United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2002
Protect Children from Video Game Sex and Violence Act of 2002 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit the sale or rental to a minor of a video game that depicts decapitation, amputation, or mutilation, the killing of humans or human-like beings by the use of an object as a lethal weapon or hand-to-hand fighting, car jacking, the use of illegal drugs, rape or other sexual assault, prostitution, aggravated assault or battery, or any other violent felony.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2002
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act respecting naturalization through service in the Armed Forces to: (1) reduce the required service from three years to two years; and (2) prohibit the imposition of a naturalization fee. Provides, and sets forth the conditions, for naturalization through enlistment in the Armed Forces and service with an eligibility for access to classified information. Provides for overseas naturalization proceedings for members of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2002
Gulf War Veterans' and Other Iraqi Claims Protection Act of 2002 - Authorizes the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States to receive, determine the validity of, and certify claims by U.S. nationals against the Government of Iraq, giving first priority to non-commercial claims of members of the U.S. armed forces and other individuals arising out of Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait, or out of the 1987 attack on the U.S.S. Stark. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to establish in the Treasury an Iraq Claims Fund for the payment of such claims. Authorizes the President, subject to specified limitations, to vest and liquidate Iraqi Government assets in the United States that have been blocked pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and allocate the proceeds to the Fund to satisfy claims against the Government of Iraq by U.S. nationals, as well as claims of the U.S. Government that are outside the jurisdiction of the United Nations Compensation Commission. Provides for the reimbursement to the U.S. Government of expenses incurred in administering this Act. Establishes an order of priority for payment of claims. Sets forth a ten-year statute of limitations on any demand or claim for the payment of such an award.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2002
Brownfields Use Invigoration Land Development Act - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make grants to a small business, a local organization that represents small businesses, or a local redevelopment agency chartered, established, or otherwise sanctioned by a State or local government to participate in the redevelopment of remediated sites (real property with respect to which requirements under Federal or State law for the remediation of hazardous substances, pollutants, and contaminants have been completed). Sets a maximum per-grant limit of $200,000. Increases to 90 percent of the amount of the outstanding financing the level of SBA participation in guaranteed loans made to small businesses on a deferred basis for small businesses located or locating on a remedial site. Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to: (1) authorize the SBA to provide assistance to State development companies for projects for the redevelopment of remediated sites; and (2) exempt from current outstanding leverage limits small business investment company investments in remediated sites.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2002
Life Insurance Employee Notification Act - Requires an employer to notify an employee in writing upon the purchase of an employer-owned insurance policy on the life of such employee for a beneficiary other than the individual who is the subject of the policy. Declares that violation of this Act constitutes an unfair method of competition and an unfair or deceptive act or practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2002
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health, should conduct or support research on the effectiveness of medical screening techniques for ovarian cancer, including the use of proteomic patterns in blood serum in combination with other techniques. Requires a report to Congress and the inclusion of such technique in Federal health care programs and group and individual health plans if it proves effective.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2002
Syria Accountability Act of 2002 - Prohibits the President from exporting any item on the United States Munitions List or Commerce Control List of dual-use items in the Export Administration Regulations, providing any U.S. assistance to U.S. businesses with respect to investment or other activities, or conducting Overseas Private Investment Corporation and Trade Development Agency programs in or with respect to Syria. Directs the President to impose two or more specified sanctions against Syria. Requires maintenance of such prohibition and sanctions until the President certifies that Syria meets specified requirements, including that it: (1) does not support international terrorist groups; (2) has withdrawn all of its military personnel from Lebanon; (3) has ceased the development and deployment of ballistic missiles and biological and chemical weapons; (4) is no longer in violation of United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 661 and subsequent relevant resolutions; (5) has made substantial progress in negotiations aimed at a peace agreement with Israel and a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon; and (6) is respecting the sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon as required under UN Security Council Resolution 520. Authorizes the President to provide development assistance to Syria and Lebanon if these six requirements are met.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2002
Calls for the governments of Europe to: (1) protect the safety and well-being of their Jewish communities; and (2) cultivate an atmosphere of cooperation and reconciliation among Jewish and non-Jewish residents.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2002
Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2002 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase, as of December 1, 2002, the rates of veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled adult children, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. Requires each such increase to be the same percentage as the increase in benefits provided under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, on the same effective date.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2002
Domestic Violence Courts Assistance Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (relating to grants to combat violent crimes against women) to allow such grants to be used to provide the resources to establish and maintain a court system dedicated to the adjudication of domestic violence cases. Requires a State to certify that at least five percent of grant funds shall be allocated for specialized domestic violence courts.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2002
Multi-Cultural Domestic Violence Minority Education Campaigns Act - Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to States and public or private nonprofit entities to carry out public information campaigns for the purpose of educating racial and ethnic minorities about domestic violence, including its effects, prevention or reduction methods, and victim services.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Social Security Program Protection Act of 2002 - Amends Social Security Act provisions to direct, with certain limitations, the Commissioner of Social Security to fully reimburse Social Security beneficiaries for any part of their benefit that was misused by a representative payee. Defines misuse of benefits. Establishes that a representative payee that is not a Federal, State or local government agency will be held liable for misuse of funds and for lying or withholding information relevant to his right to be a representative. Forbids a prospective representative of a beneficiary from serving if he has been convicted of any offense under Federal or State law resulting in imprisonment for more than one year unless the Commissioner deems it appropriate. Forbids a fugitive felon from serving as a representative. Identifies attorneys who have received certain sanctions as ineligible to be representatives. Establishes that certain individuals fleeing prosecution or confinement shall not be allowed benefits unless the Commissioner finds good cause to allow them. Forbids benefits from being distributed to individuals violating probation or parole under State or Federal law. Forbids payment of benefits to individuals removed from the United States. Sets cap of $100 on assessments owed by attorney representatives upon receiving payments for past-due benefits. Sets cap of 25% of the amount of payment of past-due benefits for a payment from the Commissioner to an attorney representative. Defines "disabled beneficiary." Extends availability of federal and state work incentive services to additional individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Amends the Microenterprise for Self-Reliance Act of 2000 to make as one of its purposes encouraging the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) to develop, assess, and implement effective outreach methods and tools to ensure that at least 50 percent of all microenterprise assistance authorized under such Act for developing countries be used to assist the poorest of the poor, that is, those persons living in the bottom 50 percent below the poverty line or whose average daily living expenses are equal to, or less than, the equivalent of one dollar per day. Directs the Administrator of AID to take certain actions to increase the involvement of the Peace Corps in microenterprise initiatives to assist the poorest of the poor. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require that, in carrying out sustainable poverty-focused microenterprise development grant assistance programs under the Act, 50 percent of all microenterprise resources be targeted to very poor entrepreneurs. Declares that, in order to maximize the sustainable development impact of microenterprise development grant assistance authorized under the Act, the Administrator of the agency primarily responsible for administering such assistance shall establish a monitoring system that, among other things, adopts the widespread use of proven and effective poverty assessment tools to identify the poorest of the poor and ensure that they receive needed microenterprise credits, loans, and assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Border Economic Recovery Act for Health and the Environment - Amends the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission Act to authorize appropriations. Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 with respect to funding for State-furnished emergency health services for undocumented aliens in the United States-Mexico border area ("border area"). Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, with respect to the special supplemental nutrition program, to require the Secretary of Agriculture to utilize partnerships for increased coordination of food and nutrition assistance for residents of colonias in the border area. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to increase funding for grants and loans for water and waste facilities in communities whose residents face significant health risks. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make grants to selected colleges in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas to provide community resource centers to serve colonias. Amends the Public Health Service Act with respect to funding of: (1) tuberculosis prevention activities in the border area; and (2) interdisciplinary, community-based linkages and centers addressing unmet health care needs in such area and in the State of Florida. Authorizes funding for the Border Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies (concerning youth substance abuse prevention in the border area). Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make awards of grants or cooperative agreements to: (1) conduct cancer screenings in the border area and report diagnosis information to the appropriate State cancer registry; (2) expand a diabetes study; and (3) support community-based sexually transmitted disease control programs. Provides funding for the Department of HUD's Healthy Homes Initiative, reserving specified amounts for border area activities. Provides funding for: (1) the Materials Corridor Partnership Initiative; (2) the Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy; (3) environmental infrastructure projects carried out by the International Boundary and Water Commission (and requires a long-range water supply strategic plan); (4) the U.S. contribution to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation; (5) innovative water conservation programs; (6) the International Consortium for the Environment established at Brooks Air Force Base; (7) the Border Environmental Cooperation Commission for environmental infrastructure projects; and (8) grants for high-priority projects carried out through the North American Development Bank's Border Environmental Infrastructure Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2002 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit certain employee group health plans or related insurances providing both medical-surgical and mental health benefits from imposing mental health treatment limitations or financial requirements unless comparable limitations and requirements are imposed upon medical-surgical benefits. States that the foregoing shall not be construed as requiring a group health plan (or related insurances) to: (1) provide any mental health benefits; (2) prevent the medical management of mental health benefits; or (3) require the provision of specific mental health services, except to the extent that failure to provide such services would result in a disparity between the coverage of mental health and medical-surgical benefits. Exempts specified small employers from such requirements. Requires that, in the case of a group health plan that offers a participant or beneficiary two or more benefit package options, the coverage requirements shall be applied separately with respect to each such option. Provides that, in the case of a plan or insurance providing in-network mental health benefits, out-of-network mental health benefits need not be provided at parity to medical-surgical benefits, as long as in-network mental health benefits are provided at parity with medical-surgical benefits and the plan or insurance provides reasonable access to in-network providers and facilities. Requires a General Accounting Office study of such requirements' effects upon health insurance costs, access, and quality and a cost estimation of extending such requirements to the treatment of substance abuse and chemical dependency.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Central American Security Act - Amends the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act to: (1) extend permanent resident status adjustment provisions to qualifying Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Honduran nationals; and (2) revise the application filing deadline. Permits certain pending applications filed by Salvadoran or Guatemalan nationals to be converted to an application for status adjustment under the Act. Amends the Act to: (1) authorize the Attorney General to waive certain grounds of inadmissibility; and (2) provide for issuance of immigrant visas to certain spouses and children. States that applicants for relief: (1) shall not be granted a waiver from any security or criminal background investigation required by the Act; and (2) shall submit fingerprints to the appropriate Federal agencies. Provides for the limited reopening of certain orders of deportation, exclusion, or removal by certain Cuban, or Nicaraguan nationals.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Veterans Judicial Review Improvement Act of 2002 - Amends Federal provisions relating to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court) to: (1) hold unlawful and set aside a finding of material fact when not supported by a preponderance of the evidence (currently, only when clearly erroneous); (2) allow the Court to enter a default judgment against the Secretary of Veterans Affairs upon a determination that the Secretary has unlawfully withheld or unreasonably delayed action on a claim or has failed to plead or otherwise defend; and (3) allow judicial review by the Circuit Court of Appeals of any question of law, or application of law to the facts, that was relied upon by the Court. Directs the Secretary to provide for the expeditious treatment: (1) by the appropriate office of the Veterans Benefits Administration of any claim remanded to that office by the Board of Veterans' Appeals; and (2) by such Board of any claim remanded to the Secretary by the Court. Authorizes the Court, in claims remanded to the Secretary involving compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, or pension, to order the Secretary to pay interim benefits when a decision on such claim is not rendered within 180 days. Authorizes the Court, upon a showing of excusable neglect or good cause, to extend the time for filing a notice of appeal.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Domestic Violence Screening and Treatment Act of 2002 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require that health benefits provided include coverage of domestic violence screening and treatment. Amends Federal civil service law to require the Office of Personal Management to require all contracted carriers of health coverage for Federal employees to include coverage for domestic violence screening and treatment services. Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to require States to set aside a reasonable portion of maternal and child health services block grant funds to provide for domestic violence screening and treatment services. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, with respect to such funds retained for certain projects, to provide preference to State applicants who include training of providers in how to screen for, and treat, domestic violence. Requires the Secretary to allot funds to States to provide for a separate program for domestic violence screening and treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
National Integrative Center for Homeland Security Act of 2002 - Requires the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, together with a U.S. college or university, to establish and operate a National Integrative Center for Homeland Security to provide a coordinated, science-based approach to enhance the Nation's homeland security. Sets forth criteria for the Director to consider in selecting the college or university.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Jobs for Veterans Act - Entitles the following to priority under certain job training programs funded by the Department of Labor (Department): (1) a veteran; (2) the spouse of any veteran who died of a service-connected disability; (3) the spouse of a member serving on active duty who is listed as missing in action, captured in the line of duty by a hostile force, or forcibly detained or interned in the line of duty by a foreign government or power; and (4) the spouse of any veteran who has a total service-connected disability rating or who died while a disability so evaluated was in existence. Requires any Federal personal property and nonpersonal services procurement contract of $100,000 or more to contain a provision requiring the contractor to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment disabled veterans, veterans who served on active duty during a war or campaign for which a campaign badge has been authorized, and veterans who, while serving on active duty, participated in a military operation for which a service medal was awarded. Directs the Secretary of Labor to carry out a program of performance incentive awards to States to encourage the improvement and modernization of veterans' employment, training, and placement services. Establishes within the Department an Assistant and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training, with specified duties. Requires the assignment of regional administrators, and State directors, for veterans' employment and training. Requires States to employ a sufficient number of disabled veterans' outreach specialists and local veterans' employment representatives. Establishes the President's National Hire Veterans Committee to take certain actions to facilitate the employment of veterans and disabled veterans. Expresses the sense of Congress commending veterans' and military service organizations. Requires a study to quantify the economic benefit attributable to veterans employment and training services.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2002
Restoration of Fairness in Immigration Act of 2002 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to due process in immigration proceedings, including due process in expedited removal proceedings, judicial review in immigration proceedings, and detention proceedings and detention alternatives. Directs the Attorney General to make periodic reports with respect to persons detained after September 11, 2001. Directs the Secretary of State to establish a Board of Visa Appeals. Revises provisions with respect to: (1) removal proceedings; (2) five-year bars to admission and other grounds for exclusion; (3) family reunification-related visas and grounds of admissibility; (4) voluntary departure; (5) public charge determinations and affidavits of support; (6) asylum and refugee proceedings; (7) asset forfeiture; (8) parole authority; and (9) State personnel performing immigration functions. Directs the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to establish an Office of Border Patrol Recruitment and Retention.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2002
Corporate Patriot Enforcement Act of 2002 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code by determining that acquiring corporations in"corporate expatriation transactions" shall be considered 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" and "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.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2002
Specifies goals for the U.S. Government to achieve in negotiations with the Governments of Mexico and Canada with regard to the North American Development Bank (NADB) and the Border Environmental Cooperation Commission (BECC), including: (1) maintaining NADB and BECC as separate entities; (2) devoting $150 to $200 million of NADB's paid-in capital to the low-interest financing facility to provide lower interest rates for border environmental infrastructure projects; (3) increasing the U.S. contribution to the Border Environmental Infrastructure Grant Fund; and (4) requiring a third party to conduct a comprehensive review of NADB and BECC to study where structural inefficiencies should be improved.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2002
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2002 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to repeal the Medicare caps on certain outpatient physical therapy services.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2002
National Center for Social Work Research Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the National Center for Social Work Research (and a related advisory council) within the National Institutes of Health to conduct, support, and disseminate targeted research on social work methods and outcomes related to problems of significant social concern.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2002
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 1502 East Kiest Boulevard in Dallas, Texas, as the Dr. Caesar A.W. Clark, Sr. Post Office Building.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2002
Veterans' Claims Continuation Act - Authorizes the substitution of any of the following parties in the case of a veteran's claim for benefits provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs when the original claimant dies while the claim is pending: (1) the surviving spouse; (2) any surviving child at least 21 years of age; (3) a surviving parent; (4) the legal representative of the deceased claimant's estate; or (5) the next of kin of the veteran. Requires: (1) the substituting party to file a substitution application or motion within one year of the original claimant's death; and (2) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to notify the estate and legal representative of the deceased claimant that the claim will be dismissed if a substitute application or motion is not filed within such time period. Authorizes: (1) the payment of accrued benefits in the case of deaths occurring before the date of enactment of this Act; and (2) the substitution of the above eligible parties in cases pending before a U.S. Circuit Court or the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2002
Highway Funding Restoration Act - Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to require that obligations for Federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs for FY 2003: (1) meet a specified minimum level; and (2) be distributed in accordance with that Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2002
Calls for: (1) recognition of private organizations and health care providers for promoting awareness and research of scleroderma; (2) greater awareness of the symptoms of scleroderma and contributions to the fight against it; (3) the Government to promote awareness, to adequately fund scleroderma research projects, and to continue to consider ways to improve the quality of health care services for scleroderma patients; (4) the National Institutes of Health to continue to play a leadership role in the fight against scleroderma; and (5) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to give priority to establishing a national epidemiological study to better track and gather information about scleroderma.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2002
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers, Farmers, Fishermen, Communities, and Firms Act of 2002 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to revise requirements with respect to: (1) agreements between the United States and cooperating States for certain services for workers adversely affected by import competition; (2) eligibility certification of a group of adversely affected workers for trade adjustment assistance; (3) payment to them of trade adjustment allowances; (4) training programs for them; and (5) the maximum amount of job search and relocation allowances payable to an adversely affected worker. Provides for the eligibility certification for such assistance of adversely affected secondary workers employed at a downstream producer (a firm that performs additional, value-added production processes to articles produced by another firm) or a supplier. Establishes a self-employment training pilot program to be administered by the Small Business Administration for adversely affected workers. Reauthorizes the trade adjustment assistance program for firms adversely affected by import competition. Revises eligibility requirements for certification of communities for trade adjustment assistance. Establishes trade adjustment assistance programs for adversely affected groups of agricultural commodity producers and commercial fishermen or U.S. fish processors. Establishes a program to provide 75 percent of the premium for COBRA continuation health coverage for workers (and their families) eligible for trade adjustment assistance. Allows a State to elect to provide temporary coverage under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act for: (1) certain uninsured workers; and (2) for the unsubsidized portion of COBRA continuation premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2002
Veterans Health-Care Items Procurement Reform and Improvement Act of 2002 - Requires any procurement of a health-care item by any element of the Department of Veterans Affairs to be made through the use of a Federal Supply Schedule contract or national contract that meets specified requirements, including the presence of pre-award and post-award audit clauses and a price reduction clause. Allows, in limited circumstances including the presence of a medical emergency at a Department medical center, the use of a contract other than the above contracts, as long as it meets such requirements. Requires, in the case of an emergency Department procurement of a health-care item, that the quantity procured not exceed that reasonably necessary to meet the emergency at the medical center concerned. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish annual goals for Department medical centers for the purchase of health-care items using the above contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2002
Employee Pension Freedom Act of 2002 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to set forth requirements for disclosure, diversification, account access, and accountability under defined contribution plans that are individual account plans (401(k) and similar plans). Requires pension plan administrators to provide certain benefit information to participants or beneficiaries periodically. Requires plan sponsors (employers) and plan administrators to provide all material investment information to participants and beneficiaries, in an accurate form, as required to be disclosed to investors under applicable securities laws, and treats misleading investment information as a violation. Requires individual account plans that permit participants or beneficiaries to exercise control over their account assets to grant them the right to allocate all their nonforfeitable accrued benefits which are readily tradable employer securities to any investment option provided under the plan. Reduces, from three years to one year, the maximum vesting period for individual account plans (so that an employee who has completed at least one year of service has a nonforfeitable right to all of the employee's accrued benefit derived from employer contributions). Requires individual account plan fiduciaries to give 30 days notice to plan participants and beneficiaries before a lockdown limiting their control over their account assets, and limits the maximum duration of any such lockdown to ten business days. Requires each fiduciary of an individual account plan to be bonded or insured in an amount sufficient to ensure coverage of financial losses due to failures to meet certain ERISA requirements. Requires joint boards of trustees, representing interests of employers and those of employee participants and beneficiaries, to hold in trust the assets of single-employer plans which are individual account plans with some or all assets derived from employee contributions. Makes liable anyone who participates in or conceals certain breaches of fiduciary duty. Provides that rights or claims under ERISA may not be waived, with specified exceptions. Establishes an Office of Pension Participant Advocacy in the Department of Labor. Directs the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation to study and report to specified congressional committees on the feasibility of and options for developing an insurance system for individual account plans.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2002
Next Step in Reforming Welfare Act - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise and extend the TANF program, with changes: (1) continuing certain grants, including State family assistance grants; (2) providing additional grants for States with low Federal funding per poor child; (3) making reduction of the extent and severity of poverty and the promotion of self-sufficiency among families with children an additional purpose of TANF; and (4) replacing the caseload reduction credit with employment credit to reward States in which families leave welfare for work Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to increase funding for the social services block grant, and SSA title IV part A to provide for an increase in general child care entitlement funding. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to: (1) States and counties to pay the Federal share of the costs involved in improving the administration of low-income family with children support programs; and (2) nonprofit organizations and localities to promote participation in, and distribute information about and develop service centers for, low-income family with children support programs. Amends SSA title IV part A to: (1) change assessments for individual responsibility plans; (2) require State TANF plans to account for how the State intends to establish goals and take action to improve initial earnings, job advancement, and employment retention for individuals in and individuals leaving the program; (3) direct the Secretary to provide grants to States and localities for certain related research, evaluation, technical assistance, and demonstration projects; and (5) change work related requirements. Amends SSA title IV parts A and D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) with respect to a family formation fund and increased child support payments to families. Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to waive the five-year limited eligibility of qualified aliens for Federal means-tested public benefits in the case of TANF and SSI (SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income)) benefits. Amends SSA title IV part A to ban the use of Federal TANF funds to replace State or local spending that does not meet the definition of qualified State expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2001
United States Security (USA) Act of 2001 - Sets forth "Buy America" provisions permitting, subject to exception, Federal financial assistance under this Act for a project only if steel and manufactured goods used in the project are of U.S. origin. Authorizes appropriations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) design, construct, and equip new facilities and renovate existing facilities for defending against and combating bioterrorism and other public health threats; (2) establish a Scientific Communication Center; and (3) improve security at CDC facilities. Amends the: (1) Atomic Energy Act to provide for sufficient potassium iodide tablet stockpiles; and (2) Public Health Service Act to provide for a contingency bone marrow donor program. Requires national standards for the implementation of quarantines. Authorizes appropriations for sequencing the genomes of biological pathogens. Directs the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make grants to units of local government and emergency response units to plan, train, and equip emergency responders. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to provide staffing for adequate fire and emergency response. Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to local educational agencies and institutions of higher learning to enhance security and emergency preparedness. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Transportation to establish programs to: (1) address the lack of security on critical highway infrastructure; (2) improve interagency training for and communication among first responders to a terrorist attack; (3) provide real-time information and guidance for the traveling and non-traveling public; and (4) address the lack of adequate security for locks and dams, the lack of cargo information, and the inability to share information in a timely fashion with agencies such as the Coast Guard. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to assess the vulnerability of the 50 busiest U.S. seaports and establish: (1) in the Coast Guard the position of Assistant Commandant for Maritime Security; (2) a sea marshal program; (3) a national port security task force; (4) a maritime security institute; and (5) terrorism response plans for responding to a maritime terrorist attack. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Transportation for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) for specified passenger rail and freight rail protection projects. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Transportation with respect to public transit security, including installation of communications, surveillance, detection systems, and personal protective and detection equipment at public transit facilities. Requires a National Academy of Sciences energy pipeline security study. Authorizes appropriations for upgrading and expanding the current infrastructure of the Aviation Safety Reporting System of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Directs the Secretary of Transportation to carry out pilot projects with air carriers for real-time transmission to the FAA of cockpit voice and flight data and cabin video data from aircraft. Establishes a pilot program to deploy commercially available fuel cells at public use airports to ensure a reliable energy supply for new and emerging aviation security technologies, airport control towers, airport terminals, and other airport facilities. Requires the following officials to submit risk management assessment reports to Congress: (1) the Secretary of Energy regarding oil refineries, natural gas, and liquid natural gas storage facilities; (2) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency regarding chemical manufacturing facilities; (3) the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regarding nuclear facilities; (4) the Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding the domestic electric power grid; (5) the Secretary of Commerce regarding the Nation's fiber optic infrastructure; and (6) the Administrator of the General Services Administration regarding Federal buildings. Directs the Secretary of Energy to coordinate development and implementation of an interagency plan to prepare for and defend against terrorist attacks against high-level nuclear waste transportation facilities and infrastructure, interim storage facilities, intermodal transfer facilities, and central repositories. Directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate and develop a plan to ensure that Federal, State, and local governments can respond adequately to the consequences of a terrorist attack against the transportation or storage of high-level nuclear waste. Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to direct the NRC to: (1) establish a system to ensure that transportation of nuclear materials under its jurisdiction meets certain requirements; and (2) commence a rulemaking to consider changes to the design basis threat for NRC-licensed facilities. Authorizes the President, whenever a state of war or national emergency exists, to: (1) deploy either the Armed Forces or the National Guard to defend NRC-licensed facilities from terrorist attack or threat from any foreign power; and (2) restrict air space in the vicinity of such facilities. Requires each Federal agency to take certain steps to enhance cyber security. Authorizes appropriations for State and local governments to do the same. Requires the Attorney General to update a specified study assessing the vulnerability of Federal facilities. Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Director of Central Intelligence to investigate whether existing computer knowledge assessment technologies meeting specified criteria can be used to detect individuals with terrorist training. Directs the Attorney General to create a pilot program for establishing civilian supplemental incident response teams. Authorizes appropriations to the U.S. Postal Service to enhance its ability to detect and neutralize, or otherwise respond to, any dangerous matter entered into the mails without authorization. Directs the United States Customs Service to expedite the development and deployment of pulsed fast neutron analysis technology and authorizes appropriations for the development of scanners capable of sensing biological and chemical contaminants in microscopic airborne quantities. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) take specified measures for identifying individuals crossing U.S. Borders; and (2) increase to specified levels the number of U.S. Border Patrol personnel, U.S. marshals, and Immigration and Naturalization Service and Customs Service inspectors at ports of entry by 2003. Requires the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization to establish a border health inspectors corps to inspect individuals who may be intending to infect others for infectious disease. Requires the Director of Homeland Security to consider a program to improve aerial reconnaissance activities at U.S. borders, to include the use of unmanned aerial vehicle systems. Directs the President, acting through the Office of Homeland Security, to oversee the appropriate sharing of information among Federal, State, and local agencies involved in intelligence collection and law enforcement. Directs the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security to develop within such Office an entity to develop a system-wide information network to integrate existing watch lists of suspected terrorists. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require the prompt assignment of specified channels for public safety purposes. Requires the Attorney General to establish regional emerging threat workspaces. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to maintain a secure database on select biological agents that pose a threat to public health by terrorist attack. Directs the President to establish within the Office for Homeland Security a center to develop an interagency clearinghouse for new counterterrorism technologies. States the policy of the United States to work with other nations, especially Russia, to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction and the proliferation of necessary materials and expertise. Authorizes appropriations for cooperative threat reduction programs. Requires the Secretary of Defense to develop an integrated plan for the use of technology to combat terrorism. Creates within the Executive Office of the President a Director of Homeland Security who shall conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of threat to the United States and develop a five-year homeland security strategy in response.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2001
Child Development and Family Employment Act of 2002 - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (CCDBGA) to increase and extend the authorization of appropriations. Revises State plan requirements to include preservice training for child care providers. Requires payment rates to: (1) ensure access to comparable quality and types of services; (2) be adjusted to reflect increases in cost of living, as determined by market surveys at least every two years; and (3) reflect cost variations for different ages of children and different types of care. Revises requirements for activities to improve child care quality services. Earmarks funds for: (1) services for children from birth through three years of age; and (2) a statewide system of local child care resource and referral organizations carrying out certain functions, including training, to assist parents and providers. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make incentive grants to States to increase reimbursement rates for child care providers. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) a national training and technical assistance center specializing in infant and toddler care and their families; and (2) a national data system on supply, demand, and quality of child care, early education, and non-school hours programs. Includes foster children among those who may be eligible for CCDBGA services if other conditions are met. Focus On Committed and Underpaid Staff for Children's Sake Act - FOCUS Act - Establishes: (1) the Child Care Provider Retention and Development Grant Program; and (2) the Child Care Provider Scholarship Program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2001
Cyber Security Enhancement Act of 2001 - Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to amend Federal sentencing guidelines and otherwise address crimes involving fraud in connection with computers and access to protected information, protected computers or restricted data in interstate or foreign commerce or involving a computer used by or for the Federal Government. Includes among exceptions to otherwise criminal conduct emergency disclosures to a governmental entity by an electronic communication service and specified disclosures made in good faith. Increases penalties for violations where the offender knowingly causes or attempts to cause death or serious bodily injury. Directs the Attorney General, acting through the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to establish and maintain a National Infrastructure Protection Center to serve as a national focal point for threat assessment, warning, investigation, and response to attacks on the Nation's critical infrastructure, both physical and cyber. Establishes within the Department of Justice an Office of Science and Technology to work on law enforcement technology issues, addressing safety, effectiveness and improved access by Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies. Includes investigative and forensic technologies, corrections technologies, and technologies that support the judicial process. Abolishes the Office of Science and Technology of the National Institute of Justice, transferring functions, activities, and funds to the newly formed Office. Requires the Director of the Office to operate and support National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Centers.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2001
National Aviation Capacity Expansion Act - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to implement the redesign and reconstruction of Chicago O'Hare International Airport in Cook and DuPage Counties, Illinois, in accordance with a specified runway redesign plan, and the development of a south suburban airport in the Chicago metropolitan region, by facilitating approval, funding, construction, and implementation of such plan and suburban airport. Requires all environmental reviews, analyses, and opinions related to issuance of permits, licenses, or approvals relating to such plan or airport to be conducted on an expedited basis. States that approval by the Administrator of an airport layout plan submitted by Chicago that includes the runway redesign plan shall: (1) provide that any runway located more than 2500 feet south of existing runway 9R-27L shall not begin construction before January 2011; and (2) be subject to the condition that noise impact of aircraft operations at O'Hare after the year in which the first new runway is first used will be less than that in 2000. Prohibits the consideration of such a plan unless it includes public roadway access through the western boundary of O'Hare to passenger terminal and parking facilities. Directs the Administrator to give priority consideration to a letter of intent application submitted by the State of Illinois (or a political subdivision thereof) for construction of the suburban airport. Sets forth requirements regarding the construction of the runway redesign plan as a Federal project on or after July 1, 2004. Requires the withholding of all airport grant funds for O'Hare (other than grants involving national security and safety) until January 1, 2026, unless specified conditions with respect to operations at Merrill C. Meigs Field have been met.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2001
Includes amyotrophic lateral schlerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) among illness presumed to be service connected when incurred by veterans of the Persian Gulf War.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2001
Community Access to Emergency Defibrillation Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to States, political subdivisions of States, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to develop and implement public access defibrillation programs by: (1) training and equipping local emergency medical services personnel to administer immediate care, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillation (AED), to cardiac arrest victims; (2) purchasing AEDs, placing the defibrillators in public places where cardiac arrests are likely to occur, and training personnel in such places to administer CPR and AED to such victims; (3) setting procedures for proper maintenance and testing of such devices; (4) providing training to members of the public in CPR and AED; (5) integrating the emergency medical services system with the public access defibrillation programs; and (6) encouraging private companies to purchase AEDs and provide training for their employees to administer CPR and AED to cardiac arrest victims in their community. Directs the Secretary to award grants to States, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to develop and implement innovative, comprehensive, community-based public access defibrillation demonstration projects that: (1) provide CPR and AED to cardiac arrest victims in unique settings; (2) provide training to community members in CPR and AED; and (3) maximize community access to AEDs. Directs the Secretary to award a grant to a health care organization to establish a national information clearinghouse that provides information to increase public access to defibrillation in schools.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2001
Health Care Safety Net Improvement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to increase the authorization of appropriations for health centers for FY 1997 through FY 2002 and authorize such appropriations as may be necessary for such centers for FY 2003 through FY 2006. Includes within: (1) "required primary health services" appropriate cancer screening (currently, screening for breast and cervical cancer), specialty referral when medically indicated, and specified housing-related services; and (2) "additional health services" behavioral and mental health substance abuse services. Permits grants to health centers for the planning and development of management networks. Rewrites PHSA provisions regarding rural health. Provide grants for expanded delivery of health care services in rural areas, for the planning and implementation of integrated health care networks in rural areas, and for the planning and implementation of small health care provider quality improvement activities. Telehealth Grant Consolidation Act of 2001 - Provides for the establishment: (1) of telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs; and (2) an Office for the Advancement of Telehealth. Provides for grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to provide for improved emergency medical services in rural areas. Reauthorizes and rewrites PHSA provisions regarding the National Health Service Corps program. Prohibits an entity to which a Corps member is assigned from denying requested health services and discriminating in the provision of services because an individual is unable to pay. Provides for a community access demonstration program to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and coordination of services for uninsured and underinsured individuals. Expands the availability of dental health services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2001
Community Choice in Real Estate Act - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 and the Revised Statutes of the United States to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury, respectively, from making a determination that real estate brokerage activity or real estate management activity is an activity that is either financial in nature or incidental to any financial activity, or is complementary to a financial activity.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2001
Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a national education and information campaign promoting stroke prevention and immediate treatment. Directs the Secretary to: (1) maintain the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry and Clearinghouse, including conducting and/or making available research concerning best practices for prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation; (2) make grants to States to establish statewide stroke prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation systems; and (3) develop a model curriculum for training emergency medical services personnel. Sets forth requirements for the State grant program, including matching funds, standards for care and facilities, central data reporting and analysis, special consideration for geographic areas with high rates of disability from stroke or significant need, and technical assistance. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to develop and implement education programs for appropriate medical personnel with regard to newly developed diagnostics, technologies, and therapies for stroke prevention and treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2001
Prisoner of War Benefits Act of 2001 - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions with respect to former prisoners of war to repeal the currently required: (1) 30-day minimum period of internment prior to the presumption of service connection for certain listed diseases, for purposes of the payment of veterans' disability compensation; and (2) 90-day minimum period of internment prior to eligibility for dental care furnished through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Adds the following to the listed diseases under (1), above: heart disease, stroke, liver disease, diabetes (type 2), and osteoporosis. Requires: (1) such presumption also with respect to any disease that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines warrants such presumption by reason of having a positive association with the experience of being a prisoner of war; and (2) the Secretary to make such a determination within 60 days after a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Former Prisoners of War that such presumption be established for a non-listed disease.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2001
Extends the tax benefits available under the Internal Revenue Code for services performed in a combat zone to duty performed by a member of the U.S. armed forces in the Republic of Korea from July 1 to December 31, 2000, during which such member was entitled to hardship duty pay.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2001
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should use his authority under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 to release emergency funds to States immediately to ease the additional financial burden that job loss and depressed consumer confidence have placed on low-income families.
United States · United States Congress · 27 November 2001
Medicare Physician Payment Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to set the conversion factor (update) for payments under the Medicare physician fee schedule for 2002 at 0.9 percent less than the conversion factor for 2001. Declares that this conversion factor and a specified update adjustment factor for a year after 2002 shall be applied as if this Act had not been in effect. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to study and report to Congress on replacing or modifying the use of the sustainable growth rate as a factor in determining the update for such payments such that the factor used more fully accounts for changes in the unit costs of providing physicians' services.
![Official portrait of Rep. Rodriguez, Ciro D. [D-TX-28]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000568_200.jpg)