United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2002
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a special opportunity to educate about the importance of monthly breast self-examinations and annual mammograms; (2) it is appropriate to salute the more than 2,000,000 breast cancer survivors in the United States and the efforts of victims, volunteers and professionals who are combating breast cancer; and (3) national and community organizations should be recognized for their work in promoting awareness about breast cancer and providing information and treatment to its sufferers.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2002
Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq - Expresses support for the President's efforts to: (1) strictly enforce through the United Nations Security Council all relevant Security Council resolutions applicable to Iraq; and (2) obtain prompt and decisive action by the Security Council to ensure that Iraq abandons its strategy of delay, evasion, and noncompliance and promptly and strictly complies with all relevant Security Council resolutions. Authorizes the President to use the U.S. armed forces to: (1) defend U.S. national security against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and (2) enforce all relevant Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq. Directs the President, prior to or as soon as possible (but no later than 48 hours) after exercising such authority, to make available to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate his determination that: (1) reliance on further diplomatic or peaceful means alone will not achieve the above purposes; and (2) acting pursuant to this resolution is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Declares that this section is intended to constitute specific statutory authorization for use of the armed forces, consistent with requirements of the War Powers Resolution. Requires the President to report to Congress at least every 60 days on matters relevant to this resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2002
Renames title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (prohibiting discrimination in education based on sex) the "Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act".
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2002
HOPE VI Program Revitalization Act of 2002 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to extend and authorize appropriations for the HOPE VI revitalization program. Revises grant selection criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2002
Grants the consent of the Congress to the SMART Research and Development Compact (to promote the contribution of the Mid-Atlantic region to the Nation's research and development in science and technology and to create an organization for strengthening the Mid-Atlantic region for tomorrow) if it is entered into by the States of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2002
Clean Ocean Preservation Act of 2002 - Establishes an effects level of poly-chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) for remediation material at the Historic Area Remediation Site (HARS) off the coast of New Jersey. Requires any Environmental Protection Agency rule concerning such sediments to be at least as protective of human health and the environment as the established level.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2002
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for the loss of nationality by a native-born or naturalized citizen who voluntarily: (1) joins or acts at the behest of a foreign terrorist organization in terrorist activities against the United States; or (2) engages in terrorist activity.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2002
Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act - Sets forth a statutory framework under which a substitute check is the legal equivalent of an original check for all purposes, if the substitute check: (1) accurately represents all of the information on the front and back of the original check as of the time the original check was truncated; and (2) bears the legend: "This is a legal copy of your check. You can use it the same way you would use the original check." Prescribes implementation guidelines, including: (1) indemnity procedures; (2) substitute check warranties; (3) expedited recredit claims for consumers and for banks; (4) procedures for claims; (5) measure of damages; (6) statute of limitations; and (7) consumer education materials.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2002
Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should complete action in the 107th Congress on the Pension Security Act of 2002 and present it to the President for his signature before adjournment.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2002
Supports the goals and ideas of a day of tribute to all firefighters who have died in the line of duty. Recognizes the important mission of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in assisting family members to overcome the loss of their fallen heroes.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2002
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2002 - Adjusts the basic Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity amount for surviving spouses, age 62 or over, of former military personnel to: (1) 35 percent of the retired pay of the decedent (current law), for months beginning on or before the enactment of this Act; (2) 40 percent of such pay, for months beginning after enactment of this Act until October 2005; (3) 45 percent of such pay for months beginning after September 2005 and before October 2012; and (4) 55 percent of such pay for months after September 2012. Adjusts similarly the percentage amounts of SBP supplemental annuity authorized to be provided for such surviving spouses. Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure appropriate adjustments in the computation of retired pay reductions for such supplemental annuities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2002
Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should complete action on the Permanent Death Tax Repeal Act of 2002, and present it to the President before adjournment.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2002
Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that the 107th Congress should complete action on and present to the President, before September 30, 2002, legislation extending and strengthening the 1996 welfare reforms.
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 2002
National AMBER Alert Network Act of 2002 - Requires the Attorney General to assign an AMBER Alert Coordinator of the Department of Justice to act as the national coordinator of the AMBER Alert communications network regarding abducted children. Requires the coordinator to: (1) seek to eliminate gaps in the network; (2) work with States to encourage the development of additional network elements and to ensure regional coordination; and (3) act as the nationwide point of contact for network development and for regional coordination of alerts on abducted children through the network. Directs the Coordinator to: (1) notify and consult with the Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning each child abduction for which an AMBER Alert is issued; and (2) establish minimum standards for the issuance of alerts and for the extent of their dissemination (limited to the geographic areas most likely to facilitate the recovery of the abducted child). Requires the Secretary of Transportation to provide grants to States for the development or enhancement of notification or communications systems along highways for alerts and other information for the recovery of abducted children. Includes among permissible activities the development or enhancement of electronic message boards, and the placement of additional signage, along highways. Directs the Attorney General to provide grants to States for the development or enhancement of programs and activities for the support of AMBER Alert communications plans.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Veterans Health Care Funding Guarantee Act of 2002 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) make available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health Administration for FY 2004 120 percent of the amount obligated during FY 2002; and (2) adjust the amount provided after FY 2004 based on the number of enrolled veterans and the number of others eligible for and provided care and the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index. Repeals, as of October 1, 2003, requirements for the prior congressional approval of funding for Department major medical facilities projects or leases.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Chemical Security Act of 2002 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations to: (1) designate certain combinations of chemical sources and substances of concern as high priority categories based on the severity of the threat posed by an unauthorized release of such substance; and (2) require each owner and operator of a high priority category chemical source to conduct an assessment of the vulnerability of the chemical source to a terrorist attack or other unauthorized release, identify hazards that may result, and prepare a prevention, preparedness, and response plan. Requires each such owner and operator to take specified actions regarding certification of vulnerability and hazard assessments, and development of prevention, preparedness, and response plans. Exempts information provided to the Administrator from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Directs the Administrator to review each assessment and plan submitted to determine compliance. Requires the head of the Office of Homeland Security to take specified steps, upon determining that a threat of a terrorist attack exists that is beyond the scope of a submitted plan, to abate the threat. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) record-keeping and entry (by the Administrator or an authorized representative); and (2) civil, criminal, and administrative penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2002
Calls for the Government of the People's Republic of China to: (1) stop interfering in the exercise of religious and political freedoms within the United States, such as the right to practice Falun Gong; (2) cease using diplomatic missions in the United States to spread falsehoods about Falun Gong; (3) release prisoners of conscience; (4) end the harassment, detention, physical abuse, and imprisonment of individuals who are exercising their legitimate rights; and (5) demonstrate its willingness to abide by international standards of freedom of belief, expression, and association. Calls on the President of the United States to take such actions as: (1) issuing a formal protest about repeated Chinese Government human rights violations to the Chinese Foreign Ministry; and (2) working more closely with Chinese human rights activists to identify Chinese authorities who have been personally responsible for acts of violence and persecution in China. Urges the Attorney General to investigate reports that Chinese consular officials in the United States have committed illegal acts while attempting to intimidate or inappropriately influence Falun Gong practitioners or local elected officials and determine an appropriate legal response. Calls on local government officials in the United States to recognize and support organizations and individuals that share the goals of the local community, including Falun Gong practitioners, and report incidents of pressure or harassment by Chinese agents.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2002
Stock Option Accounting Reform Act - Instructs the Financial Accounting Standards Board to develop additional standards for recording as an expense in corporate financial statements the value of stock options granted by a public corporation to its staff.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2002
Highlands Stewardship Act of 2002 - Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to establish the Highlands Stewardship Area in the Highlands region (an area encompassing nearly 2,000,000 acres extending from eastern Pennsylvania through New Jersey and New York to northwestern Connecticut). Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish: (1) within the Department of Agriculture the Office of Highlands Stewardship to implement the strategies of the Highlands Regional Study conducted by the Forest Service in 1990 (study) and the New York-New Jersey Highlands Regional Assessment Update conducted by the Service in 2001 (update); and (2) the Highlands Stewardship Area Work Group to assist with such implementation and to advise the Office and the Secretaries on priorities for projects carried out with assistance under this Act, on land conservation partnership projects, on Highlands region research, and on policy and educational initiatives necessary to implement study and update findings. Authorizes the Office to provide financial and technical assistance to an eligible entity to carry out a project to protect, restore, preserve, promote, or interpret Area resources. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to annually designate land conservation partnership projects that are eligible to receive financial assistance under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2002
True American Heroes Act of 2002 - Authorizes the award (posthumously) of congressional gold medals to the government workers and others who responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Virginia and perished in the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and to the people aboard United Airlines Flight 93 who helped resist the hijackers on board and caused the plane to crash. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $50 dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the tragic events that occurred at the Pentagon, in New York City, and in Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2002
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that a National Epilepsy Awareness Month should be established and observed with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2002
Clean Ocean Preservation Act of 2002 - Deems as a final rule of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Corps of Engineers (to be effective as of September 26, 2000) the joint Memorandum of Agreement published in September 2000 establishing the maximum permissible level of polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments to be used as remediation material at the Historic Area Remediation Site off the coast of New Jersey as 113 parts per billion.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2002
Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area Act of 2002 - Establishes the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area in New Jersey. Designates the Crossroads of the American Revolution Association, Inc. as the Area's management entity. Directs the Association to submit, and to assist local governments, regional planing organizations, and nonprofit entities in implementing, an area management plan which includes strategies for conservation, funding, management, and development of the Area. Bars the Association from using Federal funds received under this Act to acquire real property, but permits the Association to use any other source of funding, including other Federal funding, intended for the acquisition of real property. Limits Federal funding to 50 percent of any assistance provided. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance to: (1) the Area to develop and implement the management plan; and (2) State or local government or nonprofit organizations for treatment of historical objects or structures eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Authorizes the Superintendent of Morristown National Historical Park to provide operational assistance supporting implementation of the management plan to public and private organizations within the Area, including the Association.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2002
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the Pledge of Allegiance, including the phrase "One Nation, under God," reflects the historical fact that a belief in God permeated the founding and development of our Nation; (2) the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals's ruling is inconsistent with the U.S. Supreme Court's First Amendment jurisprudence that the Pledge and similar expressions are not unconstitutional expressions of religious belief; (3) such phrase should remain in the Pledge; and (4) the Ninth Circuit should agree to rehear this ruling en banc in order to reverse this constitutionally infirm and historically incorrect ruling.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2002
Homeland Security Act of 2002 - Establishes a Department of Homeland Security (HLS), as an executive department of the United States, headed by a Secretary of Homeland Security who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. States that the primary mission of HLS is to: (1) prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; (2) reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism; and (3) minimize the damage, and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks that occur within the United States. Includes as HLS's primary responsibilities: (1) information analysis and infrastructure protection; (2) chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and related countermeasures; (3) border and transportation security; (4) emergency preparedness and response; and (5) coordination (including the provision of training and equipment) with other executive agencies, with State and local government personnel, agencies, and authorities, with the private sector, and with other entities. Places responsibility with HLS for carrying out other functions of entities transferred to it as provided by law. Creates: (1) a Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, who shall be the Secretary's first assistant for purposes of details; (2) an Under Secretary for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection; (3) an Under Secretary for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Countermeasures; (4) an Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security; (5) an Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response; (6) an Under Secretary for Management; and (7) not more than six Assistant Secretaries. Establishes an Inspector General (to be appointed under the Inspector General Act of 1978), and enlists the Commandant of the Coast Guard and the Director of the Secret Service as well, to assist the Secretary in the performance of his functions. Includes as the primary responsibilities of the Under Secretary for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection: (1) receiving and analyzing law enforcement information, intelligence, and other information in order to understand the nature and scope of the terrorist threat to the American homeland and to detect and identify potential threats of terrorism within the United States; (2) comprehensively assessing the vulnerabilities of the key resources and critical infrastructures in the United States; (3) integrating relevant information, intelligence analyses, and vulnerability assessments (whether provided or produced by the Department or others) to identify protective priorities and support protective measures by the Department, other executive agencies, State and local government personnel, agencies, and authorities, the private sector, and other entities; (4) developing a comprehensive national plan for securing the key resources and critical infrastructures in the United States; (5) taking or seeking to effect necessary measures to protect the key resources and critical infrastructures in the United States; (6) administering the Homeland Security Advisory System, exercising primary responsibility for public threat advisories, and providing specific warning information to State and local government personnel, agencies, and authorities, the private sector, other entities, and the public, as well as advice about appropriate protective actions and countermeasures; and (7) reviewing, analyzing, and making recommendations for improvements in the policies and procedures governing the sharing of law enforcement, intelligence, and other information relating to homeland security within the Federal government and between it and State and local government personnel, agencies, and authorities. Transfers to the Secretary the functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the following entities: (1) the National Infrastructure Protection Center of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (other than the Computer Investigations and Operations Section); (2) the National Communications System of the Department of Defense; (3) the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office of the Department of Commerce; (4) the Computer Security Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology; (5) the National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center of the Department of Energy; and (6) the Federal Computer Incident Response Center of the General Services Administration. Gives the Secretary access to all reports, assessments, and analytical information relating to threats of terrorism in the United States and to other areas of HLS responsibility, and to all information concerning infrastructure or other vulnerabilities of the United States to terrorism, whether or not it has been analyzed, that may be collected, possessed, or prepared by any executive agency, except as otherwise directed by the President. Requires all executive agencies promptly to provide to the Secretary: (1) all reports, assessments, and analytical information relating to threats of terrorism in the United States and to other areas of HLS responsibility; (2) all information concerning infrastructure or other vulnerabilities of the United States to terrorism, whether or not it has been analyzed; (3) all information relating to significant and credible threats of terrorism in the United States, whether or not it has been analyzed, if the President has granted the Secretary such access; and (4) such other material as the President may further provide. Requires the Secretary to ensure: (1) that any such material is protected from unauthorized disclosure and handled and used only for the performance of official duties; and (2) that any shared intelligence information shall be transmitted, retained, and disseminated consistent with the authority of the Director of Central Intelligence to protect intelligence sources and methods, or appropriate similar authorities of the Attorney General concerning sensitive law enforcement information. Exempts from the Privacy Act any information in the Department's possession provided voluntarily by non-Federal entities or individuals with respect to infrastructure vulnerabilities or other vulnerabilities to terrorism. Includes as the primary responsibilities of the Under Secretary for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Countermeasures: (1) securing the people, infrastructures, property, resources, and systems in the United States from acts of terrorism involving chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons or other emerging threats; (2) conducting a national scientific research and development (R&D) program to support the mission of HLS; (3) establishing priorities for, directing, funding, and conducting national research, development, and procurement of technology and systems for preventing the importation of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and related weapons and material, and for detecting, preventing, protecting against, and responding to terrorist attacks that involve such weapons or material; and (4) establishing guidelines for State and local government efforts to develop and implement countermeasures to threats of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorism, and other emerging terrorist threats. Transfers to the Secretary the functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the following entities: (1) the select agent registration enforcement programs and activities of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); (2) the National Bio-Weapons Defense Analysis Center of the Department of Defense; and (4) the Plum Island Animal Disease Center of the Department of Agriculture. Transfers to the Secretary the following programs and activities of the Department of Energy: (1) the chemical and biological national security and supporting programs and activities of the non-proliferation and verification R&D program; (2) the nuclear smuggling programs and activities, and other programs and activities directly related to homeland security, within the proliferation detection program of the non-proliferation and verification R&D program; (3) the nuclear assessment program and activities of the assessment, detection, and cooperation program of the international materials protection and cooperation program; (4) the energy security and assurance program and activities; (5) certain life sciences activities of the biological and environmental research program related to microbial pathogens; (6) the Environmental Measurements Laboratory; and (7) the advanced scientific computing research program and activities, and the intelligence program and activities, at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Directs the Secretary to carry out his civilian human health-related biological, biomedical, and infectious disease defense R&D (including vaccine R&D) responsibilities, with authority to set priorities, through HHS (including the Public Health Service), under agreements with the Secretary of HHS. Authorizes the Secretary to transfer funds to the Secretary of HHS in connection with such agreements. Provides that nothing in this Act, except as specifically provided, shall confer upon the Secretary any authority to engage in warfighting, the military defense of the United States, or other traditional military activities. Includes as the primary responsibilities of the Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security: (1) preventing the entry of terrorists and the instruments of terrorism into the United States;(2) securing the borders, territorial waters, ports, terminals, waterways, and air, land, and sea transportation systems of the United States, including managing and coordinating governmental activities at ports of entry; (3) administering the immigration and naturalization laws of the United States, including establishing rules for the granting of visas, parole, or other forms of permission to enter the United States to individuals who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents; (4) administering Federal customs laws; and (5) in carrying out the foregoing responsibilities, ensuring the speedy, orderly, and efficient flow of lawful traffic and commerce. Transfers to the Secretary the functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the following entities: (1) the United States Customs Service of the Department of the Treasury; (2) the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the Department of Justice; (3) the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture; (4) the Coast Guard of the Department of Transportation, which shall be maintained as a distinct entity within HLS; (5) the Transportation Security Administration of the Department of Transportation, including related functions of the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security; and (6) the Federal Protective Service of the General Services Administration. Grants the Secretary: (1) exclusive authority, through the Secretary of State, to issue regulations with respect to, administer, and enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act and all other immigration and nationality laws relating to the functions of diplomatic and consular officers of the United States in connection with the granting or refusal of visas; and (2) authority to confer or impose upon any officer or employee of the United States, with the consent of the executive agency under whose jurisdiction such officer or employee is serving, any of these specified functions. Authorizes the Secretary of State to refuse a visa to an alien if the Secretary of State deems such refusal necessary or advisable in the interests of the United States. Includes as the primary responsibilities of the Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response: (1) helping to ensure the preparedness of emergency response providers for terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies; (2) establishing standards for the Nuclear Incident Response Team, conducting joint and other exercises and training; (3) providing the Federal government's response to terrorist attacks and major disasters; (4) aiding recovery from terrorist attacks and major disasters; (5) building a comprehensive national incident management system with Federal, State, and local governments to respond to such attacks and disasters; (6) consolidating existing Federal government emergency response plans into a single, coordinated national response plan; and (7) developing comprehensive programs for interoperative communications technology, and their acquisition by emergency response providers. Transfers to the Secretary the functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the following entities: (1) the Federal Emergency Management Agency; (2) the Office for Domestic Preparedness of the Office of Justice Programs; (3) the National Domestic Preparedness Office of the FBI; (4) the Domestic Emergency Support Teams of the Department of Justice; (5) the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness (including the Office of Emergency Preparedness, the National Disaster Medical System, and the Metropolitan Medical Response System) of HHS; and (6) the Strategic National Stockpile of HHS. Provides that at the direction of the Secretary (in connection with an actual or threatened terrorist attack, major disaster, or other emergency), the Nuclear Incident Response Team (including certain entities of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy) shall operate as an organizational unit of HLS under the Secretary's authority and control. Directs the Secretary to carry out through HHS (including the Public Health Service), under agreements with the Secretary of HHS, all biological, chemical, radiological, and nuclear preparedness-related construction, renovation, and enhancement of security for research and development or other facilities owned or occupied by HHS. Directs the Secretary to carry out specified HHS public health-related activities assisting State and local government, non-Federal public and private health care facilities and providers, and public and non-profit health and educational facilities to prepare for, prevent, and respond to biological, chemical, radiological, and nuclear events and public health emergencies, by means including direct services, technical assistance, communications and surveillance, education and training activities, and grants. Places the HLS Inspector General under the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary with respect to audits or investigations, or the issuance of subpoenas, that require access to information concerning various specified matters including intelligence, counterintelligence, or counterterrorism matters. Transfers to the Secretary the functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the United States Secret Service, which shall be maintained as a distinct entity within the Department. Authorizes the Secretary, in regulations prescribed jointly with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, to establish a human resources management system for the organizational units of HLS which shall be flexible, contemporary, and grounded in the public employment principles of merit and fitness. Grants the Secretary limited authority to: (1) reorganize HLS by allocating or reallocating functions within HLS and by establishing, consolidating, altering, or discontinuing organizational units within HLS; and (2) transfer funding between appropriations accounts upon 15 days notice to congressional appropriations committees. Establishes in the Department of Defense a National Bio-Weapons Defense Analysis Center whose mission is to develop countermeasures to potential attacks by terrorists using weapons of mass destruction.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2002
Requests the President to award the Medal of Honor to Steve Piniaha of Sparta, New Jersey, for acts of valor during World War II as a private first class in the Army, notwithstanding otherwise applicable time limitations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2002
Cancer Survivorship Research and Quality of Life Act of 2002 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include demonstration, education, and other programs concerning cancer survivorship among the activities of the National Cancer Institute (Institute) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Requires the Director of NIH to: (1) expand and coordinate NIH activities related to cancer survivorship; and (2) establish an Office on Survivorship within the Institute. Creates the position of Associate Director for Survivorship. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, to: (1) study the health challenges associated with cancer survivorship and carry out projects and interventions; and (2) make grants for the monitoring and evaluation of cancer care and survivorship.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2002
Mammography Quality Standards Reauthorization Act of 2002 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend funding for the mammography facilities certification program through FY 2007. Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue a temporary certificate to facilities seeking reaccreditation and awarded an accreditation extension for specified reasons, including inability of accrediting body to complete the process in time and unforeseen situations which cause the facility to be unable to meet the reaccreditation timeframes, but do not compromise the quality of mammography. Requires the Comptroller General to evaluate the Mammography Quality Standards Act, including the demonstration program's frequency of inspections, accessibility of services, and the role of States as both accreditation and certification bodies. Directs the Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine to study health professional training in the area of mammography.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2002
Fed Up Higher Education Technical Amendments of 2002 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), and the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, to make various technical revisions that incorporate the results of the Fed Up Initiative to remove unnecessary regulatory barriers to access to student aid programs. Revises the definition of institution of higher education (IHE) to include one that admits as regular students those who have been home-schooled (as well as high school graduates or those with equivalency certificates), thus providing that such home-schooled students are eligible for HEA student aid. Makes students attending nonprofit foreign veterinary schools eligible for the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) student loan program if the school does not meet certain requirements, but only if: (1) it was certified as eligible by the Secretary of Education; and (2) students complete their clinical training at an approved veterinary school in the United States. Allows IHEs to make mandatory reports on teacher preparation program quality by electronic means. Eliminates a requirement that new forbearance agreements between lenders and borrowers be in writing; but requires lenders to notify borrowers of their terms. Allows financial aid professionals to use professional judgment in reevaluating the student financial need of a ward of the court. Requires students withdrawing from an IHE to return only HEA title IV grant aid amounts exceeding 50 percent of the total (if more than $50). Permits Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to apply for Federal HSI grants without waiting two years between applications. Authorizes the use of HEA title VII funds for: (1) Federal scholarship aid to low-income and minority students for summer institutes to prepare for law school; and (2) Thurgood Marshall Fellowships to attend law school. Provides that an IHE is in compliance with requirements to provide students with certain information, including voter registration material, if it does so through an e-mail message or an Internet address. Extends through September 30, 2003, HEA exemptions, for IHEs having low student loan default rates, from requirements that the disbursement of loan proceeds be: (1) in multiple installments; and (2) delayed for 30 days after classes start for first-time undergraudate borrowers.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2002
National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2002 - Identifies roadless areas within the National Forest System set forth in specified documents as National Forest Inventoried Roadless Areas, and directs the Secretary of Agriculture to manage such Areas to maintain their roadless character.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2002
Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to make grants on a matching funds basis to political subdivisions of States for the establishment and operation of mosquito control programs to prevent mosquito-borne diseases, including the costs of purchasing or updating equipment and laboratory facilities. Gives priority to subdivisions where the incidence of mosquito-borne disease is relatively substantial.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2002
Establishes a National Commission on Terrorist Acts Upon the United States. Directs the Commission to: (1) investigate facts and circumstances relating to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; and (2) evaluate lessons learned regarding the abilities of the Federal Government, and, if appropriate, of State and local governments and nongovernmental entities to detect, prevent, and respond to such attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2002
Our Lady of Peace Act - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to require (currently, authorizes) the Attorney General, at least quarterly, to secure directly from any U.S. department or agency such information on persons for whom receipt of a firearm would violate specified Federal provisions regarding excluded individuals or State law as is necessary to enable the National Instant Criminal Background Check System to operate. Directs the head of such department or agency, at the Attorney General's request, to furnish such information to the System electronically. Sets forth requirements regarding the transmittal of State records, including (with exceptions) State mental health records, to the System. Directs the Attorney General to work with State and local law enforcement and the mental health community to establish protocols for protecting the privacy of information provided. Sets penalties for noncompliance. Requires the Attorney General to make grants to each State: (1) to establish or upgrade information and identification technologies for firearms eligibility determinations; and (2) for use by the State's chief judicial officer to improve the handling of proceedings related to criminal history dispositions and temporary restraining orders as they relate to disqualification from firearms ownership under State and Federal laws. Requires the Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics to study and evaluate the operations of the System and to report on grants and on best practices of States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2002
Personal Responsibility, Work, and Family Promotion Act of 2002 - Amends title IV (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to reauthorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) to award state family assistance grants. Authorizes States to use grants for marriage promotion activities and requires the Secretary to make bonus grants to each state that has achieved formulated employment goals. Revises requirements for the consideration of certain child care expenditures in determining State compliance with contingency fund requirements. Revises State work participation requirements, incorporating a 40-hour work week standard, and creating a State superachiever participation rate credit. Revises requirements for the use of TANF grants. Repeals the Secretary's authority to make loans to State welfare programs and revises State work participation requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to establish TANF performance goals and plans. Makes appropriations for research, demonstrations, and technical assistance. Repeals waiver continuation authority. Promotion and Support of Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Marriage Act of 2002 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act to authorizes the Secretary to make grants to public and nonprofit community entities for demonstration projects to test the effectiveness of various approaches to create a Fatherhood Program. Permits States the option to make TANF programs mandatory partners with one-stop employment training centers. Caring for Children Act of 2002 - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to specify consumer education information States are required to collect and disseminate. Amends income tax benefits and reporting requirements. Reauthorizes funding for State child care entitlement programs and revises State requirements for child support payments. Amends SSA title XI (General Provisions) to eliminate specified limitations on the Secretary's authority to approve demonstration projects and grant waivers. Amends SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) to require the Commissioner of Social Security to review State agency blindness and disability determinations. Authorizes the administering Secretary to authorize innovative State demonstration projects involving individual programs, or integrating multiple public assistance, employment security, and other programs to support working families. Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to require the Secretary to establish a program to make grants to States to provide food assistance and funds to operate employment and training programs for needy individuals. Extends abstinence education funding and reauthorizes transitional medical assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2002
Teacher Education for Autistic Children Act of 2002 - TEACH Act of 2002 - Authorizes additional appropriations for: (1) training of special education teachers with expertise in autism spectrum disorders (ASD); and (2) improving results for children with ASD, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a refundable tax credit for education and training relating to ASD. Amends IDEA to require local educational agencies receiving IDEA assistance to report on autism early intervention activities. Directs the Secretary of Education: (1) acting through the Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, to establish and provide administrative support for a task force on ASD; (2) with the Secretary of Labor, to study and report to Congress on the effectiveness of Federal vocational training programs in providing appropriate assistance to individuals with ASD; and (3) to make grants to each State that establishes and operates at least one State autism ombudsman office.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2002
Date Certain Tax Code Replacement Act - Prohibits the imposition of any tax by the Internal Revenue Code: (1) for any taxable year beginning after December 31, 2005; and (2) in the case of any tax not imposed on the basis of a taxable year, on any taxable event or for any period after December 31, 2005. Excepts the: (1) tax on self-employment income (chapter 2 of the Code); (2) Federal Insurance Contributions Act (chapter 21 of the Code); and (3) Railroad Retirement Tax Act (chapter 22 of the Code). Establishes the National Commission on Tax Reform and Simplification to review: (1) the present structure and provisions of the Code; (2) whether the tax systems of other countries could provide more efficient and fair methods of funding government revenue requirements; (3) whether the income tax should be replaced with a tax imposed in a different manner or on a different base; and (4) whether the Code can be simplified, absent wholesale restructuring or replacement. Requires a Commission report to Congress on review results, with recommendations for Code reform and simplification. Terminates the Commission 90 days after such report. Authorizes appropriations (with interim funding). Declares that any new Federal tax system should be approved by Congress in its final form before July 4, 2005, and, if not, Congress should be required to vote to reauthorize the Code.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2002
Expresses the sense of Congress that improving the Nation's mental health service delivery system for individuals with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbance is a national priority and commends the establishment of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2002
Personal Responsibility, Work, and Family Promotion Act of 2002 - Amends title IV (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to reauthorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) to award state family assistance grants. Authorizes States to use grants for marriage promotion activities and requires the Secretary to make bonus grants to each state that has achieved formulated employment goals. Revises requirements for the consideration of certain child care expenditures in determining State compliance with contingency fund requirements. Revises State work participation requirements, incorporating a 40-hour work week standard, and creating a State superachiever participation rate credit. Revises requirements for the use of TANF grants. Repeals the Secretary's authority to make loans to State welfare programs and revises State work participation requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to establish TANF performance goals and plans. Makes appropriations for research, demonstrations and technical assistance. Repeals waiver continuation authority. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to public and nonprofit community entities for demonstration projects to test the effectiveness of various approaches to create a Fatherhood Program. Permits States the option to make TANF programs mandatory partners with one-stop employment training centers. Caring for Children Act of 2002 - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to specify consumer education information States are required to collect and disseminate. Amends income tax benefits and reporting requirements. Reauthorizes funding for State child care entitlement programs and revises State requirements for child support payments. Amends SSA title XI (General Provisions) to eliminate specified limitations on the Secretary's authority to approve demonstration projects and grant waivers. Amends SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) to require the Commissioner of Social Security to review State agency blindness and disability determinations. Authorizes the administering Secretary to authorize innovative State demonstration projects involving individual programs, or integrating multiple public assistance, employment security, and other programs to support working families. Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to require the Secretary to establish a program to make grants to States to provide food assistance and funds to operate employment and training programs for needy individuals. Extends abstinence education funding and reauthorizes transitional medical assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2002
Help Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Health Care (HEALTH) Act of 2002 - Makes changes to the health care liability system, including compensation for injured patients and other issues arising out of health care law suits. Requires a suit to be brought within three years of the date of injury or one year after the claimant discovers or should have discovered the injury, whichever occurs first. Sets forth requirements and permissible recovery amounts for compensating patient injury, including: (1) the full amount of economic loss without limitation; (2) noneconomic damages as specified; and (3) a fair share rule. Requires the court to supervise payment-of-damage arrangements, limiting contingency fees. Permits the introduction of evidence of collateral source benefits. Limits the availability of punitive damages, requiring clear and convincing evidence of malicious intent to injure or a deliberate failure to avoid substantially certain, unnecessary injury. Prohibits their award for products that comply with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards, absent material and knowing misrepresentation by those submitting required approval or clearance information to the FDA. Authorizes periodic payment of future damages to claimants. Excludes suits for vaccine-related death or injury from the requirements of this Act if otherwise covered under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Preempts State law unless such law imposes greater protections for health care providers and organizations from liability, loss, or damages. .
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2002
National Cancer Act of 2002 - Provides a comprehensive Federal effort relating to treatments for and the prevention of cancer. Amends the Public Health Service Act to fund prevention and treatment programs of the National Cancer Institute, including translational cancer research (research needed to transform scientific discoveries into approaches and products to treat and cure cancer). Addresses issues of cancer care, including: (1) clinical trial participation; (2) workforce needs; (3) Medicare coverage; (4) protocols and guidelines; (5) National Program of Comprehensive Cancer Control Plans; (5) the supply of researchers; (6) environmental risk factors research; and (7) a colorectal cancer screening demonstration program. Requires health insurance plans covered by the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to provide: (1) coverage for clinical trials; (2) coverage of cancer screening, including tobacco and nutrition counseling and genetic testing; and (3) patient access to benefit information. Addresses issues of managing physicians and quality of care for cancer patients covered by such plans, including designating a lead managing physician. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to regulate tobacco products. Sets forth requirements pertaining to: (1) adulteration; (2) misbranding; (3) the submission of health information; (4) annual registration and biennial inspection of processors; (5) biannual reporting of product list changes; (6) good manufacturing practices; (7) product performance standards; (8) information, notification, and other remedies; (9) records and reports; (10) premarket review; (11) judicial review; (12) postmarket surveillance; (13) reduced risk tobacco products; (14) preservation of State and local authority; and (15) equal treatment of retail outlets. Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to: (1) revise cigarette labeling, advertising, and marketing requirements; and (2) authorize the Secretary to require disclosure of tar, nicotine, and other smoke constituents on package labels and/or advertisements. Amends the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986 to revise smokeless tobacco warning label and advertising requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2002
Homeland Security Information Sharing Act - Directs the President to: (1) prescribe procedures for Federal agencies for sharing homeland security information with State and local personnel and for declassifying such information; and (2) ensure that such procedures apply to each element of the intelligence community and that the requisite technology is available. Requires each intelligence community element, under procedures prescribed by the Director of Central Intelligence and the Attorney General, to share homeland security information, with credibility assessments, with State and local personnel. Directs that: (1) such procedures include existing information sharing systems; and (2) each element of the Federal intelligence and law enforcement communities, as well as specified congressional committees, have access to each information sharing system and the information within it. Directs the President to prescribe procedures under which Federal agencies may share classified homeland security information with appropriate State and local personnel, including through security clearance investigations, non-disclosure agreements, and increased use of information-sharing partnerships.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2002
Recognizes the devastating impact of fragile X on thousands of people in the United States and their families. Calls for increased research. Supports National Fragile X Research Day and associated activities.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2002
Instructional Materials Accessibility Act of 2002 - Directs Secretary of Education to: (1) develop and publish instructional materials accessibility standards for the national electronic file format to be used by publishers of instructional materials in the preparation of electronic files suitable for efficient conversion into specialized formats; (2) establish a National Instructional Materials Accessibility Advisory Committee to provide technical expertise and guidance in creating such national electronic file format; (3) periodically review and amend such standards to reflect technological advances or changes; and (4) establish a National Instructional Materials Access Center. Requires State educational agencies, as a condition for receiving Federal financial assistance under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, to develop and implement statewide plans and make contracts with publishers to ensure that instructional materials for classroom use in elementary and secondary schools are made available in specialized formats to individuals who are blind or have other print disabilities at the same time such materials are provided to individuals without such disabilities. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to provide or improve their capacity to prepare or obtain instructional materials in specialized formats, including the national electronic format. Provides for enforcement of rights of children and parents under this 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 · 16 April 2002
American Dream Downpayment Act - Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants to participating jurisdictions for downpayment assistance to low-income, first-time home buyers; and (2) make the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 inapplicable to such assistance. Amends the Housing Opportunity Program Extension Act of 1996 to authorize appropriations for the self-help housing provider program. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to authorize appropriations for the public housing agency grant program for project demolition, revitalization, and replacement, and tenant-based assistance. Extends the program sunset date to September 30, 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2002
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2007, the duty on certain prepared or preserved artichokes, not frozen.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2002
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2007, the duty on certain prepared or preserved artichokes.
![Official portrait of Rep. Roukema, Marge [R-NJ-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000465_200.jpg)