United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act - Redefines the term "law enforcement officer" under provisions of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to include: (1) Federal employees not otherwise covered by such term whose duties include the investigation or apprehension of suspected or convicted individuals and who are authorized to carry a firearm; and (2) such employees of the Internal Revenue Service whose duties are primarily the collection of delinquent taxes and the securing of delinquent returns. Requires that such service which is performed by an incumbent law enforcement officer be treated: (1) on or after the enactment date of this Act, for all purposes, as service performed as a law enforcement officer, irrespective of how such service is treated under the following; and (2) before, on, or after such date, for purposes of CSRS and FERS, as service performed as such an officer, but only if an appropriate written election is submitted to the Office of Personnel Management five years after such date or before separation from Government service, whichever is earlier. Provides that nothing under current law respecting mandatory separation from Government service under CSRS or FERS shall cause the involuntary separation of an officer before the end of the three-year period beginning on such date.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Protect Diversity in Media Act - Invalidates the final rules adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) pursuant to its broadcast media ownership proceeding and announced on June 2, 2003. Reinstates (retroactively, as in effect prior to such announcement) any rule that the FCC modified pursuant to that proceeding. Prohibits the FCC from using current biennial rule review authority to review broadcast media ownership rules.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Millennium Challenge Account Authorization and Peace Corps Expansion Act of 2003 - Authorizes the President, acting through the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, to provide assistance to eligible low income and lower middle income countries to support policies and programs that advance their progress in: (1) achieving lasting economic growth and poverty reduction; and (2) promoting specified objectives fostering democratic societies, human rights, the rule of law, investment in education and health infrastructure and systems, economic freedom, broad-based economic growth, and free market systems. Requires recipient contries to enter into a Millenium Challenge Compact with the United States establishing a multi-year plan for achieving shared development objectives. Specifies conditions for suspension or termination of assistance. Establishes the Millenium Challenge Corporation to carry out such assistance program, and a Millenium Challenge Advisory Council. Sets forth elements of a framework for U.S. economic assistance. Reauthorizes the Peace Corps through FY 2007. Makes the Peace Corps responsible for recruiting all of its volunteers. Urges the Director to utilize the services of returned Peace Corps volunteers and former Peace Corps staff who have relevant language and cultural experience and may have served previously in countries with substantial Muslim populations, in order to open or reopen Peace Corps programs in such countries. Requires the Director to expand the training program for Peace Corps volunteers in the areas of education, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases prevalent in host countries in order to ensure that the Peace Corps increases its contribution to the global campaign against such diseases. Urges the Director to designate a Peace Corps officer or employee located in the United States to coordinate all HIV/AIDS activities within the Peace Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2003 - Declares that the sunset provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 shall not apply to Title V: Estate, Gift, and Generation-skipping Transfer Tax Provisions of such Act. (Makes the repeal of estate and generation-skipping taxes under the Internal Revenue Code, and certain reductions of the gift tax, permanent.)
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Rural Veterans Access to Care Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that no less than five percent of the funds made available each fiscal year for the Medical Care appropriation of the Department of Veterans Affairs are used to improve access to medical services for highly rural or geographically remote veterans, including the use of such funds for: (1) acute or chronic sympton management; (2) nontherapeutic medical services; and (3) other appropriate medical services as determined by the director of the geographic service region involved. Provides for the allocation of such funds to such service regions. Requires review of the operation of this Act and, if necessary, recommendation for an adjustment to the percentage of Medical Care funds required for such purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Focus On Committed and Underpaid Staff for Children's Sake Act (FOCUS Act) - Establishes: (1) the Child Care Provider Development and Retention Grant Program; and (2) the Child Care Provider Scholarship Program. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to allot funds to eligible States (and Indian tribes and tribal organizations) for distribution directly, or at State option through local governments, to pay the Federal share of the cost of making grants to eligible child care providers under both such programs. Healthy Early Education Workforce Grant Program Act - Authorizes the Secretary to allot funds to eligible States (and Indian tribes and tribal organizations) to pay for the Federal share of the cost of providing access to affordable health benefits coverage for: (1) eligible child care providers; and (2) at State option, the spouses, domestic partners, and dependents of such providers. Directs the Secretary to conduct an evaluation of several such funded State programs representing various approaches to increasing the rate of coverage for child care providers.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2003 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to award non-renewable grants to eligible applicants to prepare a comprehensive plan for and implement an adult or juvenile collaboration program, which targets adults or juveniles with mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders in order to promote public safety and public health. Directs that grants be used to create or expand: (1) mental health courts or other court-based programs for preliminarily qualified offenders; (2) programs that offer specialized training to the officers and employees of a criminal or juvenile justice agency and mental health personnel in procedures for identifying the symptoms of mental illness; (3) programs that support cooperative efforts by criminal, juvenile justice, and mental health agencies to promote public safety by offering mental health and substance abuse treatment services; and (4) programs that support intergovernmental cooperation between State and local governments with respect to the mentally ill offender.. Requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop a procedure under which applicants may apply simultaneously for a planning grant and an implementation grant; and (2) establish an interagency task force to identify policies which hinder or facilitate local collaborative initiatives. Directs the Attorney General to develop a list of best practices for appropriate diversion from incarceration of adult and juvenile offenders.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
States that the House of Representatives supports the efforts of organizations such as Second Harvest to provide emergency food assistance to hungry people in the United States, and encourages all Americans to provide volunteer services and other support for local antihunger advocacy efforts and hunger relief charities, including food banks, food rescue organizations, food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency shelters.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 2001 East Willard Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Robert A. Borski Post Office Building.
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 · 2 June 2003
Loan Forgiveness for Head Start Teachers Act of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend to certain Head Start teachers student loan forgiveness under both the Federal Family Education Loan program and the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Meat and Poultry Pathogen Reduction and Enforcement Act - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act, respectively, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) prescribe initial and final pathogen performance standards for raw meat and raw poultry, and meat and poultry products processed in establishments inspected under such Acts; (2) identify, and publish a list of, such pathogens; (3) initiate pathogen surveys to determine existing levels of meat and poultry contamination; (4) perform microbial compliance testing at such establishments, and prohibit non-complying establishments from labeling such products as "inspected and passed "; and (5) report on the scientific feasibility of establishing health-based performance standards for pathogens in raw meat and meat products. Directs the Secretary to establish a National Advisory Committee for Microbiology Criteria for Foods. Directs the Secretary to enforce Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System requirements and other sanitation requirements in any official establishment. Authorizes the Secretary to prohibit non-complying establishments from labeling any meat or meat product, or poultry or poultry product, as "inspected and passed."
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Prisoner of War Protection Act of 2003 - Declares it is U.S. policy to: (1) search out and try in U.S. courts any persons who have mistreated (including willfully killing, torturing, or treating inhumanely) U.S. prisoners of war during the First and Second Gulf Wars; and (2) hold liable countries that commit grave breaches of the Third Geneva Convention against U.S. prisoners of war, including willful killing, torture, and inhumane treatment. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, at the request of the plaintiff, to pay from the Treasury, but not exceeding the sum of Iraqi blocked funds that were vested by Executive Order 13290 of March 20, 2003, any judgment in Civil Action No. 02-0632 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia brought by U.S. prisoners of war and their families against the Republic of Iraq, the Iraqi Intelligence Service, and Saddam Hussein for the brutal torture of them during the First Gulf War. Declares that it shall be U.S. policy to support the claims of U.S. prisoners of war and their families against the Republic of Iraq if, following the Second Gulf War, it becomes evident that U.S. prisoners of war have been killed, tortured, or mistreated during that war, or that the unaccounted-or U.S. prisoner of war from the First Gulf War was killed or tortured by Iraq.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act - Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor to prepare and publish a monthly Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI) that indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are typical for individuals aged 62 years or older. Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) and XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for the use of such new CPI in the computation of cost-of-living increases for Social Security and Medicare benefits under such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Transplant Patients Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000, to remove time limitations on the coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for individuals who have received organ transplants. (Current law provides coverage for such drugs only for certain time periods after the transplant procedure.) Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to: (1) continue entitlement to prescription drugs used in immunosuppressive therapy furnished to an individual who receives a kidney or other organ transplant for which payment is made under Medicare; and (2) extend Medicare secondary payer requirements for end stage renal disease beneficiaries. Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to set forth requirements for group health plans to provide coverage of immunosuppressive drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Assistant United States Attorneys Retirement Benefit Equity Act of 2003 - Makes applicable to Assistant United States Attorneys the provisions of the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System that apply to Federal law enforcement officers. Directs the Department of Justice to provide notice to incumbent Assistant U.S. Attorneys as to their election rights under this Act and the effects of making or not making a timely election under this Act. Allows such incumbents to elect the option to be treated either: (1) in accordance with the amendments made by this Act; or (2) as if this Act had never been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Access to Diabetes Screening Services Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of diabetes screening tests and services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise the definitions under Medicare regulations of "rehabilitation hospital" and "rehabilitation unit" for purposes of determining the applicable payment methodology under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Requires the Secretary, in determining whether a rehabilitation hospital or unit is eligible for reimbursement for services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries under the prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient rehabilitation facilities, to modify the list of treatment categories otherwise applicable (commonly referred to as the "75 Percent Rule") to include all rehabilitation impairment categories (except miscellaneous) established by the Secretary for purposes of such prospective payment system. (The "75 Percent Rule" requires that a rehabilitation hospital or unit show that during its most recent 12-month cost reporting period it served an inpatient population of whom at least 75 percent required intensive rehabilitative services for treatment of one or more of specified conditions.)
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Supports the goals and ideals of a National Epilepsy Awareness Month. Urges: (1) an increase in Federal funding for epilepsy research programs at the National Institutes of Health and at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and (2) that initial funding be provided to the Department of Health and Human Services to create demonstration projects to serve people with epilepsy who may lack access to adequate medical care.
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
Children's Vision Improvement and Learning Readiness Act of 2003 - Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States for the purposes of: (1) providing comprehensive eye examinations for children identified as being at high risk of vision impairment, with priority to go to children under nine years old; (2) providing subsequent treatment or services necessary to correct vision problems; and (3) developing and disseminating educational materials with regard to the need and benefits of comprehensive eye examinations for children. Directs the Secretary to develop criteria for the collection of data related to vision assessment and the utilization of followup services. Directs the Secretary to coordinate the grant program, as appropriate, with other Federal and State programs that provide services to children. Requires a State to submit an application to the Secretary in order to receive a grant, which shall include a plan for the use of the grant. Requires a State to submit to the Secretary an annual evaluation of the operations and activities carried out under a grant.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2003
National Guard and Reserve Comprehensive Health Benefits Act of 2003 - Makes members of the Selected Reserve and the Individual Ready Reserve eligible for either the Prime or Standard option of the TRICARE Program (a Department of Defense managed health care program), allowing for either self-coverage or self-and-family coverage. Requires the Secretary of Defense to: (1) provide at least one open enrollment period each year for such members; and (2) charge applicable premiums, deductibles, and copayments for such coverage. Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay the applicable premium to continue in force any qualified health plan coverage for a reserve member (and his or her dependents) while the member is serving on active duty pursuant to a call or order issued during a war or national emergency declared by the President or Congress. Requires the continuation of COBRA coverage during such period. Prohibits simultaneous coverage under both the qualified health plan and TRICARE.
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 · 15 May 2003
Rite of Passage Community Service Act - Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish a Rite of Passage Community Service Program. Requires such program to be a community-based after-school and summer service corps for eligible young people who are between the ages of 12 and 16, inclusive, at the time they begin such service. Requires such program to offer participants service-learning curricula linked to academic goals, as well as opportunities for: (1) service in their communities; (2) activities that train in certain critical skills; and (3) working with older AmeriCorps members who can organize service projects and act as mentors. Requires each individual program participant to: (1) agree to participate in such after-school or summer program for at least 150 hours during a period of at least two months and not more than one year; and (2) receive a $500 education award upon completion of such required hours of service.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2003
Long-Term Care and Retirement Security Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a deduction (increasing percentages with full deductibility as of 2008) for eligible long-term care insurance premiums for a taxpayer, spouse, and dependents and (2) long-term care insurance to be offered under cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements. Allows an income-adjusted (limited) credit for eligible individuals with long-term care needs. Sets forth specified requirements for qualifying long-term care insurance contracts. Treats an exchange of qualified long-term care insurance contracts as a disposition of property for which no gain or loss is recognized.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2003
Social Security Marriage Penalty Elimination Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Act to increase joint return base and adjusted base amount thresholds for purposes of determining the additional amount of social security or railroad retirement benefits includable in gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2003
Recognizes the importance of veterans to the United States. Expresses support for the goals of Veterans Educate Today's Students Day (programs that educate children about the service of veterans and the sacrifices made by them and their families).
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2003
Preservation of Localism, Program Diversity, and Competition in Television Broadcast Service Act of 2003 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from permitting any license for a commercial television broadcast station to be granted, transferred, or assigned to any party if such action would result in that party owning, operating, controlling, or having a cognizable interest in stations which have an aggregate national audience reach exceeding 35 percent. Requires any party currently having licenses in excess of such limit to divest as necessary to comply with such limit within one year.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2003
Federal Law Enforcement Pension Adjustment Equity Act of 2004 - Amends the Law Enforcement Pay Equity Act of 2000 to repeal a prohibition against treatment as an increase in salary, for purposes of increased annuitant pension benefits, of the conversion of positions and members of the U.S. Park Police and the Secret Service Uniformed Division to a new salary schedule, and the associated initial adjustments in basic pay rates. (Thus permits cost-of-living adjustments in pension benefits for annuitants of the U.S. Park Police and the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2003
Ten Commandments Defense Act of 2003 - Declares the following : (1) that the power to display the Ten Commandments on or within property owned or administered by the several States or their political subdivisions is among the powers reserved to the States respectively (under the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution); (2) that the expression of religious faith by individual persons on or within property owned or administered by the several States or their political subdivisions is among the rights secured (under the First Amendment) against laws respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise of religion made or enforced by the Federal Government; and (3) that the expression of religious faith by individual persons on or within property owned or administered by the several States or their political subdivisions is among the liberties of which no State shall deprive any person without due process of law made in pursuance of powers reserved to the States respectively.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Pledge Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal judicial code to deny jurisdiction to any court established by Act of Congress to hear or determine any claim that the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance violates the first amendment of the Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Identity Theft and Financial Privacy Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prescribe duties imposed upon: (1) a card issuer with respect to confirmation of a consumer's changes of address; and (2) a consumer reporting agency with respect to notice of potential fraud. Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prescribe duties imposed upon a consumer reporting agency with respect to notice of potential fraud. Exempts from such requirements: (1) certain consumer reporting agencies acting as resellers of information; (2) certain check services companies; and (3) certain demand deposit account information service companies. Mandates truncation of credit card and debit card account numbers. Requires a consumer reporting agency to furnish, upon consumer request, a free annual disclosure of the information in the consumer's file.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2003 or Laci and Conner's Law - Provides that: (1) whoever engages in conduct that violates specified provisions of the Federal criminal code, the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, or the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, or specified articles the Uniform Code of Military Justice (conduct constituting certain Federal violent crimes) and thereby causes the death of, or bodily injury to, a child who is in utero, shall be guilty of a separate offense; and (2) the punishment for that separate offense shall be the same as that provided under Federal law for that conduct had that injury or death occurred to the unborn child's mother. Specifies that a violation of such provisions does not require proof that: (1) the person engaging in the conduct had knowledge or should have had knowledge that the victim of the underlying offense was pregnant; or (2) the defendant (or accused) intended to cause the death of, or bodily injury to, the unborn child. Prohibits imposition of the death penalty for an offense under this Act. Bars prosecution under this Act: (1) of any person for conduct relating to an abortion for which the consent of the pregnant woman, or a person authorized by law to act on her behalf, has been obtained or for which such consent is implied by law; (2) for conduct relating to any medical treatment of the pregnant woman or her unborn child; or (3) of any woman with respect to her unborn child.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Leave No Securities Behind Act - Amends the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act to extend Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) authority to mortgage-backed and subordinate obligations, and corporate securities (with an exemption for approved sellers) of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae). Amends the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act to extend SEC authority to corporate securities (with an exception for approved sellers) of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to limit specified SEC registration fees.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Medicare Paramedic Intercept Services Coverage Act of 2003 - Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to revise requirements for payment for paramedic intercept service providers in rural communities. Changes from discretionary to mandatory the authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in promulgating regulations for coverage of ambulance services, to cover advanced life support intercept services (ALS intercept services), regardless of the area involved. (Currently they must be provided in a rural area). Includes new conditions of coverage that define ALS intercept services as consisting of a qualified paramedic providing ALS level services in connection with the transport of a patient by an ambulance qualified to provide only a basic life support level of services. Requires that: (1) the entity providing the ambulance transportation be a public, non-profit, or volunteer organization; and (2) the paramedic providing such services is not employed or compensated by the entity providing the ambulance transportation. (Currently the ALS intercept services must be provided under a contract with one or more volunteer ambulance services which are required to be prohibited by State law from billing for any such services.) Requires, in addition, that: (1) such services be medically necessary based on the medical condition for which they are dispatched (currently they must be medically necessary based on the health condition of the individual being transported); and (2) the paramedic providing the intercept services accompanies and provides an ALS assessment or ALS intervention to the patient during the transport. Prohibits the Secretary from taking into account any payments made pursuant to this Act in determining payment amounts under the Medicare ambulance fee schedule, or the aggregate amount of payments under such fee schedule, for any year.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Iraq Cultural Heritage Protection Act - Bans the importation into the United States of any archaeological or cultural material of Iraq that was removed from Iraq after the issuance of Executive Order 12722 of August 2, 1990, unless the Government of Iraq certifies that the exportation of such material from Iraq was not in violation of Iraqi law. Requires U.S. custom officers to detain such material until it can be certified as legally exported from Iraq. Subjects to seizure and forfeiture any Iraqi archaeological or cultural material that is illegally imported into the United States or that cannot be certified as legally exported from Iraq. Requires the return to Iraq of any archaeological or cultural material forfeited under this Act. Defines "country of origin" for purposes of applying U.S. tariff and customs laws to certain archaeological materials. Amends the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act to: (1) redefine an object of archaeological interest as one that is at least 100 years old (currently, at least 250 years old); (2) limit the period during which import restrictions under the Act may be placed on the archaeological or ethnological material of any country to ten years (subject to extensions by the President for emergency conditions) after the date such restrictions are published in the Federal Register; and (3) extend from five to ten years the effective period of bilateral or multilateral agreements for import restrictions on archaeological or ethnological materials.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
SMART Research and Development Compact - Grants the consent of the Congress to the SMART Research and Development Compact (to promote the contribution of the Mid-Atlantic region to the Nation's research and development in science and technology and to create multi-State organization for strengthening the Mid-Atlantic region for tomorrow (SMART)) if it is entered into by two or more of the following States: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to: (1) restrict the application of the windfall elimination provision to individuals whose combined monthly income from the individual's primary insurance amount under such title and the portion of the monthly periodic payment attributable to noncovered service performed after 1956 exceeds $2,000; and (2) provide for a graduated implementation of such provision by specified percentages with respect to incremental amounts above such threshold, up to 100 percent for combined amounts over $3,000.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins and 500,000 $1 silver coins, which shall be emblematic of the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia (the first permanent English settlement in America). Provides for a $35 per coin surcharge for the $5 dollar coins and $10 per coin for the $1 dollar coins. Directs that: (1) half of the surcharges be used to support programs to promote the understanding of the legacies of Jamestown (to be paid to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation); and (2) half be used to sustain the ongoing mission of preserving Jamestown, to enhance national and international educational programs relating to Jamestown, to improve infrastructure and archeological research activities relating to Jamestown, and conduct other programs to support the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown (to be distributed by the Secretary in equal shares to the Secretary of the Interior, the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation).
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to exempt from certain child labor restrictions the employment, inside or outside of businesses where machinery is used to process wood products, of individuals between ages 14 and 18 who are members of religious sects that do not permit formal education beyond the eighth grade. Permits such youth employment if the individual: (1) is supervised by an adult relative or by an adult member of the same religious sect or division; (2) does not operate or assist in the operation of power-driven woodworking machines; (3) is protected from wood particles or other flying debris within the workplace by a barrier appropriate to such potential hazard or by maintaining a sufficient distance from machinery in operation; and (4) is required to use personal protective equipment to prevent exposure to excessive levels of noise and sawdust.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Provides military commissary and exchange privileges to veterans with service-connected disabilities of 30 percent or more, as well as their dependents.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide transportation on Department of Defense aircraft, on a space-available basis, for veterans with service-connected disabilities rated at 50 percent or more, and for their dependents, on the same basis that such transportation is provided to former military personnel entitled to retired or retainer pay.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Healthy Early Education Workforce Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make an annual allotment to each State that submits an application for formula grants to provide access to affordable health benefits coverage for: (1) eligible child care providers and the staff of center-based child care providers; and (2) certain relatives of such providers and staff, at the discretion of the State involved. Sets forth the following permissible activities for such grants: (1) to reimburse an employer or other individual specified under this Act for premiums or other costs for coverage under group or individual plans; (2) to offset the cost of enrolling individuals in public health benefits plans; and (3) to otherwise subsidize the cost of health benefits coverage to individuals specified under this Act. Requires a State to match at least 50 percent of the costs of the activities for which it receives a grant. Specifies portions of the funds appropriated under this Act to go to U.S. territories and possessions and Indian tribes. Sets forth a formula for calculating the amount to be received by each State (including the District of Columbia). Directs the Secretary to conduct an evaluation of several State programs representing various approaches to raising the rate of child workers with health benefits coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Genetic Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance and Employment Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Public Health Service Act , the Internal Revenue Code, and Medicare supplemental policy provisions to prohibit health plans and insurers, with respect to protected genetic information, from discriminating in enrollment, eligibility, contribution rates, and premium rates based on such information. Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or training program to discriminate because of protected genetic information.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Diabetes Prevention Access and Care Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health to expand, intensify, conduct, coordinate, and support research and other activities with respect to pre-diabetes and diabetes, particularly type 2, in minority populations. Directs that the activities shall include research on the causes and effects of health care access disparities and racial discrimination. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) expand the National Diabetes Education Program; and (2) through the Indian Health Service, conduct research on attention by health care professionals to the American Indian population with regard to diabetes. Directs the Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee to develop a Federal plan to address diabetes mellitus within communities of color. Requires the Secretary to conduct and support programs to treat diabetes in minority populations, including, through the National Institute of Mental Health, to provide for comprehensive mental health services and treatment to certain individuals. Directs the Secretary, acting through the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, to make grants to expand Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program internships and mentoring opportunities for recruitment of minorities in diabetes-focused health fields. Provides for Federal and State loan repayment programs for health profession students of color. Requires the Secretary, acting through the CDC, to: (1) expand the Diabetes Control Program; and (2) fund education and community outreach on diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2003
Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to prohibit group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group health insurance coverage, with regard to hospital stays in connection with breast cancer treatment, from: (1) covering less than 48 hours after mastectomies or less than 24 hours after lymph node dissections; or (2) requiring plan or issuer authorization for prescribing any length of stay. Prohibits: (1) denying eligibility, enrollment, or renewal to avoid these requirements; (2) providing payments or rebates to women; or (3) penalizing or providing incentives to providers. Applies the same requirements to issuers in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2003
Self-Employed Health Care Affordability Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit as a net earnings deduction the health insurance costs of a self-employed individual.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2003
Oil Region National Heritage Area Act - Establishes the Oil Region National Heritage Area in Pennsylvania. Designates the Oil Heritage Region, Inc., to be the management entity for the Area. Directs such entity to prepare and implement a management plan for the Area. Prohibits such entity from using Federal funds under this Act to acquire real property. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide technical and financial assistance to such entity. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Historic American Building Survey and the Historic American Engineering Record, to conduct studies to document the industrial, engineering, building, and architectural history of the Area.
![Official portrait of Rep. Platts, Todd Russell [R-PA-19]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000585_200.jpg)