the District any authority to enact laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms. Amends the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 to repeal the definition of a machine gun as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading. (Thus repeals the ban on semiautomatic weapons.) Repeals the District's: (1) registration requirement for possession of firearms; (2) prohibition on registration of pistols (handguns); (3) prohibition on possession of handgun ammunition; (4) requirement that, under certain conditions, firearms in the possession of certain individuals must be kept unloaded, disassembled, or with the trigger locked; (5) related firearm registration requirements such as applicant qualifications and filing deadline. Maintains the current ban on the possession and control of a sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, or short-barreled rifle. Eliminates criminal penalties for possessing an unregistered firearm. Amends Federal law to eliminate criminal penalties for carrying a pistol whether loaded or unloaded in one's dwelling house, place of business, or on land possessed by such person.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2003
Directs the President to convene a Commission to Educate our Nation's Teachers and Students on Financial Literacy Skills to examine, identify, and report to the President, the congressional leadership, and the chief executive officers of the States on government policies that promote economic and financial literacy.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Cancer Survivorship Research and Quality of Life Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include demonstration, education, and other programs concerning cancer survivorship among the activities of the National Cancer Institute (Institute) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Requires the Director of NIH, acting through the Director of the Institute, to: (1) expand and coordinate NIH activities related to cancer survivorship; and (2) establish an Office on Survivorship within the Institute. Creates the position of Associate Director for Survivorship. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, to study the health challenges associated with cancer survivorship and carry out projects and interventions. Requires the Secretary to make grants for the monitoring and evaluation of cancer care and survivorship.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2003
Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from taking any action proposed under the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services initiative of the Department of Veterans Affairs: (1) unless the Secretary has notified Congress of the intention to take such action; and (2) until the later of the expiration of a 60-day period, or 30 days of continuous congressional session, after such notification.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2003
John Marshall Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury: (1) to mint and issue not more than 400,000 silver one dollar coins emblematic of Chief Justice John Marshall and his contributions to the United States in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of his birth; and (2) in cooperation with the Legacy Fund of the Library of Congress, to develop and implement a marketing program to promote and sell the coins. Directs that all sales of coins minted under this Act include a ten dollar per coin surcharge, to be paid by the Secretary to the Supreme Court Historical Society for purposes of: (1) supporting historical research about the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and related topics; (2) supporting fellowship programs, internships, and docents at the Supreme Court; and (3) collecting and preserving related antiques, artifacts, and other historical items.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2003
Contractors Accountability Act of 2003 - Directs the Administrator of General Services to establish and maintain a database of information regarding integrity and performance of Federal contracts and assistance recipients for use by Federal procurement award officials and Federal officials having authority to debar or suspend persons from Federal contracts or assistance. Includes within required database information all judicial and administrative proceedings against such contractors or assistance recipients. Requires such information to be available to all Federal agencies and the public. Requires Federal agency suspension and debarment regulations to be amended to provide that an entity shall be presumed to be nonresponsible with respect to the award of a Federal contract or assistance if the entity has rendered against it twice within any three-year period a judgment or conviction for the same offense, if each conviction constitutes a cause for Federal debarment. Requires entities to disclose in contract or assistance solicitations, bids, or offers all debarments or suspensions, judicial and administrative proceedings against the entity, and agreements that the entity is performing to avoid suspension or debarment within the last five years. Requires the Interagency Committee on Debarment and Suspension to take certain actions with respect to Federal suspension or debarment proceedings. Allows: (1) Federal agencies, commissions, or organizations not currently participating in the Federal suspension and debarment system to do so; and (2) payments received under administrative agreements to avoid suspension or debarment to be used for costs associated with the database.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2003
Great Lakes Restoration Financing Act of 2003 - Establishes the Great Lakes Advisory Board to: (1) develop a biennial comprehensive Great Lakes management plan; (2) coordinate Great Lakes restoration efforts; and (3) implement a public awareness campaign. Establishes a scientific working group to evaluate the scientific integrity of the Great Lakes restoration effort and assist the Board in its decisionmaking. Requires the management plan to be submitted to the President, appropriate congressional committees, the governor of each Great Lakes State, and the Great Lakes mayors. Includes as possible Great Lakes ecosystem goals: (1) the cleanup of toxic hot spots; (2) the elimination of invasive species; (3) pollution decrease; (4) the restoration and conservation of wetlands and critical coastal habitat; (5) the elimination of dead zones caused by hypoxia and harmful algal bloom; (6) the sustainable use and management of Great Lakes water resources; and (7) public participation in Great Lakes restoration. Requires each Great Lakes State to have in effect a State Great Lakes Management Plan, approved by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and updated every two years, in order to be eligible for assistance apportionments authorized under this Act. Provides apportioned funding to Great Lakes States for restoration activities. Authorizes the Administrator to appoint a special master to direct the remediation of an area of concern.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2003
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. (posthumously) and his widow, Coretta Scott King, in recognition of their service to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2003
Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to extend Federal preemption to State law enacted after January 1, 2004, that declares explicitly that it is intended to supplement the FCRA and grant greater protection to consumers than is provided under Federal law. (Thus repeals the protection from Federal preemption granted to more stringent State consumer protection laws). Sets forth measures to address identity theft prevention, including: (1) credit card issuer responsibility to investigate cardholder change of address; and (2) truncation of credit and debit card account numbers. Places an affirmative duty upon a consumer reporting agency to: (1) make notification of fraud alert; (2) provide a summary of rights to identity theft victims; and (3) block information resulting from identity theft. Directs the Federal banking agencies to establish procedures for depository institutions to identify possible instances of identity theft. Instructs the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe rules for coordination of consumer complaint investigations. Requires a consumer reporting agency to take specified actions to reconcile discrepancies pertaining to a consumer address. Prohibits furnishing information to a consumer reporting agency that is known to include identity theft activity. Repeals limitations attached to mandatory free annual credit report disclosures that are furnished upon consumer request. Requires a consumer reporting agency, when fulfilling a consumer request for all information in the consumer's file, to include a summary of how any individual consumer credit score was derived and how it might be improved. Excludes from FCRA consumer disclosure requirements certain communications pertaining to employee misconduct investigations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2003
Rachel Granger Act of 2003 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to authorize waivers by the Commissioner of Social Security of the five-month waiting period for entitlement to benefits based on disability in cases in which the Commissioner determines that such waiting period would cause undue hardship to terminally ill beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2003
National Heroes Credit Protection Act - Amends the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 to require any consumer credit information entity that receives from a creditor a negative report of nonpayment or late payment with respect to the account of a person in military service to enter a notation that the account is delinquent or paid slowly due to military service. Requires any future potential creditor that receives a credit report that includes such a notation to disregard any negative information so noted.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2003
Cable Consumer Rights Act of 2003 - Repeals provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which prohibit the Federal Communications Commission and local cable franchising authorities from regulating the rates for cable television service. Reinstates cable rate regulatory provisions of the Communications Act of 1934 in effect before the enactment of such provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Protect Diversity in Media Act - Invalidates the final rules adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) pursuant to its broadcast media ownership proceeding and announced on June 2, 2003. Reinstates (retroactively, as in effect prior to such announcement) any rule that the FCC modified pursuant to that proceeding. Prohibits the FCC from using current biennial rule review authority to review broadcast media ownership rules.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2003
Theodore Roosevelt Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than: (1) 500,000 $1 coins with the image of Theodore Roosevelt as a Rough Rider on one side and an eagle design on the other side; and (2) 500,000 $1 coins with the image of Roosevelt on horseback on one side and a flaming sword of righteousness on the other side. Calls for the coins to be struck at the U.S. Mint at West Point, New York. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such minted coins beginning on January 1, 2006, and to initiate coin sales before such date (2006 will mark the 100th anniversary of Roosevelt receiving the Nobel Peace Prize). Requires surcharges from the sale of the coins to be paid to the Theodore Roosevelt Association to be used exclusively for educational programs at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, including for construction and maintenance of a visitor's center.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
The TRICARE Retirees Opportunity Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) waive the part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) late enrollment penalty for certain military retirees who enroll by December 31, 2004; and (2) provide a special part B enrollment period for such retirees.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
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 · 4 June 2003
Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act of 2003 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health Administration for FY 2005 130 percent of the amount obligated during FY 2003. Adjusts the amount provided for fiscal years after FY 2005 based on the number of enrolled veterans and the number of other persons eligible but not enrolled who are provided care, multiplied by the per capital baseline amount for FY 2003, as increased by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index. Prohibits the availability of such funds for: (1) construction, acquisition, or alteration of veterans' medical facilities (other than for repairs provided for before the date of enactment of this Act); or (2) grants for the construction of State home facilities for the furnishing of veterans' domiciliary, nursing home, and hospital care.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) all Americans should take an active role in combating reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) by recognizing specified symptoms (which often follow an injury or surgery); (2) national and community organizations should be recognized and applauded for their work in promoting RSD awareness and for providing information and support to its sufferers; (3) health care providers should continue to increase their efforts to diagnose the disease in its earliest possible stages to increase the likelihood of remission; and (4) the Government has a responsibility to endeavor to raise awareness about the importance of the early detection and proper treatment of RSD, work to increase research funding so that the causes of, and improved treatment and cure for, RSD may be discovered, and continue to consider ways to improve access to, and the quality of, health care services for detecting and treating RSD.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2003
Loan Forgiveness for Head Start Teachers Act of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend to certain Head Start teachers student loan forgiveness under both the Federal Family Education Loan program and the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to provide for an extension of time for States to request payments for activities to improve administration of elections and for replacement of punch card or lever voting machines. Repeals the exemption of the Election Assistance Commission from certain Government contracting requirements (thus requiring the Commission to advertise for proposals for purchases and contracts for supplies or services). Revises audit capacity requirements to require the voting system to produce a voter-verified paper record suitable for a manual audit equivalent or superior to that of a paper ballot box system. Requires the voting system to provide a mechanism for voter-verification of results with respect to individuals with disabilities which separates the function of vote generation from the function of vote casting, but does not require the use of paper. Requires instruction of election officials in the rights of the disabled to vote with the assistance of an aide of their selection under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Requires the Commission to study and develop best practices to enhance accessibility and voter-verification mechanisms for disabled voters. Accelerates the deadline for compliance with voting systems standards from January 1, 2006, to the regularly scheduled November 2004 general Federal election. Requires each State and jurisdiction unable to meet such deadline to receive a paper voting system at Commission expense that shall be deemed compliant with such standards for use in the November 2004 general election. Requires Federal certification of technological security of voter registration lists. Directs the Commission to: (1) conduct manual mandatory surprise recounts of the voter-verified records of each election for Federal office (and, at State or local option, of elections for State and local office) in .5 percent of the jurisdictions in each State and .5 percent of the overseas jurisdictions in which voter-verified records are preserved in accordance with this Act immediately following each general election for Federal office; and (2) promptly publish the results of those recounts.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act - Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor to prepare and publish a monthly Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI) that indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are typical for individuals aged 62 years or older. Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) and XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for the use of such new CPI in the computation of cost-of-living increases for Social Security and Medicare benefits under such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2003
Emergency Home Financing Assistance Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to guarantee loans to homeowners with properties contaminated and reduced in value by leaking underground storage tanks. Permits loans to be used for other residences or to obtain equity in the property. Requires public housing agencies to physically maintain qualified (entitled to a loan guarantee) property under its jurisdiction. Requires the Secretary to fix and collect loan guarantee fees. Directs the Secretary to issue a certificate of guarantee for approved loans. Sets forth loan default procedures, providing for foreclosure, assignment, and forgiveness, as specified. Establishes in the Treasury a loan guarantee fund to be credited with loan collections, guarantee fees, and appropriations to pay costs of the program to the extent that amounts in the fund are made available by appropriations acts.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2003
Financial Contracts Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) and the Federal Credit Union Act (FCUA) to redefine specified contracts, agreements, and transfers entered into with an insolvent insured depository institution prior to the appointment of a conservator or receiver. Retains the right of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the National Credit Union Administration Board (NCUAB) to: (1) accelerate a qualified financial contract with an insured depository institution in receivership status; and (2) transfer, disaffirm, or repudiate a qualified financial contract of a failed institution. Prohibits enforcement of a walkaway clause in a qualified financial contract of a failed insured depository institution. Revises guidelines pertaining to an insolvent insured depository institution and: (1) transfers of qualified financial contracts; and (2) the termination rights of counterparties to a qualified financial contract. Prescribes guidelines for: (1) the disaffirmance or repudiation of qualified financial contracts by the conservator or receiver for a failed depository institution; and (2) the treatment of a master agreement as a single agreement and a single qualified financial contract. Amends the Federal Bankruptcy Code to: (1) deny an automatic stay to set-offs under certain swap and netting agreements; and (2) restrict bankruptcy trustee avoidance power regarding certain master netting agreement transfers to those that are fraudulent in nature. Sets forth statutory guidelines governing: (1) the termination or acceleration of certain kinds of contracts and agreements; and (2) commodity broker and stockbroker liquidation with respect to the priority of unsecured claims, or customer property or distributions. Amends the FDIA and the FCUA to authorize more detailed recordkeeping requirements for qualified financial contracts if the pertinent institution is in a troubled condition. Exempts specified collateralization agreements involving bankruptcy estate funds, extensions of credit, or certain qualified financial contracts from the contemporaneous execution requirement, failure to meet which ordinarily renders invalid certain agreements found to be against FDIC interests in an asset acquisition. Amends the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1971 to prohibit a judicial protective decree, or one issued by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, from operating as a stay of creditor's contract rights to liquidate, terminate, or accelerate designated contracts and agreements. Allows such a protective order, however, to operate as a stay of foreclosure on securities collateral pledged by the debtor.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services and Supports Act of 2003 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to mandate State Medicaid plan coverage of community-based attendant services and supports for certain Medicaid-eligible individuals. Outlines provisions for: (1) an enhanced Federal medical assistance percentage for ongoing activities of early coverage States that enhance and promote the use of community-based attendant services and supports; and (2) increased Federal financial participation for certain expenditures incurred by the State for the provision of community-based attendant services and supports. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) award grants to eligible States which have established a Consumer Task Force to assist the State in its development of real choice systems change initiatives; and (2) conduct a demonstration project for the purpose of evaluating service coordination and cost-sharing approaches with respect to the provision of community-based services and supports to non-elderly dually eligible individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Identity Theft and Financial Privacy Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prescribe duties imposed upon: (1) a card issuer with respect to confirmation of a consumer's changes of address; and (2) a consumer reporting agency with respect to notice of potential fraud. Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prescribe duties imposed upon a consumer reporting agency with respect to notice of potential fraud. Exempts from such requirements: (1) certain consumer reporting agencies acting as resellers of information; (2) certain check services companies; and (3) certain demand deposit account information service companies. Mandates truncation of credit card and debit card account numbers. Requires a consumer reporting agency to furnish, upon consumer request, a free annual disclosure of the information in the consumer's file.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
SMART Research and Development Compact - 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 multi-State organization for strengthening the Mid-Atlantic region for tomorrow (SMART)) if it is entered into by two or more of the following States: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kanjorski, Paul E. [D-PA-11]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000008_200.jpg)