United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2003
Expanding Opportunities in Higher Education Act of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise and reauthorize various programs and provisions. Repeals HEA provisions, under the definition of institution of higher education, that: (1) currently require for-profit institutions of higher education to derive at least ten percent of their revenue from funds that do not come from HEA title IV student assistance programs (the 90/10 rule); and (2) currently restrict distance education in terms of the relative number of courses an institution may offer by telecommunications, and relative number of students enrolled in such courses, for purposes of student assistance program eligibility (the 50 percent rule). (Retains such rule for correspondence courses not offered by telecommunications.) Revises HEA title III (Institutional Aid) to extend authorizations of appropriations for: (1) part A grants for American Indian tribally controlled colleges and universities, and for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions; (2) part B grants for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU); (3) endowment challenge grants for institutions; (4) HBCU capital financing; and (5) the minority science and engineering improvement program. Revises HEA title V (Developing Institutions) to extend the authorization of appropriations for grants to Hispanic-serving institutions. Revises HEA title IV (Student Assistance) to treat as independent students those currently serving on active duty in the Armed Forces for other than training purposes (thus including active duty members of the National Guard and Reserves). Revises requirements, and extends authorizations of appropriations for, the following title IV programs: (1) Federal TRIO support services programs for disadvantaged students; (2) GEAR UP early intervention and college awareness programs for low-income students; and (3) HEP/CAMP special programs for students whose families are engaged in migrant and seasonal farmwork. Directs the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance to study and report on the feasibility of simplifying the need analysis methodology for all for Federal student financial assistance programs and the process of applying for such assistance. Requires the Secretary of Education to initiate a redesign of the free application for Federal student aid (FAFSA). Revises requirements for a simplified needs test. Amends the Education of the Deaf Act of 1986 to extend the authorization of appropriations in general, as well as for monitoring and evaluation, and for Federal endowment programs for Gallaudet University and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). Extends authorizations of appropriations for programs under the Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act of 1978, the Navajo Community College Act, and the United States Institute of Peace Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 2003
Daniel Patrick Moynihan Global Affairs Institute Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to Syracuse University to establish an endowment fund to support a Daniel Patrick Moynihan Global Affairs Institute. Requires the University, to be eligible for such grant, to designate the global affairs institute within the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs as the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Global Affairs Institute.
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 2003
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 315 Empire Boulevard in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, as the James E. Davis Post Office Building.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2003
Exempts from the requirement to pay subsistence charges while hospitalized in a military facility an officer or former officer, or an enlisted member or former enlisted member not entitled to retired or retainer pay or equivalent pay, who is hospitalized in a military facility because of an injury incurred: (1) as a direct result of armed conflict; (2) while engaged in hazardous service; (3) in the performance of duty under conditions simulating war; or (4) through an instrumentality of war.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2003
Congratulates Lance Armstrong and the United States Postal Service Team on their victory in the 2003 Tour de France. Commends the unwavering commitment to cancer awareness and survivorship demonstrated by Armstrong.
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 · 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
National Uniformity for Food Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to prohibit any State or political subdivision from establishing or continuing in effect as to any food in interstate commerce any requirement for food that is not identical to specified FDCA provisions. Prohibits any State or political subdivision from establishing or continuing in effect any notification requirement for a food that provides for a warning concerning the food's safety that is not identical to FDCA provisions. Allows current State notification or food safety requirements to continue for 180 days after the enactment of this Act, during which such State may petition for an exemption or a new national standard. Allows a State to petition for an exemption and for a national standard regarding any requirement under the FDCA, as amended by this Act, or the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act relating to food regulation. Allows a State to establish a requirement that would otherwise violate FDCA provisions relating to national uniform nutrition labeling or this paragraph if the requirement is needed to address an imminent hazard to health that is likely to result in serious adverse health consequences and if other requirements are met.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that if a taxpayer is a member of an affiliated group of corporations which files a consolidated return, the tax attributes concerning reduction of tax attributes and exclusion from gross income by reason of discharge of indebtedness shall be the aggregate tax attributes of such group.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2003
New York Fair Fishing Act of 2003 - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to add the State of New York as a member of the New England Fishery Management Council.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2003
Amends the Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998 (IPPCTPA) to limit the number of participants in the Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program who have a degree from an institution of higher education to no more than 20 percent. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the nonimmigrant alien eligibility qualifications for program participants. Sets a minimum age of 21 (retaining the current age 35 maximum), and requires that the individual has: (1) been unemployed for at least six months; and (2) has resided for at least six months in Northern Ireland or one of designated border counties of the Republic of Ireland. Reduces from 36 to 24 months the temporary period of the visit to the United States for participation in the program. Denies any such person eligibility to apply for an immigrant visa, or for permanent residence, or for a nonimmigrant visa under such Act until he or she has resided and been physically present in the country of nationality or last residence for an aggregate of a least one year following departure from the United States. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive this requirement if: (1) departure from the United States would impose exceptional hardship upon the alien's spouse or child (if such spouse or child is a U.S. citizen or a lawfully resident alien); (2) the alien cannot return to the country of his or her nationality or last residence because he or she would be subject to persecution on account of race, religion, or political opinion; or (3) the admission of the alien is in the U.S. public or national interest. Extends the authority of the IPPCTPA through FY 2008. Requires the Secretary to report each program year to Congress (currently, the third program year and the three subsequent years) on the number of aliens admitted who have overstayed their visas.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Hudson-Fulton-Champlain 400th Commemoration Commission Act of 2003 - Establishes the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain 400th Commemoration Commission to plan, develop, and execute programs and activities appropriate to commemorate, in 2009, the 400th anniversary of the voyage of Henry Hudson (the first European to sail up the Hudson River), the 200th anniversary of the voyage of Robert Fulton (the first person to use steam navigation on a commercial basis), and the 400th anniversary of the voyage of Samuel de Champlain (the first European to discover and explore Lake Champlain).
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2003
First Responders Funding Reform Act of 2003 - Amends the USA PATRIOT Act to require: (1) that each State be allocated in each fiscal year not less than .5 percent (currently, .75 percent) of the total amount appropriated for domestic preparedness grants; (2) such grants to be awarded based on a quantitative risk assessment for threat, vulnerability, and consequences; and (3) the Office for State and Local Domestic Preparedness Support of the Office of Justice Programs, by March 1 of each year, to submit that assessment to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2003
Elder Justice Act - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new title XXII (Elder Justice) to establish: (1) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) an Office of Elder Justice; (2) within HHS an Intra-Agency Elder Justice Steering Committee to coordinate HHS elder justice programs and policy; (3) the Elder Justice Coordinating Council to make recommendations for the coordination of activities to HHS, the Department of Justice, and other relevant Federal, State, local, and private agencies and entities; and (4) the Advisory Board on Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation. Outlines provisions with respect to uniform collection, maintenance, and dissemination of national data relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Authorizes the HHS Secretary to award various grants, including grants for: (1) prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (2) five Centers of Excellence nationwide that shall specialize in research, clinical practice, and training relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (3) six diverse communities to examine various types of elder shelters and to test various models for establishing safe havens; (4) nonprofit organizations and faith-based organizations to encourage such organizations to establish or continue volunteer programs that focus on the issues of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, or that provide related services; and (5) various multidisciplinary elder justice activities. Provides for: (1) reporting to law enforcement of crimes occurring in Federally-funded long-term care facilities; (2) revising the quality of long-term care; and (3) increasing consumer information about long-term care. Amends: (1) SSA titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) to establish programs to prevent abuse of skilled nursing facility and nursing facility residents; (2) the Public Health Service Act to increase the number of health care professionals with geriatric training; (3) the Older Americans Act of 1965 with respect to the long-term care ombudsman program; (4) part A (General Provisions) of SSA title XI to establish in HHS the Office of Adult Protective Services; and (5) SSA titles XVIII and XIX to assure safety of residents when nursing facilities close. Establishes in the Department of Justice an Office of Elder Justice. Amends the: (1) Federal criminal code to provide for a cause of action for elder abuse and neglect; and (2) Internal Revenue Code to provide for a long-term care facility worker employment tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2003
Commends Roger Clemens of the New York Yankees for pitching 300 major league baseball winning games and thanks him for being a role model and an inspiration.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2003 - Declares that the sunset provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 shall not apply to Title V: Estate, Gift, and Generation-skipping Transfer Tax Provisions of such Act. (Makes the repeal of estate and generation-skipping taxes under the Internal Revenue Code, and certain reductions of the gift tax, permanent.)
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2003
Theodore Roosevelt Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than: (1) 500,000 $1 coins with the image of Theodore Roosevelt as a Rough Rider on one side and an eagle design on the other side; and (2) 500,000 $1 coins with the image of Roosevelt on horseback on one side and a flaming sword of righteousness on the other side. Calls for the coins to be struck at the U.S. Mint at West Point, New York. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such minted coins beginning on January 1, 2006, and to initiate coin sales before such date (2006 will mark the 100th anniversary of Roosevelt receiving the Nobel Peace Prize). Requires surcharges from the sale of the coins to be paid to the Theodore Roosevelt Association to be used exclusively for educational programs at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, including for construction and maintenance of a visitor's center.
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 · 22 May 2003
225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemoration Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program to be known as the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemoration. Requires the Secretary to: (1) produce and disseminate educational materials related to the Anniversary; (2) enter into appropriate cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding to provide technical assistance to other Federal agencies, States, local governments, private entities, and the governments of the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Canada; (3) assist in the protection of resources associated with the American Revolution; (4) enhance communications, connections, and collaboration among the National Park Service (NPS) units and programs related to the Revolutionary War; (5) expand the research base for American Revolution interpretation and education; and (6) create and adopt an official symbol or device for the theme "Lighting Freedom's Flame: American Revolution, 225th Anniversary." Requires the program to encompass: (1) all NPS units and programs determined to pertain to the American Revolution; (2) other governmental and nongovernmental sites, facilities, and programs of an educational, research, or interpretive nature directly related to the American Revolution; and (3) the participation of such foreign governments.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2003
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to President Jose Maria Aznar of Spain in recognition of his contributions to maintaining the security of all freedom-loving nations. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to strike such medal and authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Pledge Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal judicial code to deny jurisdiction to any court established by Act of Congress to hear or determine any claim that the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance violates the first amendment of the Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2003
Highlands Stewardship Act - Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to establish the Highlands Stewardship Area in the Highlands region (an area encompassing more than 2,000,000 acres extending from eastern Pennsylvania through New Jersey and New York to northwestern Connecticut (the Highlands States)). Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish: (1) within the Department of Agriculture the Office of Highlands Stewardship to advise the Secretaries and the Governors of the Highlands States on priorities for projects carried out with financial or technical assistance under this Act, land conservation partnership projects, Highlands region research, policy and educational initiatives necessary to implement the findings of the New York-New Jersey Highlands Regional Study (conducted by the Forest Service in 1990) and the New York-New Jersey Highlands Regional Study: 2002 Update (conducted by the Service), and to implement the strategies of the study, the update, and other studies in consultation with the Highlands States; and (2) the Highlands Stewardship Area Work Group to assist with the implementation of the study and update strategies. Authorizes the Office to provide financial and technical assistance to an eligible entity to carry out a project, consistent with the stewardship goals and conservation strategies articulated in the study and update, to protect, restore, preserve, promote, or interpret natural, agricultural, historical, cultural, or recreational resources of the Area. Directs: (1) the Governors of the Highlands States, with input from pertinent units of local government, the public, the Office, and the Work Group, to jointly identify land conservation projects that shall be proposed for Federal financial assistance and submit them to the Secretary of the Interior; and (2) such Secretary to annually designate those projects that are eligible to receive financial assistance under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins and 500,000 $1 silver coins, which shall be emblematic of the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia (the first permanent English settlement in America). Provides for a $35 per coin surcharge for the $5 dollar coins and $10 per coin for the $1 dollar coins. Directs that: (1) half of the surcharges be used to support programs to promote the understanding of the legacies of Jamestown (to be paid to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation); and (2) half be used to sustain the ongoing mission of preserving Jamestown, to enhance national and international educational programs relating to Jamestown, to improve infrastructure and archeological research activities relating to Jamestown, and conduct other programs to support the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown (to be distributed by the Secretary in equal shares to the Secretary of the Interior, the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation).
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 - Permits the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to National Forest System lands, and the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, to plan and conduct hazardous fuels reduction projects (fuels projects) on specified types of Federal lands. Directs the Secretary concerned to give priority to fuels projects that provide for the protection of communities and watersheds. Authorizes the Secretary concerned to make grants: (1) to improve the commercial value of forest biomass to produce electric energy, sensible heat, transportation fuels, or substitutes for petroleum-based products; and (2) to offset the cost of projects to add value to biomass. Amends the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 to permit the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Forest Service, to provide assistance to State foresters and officials for the purpose of expanding State forest capacities and activities to address watershed issues on non-Federal forested lands and potentially forested lands. Directs the Secretary concerned to establish an accelerated program to plan, conduct, and promote comprehensive and systematic information gathering on bark beetles. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the healthy forests reserve program within the Forest Service for the purpose of protecting, restoring, and enhancing degraded forest ecosystems to promote the recovery of threatened and endangered species as well as improve biodiversity and enhance carbon sequestration. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a comprehensive plan to inventory, monitor, characterize, assess, and identify forest stands and potential forest stands in specified locations. States that issues to be addressed shall include: (1) the early detection, identification, and assessment of environmental threats; and (2) the loss or degradation of forests.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Rural Housing Tax Credit Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a credit (the lesser of ten percent of the purchase price or $5,000) for the purchase of a principal residence by a first-time rural homebuyer. Establishes credit limitations based upon: (1) adjusted gross income; and (2) tax. Provides for credit recapture in the event of: (1) certain sales; or (2) failure to use as a principal residence.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Genetic Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance and Employment Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Public Health Service Act , the Internal Revenue Code, and Medicare supplemental policy provisions to prohibit health plans and insurers, with respect to protected genetic information, from discriminating in enrollment, eligibility, contribution rates, and premium rates based on such information. Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or training program to discriminate because of protected genetic information.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2003
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal in recognition of Jackie Robinson's contributions to the Nation. Calls for designation of a national day recognizing Robinson's accomplishments.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2003
Directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reinstate the hydroelectric license for Project No. 6032 and to transfer it, without delay or the institution of any proceedings, to any prior Project 6032 licensee who has not been ordered by the New York Public Service Commission to divest its generation facilities. States that the Project is entitled to the full benefit of any legislation passed by Congress that promotes hydroelectric development within two years either before or after the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2003
Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 - Declares the sense of Congress that: (1) the Government of Syria should immediately and unconditionally halt support for terrorism, permanently and openly declare its total renunciation of all forms of terrorism, and close all terrorist offices and facilities in Syria, including the offices of Hamas, Hizballah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command; (2) the Government of Syria should take other specified steps to withdraw its armed forces from Lebanon, halt development of certain weapons, halt illegal imports and transshipments of Iraqi oil and illegal sales and supplies of weapons and military-related equipment to Iraq; (3) the Government of Lebanon should deploy the Lebanese armed forces to all areas of Lebanon, including South Lebanon, in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 520 (September 17, 1982) (Security Council Resolution 520); (4) the Governments of Lebanon and Syria should enter into serious unconditional bilateral negotiations with the Government of Israel in order to realize a full and permanent peace; (5) the United States should continue to provide humanitarian and educational assistance to the people of Lebanon only through appropriate private, nongovernmental organizations and appropriate international organizations, until such time as the Government of Lebanon asserts sovereignty and control over all of its territory and borders and achieves full political independence; and (6) being in violation of several key United Nations Security Council resolutions and pursuing policies which undermine international peace and security, Syria should not have been permitted to join the United Nations Security Council or serve as the Security Council's President, and should be removed from the Security Council. Declares that it is U.S. policy: (1) Syria will be held responsible for attacks committed by Hizballah and other terrorist groups with offices or other facilities in Syria, or bases in areas of Lebanon occupied by Syria; (2) the United States shall impede Syria's ability to support acts of international terrorism and efforts to develop or acquire weapons of mass destruction; (3) the Secretary of State will continue to list Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism until it ends support for terrorism, including its support of Hizballah and other terrorist groups in Lebanon and its hosting of terrorist groups in Damascus, and comes into full compliance with U.S. law relating to terrorism and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 (September 28, 2001); (4) efforts against Hizballah will be expanded given the recognition that Hizballah is equally or more capable than al Qaeda; (5) the full restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity is in the U.S. national security interest; (6) Syria is in violation of Security Council Resolution 520 through its continued occupation of Lebanese territory and its encroachment upon its political independence; (7) Syria's obligation to withdraw from Lebanon is not conditioned upon progress in the Israeli-Syrian or Israeli-Lebanese peace process but derives from Syria's obligation under Security Council Resolution 520; (8) Syria's acquisition of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs threaten the security of the Middle East and U.S. national security interests; (9) Syria is in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 661 (August 6, 1990) and subsequent relevant resolutions through its continued purchase of oil from Iraq and shipments of weapons and other military equipment to Iraq; (10) Syria will be held accountable for any harm to Coalition armed forces of Operation Iraqi Freedom caused by shipments of military supplies from Syria to Iraq; and (11) the United States will not provide any assistance to Syria and will oppose multilateral assistance for Syria until Syria withdraws its armed forces from Lebanon, halts the development and deployment of weapons of mass destruction and medium and long range surface to surface ballistic missiles, and complies with Security Council Resolution 661 and subsequent relevant resolutions. Sets forth the following penalties against Syria until the President determines and certifies to Congress that Syria meets the requirements of this Act. Directs the President to prohibit the export to Syria of any item, including the issuance of an export license, on the United States Munitions List or Commerce Control List of dual-use items in the Export Administration Regulations. Requires the President, at the same time, to impose two or more of the following sanctions: (1) prohibit the export to Syria of U.S. products (other than food and medicine); (2) prohibit U.S. businesses from investing or operating in Syria; (3) restrict Syrian diplomats in Washington, D.C., and at the United Nations in New York City, to travel only within a 25-mile radius of Washington, D.C., or the United Nations headquarters building, respectively; (4) prohibit aircraft of any air carrier owned or controlled by Syria to take off from, land in, or overfly the United States; (5) reduce U.S. diplomatic contacts with Syria (other than those required to protect U.S. interests or carry out the purposes of this Act); and (6) block transactions in any property in which the Government of Syria has any interest, by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Authorizes the President to waive such sanctions for one or more six-month periods if the President determines that it is in the vital national security interest of the United States to do so and reports his reasons to Congress. Authorizes the President to provide development assistance to Syria and Lebanon under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 if he certifies to Congress that: (1) Syria meets the requirements of this Act; (2) substantial progress has been made both in negotiations aimed at achieving a peace agreement between Israel and Syria and in negotiations aimed at achieving a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon; and (3) the Government of Syria is strictly respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and political independence of Lebanon under the sole and exclusive authority of the Government of Lebanon through the Lebanese army throughout Lebanon, as required under Security Council Resolution 520. Requires annual reports to the appropriate congressional committees on Syria's progress in complying with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Health Care Parity for Legal Transportation and Recreational Activities Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a group health plan or health insurance issuer from denying benefits otherwise provided for the treatment of an injury solely because such injury resulted from the participation of the participant or beneficiary in a legal transportation and recreational activity such as motorcycling or skiing.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
American Hospital Preservation Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) restore the full market basket percentage increase applied to payments to hospitals for inpatient hospital services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries starting in FY 2004, and for FY 2005 and each subsequent fiscal year as well; (2) ensure the full market basket update for any fiscal year after FY 2005; and (3) restore the reimbursement factor for indirect medical education payments to teaching hospitals to the FY 2002 level for FY 2005 and each subsequent fiscal year, after providing for an increase in such factor from current levels for FY 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Services, based on recommendations from the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Advisory Panel (established by this Act), to make grants, after a process of peer review and programmatic review, to public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of not more than eight centers for the purpose of conducting multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research on environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Constitutional Amendment - Requires that any bill, resolution, or other legislative measure changing the internal revenue laws shall require for final adoption in each House the concurrence of two-thirds of the Members of that House voting and present, unless the bill is determined at the time of adoption not to increase the internal revenue by more than a de minimis amount. States that for purposes of determining any increase, there shall be excluded any increase resulting from the lowering of an effective rate of any tax. Requires journal entry of any vote. Permits the waiver of such requirement, for up to two years, if there is a declaration of war or if the United States is engaged in a military conflict which causes an imminent and serious threat to national security, and is so declared by a joint resolution which becomes law.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Acknowledges the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act of 1987 (the Proxmire Act) on November 4, 2003. Encourages the people and Government of the United States to rededicate themselves to ending genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2003
Congratulates the Syracuse University men's basketball team for winning the 2003 NCAA Division I men's basketball national championship. Invites the team to the U.S. Capitol building to be honored and requests that the President invite them to the White House for an appropriate ceremony.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2003
Supports the goals and ideals of National Correctional Officers and Employees Week (beginning May 4, 2003). Honors correctional officers and employees.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2003
September 11th Assistance Tax Clarification Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income specified funds under Public Laws 107-206, 107-73, 107-38, and 107-117, paid to any person as assistance on account of any property or business damaged by, and for economic revitalization directly related to, the terrorist attacks on the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2003
Establishes within the Veterans Health Administration an independent office to oversee Department of Veterans Affairs research compliance and assurance, promote responsible research, and ensure the ethical treatment and safety of research subjects. Establishes a Director of such office, whose duties shall include the conduct of periodic inspections and evaluations of research integrity at research facilities, the observation of external accreditation site visits for human subjects and animal welfare, and investigations of allegations of research improprieties, misconduct, and non-compliance with policies and regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2003
Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to increase the imprisonment penalty for animal fighting violations from one year to two years. Makes it unlawful to sell, buy, transport, or deliver in interstate or foreign commerce a knife, gaff, or other sharp instrument used in a bird-fighting venture. Revises enforcement provisions. Permits euthanasia for an animal in extreme pain. Includes the Internet or any technology as interstate instrumentality.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2003
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to maintaining the security of all freedom-loving nations. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) strike such gold medal (and authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell duplicate bronze medals); and (2) deposit sums received from the sale of the bronze medals into the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2003
Don't Feed the Bears Act of 2003 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to enforce the National Parks System regulatory prohibitions against the feeding and baiting of wildlife on National Park System lands and in wildlife refuge areas, in particular the intentional feeding of bears for the purpose of enticing them to a particular area to be hunted (bear baiting). Requires the Secretary of the Interior with respect to lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, and the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to National Forest System lands, to adopt and enforce a regulation to prohibit individuals from intentionally feeding bears, including feeding for the purpose of bear baiting.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2003
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Visitor Center Act - Authorizes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. to design and construct a visitor center for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Directs the Commission on Fine Arts to approve a final design for the center within one year. Requires the center to be operated and maintained by the Secretary of the Interior subject to the Secretary entering into an operation and maintenance agreement with the Memorial Fund. Prohibits the use of any Federal funds for the planning, design, construction, operation, or maintenance of such center.
![Official portrait of Rep. Sweeney, John E. [R-NY-20]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001149_200.jpg)