United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Recognizes the contributions of Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair, Jr.), David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, and Franklin McCain, known as the Greensboro Four, to the civil rights movement (through their lunch counter sit-in in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1960).
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2005
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 8200 South Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles, California, as the "Staff Sergeant First Class John Marshall Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Redesignates the: (1) Department of the Navy as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps; and (2) Secretary of the Navy as the Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps. Makes similar redesignations with respect to Department Assistant Secretaries and the General Counsel.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act - Establishes the Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African-Americans to examine: (1) the institution of slavery which existed within the United States and the colonies that became the United States from 1619 through 1865; (2) the extent to which the Federal and State governments supported the institution of slavery in constitutional and statutory provisions; (3) Federal and State laws that discriminated against freed African slaves and their descendants; and (4) the lingering negative effects of the institution of slavery on living African-Americans and on society in the United States. Instructs the Commission to address the following issues when making its recommendations to Congress: (1) whether the Federal government should offer a formal apology for the perpetration of gross human rights violations on African slaves and their descendants; (2) whether African-Americans still suffer from the lingering effects of slavery; and (3) whether any form of compensation to the descendants of African slaves is warranted.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Community Choice in Real Estate Act - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, and the Revised Statutes of the United States, to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury, respectively, from determining that real estate brokerage activity or real estate management activity is financial in nature, is incidental to any financial activity, or is complementary to a financial activity. (In effect, prohibits financial holding companies and national banks from engaging, directly or indirectly, in real estate brokerage or real estate management activities.) Exempts from such prohibition: (1) activities of a bank holding company (or any affiliate) that directly relate to managing any real property owned by national banks or their affiliates; and (2) the right, power, or ability of any financial holding company to engage in any activity, or acquire or retain the shares of any company engaged in an activity authorized for financial holding companies on December 6, 2001 ("grandfather clause").
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
College Fire Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to make competitive demonstration grants to private or public colleges or universities, fraternities, or sororities for up to half the cost of installing fire sprinkler systems, or other fire suppression or prevention technologies, in student housing and dormitories owned or controlled by such entities. Requires grant priority to be given eligible entities that demonstrate the greatest financial need. Reserves the following portions of grant funds made available for each fiscal year: (1) at least ten percent for eligible entities that are historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribally controlled colleges and universities; and (2) at least ten percent for eligible entities that are social fraternities and sororities. Provides that any application for assistance under this Act, any negative determination on the part of the Secretary with respect to such application, or any statement of reasons for the determination, shall not be admissible as evidence in any proceeding of any court, agency, board, or other entity (except a proceeding to enforce an agreement entered into between the Secretary and an eligible entity under this Act).
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Reservist and National Guard Opportunities and Protection of Education Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to declare that: (1) whenever a student who is a member of the National Guard or other reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States, or a member of such Armed Forces in a retired status, is called or ordered to active duty, the institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled shall grant the student a military leave of absence from the institution while the student is serving on active duty, and for one year after the conclusion of such service; (2) as a consequence of military leave, upon return, such student is entitled to restoration to his or her previous educational status with regard to academic credits earned, scholarships or grants awarded, or tuition and other fees paid; and (3) the institution is obligated to refund tuition or fees paid prior to the commencement of active duty.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Social Security Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal: (1) pension offset provisions applicable to husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and mother's and father's insurance benefits with respect to OASDI payments; and (2) windfall elimination provisions with respect to computation of the primary insurance amount of an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2005 - 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. Provides for benefits for World War II Merchant Mariners under title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Democracy Day Act of 2005 - Requires the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in 2008 and in each even-number year thereafter (Election Day) to be treated in the same manner as November 11 (Veterans Day) for purposes of any laws relating to Federal employment. Urges private employers to give their employees that day off to enable them to vote. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study of the impact of such requirement on voter participation.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Declares that the House honors Shirley Chisholm (a former Representative from New York) for her service to the Nation, her work to improve the lives of women and minorities, her steadfast commitment to demonstrating the power of compassion, and her dedication to justice and equality. Expresses its deepest condolences upon her death to her family, friends, and supporters.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2002
Martin Luther King, Jr., Records Collection Act of 2002 - Directs the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to commence establishment of a collection of all Government records relating to the life and assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Requires the Archivist of the United States to: (1) ensure the physical integrity and original provenance of all records; (2) prepare and publish a subject guidebook and index to the collection which will be available to the public and searchable electronically; and (2) enter into an agreement with an entity outside NARA for the establishment of a secondary location for a portion of the collection. Requires each Government office having possession or control of related records to: (1) identify and organize its records and prepare them for transmission to the Archivist; and (2) review, identify, and organize each related record in its custody or possession for disclosure to the public, review by the Review Board (established by this Act), and transmission to the Archivist. Sets forth grounds for postponement of public disclosure of related records. Establishes the Records Review Board to consider and render decisions on a Government office determination to seek to postpone disclosure. Authorizes the Board to request the Attorney General to petition any court to release information or physical evidence relevant to King's life or assassination that is held under court seal. Creates a private right of action for individuals aggrieved by a violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2002
Public Lands Forever Wild Act - Prohibits, without exception, certain actions on Federal public lands, including: (1) tree cutting; (2) road building; (3) logging; (4) mining; and (5) drilling. Forbids the leasing, sale, or exchange of such lands or the sale, removal, or destruction of any resource from such lands, including timber and minerals. Requires that all roads on Federal public lands be inventoried, with unnecessary ones to be obliterated and revegetated. Directs the Federal agencies having jurisdiction over Federal public lands to inventory them by acre, roads, rivers, and streams by mile. States that such inventory shall include a recommendation of what can be done to restore natural conditions on the lands. Declares fires, insects, disease, and other natural destructive forces on Federal public lands to be considered acts of nature, with no further attempts to correct for them permitted. Allows any citizen harmed by a violation of this Act to bring suit in any district court of the United States. Permits the court to impose damages for findings of violation. Sets forth that the United States (including its agents and employees) waives its sovereign immunity in all respects in all actions with regard to court proceedings under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2002
Lasting Justice for Victims of 9/11 Act - Provides that the jurisdiction of a U.S. court shall not be barred in any action for money damages against a foreign state or other person for personal injury or death caused by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks: (1) on the grounds that the defendant is immune from suit as a foreign state or under any law extending diplomatic privileges or immunities; or (2) on the basis of provisions of the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund of 2001 (the Fund Act) limiting air carrier liability. Sets a 25-year statute of limitations. Makes the Fund Act inapplicable to any action under this Act, except that if a person receives a money judgment in an action to which this Act applies, the court shall: (1) notify the Special Master appointed under the Fund Act who shall reduce the amount of compensation under such Act, if no payment under such Act has yet been made, by the amount of such judgment, less costs and attorneys fees; and (2) order the reimbursement of a specified amount to the U.S. Treasury if compensation has already been paid under such Act. Requires the heads of the appropriate U.S. departments and agencies to assist plaintiffs in enforcing any decision, judgment, or order issued in favor of plaintiffs in actions under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2002
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) supports the goals and ideals of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund; (2) salutes the Fund, and recognizes the efforts in support of equal opportunity in higher education of its president, its board of directors, and the presidents, faculties, staff, and trustees of its member institutions; and (3) commends the students who benefit from the Fund for their pursuit of academic excellence.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2002
Women Discharged From the Military Due to Pregnancy Relief Act of 2002 - Expresses the sense of Congress that women who served in the U.S. armed forces before February 23, 1976, should not have been involuntarily discharged due to pregnancy and expresses remorse for the women who endured unnecessary and discriminatory actions because they became pregnant while a member of the armed forces. Requires the Secretary of Defense to identify and pay each woman who was so discharged or separated between June 12, 1948, and February 23, 1976, an amount equal to the total pay and allowances that would have been due had such person not been involuntarily discharged. Directs the Secretary of Education to provide for the discharge or cancellation of the Federal student loan indebtedness of an offspring who was the cause of such a woman's discharge or separation. Makes health benefits provided as a result of military service available to such women and offspring. Requires the Secretary of Defense to establish a single standard discharge code for such women. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense should establish policies to encourage such women to continue to serve the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2002
Calls for the United States to work through the United Nations to seek to ensure that Iraq is not developing weapons of mass destruction, through the resumption of weapons inspections, negotiation, enquiry, mediation, regional arrangements, and other peaceful means.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2002
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2002 - Adjusts the basic Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity amount for surviving spouses, age 62 or over, of former military personnel to: (1) 35 percent of the retired pay of the decedent (current law), for months beginning on or before the enactment of this Act; (2) 40 percent of such pay, for months beginning after enactment of this Act until October 2005; (3) 45 percent of such pay for months beginning after September 2005 and before October 2012; and (4) 55 percent of such pay for months after September 2012. Adjusts similarly the percentage amounts of SBP supplemental annuity authorized to be provided for such surviving spouses. Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure appropriate adjustments in the computation of retired pay reductions for such supplemental annuities.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2002
Chance to Succeed Act of 2002 - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to include as a work activity satisfactory participation in services to address barriers designed to improve future employment opportunities, including substance abuse treatment and physical rehabilitation, mental health, and mental retardation and developmental disabilities services. Requires the assessment for each assistance recipient to determine whether the recipient has any such barriers. Prohibits a TANF-recipient State from imposing a sanction against an individual or family on the basis of noncompliance with a program requirement if the individual whose conduct is the basis of the sanction is in the uncompleted process of being screened or assessed for a mental health problem, disability, substance abuse problem, or sexual or domestic violence situation, or if the services outlined in the service plan developed for the individual or family were not offered, available, and accessible to the individual or family at the time of the noncompliance. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed as prohibiting a State in compliance with its requirements from imposing a sanction for noncompliance with work requirements against an individual or family who opts to not take full advantage of the opportunity for assessment or the services and supports made available. Requires each State receiving a State family assistance grant to establish an advisory panel to review the efficacy of each TANF-funded program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2002
Supports the goals and ideals of National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week. Salutes and acknowledges historically Black colleges and universities and the presidents, faculties, staff, and trustees of the 118 such institutions for their vigorous and persistent efforts in support of equal opportunity in higher education. Commends the students who benefit from such institutions for their pursuit of academic excellence.
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 2002
Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act of 2002 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide that a public safety officer who dies as the direct and proximate result of a heart attack or stroke suffered while on duty or within 24 hours after participating in a training exercise or responding to an emergency situation shall be presumed to have died as the direct and proximate result of a personal injury sustained in the line of duty, for purposes of survivor benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Northeastern North Carolina Heritage Area Study Act of 2002 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to study and report on the suitability and feasibility of establishing the Northeastern North Carolina Heritage Study Area in North Carolina (to be comprised of Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell, and Washington counties).
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2002 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to award grants or cooperative agreements to develop State-wide lifespan respite care programs. Defines "lifespan respite care" to mean a coordinated system of accessible community-based respite care services for family caregivers regardless of the individual's age, race, ethnicity, or special need. Requires the Secretary to establish a review panel to make recommendations on applicants. Permits the use of funds for respite care services and training programs. Limits grants to five years. Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a National Resource Center on Lifespan Respite Care to maintain a national database and provide training, technical assistance, and information.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Safe Overseas Human Testing Act - Declares it is the policy of Congress to control the export of drugs and other test articles intended for overseas clinical investigations involving human participants in order to foster public health and safety, prevent injury to U.S. foreign policy, and preserve the credibility of the United States as a responsible trading partner. Requires a license approved by the President for the export of such test articles. Sets forth certain export license requirements, including that the license applicant shall: (1) identify each clinical investigation for which the test article is intended; and (2) submit proof that each of the protocols for every clinical investigation has been reviewed by an institutional review board and has, at a minimum, met substantially the same standards for the protection of the rights and welfare of human subjects as that required for Institutional Review Boards approval of protocols for clinical investigations (in the United States) of test articles pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Calls on Congress to consider and vote on a resolution authorizing the use of force by the U.S. armed forces against Iraq before such force is deployed against Iraq.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2002
Computer Hazardous Waste Infrastructure Program Act - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, after submitting to Congress a study of waste materials in used computers that may be hazardous to human health or the environment, to require assessment of a fee on the sale to an end-user of any computer, monitor, or other designated electronic devices. Requires fees collected to be used for administration of this Act and grants for: (1) collecting or processing used computers, monitors, or other devices for recycling; (2) reusing or reselling such articles; and (3) extracting and using, or selling for reuse, raw materials from such articles. Requires reports to Congress on the status of computer recycling, which shall include descriptions of fee collection and use.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2002
Recommends the restriction of coffee purchases by all executive, legislative, and judicial branch offices and entities to brands that are fair trade certified. Urges such entities to provide information to the public about the importance of fair trade certified coffee.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2002
Urges the recognition of General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. (who died on July 4, 2002) for his achievement as one of America's most accomplished military officers, whose strength, determination, and character in the face of racial injustice and bigotry could not prevent him from serving with the highest honor and distinction for the country he so proudly loved.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2002
Darlene's Law - Amends the Public Health Services Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish and maintain the National Organ Donor Registry. Provides for an opt-in organ donation checkoff on income tax forms. Sets forth notice and disclosure requirements. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer the name and taxpayer identification number of individuals opting for organ donation to the Registry, exempting such disclosure from otherwise applicable prohibitions on the non-tax use of tax form information. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to qualified organ procurement organizations to establish programs coordinating organ donation activities with hospitals to increase the rate of organ donation for such hospitals. Directs the Secretary to establish an interagency task force on organ donation and research. Requires the Secretary to: (1) award peer-reviewed grants for studies and demonstration projects to increase organ donation and recovery rates, including removing financial disincentives; (2) establish an organ donation public awareness program; (3) support model curricula in relevant issues; (4) develop scientific evidence to support increased donation and improve recovery, transportation, and preservation of organs and tissues; and (5) support research to develop a uniform vocabulary, apply information technology, and enhance the skills and technologies used in organ procurement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2002
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that a National Epilepsy Awareness Month should be established and observed with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2002
Omnibus Corporate Reform and Restoration Act of 2002 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to revise standards for pension plan security for defined contribution plans (DCPs). Specifies a waivable limit to the amount of employer stock and real property which may be acquired and held with respect to the individual account each participant or beneficiary, in the case of DCPs that are individual account plans (IAPs) (401(k) and similar plans). Allows employees to diversify assets in employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) after five years (currently ten) and at age 35 (currently 55). Reduces the tax deduction for employer matching contributions to DCPs (other than ESOPs) when such contributions are made in employer securities. Exempts from certain prohibited transaction rules the provision of fiduciary investment advice to participants or beneficiaries who direct their investments. Requires IAPs to provide for plan investment committees, whose members shall be elected by plan participants. Directs the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation to study the feasibility of, and options for developing, an insurance system for IAPs. Requires IAP trades in employer securities to be reported to participants and beneficiaries. Amends the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 to prohibit issuers of equity securities from making loans or other extensions of credit to beneficial owners, officers, or directors. Amends Federal bankruptcy law to increase, from $4,000 to $15,000, the individual maximum limit on priority claims for wages and for contributions to employee benefit plans. Provides criminal penalties for: (1) destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in Federal investigations and bankruptcy; and (2) destruction of corporate audit records.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2002
Women's Autoimmune Diseases Research and Prevention Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to instruct the Autoimmune Disease Coordinating Committee for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to include in the plan for NIH activities: (1) research concerning the etiology and causes of autoimmune diseases in all women, with priority given to environmental factors; (2) the development of information and education programs on risk factors for women, such as genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors; and (3) outreach programs at community health centers to historically underserved populations of women.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2002
Senior Nutrition Act of 2002 - Amends the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 to make a person who is at least 60 years old eligible for the commodity supplemental food program (program) if such person: (1) is eligible for the food stamp program; or (2) has a household income that is not more than 185 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines. Authorizes permanent program appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2002
Textile and Apparel Recognition Act - Calls upon the President to: (1) ensure enforcement of U.S. trade laws with respect to trade practices resulting in harm to the U.S. textile and apparel industry; (2) ensure enforcement of international trade agreements with respect to the U.S. textile and apparel industry, including existing safeguard remedies available under the World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement; (3) ensure enforcement of existing quota and tariff regulations to prevent further illegal circumvention of the U.S. textile import restraint program; (4) deny requests from trading partners of the United States for unilateral liberalization by the United States of its textile and apparel market other than that provided for under existing international trade agreements; and (5) implement strategies to open foreign markets to provide equitable access for goods exported by the U.S. textile and apparel industry. Directs the President when conducting negotiations to enter into trade agreements with other countries to take into account potential foreign currency devaluations so that such countries do not receive the benefit of reduced tariffs while at the same time making their exports more cost-competitive on the international market through such currency devaluations. Requires the President to report annually to Congress on the ability of the U.S. textile manufacturing sector to compete with the textile industry in other countries when foreign currencies are devalued.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2002
Executive Accountability Act of 2002 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to negate, in specified cases, the performance-based compensation exception to the $1,000,000 limitation on deductible compensation paid by publicly held corporations. Includes in gross income funded deferred compensation of a corporate insider if the insider's corporation funds its defined contribution plan with employer stock, with specified exceptions. Includes in gross income the net unrealized built-in gain on options held by a corporate insider to acquire stock in an expatriate corporation or in any member of an expanded affiliated group which includes such corporation. Applies the golden parachute excise tax to certain cases of deferred compensation paid by a corporation to a corporate insider after such individual has left the firm if the stock value of the corporation has recently suffered a major decline or the corporation has recently declared bankruptcy.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2002
Clean Water Enforcement and Compliance Improvement Act of 2002 - Amends enforcement provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) regarding: (1) findings concerning harm caused and citizen suits; (2) compliance under State permits; (3) recordkeeping, effluent monitoring, and notice of pollution information; (4) priority areas (with a high degree of economic distress or social disenfranchisement); (5) violations of pretreatment requirements; (6) amounts of penalties; (7) the effect of State actions upon Federal ones; (8) inspection of significantly noncomplying facilities; and (9) the scope of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emergency powers. Revises State pollutant discharge permit program requirements concerning program approval, inspection, monitoring, introduction of pollutants into publicly owned treatment works, poor compliance histories, submission of pollution prevention plans, and reporting. Restricts the duration of permits that modify effluent limitations for toxic pollutants to two years and requires a hearing concerning owner-operator control and reasonable progress. Authorizes citizen suits for past violations of effluent standards or limitations if there is evidence of repeated violations. Includes in employee protections a prohibition against harassment or prosecution of, or discrimination against, persons for assisting in achieving compliance with, or refusing to violate, FWPCA. Expands EPA subpoena authority and subjects additional actions under FWPCA to judicial review. Establishes the Clean Water Trust Fund for mitigation projects. Makes Federal agencies subject to all Federal, State, and local water pollution control and abatement requirements in the same manner as any other person. Waives sovereign immunity of the United States with respect to such requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2002
Veterans Right-To-Know Act of 2002 - Requires the Secretary of Defense to identify each developmental or operational test of the Department of Defense (DOD) involving chemical or biological weapons, or defense against such weapons, in which military personnel or civilians were or may have been exposed to actual or simulated hazardous agents, with or without their knowledge or consent. Requires the Comptroller General to establish within the General Accounting Office an Oversight Working Group on Biological and Chemical Testing to: (1) review DOD chemical and biological test activities that involved exposure to military personnel or civilians; (2) report to Congress information concerning Project SHAD (DOD tests to evaluate the effectiveness of shipboard detection and protective procedures against chemical and biological warfare agents) and Project 112 (DOD tests in and around Alaska using chemical and biological agents); (3) continue to review DOD investigations of any other cases of DOD chemical or biological testing; and (4) identify veterans and veterans organizations with significant information involving such test projects and seek to have that information made available to the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) notify any veterans who may have been exposed, with instructions on how to receive a health care evaluation; and (2) review declassified material to determine any lasting health effects that may have been incurred by exposed veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2002
United States Toxic Mold Safety and Protection Act of 2002 or the Melina Bill - Directs: (1) the Centers for Disease Control, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to jointly study the health effects of indoor mold growth and toxic mold; (2) EPA to promulgate standards for preventing, detecting, and remediating indoor mold growth; and (3) EPA, NIH, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to sponsor related public education programs. Directs: (1) rental property lessors to conduct annual indoor mold inspections; and (2) the Secretary of HUD and the Administrator of EPA to promulgate mold hazard disclosure regulations with respect to housing offered for sale or lease. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish, with respect to indoor mold in public housing, inspection requirements for existing housing and construction standards for new housing; and (2) establish model construction standards and techniques for mold prevention in new buildings. Establishes an indoor/toxic mold inspection requirement with respect to federally made or insured mortgages. Amends the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993 to provide for industry standards development with respect to building products that are designed to retard mold development. Directs the Administrator of EPA to make grants to States and local governments for mold growth remediation efforts in buildings owned or leased by such governments, including schools and multifamily dwellings. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an annual tax credit for 60 percent of non-reimbursed mold inspection and remediation expenses ($50,000 annual maximum) paid or incurred by a taxpayer. Requires the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to: (1) establish and carry out a toxic mold insurance program, with priority for one-to-four-family residential properties; and (2) establish in the Treasury a National Toxic Mold Hazard Insurance Fund. Authorizes the Director to assist qualifying insurers to form a federally-assisted toxic mold hazard insurance pool. Provides for Federal operation of such program under specified circumstances. Authorizes State waiver of income, resource, and other Medicaid requirements for an individual whose health has been adversely affected by toxic mold exposure, and who lacks adequate medical insurance coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2002
Yellowstone Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to implement the final rule to phase out snowplane use in Grand Teton National Park and snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park, the John. D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, and Grand Teton National Park. Prohibits the Secretary from modifying or superseding any provisions of that final rule.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2002
Dirty Bomb Prevention Act - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to establish a task force on sealed source protection (byproduct material or special nuclear material encased in a capsule designed to prevent leakage or escape of the material). Requires the task force to evaluate and make recommendations to ensure the security of sealed sources from potential terrorist threats, including acts of sabotage, theft, or use of such sources in a radiological dispersal device. Directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to arrange with the National Academy of Sciences for a study of industrial, research, and commercial uses for sealed sources.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2002
States that in the case of a taxable year beginning before January 1, 1980, the determination of whether a tax deduction as a trade or business expense is allowable under the Internal Revenue Code for flight training expenses shall be made without regard to whether the taxpayer was reimbursed for any portion of such expenses through certain veterans educational assistance programs. Sets forth statute of limitations provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2002
Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act of 2002 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) under which each individual who is entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) or eligible to enroll under Medicare part B (Supplemental Medical Insurance) is entitled to obtain qualified prescription drug coverage. Outlines standard coverage benefit packages for FY 2005. Includes for the standard package a monthly premium of $25, an annual deductible of $100, a coinsurance of 20 percent and an annual out-of-pocket spending limit of $2,000. Directs the Secretary to negotiate fair prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers. Provides for accelerated generic drug competition. Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) with respect to: (1) inclusion of the costs of certain military services to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in the calculation of Medicare+Choice payment rates; (2) specialized Medicare+Choice plans for special needs beneficiaries; and (3) continuous open enrollment and disenrollment at any time. Revises requirements for Medicare: (1) part A concerning rural health care, inpatient hospital services, skilled nursing facility services, and hospices; (2) part B concerning physicians services and other services; and (3) part A and B concerning home health services and direct graduate medical education. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) with respect to certain Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotment adjustments and the Q-I1 program. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to add requirements for interstate Internet sellers of prescription drugs. Establishes within the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health the Office of Rare Diseases. Amends the Public Health Services Act with respect to promotion of the pharmacist profession.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2002
Urges the establishment of a National Sarcoidosis Awareness Day on September 24, 2002, to encourage public education on sarcoidosis and support research for better treatment options and a cure.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2002
No Tax Breaks for Corporations Renouncing America Act of 2002 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny a foreign entity any reduced rate of withholding tax on any deductible foreign payment under any income tax treaty between the United States and the entity's country unless the entity is predominantly owned by residents of such country. Excepts specified conduit payments. Specifies what constitutes predominant ownership.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2002
Makes January 23, 2002, the effective date of the modification of treatment for retirement annuity purposes of part-time service performed before April 7, 1986, by certain health-care professionals of the Veterans Health Administration pursuant to the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Programs Enhancement Act of 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2002
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) greater attention should be paid to the negative impact on economic development of the denial of inheritance rights to women, particularly in Africa; (2) programs that focus on ensuring secure inheritance rights to widows and orphans of HIV/AIDS should be considered; (3) ensuring secure inheritance rights for women should be included in strategies addressing violence against women; (4) the rights of widows and other female heads of households to inherit land and property should be included in the priorities of reconstruction; (5) the Secretary of State should examine the issue of women's inheritance rights in Africa in the State Department's annual human rights report; (6) the U.S. Agency for International Development should consider conducting a study of African countries to document the effect of the denial of women's inheritance rights on economic development; and (7) the Annual Day of Acton on Women's Inheritance Rights should be acknowledged and supported.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2002
Southern California Wild Heritage Act of 2002 - Designates specified national forest and Bureau of Land Management district lands in California as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Designates specified California national park lands as wilderness and components of the System. Designates specified California rivers as wild and scenic rivers. Establishes the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest for public enjoyment and scientific study.
![Official portrait of Rep. McKinney, Cynthia A. [D-GA-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m000523_200.jpg)