United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2003
ERISA Clarification Act of 2003 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow State causes of action to enforce determinations under group health plans regarding coverage of any item or service based on its medical necessity or appropriateness. (Provides that ERISA's general preemption of State causes of action is not to be construed as precluding these specific causes of action.)
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2003
Social Security Fairness Act of 2003 - 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 Old-Age and Survivors insurance benefit payments; and (2) windfall elimination provisions with respect to computation of the primary insurance amount of an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2003
Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit any person or entity, in or affecting interstate commerce, from knowingly: (1) performing or attempting to perform human cloning; (2) participating in such an attempt; (3) shipping or receiving an embryo produced by human cloning or any product derived from such embryo; or (4) importing such an embryo or derived product. Sets forth criminal and civil penalties. Provides that nothing in this Act restricts areas of scientific research not specifically prohibited above, including research in the use of nuclear transfer or other cloning techniques to produce molecules, DNA, cells other than human embryos, tissues, organs, plants, or animals other than humans.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2003
Patient Protection Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code with respect to health care coverage. Requires group health plans and health insurance issuers providing health insurance coverage to have approved utilization review programs, claims procedures, and appeal procedures concerning claims denials. Sets forth provisions concerning group health plans and health insurers and the provision of certain advice and care, including: (1) emergency care; (2) obstetric and gynecological care; (3) specialists care; (4) prescription drugs; (5) participation in approved clinical trials; and (6) health plan information. Restricts interference by health plans and insurers with the doctor-patient relationship. Prohibits health plans and insurers from discriminating against a licensed health care professional with respect to participation or indemnification. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) men and women battling life-threatening, deadly diseases, including advanced breast or ovarian cancer, should have the opportunity to participate in a federally approved or funded clinical trial; (2) a child battling a rare cancer should be allowed to go to a cancer center capable of providing high quality care for that disease; and (3) every patient who is denied care by a health maintenance organization or other health insurance company should have a fair, speedy and impartial appeal to a review organization that has not been selected by the health plan.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2003
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2003 - 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 2004; (2) 40 percent for months during FY 2005; (3) 45 percent for months during FY 2006; (4) 50 percent for months during FY 2007; and (5) 55 percent for months after FY 2007. 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 2004; and (2) retired pay reductions for supplemental survivor annuities. Provides a one-year open enrollment period for SBP participation, commencing October 1, 2004, 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 · 5 February 2003
Fair Care for the Uninsured Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual a tax credit in an amount equal to the amount paid for qualified health insurance, subject to stated limitations. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments to the provider of an individual's qualified health insurance equal to such individual's qualified health insurance credit advance amount (the Secretary's estimate of the amount of credit allowable) with respect to such provider. Requires each health insurer, health maintenance organization, and health service organization to participate in a health insurance safety net which shall assure the availability of health insurance to uninsurable individuals. Funds such safety nets through assessments against such insurers and organizations. Permits such insurers and organizations to add the costs of such assessments to the costs of its insurance or coverage. Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow health benefits coverage through individual membership associations (IMAs). Sets forth IMA requirements, including that the IMA be an organization operated under the direction of an association and that IMA health benefits coverage only be provided through contracts with health insurance issuers. Requires IMAs to include a minimum of two health insurance coverage options.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2003
Hope Plus Scholarship Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include qualified elementary and secondary education expenses within the definition of the term qualified tuition and related expenses for purposes of the Hope Scholarship Credit.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Back to Work Incentive Act of 2003 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to direct the Secretary of Labor to allot grants to States to allocate funds to local areas to establish personal reemployment accounts for individuals identified as likely to exhaust their unemployment compensation. Provides for such accounts to: (1) accelerate reemployment; (2) promote retention in employment; and (3) give individuals more flexibility, choice, and control in obtaining intensive reemployment, training, and supportive services (as well as assistance in purchasing or leasing an automobile when necessary to allow the recipient to accept a long-term employment offer). Allows such services to be purchased through a one-stop delivery system or other providers. Permits certain amounts in accounts to be used for income support. Provides for reemployment bonuses. Requires States to establish a uniform statewide amount, up to $3,000, for each individual account. Limits the time in which amounts in an account may be used to not more than one year after the account's establishment. Prohibits the establishment of any such account beginning two years after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Prohibits any Federal entity, in providing a Federal public benefit or service, from accepting, recognizing, or relying on any identification document that was not issued by a Federal or State authority and that is not subject to verification by a Federal law enforcement, intelligence, or homeland security agency. Deems any Federal official, employee, contractor, or agent who takes action inconsistent with such prohibition to be acting beyond the scope of his or her authority and to be liable for such action, unless conferred immunity under the Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Duty Parity Act of 2003 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 with respect to adjustments to the base price used to establish "export price" (at which the subject merchandise is first sold (or agreed to be sold) before the date of its importation by the merchandise producer or exporter outside the United States to an unaffiliated purchaser in the United States (or an unaffiliated purchaser for exportation to the United States)) and "constructed export price" (at which the subject merchandise is first sold (or agreed to be sold) in the United States before or after the date of its importation by or for the account of the merchandise producer or exporter or by a seller affiliated with the producer or exporter, to a purchaser not affiliated with the producer or exporter). Revises the adjustment formula to reduce the base price by an amount attributable to any countervailing duties imposed under such Act which are incident to bringing the merchandise from the original place of shipment in the exporting country to the place of delivery in the United States. Applies this Act to goods from Canada and Mexico.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2003
National Right-to-Work Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2003
Ombudsman Reauthorization Act of 2003 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to revise provisions regarding the Ombudsman. Expands the duties of the Ombudsman to include assisting citizens in resolving problems relating to any program or requirement under this Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as well as any other program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response Requires the Ombudsman to conduct investigations, make findings of fact, and make nonbinding recommendations concerning such problems. Describes additional administrative and investigative powers of the Ombudsman. Requires the Ombudsman to appoint a Deputy for and maintain contact information in each region of the Agency. Requires annual reports on the status of health and environmental concerns addressed in complaints and cases brought before the Ombudsman. Provides criminal penalties for obstructing the proceedings of or making false or fraudulent statements to the Ombudsman. Protects employees who comply with this Act. .
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2003 - Prohibits any person or entity, in or affecting interstate commerce, from knowingly: (1) performing or attempting to perform human cloning; (2) participating in such an attempt; (3) shipping or receiving an embryo produced by human cloning; or (4) importing such an embryo. Sets forth criminal and civil penalties. Provides that nothing in this Act restricts areas of scientific research not specifically prohibited above, including research in the use of nuclear transfer or other cloning techniques to produce molecules, DNA, cells other than human embryos, tissues, organs, plants, or animals other than humans. Directs the General Accounting Office to assess the need for amendment of such prohibition, including through: (1) a discussion of new developments, the need for somatic cell transfer to produce medical advances, current public attitudes and prevailing ethical views concerning its use, and potential legal implications of somatic cell transfer research; and (2) a review of any technological developments that may require technical changes to such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Declares Executive Order 13166, "Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency," to be null and void. Prohibits the use of funds for the promulgation or enforcement of an executive order that creates an entitlement to services provided in a language other than English.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
NAFTA-Impacted Community Relief Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to, among other things: (1) provide for the designation of NAFTA-impacted communities; (2) establish an employment credit for such communities; and (3) provide for job training grants to such communities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2003 - Permits retired members of the armed forces with service-connected disabilities to be paid both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation. Repeals provisions providing for special compensation for certain severely disabled military retirees and certain combat-related disabled uniformed services retirees.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Authorizes the Secretary of Defense, upon request of the Secretary of Homeland Security, to assign members of the armed forces to assist: (1) the Bureau of Border Security of the Department of Homeland Security in preventing the entry of terrorists, drug traffickers, and illegal aliens into the United States; and (2) the U.S. Customs Service in the inspection of cargo, vehicles, and aircraft at U.S. points of entry to prevent the entry of weapons of mass destruction and their components, prohibited narcotics or drugs, or other terrorist or drug trafficking items. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to certify that such request is necessary to respond to a threat to national security. Requires the Secretaries to establish a training program that must be completed by military personnel serving in such capacity. Requires any member so serving to be accompanied by a civilian law enforcement officer from the agency concerned. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish ongoing joint task forces to respond to threats to national security posed by the entry of terrorists, drug traffickers, or illegal aliens. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to notify the governor and local governments of the State involved of the deployment of such members and the types of tasks to be performed. Prohibits any such assignment after September 30, 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Emergency Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide: (1) emergency financial assistance to agricultural producers who have incurred qualifying 2002 crop losses due to weather or related conditions; and (2) payments to livestock producers who have incurred 2001 and 2002 losses in an emergency-designated county. Permits livestock producers with qualifying losses in both years to elect to receive payments in either, but not both, of such years. Makes producers ineligible for crop disaster assistance if they did not: (1) get Federal crop insurance for insurable commodities; and (2) file required paperwork and pay related fees for noninsurable commodities. Sets forth waiver provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Access to Hospitals Act of 2003 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to repeal specified reductions after FY 2000 and thereby extend certain modifications to disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments provided under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000. Increases the Medicaid DSH allotment for the District of Columbia.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Price-Anderson Amendments Act of 2003 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to extend from August 1, 2002 to August 1, 2017 the indemnification authority of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) with respect to certain licensees, Department of Energy (DOE) contractors, and nonprofit educational institutions, respectively. Increases the maximum amount of standard deferred premium that may be assessed a licensee following a nuclear incident. Specifies $10 billion as the aggregate amount by which the Secretary must indemnify DOE contractors above the amount of the financial protection required for each nuclear incident. Increases from $100 million to $500 million the indemnification limits for incidents outside the United States. Mandates an indemnification inflation adjustment at least once every five years. Instructs the NRC to consider a combination of modular reactors at a single site. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary determine by rule whether nonprofit educational institutions should receive automatic remissions of civil monetary penalties for violations of DOE regulations. Limits the civil liability incurred by not-for-profit contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers to the total amount of fees paid within any one-year period under the contract to which the violation occurs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Act - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to expand activities addressing inflammatory bowel disease, emphasizing genetic, animal model, and clinical research. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to establish a national program of prevention and epidemiology concerning such disease, addressing its prevalence and public and professional awareness. Directs the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science to study public and private insurance standards for coverage of inflammatory bowel therapies. Directs the General Accounting Office to study problems inflammatory bowel disease patients have applying for disability insurance benefits under the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Housing Bond and Credit Modernization and Fairness Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the required use of certain principal repayments on mortgage subsidy bond financings to redeem bonds; (2) modify the purchase price limitation under mortgage subsidy bond rules based on median family income; and (3) define the term "area median gross income" for low-income housing credit projects.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Education Freedom Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a tax credit for 50 percent of certain cash contributions by a taxpayer to an education investment organization or to an elementary or secondary school. Sets a maximum credit of $50,000 for corporations and $250 for other taxpayers ($500 for a joint return). Provides other limitations on the amount of the credit in certain specified instances. Excludes from gross income any amount received as a grant for qualified elementary and secondary expenses from an education investment organization. Defines "qualified elementary and secondary expenses" and "education investment organization." Revises definition of "school" for purposes of defining qualified elementary and secondary education expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to state that churches and other houses of worship shall not lose such designation because of the content, preparation, or presentation of any homily, sermon, teaching, dialectic, or other presentation made during religious services or gatherings. States that such provision shall not affect campaign finance laws under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize qualified law enforcement officers (including certain qualified retired officers) carrying the photographic identification issued by their governmental agency, notwithstanding State or local laws, to carry a concealed firearm. Provides that such authorization shall not supersede State laws that: (1) permit private entities to prohibit the possession of concealed firearms on their property; or (2) prohibit the possession of firearms on State or local government property. Excludes from the definition of "firearm" any machine gun, firearm silencer, or destructive device.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Business Expensing Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the first year bonus depreciation to 50 percent for property acquired after December 31, 2003, if no written binding contract was in effect before January 1, 2003; and (2) extend bonus depreciation provisions to 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Health Care Tax Deduction Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow all individuals a deduction for amounts paid for health insurance and unreimbursed prescription drugs on behalf of the taxpayer, spouse, and dependents.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Twenty-First Century Water Commission Act of 2003 - Establishes the Twenty-First Century Water Commission to: (1) use existing water assessments and conduct additional assessments necessary to project future water supply and demand; (2) study Federal, State, and local agency and private entity water management programs directed at increasing water supplies; and (3) consult with representatives of such agencies and entities to develop recommendations for a comprehensive water strategy that respects the primary role of States in regulating water rights and uses, identifies incentives for ensuring an adequate and dependable supply of water to meet U.S. needs for the next 50 years, considers all available technologies for increasing water supply efficiently while safeguarding the environment, and suggests financing options, strategies that avoid increasing mandates on State and local governments, and strategies to conserve existing water supplies.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act - Amends the Internet Tax Freedom Act to permanently ban: (1) taxes on Internet access; and (2) multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Congressional Responsibility Act of 2003 - Prohibits a regulation from taking effect before the enactment of a bill comprised solely of the text of the regulation. Requires an agency, whenever it promulgates a regulation, to submit to each House of Congress a report containing its text and an explanation. Sets forth expedited congressional procedures for consideration of bills to enact agency regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
SouthEast Crescent Authority Act of 2003 - Establishes a SouthEast Crescent Authority for all parts of the following southeastern states not eligible for assistance from the Appalachian Regional Commission or the Delta Regional Authority: District of Columbia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. Directs the Authority to perform various functions, including: (1) formulating plans and programs to spur economic development, and approving grants to States and public and nonprofit entities toward that end; (2) establishing priorities in a development plan for the region; (3) supporting local development districts, and creating them where they do not exist; and (4) encouraging private investment in the region. Permits the Authority to request and receive Federal, State and local government personnel as employees. Stipulates that Authority grants for infrastructure development may be made only to State or local governments. Permits other Authority grants for job training, employment-related education, business development, assisting severely distressed and poor areas, or for other purposes in accordance with the Act. Allows the Authority to annually designate: (1) distressed counties; and (2) isolated areas of distress in nondistressed counties. Directs the Authority to garner public participation in the development, revision, and implementation of its plans and programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Includes as an employee, for purposes of Federal provisions authorizing enrollment under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: (1) a member of the armed forces who began service before June 7, 1956, and retired after a minimum of 20 years of such service or by reason of a service-connected disability; and (2) the surviving widow or widower of such member. Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide 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.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Rural Equity Payment Index Reform Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish a minimum geographic cost-of-practice index value for physicians' services furnished under the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Notch Fairness Act of 2003 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to revise the formula for the computation of minimum Old Age Insurance benefits for individuals who reached age 65 in or after 1979 and to whom applies the 15-year transition period for the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977. Sets forth a schedule of additional benefit increases for such beneficiaries (and related beneficiaries), with percentages declining from 55 percent to five percent and keyed to the year an individual became eligible for such benefits between 1979 and 1988. Allows such beneficiaries, in the alternative, to receive lump sum payments over four years totaling $5,000.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the limited (up to $2,000 annually) carryover of unused benefits from health flexible spending arrangements to subsequent taxable years to be used for the reimbursement of future medical expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Death Tax Permanency Act of 2003 - Amends title IX (Compliance with Congressional Budget Act) of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-16) to repeal the sunset provisions applicable to title V (Estate, Gift, and Generation-Skipping Transfer Taxes) of such Act. (Makes estate tax repeal permanent.) States that such amendments shall take effect as if included in section 901 of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Fair Tax Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal subtitle A (Income Taxes), B (Estate and Gift Taxes), and C (Employment Taxes) of the Internal Revenue Code. Imposes a tax on the use or consumption in the United States of taxable property or services. Sets the tax rate at 23 percent for the calendar year 2005. Sets the rate, for years after 2005, at the combined sum of the general revenue rate (14.91 percent), the old-age survivors and disability rate, and the hospital insurance rate. Sets forth provisions concerning, among other things; (1) imports and exports; (2) definitions; (3) credits and refunds; (4) a "family consumption allowance"; (5) Federal and State cooperative tax administration; (6) administrative matters; (7) collections, appeals, and taxpayer rights; (8) special rules (hobbies, gaming, government purchases, non-profits, and etc.); (9) financial intermediation services; and (10) additional matters. Sets forth provisions concerning the: (1) phase-out of administration of repealed taxes; (2) administration of other taxes (establishes an Excise Tax Bureau and a Sales Tax Bureau); and (3) sales tax inclusive social security benefits indexation.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Unlawful Internet Gambling Funding Prohibition Act - Prohibits any person engaged in the business of betting or wagering from knowingly accepting in connection with the participation of another person in Internet gambling: (1) credit; (2) electronic fund transfers or funds transmitted by or through a money transmitting business; (3) any instrument drawn by or on behalf of another and payable through any financial institution; or (4) the proceeds of any other form of financial transaction involving a financial institution as payer or financial intermediary on behalf of another person. Grants Federal district courts exclusive jurisdiction to prevent or restrain violations. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties. Limits relief granted against an interactive computer service. Specifies circumstances for the liability of any creditor, issuer, institution, operator, business, network, or participant or any interactive computer or telecommunications service. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe regulations requiring designated payment systems to establish policies and procedures designed to identify and prevent restricted transactions. Calls for the United States, in deliberations with a foreign governments on money laundering, corruption, and crime issues, to: (1) encourage cooperation in identifying whether Internet gambling operations are being used for money laundering or other crimes; (2) advance policies that promote international cooperation in the enforcement of this Act; and (3) encourage the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering to study the extent to which Internet gambling operations are being used for money laundering. Modifies Federal criminal code provisions on gambling to: (1) replace the term "wire communication facility" with "communication facility" to include satellite and microwave communications and communications from fixed or mobile sources; and (2) increase the penalty for unlawful transmission of wagering information.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Social Security Guarantee Plus Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish a Social Security Guarantee Program, to be administered by a Social Security Guarantee Board established within the Social Security Administration. Authorizes any individual age 18 with a Social Security number to elect to enroll as a covered individual and receive in the Social Security guarantee account established for him or her by the Board a calendar year payment of Social Security guarantee refundable credits and interest. Requires designation of a certified account manager by or on behalf of each covered individual to hold the individual's Social Security guarantee account assets for investment, including in common stock portfolios and fixed income securities. Amends the IRC to make the Social Security guarantee accounts benefits taxable as Social Security benefits. Amends SSA title II to: (1) repeal the limitation on the amount of outside income which beneficiaries age 62 or over may earn (earnings test) without incurring a reduction in benefits; (2) increase widow's and widower's insurance benefits; (3) provide for benefits for disabled widows and widowers without regard to age; (4) repeal the seven year restriction on eligibility for widow's and widower's insurance benefits based on disability; (5) waive the two-year waiting period for a divorced spouse's benefits if the other spouse remarries; (6) increase the amount of wages and self-employment income credited to years taken into account for beneficiaries precluded from remunerative work by the needs of child care; and (7) reduce the Government pension offset.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2002
Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act - Requires a "prescriber" (a person permitted under State law to issue prescriptions for contact lenses) to provide to the patient a copy of the patient's contact lens prescription free of charge. Declares that a contact lens prescription shall expire one year after the date of completion of the contact lens fitting if a State's law regarding contact lens prescriptions specifies an earlier date or if the State has no such specified date. Permits an exception for a patient's ocular health. Prohibits advertising that lenses for which a prescription is required may be obtained without a prescription. Prohibits a prescriber from issuing certain waivers. States that any violation of this Act shall be treated as a violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act regarding unfair or deceptive acts or practices. Permits a State to bring a civil action in a district court of the United States for violations of this Act. Requires the attorney general of a State bringing suit to notify the Federal Trade Commission, unless such notification is unfeasible. Allows the Commission to intervene in cases in which it is notified, whereby it shall have the rights: (1) to be heard on any matter; and (2) to file a petition for appeal.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2002
Hunting Heritage Protection Act - Requires that Federal public lands be open to access and use for recreational hunting except: (1) as limited by the Federal agency with responsibility for such lands for national security or public safety reasons, or for reasons authorized in applicable Federal statutes as reasons for closure; and (2) as such hunting is limited by the State in which such lands are located. Directs the head of each Federal agency with authority to manage a natural resource or public lands on which such a resource depends to exercise that authority in a manner so as to support, promote, and enhance recreational hunting opportunities. Declares that Federal land management decisions and actions should result in no net loss of land area available for hunting opportunities on Federal public lands. Requires the heads of Federal agencies with authority to manage Federal public lands on which recreational hunting occurs to report annually to specified congressional committees on areas administered that have been closed during the previous year to recreational hunting and reasons for such closures and on areas that were open to such hunting to compensate for closed areas. Prohibits a withdrawal, change of classification, or change of management status, that effectively closes 5,000 or more acres of Federal public land for use for recreational hunting, from occurring unless the head of the Federal agency with authority to manage the land has submitted written notice of the action to both Houses of Congress. Grants States the right to file civil actions in district courts in cases where Federal agencies fail to comply with State authority to manage or regulate fish and wildlife.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2002
Black Lung Consolidation of Administrative Responsibility Act - Amends the Black Lung Benefits Act to transfer part B black lung benefit responsibilities from the Commissioner of Social Security to the Secretary of Labor (thus consolidating all black lung benefit responsibility under the Secretary). (Current law makes the Commissioner responsible for part B benefits based on claims filed on or before December 31, 1973, and makes the Secretary responsible for part C benefits based on claims filed after such date.)
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2002
Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to make "patient safety work product" privileged information. Defines "patient safety work product" as a record concerning patient information either reported to a patient safety organization by a health care provider (doctor, hospital, etc.) or created by a patient safety organization. Defines a "patient safety organization" as an organization, certified under this Act, that collects such information with the goal of improving patient safety and the quality of health care delivery. Imposes a civil penalty on providers who violate the privileged status of patient safety work product. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish and maintain a database to receive relevant nonidentifiable patient safety work product, consistent, if practicable, with the administrative simplification provisions of the Social Security Act. Permits the Secretary to provide to patient safety organizations and to States technical assistance with reporting systems for health care errors. Directs the Secretary to establish a process for the Secretary or another approved Federal or State governmental organization to certify patient safety organizations. Requires the Secretary to develop or adopt voluntary national standards promoting the interoperability of information technology systems involved with health care delivery. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to practitioners for electronic prescription programs, with a matching requirement of not less than 50 percent of the costs. Directs the Secretary to make grants to hospitals and other health care providers for information technologies, and to provide technical assistance to applicants and grantees. Sets forth a matching requirement for the grants of not less than 50 percent of the costs. Requires the Secretary to issue and periodically revise regulations requiring the manufacturer of any drug or biological product that is subject to regulation by the Food and Drug Administration, or the packager or labeler of such a product, to include a unique product identifier on the packaging.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2002
Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should complete action in the 107th Congress on the Pension Security Act of 2002 and present it to the President for his signature before adjournment.
![Official portrait of Rep. Norwood, Charles W. [R-GA-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/n000159_200.jpg)