United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2004
Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) compensation for civilian employees and members of the uniformed services of the United States must be sufficient to support critical efforts to recruit, retain, and reward quality people in Government service; and (2) to help achieve this objective, in FY 2005, compensation for civilian employees of the United States should be adjusted at the same time, and in the same proportion, as are rates of compensation for members of the uniformed services.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2004
National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 - Establishes the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program to achieve major measurable reductions in losses of life and property from windstorms. Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish an Interagency Working Group consisting of representatives of the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other Federal agencies as appropriate. Outlines general agency responsibilities. Requires the Program to consist of the following primary mitigation components: (1) improved understanding of windstorms; (2) windstorm impact assessment; and (3) windstorm impact reduction, which shall be implemented through activities such as data collection and analysis and research and development. Requires research activities authorized under this Act to be peer-reviewed and the components to be designed to be complementary to and avoid duplication of other hazard reduction efforts. Requires the Working Group to: (1) develop an implementation plan for achieving Program objectives; and (2) transmit biennial reports on the status of the Program. Requires the Director to establish a National Advisory Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction to assess: (1) trends and developments in the science and engineering of windstorm impact reduction; (2) the effectiveness of the Program in carrying out specified activities to improve windstorm impact assessment; (3) revising the Program; and (4) implementation and management of the Program. Requires the Advisory Committee to report biennially on such assessment.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2004
Calls for: (1) increasing public awareness of eating disorders; (2) expanding research for treatment and cures; (3) broadening access to treatment; and (4) promoting healthful eating habits and a healthy body image.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2004
Mandatory IDEA Full-Funding Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to revise and reauthorize part B programs of education of all children with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations in specified amounts for part B for FY 2005 through 2011 and thereafter. (Provides phased-in increases of funding designed to reach a promised 40 percent Federal share of funding by FY 2011.) Makes appropriations in specified amounts for part B for FY 2005 through 2011 and thereafter. Provides an exception to local educational agency (LEA) maintenance of effort requirements under part B. Repeals certain provisions relating to LEA treatment of Federal funds as local funds under part B.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2004
Abandoned Mine Lands Reclamation Reform Act of 2004 - Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to repeal the authorization that certain moneys in the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund may be used: (1) by the Secretary of Agriculture for reclamation of rural lands; and (2) by the Department of the Interior for studies by contract with organizations for advice and research and development projects technical assistance. Reduces the reclamation fee required to be paid by operators of coal mining operations. Revises Fund allocation requirements with respect to reclamation fees. Repeals Fund objectives concerning: (1) protection , construction, or enhancement of public facilities such as utilities, roads, recreation and conservation facilities adversely affected by coal mining practices; and (2) the development of publicly owned land adversely affected by coal mining practices including land acquired as provided in this subchapter for recreation and historic purposes, conservation, and reclamation purposes and open space benefits. States that no lien shall be filed against any person who neither consented to, nor participated in nor exercised control over the mining operation which necessitated reclamation. Repeals the limitation of such prohibition to persons who owned the surface before May 2, 1977. Expands certification guidelines to prescribe payments to: (1) qualified States and Indian tribes; and (2) non-qualified States and Indian tribes.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2004
Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that there is a critical need to increase awareness and education about heart disease and the risk factors for heart disease among women. Commends First Lady Laura Bush and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in their vital campaign to raise public awareness that heart disease is the number one killer of American women. Recognizes that the more women become cognizant of the scourge of heart disease and how to prevent it, the more likely they can make sound lifestyle changes to help reduce their chances of getting heart disease.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2004
Safeguarding Schoolchildren of Deployed Soldiers Act of 2004 - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to require a State or local educational agency, for the duration of the military service on which a child's change of residence is based and at the request of a parent, to treat a child who changes residence based on such service as if the child has the residence held before the change of residence, for purposes of enrollment in elementary or secondary school.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2004
Help Establish Access to Local Timely Healthcare for Your Vets (HEALTHY Vets) Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in the case of a veteran for whom Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities are geographically inaccessible, to use current authority for contracting out veterans' medical care to non-Department facilities in order to provide the following care to such veterans: (1) primary care; (2) acute or chronic symptom management; (3) nontherapeutic medical services; and (4) other medical services determined appropriate by the director of that geographic service region, after consultation with the Department physician responsible for the primary care of the veteran. Outlines conditions under which Department facilities shall be deemed geographically inaccessible. Authorizes the Secretary to waive the requirement of geographic inaccessibility, on a case-by-case basis, if the Secretary determines that the costs to the Department of providing such care significantly outweigh the benefits of localized health care for the veteran.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2004
Pathways Advancing Career Training Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make formula matching grants to States with approved plans for programs of vocational education, training, employment counseling, and related services, including tuition assistance, for: (1) single parents and displaced homemakers; and (2) secondary and postsecondary students pursuing nontraditional training and employment. Provides that State boards designated or created as State agencies responsible for vocational and technical education vocational education agency shall administer such programs and make competitive subgrants to eligible entities.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2004
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2004 - Adjusts the basic Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity amount for surviving spouses, age 62 and older, of former military personnel to: (1) 35 percent of the retired pay of the decedent (current law), for months before October 2005; (2) 40 percent for months after September 2005 and before October 2008; (3) 45 percent for months after September 2008 and before October 2014; and (4) 55 percent for months after September 2014 . Adjusts similarly percentage amounts with respect to survivors of reserve personnel and survivors of persons who die while on active duty. Provides a corresponding phased elimination of the SBP supplemental annuity authorized to be provided to such surviving spouses. Requires periodic recomputation of: (1) annuity amounts beginning in October 2005; and (2) retired pay reductions for supplemental survivor annuities. Provides a one-year open enrollment period for SBP participation, commencing October 1, 2005, for those currently not participating, those electing to increase current coverage, and those wishing to participate in the supplemental SBP. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to require appropriate premiums for SBP participation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2004
Essential Air Service Preservation Act of 2004 - Repeals provisions establishing the Essential Air Service local participation program (a pilot program under which designated essential air service communities are required to assume ten percent of their essential air service subsidy costs).
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 · 20 November 2003
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users - Reauthorizes the Federal-aid surface transportation program through FY 2009. Reauthorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) specified highway (including highway safety) programs; (2) research and technology; (3) motor carrier safety; and (4) transportation research. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a National Commission on Future Revenue Sources to Support the HTF. Establishes: (1) a National Commission on the Future of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate Defense Highways; and (2) a Commission on Intelligent Transportation Systems Procurement Policy. Requires States with an urbanized area population of over 200,000 to obligate specified funds for congestion relief. Federal Public Transportation Act of 2004 - Sets forth revised provisions governing public transportation funding and the Secretary's authority to make specified grants, including grants for capital projects, planning, and transit and for commercial driver's license program improvements. Directs the Secretary to establish programs involving: (1) long-term bridge performance; (2) innovative highway safety technologies; (3) freight planning capacity building; (4) freight transportation research; (5) future strategic highway research; (6) surface transportation congestion solutions research; and (7) commercial remote sensing products and spatial information technologies. Intelligent Transportation Systems Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary to conduct an ongoing intelligent system transportation program to research, develop, and operationally test and advance nationwide deployment of intelligent transportation systems as a component of the U.S. surface transportation systems. Incorporates Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration planning provisions. Reauthorizes the hazardous materials transportation program. Makes the guaranteed funding levels provided under this Act dependent on identifying additional budgetary resources.
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 · 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
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 · 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 · 30 October 2003
Domestic Violence Courts Assistance Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (relating to grants to combat violent crimes against women) to allow such grants to be used to provide the resources to establish and maintain a court system dedicated to the adjudication of domestic violence cases. Requires a State to certify that at least five percent of grant funds shall be allocated for specialized domestic violence courts. Amends the State Justice Institute Act of 1984 to allow funds available pursuant to grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts awarded under the Act to be used to: (1) implement and evaluate court-based approaches to adjudicating domestic violence cases in State courts; and (2) provide technical assistance to State courts to facilitate the development and adoption of improved practices in such adjudication.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Domestic Violence Prevention, Education, and Awareness Act - Requires the Attorney General, acting through the Violence Against Women Office, to make grants to public or private nonprofit entities, States, and Indian tribes and tribal organizations to carry out public information campaigns to educate racial and ethnic minority communities and immigrant communities about domestic violence, including its effects, methods of preventing or reducing it, and available services to such victims.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2003
Amends the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) to prohibit the prescription drug cost-sharing requirements for Medicare-eligible beneficiaries under CHAMPUS from being in excess of the cost-sharing requirements applicable to all other CHAMPUS health care beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2003
Realistic Roofing Tax Treatment Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify any roof system as 20-year property for depreciation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2003
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Boundary Revision Act of 2003 - Amends Federal law concerning the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire land to expand such Park. Establishes maximum acreage for the Park. Provides for public inspection of all maps referred to in the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2003
Urges the Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the United Nations, the European Union, and the Association of South East Asian Nations to work for: (1) unrestricted access to Laos by international election monitors and international human rights organizations; (2) the rights of opposition political parties and their candidates to run for public office and for all adult citizens of Laos to vote; (3) the right of the citizens to assemble, protest, and to organize; (4) the cessation of all acts of violence against the Hmong population; and (5) the release of those jailed in connection with the 1999 pro-democracy demonstrations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2003
Authorizes the President to award congressional gold medals posthumously, to their next of kin, on behalf of Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson, in recognition of their contributions to the Nation as pioneers in South Carolina in the effort to desegregate public schools that led directly to the landmark desegregation case of Brown et al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka et al. Directs that amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals be deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Workers Assistance Extension Act - Amends the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 (TEUCA) to extend the TEUCA program through June 30, 2004, with a phase-out period through September 30, 2004. (The TEUCA program provides: (1) an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits (TEUC) to jobless workers who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits; and (2) another additional 13 weeks of benefits (TEUC-X), for a total of 26 additional weeks, for such workers in high unemployment States.)
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Commends the participation of Afghan women in Afghanistan's government and civil society. Encourages the full inclusion of women in the political and economic life of their country. Advocates the protection of women's human rights in the Afghanistan Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2003
Mobile Machinery Tax Fairness Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit the treatment of certain mobile machinery as a highway vehicle, thereby exempting such machinery from federal highway excise taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2003
Benjamin Franklin Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one dollar coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Benjamin Franklin (not more than 250,000 bearing his image as a young statesman and not more than 250,000 with his image as an older numismatist). Directs that all sales include a $10 per coin surcharge, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission, to be used to educate people about Franklin's legacy.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2003
Directs the Secretary of Defense, in the case of a member of the armed forces serving outside the United States in Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom who is granted rest and recuperative leave and provided authorized travel and transportation allowances, to pay the member for transportation, or provide transportation for the member, not only between the overseas duty location and the currently authorized locations (a vacation site or a location in the United States), but, at the request of the member, between the currently authorized locations and the member's permanent duty station or home. Makes such allowance retroactive from September 20, 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2003
District of Columbia Personal Protection Act - Amends the District of Columbia Code to provide that the D.C. Council's regulatory authority regarding firearms, explosives, and weapons in the District shall not be construed to permit the Council, the Mayor, or any governmental or regulatory authority of the District to prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the ability of persons otherwise permitted to possess firearms under Federal law from acquiring, possessing in their homes or businesses, or using for sporting, self-protection or other lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited by Federal law nor regulated by the National Firearms Act. Denies the District any authority to enact laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms. Amends the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 to repeal the definition of a machine gun as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading. (Thus repeals the ban on semiautomatic weapons.) Repeals the District's: (1) registration requirement for possession of firearms; (2) prohibition on registration of pistols (handguns); (3) prohibition on possession of handgun ammunition; (4) requirement that, under certain conditions, firearms in the possession of certain individuals must be kept unloaded, disassembled, or with the trigger locked; (5) related firearm registration requirements such as applicant qualifications and filing deadline. Maintains the current ban on the possession and control of a sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, or short-barreled rifle. Eliminates criminal penalties for possessing an unregistered firearm. Amends Federal law to eliminate criminal penalties for carrying a pistol whether loaded or unloaded in one's dwelling house, place of business, or on land possessed by such person.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2003
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Monsignor Ignatius McDermott (founder of Haymarket Center, the largest drug abuse treatment center in Chicago) in recognition of his contribution to the drug treatment community and his accomplishments as a priest and humanitarian.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2003
Celia Cruz Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 300,000 one dollar silver coins and 500,000 half dollar clad coins emblematic of Celia Cruz (known as the "Queen of Salsa") and her legacy. Establishes surcharges of ten dollars per coin for the dollar coin and three dollars per coin for the half dollar coin, which shall be paid to the Celia Cruz Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2003
Renewable Fuels and Transportation Infrastructure Enhancement Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish, for a limited period of time: (1) as a credit against the gasoline and diesel fuel excise tax, a credit equal to the sum of the alcohol fuel mixture credit plus the biodiesel mixture credit; and (2) a biodiesel fuels credit business credit.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2003
Congratulates the Washington Freedom for winning the 2003 Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) title. Requests that the President invite them to a White House ceremony for national championship teams. Expresses disappointment with the suspension of WUSA operations and expresses support for its revival.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2003
Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2003 - Extends Federal highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, and transit programs for six months, and authorizes appropriations, through March 31, 2004. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) apportion funds made available for Federal-aid highway programs under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) to each State according to the ratio of the State's FY 2003 obligation authority to the FY 2003 obligation authority for all States; and (2) ensure that each State is apportioned funds for the Interstate maintenance program, the National Highway System program, the bridge program, the surface transportation program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the recreational trails program, the Appalachian development highway system program, and the minimum guarantee. Sets forth provisions: (1) for reducing future apportionments, and for recovering funds not apportioned, under a law reauthorizing the Federal-aid highway program that is enacted after enactment of this Act; (2) prohibiting States from obligating any Federal-aid highway program funds after March 31, 2004, until the earlier of the date of enactment of a multi-year law reauthorizing such program or June 30 2004; and (3) directing the Secretary of Transportation, on the earlier of such enactment date or June 1, 2004, to distribute to each State any remaining amounts of obligation authority for Federal-aid highways and highway safety construction programs by allocation as provided in an Act making appropriations for the Department of Transportation for FY 2004 Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 and TEA-21, respectively, to set related discretionary spending limits and obligation limitations for FY 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2003
Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a nonrefundable income tax credit of up to $500 for the purchase of a qualified hearing aid for an individual who is either: (1) age 55 or older; or (2) is claimed as a dependent of the taxpayer.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2003
Exempts from the requirement to pay subsistence charges while hospitalized in a military facility an officer or former officer, or an enlisted member or former enlisted member not entitled to retired or retainer pay or equivalent pay, who is hospitalized in a military facility because of an injury incurred: (1) as a direct result of armed conflict; (2) while engaged in hazardous service; (3) in the performance of duty under conditions simulating war; or (4) through an instrumentality of war.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Consumer's Relocation Protection Act of 2003 - Authorizes States to exercise authority over motor carriers that engage in the intrastate transportation of household goods. Authorizes a State attorney general to bring a civil action against such a carrier in U.S. district court for injunctive relief and for a civil penalty. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) prescribe practices and procedures that ensure the fair and equitable treatment of individual shippers that utilize brokers of household goods; (2) establish a working group of State attorneys general, State consumer protection administrators, and Federal and local law enforcement officials; (3) establish a complaint handling system to log individual shipper informal complaints, an annual complaint database, and a procedure for public access to such data; and (4) require an annual report from each motor carrier and freight forwarder providing household goods transportation. Establishes civil and criminal penalties for holding household goods hostage (defined as refusing to relinquish a shipment upon payment of not more than 100 percent of a binding estimate for shipment plus the charges for additional services performed). Sets additional requirements for registration of motor carriers of household goods. Requires every motor carrier providing transportation of household goods to: (1) conduct a physical survey of the goods to be transported and provide the shipper with a written estimate of charges; and (2) prepare a written inventory of all articles tendered by an individual shipper and accepted by the carrier. Sets civil penalties for brokers violating this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2003
American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 one dollar silver coins in commemoration of disabled American veterans, which shall be emblematic of the design selected by the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial. Requires: (1) all sales of the coins include a ten dollar per coin surcharge; and (2) the surcharges received to be paid to the Foundation to establish an endowment to support the construction of American Veterans' Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2003
John Marshall Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury: (1) to mint and issue not more than 400,000 silver one dollar coins emblematic of Chief Justice John Marshall and his contributions to the United States in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of his birth; and (2) in cooperation with the Legacy Fund of the Library of Congress, to develop and implement a marketing program to promote and sell the coins. Directs that all sales of coins minted under this Act include a ten dollar per coin surcharge, to be paid by the Secretary to the Supreme Court Historical Society for purposes of: (1) supporting historical research about the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and related topics; (2) supporting fellowship programs, internships, and docents at the Supreme Court; and (3) collecting and preserving related antiques, artifacts, and other historical items.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2003
Calls upon the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a commemorative postage stamp to promote public awareness of Down syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2003
Government Accountability and Streamlining Act of 2003 - Requires the Comptroller General, to the extent practicable, to prepare for public bills and joint resolutions (measures) reported by congressional subcommittees or committees, and submit to such subcommittees or committees, determinations of whether: (1) new Federal entities, programs, or functions are authorized by the measure; and (2) an existing entity or program carries out functions that are similar to those authorized by the measure and such existing entity or program may more effectively and efficiently perform the functions and carry out the purposes of the measure than the proposed entity or program. Requires such statements to accompany reports on legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2003
Air Line Pension Act of 2003 - Sets forth special funding requirements for certain pension plans maintained by commercial passenger air carriers (plans), notwithstanding any contrary provisions of the Internal Revenue Code or of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Provides for such plans, if they have a funded percentage of less than 80 percent as of January 1, 2003, the following: (1) modifications of funding rules, including funded percentage, assumed interest rate for determining current liability, and estimation of current liability; (2) a moratorium on the deficit reduction contribution, under specified conditions; (3) a one-time amortization of 2008 unfunded current liability; and (4) recognition of a waiver in the deficit reduction contribution. Provides for such plans, if they are maintained for benefit of the carrier's employees pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement and if they terminated during calendar year 2003, the following: (1) restoration by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to the plan's pre-termination status and transfer of control of plan assets and liabilities to the employer, unless the collective bargaining agreement provides that the plan should not be restored; (2) exclusion of any expected increase in current liability due to benefits accruing during each plan year; (3) amortization of unfunded amounts under the restoration payment schedule; (4) inapplicability of certain contribution requirements to a restored plan until a plan year beginning on the initial post-restoration valuation date, with modified required annual payments; and (5) resetting of funding standard account balances. Limits PBGC liability with respect to certain plans under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2003
National Uniformity for Food Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to prohibit any State or political subdivision from establishing or continuing in effect as to any food in interstate commerce any requirement for food that is not identical to specified FDCA provisions. Prohibits any State or political subdivision from establishing or continuing in effect any notification requirement for a food that provides for a warning concerning the food's safety that is not identical to FDCA provisions. Allows current State notification or food safety requirements to continue for 180 days after the enactment of this Act, during which such State may petition for an exemption or a new national standard. Allows a State to petition for an exemption and for a national standard regarding any requirement under the FDCA, as amended by this Act, or the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act relating to food regulation. Allows a State to establish a requirement that would otherwise violate FDCA provisions relating to national uniform nutrition labeling or this paragraph if the requirement is needed to address an imminent hazard to health that is likely to result in serious adverse health consequences and if other requirements are met.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2003
Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to extend Federal preemption to State law enacted after January 1, 2004, that declares explicitly that it is intended to supplement the FCRA and grant greater protection to consumers than is provided under Federal law. (Thus repeals the protection from Federal preemption granted to more stringent State consumer protection laws). Sets forth measures to address identity theft prevention, including: (1) credit card issuer responsibility to investigate cardholder change of address; and (2) truncation of credit and debit card account numbers. Places an affirmative duty upon a consumer reporting agency to: (1) make notification of fraud alert; (2) provide a summary of rights to identity theft victims; and (3) block information resulting from identity theft. Directs the Federal banking agencies to establish procedures for depository institutions to identify possible instances of identity theft. Instructs the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe rules for coordination of consumer complaint investigations. Requires a consumer reporting agency to take specified actions to reconcile discrepancies pertaining to a consumer address. Prohibits furnishing information to a consumer reporting agency that is known to include identity theft activity. Repeals limitations attached to mandatory free annual credit report disclosures that are furnished upon consumer request. Requires a consumer reporting agency, when fulfilling a consumer request for all information in the consumer's file, to include a summary of how any individual consumer credit score was derived and how it might be improved. Excludes from FCRA consumer disclosure requirements certain communications pertaining to employee misconduct investigations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2003
Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) under which each individual who is entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) or enrolled under Medicare part B (Supplemental Medical Insurance) is entitled to obtain qualified prescription drug coverage. Authorizes the individual to elect to enroll: (1) in a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan (replacing the current Medicare+Choice plans under Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice)); (2) in an enhanced fee-for-service (EFFS) plan; or (3) in a prescription drug plan (PDP) if the individual is not enrolled in an MA-EFFS plan (a Medicare Advantage plan and an EFFS plan). Establishes a Medicare Prescription Drug Trust Fund. Outlines standard coverage benefit packages for FY 2006. Includes for the standard package an annual deductible of $250, and requires insurers to cover 80 percent of enrollees drug costs up to the initial coverage limit of $2,000. Requires enrollees to cover all costs between $2,001 and $3,500, and Medicare to cover the entire cost once the beneficiary has reached the $3,500 catastrophic out-of-pocket threshold. Prescribes a formula for adjustment of: (1) such deductible and annual limits for inflation; and (2) such catastrophic limit for each enrollee in a PDP or in an MA-EFFS Rx plan (an MA-EFFS plan which provides qualified prescription drug coverage) whose adjusted gross income exceeds $60,000. Establishes a competitive bidding process for negotiating the terms and conditions of PDP sponsors. Provides for full premium subsidy and reduction of cost-sharing for individuals with incomes below 135 percent of the Federal poverty level. Contains subsidy payments for qualifying entities to promote the participation of PDP and MA-EFFS Rx plan sponsors. Sets out: (1) a new Medicare prescription drug discount card and assistance program under the Medicare program; and (2) requirements for combating waste, fraud, and abuse under Medicare. Makes a number of other changes with regard to Medicare: (1) part A concerning rural health care, inpatient hospital services, skilled nursing facility services, and hospices; (2) part B concerning physicians services and other services; and (3) part A and B concerning home health services, direct graduate medical education, and voluntary chronic care improvement. Establishes the Medicare Benefits Administration in the Department of Health and Human Services. Amends SSA title XVIII part F (Miscellaneous) (currently part D) to include a number of regulatory, contracting, and administrative changes, such as the: (1) coordination of educational funding; (2) transfer of responsibility for Medicare appeals; (3) provision of expedited access to judicial review of Medicare appeals; (4) recovery of overpayments; and (5) revision of reassignment provisions. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) with regard to: (1) the 30-month of Food and Drug Administration approval for any new drug in certain circumstances; and (2) forfeiture of the 180-day marketing exclusivity period by the first new drug applicant to a subsequent applicant. Provides for manufacture, marketing, or sale agreements between a generic drug applicant and a brand name drug applicant, subject to Federal Trade Commission review. Amends the FFDCA to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations permitting pharmacists, wholesalers, and individuals to import prescription drugs from Canada into the United States, subject to specified conditions.
![Official portrait of Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001047_200.jpg)