United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2003
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) unequivocally condemns the damaging rhetoric of Lieutenant General William G. Boykin, United States Army, which has promoted hateful stereotypes of the religion of Islam; and (2) reaffirms the remarks made by President George W. Bush on October 24, 2003, that "Islam is a peaceful religion, and people who practice the Islamic faith have made great contributions to our Nation and the world." .
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2003
Urges the President to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Pope John Paul II to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the inauguration of his ministry as Bishop of Rome and Supreme Pastor of the Catholic Church.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the plight of Jewish refugees from Arab countries should be recognized and included in any settlement of the Middle East conflict or as part of any agreement regarding the issue of refugees; (2) the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) should establish a program and timetable for resettling all of the Palestinian refugees; (3) the UNRWA should immediately replace anti-Semitic and anti-Israel educational materials used in the UNRWA education system and take steps to ensure that UNRWA facilities are not being used to store weapons; and (4) Arab countries should accept a meaningful number of refugees and take a larger role in financing UNRWA.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Security and Freedom Ensured Act of 2003 (SAFE Act) - Amends the USA PATRIOT Act to modify provisions regarding roving wiretaps under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to require that: (1) an order approving an electronic surveillance specify either the identity of the target or the place to be wiretapped; and (2) surveillance be conducted only when the suspect is present at the place to be wiretapped. Revises provisions governing search warrants authorized under the USA PATRIOT ACT to: (1) limit the authority to delay notice of the issuance of such a search warrant to circumstances where providing immediate notice of the warrant will endanger the life or physical safety of an individual, result in flight from prosecution, or result in the destruction of or tampering with the evidence sought under the warrant; and (2) require such delayed notification to be issued within seven days (currently, within a "reasonable period") after execution, with extensions by the court for additional periods of up to seven calendar days each time that the court finds reasonable cause to believe that notice of the execution of the warrant would have such consequences. Requires the Attorney General, on a semiannual basis, to transmit to Congress and make public a report concerning all requests for delays of notice and for extensions of such delays. Amends FISA to require, with respect to access by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to business records for foreign intelligence and international terrorism investigations, that there be specific and articulable facts giving reason to believe that the person to whom the records pertain is a foreign power or agent. Provides that libraries shall not be treated as wire or electronic communication service providers under provisions granting counterintelligence access to provider subscriber information, toll billing records information, or electronic communication transactional records. Redefines "domestic terrorism" to mean activities that involve acts dangerous to human life that constitute a Federal crime of terrorism (currently, that violate criminal laws).
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Unaccompanied Alien Child Protection Act of 2003 - Establishes procedures for immigration officers who find an unaccompanied alien child at a U.S. land border or point of entry who is a national or habitual resident of a contiguous country. Establishes that other unaccompanied alien children, including trafficking victims, shall be in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, except that such children who threaten U.S. security or who are charged with or have been convicted of a felony shall be in the care of the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security. Sets forth a family reunification preference order. Prohibits, with an exception for violent children, detention in adult or delinquent children facilities. Directs the Office to develop procedures for detention and prohibited detention practices. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Government should ensure that it does not repatriate children in its custody into life- and safety-threatening settings. Directs the Secretary of State to include in the annual State Department Country Report on Human Rights an assessment of the degree to which each country protects children from smugglers and traffickers. Directs the Office, with respect to unaccompanied alien children in the custody of the Office or the Department of Homeland Security, to: (1) develop age determination procedures; and (2) provide immigration counsel. Directs the Executive Office for Immigration Review to develop model guidelines for legal representation of children. Authorizes the Office to provide that each unaccompanied child have a guardian ad litem. Requires the Office to implement a pilot program for the appointment of guardians ad litem. Amends special immigrant juvenile provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Expresses congressional commendation of the Immigration and Naturalization Service' s issuance of its "Guidelines for Children's Asylum Claims." Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide immigration officers with related training. Exempts unaccompanied alien children from certain removal and asylum provisions. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to set forth additional responsibilities and authorities of the Office with respect to unaccompanied alien children.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Prevention, Awareness, and Research Auto-Immune Disease Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide grants through the Centers for Disease Control to conduct public and professional awareness activities regarding autoimmune diseases, including lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia. Provides grants through the Health Resources and Services Administration for the education of health care providers on potential links between autoimmune diseases and cognitive and mood disorders such as depression. Establishes a research program where qualified physicians agree to conduct research concerning autoimmune diseases in exchange for student loan repayment.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Nursing Home Staffing Act of 2003 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate standards for minimum nurse staffing levels in nursing facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid payments. Reinstitutes (Boren amendment) payment methodology, providing for payment of Medicaid services through the use of rates determined pursuant to the criteria under State Medicaid plan requirements as in effect on August 1, 1997. Establishes safe harbor rates. Provides a permanent 1.50 percent increase of the Medicaid Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for a State beginning with FY 2004. Authorizes inclusion of: (1) financial accountability requirements in the survey and certification process with respect to facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid payments; and (2) professionals trained in financial accounting and auditing in the multidisciplinary survey teams of professionals under Medicare and Medicaid.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2003
Hospitalized Veterans Financial Assistance Act of 2003 - Makes the commencement date of the period of payment of a temporary increase in veterans' disability compensation for hospitalization or treatment the day on which such hospitalization or treatment commences. (Currently, such date is the first day of the month in which such hospitalization or treatment commences, when the hospitalization or treatment commences and terminates within the same calendar month.)
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2003
Keeping Families Together Act of 2003 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (Act) to repeal the provision amending the definition of "aggravated felony," and restore provisions of law amended by such provision as if it had not been enacted, including residency-or status-related rights of an affected legal alien. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise detention of criminal alien provisions, effective as if included in the Act. Repeals, as if included in the Act: (1) certain provisions respecting termination of continuous presence or physical presence in the United States; and (2) the definition of "conviction." Authorizes the Attorney General to admit certain lawfully admitted permanent resident aliens returning to the United States who temporarily proceeded abroad voluntarily and not under an order of deportation or removal, effective as of a specified date, as if certain sections of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 had not been enacted. Revises provisions respecting judicial review of removal orders. Requires the Attorney General to establish a post-proceeding removal relief process for affected aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2003
Authorizes the President to award congressional gold medals posthumously, to their next of kin, on behalf of Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson, in recognition of their contributions to the Nation as pioneers in South Carolina in the effort to desegregate public schools that led directly to the landmark desegregation case of Brown et al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka et al. Directs that amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals be deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Marine Corps 230th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 one dollar coins which shall be emblematic of the warrior ethos of the United States Marine Corps. Requires all surcharges from the sale of the coins to be paid to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation for construction of the Marine Corps Heritage Center.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Faster and Smarter Funding for First Responders Act of 2003 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a State and Regional First Responder Grant Program under which the Secretary may make grants to States and eligible regional entities on the basis of the threat to a State or region's population and critical infrastructure, as determined by the Under Secretary for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Under Secretary, to evaluate and prioritize grant applications, considering factors such as threats to the population, specific economic sectors, major communications nodes and transportation systems, specific elements of the food supply, the water and energy supplies, civic infrastructure and emergency response capabilities, and specific structures of symbolic national importance. Bars the use of grant funds to supplant State or local funds that would otherwise be available for homeland security or first responder projects. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish the Advisory Council on First Responders, which shall report to the Secretary through the head of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination; and (2) revise the Homeland Security Advisory System to require that any designation of a threat level or other warning be accompanied by a designation of the geographic regions and economic sectors to which it applies. Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to conduct a study of whether there is a need to assign additional bands of frequencies of electromagnetic spectrum to assist first responders.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2003 - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by covered entities (including employment agencies, labor organizations, and training programs). Prohibits related retaliation and coercion. Declares this Act inapplicable to the provision of employee benefits for the benefit of an employee's domestic partner. Prohibits the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from: (1) collecting statistics on sexual orientation from covered entities; and (2) compelling covered entities to collect such statistics. Prohibits: (1) quotas and preferential treatment; and (2) an order or consent decree for a violation of this Act that includes a quota or preferential treatment. Declares that this Act is inapplicable to: (1) religious organizations; (2) the relationship between the United States and members of the armed forces; or (3) laws creating special rights or preferences for veterans. Prohibits the imposition of affirmative action for a violation of this Act. Disallows State immunity. Makes the United States or a State liable for remedies to the same extent as under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Earned Legalization and Family Unification Act of 2003 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide permanent resident status for certain: (1) long-term resident workers; and (2) children in middle or secondary school.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that the internationally renowned artist Romare Bearden should be honored for his contributions to the collective American aesthetic anthology which reflect the complexity and richness of African American life in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2003
Keeping Families Together Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award competitive grants to States to establish systems of individualized mental health treatment and family support services for children who are in custody or in danger of entering the custody of the state for the purpose of receiving mental health services. Requires eligible States to: (1) have laws or policies in effect that ensure that children receive appropriate mental health services so that parents do not have to relinquish legal custody of such children; (2) provide matching funds; (3) establish infrastructure for interagency cooperation and cross system financing; and (4) expand public health insurance programs to cover these services after the grant expires. Establishes a Federal interagency task force to examine mental health issues in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems and the role of their agencies in promoting access by children and youth to mental health services. Amends the Social Security Act to permit the use of the Medicaid home and community-based services waiver to provide mental health services to children and youths as an alternative to care in inpatient psychiatric hospitals.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2003
HRIFA Improvement Act of 2003 - Amends the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 to: (1) include document fraud among the grounds of inadmissibility which shall not preclude an otherwise qualifying Haitian alien from permanent resident status adjustment; and (2) provide that determinations with respect to children shall be made using the age of an individual as of the date of enactment of this Act. Permits new status adjustment applications to be filed for a limited time period. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish procedures for reopening status adjustment applications based upon the amendments made by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2003
Emergency Unemployment Compensation 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. Extends the TEUC program through weeks of unemployment ending before July 1, 2004. Provides a phase-out period for individual payments up to weeks beginning after December 31, 2004. Increases to 26 weeks an eligible individual's TEUC payments. Provides for an additional seven weeks of payments, for a total of 33 weeks, for individuals in high-unemployment States (TEUC-X). (Current law provides 13 weeks of regular TEUC payments, with an additional 13 and total 26 in TEUC-X States.) Revises requirements for determining TEUC-X States, using certain triggers based on insured unemployment rates and on total unemployment rates. Establishes a program of payments to States to provide regular unemployment compensation benefits for individuals who otherwise would be ineligible because: (1) the base period does not count wages earned in the most recently completed calendar quarter; or (2) the individuals seek or are available for less than full-time work.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2003
Recognizes the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church of Birmingham, Alabama. Honors the victims (Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley) and commends the efforts of the law enforcement personnel who worked to bring those responsible to justice.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2003
Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act of 2003 - Rape Kits and DNA Evidence Backlog Elimination Act of 2003 - Amends: (1) the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to reauthorize the Act; (2) the DNA Identification Act of 1994 (Identification Act) to expand the scope of DNA samples to be included in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS); and (3) the Violence Against Women Act to authorize grants to increase the availability of legal assistance to victims of dating violence. DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act of 2003 - Amends the Identification Act to require that CODIS include only information on DNA identification records and analyses that are prepared by laboratories that: (1) have been accredited by a nationally recognized nonprofit professional association of forensic scientists within two years; and (2) undergo external audits at least every two years that demonstrate compliance with specified standards. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants for: (1) DNA training and education; (2) sexual assault forensic examination programs; (3) research and development; (4) using DNA technology to identify missing persons; and (5) tribal domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions. Expands and reauthorizes the Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Grant Program. Innocence Protection Act of 2003 - Sets forth conditions under which a Federal prisoner may obtain post-conviction DNA testing of specific evidence. Directs the Attorney General to award grants to States to improve the quality of legal representation in State capital cases.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2003
Honors the life and accomplishments of Althea Gibson, who broke the color barrier in the sport of tennis in the 1950s, who was the first black woman to win the Wimbledon and United States national tennis titles, and who helped pave the way for future generations of black athletes.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2003
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Rest and Recuperation Leave program for members of the armed forces serving in combat zones in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom should cover all travel and transportation costs necessary to return members granted leave to their homes. (Currently, such program covers transportation to only an approved point of debarkation in the United States.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2003
Benjamin Franklin Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one dollar coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Benjamin Franklin (not more than 250,000 bearing his image as a young statesman and not more than 250,000 with his image as an older numismatist). Directs that all sales include a $10 per coin surcharge, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission, to be used to educate people about Franklin's legacy.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2003
Directs the Secretary of Defense to expand the Central Command Rest and Recuperation Leave program (for certain military personnel serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom) to provide travel and transportation allowances to each participant for travel from an original airport of debarkation to the permanent duty station or home of such member.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2003
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to extend nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations) to the products of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2003
Health and Education Access for Students with Diabetes Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to prohibit a State or public or private entity from receiving funds under ESEA title IV part A, also known as the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, unless it has a policy in effect against hindering or restricting a student from engaging in diabetes treatment prescribed or recommended by a physician.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2003
Diabetes Self-Management Training Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for the recognition of certified diabetes educators as Medicare providers for purposes of diabetes outpatient self-management training services. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on: (1) the barriers, if any, that exist in rural areas to successfully becoming a recognized diabetes education program, including the difficulty of rural health care professionals in becoming certified diabetes educators; and (2) whether individuals with diabetes who live in rural areas have barriers to accessing diabetes self-management training.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2003
College Opportunity for All Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise and reauthorize requirements relating to: (1) Pell Grants and other student aid amounts and access to higher education for all students; (2) support and educational opportunities for students at minority-serving institutions, including centers for teacher education; (3) postbaccalaureate opportunities at Hispanic-serving institutions; (4) TRIO and other outreach programs to disadvantaged students pursuing a postsecondary education; (5) support for working students through revision of student aid need analysis; (6) student loan forgiveness for certain public service employment; (7) relief to borrowers through elimination of origination fees and allowance of refinancing of consolidation loans; (8) simplification of the student aid process; (9) voluntary flexible agreements with guaranty agencies; and (10) allowance for State and other taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2003
Benjamin Franklin True Patriot Act - Provides that each provision of law, regulation, or other policy directive listed in this Act and any amendments made by that provision, shall cease to have effect 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. Authorizes Congress, during such period and at the request of the President, to hold hearings to determine whether a particular section should be removed from the list with respect to the USA PATRIOT Act. Applies this Act to specified provisions in: (1) the USA PATRIOT Act; (2) the Aviation Security Act excluding permanent resident aliens from being baggage checkers; (3) the Homeland Security Act 2002; (4) certain immigration regulations; (5) the Federal Register relating to monitoring conversations between attorneys and clients; (6) the memorandum of Attorney General Ashcroft dated October 12, 2001, and relating to the disclosure of documents under the Freedom of Information Act; and (7) any regulations having the effect of changing the effect of Attorney General Dick Thornburg's Guidelines on General Crimes, Racketeering Enterprise and Domestic Security/Terrorism Investigations (particularly with respect to religious institution spying), approved March 21, 1989.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2003
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility (the Nyack Post Office) located at 48 South Broadway, Nyack, New York, as the Edward O'Grady, Waverly Brown, Peter Paige Post Office Building.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 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 Monsignor Ignatius McDermott (founder of Haymarket Center, the largest drug abuse treatment center in Chicago) in recognition of his contribution to the drug treatment community and his accomplishments as a priest and humanitarian.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2003
Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, upon completion of specified agricultural work and residency requirements, to adjust the status of a qualifying alien agricultural worker (and spouse and minor children) to that of a: (1) lawfully admitted temporary nonimmigrant; and (2) permanent resident nonimmigrant. Sets forth provisions with respect to: (1) adjustment of status applications, including penalties for false statements; (2) waiver of numerical limitations and certain grounds for inadmissibility; (3) temporary stay of removal and work authorization; (4) administrative and judicial review; and (5) dissemination of program information. Amends the Social Security Act to provide for the correction of such aliens' social security records. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to set forth registry application requirements for H-2A employers and employer associations, including assurances: (1) that the job opportunity is temporary or seasonal, and is not the result of a labor dispute, (2) that attempts have been made to hire U.S. workers; and (3) respecting required wages and benefits, and compliance with labor laws. Sets forth employment requirements with respect to: (1) wages; (2) housing; and (3) transportation reimbursement. Establishes the Commission on Agricultural Wage Standards under the H-2A program. Revises provisions respecting the admission and extension of stay of temporary H-2A workers. Provides special rules for alien sheepherders. Sets forth worker protection and labor standards enforcement provisions for such aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2003
Ralph J. Bunche Scholarship Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise and reauthorize title III part C programs of the Institute for International Public Policy. Directs the Institute to conduct a program to enhance U.S. global competitiveness by increasing the participation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, and other underrepresented minorities in the international service, including private international voluntary organizations, the foreign commercial service, and the foreign service of the United States. Lowers, from one-half to one-third, the matching funds requirement for recipients of grants from the Institute. Establishes a Ralph J. Bunche Scholarships program. Authorizes the Institute to provide such scholarships to qualified low-income, minority, and other underrepresented students who demonstrate special interest in international affairs and language study, demonstrate exceptional academic ability, and show promise of continued academic excellence and ability. Provides such Bunche Scholarships for up to $5,000 for each of the last two years of undergraduate study toward a bachelor's degree. Directs the Institute to provide a program of study leading to an advanced degree in international relations, international affairs, international economics, or other academic areas related to the Institute fellow's career objectives. Authorizes the Institute to grant fellowships for such program of study up to an amount comparable to National Science Foundation research graduate fellowships. Requires fellowship recipients to agree to undertake full-time study and to enter the international service, including work with international voluntary organizations, or the U.S. foreign service.
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
Pension Funding Equity Act of 2003 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to temporarily replace (for plan years 2004 and 2005) the 30-year Treasury rate with a rate based on long-term corporate bonds for certain pension plan funding requirements. Expresses the sense of the Congress that it must ensure the financial health of the defined benefit pension system by working to promptly implement: (1) a permanent replacement for the pension discount rate used for defined benefit pension plan calculations; and (2) comprehensive funding reforms aimed at achieving accurate and sound pension funding.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2003
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a reduced sponsor affidavit of support for a family-sponsored immigrant where: (1) a U.S. employer has agreed to employ the immigrant for at least one year; or (2) the sponsored alien is under the age of 18.
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 · 17 September 2003
Home Lead Safety Tax Credit Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide owners of residential properties built in the United States before 1978 with a tax credit for lead-based paint abatement costs performed by a certified lead abatement contractor (50 percent of the cost of the abatement, not to exceed $1,500 per dwelling unit).
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2003
Child Care Lending Pilot Act of 2003 - Allows proceeds of loans made through the Small Business Administration (SBA) to local certified development companies for plant acquisition, construction, or expansion to be used to provide loans to small, nonprofit child care businesses, provided that: (1) the loan will be used for a sound business purpose approved by the SBA Administrator; (2) each business receiving the assistance meets eligibility requirements applicable to for-profit businesses; (3) one or more individuals have personally guaranteed the loan; and (4) the child care business has both clear and singular title to the collateral for the loan and sufficient cash flow to meet loan obligations and reasonable operating expenses. Prohibits more than seven percent of the total number of loans guaranteed in any fiscal year for local development companies from being awarded under this program. Terminates such authority at the end of FY 2006.
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 · 15 September 2003
Recognizes the 30th anniversary of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship Program and reaffirms a commitment to support the use of science in governmental decisionmaking through such Program.
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 2003
Daniel Patrick Moynihan Global Affairs Institute Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to Syracuse University to establish an endowment fund to support a Daniel Patrick Moynihan Global Affairs Institute. Requires the University, to be eligible for such grant, to designate the global affairs institute within the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs as the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Global Affairs Institute.
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 2003
Universal Prekindergarten Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide grants to a designated State agency for development of universal prekindergaten programs for all children three, four, and five years old in the State. Requires the State to: (1) match Federal funds by at least 20 percent; and (2) submit a State plan to establish, coordinate, and implement a statewide universal prekindergarten program. Authorizes State agencies to set aside up to five percent of a grant for ongoing professional development activities for teachers and staff of prekindergarten programs that wish to participate.
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 · 4 September 2003
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 315 Empire Boulevard in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, as the James E. Davis Post Office Building.
![Official portrait of Rep. Rangel, Charles B. [D-NY-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000053_200.jpg)