United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2004
Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior (with respect to land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management) or the Secretary of Agriculture (with respect to land under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service), upon request of an Indian tribe to enter into an agreement or contract to carry out a project to protect Indian forest land that meets specified criteria, to issue public notice of initiation of any necessary environmental review or of the potential of entering into such an agreement or contract under which the Indian tribe would carry out certain activities. Authorizes the appropriate Secretary to enter into such an agreement or contract following completion of any necessary environmental analysis.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2004
Energy Policy Act of 2003 - Sets forth a program to spur diverse energy research and development including the following: (1) energy efficiency; (2) renewable energy; (3) oil and gas; (4) coal; (5) Indian energy; (6) nuclear matters and security; (7) vehicles and motor fuels, including ethanol; (8) hydrogen; (9) electricity; and (10) energy tax incentives. Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to revise energy reduction goals and performance requirements for Federal buildings. Institutes grant programs for low-income community energy efficiency and energy efficient public buildings. Revises energy conservation standards for: (1) additional consumer products; (2) affordable housing and assisted housing; and (3) Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance incentives for energy efficient housing. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to prescribe incentive payments for renewable energy production facilities. John Rishel Geothermal Steam Act Amendments of 2003 - Amends the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to revamp guidelines governing leasing and permitting for geothermal development of public and National Forest System lands, including those withdrawn for military purposes. Amends the Federal Power Act to prescribe guidelines for hydroelectric licensing proposals for alternative conditions and requirements governing project works within a Federal reservation. Instructs the Secretary of Energy to make incentive payments to promote hydroelectric production. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to make permanent: (1) the authority of the Secretary of Energy to operate the Strategic Petroleum Reserve; and (2) standby energy authorities governing the International Energy Program, including summer fill and fuel budgeting programs. Sets forth a program of production incentives that includes: (1) oil and gas royalties in kind; (2) marginal property production; (3) natural gas production in the gulf of Mexico; and (4) oil and gas leasing in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. Directs the President to establish the Office of Federal Energy Project Coordination in the same manner and with the same mission as the White House Energy Projects Task Force established by specified Executive Order. Prescribes implementation guidelines for access to Federal land for: (1) oil and gas leasing; (2) expedited permits; (3) energy rights-of-way and corridors on public and Federal lands; (4) renewable energy on Federal land; and (5) electricity transmission line rights of way on public land. Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act - Requires the President and the Secretaries of the Interior and of Energy to expedite the Federal decision-making process for access to Federal lands for energy projects. Prescribes parameters for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorization of an Alaska natural gas transportation project and pipeline expansion following an expedited approval process. Instructs the Secretary of Labor to award grants to train adult and dislocated workers in Alaska in the skills required to construct and operate an Alaska gas pipeline system. Authorizes the Secretary of Energy to offer Federal loan guarantees to specified certificated entities for infrastructure projects. Sets forth a Clean Coal Power Initiative campaign that includes grants to universities to establish Centers of Excellence for Energy Systems of the Future. Authorizes Federal loan guarantees for designated coal gasification projects, including: (1) a loan to the owner of a specified experimental plant on such terms and conditions as the Secretary of Energy determines, including interest rates and upfront payments; (2) a coal gasification project that produces power in deregulated energy generation markets; and (3) a petroleum coke gasification polygeneration project. Modifies statutory constraints governing Federal coal leases, including acreage limitations, mining plans, and advance royalty payments. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to direct the Secretary of Energy to implement a program to facilitate production and generation of coal-based power and the installation of pollution control equipment. Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act of 2003 - Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act and the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to establish the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs to promote Indian tribal energy resource development through a program of grants and loans. Price-Anderson Amendments Act of 2003 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to modify and extend indemnification authority and liability limits for Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensees and Department of Energy (DOE) contractors. Prohibits assumption by the United States Government of liability for certain foreign incidents. Addresses general nuclear matters, including: (1) establishment of an NRC training and fellowship program for individuals with critical nuclear safety regulatory skills; (2) elimination of pension offset; (3) a DOE decommissioning pilot program; (4) uranium sales; (5) special demonstration projects for the uranium mining industry; (6) whistleblower protection prescriptions; (7) medical isotope production; (8) uranium enrichment facilities; and (9) the national uranium stockpile. Instructs the Secretary of Energy to establish an Advanced Reactor Hydrogen Co-Generation Project. Prescribes implementation guidelines for a training program to respond to threats against designated nuclear facilities, including use of firearms by licensee security personnel and NRC certificate holders. Sets forth a transportation fuels program that uses: (1) alternative fuels for dual-fueled vehicles; (2) fuel credits for medium and heavy duty dedicated vehicles; and (3) lease condensates. Sets forth implementation guidelines for pilot programs that target: (1) alternative fueled vehicles; (2) fuel cell vehicles; (3) advanced vehicles; and (4) hybrid vehicles. Instructs the Secretary of Energy, in partnership with the private sector, to conduct programs that address production of hydrogen from diverse energy sources. Directs the President to establish an interagency task force on hydrogen fuel infrastructure for hydrogen-carrier fuels, including fleet transportation. Directs the Secretary of Energy to implement Initiatives that target research, development, and commercial application in the following areas: (1) energy efficiency; (2) distributed energy and electric energy systems; (3) renewable energy; (4) nuclear energy; (5) fossil energy; (6) ultra-deepwater and unconventional natural gas, and other petroleum resource exploration and production; (7) science; and (8) energy and the environment (including international cooperation). Electric Reliability Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Power Act to grant FERC regulatory jurisdiction over an Electric Reliability Organization. Prescribes guidelines for electric reliability standards, including electric transmission infrastructure, operation and transmission rates. Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to: (1) require electric utilities to make net metering and smart metering available upon consumer request; and (2) terminate mandatory purchase and sale requirements pertaining to cogeneration and small power production utilities. Public Utility Holding Company Act of 2003 - Repeals the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935. Amends the Federal Power Act to: (1) direct FERC to promulgate market transparency rules governing sales of electric energy at wholesale in interstate commerce, or transmission services in interstate commerce; and (2) prohibit round trip trading. Authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to issue rules that prohibit in the absence of consumer consent: (1) the change of selection of an electric utility ("slamming"); and (2) the sale of goods and services to an electric consumer ("cramming"). Mandates review of Federal agency review authorities over mergers to determine if duplicative authorities exist. Revises Federal Power Act prescriptions governing electric utility mergers. Energy Tax Incentives Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish energy tax credits in the following areas: (1) renewable electricity production; (2) alternative motor vehicles and fuels; (3) energy efficiency; (4) clean coal technologies; (5) oil and gas, including Alaska natural gas; and (6) electric utility restructuring. Prescribes tax treatment of tax shelters and corporate expatriation. Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to authorize Federal grants to rural and remote communities with specified electricity costs for improved electric generation, transmission, and distribution facilities. Provides royalty payment relief for offshore oil and gas production leases under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Amends the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933 to change the composition, operation, and duties of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Retains the effect of a specified Department of Energy Order regarding transmission security. Extends the attainment date for certain downwind ozone nonattainment areas. Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (Administrator) to establish criteria for safe and environmentally protective use of specified granular mine tailings. Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Administrator to promulgate regulations ensuring that domestic motor vehicle fuel consumption includes renewable fuel containing ethanol and other biomass components. Authorizes the Secretary of Energy to make grants to provide assistance to merchant producers of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) in making the transition from producing MTBE to producing other fuel additives. Authorizes the President to make a determination by 2014 that the prohibitions against the use of MTBE in motor vehicle fuel under this Act shall not take place and that the legal authority to prohibit its use in motor vehicle fuel shall become null and void. Conditions the Administrator's approval of State fuel restrictions upon a finding that such restrictions will neither cause fuel supply or distribution interruptions nor have a significant adverse impact on fuel producibility. Authorizes the Secretary of Energy to: (1) make loan guarantees for private sector construction of facilities for the processing and conversion of municipal solid waste and cellulosic biomass into fuel ethanol and other commercial byproducts; and (2) provide grants for construction of ethanol production facilities. Underground Storage Tank Compliance Act of 2003 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require the Administrator to distribute specified fund percentages from the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund to States to pay costs incurred for regulation of underground storage tanks (USTs). Allows undistributed funds to be used for enforcing UST regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2004
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) all Americans should keep the victims of child abuse and neglect in their thoughts and prayers; (2) all Americans should seek to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect and to give victimized children hope for the future; and (3) the faith community, nonprofit organizations, and volunteers across America should recommit themselves and mobilize their resources to assist abused and neglected children. Declares that the Senate: (1) supports the goals and ideas of the "Day of Hope" which will be observed on April 7, 2004, as part of Child Abuse Prevention Month; and (2) commends the individuals working on behalf of abused and neglected children throughout the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2004
Calls on the President and the United States Trade Representative to exercise caution in negotiating the terms that would apply to the dairy industry under the proposed United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2003
Essential Air Service Preservation Act of 2003 - 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 · 9 December 2003
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Federal Communications Commission should: (1) reconsider a specified decision of its Enforcement Bureau in light of the public policy considerations in protecting children from indecent broadcasting material; (2) return to enforcing its own standard for indecency in broadcast media as established under a specified declaratory order; (3) undertake new efforts to sanction broadcast licensees that refuse to adhere to the standards established by such order; (4) protect children from the degrading influences of indecent programming; (5) use its authority to protect the public from indecent broadcasts; (6) expeditiously resolve all indecency complaints and consider reviewing all such complaints at the full Commission level; and (7) aggressively investigate and enforce all indecency allegations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 November 2003
United States-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Act - Establishes a United States-Mexico transboundary aquifer assessment program to characterize, map, and model groundwater resources along the border. Describes as the program's objectives: (1) to develop and implement an integrated scientific approach to assess transboundary groundwater resources, including identifying fresh and saline aquifers, prioritizing the aquifers for further analysis, and creating a geographic information system database to characterize the spatial and temporal aspects of each priority aquifer; (2) to expand existing agreements between the United States Geological Survey, the Border States, the Water Resources Research Institutes and appropriate authorities in the United States and Mexico to conduct joint scientific investigations, archive and share relevant data, and carry out other activities; and (3) to produce scientific products for each priority aquifer to provide water managers and natural resource agencies with the information needed to effectively accomplish their missions. Designates the Hueco Bolson and Mesilla aquifers as priority transboundary aquifers. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to develop partnerships with, and receive input from, relevant organizations in Mexico and to coordinate program activities with appropriate water resource agencies in the Border States and any affected Indian tribes. Prohibits the Secretary from initiating any field studies before consulting and coordinating with the Border State water resource agency with jurisdiction over the aquifer.
United States · United States Congress · 25 November 2003
Children's Health Equity Technical Amendments Act of 2003 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to permit qualifying States to use a portion of their SCHIP allotment for any fiscal year for certain Medicaid expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 22 November 2003
Amends the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-16) to make the sunset provisions inapplicable to section 202, which expanded and increased the adoption credit and adoption assistance programs under the Internal Revenue Code.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2003
Stock Option Accounting Reform Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require an issuer of registered securities to show as an expense in its mandatory annual report the fair value of all stock purchase options granted to certain of its senior executive officers after December 31, 2004. Exempts small business issuers from such requirement. Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to require reporting of: (1) stock option expenses as a reduction of the total expense in the fiscal year in which they expire or are forfeited; and (2) as income any excess by which such reduction exceeds total option expenses for any fiscal year. Requires any accounting principle recognized as "generally accepted" by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding the expensing of stock purchase options to comply with this Act. Denies recognition to any such accounting principle until the Secretaries of Commerce and of Labor complete a joint study on the economic impact of mandatory expensing of all employee stock options.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should address Mexico's failure to fulfill its obligations under the Extradition Treaty between the United States of America and the United Mexican States, signed at Mexico City May 4, 1978, by renegotiating the treaty or by taking other action to ensure that criminal suspects from Mexico facing capital punishment or life imprisonment are unconditionally and timely extradited to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2003
Amends the Lease Lot Conveyance Act of 2002 to direct that amounts received under the Act as consideration for a conveyance be deposited by the Secretary of the Interior, on behalf of the Rio Grande Project, in the reclamation fund, and be made immediately available to the Elephant Butte Irrigation District and the El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2003
Art and Collectibles Capital Gains Tax Treatment Parity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide art and collectibles with the same capital gain rates as other assets held long-term. Establishes a (limited) fair market value deduction for qualifying literary, musical, artistic, or scholarly charitable contributions created and donated by the taxpayer.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Indian Money Account Claim Satisfaction Act of 2003 - Establishes the Indian Money Account Claim Satisfaction Task Force: (1) to complete an analysis of records, data, and other historical information with regard to the conduct of an historical accounting submitted by the parties in the class action to the district court in January 2003 (Cobell v. Norton (No. 96cv01285, D.D.C.)); and (2) after such completion to hold meetings with representatives of the plaintiffs in the civil action, the Departments of Justice and of the Interior and any other parties that, in the discretion of the Task Force, are necessary to carryout out its duties. Requires the Task Force to develop appropriate methodologies or models to conduct an accounting to determine in current dollars the balances of: (1) all individual Indian money accounts opened in or after 1985; (2) all individual Indian money accounts opened on or after the enactment of a certain Act of June 24, 1938, regarding deposit, care, and investment of Indian moneys, and before 1985; and (3) all individual Indian money accounts opened before such enactment. Establishes the Indian Money Claims Tribunal to serve as arbitrator if an eligible individual elects to have the amount of the balance in the individual Indian money account determined through arbitration. Binds the individual and the United States to any determination made by the Tribunal. Requires payments made pursuant to this Act to be derived from the permanent judgment appropriation (commonly known as the Judgment Fund), without further appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the interests of Indians and the United States would best be served by a voluntary alternative claims resolution process that will lead to a full, fair, and final settlement of potential individual Indian money account claims; and (2) legislation is necessary to establish the process and achieve such settlement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2003
The Reclamation Rural Water Supply Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a rural water supply program in Reclamation States. Directs the Secretary to develop and publish in the Federal Register criteria for determining the eligibility of a water supply project for assistance under this Act, including: (1) whether a project serves rural areas or Indian tribes; (2) whether there is an urgent need for a project that would result in continuous, measurable, and significant water quality benefits, address current or future water supply shortages, or improve the health or aesthetic quality of water; (3) whether a project helps meet any applicable legal requirements; (4) whether a project promotes a regional perspective to water resource management issues, implements an integrated resources management approach, increases water management flexibility, or forms a partnership with other entities; and (5) whether a project provides benefits outside the region in which the project is carried on. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) conduct appraisal investigations of proposed rural water supply projects; and (2) carry out feasibility studies of proposed rural water supply systems. Requires State and local authorities, Indian Tribes, or other entities carrying out rural water supply projects under this Act to demonstrate the ability to pay all operation, maintenance, and replacement costs of such projects.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 2003
Amends the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 to increase funding levels for projects to preserve the structural safety of Bureau of Reclamation dams and related facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2003
Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act of 2003 - Rape Kits and DNA Evidence Backlog Elimination Act of 2003 - Amends: (1) the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to reauthorize the Act; (2) the DNA Identification Act of 1994 (Identification Act) to expand the scope of DNA samples to be included in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS); and (3) the Violence Against Women Act to authorize grants to increase the availability of legal assistance to victims of dating violence. DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act of 2003 - Amends the Identification Act to require that CODIS include only information on DNA identification records and analyses that are prepared by laboratories that: (1) have been accredited by a nationally recognized nonprofit professional association of forensic scientists within two years; and (2) undergo external audits at least every two years that demonstrate compliance with specified standards. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants for: (1) DNA training and education; (2) sexual assault forensic examination programs; (3) research and development; (4) using DNA technology to identify missing persons; and (5) tribal domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions. Expands and reauthorizes the Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Grant Program. Innocence Protection Act of 2003 - Sets forth conditions under which a Federal prisoner may obtain post-conviction DNA testing of specific evidence. Directs the Attorney General to award grants to States to improve the quality of legal representation in State capital cases.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2003
Manhattan Project National Historical Park Study Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the Manhattan Project sites at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Trinity Site on the White Sands Missle Range in New Mexico, the Hanford Site in the State of Washington, and the Oak Ridge Laboratory in Tennessee, to assess the national significance, suitability, and feasibility of designating such sites as a unit of the National Park System.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2003
Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to revise registration and maintenance fee requirements for pesticides. (Fees collected are used to help defray the administrative costs of pesticide regulation.) Modifies certain timing requirements as they concern the submission of product-specific data and other regulatory action. Increases and then decreases the maximum amount of maintenance fees payable by registrants, including small businesses, through FY 2008, with the highest levels of fees occurring during FY 2005 and 2006. Extends the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) authority to collect maintenance, but not tolerance, fees through FY 2008. (Maintenance fees are assessed on already registered or reregistered pesticides; tolerance fees are assessed on pesticides used on food or animal feed which are subject to more stringent regulatory requirements.) Directs the Administrator of the EPA to assess and collect covered pesticide registration service fees for applications submitted from FY 2004 onward. (Registration fees would apply to new pesticide applications only.) Provides transitional requirements for pending applications. Sets forth the Administrator's responsibilities concerning the publication and revision of the schedule of registration service fees, including a mandatory increase by FY 2006. Permits the waiver or reduction of these fees for minor uses or small businesses. Provides for partial fee refunds when an application is withdrawn or at the Administrator's discretion. Establishes the Pesticide Registration Fund in the Treasury to collect registration fees. Limits the use of these funds to associated regulatory costs, except for limited earmarks for worker protection and the review of new inert ingredients. Makes these funds available only to the extent provided in advance through appropriations acts. Prohibits the assessment of registration fees in any year where the amount appropriated for the Office of Pesticide Programs of the EPA is less than the amount appropriated for that Office for FY 2002. Addresses several issues concerning decision time review periods, including the goal of reducing existing periods, schedule publication requirements, determining their start, and how they are impacted by waiver or reduction requests. Provides for judicial review if the Administrator fails to make a determination on an application before the expiration of the applicable decision time review period. Terminates the registration service fee after FY 2010, with a phase out occuring during the final two years.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2003
Good Samaritan Abandoned and Inactive Mine Remediation Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the head of an authorized State program to issue an abandoned or inactive mine remediation permit for the conduct of remediation activities on abandoned or inactive mine land from which there is or may be a discharge of pollutants to U.S. bodies of water. Requires those applying for a remediation permit to develop a remediation plan that includes: (1) reasonable efforts to identify the current owners of the mine in question; (2) the bodies of water affected; (3) proposed practices to mitigate adverse impacts on water quality; (4) a timetable; and (5) monitoring or other forms of assessment so that the success of the plan can be evaluated. Requires any profits from the sale of minerals taken from these mines during remediation to be deposited in a remediation fund. States that remediators are not to be considered owners or operators under specified environmental acts (thereby excluding them from liability for environmental clean up.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2003
Declares that the Federal Trade Commission is authorized under the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act to compile and implement a national do-not-call registry. Ratifies the do-not-call registry provision of the Telemarketing Sales Rule promulgated by the Federal Trade Commission, effective March 31, 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2003
Ojito Wilderness Act - Designates the area in New Mexico known as the Ojito Wilderness as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Places in trust for the benefit of the Pueblo of Zia Indian Reservation certain lands adjacent to the Ojito Wilderness.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2003
Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, upon completion of specified agricultural work and residency requirements, to adjust the status of a qualifying alien agricultural worker (and spouse and minor children) to that of a: (1) lawfully admitted temporary nonimmigrant; and (2) permanent resident nonimmigrant. Sets forth provisions with respect to: (1) adjustment of status applications, including penalties for false statements; (2) waiver of numerical limitations and certain grounds for inadmissibility; (3) temporary stay of removal and work authorization; (4) administrative and judicial review; and (5) dissemination of program information. Amends the Social Security Act to provide for the correction of such aliens' social security records. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to set forth registry application requirements for H-2A employers and employer associations, including assurances: (1) that the job opportunity is temporary or seasonal, and is not the result of a labor dispute, (2) that attempts have been made to hire U.S. workers; and (3) respecting required wages and benefits, and compliance with labor laws. Sets forth employment requirements with respect to: (1) wages; (2) housing; and (3) transportation reimbursement. Establishes the Commission on Agricultural Wage Standards under the H-2A program. Revises provisions respecting the admission and extension of stay of temporary H-2A workers. Provides special rules for alien sheepherders. Sets forth worker protection and labor standards enforcement provisions for such aliens
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2003
Recognizes September 11 as both a day to remember those killed and a day for recommitment to our national purpose. Extends sympathies to the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and their families and friends. Honors the heroic actions of first responders, law enforcement personnel, and others who aided the victims. Extends gratitude to the members of the armed forces who are defending the United States from future attack. Praises the people of the United States for donating time and money to support the victims and their families and friends. Expresses gratitude to the leaders and citizens of all nations who have assisted and continue to stand in solidarity with the United States against terrorism. Reaffirms that the Senate will honor the memory of those who lost their lives as a result of those attacks and will act to defend U.S. citizens in all future challenges.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2003
Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2003 - Reauthorizes the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act (the Act). Amends the Act to define "child abuse" as any case in which a child is subjected to family violence. Requires the local law enforcement agency to report immediately the occurrence to the State law enforcement agency if: (1) a report of abuse or family violence involves an alleged abuser who is a non-Indian; and (2) a preliminary inquiry indicates a criminal violation has occurred. Directs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to identify and report to Congress on impediments to the reduction of child abuse on Indian reservations. Repeals the mandate for a study on the feasibility of, and need for, establishment of a Central Register for reports or information on the abuse of children in Indian country. Requires the Secretaries of the Interior and of Health and Human Services (Secretaries) to include contracted and volunteers in background checks, based on fingerprints, with respect to personnel who have regular contact with, or control over, Indian children. Requires similar but no less stringent character investigations by certain Indian tribes or tribal organizations regarding a volunteer or contractor who is employed, or is being considered for employment, with the same duties and responsibilities. Extends the scope of the Indian Child Abuse Treatment Grant Program to treatment programs for Indians who have been victims of child abuse (currently, only child sexual abuse). Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish demonstration projects to facilitate the development of a culturally-sensitive traditional healing treatment program for child abuse and family violence to be operated by an Indian tribe, tribal organization, or inter-tribal consortium. Requires the Secretary to establish within each Regional (currently, area) office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs an Indian Child Resource and Family Services Center. Requires the Attorney General and the Secretaries (currently, only the Secretaries) to enter into a memorandum of agreement to provide staffing for such Centers. Modifies the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Program to include in the duties of designated agencies and officials regarding investigation, treatment, and prevention of child abuse and family violence: (1) coordination and reporting as well as investigation of reported cases of child abuse and child neglect; and (2) treatment and prevention of incidents of child abuse. Modifies the: (1) uses of funds under the Program; and (2) specify matters to be examined in the Secretary's evaluation of a program for which an award is made.
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 2003
Valles Caldera Preservation Act of 2003 - Amends the Valles Caldera Preservation Act to permit employees of the Valles Caldera Trust (the Trust) to be hired under an employment agreement. Opens employment in the Trust to non-Federal employees. Allows non-Federal employees of the Trust to be considered for positions in the competitive service that are open to other Federal employees and to be compensated according to General Schedule pay rates. Requires the Trust to determine the character of, and the necessity for, any obligations and expenditures of the Trust and the manner in which obligations and expenditures shall be incurred, allowed, and paid. Grants authority to the Trust to use permanent judgment appropriations to pay claims, judgments, or settlements against the Trust. Provides for the rate of compensation of the chairperson of the Trust. Authorizes the Trust to dispose of forage, forest products, or marketable renewable resources as part of its resource management authority. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to provide under a cooperative agreement with the Trust: (1) fire suppression and rehabilitation services; and (2) wildland fire severity funding for extraordinary fire preparedness.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2003
Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish, for a limited period of time: (1) a biodiesel fuels credit business credit; and (2) 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.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2003
Indian Tribal Development Consolidated Funding Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to select up to 24 Indian tribes, tribal organizations, or consortia of tribes or organizations per fiscal year to participate in projects to foster community, economic, and business development in Native American communities through grants or other financial assistance provided through Federal programs or projects. Outlines procedures for processing requests for joint financing (financing by at least two Federal assistance programs). Authorizes the establishment of a joint assistance fund to ensure that amounts received from more than one Federal program or appropriation are more effectively administered. Provides for the financial management, accountability, and audits of the use of financial assistance provided. Authorizes the provision of technical assistance and personnel training under a project approved for joint financing. Authorizes the head of an executive agency to enter into an agreement with a State to extend the benefits of this Act to a project that involves assistance from at least one executive agency, the State, and at least one tribal agency or instrumentality.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2003
Salt Cedar Control Demonstration Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a salt cedar and Russian olive assessment and demonstration program to assess the extent of infestation in the western United States and develop solutions for long-term management. Lists program requirements and control methods. Establishes a cost ceiling for each demonstration project and provides for Federal cost-sharing. Requires the Secretary to work cooperatively with other Federal, State, and local entities and Indian tribes in carrying out the program.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2003
Chief Justice John Marshall Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury 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. 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) 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 · 31 July 2003
Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to make a technical amendment to the definition of qualifying State used for purposes of giving certain States operating under waivers of specified State plan requirements the authority to use up to 20 percent of their FY 1998 through 2001 SCHIP allotments, for fiscal years in which they are available, for paying the costs of covering under Medicaid (SSA title XIX) certain low-income children whose family income meets an income eligibility standard under such waivers of at least 185 percent of the poverty line. Reduces such percentage of the poverty line from 185 percent to 184 percent with respect to any one or more categories of children (other than infants) who are Medicaid-eligible.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2003
Recognizes Hiram Powers (a native of Woodstock, Vermont, who was commissioned by Congress to execute the statues of John Marshall, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson that stand today in the United States Capitol) for his enduring contributions to American sculpture.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2003
Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to make a technical amendment to the definition of qualifying State used for purposes of giving certain States operating under waivers of specified State plan requirements the authority to use up to 20 percent of their FY 1998 through 2001 SCHIP allotments, for fiscal years in which they are available, for paying the costs of covering under Medicaid (SSA title XIX) certain low-income children whose family income meets an income eligibility standard under such waivers of at least 185 percent of the poverty line. Requires that the income eligibility standard of at least 185 percent of the poverty line be determined by rounding to the nearest whole percentage.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2003
Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to make a technical amendment to the definition of qualifying State used for purposes of giving certain States operating under waivers of specified State plan requirements the authority to use up to 20 percent of their FY 1998 through 2001 SCHIP allotments, for fiscal years in which they are available, for paying the costs of covering under Medicaid (SSA title XIX) certain low-income children whose family income meets an income eligibility standard under such waivers of at least 185 percent of the poverty line. Allows New Mexico to use such portion of its unspent SCHIP funds for covering such children under Medicaid.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Designates the month of September 2003 as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Declares that the Federal Government has a responsibility to: (1) raise awareness about the importance of screening methods and treatment of prostate cancer; (2) increase research funding that is commensurate with the burden of the disease so that the causes of, and improved screening, treatments, and a cure for, prostate cancer may be discovered; and (3) continue to consider ways for improving access to, and the quality of, health care services for detecting and treating prostate cancer. Requests the President to call upon Americans, interested groups, and affected persons to promote awareness of prostate cancer, to take an active role in ending the devastating effects of prostate cancer on individuals, their families, and the economy, and to observe the month of September 2003 with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Requests the President to issue a proclamation commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Constantino Brumidi, who painted and decorated the interior of the U.S. Capitol.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2003
National Drought Preparedness Act of 2003 - Establishes in the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture the National Drought Council which shall develop a comprehensive National Drought Policy Action Plan. (Terminates the Council eight years after enactment of this Act.) Directs the Secretary to establish the National Office of Drought Preparedness to assist the Council. Establishes in the Treasury the Drought Assistance Fund, which shall provide financial assistance for drought preparedness plans and drought mitigation. Directs the Secretary to issue related implementing guidelines, including: special requirements applicable to interstate watersheds. Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to require the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse States for costs of prepositioning wildfire suppression resources.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2003
Urges national and community organizations, businesses in the private sector, and the media to promote, through National Stalking Awareness Month, awareness of the crime of stalking. Expresses support for the goals and ideals of that Month.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2003
Community Drinking Water Assistance Act - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to establish a program of grants to small public water systems located in disadvantaged communities (or those that may become disadvantaged as a result of compliance with drinking water standards) for use in carrying out projects and activities to comply with such standards. Provides temporary relief from enforcement by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of drinking water standards for such systems during and after the grant application process. Delays implementation or enforcement by the Administrator of an arsenic standard in any State until the earlier of January 1, 2006, or the date on which the Administrator certifies that the program has been implemented in that State and the State has made substantial progress in drinking water standards compliance.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2003
Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2004 - Makes FY 2004 appropriations to the Department of the Army and its Corps of Engineers for: (1) civil functions relating to rivers and harbors, flood control, and shore protection; (2) certain flood control projects on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee; (3) flood control and coastal emergencies; (4) the navigable waters and wetlands regulatory program; (5) formerly utilized sites remedial action program; and (6) general expenses of the Office of Chief of Engineers. Makes FY 2004 appropriations to the Department of the Interior for: (1) the Central Utah Project Completion Account; (2) the Bureau of Reclamation for water and related resources; (3) the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund; (4) a grant program to Indian tribal entities to protect water resources; (5) an endangered species collaborative program; (6) the Tularosa Basin National Desalination Research Facility; and (7) the Hawaii Water Resources Study. Makes FY 2004 appropriations to the Department of Energy (DOE) for: (1) energy supply programs; (2) non-defense site acceleration completion; (3) uranium uranium enrichment facility decontamination and decommissioning; (4) non-defense environmental services; (5) general DOE science activities; (6) nuclear waste disposal; (7) DOE administration and its Office of the Inspector General; (8) National Nuclear Security Administration weapons activities; (9) defense nuclear nonproliferation activities; (10) naval reactors activities; (11) Office of the Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration; (12) defense site acceleration completion; (13) defense environmental services; (14) defense environmental services; (15) defense nuclear waste disposal; (16) geographical power marketing administrations; (17) hydroelectric facilities at the Falcon and Amistad Dams, and (18) the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Makes FY 2004 appropriations to the: (1) Appalachian Regional Commission; (2) Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board; (3) Delta Regional Authority; (4) Denali Commission; (5) Nuclear Regulatory Commission and its Office of the Inspector General; and (6) Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.
![Official portrait of Sen. Domenici, Pete V. [R-NM]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000407_200.jpg)