United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2003
Foster Care Reform Commission Act - Establishes the Foster Care Reform Commission to study and report to the President, Congress, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the ongoing foster care crisis in the United States as well as individual efforts undertaken by States, localities, and through privately administered foster care programs. Requires the Commission, in reviewing such efforts, to determine a list of best practices that would help advance safe and reliable foster care in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2003
Rite of Passage Community Service Act - Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish a Rite of Passage Community Service Program. Requires such program to be a community-based after-school and summer service corps for eligible young people who are between the ages of 12 and 16, inclusive, at the time they begin such service. Requires such program to offer participants service-learning curricula linked to academic goals, as well as opportunities for: (1) service in their communities; (2) activities that train in certain critical skills; and (3) working with older AmeriCorps members who can organize service projects and act as mentors. Requires each individual program participant to: (1) agree to participate in such after-school or summer program for at least 150 hours during a period of at least two months and not more than one year; and (2) receive a $500 education award upon completion of such required hours of service.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2003
Comprehensive Tuberculosis Elimination Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prescribe composition requirements for the Advisory Council for the Elimination of Tuberculosis, and direct it to make recommendations on: (1) a national plan to eliminate tuberculosis in the United States; and (2) a plan to guide U.S. involvement in global tuberculosis-control activities, with a focus on high incidence countries and on access to a comprehensive package of tuberculosis control measures. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, directly or through grants, to carry out tuberculosis research, demonstration projects, and public information and education programs. Authorizes the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to make awards: (1) to faculty of schools of medicine or osteopathic medicine to support the development of high quality curricula to assist interested individuals in learning the principles and practices of preventing, managing, and controlling tuberculosis; and (2) to support the career development of clinically trained professionals committed to pulmonary infection research. Requires the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of NIH to work to develop a tuberculosis vaccine. Requires the John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences to carry out an international training program regarding tuberculosis. Requires the Secretary to ensure that a portion of funds appropriated to repay the education loans of qualified health professionals, researchers from disadvantaged backgrounds, and pediatric researchers is reserved for contracts with individuals who research tuberculosis.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2003
Stop Tuberculosis (TB) Now Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the President to provide assistance for the prevention, treatment and control of tuberculosis. Requires the President to: (1) coordinate with specified health agencies worldwide to develop and implement a comprehensive tuberculosis control program; (2) set as a goal the detection of at least 70 percent of the cases of infectious tuberculosis, the cure of at least 85 percent of the cases detected, and the reduction of tuberculosis-related deaths by 50 percent by December 31, 2010; (3) give priority to activities that increase Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) coverage (World Health Organization-recommended strategy for treating tuberculosis) and treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis using DOTS-Plus; (4) expend at least 75 percent of the allocated funds on antituberculosis drugs, supplies, direct patient service, and training in diagnosis and treatment of DOTS and DOTS-Plus; (5) expend at least 10 percent of the allocated funds on a U.S. contribution to the Global Tuberculosis Drug Facility. Authorizes appropriations for global tuberculosis activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2003 - Amends Federal firearms provisions to revise the definition of "semiautomatic assault weapon" (SAW) to include conversion kits (for converting a firearm to a SAW) and any semiautomatic rifle or pistol that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and that has any one of the following characteristics, respectively: (1) a folding or telescoping stock, a threaded barrel, a pistol grip, a forward grip, or a barrel shroud; or (2) a second pistol grip, a threaded barrel, a barrel shroud, or the capacity to accept a detachable magazine at a location outside of the pistol grip. Amends: (1) the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to reauthorize the assault weapons ban and add new restrictions; and (2) the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act to repeal the sunset provision regarding restrictions on large capacity ammunition feeding devices (LCAFDs) and on specified SAWs. Modifies the exemptions from the Brady Act's prohibition against manufacturing, transferring, or possessing a semiautomatic assault weapon to exclude: (1) specified firearms, or replicas or duplicates, as manufactured on October 1, 1993; (2) any semiautomatic rifle that cannot accept a detachable magazine that holds more than five rounds; and (3) any semiautomatic shotgun that cannot hold more than five rounds in a fixed or detachable magazine. Prohibits the transfer of a SAW except through a licensed dealer or a State or local law enforcement agency, subject to specified requirements. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish and maintain a record of the make, model, and date of manufacture of any SAW which the Attorney General is made aware has been used in relation to a crime, and of the nature and circumstances of the crime involved; and (2) annually submit the record to Congress and make the record available to the public. Prohibits: (1) the transfer of any assault weapon with an LCAFD; and (2) a licensed manufacturer, importer, or dealer who transfers an LCAFD that was manufactured on or before September 13, 1994, from failing to certify to the Attorney General, within 60 days of the transfer date, that the device was manufactured on or before that date. Sets penalties for violations. Prohibits: (1) the transfer of a SAW or an LCAFD to a juvenile; and (2) the importation of an LCAFD.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Asthmatic Schoolchildren's Treatment and Health Management Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in making any asthma-related grant to a State educational agency or a local educational agency, to give preference to any such agencies in States that require schools to allow students to self-administer medication to treat that student's asthma or anaphylaxis. Expresses: (1) the sense of Congress regarding the strategies identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for addressing asthma within a coordinated school health program; and (2) the support of Congress for the goals and ideals of such strategies.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team Implementation Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to fully implement, by September 30, 2004, requirements under the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 that the Secretary: (1) establish 23 additional Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams, for a total of 55; and (2) ensure that at least one such team is established in each State and territory. Increases the authorized end strengths for full-time Army and Air National Guard personnel as of September 30, 2004, in order to meet such requirements. Provides funding through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Hurricane, Tornado, and Related Hazards Research Act - Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish an Interagency Group to be responsible for the development and implementation of a coordinated Federal windstorm and related hazards reduction research, development, and technology transfer program (the Windstorm and Related Hazard Impact Reduction Program) based on identified public needs to achieve major measurable reductions in losses within ten years. Requires that such program feature: (1) pertinent basic and applied research that takes into account locality-specific weather, susceptibility to natural hazards, design and construction practices, and performance of the built environment during windstorms and related hazards; (2) systematic collection of data for buildings and other structures for use in developing and deploying mitigation measures; (3) an ongoing program of information dissemination on cost-effective and affordable hazard reduction research results and hazard-resistant building construction techniques to industry, State and local governments, and the general public; and (4) improved technology for loss estimation, risk assessment, hazard identification, prediction, warnings, advanced planning, and disaster response. Requires the Interagency Group to develop and submit to Congress a ten-year implementation plan. Requires the Director to prepare, with other program agencies, an annual program budget. Establishes a National Advisory Committee to review progress made under the Program, advise on any improvements, and report to Congress on actions that have been taken to advance the Nation's capability to reduce windstorm and related hazard impacts.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Recognizes the historical struggle for independence and freedom of the Mexican people (at the Battle of Puebla as commemorated on the Mexican national holiday of Cinco de Mayo).
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2003
Public Housing Drug Elimination Program Reauthorization Act of 2003 - Amends the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 to authorize appropriations for the assisted housing drug elimination program. Limits activities for programs designed to reduce drug use in and around assisted low-income housing to: (1) providing drug abuse treatment through rehabilitation or relapse prevention; (2) providing education about the dangers and consequences of drug use or violent crime; (3) identifying drug users, and assisting drug use discontinuance through education or treatment programs; (4) providing after school youth activities; and (5) providing capital improvements and security services to discourage or eliminate drug use or violent crime.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2003
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal Communications Commission should: (1) not weaken any current media ownership rules that protect people's access to diverse sources of information; (2) examine, and better inform the public regarding, the consequences of weakening such rules; and (3) allow for extensive public review and comment on proposed changes to such rules before issuing a final rule.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Establishes an interagency committee to be known as the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee to: (1) recommend to the Secretary of each department strategic direction for joint health-care resources coordination and sharing efforts between and within such departments; and (2) oversee implementation of those efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Genetic Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance and Employment Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Public Health Service Act , the Internal Revenue Code, and Medicare supplemental policy provisions to prohibit health plans and insurers, with respect to protected genetic information, from discriminating in enrollment, eligibility, contribution rates, and premium rates based on such information. Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or training program to discriminate because of protected genetic information.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Directs the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to: (1) require mandatory participation of military personnel separating from active duty in a transitional assistance program furnishing counseling, employment, and job training assistance; and (2) promote maximum spouse participation in such program. Directs the Secretary of Labor, as part of such program, to provide information concerning homelessness, including risk factors, awareness assessment, and contact information for preventative assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2003
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal in recognition of Jackie Robinson's contributions to the Nation. Calls for designation of a national day recognizing Robinson's accomplishments.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2003
Self-Employed Health Care Affordability Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit as a net earnings deduction the health insurance costs of a self-employed individual.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2003
Medicare Wellness Act of 2003 - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services a Working Group on Disease Self-Management and Health Promotion (Working Group) to establish policies and criteria for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to approved applicants to study specified approaches to further health promotion and disease prevention among beneficiaries under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA). Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects to promote disease self-management for conditions identified by the Working Group for target individuals. Amends SSA title XVIII to outline Medicare coverage of various specified preventive services, including: (1) therapy and counseling for cessation of tobacco use, and counseling for post-menopausal women; (2) screening for diminished visual acuity, and screening for depression; and (3) medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, or a renal disease. Provides for: (1) expansion of eligibility for bone mass measurement; and (2) inclusion of the office visit associated with the screening colonoscopy in the screening colonoscopy benefit. Directs the Secretary to integrate supplemental preventive health services with existing program integrity measures. Permits waiver of coinsurance and deductibles for certain preventive services, such as: (1) diabetes outpatient self-management training services; (2) colorectal and prostate cancer screening tests; and (3) bone mass measurement. Provides for coverage of initial preventive physical examination. Directs the Secretary to take specified informational actions to promote the use by Medicare beneficiaries of preventive health benefits. Directs the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct a national falls prevention and awareness campaign among Medicare beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
Authorizes the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation to Dr. Dorothy Height (President of the National Council of Negro Women) of a congressional gold medal in recognition of her many contributions to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
Naturalization and Family Protection for Military Members Act of 2003 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act respecting naturalization through service in the armed forces to: (1) reduce the required service from three years to two years; (2) prohibit the imposition of a naturalization fee; and (3) qualify the Selective Reserve of the Ready Reserve for such benefits. Provides for overseas naturalization proceedings for members of the armed forces. Retains immediate relative status for the alien wife, child, or parent of a U.S. citizen who died from injury or disease incurred while serving honorably on active military service. (Requires petition filing within two years of such death.) States that an application for status adjustment by the alien wife, child, or parent of an alien member of the armed forces who was granted service-related posthumous citizenship may be adjudicated as if the death had not occurred. (Requires application filing prior to such death.) Treats the spouse, child, or parent of a lawful permanent resident who was granted service-related posthumous citizenship as a valid petitioner for immediate family status. (Requires parent filing within two years of such death.) Permits such aliens to apply for permanent resident status adjustment. Waives specified grounds of inadmissibility.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
State and Local Reservist First Responders Assistance Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to make grants to reimburse any State, local government, or Indian tribe for costs incurred as a result of a call or order to active duty of armed forces reserves who are first responder personnel, including: (1) costs of hiring first responder personnel to replace such reserves; and (2) overtime pay costs for other first responder personnel. Permits: (1) reimbursement only if the State, local government, or tribe would not have incurred such costs but for the absence of first responder personnel; (2) costs to be reimbursed only for a reserve who serves at least six consecutive months on active duty at any time during the two years preceding the application for the grant; and (3) reimbursable costs to include any costs in connection with such reserve's active duty.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) revise the calculation of the earned income credit; (2) revise the credit's application to married individuals; and (3) repeal provisions denying the credit to individuals having excessive investment income.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify automatic fire sprinkler systems as five-year depreciable property. .
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Caribbean National Forest Act of 2003 - Designates approximately 10,000 acres of land in the Caribbean National Forest/Luquillo Experimental Forest in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as the El Toro Wilderness and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Provides that designation of the Wilderness shall not be construed to prevent within the area's boundaries: (1) installation and maintenance of hydrologic, meteorological, climatological, or atmospheric data collection and transmission facilities when they are essential to the scientific research purposes of the Luquillo Experimental Forest; (2) construction and maintenance of nesting structures, observation blinds, and population monitoring platforms for threatened and endangered species; or (3) construction and maintenance of trails to such facilities as necessary for research purposes and the recovery of such species.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Reform of Energy Workers Compensation Act - Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 (EEOICPA) to provide for worker compensation benefit payments to contractor employees of the Department of Energy (DOE) who were exposed to toxic substances at DOE facilities. (This new subtitle D replaces the current provisions for DOE assistance to such employees in State workers compensation proceedings.) Requires DOE to review claims and determine causation within specified time limits (with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) continuing to appoint members of physician review panels for diagnosing such occupational illnesses). Requires the Secretary of Energy to appoint a Worker Advocacy Advisory Committee to advise on claims procedures and related matters. Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting as a third-party administrator for DOE, to pay such benefits from the EEOICPA fund for claimants approved by DOE. Requires the Secretaries of Energy and of Labor to ensure that such claims are resolved in a nonadversarial manner. Revises EEOIPA subtitle B program administration provisions to add as covered illnesses: (1) chronic renal disease, for uranium workers; and (2) lung cancer, among beryllium-related diseases. Revises provisions relating to: (1) a special exposure cohort expansion procedure; (2) the radioepidemiologic model for determining compensation; and (3) additional specified cancers. Provides for coverage of individuals employed by atomic weapons employers or beryllium employees during a period of residual contamination. Requires the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to report to Congress on its access to information relating to performing radiation dose reconstructions. Provides administrative assistance for claimants under either subtitle B or D, including administrative relief and proof where medical records are not available, resource centers, and outreach programs. Establishes within the Office of the Secretary of Labor the Office of the Ombudsman for Occupational Illness Compensation, which is to coordinate activities of the Secretaries of Labor, Energy, and HHS under EEOICPA.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2003 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend through FY 2007 the authorization of appropriations for the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program (a matching grant program which helps State, tribal, and local jurisdictions purchase armor vests for use by law enforcement officers).
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Health Care Parity for Legal Transportation and Recreational Activities Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a group health plan or health insurance issuer from denying benefits otherwise provided for the treatment of an injury solely because such injury resulted from the participation of the participant or beneficiary in a legal transportation and recreational activity such as motorcycling or skiing.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Medicare Puerto Rico Hospital Payment Parity Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise: (1) the payment formula to increase payment amounts to Puerto Rico hospitals that are based on the discharge-weighted average of the nationally adjusted DRG (diagnostically-related group) prospective payment rate for hospitals located in urban and rural areas for discharges beginning in FY 2004; and (2) the calculation of Medicare disproportionate share payments for prospective payment system hospitals in Puerto Rico.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act - Repeals, as of the later of October 1, 2003, or the date of enactment of this Act, certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age. Provides for the recoupment of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Air Traffic Control System Integrity Act of 2003 - Amends Federal transportation law to prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from authorizing the conversion to a private entity or a non-Federal public entity of any: (1) facility controlled by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (except any airport traffic control tower operated under the contract tower program on the date of enactment of this Act); (2) operations performed, on the date of enactment of this Act, by Federal employees at an FAA-controlled facility (except any FAA airport traffic control tower operated under the contract tower program on the date of enactment of this Act); or (3) maintenance, engineering, or oversight functions performed, on or after the date of enactment of this Act, at an FAA-controlled facility (except with respect to renewal or replacement of a maintenance or engineering agreement in effect on the date of enactment of this Act).
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Coral Reef and Coastal Marine Conservation Act of 2003 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to establish in the Department of the Treasury the Coral Reef and Other Coastal Marine Resources Facility. Authorizes the President, through the exchange by the Facility of new obligations for outstanding obligations of an eligible Latin American or Caribbean country with a coral reef or other coastal marine resource meeting specified requirements, to reduce the amount owed by the country to the United States that is outstanding as of January 1, 1999, as a result of concessional loans. Authorizes the President to sell, reduce, or cancel such loans in order to facilitate a debt-for-nature swap or a debt buyback with an eligible purchaser or eligible country to support activities to conserve, maintain, and restore the country's coral reefs and other coastal marine resources. Authorizes appropriations. Requires each beneficiary country that has entered into a Coral Reef and Other Coastal Marine Resources Agreement with the Secretary of State to establish a Coral Reef and Other Coastal Marine Resources Fund to receive payments of interest on new obligations undertaken by the country to provide grants to certain entities in such country to conserve, maintain, and restore its coral reefs and other coastal marine resources. Requires the Enterprise for the Americas Board to carry out certain duties with respect to implementing this Act. Requires the President to: (1) consult with the appropriate congressional committees on a periodic basis to review the operation of, and the eligibility of countries for benefits from, the Facility; and (2) report annually to Congress on Facility operations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2003
Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase, as of December 1, 2003, the rates of veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled adult children, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. Requires each such increase to be the same percentage as the increase in benefits provided under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, on the same effective date.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2003
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for and enforcement of prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages to: (1) add nonretaliation requirements; (2) increase penalties; and (3) authorize the Secretary of Labor to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Directs the Secretary to provide for certain studies, information, a national summit, guidelines, awards, and assistance for employer evaluations of job categories based on objective criteria. Establishes the National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect certain pay information.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2003
Teacher Education for Autistic Children Act of 2003 - TEACH Act of 2003 - Authorizes additional appropriations for: (1) training of special education teachers with expertise in autism spectrum disorders (ASD); and (2) improving results for children with ASD, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to carry out a student loan forgiveness program of assuming the obligation to repay up to specified amounts of certain loans under the Higher Education Act of 1965 for borrowers who are employed as full-time special education teachers of children with ASD for three consecutive complete school years. Provides for additional amounts to be repaid at the end of each of the next two additional consecutive years of such employment, up to a total maximum amount. Amends IDEA to require local educational agencies receiving IDEA assistance to report on autism early intervention activities. Directs the Secretary: (1) acting through the Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to establish and provide administrative support for a task force on ASD; (2) with the Secretary of Labor to study and report to Congress on the effectiveness of Federal vocational training programs in providing appropriate assistance to individuals with ASD; and (3) to make grants to each State that establishes and operates at least one State autism ombudsman office.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2003
Pension Benefits Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code) to protect pension benefits of employees in defined benefit (DB) plans, and to ensure that age discrimination laws are applied to conversions to cash balance plans and other such plans that are hybrids of DB's and defined contribution plans. Requires ERISA, the Code, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1967 to be applied and administered without regard to certain proposed regulations of the Secretary of the Treasury that relate to reductions of accruals and allocations because of the attainment of any age, and to application of nondiscrimination cross-testing rules to cash balance plans. Amends ERISA and the Code to protect certain DB plan participants from forced conversions to hybrid DB plans by plan amendments which change the way the accrued benefit to participants or beneficiaries are expressed and which reduce the rate of future benefit accrual of one or more participants. Requires employers, at the time such amendment takes effect, to provide employees who have attained 40 years of age or 10 years of service with certain notices and an election upon retirement to receive benefits as determined either under the plan in effect at time of retirement or under the plan in effect immediately before the plan amendment. Sets forth a formula to determine when a plan amendment adopted by a large (100 or more participants) DB plan shall be treated as wearing away accrued benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2003
Unemployment Benefits Extension Act - Amends the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 (TEUCA) to: (1) extend the TEUC program; (2) provide for additional weeks of TEUC benefits; (3) revise unemployment rate triggers for TEUC benefit periods; and (4) provide for regular unemployment compensation for certain individuals based on part-time work or an alternative base period. Extends the TEUC program through weeks of unemployment ending before December 28, 2003. Provides a phaseout period for individual payments up to weeks beginning after July 31, 2004. Increases to 26 weeks an eligible individual's TEUC payments. Provides for an additional seven weeks of payments, for a total of 33 weeks, for individuals in high-unemployment States (TEUC-X). (Current law provides 13 weeks of regular TEUC payments, with an additional 13 and total 26 in TEUC-X States.) Revises requirements for determining TEUC-X States, using certain triggers based on insured unemployment rates and on total unemployment rates. Establishes a program of payments to States to provide regular unemployment compensation benefits for individuals who otherwise would be ineligible because: (1) the base period does not count wages earned in the most recently completed calendar quarter; or (2) the individuals seek or are available for less than full-time work.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2003
BRAC Repeal Act of 2003 - Amends the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 to repeal the authority of the Secretary of Defense to make recommendations for an additional round of military installation closures or realignments in 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2003
College Fire Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to make competitive demonstration grants to private or public colleges or universities, fraternities, or sororities for up to half the cost of installing fire sprinkler systems, or other fire suppression or prevention technologies, in student housing and dormitories owned or controlled by such entities. Requires grant priority to be given eligible entities that demonstrate the greatest financial need. Reserves the following portions of grant funds made available for each fiscal year: (1) at least ten percent for eligible entities that are historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities; and (2) at least ten percent for eligible entities that are social fraternities and sororities. Provides that any application for assistance under this Act, any negative determination on the part of the Secretary with respect to such application, or any statement of reasons for the determination, shall not be admissible as evidence in any proceeding of any court, agency, board, or other entity (except a proceeding to enforce an agreement entered into between the Secretary and an eligible entity under this Act).
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2003
Passenger Van Safety Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) develop a dynamic test on rollovers by 15-passenger vans for the purposes of a consumer information program, and carry out a program of conducting such tests; and (2) require the testing of 15-passenger vans at various load condition levels as part of the rollover resistance program of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's New Car Assessment Program. Directs the Secretary to test and evaluate various technological systems (including electronic stability control systems, rear-view mirror-based rollover warning systems, traction systems, lane departure systems, and antilock brakes) to determine their effectiveness in assisting drivers of 15-passenger vans to control them under conditions that cause vehicle rollover. Requires the Secretary to issue a final rule initiated pursuant to a specified proposed rulemaking on the application of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations to the commercial operation of 15-passenger vans. Amends the Federal transportation code to prohibit any person from purchasing, renting, or leasing any motor vehicle designed or used to transport nine to 15 passengers that the person knows or reasonably should know will be used significantly to transport preprimary, primary, and secondary school students to or from school or an event related to school, unless the motor vehicle complies with the certain motor vehicle standards prescribed for schoolbuses. Establishes a civil penalty for violation of this prohibition, or for manufacture, sale, offer for sale, introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce, or importation, of a schoolbus or related equipment that fails to meet such standards.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2003
National Rail Infrastructure Program Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a National Rail Infrastructure Program to provide grants for projects addressing railroad infrastructure and systems deficiencies. Makes eligible for such grants projects to: (1) maintain and increase track and intermodal yard capacity; (2) acquire rights-of-way for future expansion; (3) separate railroad and road crossings and make other railroad and road interface improvements; (4) separate rail-to-rail crossings; (5) integrate railroad systems; and (6) construct, repair, and rehabilitate track and related supporting structures. Prohibits the use of grant funds for operating expenses, acquisition of rolling stock, payment of debt, or construction or repair of maintenance facilities, passenger facilities at stations, or other ancillary railroad business structures. Requires at least 20 percent of project costs to be provided by State, local, and other non-Federal public sources. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax of: (1) five percent on the sale of any specified railroad equipment by the manufacturer, producer, or importer; (2) five percent of the amount paid for taxable rail transportation of any person by commuter rail, and of ten percent in any other case; and (3) one percent of the amount paid inside or outside the United States for the taxable rail transportation of property. Establishes in the Treasury a National Rail Infrastructure Program Trust Fund, consisting of amounts equivalent to: (1) specified excise taxes received with respect to fuel used in a train, and the excise tax under this Act on railroad locomotives and rolling stock; (2) ten percent of all customs duties received after September 30, 2003; and (3) ten percent of all royalties attributable to the removal of oil or gas from Federal lands. Makes amounts in the Trust Fund available only for grants under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2003
Veterans Life Insurance Improvement Act of 2003 - Amends Federal provisions concerning the National Service Life Insurance and United States Government Life Insurance programs to allow payment of their insurance proceeds to: (1) another beneficiary if the first designated beneficiary has not made a claim to such payment within two years after the death of the insured; and (2) a person designated by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs if no claim has been filed by any designated beneficiary within four years after the insured's death. Requires service-disabled life insurance premium rates, as well as all policy cash, loan, paid-up, and extended values, for months beginning on or after the date of enactment of this Act to be based on the 1980 Commissioners Standard Ordinary Basic Table of Mortality, with five percent annual interest. Increases from $90,000 to $200,000 the maximum amount of veterans' mortgage life insurance coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2003
Requires engine coolant or antifreeze sold after January 1, 2004, that is manufactured after July 1, 2003, and that contains more than ten percent ethylene glycol, to include denatonium benzoate at a minimum of 30 parts per million (or other equally effective aversive agent) as a bittering agent so as to render it unpalatable. Requires a manufacturer or packager of such product to maintain records of compliance with this Act. Declares that any manufacturer, distributor, recycler, or seller of an automotive product required by this Act to contain an aversive agent shall not be liable (except for willful or wanton misconduct) for personal injury, death, or property damage that results from compliance with this Act. Declares this Act inapplicable to: (1) the sale of a motor vehicle that contains engine coolant or antifreeze; or (2) wholesale containers of engine coolant or antifreeze containing 55 gallons or more of engine coolant or antifreeze.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2003
Democracy Day Act of 2003 - Requires the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in 2004 and in each even-number year thereafter (Election Day) to be treated in the same manner as November 11 (Veterans Day) for purposes of any laws relating to Federal employment. Urges private employers to give their employees that day off to enable them to vote. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study of the impact of such requirement on voter participation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2003
Don't Feed the Bears Act of 2003 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to enforce the National Parks System regulatory prohibitions against the feeding and baiting of wildlife on National Park System lands and in wildlife refuge areas, in particular the intentional feeding of bears for the purpose of enticing them to a particular area to be hunted (bear baiting). Requires the Secretary of the Interior with respect to lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, and the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to National Forest System lands, to adopt and enforce a regulation to prohibit individuals from intentionally feeding bears, including feeding for the purpose of bear baiting.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2003
Immigration Security and Efficiency Enhancement Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) implement specified immigration security and efficiency enhancements, including computer and other electronic application and form measures; and (2) establish within the immigration, refugee and asylum, and naturalization functions of the Department of Homeland Security a computerized file management system, and a certified service provider filing system. Authorizes the Secretary to make technology enhancement grants to such service providers. Directs the National Records Center to maintain an electronic database of all closed Department files relating to immigration, refugee and asylum, and naturalization in order to speed up request processing.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2003
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act - Provides that, for purposes of the Federal Communications Commission's regulation relating to station antenna structures in the amateur radio services, any private land use rules applicable to such structures shall be treated as a State or local regulation and subject to the same requirements and limitations of such a regulation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2003
Insurance Credit Score Disclosure and Reporting Act - Requires insurers who use consumer reports or insurance credit scores as a factor in underwriting insurance policies or renewals to disclose the effect of such practice upon the scope and cost of the insurance at the time of either insurance application or insurance renewal. Prescribes disclosure requirements, including disclosure of the relationship between the use of insurance credit scores or other risk scores or predictors. Directs the Federal Trade Commission to: (1) promulgate requirements for insurers to submit specified insurance credit score information to the Commission; and (2) investigate and report to Congress on the relationship between credit information and insurance credit scores and the race, income, geographic location, and age of insurance applicants and policyholders. Sets forth civil penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2003
Veterans Entrepreneurship Act of 2003 - Authorizes a State agency to approve entrepreneurship (business education) courses for attendance by veterans using veterans' basic educational assistance provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from treating a business owner as already qualified for such purposes. Includes entrepreneurship courses within authorized programs of veterans' education assistance. Authorizes any person entitled to a veterans' rehabilitation program to establish self-employment as a vocational goal. Amends the Small Business Act to authorize a Federal contracting officer to award a sole source contract to any small business owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans if: (1) the business is determined to be responsible with respect to the performance of the contract opportunity and the contracting officer does not expect two or more such businesses to submit offers for such contract; (2) the anticipated award price of the contract will not exceed a specified amount; and (3) the contract award can be made at a fair and reasonable price. Allows a contracting officer to restrict contract competition to such businesses if the officer can reasonably expect two or more such businesses to submit offers. Allows for the appeal by the Administrator of the Small Business Administration of a contracting officer's decision not to award a contract opportunity to such a business.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2003
WISEWOMAN Expansion Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to permit the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through a competitive review process, to award grants to States to provide additional specified preventive health services, screenings, education, and referrals under PHSA provisions concerning preventive health measures with respect to breast and cervical cancers. Authorizes appropriations.
![Official portrait of Rescom. Acevedo-Vila, Anibal [D-PR-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/a000359_200.jpg)