United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2002
Genetically Engineered Food Safety Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to include genetically engineered food and related materials in the definition of "food additive." Requires that a petition to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for a regulation prescribing the conditions of safe use of a genetically engineered food additive include all data collected or developed pursuant to safety investigations, including data that does not support the claim of safety. Authorizes citizen suits concerning food additives against the alleged violator or against the Secretary for failure to perform a mandatory act or duty under this Act. Mandates a fee from petitioners to cover related costs and to provide for a program of basic and applied research on genetic food additive safety. Authorizes the detention (seizure) of food as well as devices during an inspection where the appropriate officer or employee of the Department of Health and Human Services has reason to believe such food or device is in violation of this Act. Requires all food retailers to register with the Food and Drug Administration to expedite recalls, embargoes, and seizures.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2002
Genetically Engineered Organism Liability Act of 2002 - States that a biotech company shall be liable, and that the liability may not be waived or avoided, to any party injured by the release of a genetically engineered organism into the environment if the injury results from such genetic engineering. Defines "biotech company" and "injury" for purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2002
Fair Advertising and Increased Research Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit any drug manufacturer from taking a tax deduction for expenditures relating to the advertising, promoting, or marketing of any FDA prescription drug to the extent the aggregate amount of such expenditures exceeds the manufacturer's aggregate research and development expenditures. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to estimate amount of additional tax revenues raised by enforcement of the Act, to be allocated to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2002
Rejection of Social Security Privatization Act of 2002-States that Congress hereby commits: (1) to preserve the guaranteed, lifelong, inflation-protected benefits provided under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to retirees, disabled workers and their families, and the survivors of deceased workers; and (2) therefore to reject the President's plans to partially privatize Social Security, as well as other proposals to privatize Social Security, and any and all proposals that would threaten the ability of the Social Security Trust Funds to sustain the lifelong, guaranteed, inflation-protected benefits provided under SSA.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2002
Pension Protection Act of 2002 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to direct the Secretary of Labor to undertake enforcement actions with respect to requirements for pension plan participation, vesting, benefit accrual, and funding, including an appropriate enforcement response in connection with a report on oversight of certain cash balance plan lump sum distributions. Directs the Secretary, with the Secretary of the Treasury, to develop improved guidance for defined benefit plan administrators, with respect to requirements for such plans which express accrued benefits in the form of an account balance, including further assistance relating to all factors involved in determining lump sum distributions of accrued benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2002
Establishes a National Commission on Terrorist Acts Upon the United States. Directs the Commission to: (1) investigate facts and circumstances relating to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; and (2) evaluate lessons learned regarding the abilities of the Federal Government, and, if appropriate, of State and local governments and nongovernmental entities to detect, prevent, and respond to such attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2002
Hour's Pay for an Hour's Work Act of 2002 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to condition an exemption from overtime requirements for certain drivers upon their being paid at least the minimum wage.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2002
Garment Consumer's Right-to-Know Act of 2002 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to establish recordkeeping and disclosure requirements for apparel manufacturers with respect to wages, hours, and other labor conditions of their contractors' employees.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2002
Social Security Caregiver Credit Act of 2002 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act with respect to determining entitlement to and the amount of any monthly benefit, including any lump-sum death payment, payable under OASDI on the basis of the wages and self-employment income of any individual. Deems such an individual to have been paid (according to a specified formula) during each month during which the individual was engaged for at least 80 hours in providing care to a dependent relative without monetary compensation for up to five years of such service. Makes this Act inapplicable in the case of any monthly benefit or lump-sum death payment if a larger benefit or payment would be payable without its application.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2002
Nursing Home Staffing Improvement Act of 2002 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate standards for minimum nurse staffing levels in nursing facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid payments. Reinstitutes (Boren amendment) payment methodology, providing for payment of Medicaid services through the use of rates determined pursuant to the criteria under State Medicaid plan provisions as in effect on August 1, 1997. Establishes safe harbor rates. Provides a permanent 1.50 percent increase of the Medicaid Federal medical assistance percentage for a State beginning with FY 2003. Authorizes inclusion of financial accountability requirements in the survey and certification process with respect to facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid payments.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2002
Food Allergen Consumer Protection Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require food labels to identify known food allergens contained therein or be deemed misbranded, without regard as to whether or not the presence of an allergen is intentional or unintentional. Defines "known food allergen" to include milk, eggs, fish, Crustacea, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, soybeans, other grains containing gluten, and any food the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines to cause allergic or adverse responses which endanger human health. Includes spices, flavorings, colorings, or incidental additives that are or contain a known food allergen. Sets forth special requirements for raw agricultural commodities which are or contain a known food allergen. Sets forth criteria for labels, requiring a format comparable to that required for the disclosure of nutrition information. Requires certain manufacturers, packers, or distributors to include a toll-free telephone number on such label. Establishes civil penalties for violations of this Act. Requires the Secretary to issue rules which address the use of good manufacturing practices to minimize the unintentional presence of allergens in food and advisory labeling if such allergens may be unintentionally present. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to annually publish national data on the prevalence of food allergies and the incidence of deaths and injuries. Requires the Secretary to study the adequacy of existing data collection systems and possible alternative systems as well as educate health providers on improving data collection and analysis.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2002
Arsenic-Treated Lumber Prohibition and Disposal Act - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations prohibiting the use of lumber treated with a pesticide that is a chromated copper arsenical (CCA lumber) in the manufacture, production, or use of any product that may be used for or by children and for any residential purpose. Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to: (1) list CCA lumber as a hazardous waste; (2) require disposal of discarded CCA lumber, notwithstanding regulations exempting certain solid wastes from the definition of hazardous waste, in a lined landfill with a leachate system and groundwater monitoring system; (3) require the Administrator to conduct an assessment of the risks of CCA lumber production and use; and (4) direct the Administrator to promulgate regulations for the gradual cessation and prohibition of production of such lumber. Requires the Administrator to: (1) develop and conduct an educational program to assist consumers, municipalities, and school systems in testing arsenic levels and making decisions concerning CCA lumber containment and removal; and (2) establish a pilot program of grants and technical assistance to assist school systems in removal of playground and other equipment containing CCA lumber and remediation activities.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2002
Social Security Widow's Benefit Guarantee Act of 2002 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) provide for an increase in widow's and widower's insurance benefits; (2) repeal the seven year restriction on eligibility for widow's and widower's insurance benefits based on disability; (3) waive the two-year waiting period for a divorced spouse's benefits upon the other spouse's remarriage; and (4) disregard months ending after a deceased individual's death in applying early retirement rules with respect to the deceased individual for purposes of the limitation on widow's and widower's benefits. Amends SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) to provide that an eligible widow or widower who is entitled to a widow's or widower's insurance benefit for any month under OASDI, but is not eligible for benefits under SSI in that month, shall be deemed for purposes of SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to be an individual with respect to whom SSI benefits are paid in that month, if he or she: (1) has been continuously entitled to such widow's or widower's insurance benefits from the first month for which the increase in widow's or widower's insurance benefits resulting from this Act is reflected in such benefits through the month involved; and (2) would be eligible for benefits under SSI in the month involved if the amount of the increase in his or her widow's or widower's insurance benefits were disregarded.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2002
Racial Equity and Fair Treatment Act of 2002 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to States and county applicants to pay the Federal share of the costs of improving the administration of support programs for low-income families with children. Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to revise requirements for assessments and work activities for TANF recipients. Requires: (1) interpretation and translation services in certain cases for TANF recipients; (2) an expedited process for discrimination complaints; (3) provision of notice of rights of TANF recipients; (3) training of TANF program personnel in respecting such rights; (4) standardized sanction process; and (5) opportunity for TANF applicants or recipients to appeal adverse decisions. Modifies penalties against individuals for violating mandatory work requirements, creating additional exceptions, including those for child care and discrimination. Prohibits States from diverting potential TANF applicants. Bans States from penalizing the entire family for the misconduct of one family member. Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to repeal provisions for denial of assistance and benefits for certain drug-related convictions. Makes various changes under the TANF program concerning: (1) the five-year time limit on assistance; and (2) treatment of aliens. Permits participation in English-as-a-second language programs as a work activity. Prescribes requirements encouraging racial equality.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2002
Steel Industry Legacy Relief Act of 2002 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to establish a steel industry retiree benefits protection program administered by the Secretary of Commerce and the Board of Trustees of the Steel Industry Legacy Relief Trust Fund (created by this Act) to provide specified medical benefits to eligible steel retirees and beneficiaries. Prescribes qualifying events (acquisition, closing, election, or bankruptcy transfer) as a result of which the United States shall assume liability for the provision of steel retiree benefits for each eligible retiree and eligible beneficiary certified for participation in the retiree benefits program. Requires transfer to the Trust Fund by a qualified steel company and any applicable acquiring company of all assets which, under the terms of an applicable collective bargaining agreement, were required to be set aside under an employee benefit plan or otherwise for the provision of the steel retiree benefits. Requires contributions to the Trust Fund by such companies.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2002
Aeronautics Research and Development Revitalization Act of 2002 - Establishes an Office of Aeronautics responsible for planning, budgeting, and managing all aeronautics research, development, and demonstration activities undertaken by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Directs the NASA Administrator to establish certain initiatives to develop technologies that would: (1) significantly reduce aircraft noise, harmful emissions, and fuel consumption; (2) make certain performance improvements to existing rotorcraft; and (3) enable overland flight of supersonic civil transport aircraft with certain performance characteristics. Directs the NASA Administrator to provide specified congressional committees a plan for the implementation of such initiatives. Directs the NASA Administrator to: (1) award grants to establish university-based Centers for Research on Aviation Training; and (2) establish NASA aeronautics scholarships for U.S. citizens enrolled in accredited Masters degree programs in aeronautical engineering at institutions of higher education. Authorizes appropriations for certain Federal Aviation Administration research and development projects and activities. Requires certain aviation-related studies and assessments.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2002
Freelance Writers and Artists Protection Act of 2002 - Applies the antitrust laws to freelance writers or artists for purposes of negotiating the terms and conditions of contracts for the sale of written or graphic material to publishers in the same manner as such laws apply to employees who are members of a bargaining unit recognized under the National Labor Relations Act for purposes of engaging in collective bargaining with an employer. Prohibits the award of statutory damages or attorney's fees for copyright infringement involving a work that was not made for hire that was first published as a contribution to a collective work unless registration of the collective work was made within three months after its first publication or prior to the infringement. Includes unpublished works within the scope of criminal copyright infringement provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2002
Amends provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act set forth in the Medicine Equity and Drug Safety Act of 2000 to: (1) direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations permitting pharmacists and wholesalers to import Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prescription drugs from Canada (currently, from Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, South Africa, the countries in the European Union and the European Free Trade Association, or other countries designated by the Secretary); and (2) exclude an infused or intravenously injected drug or a drug that is inhaled during surgery. Prohibits discrimination in the sale of prescription drugs by manufacturers to pharmacists or wholesalers, requiring: (1) terms as favorable as those provided to foreign purchasers; and (2) full access to drugs permitted to be imported. Continues the requirement that exported donated prescription drugs may only be reimported by the manufacturer. Permits the Secretary to waive the prohibition against importing a prescription drug or device on a case-by-case basis, particularly those from Canada that are FDA-approved and for limited personal use. Requires a study and report by the: (1) Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences on the regulatory compliance of importers of drugs; and (2) Comptroller General on how drug prices were affected.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2002
National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Act of 2002 - Amends the Clean Air Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish and administer: (1) a national greenhouse gas emissions information system to collect annual lists required to be submitted under this Act of an entity's greenhouse gas emissions; and (2) a national greenhouse gas registry (included in such system) to collect voluntarily reported information on emissions reductions. Specifies factors for adjustment of emissions records by a reporting entity. Directs the Administrator and the Secretaries of Commerce, Agriculture, and Energy to develop greenhouse gas emissions quantification and verification protocols, electronic reporting methods, and accounting and reporting standards. Requires verification of reported emissions information. Requires the Administrator to publish an annual national greenhouse gas emissions inventory.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2002
Nuclear Waste Transportation Protection Amendments Act of 2002 - Amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to direct the Secretary of Energy to develop a comprehensive safety program governing the transportation of nuclear waste to a Yucca Mountain repository that includes: driver selection, independent inspections, bad weather protocols, road condition reporting, safe parking areas, advance notice, real time tracking and monitoring, emergency response, medical preparedness, equipment standards, training and exercises, mutual aid agreements, emergency alternative routing, program evaluation, and public information. Prohibits the Secretary from transporting high-level radioactive waste through certain populated communities unless the waste originates in such community. Instructs the Secretary to ensure that the oldest spent nuclear fuel is transported before other spent nuclear fuel. Mandates transportation of spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste in packages whose design has been certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and tested at full scale to demonstrate compliance with Commission performance standards. Mandates consultation with affected State, local, and tribal governments in the selection of routes for the transportation of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Prohibits private sector transportation of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Requires the Secretary to provide advance notification to States, Indian tribes, and local communities through whose jurisdiction the Secretary plans to transport spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Sets forth security precautions for all transportation of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2002
Instructional Materials Accessibility Act of 2002 - Directs Secretary of Education to: (1) develop and publish instructional materials accessibility standards for the national electronic file format to be used by publishers of instructional materials in the preparation of electronic files suitable for efficient conversion into specialized formats; (2) establish a National Instructional Materials Accessibility Advisory Committee to provide technical expertise and guidance in creating such national electronic file format; (3) periodically review and amend such standards to reflect technological advances or changes; and (4) establish a National Instructional Materials Access Center. Requires State educational agencies, as a condition for receiving Federal financial assistance under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, to develop and implement statewide plans and make contracts with publishers to ensure that instructional materials for classroom use in elementary and secondary schools are made available in specialized formats to individuals who are blind or have other print disabilities at the same time such materials are provided to individuals without such disabilities. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to provide or improve their capacity to prepare or obtain instructional materials in specialized formats, including the national electronic format. Provides for enforcement of rights of children and parents under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2002
Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2001 - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (the Act) to require the Secretary of the Interior or Commerce, as appropriate, to designate: (1) survival habitat concurrently with making a determination that a species is endangered or threatened; (2) critical habitat concurrently with adoption of a final recovery plan for a species; and (3) survival and critical habitat in the case of a highly migratory marine species. Requires the Secretary to designate survival habitat based only on biological factors, giving special consideration to habitat currently occupied by the species. Establishes a schedule for publishing species listing determinations. Provides for draft and final recovery plans for the conservation of endangered and threatened species. Requires Federal agencies to monitor the status and trends of endangered, threatened, and candidate species on lands or waters under their administration. Applies provisions regarding interagency cooperation and consultation to species in a foreign country or on the high seas. Requires the Secretary to: (1) undertake to conserve species where a permittee defaults on permit or plan obligations; and (2) implement a streamlined application and approval procedure for incidental take permits and plans determined to be low effect, small scale plans. Sets forth requirements for the deposit of performance bonds and other financial security by incidental take permit (other than low effect, small scale) applicants. Establishes the Habitat Conservation Plan Fund. Directs the Secretary to establish a Community Assistance Program to provide timely and accurate information to local governments or property owners. Makes persons who negligently damage any member or habitat of an endangered or threatened species liable to the United States and a State for the restoration or replacement costs. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into endangered species conservation agreements with owners or lessees of real property on which conservation measures for endangered, threatened, or candidate species or species proposed for listing are to be carried out. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require that the value of a taxable estate be determined by deducting from the value of the gross estate the value of included real property subject to an endangered species conservation agreement. Allows an additional tax deduction for real property taxes imposed on State and local property subject to such agreements. Allows a tax credit for costs incurred in connection with such agreements. Extends the authorization of appropriations to carry out the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2002
Authorizes the President to award to Dr. Dorothy Height, on behalf of Congress, a congressional gold medal in recognition of her many contributions to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2002
Debt Relief Enhancement Act of 2002 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to commence efforts immediately within the Paris Club of Official Creditors, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and other appropriate multilateral development institutions to modify the Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative so that the amount of debt stock reduction approved for a country eligible for debt relief shall be sufficient to reduce, by a specified deadline, the net present value of the outstanding public and publicly guaranteed debt of the country, and the annual payments due, to levels determined according to certain formulae. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the options and costs associated with expanding debt relief under the Initiative to poor countries not eligible for inclusion in it. Authorizes the President to reduce amounts owed to the United States (or any Federal agency) by an eligible country as a result of: (1) certain guarantees issued under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961; (2) credits extended or guarantees issued under the Arms Export Control Act; or (3) any obligation (or portion of it) to pay for purchases of U.S. agricultural commodities guaranteed by the Commodity Credit Corporation under specified export credit programs. Prescribes other specified conditions and prohibitions with respect to country eligibility. Requires any country otherwise eligible to receive debt cancellation under the modifications to the Initiative made by this Act, among other things, to agree to: (1) ensure that the financial benefits of debt cancellation are applied to programs to combat HIV/AIDS and poverty; and (2) implement transparent and participatory policymaking and budget procedures, good governance, and effective anticorruption measures. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (including the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative), the Arms Export Control Act, and the Export Administration Act of 1979 to modify specified prohibitions on assistance to countries to include countries that have failed to cooperate with the United States on efforts to combat international terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2002
Expresses strong support for United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1397 (calling for an immediate cessation of all acts of violence between Israel and the Palestinians) and 1402 (calling for a meaningful cease-fire and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian cities). Condemns acts of violence against both Israeli and Palestinian civilians. Urges all parties to: (1) recognize that continued military attacks and terrorist activities will lead to escalating violence and the potential destabilization of the Middle East and neighboring regions; (2) stop using state-controlled media or other means of propaganda to incite hatred and violence; and (3) ensure the safety of international human rights observers and aid workers in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2002
Urges the President to: (1) end any embargo against Haiti and to no longer require, as a condition of providing humanitarian and development assistance to Haiti, the resolution of the political impasse in Haiti resulting from the legislative elections of May 2000; (2) direct the Secretary of State to intervene to mediate the political impasse, provide constructive guarantees to any resolution to the crisis, and recruit positive support from the Organization of American States (OAS) and other international bodies to sustain any negotiated settlement; and (3) direct the Secretary to review of U.S. policy toward Haiti. Calls on the United States Agency for International Development, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Inter-American Development Bank to convene a meeting of all donors and potential donors to Haiti to launch a new and sustainable humanitarian initiative, including a lending program to bolster Haiti's economic base. Supports the expansion of the OAS mission to Haiti and calls on the President to urge that the mission work constructively with the Government and people of Haiti to advance their goals and aspirations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2002
Keep America Working Act of 2002 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the circumstances under which employment compensation is available to provide coverage due to the following, among other, circumstances, part-time employment, seasonal work, loss of employment due to sexual harassment, loss of child care, leaving work due to domestic violence, and base period employment of less than 20 hours per week. Redefines the term "wages" for purposes of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act. Repeals provisions: (1) allowing past Internal Revenue Service audits to act as the basis for current employment status determinations; (2) prohibiting regulations and rulings on employment status; and (3) outlining the determination of an employer's liability for certain employment taxes. Permits unemployment compensation where separation from work is due to a spouse or domestic partner's change in residence. Specifies manner for computation of wage replacement ratios. Amends the Social Security Act to require increases and decreases in the earnings allocated to State accounts when States meet or fail to meet funding goals. Lowers the threshold for triggering an extended benefit period. Eliminates special Federal eligibility requirements for individuals seeking compensation in an extended benefit period. Defines contents of unemployment compensation reports submitted by States. Establishes a review panel to compare States' unemployment compensation systems.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2002
Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2002 - Amends the Presidential Records Act to require the Archivist of the United States, when making available any Presidential record not previously made available publicly, to: (1) promptly provide written notice of such determination to the former President during whose term of office the record was created and the incumbent President; and (2) make the notice available to the public. Requires such a record to be made available upon the expiration of 20 days, except any record with respect to which the Archivist receives a specified written claim of constitutionally based privilege against disclosure from a former President or the incumbent President. Requires the provision of a copy of each such claim to: (1) the person seeking such record; (2) each chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Government Reform of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and (3) any member of the public, upon request. Sets forth requirements regarding the release of a Presidential record that is subject to a privilege claim.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2002
Educational Grants for Great Starts Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish a pilot program to: (1) support before-school activities that advance student academic achievement and that encourage establishing of, or increasing participation in, school breakfast programs; and (2) evaluate the effect before-school activities have on school breakfast program participation. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the Secretary of Education, to make such program grants to seven State agencies to conduct pilot projects in 17 elementary schools in each such State through subgrants to local educational agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2002
Promoting Self-Reliance for the World's Poorest Act of 2002 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to reauthorize sustainable poverty-focused microenterprise assistance programs through micro- and small enterprise development credits and microenterprise development grants for developing countries. Revises certain requirements with respect to such programs to require 50 percent of all microenterprise resources to be obligated and expended in support of programs or services under which 50 percent or more of the clients are initially very poor, that is, those persons living in the bottom 50 percent below the poverty line or those living on the equivalent of less than $1 per day. Requires the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (AID) to develop and implement certain interim methods to measure the level of poverty of clients of sustainable poverty-focused microenterprise programs under the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2002
Working From Poverty to Promise Act of 2002 - Amends title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require State plans to include poverty reduction plans. Requires States to: (1) identify and remedy barriers to employment for TANF recipients; and (2) develop and revise self-sufficiency plans. Repeals the limitation on the number of persons per family who may be treated as engaged in work by reason of participation in educational activities. Specifies as allowable work activities certain limited participation in vocational or educational training (including postsecondary education), work-study, and related internships. Requires State plans to certify that the State will assess its regional economies and share the results with its political subdivisions. Requires States to assess their economies to identify and report to the Secretary on higher-entry level wage opportunities in industries experiencing labor shortages. Requires the Secretary to make bonus grants to States as rewards for providing exceptional economic opportunity and accountability. Revises the meaning of "assistance" (with respect to the five-year limit on TANF) for families with income from employment to exclude any benefit or service for any month if the family includes an adult or minor child head of household who has received at least a certain State-determined amount of income. Revises the hardship exception to the five-year limit on TANF to require a State to define hardship to include mental illness and disability that is not sufficient to make the sufferer eligible for benefits under SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income). Permits the State to authorize additional Secretary-approved hardship exceptions. Requires State plans to provide for case management planning and services for hardship clients with multiple barriers to employment. Authorizes fiscal adjustments for inflation and continuation of waivers.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2002
Domestic Violence Courts Assistance Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (relating to grants to combat violent crimes against women) to allow such grants to be used to provide the resources to establish and maintain a court system dedicated to the adjudication of domestic violence cases. Requires a State to certify that at least five percent of grant funds shall be allocated for specialized domestic violence courts.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2002
Corporate and Criminal Fraud Accountability Act of 2002 - Amends the Federal criminal code to set penalties for: (1) destroying, altering, or falsifying records in Federal investigations or in bankruptcy; (2) failure of an accountant who conducts an audit of an issuer of securities to maintain all documents sent, received, or created in connection with the audit for a five year period; and (3) executing a scheme to defraud in connection with a registered security, or to obtain by false pretenses money or property in connection with its purchase or sale. Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to review the Federal sentencing guidelines for obstruction of justice, and for fraud when the number of victims adversely involved is significantly greater than 50 or when it endangers the solvency or financial security of multiple victims. Amends: (1) Federal bankruptcy law to make certain debts incurred in violation of Federal or State securities laws, or common law fraud in connection with the purchase or sale of any security, non-dischargeable in bankruptcy, and to increase the amount of employees' wages protected under chapter 11 proceedings; and (2) the Federal judicial code to authorize a private right of action that involves a securities fraud-related claim to be brought by the earlier of five years after the date of the alleged violation or three years after its discovery. Authorizes a civil action to protect whistle-blowing employees against retaliation in fraud cases involving publicly traded companies. Amends the judicial code to direct the Attorney General to establish within the Department of Justice a Retirement Security Fraud Bureau.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2002
Multi-Cultural Domestic Violence Minority Education Campaigns Act - Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to States and public or private nonprofit entities to carry out public information campaigns for the purpose of educating racial and ethnic minorities about domestic violence, including its effects, prevention or reduction methods, and victim services.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2002 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit certain employee group health plans or related insurances providing both medical-surgical and mental health benefits from imposing mental health treatment limitations or financial requirements unless comparable limitations and requirements are imposed upon medical-surgical benefits. States that the foregoing shall not be construed as requiring a group health plan (or related insurances) to: (1) provide any mental health benefits; (2) prevent the medical management of mental health benefits; or (3) require the provision of specific mental health services, except to the extent that failure to provide such services would result in a disparity between the coverage of mental health and medical-surgical benefits. Exempts specified small employers from such requirements. Requires that, in the case of a group health plan that offers a participant or beneficiary two or more benefit package options, the coverage requirements shall be applied separately with respect to each such option. Provides that, in the case of a plan or insurance providing in-network mental health benefits, out-of-network mental health benefits need not be provided at parity to medical-surgical benefits, as long as in-network mental health benefits are provided at parity with medical-surgical benefits and the plan or insurance provides reasonable access to in-network providers and facilities. Requires a General Accounting Office study of such requirements' effects upon health insurance costs, access, and quality and a cost estimation of extending such requirements to the treatment of substance abuse and chemical dependency.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Military Standards for Airport Security Screeners Act - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to: (1) require the Immigration and Naturalization Service, upon a Federal agency airport security screener-related inquiry, to verify whether an alien has an immigration status that would render such alien eligible to serve in the United States Armed Forces; and (2) state that such an alien's immigration status would not would make him or her ineligible for an airport security screener's position. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for naturalization through active-duty service during: (1) Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia (such period to begin as of December 1995); (2) Operation Allied Force in Kosovo (such operation to begin as of March 1999); or (3) Operation Enduring Freedom in Southwest Asia (such period to begin as of September 2001).
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Market Oversight Consolidation and OTC Derivatives Regulation Act - Establishes the Securities and Derivatives Oversight Commission (SDOC) as an independent regulatory commission. Mandates a separate division within SDOC with responsibility for functions relating to markets in physical commodities. Transfers to SDOC all functions of: (1) the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; (2) the Securities and Exchange Commission; and (3) the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System pertaining to margin requirements. Grants the SDOC margin authority with respect to securities and futures. Establishes in the executive branch the Federal Financial Markets Coordinating Council to: (1) coordinate the regulatory operations of each of the financial oversight agencies represented on the Council; and (2) establish an advisory committee of representatives of the futures, commodities, options, and securities exchanges and the banking industry. Terminates the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Subjects over-the-counter derivatives dealers and derivatives transactions to the regulatory jurisdiction of the SDOC. Establishes criminal sanctions for violations of this Act. Prescribes guidelines for a private right of action against any persons (including officers, directors, governors, and committee members) who willfully aid, abet, counsel, induce, or procure a violation of this Act. Subjects violators to liability for actual and punitive damages in cases of intentional violations. Grants the Federal district courts exclusive jurisdiction of such actions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Military Tribunal Authorization Act of 2002 - Authorizes the President to establish tribunals for the trial of individuals who: (1) are not U.S. persons; (2) are members of the al Qaeda organization or other terrorist organizations who cooperated with the al Qaeda in planning, authorizing, committing, or aiding in the September 11, 2001, attacks against the United States or who aided or abetted such members in such activities; (3) are apprehended in or fleeing from Afghanistan or any other place outside the United States where U.S. armed forces are involved; and (4) are not prisoners of war. Authorizes the President to direct the Secretary of Defense to detain individuals subject to such tribunals. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should seek the cooperation of U.S. allies and other nations in conducting investigations and prosecutions of such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Domestic Violence Screening and Treatment Act of 2002 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require that health benefits provided include coverage of domestic violence screening and treatment. Amends Federal civil service law to require the Office of Personal Management to require all contracted carriers of health coverage for Federal employees to include coverage for domestic violence screening and treatment services. Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to require States to set aside a reasonable portion of maternal and child health services block grant funds to provide for domestic violence screening and treatment services. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, with respect to such funds retained for certain projects, to provide preference to State applicants who include training of providers in how to screen for, and treat, domestic violence. Requires the Secretary to allot funds to States to provide for a separate program for domestic violence screening and treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Nationwide Health Tracking Act of 2002 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to: (1) develop Nationwide and State Health Tracking Networks to monitor, investigate, and prevent increases in the incidence of certain chronic diseases and relevant environmental risk factors; and (2) establish within the Epidemic Intelligence Service a National Environmental Health Rapid Response Service. Direct the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to jointly establish the Commission on Nationwide Health Tracking. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director, to support State Health Tracking Networks through: (1) pilot programs; (2) awarding grants; and (3) providing technical assistance. Makes States, political subdivisions of States, territories, and Indian tribes eligible for participation, subject to an approved application. Requires such Networks to: (1) conduct surveillance activities; (2) collect and analyze data; (3) establish an early warning system and response capacity; (4) recruit and train public health employees; and (5) expand and integrate existing systems and activities to the extent practicable. Requires the Nationwide Health Tracking Network to coordinate State Networks and existing Federal public health and environmental surveillance systems and activities. Authorizes the Secretary to provide for research and demonstration centers concerning chronic conditions and relevant environmental factors. Directs the Secretary to: (1) expand the scope of biomonitoring data collection; (2) publish a Nationwide Network report; and (3) award John H. Chafee Public Health Scholarships for advanced training in chronic conditions and environmental epidemiology and health sciences.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Pet Safety and Protection Act - Amends the Animal Welfare Act regarding sources of research facility dogs and cats, to prohibit a research facility from using, or a person (as defined by this Act) from selling or donating, a dog or cat for research or education purposes that was not obtained from specified dealers, public pounds, owners, or Department of Agriculture-licensed research facilities. Establishes monetary penalties for related violations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Ending the Double Standard for Stock Options Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish special rules relating to deductions in the case of property transferred in connection with a stock option. Redefines the term "wages" as it pertains to stock options and stock-based plans.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Amends the Internal Revenue Code by: (1) reinstating the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate until October 1, 2007; (2) reinstating the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund financing rate until October 1, 2007; (3) extending the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund financing rate until October 1, 2007; and (4) reinstating the Corporate Environmental Income Tax until January 1, 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2002
Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should condemn the practice of execution by stoning and should call upon the international community to recognize such practice as a gross violation of human rights. Calls for the President to: (1) formally communicate this sense of Congress to governments imposing such punishment; and (2) urge Nigerian President Obasanjo to suspend the sentence of death by stoning imposed on Safiya Hussaini and take steps to ensure that Nigeria acts in accordance with international human rights standards.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2002
Rape Kit DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act - Amends the DNA Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to authorize the Attorney General to make grants to eligible States to carry out DNA analyses of samples from crime scenes (current law) to eliminate the backlog of unanalyzed rape kits and ensure their future timely analyses. Increases the authorization of appropriations for grants for DNA analysis for FY 2003 and 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2002
Declares that Congress supports the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) in condemning the sexual exploitation of children by humanitarian aid workers. Urges the UN Office of Investigative Oversight Services to investigate sexual exploitation of refugees by such workers of both non-governmental organizations and government-sponsored agencies. Urges the President to: (1) affirm the U.S. commitment to protecting the well-being and human rights of women and girls; and (2) instruct the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Secretary of Agriculture to review the distribution of food assistance to refugee communities to ensure that the provision of U.S. humanitarian assistance is respectful of the human rights of women and girls and supports young girls identified as victims of sexual exploitation.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2002
Universal Prekindergarten Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide grants to a designated State agency for development of universal prekindergaten programs for all children three, four, and five years old in the State. Requires the State to: (1) match Federal funds by at least 20 percent; and (2) submit a State plan to establish, coordinate, and implement a statewide universal prekindergarten program. Authorizes State agencies to set aside up to five percent of a grant for ongoing professional development activities for teachers and staff of prekindergarten programs that wish to participate.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2002
Restoration of Fairness in Immigration Act of 2002 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to due process in immigration proceedings, including due process in expedited removal proceedings, judicial review in immigration proceedings, and detention proceedings and detention alternatives. Directs the Attorney General to make periodic reports with respect to persons detained after September 11, 2001. Directs the Secretary of State to establish a Board of Visa Appeals. Revises provisions with respect to: (1) removal proceedings; (2) five-year bars to admission and other grounds for exclusion; (3) family reunification-related visas and grounds of admissibility; (4) voluntary departure; (5) public charge determinations and affidavits of support; (6) asylum and refugee proceedings; (7) asset forfeiture; (8) parole authority; and (9) State personnel performing immigration functions. Directs the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to establish an Office of Border Patrol Recruitment and Retention.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kucinich, Dennis J. [D-OH-10]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000336_200.jpg)