United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2003
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for forgiveness of Federal Family Education (FFEL) loans and Ford Federal Direct (student) loans to any borrower who has been employed as a full-time school superintendent, principal, or other administrator for five consecutive complete school years in a school district in a low-income area.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2003
Amends the Emergency Steel Loan Guarantee Act of 1999 to extend from 2003 through December 31, 2005, the authority of the Emergency Loan Guarantee Board to make loan guarantee commitments. States that, in addition to certain funds appropriated under the Act to the Department of Commerce for administrative expenses, an additional $2 million may be made available from the Emergency Loan Guarantee Program for salaries and administrative expenses to administer the Emergency Steel Loan Guarantee Program.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2003
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to permit Federal participation in construction projects for the Mackinac Bridge Authority, Michigan, without regard to statutory limitations on the use of toll revenues.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2003
Intermodal Equipment Safety and Responsibility Act of 2003 - Subjects an equipment controller to liability for the systematic inspection, maintenance, and repair of equipment interchanged or intended for interchange. Requires an equipment controller: (1) prior to offering a motor carrier agent the equipment for interchange, to inspect the equipment and perform maintenance and repairs to the equipment to ensure that it complies with all applicable Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations; and (2) to promptly reimburse the motor carrier for actual expenses incurred and time spent by the motor carrier for any repair required to interchanged equipment to comply with the Regulations while in a motor carrier's possession. Makes an equipment controller liable for all violations of the Regulations attributable to the controller's equipment. Directs the controller to pay any applicable fines, penalties, and damages resulting from such violations, except for violations attributable to the controller's equipment that are proximately caused by the motor carrier's negligence or willful misconduct. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to conduct inspections. Prohibits an equipment controller from: (1) retaliating against a motor carrier who requests maintenance or repair of equipment intended for interchange to comply with the Regulations; and (2) delegating its responsibility to systematically maintain and repair equipment intended for interchange to a motor carrier in an equipment interchange agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2003
Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from taking any action proposed under the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services initiative of the Department of Veterans Affairs: (1) unless the Secretary has notified Congress of the intention to take such action; and (2) until the later of the expiration of a 60-day period, or 30 days of continuous congressional session, after such notification.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2003
John Marshall Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury: (1) to mint and issue not more than 400,000 silver one dollar coins emblematic of Chief Justice John Marshall and his contributions to the United States in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of his birth; and (2) in cooperation with the Legacy Fund of the Library of Congress, to develop and implement a marketing program to promote and sell the coins. Directs that all sales of coins minted under this Act include a ten dollar per coin surcharge, to be paid by the Secretary to the Supreme Court Historical Society for purposes of: (1) supporting historical research about the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and related topics; (2) supporting fellowship programs, internships, and docents at the Supreme Court; and (3) collecting and preserving related antiques, artifacts, and other historical items.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2003
Calls upon the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a commemorative postage stamp to promote public awareness of Down syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2003
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Night Out. Requests that the President: (1) focus appropriate attention on neighborhood crime prevention, community policing, and reduction of school crime by delivering speeches, convening meetings, and directing the administration to make crime reduction an important priority; and (2) coordinate the efforts of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the USA Freedom Corps, the Citizen Corps, the National Senior Service Corps, and AmeriCorps to participate by supporting local efforts, neighborhood watches, and local officials, including law enforcement personnel, to provide homeland security and combat terrorism in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2003
Great Lakes Restoration Financing Act of 2003 - Establishes the Great Lakes Advisory Board to: (1) develop a biennial comprehensive Great Lakes management plan; (2) coordinate Great Lakes restoration efforts; and (3) implement a public awareness campaign. Establishes a scientific working group to evaluate the scientific integrity of the Great Lakes restoration effort and assist the Board in its decisionmaking. Requires the management plan to be submitted to the President, appropriate congressional committees, the governor of each Great Lakes State, and the Great Lakes mayors. Includes as possible Great Lakes ecosystem goals: (1) the cleanup of toxic hot spots; (2) the elimination of invasive species; (3) pollution decrease; (4) the restoration and conservation of wetlands and critical coastal habitat; (5) the elimination of dead zones caused by hypoxia and harmful algal bloom; (6) the sustainable use and management of Great Lakes water resources; and (7) public participation in Great Lakes restoration. Requires each Great Lakes State to have in effect a State Great Lakes Management Plan, approved by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and updated every two years, in order to be eligible for assistance apportionments authorized under this Act. Provides apportioned funding to Great Lakes States for restoration activities. Authorizes the Administrator to appoint a special master to direct the remediation of an area of concern.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2003
Makes Mai Thi Thuy Nuong eligible for issuance of an immigrant visa or for adjustment of status to that of a lawful permanent resident of the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act, upon payment of the required visa fees.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2003
Student Loan Fairness Act of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise student aid requirements for consolidation loans. Repeals a prohibition against refinancing consolidation loans. Allows borrowers to select lenders of consolidation loans. Requires lenders and institutions to provide certain information on consolidation loans to applicants. Revises interest rates on consolidated and reconsolidated loans.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2003
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. (posthumously) and his widow, Coretta Scott King, in recognition of their service to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2003
Directs the Secretary of the Army, through the Chief of Engineers, to conduct a rulemaking proceeding for issuance of a general permit in Michigan to allow beach maintenance and grooming for the Great Lakes Systems and Lake Saint Clair in the area below the ordinary high-water mark and above the water's edge.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2003
Great Lakes Controlled Data Collection and Monitoring Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct the Great Lakes National Program Office of the Environmental Protection Agency to develop and implement a set of science-based indicators of water quality and related environmental factors in the Great Lakes, including accumulated toxic pollutants. Requires continued monitoring and data collection to help identify emerging problems.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2003
Overtime Compensation Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to prohibit the Secretary of Labor from promulgating any regulation that has the effect of exempting from FLSA overtime compensation requirements (which limit maximum hours at regular compensation) any employee who is not otherwise exempted under regulations in effect on the date of enactment of this Act. Provides that such prohibition does not bar the Secretary from reducing the number of employees who are exempt from such overtime compensation requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2003
Internet Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit any person from introducing a prescription drug into interstate commerce or delivering such a drug for introduction into commerce pursuant to a sale if: (1) any part of the sales transaction for the drug is conducted through an Internet site; and (2) such site, or any other Internet site used by such person for purposes of sales of a prescription drug, fails to meet specified requirements regarding inclusion of a page (and links thereto) providing the identities of the seller and the persons serving as pharmacists or medical consultants and the States in which the seller and such persons are authorized to dispense drugs or provide consultations. Provides that a State that has in effect requirements for Internet sites that are no less stringent and that has adequate procedures for their enforcement shall have primary enforcement responsibility for any violation involving such a purchase made from within the State.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2003
Creates the Independent Commission on Intelligence about Iraq. Gives the Commission responsibility for: (1) evaluating executive branch intelligence collection, assessment, and representations concerning the threats posed by Iraq; (2) evaluating the effectiveness of collaborative arrangements between the United States and others in assessing such threats; (3) examining the extent to which Congress has imposed restrictions that have hampered the efforts of the intelligence community; (4) reviewing the work of other investigations; and (5) reporting its findings, conclusions, and recommendations to Congress and the President.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2003
Honors the following areas on receiving the National Civic League 2003 All-America City Award: Laurinburg, North Carolina; Tempe, Arizona; New Haven, Connecticut; Miami, Florida; Des Moines, Iowa; Marquette County, Michigan; Wilson, North Carolina; South Sioux City, Nebraska; Corpus Christi, Texas; and the Greater Racine Area, Wisconsin.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2003
State Threat Alert Reimbursement (STAR) Act of 2003 - Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to reimburse a State for direct expenses and losses that exceed normal operating expenses incurred by State or local government entities in the course of duty during the effective period of an increased threat alert. Allows the Governor of any State to submit a request for reimbursement by not later than 90 days after the declaration of the elevated threat condition. Instructs the Secretary to provide for the submission of requests by use of the Internet. Requires the Secretary to notify the Select Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate before making any payment of greater than $20 million to a State under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2003
Salute to Veterans and the Armed Forces Act of 2003 - Allows the full payment of military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation, without deduction from either (current law), without the enactment of qualifying offsetting legislation. Repeals: (1) special compensation programs for certain severely disabled and combat-disabled military retirees; and (2) provisions requiring a dependency and indemnity compensation offset from surviving spouse annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan. Increases the amount of basic educational assistance for members of the Selected Reserve. Directs the Secretary of Defense, for fiscal years after 2005, to provide a percentage increase in the higher learning cost index for determining basic educational assistance amounts. Directs the Secretary to pay a bonus to members who, at any time during service under Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom, satisfied eligibility requirements for the receipt of special pay for duty subject to hostile fire or imminent danger. Directs the Secretary of Homeland to provide such bonus to qualifying Coast Guard members. Authorizes additional appropriations for veterans' improved access to medical care. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make interim payments under claims for veterans' benefits when the final decision regarding the payment of such benefits is delayed following remand by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims or the Board for Veterans' Appeals to the Secretary for expedited consideration. Prohibits with respect to veterans: (1) increases in medication copayments; and (2) the imposition of health care enrollment fees. Requires the: (1) Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and Labor to provide appropriate information concerning veterans' benefits and employment opportunities; and (2) Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prepare an annual plan for the conduct of veterans' outreach activities. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to place the maximum individual income tax rate at 38.6 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2003
Foster Child Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to modify eligibility requirements for grants to States for child abuse and neglect prevention and treatment programs. Requires States to include within such programs an assurance that their foster care agencies meet certain requirements if they have knowledge that foster children under the responsibility of the State are missing.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Fairness to All Vietnam Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to study and report to Congress: (1) to identify veterans who died after October 31, 1955, as a result of military operations in southeast Asia whose names are not eligible for inscription on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; and (2) on the feasibility and equitability of revising the eligibility requirements to be more inclusive of such veterans or of creating an alternative means for recognizing them, including alternatives involving an education center at the Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Expresses appreciation to the people and Government of Canada for their long history of friendship and cooperation with the people and Government of the United States. Congratulates Canada as it celebrates its annual Canada Day.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2003
Honor Thy Parents Act of 2003 - Suspends any tax reduction and any tax deduction, limitation, or credit made by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 scheduled to take effect after 2003. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) to add a new part which establishes a voluntary outpatient prescription medicine benefit. Sets premium, deductible, and coinsurance limits, with an annual out-of-pocket limit of $2,000.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2003
Anti-Spam Act of 2003 - Prohibits a person from initiating in interstate commerce any commercial electronic mail (commercial email) message unless the message contains: (1) identification as commercial email; (2) notice of an opt-out opportunity, along with an email address or other mechanism for doing so; and (3) a valid physical street address of the sender. Prohibits the transmission of commercial email: (1) after valid objection; (2) with false or misleading header information or subject headings; (3) from illegally harvested email addresses, including addresses generated by automated means; or (4) without warning labels on commercial email containing sexually oriented material. Provides a right of enforcement action for: (1) providers of Internet access service; (2) States on behalf of any of their residents; and (3) the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Amends the Federal criminal code to provide criminal penalties for: (1) falsifying the identity of a commercial email sender; (2) failing to place warning labels on commercial email containing sexually oriented material; (3) repeat offenses and bulk email violations; and (4) illegal harvesting of email addresses. Provides for enforcement of such penalties through actions by Internet service providers, the FTC and the Attorney General, and State attorneys general. Requires the FTC to report to Congress regarding the need to protect the rights of users of email to avoid receiving unsolicited commercial email.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2003
Great Lakes Migratory Bird Research and Management Act - Amends the Great Lakes Fishery Act of 1956 to authorize the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to carry out activities relating to the investigation of migratory bird depredation on commercial and sport fisheries in the Great Lakes. Amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to require the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits to cooperating State, Provincial, Tribal, First Nation, and U.S. and Canadian Federal agencies with migratory bird management authority, and signatory to a Memorandum of Understanding with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, to manage and take migratory birds, for the purpose of control of depredation by such birds on commercial and sport fisheries in the Great Lakes.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act - Redefines the term "law enforcement officer" under provisions of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to include: (1) Federal employees not otherwise covered by such term whose duties include the investigation or apprehension of suspected or convicted individuals and who are authorized to carry a firearm; and (2) such employees of the Internal Revenue Service whose duties are primarily the collection of delinquent taxes and the securing of delinquent returns. Requires that such service which is performed by an incumbent law enforcement officer be treated: (1) on or after the enactment date of this Act, for all purposes, as service performed as a law enforcement officer, irrespective of how such service is treated under the following; and (2) before, on, or after such date, for purposes of CSRS and FERS, as service performed as such an officer, but only if an appropriate written election is submitted to the Office of Personnel Management five years after such date or before separation from Government service, whichever is earlier. Provides that nothing under current law respecting mandatory separation from Government service under CSRS or FERS shall cause the involuntary separation of an officer before the end of the three-year period beginning on such date.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to modify a high priority project in the State of Michigan, adding authority for a transportation project in the Petoskey area.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2003
Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 2003 - Amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to revise requirements for health care programs and services for Indians, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations. Provides for enrollment of qualified Indians in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) under title XXI of the Social Security Act (SSA), as well as Medicare under SSA title XVIII and Medicaid under SSA title XIX (as under current law). Replaces the Urban Health Programs Branch with an Office for Urban Indian Health. Directs the Secretary, acting through the IHS and Indian tribes and tribal organizations, to consolidate certain existing programs into a new program of comprehensive behavioral health, prevention, treatment, and aftercare for Indian tribes. Establishes the National Bi-Partisan Indian Health Care Entitlement Commission to: (1) establish a Study Committee to study the extent of Indian health services needs; (2) review and analyze the Study Committee's report; and (3) make recommendations to Congress for providing health services for Indians as an entitlement. Reauthorizes the Indian Health Care Improvement Act through FY 2015. Amends SSA titles XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), and XXI (SCHIP) to conform with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2003
Chronic Wasting Disease Research, Monitoring, and Education Enhancement Act of 2003 - Amends the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act to require the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, to carry out a program to support, conduct, and coordinate programs to strengthen scientific research and monitoring and public education activities to elevate knowledge of Chronic Wasting Disease in free-ranging populations of deer and elk.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2003
Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force Establishment Act of 2003 - Establishes the National Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force to: (1) coordinate activities to implement the National Plan (published jointly by the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture, and entitled "Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing Chronic Wasting Disease in Wild and Captive Cervids," dated June 26, 2002) in cooperation with State, regional, local, tribal, college, and university and non-governmental partners; (2) plan and host an annual national public conference to review progress made in implementing the Plan; and (3) develop an annual cross-cutting budget to specify sufficient levels of appropriations necessary to implement it.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2003
Requires any amounts appropriated for a Representational Allowance for a Member of the House of Representatives which remain after all payments are made under such Allowance to be deposited in the Treasury and used for deficit reduction or, in a session of Congress or other period for which there is no Federal budget deficit, to reduce the Federal debt.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2003
Requires a one-to-one (currently, one-to-four) match of Federal funds to non-Federal funds contributed for financial and technical assistance to mark, interpret, and restore non-Federal properties within Keweenaw National Historical Park. Increases the authorization of appropriations for such assistance and for development of the Park.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2003
Supports payment rates for rural physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers that are adequate, and equitable to their urban counterparts. Encourages Federal efforts to address the current inequities in Medicare reimbursement rates and to ensure access to quality, affordable health care.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2003
Keeping Our Promises to America's Children Act of 2003 - Provides a moratorium on compliance with certain requirements for adequate yearly progress under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA), for any fiscal year in which amounts appropriated are less than those authorized for the applicable program, project, or activity under ESEA title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) part A (Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies) (I-A). Authorizes State or local educational agencies that are recipients of I-A funds to defer commencing, suspend, or modify their administering functions under such requirements with respect to such program, project or activity. Directs the Secretary of Education to ensure that otherwise applicable negative consequences shall not apply to such recipients because of such actions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2003
Taxpayer Abuse Prevention Resolution of 2003 - Expresses the sense of Congress that Federal tax collection services should not be paid for on the basis of a commission or as a percentage of taxes collected.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Rural Veterans Access to Care Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that no less than five percent of the funds made available each fiscal year for the Medical Care appropriation of the Department of Veterans Affairs are used to improve access to medical services for highly rural or geographically remote veterans, including the use of such funds for: (1) acute or chronic sympton management; (2) nontherapeutic medical services; and (3) other appropriate medical services as determined by the director of the geographic service region involved. Provides for the allocation of such funds to such service regions. Requires review of the operation of this Act and, if necessary, recommendation for an adjustment to the percentage of Medical Care funds required for such purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
The TRICARE Retirees Opportunity Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) waive the part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) late enrollment penalty for certain military retirees who enroll by December 31, 2004; and (2) provide a special part B enrollment period for such retirees.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Fully Fund the No Child Left Behind Act - Suspends amendments made by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA) to titles I or II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) if the Federal Government fails to fully fund them.. Provides for such suspension if the Government appropriates any amount less than the specific dollar amount for that fiscal year in the authorization of appropriations for title I (currently, Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) or title II (currently, Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals). Requires the ESEA provisions in effect before NCLBA's enactment to be in effect during any fiscal year of such suspension for title I (formerly, Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards) or title II (formerly, Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program).
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Trade Law Reform Act of 2003 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to revise various factors that the International Trade Commission (ITC) must consider in making material injury determinations in countervailing duty and antidumping duty proceedings. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to change the standard for determining if an imported product is harming domestic producers by requiring a showing that the product causes or threatens to cause serious injury. (Current law requires a product to be a substantial cause of injury). Amends the Trade Act of 2002 to: (1) direct the U.S. Trade Representative to reject any trade agreement proposal whether through the World Trade Organization (WTO) or with any country if such agreement would weaken existing U.S. trade remedy laws; and (2) expand the President's reporting duties under such Act. Congressional Advisory Commission on WTO Dispute Settlement Act - Establishes the Congressional Advisory Commission on WTO Dispute Settlement to review all decisions made by a WTO appellate body or dispute settlement panel adversely affecting the United States to determine if such entity acted properly under existing law. Authorizes the Commission to hold public hearings to solicit views concerning a report of such an entity. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a private U.S. person who is supportive of a U.S. position in a trade matter before such an entity should be permitted to observe and have access to the proceedings; (2) the U.S. Trade Representative should provide such person with all pertinent information, and (3) the U.S. Trade Representative should consult with such person and involve such person in dispute settlement proceedings. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish and implement a steel import licensing and surge monitoring program. Requires a person to have a steel import license before entering certain steel products into the United States. Applies the amendments made by this Act to goods from Canada and Mexico.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act of 2003 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health Administration for FY 2005 130 percent of the amount obligated during FY 2003. Adjusts the amount provided for fiscal years after FY 2005 based on the number of enrolled veterans and the number of other persons eligible but not enrolled who are provided care, multiplied by the per capital baseline amount for FY 2003, as increased by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index. Prohibits the availability of such funds for: (1) construction, acquisition, or alteration of veterans' medical facilities (other than for repairs provided for before the date of enactment of this Act); or (2) grants for the construction of State home facilities for the furnishing of veterans' domiciliary, nursing home, and hospital care.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
Rural Provider Equity Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), the Public Health Service Act, and other Federal law with respect to rural health care, especially: (1) physician reimbursement; (2) rural health clinics and community health centers; (3) home health services and hospice care; (4) air and ground ambulance services; (5) mental health care accessibility; and (6) rural health services research. Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income any loan payments under the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2003
Dental Officer Retention Act - Repeals a provision which prohibits the payment of special pay for qualified dental officers in the armed forces during any period of dental internship or residency training.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to provide for an extension of time for States to request payments for activities to improve administration of elections and for replacement of punch card or lever voting machines. Repeals the exemption of the Election Assistance Commission from certain Government contracting requirements (thus requiring the Commission to advertise for proposals for purchases and contracts for supplies or services). Revises audit capacity requirements to require the voting system to produce a voter-verified paper record suitable for a manual audit equivalent or superior to that of a paper ballot box system. Requires the voting system to provide a mechanism for voter-verification of results with respect to individuals with disabilities which separates the function of vote generation from the function of vote casting, but does not require the use of paper. Requires instruction of election officials in the rights of the disabled to vote with the assistance of an aide of their selection under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Requires the Commission to study and develop best practices to enhance accessibility and voter-verification mechanisms for disabled voters. Accelerates the deadline for compliance with voting systems standards from January 1, 2006, to the regularly scheduled November 2004 general Federal election. Requires each State and jurisdiction unable to meet such deadline to receive a paper voting system at Commission expense that shall be deemed compliant with such standards for use in the November 2004 general election. Requires Federal certification of technological security of voter registration lists. Directs the Commission to: (1) conduct manual mandatory surprise recounts of the voter-verified records of each election for Federal office (and, at State or local option, of elections for State and local office) in .5 percent of the jurisdictions in each State and .5 percent of the overseas jurisdictions in which voter-verified records are preserved in accordance with this Act immediately following each general election for Federal office; and (2) promptly publish the results of those recounts.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act - Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor to prepare and publish a monthly Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI) that indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are typical for individuals aged 62 years or older. Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) and XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for the use of such new CPI in the computation of cost-of-living increases for Social Security and Medicare benefits under such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2003 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to: (1) study and describe the current state of science concerning the human health effects of exposure to asbestos and other durable fibers; and (2) make recommendations for uniform systems for asbestos exposure standards and protocols for detecting and measuring asbestos. Directs the Administrator to establish an Asbestos Policies Panel to study asbestos and other durable fibers. Directs the Administrator to study the status of the manufacture, processing, distribution, ownership, importation, and disposal of asbestos-containing products and contaminant-asbestos products. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations within one year which prohibit the manufacturing, processing, or distributing of asbestos-containing products, subject to limited exemption upon petition. Requires the disposal of asbestos-containing products within three years, except as specified. Requires the Administrator to establish a public awareness program concerning the dangers posed by these products and vermiculite insulation. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand research programs on diseases caused by asbestos exposure, particularly mesothelioma, asbestosis, and pleural injuries. Establishes and funds mesothelioma disease research and treatment centers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Assistant United States Attorneys Retirement Benefit Equity Act of 2003 - Makes applicable to Assistant United States Attorneys the provisions of the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System that apply to Federal law enforcement officers. Directs the Department of Justice to provide notice to incumbent Assistant U.S. Attorneys as to their election rights under this Act and the effects of making or not making a timely election under this Act. Allows such incumbents to elect the option to be treated either: (1) in accordance with the amendments made by this Act; or (2) as if this Act had never been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Highway Funding Equity Act of 2003 - Revises Federal highway funding minimum guarantee provisions. Requires the Secretary of Transportation, for each of FY 2004 through 2009, to allocate among the States amounts sufficient to ensure that: (1) the percentage for each State of the total apportionments for the fiscal year for the National Highway System (NHS), the high priority projects program, the Interstate maintenance program, the surface transportation program, metropolitan planning, the highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the recreational trails program, the Appalachian development highway system, and the basic minimum guarantee equals or exceeds 95 percent of the ratio that the estimated tax payments to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) (other than the Mass Transit Account) attributable to highway users in the State bears to such payments attributable to highway users in all States (with a specified exception for any State having a population density of less than 50 individuals per square mile); and (2) when HTF allocations (other than from the Mass Transit Account, for such programs, emergency relief, and the discretionary minimum guarantee) for the fiscal year have been identified, the percentage for each State of all of those allocations for the fiscal year equals or exceeds the percentage that is equal to 95 percent of such tax payments ratio. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the programmatic distribution of NHS funds exceeding $2.8 billion; (2) the apportionment of the remainder of funds to the States; and (3) required adjustments where the sum of State percentages exceeds 100.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Veterans Burial Benefits Improvement Act of 2003 - Increases the authorized allowance for burial and funeral expenses for deceased veterans who: (1) at the time of death were in receipt of veterans' disability compensation or veterans' pension benefits; or (2) were veterans of any war or were discharged or released from active military service for a service-connected disability and for whom there is no next of kin or sufficient resources to cover funeral and burial costs. Increases the burial plot allowance for veterans who, at the time of death, were receiving hospital or nursing home care in or through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Authorizes the annual adjustment of such allowances based on increases in Social Security benefits.
![Official portrait of Rep. Stupak, Bart [D-MI-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001045_200.jpg)