United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2003
Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act of 2003 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer providing group coverage, from: (1) excluding or restricting benefits for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services; (2) denying eligibility based on use or potential use of such items or services; (3) providing monetary payments or rebates to a covered individual to encourage acceptance of less than the minimum protections available; (4) penalizing, reducing, or limiting a professional's reimbursement because the professional prescribed such drugs or devices or provided such services; or (5) providing incentives to a professional to induce the professional to withhold drugs, devices, or services. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply those prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2003
Air Line Pension Act of 2003 - Sets forth special funding requirements for certain pension plans maintained by commercial passenger air carriers (plans), notwithstanding any contrary provisions of the Internal Revenue Code or of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Provides for such plans, if they have a funded percentage of less than 80 percent as of January 1, 2003, the following: (1) modifications of funding rules, including funded percentage, assumed interest rate for determining current liability, and estimation of current liability; (2) a moratorium on the deficit reduction contribution, under specified conditions; (3) a one-time amortization of 2008 unfunded current liability; and (4) recognition of a waiver in the deficit reduction contribution. Provides for such plans, if they are maintained for benefit of the carrier's employees pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement and if they terminated during calendar year 2003, the following: (1) restoration by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to the plan's pre-termination status and transfer of control of plan assets and liabilities to the employer, unless the collective bargaining agreement provides that the plan should not be restored; (2) exclusion of any expected increase in current liability due to benefits accruing during each plan year; (3) amortization of unfunded amounts under the restoration payment schedule; (4) inapplicability of certain contribution requirements to a restored plan until a plan year beginning on the initial post-restoration valuation date, with modified required annual payments; and (5) resetting of funding standard account balances. Limits PBGC liability with respect to certain plans under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2003
Campus Fire Safety Right-to-Know Act of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require, beginning in academic year 2004-2005, each eligible institution participating in any program under the Act to provide to all current students and employees, and to any applicant for enrollment or employment upon request, an annual fire safety report containing specified information about the campus fire safety practices and standards of that institution. Requires such institutions to: (1) record all fires reported to local fire departments, including the nature, date, time, and general location of each fire and all false fire alarms; and (2) open such information to public inspection. Requires the institutions to report on such information periodically to the campus community in a manner that will aid the prevention of similar occurrences. Requires the institutions to request their fraternities and sororities to collect and report such information for each building and property they own or control.
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
Veterans Adapted Housing Expansion Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide specially adapted housing assistance to veterans with permanent and total service-connected disabilities due to the loss, or loss of use of, both upper extremities so as to preclude use of the arms at or below the elbows. Requires the Secretary to provide such assistance to veterans with permanent and total service-connected disabilities if the disability either: (1) is due to blindness in both eyes with 5/200 visual acuity or less; or (2) includes the anatomical loss, or loss of use of, both hands.
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
Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2003 - Repeals death penalty provisions for a wide range of specified offenses under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Federal criminal code (the code), the Controlled Substances Act, and other statutes, including for murder relating to the smuggling of aliens, murder during a hostage-taking, and certain non-homicide-related offenses (espionage and treason). Repeals code procedures relating to imposition of the death sentence. Prohibits sentencing to death or putting to death any person for any violation of Federal law. Directs that any person sentenced to death before the date of this Act's enactment for any such violation serve a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2003
State Threat Alert Reimbursement (STAR) Act of 2003 - Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to reimburse a State for direct expenses and losses that exceed normal operating expenses incurred by State or local government entities in the course of duty during the effective period of an increased threat alert. Allows the Governor of any State to submit a request for reimbursement by not later than 90 days after the declaration of the elevated threat condition. Instructs the Secretary to provide for the submission of requests by use of the Internet. Requires the Secretary to notify the Select Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate before making any payment of greater than $20 million to a State under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2003
Family Reunification Act of 2003 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to set forth the conditions under which the Secretary of Homeland Security may cancel the removal of a permanent resident alien who is inadmissible to, or deportable from, the United States, if the alien: (1) has not been convicted of any aggravated felony; (2) has been convicted of a nonviolent aggravated felony; (3) has been convicted of an aggravated violent felony; (4) was admitted to the United States before age ten; and (5) was admitted to the United States before the age of 16. Sets forth related residency and criminal act provisions. Prohibits cancellation of removal for conviction of an act of murder, rape, or sexual abuse of a minor. Authorizes: (1) the Secretary to notify the agency that prosecuted an alien that such alien is seeking cancellation of removal; and (2) the agency to seek to block such action based upon the alien's failure to provide the agency with all relevant criminal information. Terminates the period of continuous residence or physical presence for cancellation of removal purposes when an alien receives a notice to appear for removal proceedings. (Currently such period is deemed to end upon such notice or upon commission of the removable offense.) Permits an alien who has committed a criminal offense to reenter the United States without seeking admission (and thus be subject to removal) if the offense was committed: (1) outside of the United States and the alien received a waiver or cancellation of removal prior to seeking reentry; and (2) within the United States and the alien was absent from the United States for not more than 30 days since the offense, or for more than 60 days if he or she was unable to return within 30 days for reasons beyond his or her control. Authorizes the Secretary to release a criminal alien who proves that he or she: (1) is prima facie eligible for cancellation of removal; and (2) would not pose a danger to the national security or the safety of persons or property, or be a flight risk. States that a criminal conviction remains a conviction for immigration purposes even if vacated, unless the conviction is vacated: (1) on the merits; or (2) on grounds relating to the violation of a statutory or constitutional right in the underlying proceedings. Permits an alien made eligible for cancellation of removal as a result of the amendments made by this Act to file a motion to reopen to apply for cancellation within one year of the Secretary's issuance of implementing regulations. Prohibits: (1) an alien from being admitted to enter the United States to file a motion to reopen or to apply for cancellation of removal, except at the Secretary's discretion; and (2) judicial review of such determinations. Sunsets this Act on the later of December 31, 2006, or three years after issuance of final regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Downed Animal Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate regulations to provide for the humane treatment, handling, and disposition of nonambulatory livestock by a covered entity, including a requirement that nonambulatory livestock be humanely euthanized. Provides that an entity shall: (1) not move nonambulatory livestock while such livestock is conscious; and (2) humanely euthanize such livestock. Prohibits an establishment covered by the Federal Meat Inspection Act to pass nonambulatory livestock through inspection. Defines "covered entity," and "humanely euthanize."
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2003
College Loan Assistance Act of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise student aid requirements for student loans and Pell Grants. Allows refinancing of student consolidation loans under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program. Reduces the amount of a cap on interest rate under the FFEL program. Extends authority for the Pell Grant program. Increases the maximum amount of an individual Pell Grant award to $7,000 for each of academic years 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. Prohibits eligible lenders or the Secretary of Education from collecting origination fees from borrowers, under the FFEL or the Federal direct loan program, for any loan made on or after the first July 1 after the date of enactment of the Student Loan Relief Act of 2003 (sic).
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2003
Anti-Spam Act of 2003 - Prohibits a person from initiating in interstate commerce any commercial electronic mail (commercial email) message unless the message contains: (1) identification as commercial email; (2) notice of an opt-out opportunity, along with an email address or other mechanism for doing so; and (3) a valid physical street address of the sender. Prohibits the transmission of commercial email: (1) after valid objection; (2) with false or misleading header information or subject headings; (3) from illegally harvested email addresses, including addresses generated by automated means; or (4) without warning labels on commercial email containing sexually oriented material. Provides a right of enforcement action for: (1) providers of Internet access service; (2) States on behalf of any of their residents; and (3) the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Amends the Federal criminal code to provide criminal penalties for: (1) falsifying the identity of a commercial email sender; (2) failing to place warning labels on commercial email containing sexually oriented material; (3) repeat offenses and bulk email violations; and (4) illegal harvesting of email addresses. Provides for enforcement of such penalties through actions by Internet service providers, the FTC and the Attorney General, and State attorneys general. Requires the FTC to report to Congress regarding the need to protect the rights of users of email to avoid receiving unsolicited commercial email.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2003
Elder Justice Act - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new title XXII (Elder Justice) to establish: (1) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) an Office of Elder Justice; (2) within HHS an Intra-Agency Elder Justice Steering Committee to coordinate HHS elder justice programs and policy; (3) the Elder Justice Coordinating Council to make recommendations for the coordination of activities to HHS, the Department of Justice, and other relevant Federal, State, local, and private agencies and entities; and (4) the Advisory Board on Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation. Outlines provisions with respect to uniform collection, maintenance, and dissemination of national data relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Authorizes the HHS Secretary to award various grants, including grants for: (1) prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (2) five Centers of Excellence nationwide that shall specialize in research, clinical practice, and training relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (3) six diverse communities to examine various types of elder shelters and to test various models for establishing safe havens; (4) nonprofit organizations and faith-based organizations to encourage such organizations to establish or continue volunteer programs that focus on the issues of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, or that provide related services; and (5) various multidisciplinary elder justice activities. Provides for: (1) reporting to law enforcement of crimes occurring in Federally-funded long-term care facilities; (2) revising the quality of long-term care; and (3) increasing consumer information about long-term care. Amends: (1) SSA titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) to establish programs to prevent abuse of skilled nursing facility and nursing facility residents; (2) the Public Health Service Act to increase the number of health care professionals with geriatric training; (3) the Older Americans Act of 1965 with respect to the long-term care ombudsman program; (4) part A (General Provisions) of SSA title XI to establish in HHS the Office of Adult Protective Services; and (5) SSA titles XVIII and XIX to assure safety of residents when nursing facilities close. Establishes in the Department of Justice an Office of Elder Justice. Amends the: (1) Federal criminal code to provide for a cause of action for elder abuse and neglect; and (2) Internal Revenue Code to provide for a long-term care facility worker employment tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2003
Greater Access to Affordable Pharmaceuticals Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to: (1) limit a brand name drug manufacturer to one Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 30-month stay of competition in a patent infringement suit against a generic drug applicant; (2) permit a generic applicant being sued to file a counterclaim to correct or delete patent information; (3) limit damages that a brand name manufacturer may recover in an instance where such manufacturer failed to file certain patent information; (4) permit a generic drug applicant to seek declaratory judgment regarding patent infringement prior to marketing a drug; (5) forfeit the180-day market exclusivity period for a first generic drug applicant to a subsequent generic applicant if the first applicant engages in certain activities which impede such drug's timely marketing; and (6) permit alternative means to determine bioequivalence for drugs that are not absorbed into the bloodstream.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Universal Screening of Air Cargo Act - Requires the screening of all cargo that is to be transported in passenger aircraft operated by domestic and foreign air carriers. Requires the Under Secretary of Border and Transportation Security of the Department of Homeland Security to: (1) develop a plan to implement such screening; (2) establish a fee schedule for shippers to cover the costs of screening; (3) monitor and evaluate new cargo screening technologies; (4) establish a system for the regular inspection of shipping facilities for shipments of air cargo; and (5) establish a training and evaluation program for air cargo handlers.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the U.S. Postal Service to issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone (the first recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded in World War II, and the only enlisted Marine in that war to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, and the Purple Heart).
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2003
Pharmaceutical Market Access Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations allowing qualifying individuals to import covered products (in addition to pharmacists and wholesalers, whom current law authorizes to import such products). Amends provision pertaining to record keeping regarding imported covered products. States that the Secretary shall not have to store records in cases in which qualifying individuals have imported a covered product. Amends provisions regarding the testing of imported covered products. Declares that specified tests, including ones involving authenticity and degradation of products, shall not be required unless the importer is a wholesaler. Requires such tests to be conducted by the importer unless a product is a prescription drug subject to the provisions of this Act pertaining to counterfeit-resistant packaging. (Currently either the importer or the manufacturer may conduct such tests). Eliminates the sunset date current law establishes for the provisions pertaining to the importation of covered products. Classifies prescription drugs as misbranded if they do not incorporate specified counterfeit -resistant technologies in packaging.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2003
Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2003 - Entitles domestic partners of Federal employees to benefits available to spouses of Federal employees. Specifies certifications required for benefit eligibility, filing requirements regarding partnership dissolution, and confidentiality requirements. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax exemption for employer contributions to accident and health plans to domestic partners under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2003
Firearms Safety and Consumer Protection Act of 2003 - Directs the Attorney General to prescribe regulations governing the design, manufacture, and performance of, and commerce in, firearm products in order to reduce or prevent unreasonable risk of injury. Authorizes individuals to petition the Attorney General to issue or revise product regulations or to require the recall, repair, or replacement of, or the provision of refunds regarding, a firearm product. Authorizes the Attorney General to: (1) take such action; (2) prohibit the manufacture, sale, or transfer of firearm products made, imported, transferred, or distributed in violation of regulations; (3) prohibit the manufacture, importation, transfer, distribution, or export of unreasonably risky firearm products; and (4) conduct inspections. Sets forth prohibitions against a manufacturer: (1) transferring, distributing, or exporting a firearm product that the manufacturer has not tested and certified as conforming to such regulations or that is not appropriately labeled; (2) producing a new type of firearm product without providing notice to the Attorney General; or (3) failing to maintain records and supply information to the Attorney General. Prohibits any person from: (1) importing or exporting a firearm product that has not been so certified; or (2) manufacturing, purchasing, or importing products before regulations take effect at a greater rate than before enactment of this Act. Sets forth provisions regarding civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Authorizes: (1) injunctive enforcement and condemnation and seizure of qualified firearm products; (2) actions to restrain the manufacture or distribution of imminently hazardous products; and (3) private actions by persons aggrieved by violations of this Act or to enforce this Act. Directs the Attorney General : (1) in cooperation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to collect and share with other appropriate agencies circumstances of death and injury associated with firearms and to conduct continuing studies and investigations of economic costs and losses resulting from firearm-related deaths and injuries; (2) maintain firearms production and sales figures for licensed manufacturers; and (3) conduct research on firearm product safety and develop safety testing methods and devices.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2003
Keeping Our Promises to America's Children Act of 2003 - Provides a moratorium on compliance with certain requirements for adequate yearly progress under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA), for any fiscal year in which amounts appropriated are less than those authorized for the applicable program, project, or activity under ESEA title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) part A (Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies) (I-A). Authorizes State or local educational agencies that are recipients of I-A funds to defer commencing, suspend, or modify their administering functions under such requirements with respect to such program, project or activity. Directs the Secretary of Education to ensure that otherwise applicable negative consequences shall not apply to such recipients because of such actions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2003
Taxpayer Abuse Prevention Resolution of 2003 - Expresses the sense of Congress that Federal tax collection services should not be paid for on the basis of a commission or as a percentage of taxes collected.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2003 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to award non-renewable grants to eligible applicants to prepare a comprehensive plan for and implement an adult or juvenile collaboration program, which targets adults or juveniles with mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders in order to promote public safety and public health. Directs that grants be used to create or expand: (1) mental health courts or other court-based programs for preliminarily qualified offenders; (2) programs that offer specialized training to the officers and employees of a criminal or juvenile justice agency and mental health personnel in procedures for identifying the symptoms of mental illness; (3) programs that support cooperative efforts by criminal, juvenile justice, and mental health agencies to promote public safety by offering mental health and substance abuse treatment services; and (4) programs that support intergovernmental cooperation between State and local governments with respect to the mentally ill offender.. Requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop a procedure under which applicants may apply simultaneously for a planning grant and an implementation grant; and (2) establish an interagency task force to identify policies which hinder or facilitate local collaborative initiatives. Directs the Attorney General to develop a list of best practices for appropriate diversion from incarceration of adult and juvenile offenders.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act - Identifies roadless areas within the National Forest System set forth in specified documents as National Forest Inventoried Roadless Areas, and directs the Secretary of Agriculture to manage such Areas to maintain their roadless character.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
Working Taxpayer Fairness Restoration Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the refundability of the child tax credit, to accelerate the increase to the 15 percent rate. Limits, to fair market value immediately following a transaction, the importation of net built-in loss by a corporation. Prohibits an allocation of any decrease in the adjusted basis of partnership property to stock in a corporation which is a partner in the partnership. Repeals part V (Financial Asset Securitization Investment Trusts) of subchapter M (Regulated Investment Companies and Real Estate Investment Trusts). Expands the definition of a disqualified debt instrument with respect to deduction disallowance on certain debt instruments of corporations. Expands the authority to disallow deductions, credits, or other allowances under provisions disallowing such benefits due to acquisitions made to evade or avoid income tax. Amends provisions affecting passive foreign investment companies to state that the term "qualified portion" (of a shareholder's holding period) does not include any period if there is only a remote likelihood of an inclusion in gross income under subpart F (Controlled Foreign Income). Adds to the definition of the term "real estate investment trust" by stating that such term includes a corporation, trust, or association which is not a controlled entity. Directs the Secretary to establish a program requiring the payment of user fees, until September 30, 2013, for: (1) requests to the Internal Revenue Service for ruling letters, opinion letters, and determination letters; and (2) other similar requests.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2003
Working Families Tax Credit Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) accelerate and increase the refundability of the child tax credit to the 15 percent rate; and (2) include combat pay (otherwise excludable from gross income) as earned income for purposes of determining such refundability. Increases the earned income credit phaseout amount on a joint return by $3,000. Revises tax shelter provisions to, among other things: (1) define economic substance; (2) impose a penalty for the failure to include in a return information concerning a reportable transaction, a reportable transaction understatement (including imposing the penalty for certain understatements which were based on unreasonable legal or factual assumptions), a noneconomic substance transaction understatement, and interests in foreign financial accounts; (3) modify rules concerning the failure to furnish information regarding reportable transactions and the penalty for such failure, the failure to maintain lists of investors in potentially abusive tax shelters and the penalty for such failure, the authority to seek an injunction to enjoin promoters of abusive tax shelters; and (4) deny a deduction of interest on underpayments attributable to nondisclosed reportable transactions and noneconomic substance transactions. Amends other provisions to, among other things: (1) place a limit on the transfer or importation by a corporation of built-in losses; (2) provide for the partnership treatment of certain contributed property with a built-in loss; (3) repeal part V (Financial Asset Securitization Investment Trusts) of subchapter M (Regulated Investment Companies and Real Estate Investment Trusts); and (4) modify rules concerning the disallowance of a deduction on certain debt instruments of corporations, passive foreign investment companies, and the reduction in a corporate shareholder's basis in stock by the nontaxed portion of extraordinary dividends. Revises corporate expatriation provisions to treat acquiring corporations in "corporate expatriation transactions" as domestic corporations. Defines a "corporate expatriation transaction" as, with certain exceptions, one in which a "nominally foreign corporation" acquires substantially all of the properties held by a domestic corporation and in which, immediately after the transaction, more than 80 percent of the stock of the acquiring corporation is held by former shareholders of the domestic corporation. Lowers the 80 percent threshold to 50 percent when the acquiring "nominally foreign corporation" lacks substantial business activities in the foreign country in which it was created and organized compared to the total activities of the "expanded affiliated group" and the stock is publicly traded, with the principal market of trading being the United States. Defines the terms "nominally foreign corporation" and "expanded affiliated group." Applies similar rules to partnership transactions. Establishes that a series of related transactions relevant to the Act shall be handled as a single transaction.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Next Generation Hispanic Serving Institutions - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise provisions for Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) under title V (Developing Institutions). Establishes a program of competitive grants to eligible HSIs that offer postbaccalaureate certifications or degrees (part B grants). Limits a part B grant award's duration to not more than five years. Prohibits the Secretary of Education from awarding more than one part B grant to an HSI in any one fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2005 through FY 2009 for: (1) the current part A program of grants to HSIs that offer baccalaureate degrees or are junior or community colleges; and (2) the new part B program of grants to HSIs that offer postbaccalaureate certifications or degrees. Eliminates the requirement that an eligible HSI provide assurances that at least 50 percent of its Hispanic students are low-income students. Includes, among authorized activities under part A grants, articulation agreements and student support programs to help transfers from two-year to four-year institutions. Eliminates the two-year wait-out period between any two five-year part A grants to an HSI.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise the definitions under Medicare regulations of "rehabilitation hospital" and "rehabilitation unit" for purposes of determining the applicable payment methodology under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Requires the Secretary, in determining whether a rehabilitation hospital or unit is eligible for reimbursement for services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries under the prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient rehabilitation facilities, to modify the list of treatment categories otherwise applicable (commonly referred to as the "75 Percent Rule") to include all rehabilitation impairment categories (except miscellaneous) established by the Secretary for purposes of such prospective payment system. (The "75 Percent Rule" requires that a rehabilitation hospital or unit show that during its most recent 12-month cost reporting period it served an inpatient population of whom at least 75 percent required intensive rehabilitative services for treatment of one or more of specified conditions.)
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative should work to support a fair and expeditious review and assure that no delays occur in resolving current disputes before the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and World Trade Organization (WTO) trade dispute panels involving the imposition of special duties on imported softwood lumber from Canada; (2) U.S. antidumping and countervailing duties are a rules-based system that should proceed to conclusion in WTO and NAFTA trade dispute panels; (3) the President should continue discussions with Canada to promote open trade between the two countries on softwood lumber free of trade restraints that harm consumers; and (4) the President should consult with all interested parties, including consumers, in future discussions regarding such trade.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2003
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to President Jose Maria Aznar of Spain in recognition of his contributions to maintaining the security of all freedom-loving nations. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to strike such medal and authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2003
Preservation of Localism, Program Diversity, and Competition in Television Broadcast Service Act of 2003 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from permitting any license for a commercial television broadcast station to be granted, transferred, or assigned to any party if such action would result in that party owning, operating, controlling, or having a cognizable interest in stations which have an aggregate national audience reach exceeding 35 percent. Requires any party currently having licenses in excess of such limit to divest as necessary to comply with such limit within one year.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2003 - Amends Federal firearms provisions to revise the definition of "semiautomatic assault weapon" (SAW) to include conversion kits (for converting a firearm to a SAW) and any semiautomatic rifle or pistol that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and that has any one of the following characteristics, respectively: (1) a folding or telescoping stock, a threaded barrel, a pistol grip, a forward grip, or a barrel shroud; or (2) a second pistol grip, a threaded barrel, a barrel shroud, or the capacity to accept a detachable magazine at a location outside of the pistol grip. Amends: (1) the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to reauthorize the assault weapons ban and add new restrictions; and (2) the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act to repeal the sunset provision regarding restrictions on large capacity ammunition feeding devices (LCAFDs) and on specified SAWs. Modifies the exemptions from the Brady Act's prohibition against manufacturing, transferring, or possessing a semiautomatic assault weapon to exclude: (1) specified firearms, or replicas or duplicates, as manufactured on October 1, 1993; (2) any semiautomatic rifle that cannot accept a detachable magazine that holds more than five rounds; and (3) any semiautomatic shotgun that cannot hold more than five rounds in a fixed or detachable magazine. Prohibits the transfer of a SAW except through a licensed dealer or a State or local law enforcement agency, subject to specified requirements. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish and maintain a record of the make, model, and date of manufacture of any SAW which the Attorney General is made aware has been used in relation to a crime, and of the nature and circumstances of the crime involved; and (2) annually submit the record to Congress and make the record available to the public. Prohibits: (1) the transfer of any assault weapon with an LCAFD; and (2) a licensed manufacturer, importer, or dealer who transfers an LCAFD that was manufactured on or before September 13, 1994, from failing to certify to the Attorney General, within 60 days of the transfer date, that the device was manufactured on or before that date. Sets penalties for violations. Prohibits: (1) the transfer of a SAW or an LCAFD to a juvenile; and (2) the importation of an LCAFD.
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
Clean Smokestacks Act of 2003 - Amends the Clean Air Act (CAA) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate regulations to achieve specified reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, and mercury from powerplants (electric generation facilities with a nameplate capacity of 15 megawatts or more that use a combustion device to generate electricity for sale) by January 1, 2009. Requires powerplants, on the later of the date 30 years after the powerplant commenced operation or five years after this Act's enactment, to comply with the most recent new source performance standards under CAA provisions regarding air quality and emissions limitations and with specified requirements for modified sources.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Urges: (1) the United States to play a leading role in the drafting of a thematic United Nations (UN) convention that affirms the human rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, and that, among other things, is consistent with the spirit of the American with Disabilities Act of 1990, the United States Constitution, and other rights enjoyed by U.S. citizens with disabilities; and (2) the President to instruct the Secretary of State to send to the UN Ad Hoc Committee meetings a U.S. delegation that includes individuals with disabilities who are recognized leaders in the U.S. disability rights movement.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team Implementation Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to fully implement, by September 30, 2004, requirements under the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 that the Secretary: (1) establish 23 additional Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams, for a total of 55; and (2) ensure that at least one such team is established in each State and territory. Increases the authorized end strengths for full-time Army and Air National Guard personnel as of September 30, 2004, in order to meet such requirements. Provides funding through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act - Permits the Director of the National Institutes of Health (the "Director" of NIH), acting through the Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, to expand and coordinate the activities of NIH with respect to research on paralysis. Allows the Director to award grants to public or nonprofit entities to fund Christopher Reeve Paralysis Research Consortia for paralysis research. Permits the Director to solicit public input regarding paralysis research programs. Allows the Director, acting through the Director of the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development and the National Center for Rehabilitation Research and in collaboration with other agencies, to expand and coordinate the activities of NIH with respect to research with implications for enhancing daily function for persons with paralysis. Permits the Director to make grants to multicenter networks of clinical sites that will collaborate on rehabilitation intervention protocols. Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to study the unique health challenges associated with paralysis and other physical disabilities to improve the quality of life and long-term health status of individuals with such conditions. Allows the Secretary to undertake direct research and to make grants. Provides for the formation of a national paralysis and physical disability quality of life plan and a hospital-based paralysis registry. Permits the Secretary to award grants to: (1) State and local health and disability agencies, including for the purpose of establishing paralysis registries; and (2) nonprofit private health and disability organizations, including for the purpose of disseminating information to the public. Allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) establish within the Department of Veterans Affairs centers for paralysis research, education, and clinical activities; and (2) carry out initiatives, through the award of grants, for quality enhancement of research on paralysis.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Health Care Tax Credit Enhancement for Workers and Steel Security Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the trade adjustment assistance-related health care tax credit to: (1) decrease age eligibility for Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation pension recipients; (2) eliminate the three-month coverage requirement concerning State-based coverage; and (3) revise covered month eligibility for the spouse of an individual entitled to Medicare. States that the steel import licensing and monitoring program established by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Commerce shall remain in effect until not later than March 6, 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2003
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide coverage of certain self-administered intramuscular and subcutaneous drugs under the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins and 500,000 $1 silver coins, which shall be emblematic of the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia (the first permanent English settlement in America). Provides for a $35 per coin surcharge for the $5 dollar coins and $10 per coin for the $1 dollar coins. Directs that: (1) half of the surcharges be used to support programs to promote the understanding of the legacies of Jamestown (to be paid to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation); and (2) half be used to sustain the ongoing mission of preserving Jamestown, to enhance national and international educational programs relating to Jamestown, to improve infrastructure and archeological research activities relating to Jamestown, and conduct other programs to support the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown (to be distributed by the Secretary in equal shares to the Secretary of the Interior, the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation).
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide transportation on Department of Defense aircraft, on a space-available basis, for veterans with service-connected disabilities rated at 50 percent or more, and for their dependents, on the same basis that such transportation is provided to former military personnel entitled to retired or retainer pay.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Liberian Refugee Immigration Protection Act of 2003 - Provides for the permanent resident status adjustment of certain Liberian nationals who were granted, or are eligible to apply for, temporary protected status as of a specified date.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Genetic Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance and Employment Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Public Health Service Act , the Internal Revenue Code, and Medicare supplemental policy provisions to prohibit health plans and insurers, with respect to protected genetic information, from discriminating in enrollment, eligibility, contribution rates, and premium rates based on such information. Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or training program to discriminate because of protected genetic information.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the U.S. Government should be actively involved in promoting American small and minority-owned businesses to help rebuild Iraq; (2) the Administrators of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the United States Agency for International Development and the Secretaries of Commerce, Defense, and State should cooperate in providing assistance to American small and minority-owned businesses seeking to become involved in such rebuilding; and (3) the SBA Administrator should conduct a public information campaign using local and national offices to advise American small and minority-owned businesses about becoming involved in such activities.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2003
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal in recognition of Jackie Robinson's contributions to the Nation. Calls for designation of a national day recognizing Robinson's accomplishments.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2003
Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to prohibit group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group health insurance coverage, with regard to hospital stays in connection with breast cancer treatment, from: (1) covering less than 48 hours after mastectomies or less than 24 hours after lymph node dissections; or (2) requiring plan or issuer authorization for prescribing any length of stay. Prohibits: (1) denying eligibility, enrollment, or renewal to avoid these requirements; (2) providing payments or rebates to women; or (3) penalizing or providing incentives to providers. Applies the same requirements to issuers in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2003
David Jayne Homebound Reform Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary to conduct a demonstration project under which Medicare beneficiaries with a permanent and severe condition meeting specified criteria are deemed to be homebound for purposes of receiving home health services under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA). Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the definition of homebound for purposes of determining Medicare eligibility for home health services. Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from disqualifying from consideration as confined to the home, based on the purpose, frequency, or duration of the absences from the home, any individual who: (1) has been certified by a physician as having a permanent and severe condition that will not improve which requires the individual to receive assistance from another individual with at least three out of five activities of daily living for the rest of the individual's life; and (2) requires one or more described home health services to achieve a functional condition giving the individual the ability to leave the home.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2003
Flight Attendant Certification Act - Amends Federal taransportation law to require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to prescribe standards for cabin crew training and certification for individuals working in an aircraft cabin on board a transport category aircraft with twenty or more seats. Requires all new and existing cabin crew members to be certified by the Administrator after successful completion of an air carrier's training program consisting of: (1) initial, indoctrination, and emergency training; (2) air carrier specific training related to aircraft types and operator's certificate; and (3) submission by the air carrier to the Administrator confirming such completion. Declares that the Administrator shall be prohibited from granting an air carrier a waiver of cabin crew training requirements or an exemption from any part of such requirements. Requires a cabin crew member, to qualify for a cabin crew certificate, to successfully: (1) complete the training requirements established by the Administrator, including all initial, indoctrination, emergency, transition, differences, recurrent, and requalification training; (2) complete the cabin security and self-defense training requirements established by the Transportation Security Administrator; and (3) perform the assigned duties of a cabin crew member and complete the approved proficiency check, under the supervision of a certified instructor or supervisor, for not less than five hours of initial operating experience. Requires air carrier training programs to receive the Administrator's approval.
![Official portrait of Rep. Langevin, James R. [D-RI-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_ri_2_langevin_james_200.jpg)