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United States · Official source
8,859 records where Rep. Waxman, Henry A. [D-CA-33] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Drug Addiction Treatment Expansion Act of 2003 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to eliminate the 30-patient limit for medical practitioners in group practices that may dispense specified narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Clean Money, Clean Elections Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to: (1) prescribe eligibility and qualifying contribution requirements, seed money limits, and benefits of clean money financing of House election campaigns; (2) set forth requirements applicable to clean money candidates; (3) direct the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to certify whether or not a candidate is a clean money candidate; (4) establish in the Treasury a House of Representatives Election Fund for clean money financing; (5) set forth requirements concerning reporting of certain expenditures of private money candidates and reporting of certain independent expenditures; (6) limit expenditures that may be made by political party committees in connection with the general election campaign of a House election in which one or more of the candidates is a clean money candidate; and (7) provide for the treatment of coordinated expenditures as contributions. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to entitle clean money candidates to receive specified free broadcast time and reduced broadcast rates under certain circumstances. Amends Federal postal law to prohibit franked mass mailings by Members of Congress (except notices of public meetings) during primary and general election periods, unless they are not candidates for re-election or election to any other Federal office. Amends FECA to revise requirements for the composition and terms of FEC Commissioners and mandate electronic filing of FEC reports, among other changes, including those made with respect to audits, authority to seek injunction, and standard for investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Saudi Arabia Accountability Act of 2003 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Government of Saudi Arabia must immediately and unconditionally: (1) provide complete, unrestricted, and unobstructed cooperation to the United States in the investigation of terror groups and individuals; (2) close permanently all organizations in Saudi Arabia that fund, train, incite, encourage, or in any way aid and abet terrorism anywhere in the world; (3) end all funding for terror organizations outside Saudi Arabia ("offshore terror organizations"); and (4) block all funding from private Saudi citizens and entities to Saudi-based or offshore terror organizations. Directs the President to certify to Congress that the Government of Saudi Arabia is fully cooperating with the United States in investigating and preventing terrorist attacks, has closed permanently all Saudi-based terror organizations, has ended funding for any offshore terror organization, and has made all efforts to block funding from private Saudi citizens and entities to offshore terror organizations. Requires the President to prohibit certain exports to Saudi Arabia and restrict travel of certain Saudi diplomats if the President cannot certify that the Government of Saudi Arabia has taken the measures required by this Act to combat terrorism. Allows the President to waive such sanctions if the President determines that it is in the national security interest to do so.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Expresses: (1) condolences and deepest sympathy to the families of the young women killed in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, since 1993, many of whom appear to be victims of one or more serial murders; and (2) the solidarity of the people of the United States with the people of Mexico in the face of these tragic and senseless acts. Recognizes the courageous struggle of the victims' families in seeking justice for them. Condemns: (1) the abductions and murders of such young women in Ciudad Juarez and the city of Chihuahua; (2) the use of torture as a means of investigation into these crimes; and (3) all senseless acts of violence in all parts of the world and violence against women in particular. Urges the President and Secretary of State to express: (1) concern over these abductions and murders to the Government of Mexico and to request that the investigative and preventative efforts of such Government become part of the bilateral agenda between the Governments of Mexico and the United States; and (2) support for the efforts of the victims' families to seek justice for the victims, to express concern relating to the continued harassment of these families and the human rights defenders with which they work, and to express concern with respect to impediments in the ability of the families to receive prompt and accurate information in their cases. Supports multilateral efforts to create a DNA database that would allow families to positively identify the remains of the victims and encourages the Secretary to facilitate U.S. participation in such database. Encourages the Secretary to: (1) include in the Department of State's annual Country Report on Human Rights all instances of improper investigatory methods, threats against human rights activists, and the use of torture with respect to cases involving the murder and abduction of young women in the State of Chihuahua; and (2) urge the Government of Mexico to ensure fair and proper judicial proceedings for the individuals accused of these abductions and murders and to impose appropriate punishment for those individuals subsequently determined to be guilty of such crimes. Recommends that the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico visit Ciudad Juarez and the city of Chihuahua to meet with the victims' families, women's rights organizations, and Mexican Federal and State officials responsible for investigating these crimes and preventing future such crimes.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Affirms congressional support for preserving President Franklin D. Roosevelt's profile on the dime because of his innumerable contributions to and lasting impact on the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2003
Safe and Fair Enforcement and Recall for Meat, Poultry and Food Act or SAFER Meat, Poultry and Food Act - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to: (1) require a person, other than a household consumer, who has reason to believe meat, poultry, or food products to be adulterated or misbranded to so notify the Secretary of Agriculture; and (2) provide the Secretary with authority for voluntary and mandatory nondistribution and recall, withdrawal of inspectors from violating facilities, and civil penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2003
Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area Act - Establishes the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area in Illinois. Designates the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition as the management entity for the Area. Allows the Coalition, using funds made available under this Act, to prepare a management plan for the Area and reports, studies, interpretive exhibits and programs, historic preservation projects, and other activities recommended in the plan. Prohibits the Coalition from using Federal funds received under this Act to acquire real property. Directs the Coalition to submit to the Secretary of the Interior a management plan reviewed by participating units of government within the Area's boundaries which shall, among other things: (1) contain a comprehensive program for conservation, interpretation, funding, management, and development and historical, cultural, and natural resources and recreational and educational opportunities of the Area; and (2) include a business plan detailing the functions of the local coordinating entity and of activities included in recommendations contained in the plan. Requires the Secretary to approve or disapprove the proposed plan not later than 90 days after receiving it. Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical and financial assistance to the Coalition for the development and implementation of the management plan. Requires the Coalition to provide assistance and encouragement to State and local governments, private organizations, and persons to protect and promote the Area's resources and values.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2003
Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act - Requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to carry out a recovery program for southern sea otter populations along the coast of California. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop a Southern Sea Otter Health Assessment Plan; (2) collect and analyze tissue samples from southern sea otters; and (3) submit the tissue to the Secretary of Commerce for inclusion in the National Marine Mammal Tissue Bank to allow for managed access to such tissues by other researchers. Requires the Secretary to: (1) award competitive grants to support research regarding southern sea otters; and (2) establish the Southern Sea Otter Recovery Implementation Team to make recommendations on overall southern sea otter recovery program administration and research goals, as well as funding of scientific research, serve as a link between the recovery program and stakeholders, and review the recommendations of the Southern Sea Otter Recovery Scientific Advisory Committee. Requires the Secretary to establish the Southern Sea Otter Recovery Scientific Advisory Committee to evaluate and make recommendations to the Team regarding the scientific merit and quality of southern sea otter research funding proposals.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2003
Expresses the outrage of the House of Representatives that the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has reneged on its pledge and is abandoning seniors by supporting the Republican Medicare prescription drug bill. Urges seniors to hold the AARP accountable for its actions. Urges AARP to reverse its decision immediately and oppose the Republican prescription drug bill.
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 · 19 November 2003
Labor Recruiter Accountability Act of 2003 - Requires foreign labor contractors (recruiters) and employers to accurately inform foreign workers of specified terms and conditions of their employment at the time they are recruited. Requires such information to be provided in written form in English or, as necessary and reasonable, in the language of the worker being recruited. Prohibits charging fees to workers for recruitment. Requires employers to pay such a worker's transportation costs, including subsistence costs during the period of travel: (1) from the place of recruitment to the place of employment; and (2) from the place of employment to the worker's place of permanent residence. Requires employers to notify the Secretary of Labor of the identity of: (1) any recruiter involved in any foreign labor contractor activity for or on behalf of the employer; and (2) any such recruiter whose activities do not comply with this Act. Subjects employers to the civil remedies of this Act for violations committed by such recruiters to the same extent as if the employers had committed the violations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) maintain a public list of recruiters whom the Secretary knows or believes have been involved in violations of this Act; and (2) provide a procedure for removal of a recruiter's name from the list upon demonstration that such recruiter has not been in violation in the previous five years. Provides for criminal fines and imprisonment for knowing violations. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) assess civil fines; and (2) seek injunctive relief and specific performance of contractual obligations to assure employer compliance. Provides that rights and remedies under this Act are in addition to any other contractual or statutory rights and remedies of workers who are subject to foreign labor contracting activity.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2003
Hepatitis C Epidemic Control and Prevention Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and implement a plan for the prevention, control, and management of hepatitis C virus (HCV), which shall include strategies for education and training, surveillance and early detection, and research. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a biennial plan assessment; (2) support voluntary State, local, and tribal HCV testing and counseling programs; (3) provide for the vaccination of HCV-infected individuals against hepatitis A and B and other infectious diseases; (4) support the establishment and maintenance of HCV surveillance databases; and (5) establish and support a Hepatitis C Clinical Research Network. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to States, political subdivisions of States, Indian tribes, or nonprofit entities to carry out activities under this Act. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health to establish a Liver Disease Research Advisory Board.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2003
Condemns the terrorist attacks in Istanbul, Turkey, on November 15, 2003. Expresses condolences to the families of the individuals murdered in the attacks and expresses sympathies to the individuals injured. Conveys hope for the rapid and complete recovery of all such injured individuals. Urges the United States, Turkey, and all other countries to stand united against terrorism that targets the civilized world and to work together to bring to justice the perpetrators of such attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2003
International Human Rights Equality Resolution - Condemns all violations of internationally recognized human rights norms based on the real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity of an individual. Recognizes that the protection of sexual orientation and gender identity is not a special category of human rights, but is fully embedded in the overall human rights norms set forth in international law, including the international conventions to which the United States is a party. Affirms that: (1) human rights abuses abroad based on sexual orientation and gender identity should be punished without discrimination and classified as crimes; and (2) such violations should be given the same consideration and concern as human rights abuses based on other grounds. Commends the United Nations and nongovernmental human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, for documenting the ongoing abuses of human rights on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Calls on the Department of State to: (1) continue to improve its documentation of human rights abuses on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity; (2) give such violations the same consideration and concern as all other human rights abuses; and (3) develop a comprehensive strategy to combat such abuses abroad.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2003
Improving Homeownership Opportunities in High-Cost States Act - Amends the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act (Freddie Mac) to include among the exceptions to the prohibition that an outstanding mortgage cannot exceed 80 percent of the securing property's value for a residential mortgage those properties located in a State containing any high-cost metropolitan statistical area (or portion thereof). Bases such high-cost determination on specified quarterly average one-family home prices.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2003
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2008, the duty on 486 paint based on aqueous vinyl polymer.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2003
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2008, the duty on 786 neutral vinyl acetate polymer in aqueous solution.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2003
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2008, the duty on 586 intermediate blended colorants in aqueous solution.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2003
States that the House of Representatives: (1) recognizes the horrific effects of obstetric fistulas on the lives of women who experience them as they seek to become mothers; and (2) urges the appropriate Federal agencies to work with foreign agencies and organizations to implement programs to provide maternal health care, especially the prevention and treatment of obstetric fistulas.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2003
Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 to direct the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the American Battlefield Protection Program, to establish an acquisition grant program for battlefields and associated sites identified in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Historic Preservation Study (battlefield report). Authorizes the Secretary to provide grants to States or local governments (eligible entities) to pay the Federal share of the cost of acquiring such sites. Permits eligible entities to acquire an interest in eligible sites using such grants in partnership with nonprofit organizations. Requires the non-Federal share of the cost of acquisition of eligible sites to be not less than 50 percent of the total. Subjects acquired property to the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act's prohibition against conversion to other than public outdoor recreation uses without the Secretary's approval. Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress a report on activities carried out under this Act and updates to the battlefield report.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2003
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member. Directs the Secretary to reimburse such eligible persons for pharmacy benefits received from a pharmacy that is not a TRICARE (Department of Defense managed health care plan) network pharmacy in the same manner as the Secretary would reimburse such person for such benefits received from a TRICARE network pharmacy. Requires such persons, in order to receive such reimbursement, to submit a certification from their physician stating that the person does not have access to a TRICARE network pharmacy due to physical or medical constraints. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive the monthly part B premium (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) with respect to: (1) an individual who is entitled to military retired or retainer pay based upon service that began before December 7, 1956; and (2) the spouse, widow, or widower of such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2003
Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act - States that the purpose of this Act is to improve minority health and healthcare and to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health and healthcare. FamilyCare Act of 2003 - Amends the Social Security Act respecting: (1) family care; (2) Medicaid coverage for all residents with poverty level incomes; and (3) funding for the territories. Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to provide for optional coverage of legal immigrants under Medicaid and SCHIP (State children's health insurance program). Amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to revise provisions respecting program operations and funding. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a demonstration project to strengthen Medicaid and SCHIP coverage for migrant workers and farmworkers. Establishes the National Commission for Expanded Access to Health Care. Amends the Public Service Health Act to improve limited English speakers' access to health care. Directs the Secretary to establish a Center for Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Healthcare. Provides for health workforce diversity, including provisions respecting: (1) career training and support; (2) data collection; (3) cultural training; (4) Hispanic-serving health professions schools; (5) student assistance, including online degree programs; (6) the Louis Stokes public health scholars program; (7) the Patsy Mink health and gender research fellowship program; (8) the Paul David Wellstone international health fellowship program; and (9) the Edward R. Roybal Healthcare scholar program. Environmental Justice Act of 2003 - Establishes: (1) the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice which shall provide guidance to Federal agencies for identifying disproportionately high and adverse health and environmental effects on minority, low-income, and Native American populations; and (2) the Federal Environmental Justice Advisory Committee which shall advise the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Working Group on areas environmental justice. Border Health Security Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary, through the United States members of the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission, to award grants to eligible entities to improve the health of border area residents that are established by: (1) the United States members of the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission; (2) the State border health offices; and (3) the Secretary. Amends the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission Act to make permanent authorizations of appropriations for activities under such Act. Patient Navigator, Outreach, and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to public and nonprofit private health centers (including Indian Health Service Centers, tribal governments, urban Indian organizations, tribal organizations, clinics serving Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and Alaska Natives, and rural health clinics) for model programs that provide health disparity populations with: (1) cancer and chronic disease prevention and treatment; (2) patient navigators to manage the care of individuals within such groups; and (3) outreach services. Authorizes similar grant programs through: (1) the National Cancer Institute; and (2) the Indian Health Service. Community Health Workers Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States or local or tribal units to promote positive health behaviors for women in target populations, especially racial and ethnic minority women in medically underserved communities. Extends funding for breast and cervical cancer preventive health measures. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to qualifying health centers, nonprofit organizations, and public institutions for cancer treatment and prevention programs for underserved minority and other populations, with consideration given to such population's language and cultural context. Provides for grants and activities respecting: (1) health empowerment zone programs in health disparity communities; (2) the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative; (3) infant mortality and sudden infant death syndrome rates in minority communities; (4) fetal alcohol syndrome treatment and diagnosis; (5) diabetes prevention and treatment activities with Indian tribes, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians; (6) diabetes programs, including youth and children's programs; (7) heart disease; (8) a national stroke education campaign; and (9) obesity treatment and prevention in underserved minority populations; (10) tuberculosis control and prevention; (11) asthma; (12) sickle cell disease; (13) autoimmune disease in minority populations; (14) sexually transmitted diseases; (15) children's dental disease coverage under Medicaid or SCHIP, and dental health services in underserved areas; (16) demonstration projects to reduce violence; (17) uterine fibroid research and education; (18) disease screening; (19) community outreach; (20) immunizations; (21) chronic disease management; and (22) racial and ethnic approaches to community health. Requires HHS funded or operated programs to collect race, ethnicity, and language data to detect ethnic and racial health care disparities. Authorizes demonstration program grants for health plan, health center, and hospital data collection. Amends the Social Security Act to require the Social Security Administration to collect similar data. Directs the Secretary to fund epidemiology centers in Indian health areas lacking such centers. Extends funding for the National Center for Health Statistics. Minority Health and Genomics Act of 2003 - Establishes the Minority Health and Genomics Commission, which shall conduct a study of, and develop recommendations on, issues relating to genomic research as applied to minority groups. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) civil rights compliance offices within each HHS agency that administers a health program; and (2) an Office of Minority Health within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Establishes the Indian Health Service as an agency of the Public Health Service. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to establish an Office of Minority Affairs within the Office of the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to make grants for demonstration programs to improve minority healthcare access and quality. Directs the Secretary to: (1) designate centers of excellence at hospitals and other health systems serving large numbers of minority patients; (2) provide financial assistance to designated healthcare providers and community health centers for facility and service improvements in American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii; and (3) provide grants and loan guarantees from the Health Safety Net Infrastructure Trust Fund (established by this Act) for capital financing assistance to eligible healthcare facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2003
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Secretary of Health and Human Services has the authority to determine that dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids are dangerous and should be taken off the market.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2003
Menu Education and Labeling Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require restaurants that are part of a chain of at least 20 outlets doing business under the same trade name to provide the total number of calories, grams of saturated fat plus trans fat, and milligrams of sodium adjacent to any item on menus in a clear and conspicuous manner. Requires vending machines and restaurant menu boards to display the total number of calories of each item. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to propose implementing regulations within 12 months of the enactment of this Act. Permits restaurants to provide additional nutritional information. Allows States and local governments to require additional nutritional information.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2003
Veterans Mental Health and Back-to-Work Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in providing veterans' rehabilitative services, to furnish: (1) work skills training and development; (2) employment support; and (3) job development and placement. Revises provisions establishing the Committee on Care of Severely Chronically Mentally Ill Veterans to: (1) redesignate such Committee as the Committee on Care of Veterans With Serious Mental Illness; and (2) require in its annual report an assessment of how the veterans' rehabilitative services programs are serving veterans with mental illness.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2003
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a grants program to reduce class size through the use of fully-qualified teachers. Allots funds to States and local educational agencies to recruit, hire, and train additional teachers, in order to: (1) reduce class sizes nationally, in grades one through three, to an average of 18 students per classroom; and (2) improve teaching in those grades so that all students can learn to read independently and well by the end of the third grade.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2003
School Nutrition Enhancement Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to phase out reduced price lunches and breakfasts by phasing in increases in income eligibility for free lunches and breakfasts by specified increments from 130 percent of the Office of Management and Budget nonfarm income poverty guidelines for July 1, 2003, to 185 percent of such guidelines for July 1, 2008, and every subsequent school year.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2003
Alzheimer's Treatment and Caregiver Support Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to expand treatment services for patients with Alzheimer's disease and training and support services for families and caregivers. Obligates specified funds for medically underserved communities.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2003
Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act - Prohibits an individual from killing, hazing, or capturing any buffalo on Federal lands or land held under Federal conservation easements or using any form of bait to lure buffalo from any Federal land onto private land until the Secretary of the Interior and other appropriate Federal agencies carry out specified duties. Establishes fines and criminal penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2003
Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2003 or Johanna's Law - Directs The Secretary of Health and Human Services: (1) through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in collaboration with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to carry out a national campaign to increase the awareness and knowledge of women with respect to gynecologic cancers; and (2) through NIH and the Director, to carry out a demonstration program with nonprofit private entities to test different outreach and education strategies to increase such awareness among women and health care providers.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2003
Post Office Community Partnership Act of 2003 - Modifies Federal postal law to revise requirements for the closing or consolidation of a post office and apply them, as well, to its proposed closing, consolidation, relocation, or construction. Requires a 60-day notice, under certain conditions, to persons (including local government officials) who are (or would be) served by the post office involved to allow such individuals an opportunity to present their views before such proposed action. Requires the notice: (1) by the deadline, to be hand delivered or delivered by mail and published once a week for at least four weeks in one or more newspapers regularly issued and of general circulation within the zip code areas which are (or would be) served by the post office involved; and (2) to include a description of the proposed action, a summary of the reasons for it, and the date on which the action is to be taken (or, in the case of the construction of a post office, the proposed timetable). Revises the factors to be considered in deciding whether or not to take such proposed actions. Requires the Postal Service to follow a community's public participation procedures to address the relocation, closing, consolidation, or construction of buildings in the community if such procedures are more stringent than those provided in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2003
Firefighters Medical Monitoring Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, to monitor the long-term medical health of firefighters who have fought fires in any area for which the President has declared a major disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Bridges to the Cuban People Act of 2003 - Exempts from the embargo on trade with Cuba (including prohibitions under the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 against the unloading at a U.S. port of vessels that previously entered a Cuban port to engage in trade) the export of any agricultural commodity, farm machinery or equipment, medicine, medical device, assistive technology device, personal care products, or products intended for the exclusive use by children, or any travel incident to the sale or delivery of such items. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report on export promotion and credit programs for Cuba. Prohibits the President from prohibiting or regulating travel to or from or within Cuba by U.S. nationals or lawful resident aliens, including specified transactions ordinarily incident to such travel, financial or otherwise. Authorizes the President to provide scholarships, with funds under the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 for Cuban nationals who seek to undertake graduate study in public health, public policy, economics, law, or other field of social science. Authorizes the President to waive certain sanctions against, and restrictions on assistance to, Cuba, including the exclusion from the United States of certain aliens who have confiscated property in Cuba of U.S. nationals or who traffic in such property, if he determines that it will promote the peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba or will further U.S. national economic interests. Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from limiting the amount of remittances to Cuba that any U.S. person may make. Authorizes the import into the United States of a Cuban-originated medical article if the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines that there is a medical need in the United States for such article that is not being met by any medicine or medical device in commercial distribution in the United States. Repeals a prohibition, under the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999, on certain transactions or payments with respect to U.S. intellectual property. Requires the U.S. Postal Service to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba. Amends the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 to provide for expedited security checks for certain visiting Cubans. Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to, from, or within Cuba by U.S. persons for the purpose of engaging in or financing motion picture or television projects, or engaging in music recording projects, or any transactions incidental to such travel. Removes certain restrictions under specified Federal laws in order to allow Cuban nationals to come to the United States to play organized professional sports.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Veterans Home Loan Prepayment Protection Act of 2003 - Provides that the prepayment in full by a veteran of a home loan guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs after enactment of this Act shall be credited on the date of its receipt at the business location of the mortgage lender, and no interest may be charged thereafter. Permits prepayment through such means as cash, a cashier's check, a certified check, electronic transfer of funds, or such other means routinely accceptable for payment by the residential mortgage lender.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Security and Financial Empowerment Act - Sets forth entitlement standards and implementation guidelines for employee use of emergency leave to address domestic or sexual violence. Permits victims of domestic or sexual violence to substitute existing leave in lieu of emergency leave. Authorizes State use of funds under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) to provide nonrecurrent short-term emergency benefits for emergency leave precipitated by domestic or sexual violence . Amends the Internal Revenue Code relating to approval of State unemployment compensation laws to prohibit denial of compensation where an individual is separated from employment due to circumstances resulting from the individual's experience of domestic or sexual violence. Amends the Social Security Act to include training under this Act for unemployment compensation and TANF personnel. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award a grant to a national victim services organization to develop and disseminate a model program for domestic and sexual violence training. Victims' Employment Sustainability Act - Prohibits certain discriminatory employer practices relating to terms or conditions of employment in connection with victims of domestic or sexual violence. Victims of Abuse Insurance Protection Act - Prohibits denial or restriction of insurance coverage based on the status of the applicant or insured regarding abuse or abuse-related claims. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business related credit for 40 percent of an employer's costs for implementing workplace safety and education programs relating to domestic and sexual violence. Authorizes the Attorney General to provide a grant for a clearinghouse and resource center to provide information and assistance to employers, labor organizations, and advocates on behalf of victims of domestic or sexual violence.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Healthy Children Through Better Nutrition Act of 2003 - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (CNA) to reauthorize various programs, including the national school lunch and breakfast, child and adult care food, after-school snack, summer food service, and special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC). Revises requirements relating to eligibility for and access to such programs. Establishes programs for: (1) year-round community child nutrition; (2) school meals improvements grants; and (3) free fruit and vegetables at schools. Expands eligibility for free meals. Makes homeless children and youth automatically eligible for free lunches and breakfasts. Lowers area eligibility thresholds under the child and adult care food programs and the summer food service program. Provides for direct certification of children as eligible for free meals, without further application, based on their being in households receiving assistance under the food stamp program or the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program under title IV part A of the Social Security Act, and through other means-tested programs. Provides for categorical eligibility for recipients of other means-tested benefits. Revises the summer food service program to make it a permanent rather than a pilot program, and to provide startup and expansion grants. Revises school breakfast programs to provide: (1) startup and expansion grants; and (2) universal secondary school breakfast pilot projects. Provides commodity assistance for school breakfast, as well as school lunch, programs. Revises the child and adult care food program to provide for nutrition education pilot programs. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to establish a year-round community child nutrition program. Requires local educational agencies (LEAs) participating in school meals programs to establish school nutrition policies that at a minimum ensure that operational responsibility for school food services includes approval of all foods sold on campus, excluding occasional sales. Revises prohibitions and restrictions on competitive foods sold within food service areas. Revises requirements for nutritional reviews. Authorizes the Secretary to make school meals improvement grants to State educational agencies. Directs the Secretary to carry out an expanded pilot program for availability of free fruits and vegetables throughout the schoolday. Revises the system of nutrition education grants to SEAs to provide Team Nutrition Network (TNN) program grants to States for various State and local community activities, including subgrants to schools and school food authorities to carry out nutrition education activities at the local level. Requires schools to serve milk in a variety of fat contents. Permits soy milk to be included as a fluid milk option if the Secretary determines it to be nutritionally equivalent and to meet nutritional standards. Revises certification requirements for WIC program participation to: (1) allow a State to certify breastfeeding women for up to one year or until they stop breastfeeding, whichever is earlier; and (2) modify physical presence requirements. Expands the definition of nutrition education under WIC to include not only dietary habits but related matters such as physical activity, parenting, and child development. Directs the Secretary to engage the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine every ten years to reevaluate the supplemental foods available in the WIC program and recommend changes. Extends through FY 2009 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) the WIC program; (2) WIC nutrition services and administrative funds; and (3) WIC farmers' market nutrition program. Directs the Secretary to make competitive grants to private nonprofit entities and educational institutions to establish and carry out Farm-to-Cafeteria projects to improve access to local foods in schools and institutions receiving funds under NSLA and CNA (except the WIC program, which already has a WIC Farmers Market Nutrition program). Requires States to amend their plans to describe how funds for State administrative expenses will be used for technology and information management systems (TIMS), and how they will use such systems to improve program integrity in certain ways. Directs the Secretary to make funds available, on a competitive basis, to provide for grants to schools and school food authorities to purchase or upgrade TIMS for use in NSLA or CNA programs. Directs the Secretary to develop policy and establish procedures regarding the purchase, distribution, notice of consumption, and provision of information regarding irradiated foods in Federal school meals programs. Extends through FY 2009 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) State administrative expenses (CNA); (2) the commodity distribution program; (3) training, technical assistance, and food service management institute (NSLA); and (4) accommodation of the special dietary needs of individuals with disabilities (NSLA). Reauthorizes through FY 2009 the exclusion of military housing allowances from consideration as income in determining eligibility for free or reduced price lunches.
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 · 30 October 2003
California FIRE Act - Authorizes emergency supplemental appropriations for FY 2004 to the Department of Homeland Security, Emergency Preparedness and Response Disaster Relief, for "Disaster Relief" activities associated with the California wildfires.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Truthfulness, Responsibility, and Accountability in Contracting Act of 2003 - Requires the head of each Federal agency to submit to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget a certification that a contracting function decision was based on a public-private competition and that the agency: (1) has established a centralized reporting system; (2) is not managing Federal employees by any arbitrary limitations; and (3) is reviewing work performed by contractors, recompeting or contracting in work when appropriate, and subjecting to public-private competition a certain number of Federal employee and contractor positions. Prohibits the head of an agency from entering into any contract for the performance of services until the Director, after reviewing the certification required, determines that the agency is making substantial progress toward meeting requirements under this Act. Allows the Director to waive the applicability of this Act for national security and other specified reasons. Requires that any decision by an agency to either transfer the performance of a function from Federal employees to a contractor or to assign to a contractor the performance of a function not currently performed by Federal employees to be based on the results of a public-private competition process that formally compares the costs of Federal employee versus contractor performance. Directs the Comptroller General to monitor agency compliance with this Act. Authorizes: (1) the Secretaries of Defense and of Homeland Security to waive the application of the public-private competition requirements under specified circumstances; and (2) the Director to carry out a limited pilot program regarding the use of alternative public-private competition processes.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Commends the firefighters and public servants who participated in responding to the October 2003 wildfires in southern California for their dedicated service to the people of California.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Urges the Government of Iran to eliminate religious, educational, and employment discrimination against the members of the Bahai Faith. Urges the reestablishment of Bahai institutions and the return of all confiscated Bahai properties. Urges the United States and other countries, including the United Nations, to pursue an end to human rights violations in Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Recognizes a day dedicated to A Tribute to Survivors at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and devoted to programs about and for the survivors of the Holocaust. Commends the Museum for its first decade of education dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Endeavors to continue to support the Museum's vital work. Requests that this resolution be duly recorded in the Museum's official records.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Federal Government has a responsibility to further research on von Willebrand's disease, improve access to treatment centers for all individuals with bleeding disorders, and increase funding for research; (2) the Director of the National Institutes of Health should develop a 5-year research plan concerning women with bleeding disorders; (3) the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should continue to improve outreach, treatment, and prevention of the complications of women's bleeding disorders; (4) physicians should screen all adolescents and all adult women presenting with severe menorrhagia for von Willebrand's disease; (5) hysterectomy for excessive menstrual bleeding should not be performed without the consideration of a bleeding disorder; (6) referral of women with bleeding disorders to a federally sponsored hemophilia treatment center is critical to comprehensive treatment; (7) physicians should be encouraged to conduct clotting factor assays for carrier diagnosis and to facilitate genotyping of the disorder and patients should be referred for genetic counseling when appropriate; and (8) patient advocate organizations and medical specialty societies should continue to collaborate on public education campaigns to educate women about bleeding disorders.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2003
Student Loan Interest Full Deductibility Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the limitations on the maximum amount of the deduction of interest on education loans.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2003
Dietary Supplement Access and Awareness Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require reports to the Secretary of Health and Human Services by: (1) manufacturers and processors of dietary supplements respecting dietary supplement product listing (including labeling, ingredient, and discontinuance information); and (2) manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements respecting serious adverse experiences resulting from a supplement's use (requires manufacturer or distributor investigation of such occurrence). Authorizes the Secretary to require a manufacturer to: (1) provide postmarket surveillance if there is a reasonable possibility of a supplement causing adverse health consequences; and (2) demonstrate that a supplement is not adulterated if the Secretary has reasonable grounds for believing that a supplement may be adulterated (permits distribution during such demonstration period unless determined to be an imminent public health hazard, and requires a final determination of adulteration by the Secretary). Deems a supplement as adulterated for noncompliance with such safety demonstration provisions. Authorizes the Secretary to make a determination that a dietary supplement may pose a significant risk to individuals under the age of 18, and prohibit (as misbranded while held for sale) the supplement's sale to such individuals. Includes among prohibited acts failure to comply with the requirements added by this Act (other than safety demonstration requirements). Extends inspection authority to records, controls, and facilities related to a determination of supplement adulteration. Directs the Secretary to carry out dietary supplement education programs for health care professionals and consumers.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2003
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) unequivocally condemns the damaging rhetoric of Lieutenant General William G. Boykin, United States Army, which has promoted hateful stereotypes of the religion of Islam; and (2) reaffirms the remarks made by President George W. Bush on October 24, 2003, that "Islam is a peaceful religion, and people who practice the Islamic faith have made great contributions to our Nation and the world." .
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2003
Recognizes the contributions of over three-quarters of a million part-time and adjunct faculty, full-time non-tenure-track faculty, and graduate employees who teach in colleges and universities across the United States. Supports: (1) the efforts of organizations to raise public awareness of the conditions in which these contingent employees work; and (2) solutions which provide fair and equitable treatment for contingent employees in higher education and promote the return to a significant and stable corps of full-time, tenure-track faculty in U.S. institutions of higher education.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the plight of Jewish refugees from Arab countries should be recognized and included in any settlement of the Middle East conflict or as part of any agreement regarding the issue of refugees; (2) the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) should establish a program and timetable for resettling all of the Palestinian refugees; (3) the UNRWA should immediately replace anti-Semitic and anti-Israel educational materials used in the UNRWA education system and take steps to ensure that UNRWA facilities are not being used to store weapons; and (4) Arab countries should accept a meaningful number of refugees and take a larger role in financing UNRWA.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Unaccompanied Alien Child Protection Act of 2003 - Establishes procedures for immigration officers who find an unaccompanied alien child at a U.S. land border or point of entry who is a national or habitual resident of a contiguous country. Establishes that other unaccompanied alien children, including trafficking victims, shall be in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, except that such children who threaten U.S. security or who are charged with or have been convicted of a felony shall be in the care of the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security. Sets forth a family reunification preference order. Prohibits, with an exception for violent children, detention in adult or delinquent children facilities. Directs the Office to develop procedures for detention and prohibited detention practices. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Government should ensure that it does not repatriate children in its custody into life- and safety-threatening settings. Directs the Secretary of State to include in the annual State Department Country Report on Human Rights an assessment of the degree to which each country protects children from smugglers and traffickers. Directs the Office, with respect to unaccompanied alien children in the custody of the Office or the Department of Homeland Security, to: (1) develop age determination procedures; and (2) provide immigration counsel. Directs the Executive Office for Immigration Review to develop model guidelines for legal representation of children. Authorizes the Office to provide that each unaccompanied child have a guardian ad litem. Requires the Office to implement a pilot program for the appointment of guardians ad litem. Amends special immigrant juvenile provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Expresses congressional commendation of the Immigration and Naturalization Service' s issuance of its "Guidelines for Children's Asylum Claims." Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide immigration officers with related training. Exempts unaccompanied alien children from certain removal and asylum provisions. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to set forth additional responsibilities and authorities of the Office with respect to unaccompanied alien children.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Prevention, Awareness, and Research Auto-Immune Disease Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide grants through the Centers for Disease Control to conduct public and professional awareness activities regarding autoimmune diseases, including lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia. Provides grants through the Health Resources and Services Administration for the education of health care providers on potential links between autoimmune diseases and cognitive and mood disorders such as depression. Establishes a research program where qualified physicians agree to conduct research concerning autoimmune diseases in exchange for student loan repayment.