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United States · Official source
2,986 records where Rep. LoBiondo, Frank A. [R-NJ-2] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2004
Deficit Accountability Act of 2004 - Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to provide that pay for Members of Congress may not be increased by any adjustment scheduled to take effect in a calendar year if the Office of Management and Budget determines there was a deficit in the preceding fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2004
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2004 - Adjusts the basic Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity amount for surviving spouses, age 62 and older, of former military personnel to: (1) 35 percent of the retired pay of the decedent (current law), for months before October 2005; (2) 40 percent for months after September 2005 and before October 2008; (3) 45 percent for months after September 2008 and before October 2014; and (4) 55 percent for months after September 2014 . Adjusts similarly percentage amounts with respect to survivors of reserve personnel and survivors of persons who die while on active duty. Provides a corresponding phased elimination of the SBP supplemental annuity authorized to be provided to such surviving spouses. Requires periodic recomputation of: (1) annuity amounts beginning in October 2005; and (2) retired pay reductions for supplemental survivor annuities. Provides a one-year open enrollment period for SBP participation, commencing October 1, 2005, for those currently not participating, those electing to increase current coverage, and those wishing to participate in the supplemental SBP. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to require appropriate premiums for SBP participation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2004
Honors the contributions of people of Indian origin to the United States. Declares that Congress is committed to working together with India to promote peace, prosperity, and freedom among all countries.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2004
Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly benefit of $1,000 to certain honorably-discharged veterans of the U.S. Merchant Marine who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946 (or to their survivors). Includes service in the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service. Exempts benefits paid under this Act from taxation.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2004
Extends the birthday greetings of Congress, on behalf of the American people, to Ronald Reagan on his 93rd birthday.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) carry out a national education and information campaign to promote stroke prevention and increase the number of stroke patients who seek immediate treatment; and (2) maintain the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry and Clearinghouse by collecting specific data points and benchmarks for stroke care analysis, and compiling and disseminating information on State, local, and private care system achievements and problems. Defines "stroke" as an attack in which blood flow to the brain is interrupted, or in which a blood vessel or aneurysm in the brain breaks or ruptures. Includes stroke and traumatic injury prevention, diagnosis, and treatment within the grant program for emergency medicine residency training. Authorizes the Secretary, through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to make grants to qualified entities for health care professionals education programs in the use of diagnostic approaches, technologies, and therapies for stroke and traumatic injury prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Gives preference to areas with a significant incidence of stroke or traumatic injuries. Authorizes the Secretary, through the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, to make up to seven grants to States and to consortia of public and private entities in any non-grantee State to conduct a five-year pilot project (not to extend beyond FY 2009) to improve and coordinate stroke-related health care through telehealth networks.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Amends the Federal criminal code provision prohibiting the broadcasting of obscene, indecent, or profane language to specify profane words.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Military Base Security Act - Requires the Secretary of Defense to develop a pilot and demonstration program in New Jersey, and in one or more additional States or regions, to develop and explore policies, procedures, and practices that improve the level of security, reliability, quality, and economic efficiency of defense contractors and subcontractors used for construction, renovation, maintenance, and repair services on military installations. Directs the Secretary, as part of such program, to review: (1) security clearance procedures; and (2) contracting and procurement procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2003
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users - Reauthorizes the Federal-aid surface transportation program through FY 2009. Reauthorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) specified highway (including highway safety) programs; (2) research and technology; (3) motor carrier safety; and (4) transportation research. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a National Commission on Future Revenue Sources to Support the HTF. Establishes: (1) a National Commission on the Future of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate Defense Highways; and (2) a Commission on Intelligent Transportation Systems Procurement Policy. Requires States with an urbanized area population of over 200,000 to obligate specified funds for congestion relief. Federal Public Transportation Act of 2004 - Sets forth revised provisions governing public transportation funding and the Secretary's authority to make specified grants, including grants for capital projects, planning, and transit and for commercial driver's license program improvements. Directs the Secretary to establish programs involving: (1) long-term bridge performance; (2) innovative highway safety technologies; (3) freight planning capacity building; (4) freight transportation research; (5) future strategic highway research; (6) surface transportation congestion solutions research; and (7) commercial remote sensing products and spatial information technologies. Intelligent Transportation Systems Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary to conduct an ongoing intelligent system transportation program to research, develop, and operationally test and advance nationwide deployment of intelligent transportation systems as a component of the U.S. surface transportation systems. Incorporates Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration planning provisions. Reauthorizes the hazardous materials transportation program. Makes the guaranteed funding levels provided under this Act dependent on identifying additional budgetary resources.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2003
Deplores the development by Iran of a nuclear weapons program and the failure of the Government of Iran to report material, facilities, and activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in contravention of its obligations under the safeguards convention it signed in connection with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (Treaty). Concurs with the conclusion of the Department of State that Iran is pursuing a program to develop nuclear weapons. Calls on the President to use all appropriate means to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, with particular attention to the needs of the IAEA for information and access, including information concerning gas centrifuges and the conduct of uranium conversion experiments. Calls on Russia to suspend all nuclear cooperation with Iran until Iran fully complies with a specified IAEA resolution, with particular attention to spent fuel. Calls on the IAEA to declare Iran in violation of the Treaty. Calls on the United Nations Security Council to consider immediately the passage of a Security Council resolution or the taking of other actions that may be necessary to impose diplomatic and economic sanctions against Iran if it fails to meet its obligations to the IAEA. Calls on the Government of Iran to cease all efforts to acquire nuclear fuel cycle capabilities and to end the enrichment and processing of uranium until it is able to provide specific, verifiable assurances that it is not engaged in a clandestine nuclear weapons program.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2003
Chiropractic Health Parity for Military Retirees and Dependents Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense, no later than July 31, 2004, to complete development of a plan to provide chiropractic health care services and benefits, as a permanent part of the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense managed health care program), for covered beneficiaries. Requires plan implementation by December 31, 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2003
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member. Directs the Secretary to reimburse such eligible persons for pharmacy benefits received from a pharmacy that is not a TRICARE (Department of Defense managed health care plan) network pharmacy in the same manner as the Secretary would reimburse such person for such benefits received from a TRICARE network pharmacy. Requires such persons, in order to receive such reimbursement, to submit a certification from their physician stating that the person does not have access to a TRICARE network pharmacy due to physical or medical constraints. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive the monthly part B premium (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) with respect to: (1) an individual who is entitled to military retired or retainer pay based upon service that began before December 7, 1956; and (2) the spouse, widow, or widower of such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2003
Nuclear Waste Financing Act of 2003 - Requires that, beginning in FY 2005, and through the end of FY 2010, the receipts, proceeds, and recoveries realized by the Secretary of Energy relating to contracts for transportation and disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel shall be credited to the Nuclear Waste Fund as offsetting collections. Prescribes implementation procedures, including adjustments to the levels of budgetary resources from offsetting collections and preservation of the corpus of the Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2003
Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2003 or Johanna's Law - Directs The Secretary of Health and Human Services: (1) through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in collaboration with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to carry out a national campaign to increase the awareness and knowledge of women with respect to gynecologic cancers; and (2) through NIH and the Director, to carry out a demonstration program with nonprofit private entities to test different outreach and education strategies to increase such awareness among women and health care providers.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2003
Amends the Federal judicial code to establish two judicial districts in New Jersey (currently, one), the Northern and Southern Districts of New Jersey. Sets forth provisions regarding the allocation of judgeships, including bankruptcy judgeships, among those districts. Provides for the transfer of district judges, bankruptcy judges, and magistrate judges to the Northern and Southern Districts of New Jersey. Transfers U.S. attorneys, U.S. marshals, and Federal public defenders for the District of New Jersey to the Northern District of New Jersey. Directs the President to appoint, by and with the advice of the Senate, a U.S. attorney and a U.S. marshal for the Southern District of New Jersey. Specifies that neither pending cases nor juries shall be affected.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Federal Government has a responsibility to further research on von Willebrand's disease, improve access to treatment centers for all individuals with bleeding disorders, and increase funding for research; (2) the Director of the National Institutes of Health should develop a 5-year research plan concerning women with bleeding disorders; (3) the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should continue to improve outreach, treatment, and prevention of the complications of women's bleeding disorders; (4) physicians should screen all adolescents and all adult women presenting with severe menorrhagia for von Willebrand's disease; (5) hysterectomy for excessive menstrual bleeding should not be performed without the consideration of a bleeding disorder; (6) referral of women with bleeding disorders to a federally sponsored hemophilia treatment center is critical to comprehensive treatment; (7) physicians should be encouraged to conduct clotting factor assays for carrier diagnosis and to facilitate genotyping of the disorder and patients should be referred for genetic counseling when appropriate; and (8) patient advocate organizations and medical specialty societies should continue to collaborate on public education campaigns to educate women about bleeding disorders.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2003
Commandant of the Coast Guard Advice and Recommendations Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Commandant of the Coast Guard, after informing the Secretary of Homeland Security, to make such recommendations to Congress relating to the Coast Guard as the Commandant considers appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Marine Corps 230th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 one dollar coins which shall be emblematic of the warrior ethos of the United States Marine Corps. Requires all surcharges from the sale of the coins to be paid to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation for construction of the Marine Corps Heritage Center.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Workers Assistance Extension Act - Amends the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 (TEUCA) to extend the TEUCA program through June 30, 2004, with a phase-out period through September 30, 2004. (The TEUCA program provides: (1) an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits (TEUC) to jobless workers who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits; and (2) another additional 13 weeks of benefits (TEUC-X), for a total of 26 additional weeks, for such workers in high unemployment States.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2003
Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2003 - Defines "specialty crop" as all agricultural crops, except wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, and tobacco. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to States to enhance specialty crop competitiveness. Bases grant amounts on specialty crop production value. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to increase fruit or vegetable producer operating loan limits. Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act, reenacted with amendments by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, to provide for marketing order specialty crop food safety programs. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to State or local educational agencies for school garden programs that permit children to learn about specialty crops' dietary importance. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to: (1) increase maximum orchardist assistance under the tree assistance program; and (2) increase and extend specialty crop technical assistance. Directs the Secretary to use specified funds to provide restitution to licensed specialty crop shippers for economic losses resulting from the preparation of false inspection certificates by Department of Agriculture graders at Hunts Point Terminal Market, Bronx, New York. Authorizes appropriations for the maintenance of the Agricultural Marketing Service inspection training center in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Directs the United States Trade Representative to establish at least one position in the Office of the United States Trade Representative for specialty crop trade matters. Directs: (1) the General Accounting Office to conduct a study on why and to what extent U.S. specialty crops have not benefited from the Uruguay Round; and (2) the Secretary to prepare a foreign market access strategy plan aimed at increasing such exports. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) in the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the Department, the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Export Petition Division to process petitions for reducing sanitary and phytosanitary export barriers; and (2) in the Department an office to develop and protect intellectual property rights in plants and plant materials. Provides for a Foreign Agricultural Service study of supplier credit guarantee program modifications in order to increase specialty crop exports. Directs the Secretary to transfer the Office of Pest Management Policy of the Department from the Agricultural Research Service to the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture for administrative and funding purposes. Provides for additional research initiatives respecting: (1) methyl bromide alternatives; (2) specialty crop clean air benefits; (3) produce quality improvement; (4) new crop protection tools and integrated pest management; (5) foreign invasive pests and diseases; and (6) national specialty crop development initiative grants. Establishes in the Treasury the Invasive Pest and Disease Response Fund to support emergency eradication and research activities of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in response to economic and health threats posed by invasive pests and agricultural disease. Directs the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to provide for independent scientific advice and peer review with regard to specialty crop import and export requests, including risk and mitigation assessments. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a food safety education program to reduce contamination from: (1) microbial pathogens; and (2) unsanitary handling practices. Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to remove the income limitation from the environmental quality incentives program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2003
Recognizes the members of of the armed forces, particularly the special operations forces assigned to Task Force Ranger and the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division, who served in Operation Restore Hope to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Somalia in 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2003
Benjamin Franklin Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one dollar coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Benjamin Franklin (not more than 250,000 bearing his image as a young statesman and not more than 250,000 with his image as an older numismatist). Directs that all sales include a $10 per coin surcharge, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission, to be used to educate people about Franklin's legacy.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2003
Expresses congressional concern over the detrimental effects of currency manipulation by foreign governments on the U.S. economy, especially the manufacturing sector. Calls on the President to: (1) vigorously enforce U.S. trade laws dealing with such practices; (2) encourage the harmonization of an international exchange rate policy of freely floating exchange rates based on market forces; and (3) review all tools available to counteract currency manipulation. Urges that: (1) the executive branch take certain steps to enable the dollar and other major currencies to move toward their equilibrium rates; (2) the Secretary of the Treasury include in each semiannual report on international economic and exchange rate policies the currency manipulation practices of foreign governments; and (3) the U.S. Trade Representative take action under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to combat such practices should negotiations fail to produce meaningful results.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2003
Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2003 - Extends Federal highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, and transit programs for six months, and authorizes appropriations, through March 31, 2004. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) apportion funds made available for Federal-aid highway programs under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) to each State according to the ratio of the State's FY 2003 obligation authority to the FY 2003 obligation authority for all States; and (2) ensure that each State is apportioned funds for the Interstate maintenance program, the National Highway System program, the bridge program, the surface transportation program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the recreational trails program, the Appalachian development highway system program, and the minimum guarantee. Sets forth provisions: (1) for reducing future apportionments, and for recovering funds not apportioned, under a law reauthorizing the Federal-aid highway program that is enacted after enactment of this Act; (2) prohibiting States from obligating any Federal-aid highway program funds after March 31, 2004, until the earlier of the date of enactment of a multi-year law reauthorizing such program or June 30 2004; and (3) directing the Secretary of Transportation, on the earlier of such enactment date or June 1, 2004, to distribute to each State any remaining amounts of obligation authority for Federal-aid highways and highway safety construction programs by allocation as provided in an Act making appropriations for the Department of Transportation for FY 2004 Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 and TEA-21, respectively, to set related discretionary spending limits and obligation limitations for FY 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2003
Recognizes the 100th anniversary of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2003
Amends Federal law concerning the Coastal Heritage Trail Route in New Jersey to reauthorize appropriations for the route. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to prepare a strategic plan that describes opportunities to increase participation in the planning, development, and administration of the route and organizational options for sustaining the route. Allows funds appropriated for the route to be used for grants.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2003
Exempts from the requirement to pay subsistence charges while hospitalized in a military facility an officer or former officer, or an enlisted member or former enlisted member not entitled to retired or retainer pay or equivalent pay, who is hospitalized in a military facility because of an injury incurred: (1) as a direct result of armed conflict; (2) while engaged in hazardous service; (3) in the performance of duty under conditions simulating war; or (4) through an instrumentality of war.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Commercial Fishermen Safety Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a limited fishing safety equipment credit to commercial fisherman for the purchase of qualified fishing safety equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
State and Local Law Enforcement Discipline, Accountability, and Due Process Act of 2003 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to set forth the due process rights, including procedures, that shall be afforded a law enforcement officer (officer) who is the subject of an investigation or disciplinary hearing. Declares that an officer shall not be: (1) prohibited from engaging in political activity or be denied the right to refrain from engaging in such activity, except when on duty or acting in an official capacity; and (2) prohibited from being a candidate for an elective office or from serving in such elective office solely because of the officer's status as an officer, with exceptions. Requires that: (1) each agency adopt and thereafter comply with a written complaint procedure that meets specified requirements; and (2) an investigation based on a complaint from outside the agency commence not later than 15 days after receipt of the complaint by the agency employing the officer against whom the complaint has been made, or any other agency charged with investigating such complaint. Directs that any officer who is the subject of an investigation be notified of the investigation 24 hours before the commencement of questioning. Establishes rights of officers before and during questioning, including the right to counsel. Requires questioning to be conducted at reasonable hours. Prohibits an officer from being compelled to submit to the use of a lie detector.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Cancer Survivorship Research and Quality of Life Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include demonstration, education, and other programs concerning cancer survivorship among the activities of the National Cancer Institute (Institute) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Requires the Director of NIH, acting through the Director of the Institute, to: (1) expand and coordinate NIH activities related to cancer survivorship; and (2) establish an Office on Survivorship within the Institute. Creates the position of Associate Director for Survivorship. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, to study the health challenges associated with cancer survivorship and carry out projects and interventions. Requires the Secretary to make grants for the monitoring and evaluation of cancer care and survivorship.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Requests the President to issue a proclamation commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Constantino Brumidi, who painted and decorated the interior of the U.S. Capitol.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2003
Internet Tobacco Sales Enforcement Act - Amends the Jenkins Act to require each person who engages in an interstate sale of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco or in an interstate distribution of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco to comply with all the excise, sales, and use tax laws applicable to the sale or other transfer of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco in the State and place in which the cigarettes or smokeless tobacco are delivered. Prohibits the cigarettes or smokeless tobacco from being delivered to the buyer unless in advance of the delivery the excise tax has been paid and any required stamps or other indicia that such tax has been paid are properly affixed or applied, with an exception. Authorizes a State Attorney General to bring a civil action to obtain any appropriate relief, including money damages where appropriate, against any person who violates such prohibition or who knowingly assists or participates in such a violation. Expresses the sense of Congress that any State Attorney General who commences such a civil action should inform the U.S. Attorney General who should make information about the case publicly available. Authorizes civil penalties for violations. Eliminates the $1,000 criminal penalty limitation. Declares that the Act does not limit the remedies provided by State or Federal law with respect to alleged violations relating to a sale or distribution of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco in connection with an interstate sale or distribution of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2003
Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act of 2003 - Requires a manufacturer of a motor vehicle sold or introduced into commerce in the United States to disclose to the vehicle owner, a repair facility, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the information necessary to diagnose, service, or repair the vehicle. Sets forth protections for trade secrets. States that manufacturer noncompliance with this Act constitutes an unfair method of competition and an unfair or deceptive act or practice affecting commerce within the purview of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Authorizes a vehicle owner or repair facility to bring a civil action in Federal district court for violations of this Act without regard to the amount in controversy or the citizenship of the parties. Instructs the FTC to prescribe a uniform methodology for manufacturer disclosure in writing, and on the Internet. Prohibits the FTC from prescribing rules that interfere with the authority of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency regarding motor vehicle emissions control diagnostics systems.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2003
Profiting from Access to Computer Technology (PACT) Act - Child PACT Act - Directs each Federal agency to: (1) safeguard and identify educationally useful Federal equipment that it no longer needs or that has been declared surplus; (2) transfer such equipment, either directly or through the General Services Administration (GSA), to educational recipients or nonprofit refurbishers; and (3) encourage employees with computer expertise to assist in providing maintenance and technical support for the recipients of such equipment, connecting school classrooms to the Internet, and helping teachers to learn to use computers to teach.
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 · 8 July 2003
Overtime Compensation Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to prohibit the Secretary of Labor from promulgating any regulation that has the effect of exempting from FLSA overtime compensation requirements (which limit maximum hours at regular compensation) any employee who is not otherwise exempted under regulations in effect on the date of enactment of this Act. Provides that such prohibition does not bar the Secretary from reducing the number of employees who are exempt from such overtime compensation requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2003
Congratulates the New Jersey Devils hockey team for winning the 2003 Stanley Cup championship.
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 · 19 June 2003
Fairness to All Vietnam Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to study and report to Congress: (1) to identify veterans who died after October 31, 1955, as a result of military operations in southeast Asia whose names are not eligible for inscription on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; and (2) on the feasibility and equitability of revising the eligibility requirements to be more inclusive of such veterans or of creating an alternative means for recognizing them, including alternatives involving an education center at the Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that a postage stamp should be issued in honor of the U.S. merchant marine featuring the S.S. LANE VICTORY.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2003
National Beach Recreation Act - Amends specified Federal law to direct the Secretary of the Army, in making recommendations to Congress for shore protection projects, to develop and implement procedures that treat recreational, hurricane and storm damage reduction, and environmental restoration benefits equally.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2003
Veterans Health Care Full Funding Act - Requires each fiscal year budget submitted to Congress by the President to include requests for amounts for veterans health care programs. Requires amounts appropriated for such programs to be available for two consecutive fiscal years. Establishes the Veterans Health Care Funding Review Board within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Directs the Board, beginning with FY 2005, to determine the level of funding needed for such programs for that fiscal year and the next and to publish such determination in the Federal Register. Outlines veterans' health care needs factors to be considered by the Board in arriving at such determination. Repeals requirements for certain congressional notifications in connection with a funding request for a Department major medical facility project or lease. Provides a 30-day standard for access to medical care for veterans seeking primary or specialized care, as measured from: (1) the time the veteran contacts the Department seeking an appointment until the date a visit is completed (primary care); and (2) the date on which the veteran is referred to a specialist until the date a visit is completed (specialty care). Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop a standard of waiting time during a visit and to periodically review the performance of Department facilities compared to that standard.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2003 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 2004 for the Coast Guard (CG). Sets forth authorized FY 2004 levels of CG active duty military personnel and average military training student loads. Revises specified requirements relating to CG management. Amends the Ports and Waterways Safety Act (PWSA) to authorize the Secretary of the Department in which the CG is operating (the CG Secretary) to prohibit the use on the bridge of vessels of certain electric and electronic devices that interfere with communications or navigation equipment, if the CG determines they pose a threat to the safety of vessels. Allows removal of the Inland Navigation Rules from Federal statutory law if the CG Secretary promulgates Inland Navigation Rules through a regulatory proceeding and such regulations become effective. Allows suspension as an alternative to the currently required revocation of a merchant mariner's credentials (MMC) in cases of dangerous drug convictions. Requires foreign flag vessels departing and returning to the same U.S. port, or returning to another port under U.S. jurisdiction, to comply with the International Safety Management Code when any part of the voyage occurs on the high seas. Increases maximum civil penalties for failure to comply with recreational vessel and associated equipment safety standards. Extends such penalties to wrongful labeling and failure to notify of a recall. Authorizes suspension or revocation of MMC if the mariner commits an act of incompetence whether or not the mariner is acting under the authority of the MMC at the time the act occurs. Adds security threat as a basis for which the Secretary may suspend or revoke an MMC. Authorizes the CG Secretary to prescribe maximum hours of service for individuals engaged on a towing vessel that is required to have a licensed operator under specified Federal law. Requires shipboard automatic identification systems to include electronic charts and related displays. Authorizes the CG to conduct examinations to ensure that a passenger vessel calling on a U.S. port complies with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, if a U.S. citizen passenger is aboard, and to prevent such vessel's departure in cases of noncompliance. Increases civil penalties for violations of certain Federal laws and regulations relating to bridges.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Prohibits any contract for which the time of performance exceeds three days from being awarded for work at a Department of Defense facility or installation unless the contractor implements procedures under which a background investigation, psychological assessment, and behavioral observation is conducted, and fingerprint cards are provided, for any individual performing such work.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act - Redefines the term "law enforcement officer" under provisions of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to include: (1) Federal employees not otherwise covered by such term whose duties include the investigation or apprehension of suspected or convicted individuals and who are authorized to carry a firearm; and (2) such employees of the Internal Revenue Service whose duties are primarily the collection of delinquent taxes and the securing of delinquent returns. Requires that such service which is performed by an incumbent law enforcement officer be treated: (1) on or after the enactment date of this Act, for all purposes, as service performed as a law enforcement officer, irrespective of how such service is treated under the following; and (2) before, on, or after such date, for purposes of CSRS and FERS, as service performed as such an officer, but only if an appropriate written election is submitted to the Office of Personnel Management five years after such date or before separation from Government service, whichever is earlier. Provides that nothing under current law respecting mandatory separation from Government service under CSRS or FERS shall cause the involuntary separation of an officer before the end of the three-year period beginning on such date.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2003 - Declares that the sunset provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 shall not apply to Title V: Estate, Gift, and Generation-skipping Transfer Tax Provisions of such Act. (Makes the repeal of estate and generation-skipping taxes under the Internal Revenue Code, and certain reductions of the gift tax, permanent.)
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 · 22 May 2003
Postmasters Equity Act of 2003 - Amends Federal law to authorize an organization (other than an organization representing supervisors) that represents at least 20 percent of certain postmasters to participate directly in the planning and development of pay policies and schedules, and fringe benefit programs, and other programs relating to supervisory and other managerial employees. Grants the postmasters and postmasters' organizations the same consultation and other rights afforded to supervisors and supervisors' organizations. Provides that if two or more postmasters' organizations exist such organizations shall: (1) be treated as if they constituted a single organization and in accordance with such arrangements as the organizations shall mutually agree to; and (2) in the case of any fact-finding panel convened by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service at the organizations' request, be jointly and severally liable for the cost of such panel, apart from the portion to be borne by the Service. States that for purposes of the Employee Thrift Advisory Council's membership: (1) each of such two or more postmasters' organizations shall be treated as a separate organization; and (2) any determination of the number of individuals represented by each of those respective organizations shall be made in a manner consistent with this Act's purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from issuing a lease, permit, or license for the exploration or extraction of oil or gas from specified submerged Outer Continental Shelf lands located off the coast of New Jersey.
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.)