United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Nationwide Health Tracking Act of 2002 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to: (1) develop Nationwide and State Health Tracking Networks to monitor, investigate, and prevent increases in the incidence of certain chronic diseases and relevant environmental risk factors; and (2) establish within the Epidemic Intelligence Service a National Environmental Health Rapid Response Service. Direct the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to jointly establish the Commission on Nationwide Health Tracking. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director, to support State Health Tracking Networks through: (1) pilot programs; (2) awarding grants; and (3) providing technical assistance. Makes States, political subdivisions of States, territories, and Indian tribes eligible for participation, subject to an approved application. Requires such Networks to: (1) conduct surveillance activities; (2) collect and analyze data; (3) establish an early warning system and response capacity; (4) recruit and train public health employees; and (5) expand and integrate existing systems and activities to the extent practicable. Requires the Nationwide Health Tracking Network to coordinate State Networks and existing Federal public health and environmental surveillance systems and activities. Authorizes the Secretary to provide for research and demonstration centers concerning chronic conditions and relevant environmental factors. Directs the Secretary to: (1) expand the scope of biomonitoring data collection; (2) publish a Nationwide Network report; and (3) award John H. Chafee Public Health Scholarships for advanced training in chronic conditions and environmental epidemiology and health sciences.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2002
Ending the Double Standard for Stock Options Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish special rules relating to deductions in the case of property transferred in connection with a stock option. Redefines the term "wages" as it pertains to stock options and stock-based plans.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2002
Living Organ Donor Job Security Act of 2002 - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to allow leave for living organ donation. Includes among authorized leave time spent for: (1) tests for medical suitability of the eligible employee; (2) physical, psychological, and social evaluations of the donor; (3) pre-transplant outpatient services; (4) post-operative inpatient and outpatient transplantation services; (5) travel in connection with such tests, evaluations, and services; and (6) recuperation.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2002
Directs the President to make unemployment assistance available for 39 weeks after the major disaster is declared to individuals eligible under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2002
Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should condemn the practice of execution by stoning and should call upon the international community to recognize such practice as a gross violation of human rights. Calls for the President to: (1) formally communicate this sense of Congress to governments imposing such punishment; and (2) urge Nigerian President Obasanjo to suspend the sentence of death by stoning imposed on Safiya Hussaini and take steps to ensure that Nigeria acts in accordance with international human rights standards.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2002
Commends the great work that the Pentagon Renovation Program and its contractors have completed thus far, in reconstructing the portion of the Pentagon that was destroyed by the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2002
Declares that Congress supports the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) in condemning the sexual exploitation of children by humanitarian aid workers. Urges the UN Office of Investigative Oversight Services to investigate sexual exploitation of refugees by such workers of both non-governmental organizations and government-sponsored agencies. Urges the President to: (1) affirm the U.S. commitment to protecting the well-being and human rights of women and girls; and (2) instruct the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Secretary of Agriculture to review the distribution of food assistance to refugee communities to ensure that the provision of U.S. humanitarian assistance is respectful of the human rights of women and girls and supports young girls identified as victims of sexual exploitation.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2002
Water Quality Financing Act of 2002 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to make grants to nonprofit organizations to provide technical and information assistance for rural and small treatment works. Requires establishment of procedures for the competitive award of grants. Extends funding for State- and interstate-managed pollution control programs. Revises State water pollution control revolving fund provisions concerning: (1) agreements for treatment works capitalization grants; (2) project eligibility; (3) loan payments, subsidization, and administrative expenses; (4) technical and planning assistance for small treatment works; (5) funding allotments; (6) priorities and intended use plans; and (7) Federal oversight review procedures. Increases the limit on amounts authorized for grants for development of management plans and construction of publicly owned treatment works to serve Indians. Waives application of the Federal Reports Elimination and Sunset Act to various water pollution-related reporting requirements, thereby leaving them in place. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the private activity bond volume cap bonds issued as part of an issue whose proceeds are to be used to provide water or sewage facilities. Revises arbitrage bond rules to exclude from consideration as proceeds of an issue any amounts derived from a Federal grant or related State contribution made in connection with a FWPCA or Safe Drinking Water Act State revolving loan fund.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2002
Supports the goals and ideals of the National Day of Silence. Encourages each State and school district to adopt laws and policies to prohibit discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students and school staff. Requests the President to call on the people of the United States to observe the National Day of Silence with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities.
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 · 6 March 2002
Emergency Contraception Education Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to develop and disseminate to the public information on emergency contraception. Requires that the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to develop and disseminate to health care providers information on emergency contraception. Requires that the information disseminated to health care providers include at a minimum: (1) information describing the use, safety, efficacy, and availability of emergency contraception; (2) a recommendation regarding its use in appropriate cases; and (3) information explaining how to obtain copies of information from the CDC.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2002
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the Secretary of Transportation should issue regulations to prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic nuisance species within the Great Lakes; (2) the Great Lakes States should develop and implement a mechanism that provides a common conservation standard for making decisions concerning the withdrawal and use of water from the Great Lakes Basin; and (3) the Secretary of State should work with the Canadian Government to encourage and support the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec in the development and implementation of a consistent mechanism and standard. Encourages: (1) Illinois, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to continue to prohibit off-shore drilling in the Great Lakes for oil and gas; (2) Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio and Ontario to enact a prohibition of such drilling; and (3) Ontario to require the cessation of any such drilling and any production resulting from such drilling. Calls for the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) make grants to States, Indian tribes, regional agencies, and local governments to carry out projects in areas of concern to monitor or evaluate contaminated sediment, to remediate such sediment, and to prevent further or renewed contamination; and (2) conduct research on innovative approaches, technologies, and techniques to remediate sediment. Calls for a specified increase in appropriations for sewer overflow control grants for FY 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2002
Comprehensive Investor Protection Act of 2002 - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to set forth auditor independence requirements, including a prohibition against: (1) nonaudit services for audit clients; and (2) improper influence exerted upon the conduct of audits. Establishes the Public Accounting Regulatory Board to: (1) establish audit quality standards; (2) review public accounting firms and individual audits; (3) conduct disciplinary and investigation proceedings; and (4) suspend or revoke registration for noncompliance. Permits State licensing boards to participate in such proceedings and impose sanctions. Authorizes the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to oversee the Board. Subjects to Board jurisdiction foreign accounting firms that already fall within SEC jurisdiction. Proscribes insider trades during pension fund blackout periods. Mandates an SEC rulemaking proceeding to attain increased financial disclosure of : (1) off-balance sheet transactions; (2) insider transactions; (3) relationships between SEC registrants and philanthropic organizations; (4) insider controlled affiliates; and (5) provision of services by related persons. Instructs the SEC to: (1) initiate additional rulemaking proceedings regarding plain language financial reports; (2) implement a current disclosure reporting system; and (3) conduct enhanced oversight of issuers' periodic financial statements. Mandates electronic disclosure of affiliate transactions. Amends the Securities Act of 1933, the Investment Company Act of 1940, and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, to establish liability for aiding and abetting securities violations. Mandates preservation of audit records for seven years. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Securities Act of 1933 to require preservation of records during shareholder litigation. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 establish a statute of limitations for an implied private right of action. Directs the SEC to study and report to specified congressional committees on credit rating agencies and analyst conflicts of interest.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2002
Preservation of Antibiotics for Human Treatment Act of 2002 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to refuse to approve an application for an antimicrobial new animal drug when the applicant fails to demonstrate to a reasonable certainty that human health will not be harmed because of the development of antimicrobial resistance attributable to the nontherapeutic use of such drug. Rescinds within a specified period existing approvals and exemptions concerning the nontherapeutic use of certain antimicrobial drugs until the applicant meets the same standard of lack of harm to human health as required for new animal drugs, including the use of penicillins, tetracyclines, macrolides, lincomycin, bacitracin, virginiamycin, aminoglycosides, and sulfonamides in an animal and fluroroquinolones in poultry.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2002
Museum and Library Services Act of 2002 - Amends the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA) and the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) to extend authorizations of appropriations and revise programs under such Acts. Amends MLSA to establish the National Museum and Library Services Board, within the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). (Eliminates a National Museum Services Board.) Requires the IMLS Director to: (1) ensure coordination with certain activities under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), and other Federal activities; and (2) conduct and publish analyses of museum and library services impact. Revises requirements for annual national awards to outstanding libraries and museums that have made significant contributions in service to their communities. Includes specified entities under the term museum, for MLSA purposes. Revises museum services activities. Amends LSTA to provide for: (1) an increased portion for administrative costs; (2) an increased alternative minimum allotment to States under certain conditions; (3) State plans once every five years, as determined by the IMLS Director; (4) additional uses of grants to States for library programs; and (5) recruitment of library and information science personnel under the program of national leadership grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. Repeals requirements under the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science Act relating to Commission responsibilities to: (1) advise the IMLS Director; and (2) meet with the National Museum Services Board, which is eliminated by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2002
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victims' Housing Act - Increases a specified authorization of appropriations under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act to be used to provide housing assistance for individuals or families victimized by domestic violence, stalking, or adult or child sexual assault.
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 · 5 February 2002
Improved Maternal and Children's Health Coverage Act of 2002 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require a State child health plan, among other things, to provide for: (1) development and use of a uniform, simplified application form for establishing SCHIP- and Medicaid-eligibility under SSA title XIX (Medicaid); (2) an enrollment process coordinated with that under Medicaid so that a family need only interact with a single agency to determine whether a child is SCHIP- or Medicaid-eligible; (3) acceptance and timely response to inquiries received through the national toll-free system established by this Act; (4) methods to ensure that children within a family eligible for SCHIP assistance are allowed to be seen by the same pediatric provider or group of pediatric providers in a manner that permits coordinated receipt of care by children in the same family to the extent a State child health plan provides coverage other than through providing benefits under the State's Medicaid plan; and (5) responsibility of the State and its contractors for assuring compliance with limitations on cost-sharing. Amends SSA titles XIX and XXI to provide for automatic reassessment of eligibility for Medicaid and SCHIP benefits for children losing Medicaid or SCHIP eligibility. Amends SSA title XXI to provide for optional coverage of low-income, uninsured pregnant women under a State child health plan. Amends SSA title XIX to grant States the option of: (1) using enhanced Federal medical assistance percentage for coverage of additional pregnant women under Medicaid; and (2) covering qualified alien children under Medicaid and SCHIP programs. Amends SSA titles XIX and XXI to provide for program coordination with the Maternal and Child Health program under SSA title V.
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
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 · 29 January 2002
Expresses support for the efforts of the Ukrainian people to promote democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights in Ukraine. Urges the Government of Ukraine to: (1) enforce impartially the Law on Elections of People's Deputies of Ukraine, signed by President Leonid Kuchma on October 30, 2001; and (2) meet its commitments on democratic elections, as delineated in the 1990 Copenhagen Document of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), with respect to the campaign period and election day; and (3) address issues identified by the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of OSCE in its final report on the 1999 presidential election, such as state interference in the campaign and pressure on the media. Calls upon the Ukrainian Government to allow election monitors from the ODIHR, other participating OSCE states, and foreign and domestic private institutions and organizations full access to all aspects of the parliamentary election process.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2002
Recognizes the terrible tragedy that New Yorkers have endured, the catastrophic economic consequences of September 11 on New York's economy, and the duty of the United States to protect its States from invasion. Expresses the determined effort of the House of Representatives to rebuild New York and reaffirms its commitment to provide New York with all the Federal assistance that it requires in coping with the largest attack in history on U.S. soil.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2002
Emergency Worker and Investor Protection Act of 2002 - Amends Internal Revenue Code concerning golden parachute payments to include within the definition of the term "excess parachute payment" any amount realized by a corporate insider on the sale or exchange of stock in the corporation with respect to which an individual is a corporate insider if such sale or exchange occurs while such corporation maintains a transfer-restricted 401(k) plan (thereby subjecting such sales to a 20 percent excise tax). Defines the terms "corporate insider" and "transfer-restricted 401(k) plan." Includes within the definition of the term "disqualified debt instrument," in the case of an SEC registrant: (1) any indebtedness of such registrant if such indebtedness is not shown in the certified annual report as part of the total liabilities of such registrant; and (2) any indebtedness of an off-balance-sheet entity if the proceeds from the issuance of such indebtedness are used directly or indirectly to acquire stock in such registrant (thereby denying the deduction for payments on debt instruments not included as liabilities for purposes of shareholder recording). Defines the terms "certified annual report," "SEC registrant," and "off balance-sheet entity."
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2002
Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services and Supports Act of 2002 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for: (1) mandatory coverage of community-based attendant services and supports; and (2) increased Federal financial participation for early coverage States for certain expenditures with respect to community-based attendant services and supports. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible States to carry out certain capacity building activities with respect to community-based attendant services and supports. Requires each State to establish a Consumer Task Force to assist the State in the development, implementation, and evaluation of real choice systems change initiatives. Directs the Secretary to conduct a project to evaluate service coordination and cost-sharing approaches with respect to the provision of community-based services and supports to non-elderly dually eligible individuals.
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 · 20 December 2001
Keep America Secure Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Defense from purchasing any equipment that contains electronic components that are not manufactured in the United States. Allows the Secretary to waive this prohibition where its application would be inconsistent with the public interest or would result in unreasonable costs to the Department of Defense.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2001
Domestic Violence Victim Protection Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: (1) include among the eligibility criteria for certain Federal grants State laws authorizing gun confiscation by law enforcement officers in certain domestic violence cases; and (2) authorize grants for State hire of additional personnel for entering information relating to protection orders. Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to: (1) authorize grants for training programs to establish integrated domestic violence courts; (2) include among the eligibility criteria of the National Stalker and Domestic Violence Reduction grant program State certification that its laws relating to the elements of a stalking offense require only that the defendant has on more than one occasion harassed or threatened the victim (thereby excluding any requirement for a specific intent to cause fear); and (3) authorize grants for State hire of additional personnel for entering information relating to stalking and domestic violence data.
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
Use NICS in Terrorist Investigations Act - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to direct the Attorney General to allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation to access National Instant Check System (NICS) audit log records for the purpose of responding to an inquiry from any Federal, State, or local law enforcement agency in connection with a civil or criminal law enforcement investigation. Requires firearms transaction records relating to the person or the transfer to be destroyed not less than 90 days after the date on which the firearms licensee first contacts the system with respect to the transfer if the receipt of the firearm would not violate such Act. Directs: (1) the Attorney General to make such records available to the Secretary of the Treasury to conduct audits to detect fraud and misuse, and to protect the privacy and security, of information in the system; and (2) the Department of the Treasury to maintain and destroy those records in accordance with all applicable laws.
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 · 13 December 2001
Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to disregard State paid annuities for blind veterans and their spouses in determining SSI benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2001
Family Life Education Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States for family life education, including abstinence and contraception. Expresses the sense of Congress that States should, but need not, provide matching funds. Requires the Secretary to provide for national evaluation of a representative sample of such programs for effectiveness in changing adolescent sexual behavior, including the delay of sexual and high-risk activity, the prevention of pregnancy and disease (including HIV/AIDS), and the increase of contraceptive knowledge.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2001
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should: (1) remain a signatory to the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty; (2) not encourage Russia to withdraw from the ABM Treaty to validate U.S. efforts to build a national missile defense system; and (3) continue to work cooperatively with Russia and other nuclear powers to prevent nuclear proliferation, reduce the number of weapons in current arsenals, and facilitate nuclear disarmament.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2001
Calls for: (1) U.S. support for efforts to facilitate the establishment and development of trans-frontier conservation areas in the Southern African Development Community countries; and (2) non-governmental organizations and foundations in the United States to support and promote sustainable economic development and benefits through the preservation of wildlife in peace parks on an expanded and inclusive basis to the benefit of the countries concerned and their people.
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 · 11 December 2001
Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Response Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to add provisions directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services, building upon core public health capabilities, to carry out health-related activities to prepare for and respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. Requires collaboration with States and local governments to ensure a national bioterrorism and public health emergency preparedness plan. Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services the position of Assistant Secretary for Emergency Preparedness. Expands the role of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a coordinated network of public health laboratories. Provides for: (1) the education of health care personnel regarding recognition and identification of bioweapons; and (2) grants to train health professionals and register volunteers. Requires the maintenance of a national stockpile or stockpiles of drugs, vaccines and other biological products, medical devices, and other supplies adequate to meet the health security needs of the United States in the event of a bioterrorist attack or other public health emergency. Provides for countermeasure research, development, and evaluation. Provides for the waiver of certain Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP requirements during national emergencies. Provides for enhanced regulatory control of dangerous biological agents and toxins. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the protection of the food and drug supply against intentional adulteration. Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to protect the water supply against terrorist and other intentional acts.
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
Establishes in Congress the Congressional Trade Office to: (1) reassert the constitutional responsibility of Congress with respect to international trade; (2) assist Congress in providing more effective oversight of trade policy; (3) monitor compliance with major bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade agreements; (4) provide Congress with more analytical capability on trade issues; (5) perform certain dispute resolution functions with respect to the World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement; (6) participate as observers in bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade negotiations; and (7) perform other trade-related functions to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2001
Declares that Congress: (1) condemns the more than 500 anthrax threats sent to reproductive health centers and abortion providers since October 14, 2001; (2) supports reproductive health centers and abortion providers as they continue to provide constitutionally protected services to women and men in the United States; and (3) urges the administration, local law enforcement, and related government agencies to continue to make their best efforts to bring those who commit terrorist acts to justice.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2001
State Budget Relief Act of 2001 - Requires the Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) for: (1) a State for FY 2001 to be substituted for the State's FMAP for FY 2002 if the FY 2002 FMAP would otherwise be less than the FY 2001 FMAP; and (2) each eligible State for each calendar quarter in FY 2002 to be increased by two percentage points. Mandates specified FMAP increases for States with high unemployment rates, and a specified Medicaid payment cap increase for territories. Prohibits application of the FMAP increases for a State under this Act with respect to: (1) disproportionate share hospital payments under Medicaid; and (2) payments under SSA titles IV and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP).
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2001
Designates the national cemetery in Saratoga, New York, as the Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide for the placement therein of a suitable memorial to honor Solomon's service to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2001
New York Recovery From Terrorism Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a wage credit of up to $6,000 to employers for employees working in the New York Recovery Zone (NYRZ) (Lower Manhattan) after September 10, 2001 and through 2004. Includes employees of business forced to relocate from such area as a result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Increases the state cap to $12.5 billion for tax-exempt private purpose bonds for projects in New York City, earmarking the first $7 billion for the NYRZ. Creates a limited exception, allowing certain issuers of tax-exempt debt to advance refund existing debt. Includes the City of New York, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of the City of New York, the New York City Municipal Water Authority, and nonprofit New York City hospitals within such exception. Permits taxpayers who lost business property in the NYRZ as a result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to expense the remaining basis in such property, carried over to replacement property as the result of insurance payments where the replacement property is placed in service in New York City before 2007. Allows a one time $5,000 nonrefundable tax credit for residents in the NYRZ, subject to certain restrictions including gross income and length of subsequent residence.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2001
Access and Openness in Small Business Lending Act of 2001 - Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to require a depository institution, in the case of an application for credit made by a small business, to: (1) inquire whether the business is a women- or minority-owned business; and (2) maintain a record of the responses to such inquiry separate from the application and accompanying information. Allows any applicant to refuse to provide such information. Prohibits: (1) access to such information by any loan underwriter, officer, employee, or affiliate of the depository institution; and (2) the depository institution from including personally identifiable information in such record of responses. Requires such information to be made available to Federal enforcement agencies. Exempts from such requirements institutions having total assets equal to or less than the exemption amount determined under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2001
New York Liberty Zone Tax Relief Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide specified temporary tax benefits for the New York Liberty Zone (NYLZ) (September 11, 2001-damaged area). Allows through 2006: (1) additional depreciation (30 percent) as specified for qualified property acquired after September 10, 2001; and (2) a five-year recovery period for depreciation of certain qualified leasehold improvement property (interior of nonresidential real property), as specified. Increases the aggregate dollar limitation for the expensing of certain depreciable business assets (section 179), as specified. Treats qualified New York Liberty Bonds as tax-exempt facility bonds, subject to a maximum aggregate amount, as specified. Extends the replacement period for nonrecognition of gain from two to five years for certain property involuntarily converted as a result of the terrorist attacks in the NYLZ.
![Official portrait of Rep. Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [D-NY-25]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000480_200.jpg)