United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2004
Cockpit Security Technical Corrections and Improvements Act of 2004 - Amends Federal aviation law to revise requirements for the program for deputizing eligible pilots as Federal law enforcement officers (Federal flight deck officers) to defend against acts of criminal violence or air piracy. Shifts responsibility for the program from the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to the Secretary of Homeland Security. Revises eligibility requirements for pilots to be a Federal flight deck officer, adding mental standards and firearms training. Makes a special exception from ordinary requirements for certain active or reserve members of the armed forces or a Federal, State, or local law enforcement agency. Revises certain Federal flight deck officer training requirements and adds requalification training requirements. Revises requirements for the carrying of firearms by Federal flight deck officers outside of the United States, including designation as Federal air marshals, and the authority to use force to defend an aircraft against terrorism by a Federal flight deck officer. Extends to entities and individuals the prohibition (currently limited to air carriers) against prohibiting a pilot employed by an air carrier from becoming or threatening retaliatory action against such a pilot for becoming a Federal flight deck officer. Specifies further prohibited disciplinary actions. Authorizes a Federal flight deck officer or pilot who is adversely affected by a failure by the Secretary to comply with any requirements under this Act to file a petition for judicial review with the appropriate U.S. district court. Sets forth requirements to: (1) prohibit the disclosure of information related to a pilot's participation in the Federal flight deck officer program; (2) provide certain adjudication procedures for pilots who have been determined ineligible to be a Federal flight deck officer or has had other adverse action taken against them; (3) provide certain authorities with respect to Federal flight deck officers, including issuance of credentials, use of force to prevent terrorism or defend life, exposure to security inspections, and access to sensitive security information; (4) require certain reports to Congress on the Federal flight deck officer program; and (5) require the Secretary to promote and publicize the Federal flight deck officer program.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2004
Samaritan Initiative Act of 2004 - Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to establish a program through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under which a participating Federal agency shall make grants to eligible entities, including faith-based and community-based organizations, for permanent housing (provision of housing or rental assistance) and related treatment (including health and drug and alcohol treatment) and support services for chronically homeless persons. Requires: (1) a participating Federal agency to establish an interagency implementation and monitoring team; and (2) a grantee to establish a homeless management information system. Obligates specified authorizations of appropriations for: (1) HUD; (2) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and (3) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Authorizes the participation of other Federal agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2004
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) supports the goals and ideals of Financial Literacy Month; and (2) requests the President to issue a proclamation calling on the Federal Government, States, localities, schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses, other entities, and the people of the United States to observe the month with appropriate programs and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2004
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), its member colleges and universities, and athletic conferences should affirm a commitment to a policy of discouraging alcohol use among underage students and other young fans by ending all alcohol advertising during radio and television broadcasts of collegiate sporting events.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2004
Congratulates the American Dental Association for establishing and continuing its sponsorship of the Give Kids a Smile program. Emphasizes the need to improve access to dental care for children. Thanks the thousands of dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and others who volunteered their time to provide dental education, screening, and care to an estimated one million children during this year's Give Kids a Smile program. Thanks Crest Healthy Smiles 2010, Sullivan-Schein Dental, DEXIS Digital X-ray Systems, and Ivoclar Vivadent Inc. for their support of the program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2004
Pell Grants Plus Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to establish a program to award Pell Grants Plus grants to students who: (1) have completed a rigorous secondary school program for State Scholars; (2) are enrolled full-time in their first year of undergraduate education; and (3) are eligible to receive Federal Pell Grants for that year. Sets such Plus grant award at $1,000. Provides for a continuation award for the second year of undergraduate education if the student maintains compliance with certain eligibility requirements and obtains a grade point average of at least 3.0 for the first year. Repeals HEA provisions for Academic Achievement Incentive Scholarships.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2004
Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) allow pancreata procured for use in islet cell transplantation or research to be counted for certification purposes for qualified organ procurement organization grants; and (2) require the Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee to include in its annual report an assessment of the Federal activities and programs related to pancreatic islet cell transplantation.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2004
Veterans' Heritage Firearms Act of 2004 - Provides a 90-day amnesty period during which veterans and their family members can register in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record any firearm acquired before October 31, 1968, by a veteran while a member of the armed forces stationed outside the continental United States. Grants such an individual limited immunity under the Federal criminal code and the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the acquisition, possession, transportation, or alteration of such firearm before or concurrent with such registration. Extends such immunity to a veteran who attempts to register a qualifying firearm outside of the amnesty period if the veteran surrenders the firearm within 30 days after being notified of potential criminal liability for continued possession. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) transfer each firearm qualifying as a curio or relic which has been forfeited to the United States to the first qualified museum that requests it; and (2) publish information identifying each such firearm which is available to be transferred to a museum. Prohibits the Attorney General from destroying any such firearm which has been forfeited until five years after the forfeiture. Requires that any firearm transferred to a qualified museum be registered to the transferee. Makes a prohibition against transfer or possession of a machine-gun inapplicable to a transfer to or by, or possession by, a museum which is open to the public and incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation under applicable State law.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2004
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of Anti-Slavery Day (February 27, 2004). Encourages each city and State to adopt laws that: (1) protect slaves who are victims of human trafficking; (2) increase communication between social service agencies, local, State, and Federal law enforcement; (3) provide training and support to the public, social services providers, and law enforcement officials so that they can better identify trafficked persons.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2004
Expresses: (1) the sympathy of the House of Representatives for the victims of the earthquake that occurred on December 26, 2003, in Bam, Iran, and their loved ones; and (2) gratitude and appreciation for the courageous work of the United States and international aid personnel saving lives in Iran. Welcomes the President's decision to issue a general license for donations to nongovernmental entities engaged in humanitarian relief activities in response to the earthquake in Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2004
Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2004 - Repeals the current termination date (December 31, 2010) of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal: (1) the reductions in the amount of the child income tax credit scheduled for taxable years 2005 through 2009 and to set the amount of such credit at $1,000 for all taxable years after 2004; (2) the reductions in the basic standard deduction percentage for married couples filing joint tax returns scheduled for taxable years 2005 through 2008; (3) the reductions in the percentage applicable to the maximum taxable income in the 15 percent tax bracket for married couples filing joint tax returns scheduled for taxable years 2005 through 2007; and (4) the reduction in the income threshold amount for ten percent income tax rate eligibility scheduled for taxable years 2005 through 2007. Repeals the current termination date (December 31, 2008) of provisions in the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 reducing capital gains tax rates and allowing the taxation of dividends at capital gain tax rates. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) set the dollar limitation for the expense deduction for depreciable business assets at $100,000 for all taxable years after 2004 and to permanently increase to $400,000 the threshold amount for determining reductions in the dollar limitation of such deduction; (2) increase the percentage of the additional depreciation allowance for property acquired after May 5, 2003, from 30 to 50 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2004
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2004 - Adjusts the basic Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity amount for surviving spouses, age 62 and older, of former military personnel to: (1) 35 percent of the retired pay of the decedent (current law), for months before October 2005; (2) 40 percent for months after September 2005 and before October 2008; (3) 45 percent for months after September 2008 and before October 2014; and (4) 55 percent for months after September 2014 . Adjusts similarly percentage amounts with respect to survivors of reserve personnel and survivors of persons who die while on active duty. Provides a corresponding phased elimination of the SBP supplemental annuity authorized to be provided to such surviving spouses. Requires periodic recomputation of: (1) annuity amounts beginning in October 2005; and (2) retired pay reductions for supplemental survivor annuities. Provides a one-year open enrollment period for SBP participation, commencing October 1, 2005, for those currently not participating, those electing to increase current coverage, and those wishing to participate in the supplemental SBP. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to require appropriate premiums for SBP participation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2004
Zero Downpayment Act of 2004 - Amends the National Housing Act to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to insure zero-downpayment mortgages for one-family residences.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2004
Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2004 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to provide that, if the violator of the terms and conditions of any Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license, permit, or certificate is either a broadcast station licensee or permittee or an applicant for a broadcast license, permit, or certificate, and such violator is determined by the FCC to have broadcast obscene, indecent, or profane language, the amount of forfeiture penalty shall not exceed $275,000 for each violation or day of such violation, to a maximum of $3 million for any single act or failure to act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2004
Supports the goals of Catholic Schools Week, an event co-sponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and established to recognize the vital contributions of America's thousands of Catholic elementary and secondary schools. Congratulates Catholic schools, students, parents, and teachers across the Nation for their ongoing contributions to education, and for the key role they play in promoting and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for this Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Directs the Secretary of the Army to transfer, to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, administrative jurisdiction over a portion of the Defense Supply Center in Columbus, Ohio, for the construction of a new outpatient clinic for veterans. Directs the Secretary of the Army, prior to such transfer, to conduct an environmental assessment of such property.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Resolves that: (1) the House of Representatives (House) does not support the lowering of standards or the weakening of the rules of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) prohibiting obscene and indecent broadcasts to allow network or other communications to use language that is indecent or vulgar; (2) the FCC has a responsibility to utilize its enforcement authority to maintain those rules; and (3) the House will not allow the FCC to permit intrusion upon the family's ability to raise their children in an environment that is not inundated with indecent or profane language on our public airwaves.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Temporary Agricultural Labor Reform Act of 2003 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise employer and employee association application requirements for admission of H-2A temporary agricultural workers, including assurances: (1) that the job opportunity is temporary or seasonal, and is not the result of a labor dispute; (2) that attempts have been made to hire U.S. workers; (3) respecting wages and benefits, and labor law compliance; (4) respecting nondisplacement of U.S. workers; and (5) respecting limitations on placement with other employers. Revises related provisions respecting: (1) penalties; and (2) admissions and extensions of stay. Provides special provisions for alien sheepherders. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to H-2A employers for the transportation costs of workers whose employment is cut short by natural disaster; and (2) direct the Secretary to establish an H-2A Worker Program Ombudsman within the Office of the Chief Economist of the Department of Agriculture.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2003
Congratulates the Ohio State University Buckeyes and the University of Michigan Wolverines on the 100th football game of their rivalry and recognizes the Buckeyes and Wolverines rivalry as the greatest sports rivalry in history.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2003
Deplores the development by Iran of a nuclear weapons program and the failure of the Government of Iran to report material, facilities, and activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in contravention of its obligations under the safeguards convention it signed in connection with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (Treaty). Concurs with the conclusion of the Department of State that Iran is pursuing a program to develop nuclear weapons. Calls on the President to use all appropriate means to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, with particular attention to the needs of the IAEA for information and access, including information concerning gas centrifuges and the conduct of uranium conversion experiments. Calls on Russia to suspend all nuclear cooperation with Iran until Iran fully complies with a specified IAEA resolution, with particular attention to spent fuel. Calls on the IAEA to declare Iran in violation of the Treaty. Calls on the United Nations Security Council to consider immediately the passage of a Security Council resolution or the taking of other actions that may be necessary to impose diplomatic and economic sanctions against Iran if it fails to meet its obligations to the IAEA. Calls on the Government of Iran to cease all efforts to acquire nuclear fuel cycle capabilities and to end the enrichment and processing of uranium until it is able to provide specific, verifiable assurances that it is not engaged in a clandestine nuclear weapons program.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2003
Puppy Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to modify the standards that govern the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of animals by dealers, research facilities, and exhibitors. Requires a standard for addressing the initiation and frequency of breeding of female dogs so that they are not bred before reaching at least one year of age, and whelped more frequently than three times in any 24-month period. Prescribes a process for immediate suspension and eventual revocation of the license of a dealer, exhibitor, or operator of an auction sale for three or more violations of such Act within 18 months.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2003
Visitor Information and Security Accountability (VISA) Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) establish an executive body to advise and direct the US-VISIT program; and (2) require the US-VISIT program Director to expeditiously establish an effective program management capability. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit, with discretionary waiver, use of an insecure document by an alien for: (1) U.S. entry or departure; or (2) identification purposes by public or private conveyance in interstate commerce. (Defines insecure document as a driver's license, identification card, or other document issued by a State or subdivision, or a foreign consular representative in the United States, that may be issued to an alien who has overstayed his or her visa, or is present in the United States without being admitted or paroled.) Requires in-person consular interviews with all visa applicants. Requires a Customs and Border Protection Agency FY 2003 and 2004 staffing report by a specified date. Provides specified funding for the (border) air program. Amends Federal law to authorize border use of the Army and Air Force. Amends the Act: (1) to increase alien smuggling penalties; (2) to provide the Secretary with administrative authority to remove aliens on security or terrorist grounds; and (3) with respect to release of aliens in removal proceedings, and detention of aliens delivered by bondsmen. Requires foreign student (F-1 visa), business (B-1 visa), and tourist (B-2 visa) nonimmigrant aliens from countries with the highest overstay rates to post a maintenance of status/departure bond (as provided for by this Act) with a guaranteeing bonding agent or surety before such visas may be issued. Provides that: (1) the bond shall be returned in full to a complying alien upon return to his or her home country; (2) a bonding agent or surety shall be responsible for surrendering a non-complying alien to the Department of Homeland Security, or pay a penalty. Sets forth bond renewal provisions for such aliens seeking adjustment of status. Requires aliens arrested and detained pending a removal decision to post a delivery bond (guaranteeing delivery of an alien against whom the Department has issued an order to show cause or a notice to appear) of at least $10,000 in order to be released from custody, unless an immigration judge orders such alien's release on his or her own recognizance. Provides that a bonding agent or surety shall be responsible for surrendering a non-complying alien to the Department, or pay a penalty.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2003
RU-486 Suspension and Review Act of 2003 - Deems the approved application for the drug mifepristone (marketed as Mifeprex, commonly known as RU-486, and used for the chemically induced termination of intrauterine pregnancy) to have been suspended. Directs the Comptroller General to review and report on the process by which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved mifepristone. Provides for the contingent reinstatement of such drug if the report determines the approval to have been in accordance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Higher Education Affordability and Equity Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand education incentives, including: (1) the deduction for interest on education loans; (2) making the deduction for qualified tuition and related expenses permanent; (3) increasing allowable contributions to Coverdell education savings accounts; (4) allowing qualified higher education expenses (books, supplies, room, board, and special needs services) to be excluded from gross income in the case of scholarship programs for higher education; and (5) repealing the sunset provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 applicable to title IV (Affordable Education Provisions) of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2003
Incentives to Educate American Children (I Teach) Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a tax credit of $1,000 for: (1) teachers in public elementary or secondary schools or public kindergartens in rural areas or areas with high poverty; and (2) teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Grants a credit of $2,000 for a teacher meeting both criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2003
Stop Terrorism of Property Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit intentionally, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, damaging the property of another with the intent to influence the public with regard to conduct the offender considers harmful to the environment (eco-terrorism).
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2003
Urges the Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the United Nations, the European Union, and the Association of South East Asian Nations to work for: (1) unrestricted access to Laos by international election monitors and international human rights organizations; (2) the rights of opposition political parties and their candidates to run for public office and for all adult citizens of Laos to vote; (3) the right of the citizens to assemble, protest, and to organize; (4) the cessation of all acts of violence against the Hmong population; and (5) the release of those jailed in connection with the 1999 pro-democracy demonstrations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2003
Mobile Machinery Tax Fairness Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit the treatment of certain mobile machinery as a highway vehicle, thereby exempting such machinery from federal highway excise taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2003
Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act of 2003 - Rape Kits and DNA Evidence Backlog Elimination Act of 2003 - Amends: (1) the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to reauthorize the Act; (2) the DNA Identification Act of 1994 (Identification Act) to expand the scope of DNA samples to be included in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS); and (3) the Violence Against Women Act to authorize grants to increase the availability of legal assistance to victims of dating violence. DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act of 2003 - Amends the Identification Act to require that CODIS include only information on DNA identification records and analyses that are prepared by laboratories that: (1) have been accredited by a nationally recognized nonprofit professional association of forensic scientists within two years; and (2) undergo external audits at least every two years that demonstrate compliance with specified standards. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants for: (1) DNA training and education; (2) sexual assault forensic examination programs; (3) research and development; (4) using DNA technology to identify missing persons; and (5) tribal domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions. Expands and reauthorizes the Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Grant Program. Innocence Protection Act of 2003 - Sets forth conditions under which a Federal prisoner may obtain post-conviction DNA testing of specific evidence. Directs the Attorney General to award grants to States to improve the quality of legal representation in State capital cases.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2003
Business Activity Tax Simplification Act of 2003 - Amends Federal law concerning the taxation of interstate commerce to expand the scope of the protections prohibiting taxation by jurisdictions of the income of out-of-state corporations whose in-state presence is nominal from just tangible personal property to include intangible property and services. Requires an out-of-state company to have a physical presence in a State before the State can impose franchise taxes, business license taxes, and other business activity taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2003
Benjamin Franklin Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one dollar coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Benjamin Franklin (not more than 250,000 bearing his image as a young statesman and not more than 250,000 with his image as an older numismatist). Directs that all sales include a $10 per coin surcharge, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission, to be used to educate people about Franklin's legacy.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2003
District of Columbia Personal Protection Act - Amends the District of Columbia Code to provide that the D.C. Council's regulatory authority regarding firearms, explosives, and weapons in the District shall not be construed to permit the Council, the Mayor, or any governmental or regulatory authority of the District to prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the ability of persons otherwise permitted to possess firearms under Federal law from acquiring, possessing in their homes or businesses, or using for sporting, self-protection or other lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited by Federal law nor regulated by the National Firearms Act. Denies the District any authority to enact laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms. Amends the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 to repeal the definition of a machine gun as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading. (Thus repeals the ban on semiautomatic weapons.) Repeals the District's: (1) registration requirement for possession of firearms; (2) prohibition on registration of pistols (handguns); (3) prohibition on possession of handgun ammunition; (4) requirement that, under certain conditions, firearms in the possession of certain individuals must be kept unloaded, disassembled, or with the trigger locked; (5) related firearm registration requirements such as applicant qualifications and filing deadline. Maintains the current ban on the possession and control of a sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, or short-barreled rifle. Eliminates criminal penalties for possessing an unregistered firearm. Amends Federal law to eliminate criminal penalties for carrying a pistol whether loaded or unloaded in one's dwelling house, place of business, or on land possessed by such person.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2003
Safeguarding Our Religious Liberties Act - Declares that among those powers reserved to the States and their political subdivisions are the powers to display the Ten Commandments, to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, and to recite the national motto on or within property owned or administered by them. Declares that: (1) the Pledge of Allegiance shall be, "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and justice for all."; and (2) the national motto shall be, "In God we trust." Excepts from the jurisdiction of Federal courts inferior to the Supreme Court the display of the Ten Commandments and the use of the word "God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 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 Monsignor Ignatius McDermott (founder of Haymarket Center, the largest drug abuse treatment center in Chicago) in recognition of his contribution to the drug treatment community and his accomplishments as a priest and humanitarian.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2003
Celia Cruz Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 300,000 one dollar silver coins and 500,000 half dollar clad coins emblematic of Celia Cruz (known as the "Queen of Salsa") and her legacy. Establishes surcharges of ten dollars per coin for the dollar coin and three dollars per coin for the half dollar coin, which shall be paid to the Celia Cruz Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2003
Renewable Fuels and Transportation Infrastructure Enhancement Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish, for a limited period of time: (1) as a credit against the gasoline and diesel fuel excise tax, a credit equal to the sum of the alcohol fuel mixture credit plus the biodiesel mixture credit; and (2) a biodiesel fuels credit business credit.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2003
Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a nonrefundable income tax credit of up to $500 for the purchase of a qualified hearing aid for an individual who is either: (1) age 55 or older; or (2) is claimed as a dependent of the taxpayer.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2003
International Studies in Higher Education Act of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise provisions and reauthorize appropriations for title VI International Education Programs, including: (1) international and foreign language studies; (2) business and international education programs; and (3) the Institute for International Public Policy. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to use up to one percent of title VI funds for evaluation, outreach, and dissemination. Establishes an independent International Education Advisory Board to advise Congress and the Secretary on title VI programs in relation to national needs with respect to homeland security, international education, international affairs, and foreign language training. Sets forth requirements relating to: (1) U.S. Government agency recruiter access to students and student recruiting information; and (2) safety in programs of student travel and study abroad.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2003
National Commission on the Modernization of the United Nations Act of 2003 - Establishes the National Commission on the Modernization of the United Nations to study: (1) the extent of modernization of the organizational structure and practices of the United Nations (UN) that can be effectuated with and without changes to its Charter; (2) the principles to which member states should adhere and the consequences of a state espousing and enforcing values counter to the Charter; (3) the feasibility of mandating each member state to agree to adhere to the principles of UN membership, and to review the principles of the UN to determine whether the state should withdraw if the UN is not adhering to the Charter; (4) whether all states should have one vote in the General Assembly and whether the UN should be structured in a bicameral fashion; (5) whether auxiliary commissions and organizations of the UN should be funded by member dues, whether such entities drain resources away from the primary function of the UN, or whether member states can create and fund caucuses to deal with matters of common interest; (6) whether the UN should have a separate peacekeeping force, while identifying successes of past peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts; and (7) the credibility of resolutions when the UN does not mandate absolute obedience.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2003
Graduate Opportunities in Higher Education Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise requirements and reauthorize appropriations for the following Graduate and Postsecondary Improvement Programs under title VII: (1) the Jacob K. Javits fellowship program; (2) the program of graduate assistance in areas of national need; (3) the Thurgood Marshall legal educational opportunity program; (4) the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education; and (5) demonstration projects to ensure that students with disabilities receive a quality higher education. Eliminates the Urban Community Service program and certain continuation awards.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2003
Currency Harmonization Initiative through Neutralizing Action Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to analyze annually the exchange rate policies of the People's Republic of China, and to impose additional tariffs, if necessary, to equalize any currency manipulations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2003
Clarifications to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act - Amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to state that formal pleadings in a civil action shall not be considered the kind of communication (initial or otherwise) required for a validation of debt notice. Prescribes an alternative version of the initial communication debt collectors are required to give consumers, incorporating the three statements currently specified. States that collection activities and communications may continue during the 30 days following a debt collector's initial notice to the debtor. States that, if the consumer's attorney at law fails to respond to a communication from a debt collector within 30 days (currently, a reasonable period of time) after receiving a communication from the collector, such collector may communicate directly with the consumer. Limits to one the number of additional communications a debt collector may make to a consumer after the consumer has notified the collector in writing that the consumer refuses to pay the debt or wishes the collector to cease further communication. Limits the content of any such additional communication to one of the three purposes already specified by the Act. Revises notice of debt guidelines to require one of the debt collector's mandatory statements to specify that a consumer's dispute of the validity of a debt be submitted in writing in order to preclude an assumption by the collector that the debt is valid.
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 · 9 September 2003
Recognizes: (1) the importance and contributions of sportsmen to American society; (2) the many economic benefits associated with outdoor sporting activities; and (3) the importance of encouraging the recruitment of, and teaching the traditions of hunting, trapping, and fishing to, future sportsmen. Supports the traditions and values of, and the many conservation programs implemented by, sportsmen.
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
Directs the President to convene a Commission to Educate our Nation's Teachers and Students on Financial Literacy Skills to examine, identify, and report to the President, the congressional leadership, and the chief executive officers of the States on government policies that promote economic and financial literacy.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Multiemployer Pension Security Act of 2003 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code, the National Labor Relations Act, and the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947 with respect to teamster plans and their funding. Defines a teamster plan as a plan: (1) to which more than one employer is required to contribute; and (2) which is maintained pursuant to one or more collective bargaining agreements between The International Brotherhood Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America or its locals and more than one employer. Declares that a teamster plan shall not be treated as a multiemployer plan, and each employer that has an obligation to contribute to a teamster plan shall be treated as a contributing sponsor maintaining a separate single-employer plan, including with respect to partition and allocation of assets and liabilities. Requires the assets of a teamster plan to be invested by the trustees as one master trust, and each contributing employer's share of the plan assets to be adjusted annually according to master trust accounting principles for the employer's plan contributions, benefit payments with respect to its ongoing liability and transition liability (if any), and share of investment returns and administrative expenses. Requires the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation to guarantee 100 percent of the transition liabilities of each teamster plan. Defines transition liabilities as the sum of the accrued benefit liabilities under a teamster plan (as a whole, as if it were treated as a single multiemployer plan rather than a collection of single-employer plans) attributable to: (1) participants who are not employed in credited service for any employer under the plan; and (2) the credited service of other participants with an employer that does not have an obligation to contribute to the teamster plan. Requires the premium rates for plan termination insurance charged by the Corporation for teamster plans to be the same as those charged for single-employer plans. States that each employer with an obligation to contribute to a teamster plan shall be responsible for paying the premiums attributable to the single-employer plan the employer is treated as maintaining. Requires any additional premium to phased in over ten plan years. Authorizes the Corporation to allow an employer to contribute all or part of such additional premium directly to the teamster plan, in lieu of payment to the Corporation. Authorizes an employer with an obligation to contribute to a teamster plan to terminate its participation in either a standard or a distress termination. Requires establishment of a funding standard account for each employer with an obligation to contribute to a teamster plan. Prescribes formulae for specified minimum funding of, and minimum contributions to, a teamster plan. Prohibits any increase in benefits unless a teamster plan is sufficiently funded.
![Official portrait of Rep. Tiberi, Patrick J. [R-OH-12]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/t000462_200.jpg)