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United States · Official source
3,367 records where Rep. Ortiz, Solomon P. [D-TX-27] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2003
Recognizes and honors the life of the late Raul Julia, his dedication to ending world hunger, and his great contributions to the Latino community and the performing arts.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2003
Calling for 2-1-1 Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to award a grant to each State to carry out a program for making available throughout that State the 2-1-1 telephone service for information and referral on human services. Requires a participating State to ensure that at least 50 percent of the resources of the program funded by the grant will be derived from other sources. Requires a State seeking a grant to carry out its activities through a lead entity to be known as a 2-1-1 Collaborative. Requires grant amounts to be used solely to make available to a State 2-1-1 telephone service for community information and referral on human services, including telephone connections between families and individuals seeking services and the service providers. Requires grant recipients to: (1) abide by the Key Standards for 2-1-1 Centers; and (2) collaborate with human service organizations to provide an exhaustive database of services with which to provide information or referral to individuals utilizing the 2-1-1 service.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2003
Celia Cruz Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 300,000 one dollar silver coins and 500,000 half dollar clad coins emblematic of Celia Cruz (known as the "Queen of Salsa") and her legacy. Establishes surcharges of ten dollars per coin for the dollar coin and three dollars per coin for the half dollar coin, which shall be paid to the Celia Cruz Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2003
Directs the President to establish separate campaign medals to recognize service by members of the armed forces in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2003
Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a nonrefundable income tax credit of up to $500 for the purchase of a qualified hearing aid for an individual who is either: (1) age 55 or older; or (2) is claimed as a dependent of the taxpayer.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2003
Graduation for All Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to establish a program that will provide grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish reading and writing programs to improve overall reading and writing performance among students in secondary schools, including middle and high schools. Limits eligibility for subgrants to LEAs in a State that are among those that have the lowest graduation rates for public secondary school students. Includes among required uses of LEA subgrant funds: (1) hiring and inservice training of literacy coaches to work with classroom teachers to incorporate reading and writing instruction in all subject areas, and to identify students with reading problems and provide remediation or referral for additional services; (2) counseling for students at risk of not graduating on time; and (3) professional development for middle and high school teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals that addresses literacy needs of economically disadvantaged students, students from major racial and ethnic groups, students with disabilities, students with limited English proficiency, migrant children, and homeless children. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include public secondary school graduation rates for all students under requirements for: (1) accountability for adequate yearly progress; and (2) annual State report cards. Amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act to require annual reports on the number participants who are 16, 17, or 18 years of age in certain programs and services, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, limited English proficiency status, disability, and socioeconomic status.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2003
Space Exploration Act of 2003 - Requires the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to set forth as goals for the future activities of NASA's human space flight program, the development and flight demonstration, within 8, 10, 15, and 20 years, respectively, of a reusable space vehicle capable of carrying humans between: (1) low Earth orbit and Earth-Sun and Earth-Moon libration points; (2) low Earth orbit and an Earth-orbit crossing asteroid; (3) lunar orbit and the surface of the moon, as well as deployment of a human-tended facility on the lunar surface; and (4) low Earth orbit and Martian orbit and between Martian orbit and the surface of Mars, as well as deployment of a human-tended facility on the surface of a Martian moon. Requires the Administrator to establish: (1) an Office of Exploration to be responsible for planning, budgeting, and managing activities undertaken by NASA to accomplish these goals; (2) a process for conducting competitions for innovative, cost-effective mission concepts to accomplish the goals; and (3) an independent panel to conduct a merit-based competitive review of the proposals submitted under each competition and to submit a rank-ordered evaluation of such proposals to the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to provide to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate for each competitively selected proposal its implementation plan and the results of an independent external review of the initial proposal and of each annually updated implementation plan.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2003
Requires the payment of a one-time bonus of $1,500 to each active-duty and reserve member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard who served or serves for any period of time in a combat zone designated in connection with Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 2003
Congressional Tribute to Celia Cruz Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation of a congressional gold medal in commemoration of Celia Cruz (a Cuban-born entertainer who became known as the "Queen of Salsa") in recognition of her contributions to music, Latino culture, and American society.
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
Critical Habitat Reform Act of 2003 - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the process for designating critical habitat to be practicable, economically feasible, and concurrent with the approval of a recovery plan for a species. Prohibits the relevant Secretary (the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Commerce) from designating an area as critical habitat of a species, and any designation of critical habitat of a species from applying to an area, if the area is subject to: (1) a habitat conservation plan that the Secretary determines provides protection for habitat of the species that is substantially equivalent to the protection that would be provided by such designation; or (2) a State or Federal land conservation program that provides such protection. Directs the Secretary, in determining whether an area is critical habit, to seek and consider information from local governments in the vicinity of the area, including local resource data maps. Specifies factors for consideration of the economic impact on landowners under the Act, including lost revenues and costs associated with preparing reports, surveys, and analyses. Modifies the contents of the required notice of proposed designation of critical habit to include any municipality having administrative jurisdiction over the area in which the species is believed to occur. Requires the Secretary, with respect to a regulation to designate or revise a designation of critical habitat, to: (1) maintain, on a publicly accessible Internet page of the relevant Department (Interior or Commerce), Geographical Information System maps and coordinates of the area; and (2) include in such notice a reference to the Internet page.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Railroad Competition Act of 2003 - Amends Federal transportation law to specify the primary objectives of U.S. rail transportation policy. Requires submission to arbitration of certain rail rate, service, and other disputes. Prohibits the Surface Transportation Board (STB) from issuing a certificate authorizing construction and operation of railroad lines, or exempt from such certificate requirement any related activity, that involves a transfer of interest in a line of railroad, from a Class I rail carrier to a Class II or III rail carrier, if the activity directly or indirectly would result in a restriction of: (1) the ability of the Class II or Class III rail carrier to interchange traffic with other carriers; or (2) competition between or among rail carriers in the region affected by the activity in a manner or to an extent that would violate Federal antitrust laws. Prescribes a procedure for shipper petition and STB review of any activity alleged to have resulted in a restricition of competition for at least ten years. Changes from discretionary to mandatory the authority of the STB to require: (1) a rail carrier's terminal facilities to be used by another rail carrier subject to certain conditions; and (2) rail carriers to enter into reciprocal switching agreements. Prohibits the STB, in either instance, from requiring evidence of anticompetitive conduct by a rail carrier from which such access is sought. Requires a rail carrier, upon shipper request, to establish a rate for transportation and provide requested service between any two points on the carrier's system where traffic originates, terminates, or may reasonably be interchanged. Specifies matters the carrier must disregard when establishing such rate. Specifies matters the STB must disregard when determining the reasonableness of a shipper-challenged rate established by a rail carrier with market dominance. Prohibits the STB from charging a fee for the filing of a complaint, protest, or other request for relief in an amount greater than fees charged by U.S. district courts for a comparable filing. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to conduct comprehensive triennial studies on rail carrier competition and STB processes. Requires to STB to designate any State or part of a State as an area of inadequate rail competition after finding that: (1) it encompasses a significant number of rail shipping origins and destinations served exclusively by only one Class I railroad; or (2) a significant number of the persons that ship by rail or receive rail shipments in it usually find it necessary to pay rates exceeding a certain mark, or have experienced competitive disadvantage in the marketplace or other economic adversity because of high cost or poor rail service quality. Specifies actions the STB may take to resolve such anti-competitive conditions. Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish within the Department of Agriculture an Office of Rail Customer Advocacy, headed by a Rail Customer Advocate who shall: (1) collect information on the cost and efficiency of rail transportation of agricultural and forestry commodities or products; (2) perform related studies; and (3) participate as a party in STB proceedings regarding regulation of such transportation, as well as to initiate any petitions for STB action.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Amends the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, in cooperation with the Brownsville Public Utility Board, to participate in the design, planning, and construction of facilities to reclaim, reuse, and treat impaired water in the Brownsville, Texas, area. Limits the Federal share of project costs to 25 percent of the total. Prohibits funds provided by the Secretary from being used for project operation and maintenance.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2003
National Drought Preparedness Act of 2003 - Establishes the National Drought Council which shall: (1) develop a national drought policy action plan; (2) evaluate Federal drought-related programs; (3) coordinate and prioritize enhancement of the national integrated drought system; and (4) provide for the development of a drought information delivery system, drought planning models, and drought preparedness plans. Terminates the Council eight years after enactment of this Act. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the National Office of Drought Preparedness. Establishes within the Department of Agriculture the Drought Assistance Fund, which shall be used to: (1) assist State, local, tribal, and critical service entities with drought-related activities; and (2) expand the technology transfer of drought and water conservation strategies. Requires: (1) the Secretary to publish guidelines for administering a national technical and financial drought assistance program; and (2) the Secretaries of Agriculture, the Interior, and the Army, and other appropriate Federal agency heads to implement integrated drought preparedness plans. Authorizes States, Indian tribes, local governments, and regional, water providers to develop and implement drought preparedness plans.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2003
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Michael Ellis DeBakey, M.D. (who performed the first successful coronary bypass, pioneered the field of telemedicine, was elected the first President of Baylor College of Medicine, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction and the National Medal of Science) in recognition of his many outstanding contributions to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2003
Water Supply, Reliability, and Environmental Improvement Act - Establishes within the Office of the Secretary of the Interior the Office of the Federal Water Resources Coordinator to be responsible for coordinating activities of the Federal agencies that are signatories to Attachment 3 of the Federal programmatic Record of Decision dated August 28, 2000, addressing water desalination, impaired ground water, brine removal, and water reuse projects and activities authorized under this Act. Directs the Secretary, through the Coordinator, to undertake a competitive grant program to: (1) investigate and identify opportunities for studying, planning, and designing water resources activities; and (2) construct demonstration and permanent facilities or implement other programs, projects, and activities. Authorizes the Federal agencies to participate in the CALFED Bay-Delta Program in accordance with the Objectives and Solution Principles set forth in the Decision. Authorizes the Secretary and the agency heads to carry out Program activities in the following categories if such activities have been subject to environmental review and approval under Federal and State law and have been certified by the Secretary to be consistent with the Decision: water storage; conveyance; water use efficiency; water transfers; the Environmental Water account; integrated regional water management plans; ecosystem restoration; watersheds; water quality; levee stability; monitoring and analysis; program management, oversight, and coordination; and diversification of water supplies. Prohibits the Federal share of the cost of implementing the Program from exceeding 33.3 percent Authorizes appropriations for activities to address issues surrounding the Salton Sea. Directs the Secretary to establish an office in Sacramento, California, and authorizes the Secretary to establish other offices in the capitol of any Reclamation State (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, or Texas) requesting such an office, for the use of all Federal and State agencies that are likely to be involved in issuing permits and conducting environmental reviews for water supply, water supply capital improvement projects, levee maintenance, and delivery systems. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program for the construction of rural water systems in the Reclamation States in cooperation with other Federal agencies with rural water programs and non-Federal project entities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2003
American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 one dollar silver coins in commemoration of disabled American veterans, which shall be emblematic of the design selected by the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial. Requires: (1) all sales of the coins include a ten dollar per coin surcharge; and (2) the surcharges received to be paid to the Foundation to establish an endowment to support the construction of American Veterans' Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2003
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 1000 Avenida Sanchez Osorio in Carolina, Puerto Rico, as the Roberto Clemente Walker Post Office Building.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2003
Directs: (1) the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to the family of the late Raul Julia in recognition of his dedication to ending world hunger and his great contributions to the Latino community and the performing arts; and (2) the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer half of the amount by which the sum of any gifts and donations received and any proceeds from the sale of duplicate medals exceeds the costs incurred in carrying out this Act to the New York Public Theater and half to the New York Shakespeare Festival.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2003
Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from taking any action proposed under the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services initiative of the Department of Veterans Affairs: (1) unless the Secretary has notified Congress of the intention to take such action; and (2) until the later of the expiration of a 60-day period, or 30 days of continuous congressional session, after such notification.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2003
Calls upon the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a commemorative postage stamp to promote public awareness of Down syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2003
Student Loan Fairness Act of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise student aid requirements for consolidation loans. Repeals a prohibition against refinancing consolidation loans. Allows borrowers to select lenders of consolidation loans. Requires lenders and institutions to provide certain information on consolidation loans to applicants. Revises interest rates on consolidated and reconsolidated loans.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2003
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend the authorization of appropriations for the Matching Grant Program for School Security through 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2003
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. (posthumously) and his widow, Coretta Scott King, in recognition of their service to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2003
Commercial Alien Smuggling Elimination Act of 2003 or the CASE Act of 2003 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish within the S visa nonimmigrant classification (criminal or terrorist law enforcement assistance) a category for an alien: (1) who has reliable information about a commercial alien smuggling enterprise; (2) who is willing to supply or has supplied such information to a Federal or State court; and (3) whose presence in the United States is essential to such investigation. Authorizes: (1) up to 400 annual entrants; and (2) status adjustment to permanent resident. Authorizes measures as necessary to protect such individuals and their families. Authorizes increased criminal penalties for a person illegally bringing in and harboring aliens into the United States if: (1) part of a commercial enterprise; and (2) the aliens were transported in groups of ten or more, and in a manner that endangered their lives or presented a U.S. health risk. Establishes in the Department of Homeland Security a rewards program to help eliminate such enterprises. (States that Federal, State, local, or foreign officers or employees performing their official duties shall be ineligible for such rewards.) Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to implement a related public outreach program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2003
School Safety and Violence Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to applicant States for antibullying programs that consist of: (1) antibullying educational, counseling, mentoring, and peer programs; (2) a statewide database for schools to report, in real time, school-related crimes, violence, and bullying; (3) a statewide hotline for anonymous reporting by students and staff of information on bullying; and (4) an emergency plan for responding to school-related crimes, violence, and bullying.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2003
Honors the following areas on receiving the National Civic League 2003 All-America City Award: Laurinburg, North Carolina; Tempe, Arizona; New Haven, Connecticut; Miami, Florida; Des Moines, Iowa; Marquette County, Michigan; Wilson, North Carolina; South Sioux City, Nebraska; Corpus Christi, Texas; and the Greater Racine Area, Wisconsin.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2003
Salute to Veterans and the Armed Forces Act of 2003 - Allows the full payment of military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation, without deduction from either (current law), without the enactment of qualifying offsetting legislation. Repeals: (1) special compensation programs for certain severely disabled and combat-disabled military retirees; and (2) provisions requiring a dependency and indemnity compensation offset from surviving spouse annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan. Increases the amount of basic educational assistance for members of the Selected Reserve. Directs the Secretary of Defense, for fiscal years after 2005, to provide a percentage increase in the higher learning cost index for determining basic educational assistance amounts. Directs the Secretary to pay a bonus to members who, at any time during service under Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom, satisfied eligibility requirements for the receipt of special pay for duty subject to hostile fire or imminent danger. Directs the Secretary of Homeland to provide such bonus to qualifying Coast Guard members. Authorizes additional appropriations for veterans' improved access to medical care. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make interim payments under claims for veterans' benefits when the final decision regarding the payment of such benefits is delayed following remand by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims or the Board for Veterans' Appeals to the Secretary for expedited consideration. Prohibits with respect to veterans: (1) increases in medication copayments; and (2) the imposition of health care enrollment fees. Requires the: (1) Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and Labor to provide appropriate information concerning veterans' benefits and employment opportunities; and (2) Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prepare an annual plan for the conduct of veterans' outreach activities. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to place the maximum individual income tax rate at 38.6 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2003
Adult Job Corps Demonstration Program Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish an Adult Job Corps demonstration program for the U.S.-Mexico border area for adults adversely affected by the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Requires such program to be: (1) within the Department of Labor under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998; and (2) in the United States, within 100 miles of the Mexican border, with two centers in Texas and one center each in Arizona, California, and New Mexico.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to transmit to the House of Representatives within 14 days after the adoption of this resolution all physical and electronic records and documents in his possession related to any use of agency resources in any task or action involving or relating to Members of the Texas Legislature between May 11, 2003, through May 16, 2003, except information the disclosure of which would harm the national security interests of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Directs the Attorney General to transmit to the House of Representatives within 14 days after the adoption of this resolution all physical and electronic records and documents in his possession related to any use of agency resources in any task or action involving or relating to Members of the Texas Legislature between May 11, 2003, through May 16, 2003, except information the disclosure of which would harm the national security interests of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to transmit to the House of Representatives within 14 days after the adoption of this resolution all physical and electronic records and documents in his possession related to any use of agency resources in any task or action involving or relating to Members of the Texas Legislature between May 11, 2003, through May 16, 2003, except information the disclosure of which would harm the national security interests of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2003
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to compensate States for incarcerating undocumented aliens charged with a felony or two or more misdemeanors.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the tax treatment of campaign committees of candidates for State and local public office shall be the same as the tax treatment of campaign committees of candidates for Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Invest in Space Now Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a credit for the purchase of space transportation vehicle provider stock (as defined by this Act). Sets forth separate credit limitations for large and small capitalization providers, as well as aggregate annual limitations. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to carry out a United States Commercial Space Transportation Vehicle Industry Authorization Program to provide tax credit eligibility to support qualified commercial space transportation vehicle development startup ventures.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act of 2003 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health Administration for FY 2005 130 percent of the amount obligated during FY 2003. Adjusts the amount provided for fiscal years after FY 2005 based on the number of enrolled veterans and the number of other persons eligible but not enrolled who are provided care, multiplied by the per capital baseline amount for FY 2003, as increased by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index. Prohibits the availability of such funds for: (1) construction, acquisition, or alteration of veterans' medical facilities (other than for repairs provided for before the date of enactment of this Act); or (2) grants for the construction of State home facilities for the furnishing of veterans' domiciliary, nursing home, and hospital care.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
Working Taxpayer Fairness Restoration Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the refundability of the child tax credit, to accelerate the increase to the 15 percent rate. Limits, to fair market value immediately following a transaction, the importation of net built-in loss by a corporation. Prohibits an allocation of any decrease in the adjusted basis of partnership property to stock in a corporation which is a partner in the partnership. Repeals part V (Financial Asset Securitization Investment Trusts) of subchapter M (Regulated Investment Companies and Real Estate Investment Trusts). Expands the definition of a disqualified debt instrument with respect to deduction disallowance on certain debt instruments of corporations. Expands the authority to disallow deductions, credits, or other allowances under provisions disallowing such benefits due to acquisitions made to evade or avoid income tax. Amends provisions affecting passive foreign investment companies to state that the term "qualified portion" (of a shareholder's holding period) does not include any period if there is only a remote likelihood of an inclusion in gross income under subpart F (Controlled Foreign Income). Adds to the definition of the term "real estate investment trust" by stating that such term includes a corporation, trust, or association which is not a controlled entity. Directs the Secretary to establish a program requiring the payment of user fees, until September 30, 2013, for: (1) requests to the Internal Revenue Service for ruling letters, opinion letters, and determination letters; and (2) other similar requests.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2003
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) construct a medical facility on available Federal land at the Defense Supply Center in Columbus, Ohio; and (2) acquire a suitable site in south Texas and construct a medical facility on such site.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Next Generation Hispanic Serving Institutions - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise provisions for Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) under title V (Developing Institutions). Establishes a program of competitive grants to eligible HSIs that offer postbaccalaureate certifications or degrees (part B grants). Limits a part B grant award's duration to not more than five years. Prohibits the Secretary of Education from awarding more than one part B grant to an HSI in any one fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2005 through FY 2009 for: (1) the current part A program of grants to HSIs that offer baccalaureate degrees or are junior or community colleges; and (2) the new part B program of grants to HSIs that offer postbaccalaureate certifications or degrees. Eliminates the requirement that an eligible HSI provide assurances that at least 50 percent of its Hispanic students are low-income students. Includes, among authorized activities under part A grants, articulation agreements and student support programs to help transfers from two-year to four-year institutions. Eliminates the two-year wait-out period between any two five-year part A grants to an HSI.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Hispanic Health Improvement Act of 2003 - Amends the Social Security Act to provide incentives for States to grant title XIX (Medicaid) and title XXI (SCHIP) coverage to parents and pregnant women. Grants automatic enrollment of children in State child health assistance who are born to title XXI parents. Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to permit States and localities to provide certain health care benefits to aliens that current law prohibits States and localities from granting. Amends Title XIX of the Social Security Act (Medicaid) to make children enrolled in SCHIP eligible for the pediatric vaccine distribution program. Latina Adolescent Suicide Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program for the prevention of Latina adolescent suicides. Patient Navigator, Outreach, and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize: (1) the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration; (2) the Director of the National Cancer Institute; and (3) the Director of the Indian Health Service to make grants for model programs to provide services for cancer and chronic diseases to individuals of health disparity populations. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to make grants to Hispanic-serving health professions schools to carry out programs to recruit Hispanic individuals to enroll in and graduate from the schools. Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend the programs of the Office of Minority Health. Directs the heads of certain agencies within the public health service to establish individual offices of minority health. Establishes in the Department of Health and Human Services an Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Highway Funding Equity Act of 2003 - Revises Federal highway funding minimum guarantee provisions. Requires the Secretary of Transportation, for each of FY 2004 through 2009, to allocate among the States amounts sufficient to ensure that: (1) the percentage for each State of the total apportionments for the fiscal year for the National Highway System (NHS), the high priority projects program, the Interstate maintenance program, the surface transportation program, metropolitan planning, the highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the recreational trails program, the Appalachian development highway system, and the basic minimum guarantee equals or exceeds 95 percent of the ratio that the estimated tax payments to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) (other than the Mass Transit Account) attributable to highway users in the State bears to such payments attributable to highway users in all States (with a specified exception for any State having a population density of less than 50 individuals per square mile); and (2) when HTF allocations (other than from the Mass Transit Account, for such programs, emergency relief, and the discretionary minimum guarantee) for the fiscal year have been identified, the percentage for each State of all of those allocations for the fiscal year equals or exceeds the percentage that is equal to 95 percent of such tax payments ratio. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the programmatic distribution of NHS funds exceeding $2.8 billion; (2) the apportionment of the remainder of funds to the States; and (3) required adjustments where the sum of State percentages exceeds 100.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Recognizes Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez, and those who actively supported their efforts, for ending segregation in schools in Orange County, California, and for setting the precedent for Brown v. Board of Education (which ended segregation in U.S. schools and declared the doctrine of "separate but equal" unconstitutional).
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2003
Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act - Amends Federal transportation law to prohibit a State from prescribing or enforcing any regulation that allows a restricted property-carrying unit (any trailer, semi-trailer, container, or other property-carrying unit longer than 53 feet, except for a fire-fighting unit) to operate on the National Highway System (including the Interstate System), unless the operation of such unit is authorized by the State on June 1, 2003, and in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including seasonal operations) on or before that date. Prohibits a State from allowing the operation of a commercial motor vehicle combination on the National Highway System (except a vehicle or load that cannot be dismantled or divided easily, and that has been issued a special permit under State law) with more than one property-carrying unit (excluding the truck tractor) whose property-carrying units are more than: (1) the maximum combination trailer, semi-trailer, or other type of length limitation allowed by State law on June 1, 2003; or (2) the length of the property-carrying units of those commercial motor vehicle combinations, by specific configuration, in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including continual seasonal operation) in such State on or before June 1, 2003. Permits a commercial motor vehicle combination authorized in a State to continue to operate on System highways provided it is in compliance with State law, including routing-specific and configuration-specific designations and all other restrictions in force in the State on June 1, 2003. Amends Federal highway law to prohibit a State from allowing the operation of a vehicle or combination (other than a longer combination vehicle) exceeding Interstate weight limits on the Interstate System unless its operation was lawful: (1) on July 1, 1956; (2) in the case of the overall gross weight of any group of two or more consecutive axles, on the date of enactment of the Federal-Aid Highway Amendments of 1974; or (3) under a special permit pursuant to State (grandfather) law. Subjects such vehicles and combinations to all routing-specific, commodity-specific, and weight-specific designations in force in such State on June 1, 2003. Sets forth requirements with respect to: (1) the operation of vehicles and loads which cannot be easily dismantled or divided (nondivisible loads) on the Federal-aid highway system as they relate to Interstate weight limitations; and (2) waiver of weight limitations for vehicles that operate on the Federal-aid highway system during periods of national emergency. Declares that Interstate weight limitations on vehicles and combinations (other than longer combination vehicles) that operate on the Interstate System shall also apply to such vehicles and combinations that operate on non-Interstate segments of the National Highway System, unless: (1) such segments are subject to lower State weight limits; or (2) a State allows the operation of any vehicle or combination on an existing non-Interstate segment of the National Highway System that could be so operated lawfully on June 1, 2003. Requires establishment of a model schedule of fines for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2003
Offers the condolences and deepest sympathy of the House of Representatives to the families of the victims of the terrorist suicide bombing attacks that occurred on May 16, 2003, in Casablanca, Morocco. Expresses its hopes for a quick recovery to those individuals who were injured in the attacks. Supports the provision of appropriate U.S. assistance to the people of Morocco in this time of sorrow and grief. Calls on the Federal Government to continue to work with the Kingdom of Morocco as an ally in the fight against terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2003
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to President Jose Maria Aznar of Spain in recognition of his contributions to maintaining the security of all freedom-loving nations. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to strike such medal and authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2003
Calls upon the executive branch to: (1) take specific actions to ensure that the Government of Mexico meets its obligations under the Treaty Between the United States of America and Mexico, and Protocol, signed in 1944, to supply Rio Grande River water to the United States; (2) withhold deliveries of Colorado River water to Mexico until such time as Mexico complies with treaty obligations to deliver Rio Grande River water to the United States; and (3) consult with and report to Congress on the actions taken.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2003
Jobs and Growth Reconciliation Tax Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to accelerate: (1) the increase in the child care credit and the increase in the refundable portion of the credit; (2) the increase in the standard deduction for joint filers to twice that of single filers; and (3) the expansion of the ten percent bracket for married taxpayers filing jointly. Increases the earned income credit phase-out amount on a joint return by $3,000. Extends the work opportunity credit to long-term unemployed individuals. Unemployment Benefits Extension Act - Amends the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 (TEUCA) to: (1) extend the TEUC program; (2) provide for additional weeks of TEUC benefits; (3) revise unemployment rate triggers for TEUC benefit periods; and (4) provide for regular unemployment compensation for certain individuals based on part-time work or an alternative base period. Establishes a program of payments to States to provide: (1) regular unemployment compensation benefits for individuals who otherwise would be ineligible because the base period does not count wages earned in the most recently completed calendar quarter or the individuals seek or are available for less than full-time work; and (2) enhanced unemployment benefits. Establishes in the Treasury the Pressing Domestic Needs Trust Fund. Increases: (1) and extends certain bonus depreciation provisions; and (2) small business expensing limits. Allows a ten percent deduction for income attributable to a corporation's domestic production, with a 2006 through 2009 phase-in period. Eliminates: (1) top individual income tax rate reductions scheduled to began as of 2004 (provides for restoration under specified circumstances); and (2) scheduled elimination of income-based phase-outs for deductions and personal exemptions. Repeals the extraterritorial income exclusion, with a 2004 through 2008 phase-in period. Revises tax shelter provisions to, among other things: (1) define economic substance; (2) impose a penalty for the failure to include in a return information concerning a reportable transaction, a reportable transaction understatement (including imposing the penalty for certain understatements which were based on unreasonable legal or factual assumptions), a noneconomic substance transaction understatement, and interests in foreign financial accounts; (3) modify rules concerning the failure to furnish information regarding reportable transactions and the penalty for such failure, the failure to maintain lists of investors in potentially abusive tax shelters and the penalty for such failure, the authority to seek an injunction to enjoin promoters of abusive tax shelters; and (4) deny a deduction of interest on underpayments attributable to nondisclosed reportable transactions and noneconomic substance transactions. Amends other provisions to, among other things: (1) place a limit on the transfer or importation by a corporation of built-in losses; (2) provide for the partnership treatment of certain contributed property with a built-in loss; (3) repeal part V (Financial Asset Securitization Investment Trusts) of subchapter M (Regulated Investment Companies and Real Estate Investment Trusts); and (4) modify rules concerning the disallowance of a deduction on certain debt instruments of corporations, passive foreign investment companies, and the reduction in a corporate shareholder's basis in stock by the nontaxed portion of extraordinary dividends. Revises corporate expatriation provisions to treat acquiring corporations in "corporate expatriation transactions" as domestic corporations. Defines a "corporate expatriation transaction" as, with certain exceptions, one in which a "nominally foreign corporation" acquires substantially all of the properties held by a domestic corporation and in which, immediately after the transaction, more than 80 percent of the stock of the acquiring corporation is held by former shareholders of the domestic corporation. Lowers the 80 percent threshold to 50 percent when the acquiring "nominally foreign corporation" lacks substantial business activities in the foreign country in which it was created and organized compared to the total activities of the "expanded affiliated group" and the stock is publicly traded, with the principal market of trading being the United States. Defines the terms "nominally foreign corporation" an "expanded affiliated group." Applies similar rules to partnership transactions. Establishes that a series of related transactions relevant to the Act shall be handled as a single transaction. Includes funded deferred compensation in the gross income of certain disqualified employees (corporate insiders).
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 120 Baldwin Avenue in Paia, Maui, Hawaii, as the Patsy Takemoto Mink Post Office Building.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Recognizes the historical struggle for independence and freedom of the Mexican people (at the Battle of Puebla as commemorated on the Mexican national holiday of Cinco de Mayo).
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Welcomes the Prime Minister of Singapore, His Excellency Goh Chok Tong, to the United States. Expresses the gratitude of Congress to the Government of Singapore for its expressions of sympathy and support after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and its demonstrated willingness to fully cooperate with the United States in the global campaign against terrorism. Reaffirms the commitment of Congress to the continued expansion of friendship and cooperation between the United States and Singapore.