United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2003
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act - Prohibits any qualified civil liability action from being brought in any State or Federal court and requires pending actions to be dismissed. Defines such an action to: (1) include an action brought against a manufacturer or seller of a firearm, ammunition, or a component of a firearm that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, or against a trade association of such manufacturers or sellers, for damages resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm; and (2) exclude an action brought against persons who transfer a firearm knowing that it will be used to commit a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime; an action brought against a seller for negligent entrustment or negligence per se; an action in which a manufacturer or seller of a firearm willfully violated a State or Federal statute applicable to the sale or marketing of the firearm and the violation was a proximate cause of the harm for which relief is sought; an action for breach of contract or warranty in connection with the purchase of the firearm; or an action for physical injuries or property damage resulting directly from a defect in design or manufacture of the firearm when used as intended.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2003
Hibben Center for Archaeological Research Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) construct and occupy a portion of the Hibben Center for Archaeological Research at the University of New Mexico; (2) provide a grant to the University to pay the Federal share of construction and related costs for the Center; and (3) furnish specified tenant improvements to the portion of the Center leased to the National Park Service (NPS). Requires the University, before funds available under this Act may be expended for construction or tenant improvement costs, to offer to enter into a long-term lease with the United States that: (1) provides to NPS space in the Center for storage, research, and offices; and (2) is acceptable to the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary, in order to encourage collaborative management of the Chacoan archaeological objects associated with northwestern New Mexico, to enter into cooperative agreements with the University, other NPS units, other Federal agencies, and Indian tribes for: (1) the curation and conduct of research on artifacts in the research museum collection and archive at the University; and (2) the development, use, management, and operation of the portion of the Center leased to NPS.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2003
Amends the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of designating the Trail of the Ancients, extending approximately 710 miles through Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona, as a national historic trail.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
Family Opportunity Act of 2003 or Dylan Lee James Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) give States the option of allowing families of disabled children to purchase Medicaid coverage for them; and (2) provide for treatment of inpatient psychiatric hospital services for individuals under age 21 under waivers allowing for payment of part or all of the cost of home or community-based services. Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to make appropriations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for special projects of regional and national significance for development and support of family-to-family health information centers. Amends SSA title XIX to provide for the restoration of Medicaid eligibility to certain Supplemental Security Income (SSA title XVI) beneficiaries under age 21.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit: (1) Federal civilian and military retirees to pay Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis; and (2) a deduction (available to itemizers and nonitemizers) for TRICARE supplemental premiums and enrollment fees. Sets an implementation deadline of the first open enrollment period beginning not less than 90 days following enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
Direct Support Professional Recognition Resolution - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Federal Government and the States should make it a priority to ensure a stable, quality direct support workforce for individuals with mental retardation or other developmental disabilities that advances national commitment to community integration for such individuals and personal security for them and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Responsible Fatherhood Act of 2003 - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary to award grants to eligible States and entities to conduct demonstration programs to promote responsible fatherhood. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to contract with a nonprofit fatherhood promotion organization to: (1) develop and distribute a media campaign that addresses the issue of responsible fatherhood to States, local governments, public agencies, and private entities; and (2) develop a national clearinghouse to assist States and community efforts to promote and support marriage and responsible fatherhood by disseminating information regarding media campaigns and programs instituted by States using grant funds under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Invest in the U.S.A. Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a U.S. corporation doing business abroad to elect to have its foreign earnings taxed in the United States for one year at a rate equal to 5.25 percent of the excess qualified foreign distribution and the amount attributable to such corporation as controlled foreign-earned dividends in lieu of being taxed under alternative minimum tax or corporate rates, if dividends received are reinvested in the United States in an approved plan. Limits foreign tax credits with respect to dividends taxed at such 5.25 percent rate.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend and modify the renewable electricity production tax credit to, among other things, include credits for electricity produced from biomass, swine and bovine waste nutrients, geothermal energy, and solar energy. Provides alternative vehicle and fuel incentives, including credits for installation of alternative fueling stations and the retail sale of alternative fuels as motor vehicle fuel, modification of the credit for qualified electric vehicles, and allowing the alcohol fuels credit to be transferred and to be used against motor fuels taxes. Sets forth certain conservation and energy efficiency provisions such as credits for the construction of new energy efficient homes, the installation of energy efficient appliances, combined heat and power system properties, and energy efficiency improvements to existing homes. Establishes a three-year recovery period for depreciation of qualified energy management devices. Establishes clean coal incentives, including credits for emission reductions, efficiency improvements in existing coal-based generation facilities, and investment in qualifying advanced clean coal technology. Revises oil and gas provisions, including establishing a credit for the production of oil and gas from marginal wells, permitting the expensing of capital costs incurred in complying with EPA sulfur regulations, establishing an environmental tax credit, extending the marginal production income limit, and treating natural gas distribution lines as 15-year property. Sets forth electric utility restructuring provisions. Makes additional amendments, including amendments concerning: (1) the recovery period for Indian reservation property; and (2) the definition of a rural airport.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Housing Bond and Credit Modernization and Fairness Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the required use of certain principal repayments on mortgage subsidy bond financings to redeem bonds; (2) modify the purchase price limitation under mortgage subsidy bond rules based on median family income; and (3) define the term "area median gross income" for low-income housing credit projects.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Health to facilitate advocacy for the development of appropriate Indian health policy, and promote consultation on matters related to Indian health, in a manner consistent with the government-to-government relationship between the United States and Indian tribes. Elevates the position of Director of the Indian Health Service to such Assistant Secretary position. Makes the Indian Health Service an agency of the Public Health Service.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Milk Import Tariff Equity Act - Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to impose tariff-rate quotas (quantitative import limits) and provide various duty rates on certain casein, caseinates, milk protein concentrate, and other casein derivatives and glues imported into the United States (except imports from Mexico). Authorizes the President to: (1) enter into a trade agreement with a foreign country to grant new concessions as compensation in order to maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions; and (2) proclaim any necessary modification or continuance of any existing duty, or continuance of existing duty-free or excise treatment, or any quantitative limitation. Sets forth certain limits on the reduction of duties on such products.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
State Water Sovereignty Protection Act - Directs the United States, when it seeks to appropriate water or acquire a water right in a State, to be subject to all procedural and substantive laws of that State relating to its water rights and uses. Gives consent to join the United States in any State proceeding relating to the allocation or use of a water right. Subjects management and control of water in a State to the laws of such State. Delegates to each State the authority to regulate water. Allows the United States to exercise management and control of water in a State only in compliance with that State's laws. Subjects the United States to the imposition of costs and fees in a proceeding to the same extent as a private person.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include pancreases procured by an organ procurement organization and used for islet cell transplantation or research to be counted toward organ procurement organization certification. Establishes the Interagency Committee on Islet Cell Transplantation within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Requires the Committee to study related issues, including Federal research funding, the effect of specified policies on transplantation, and data collection. Instructs the Secretary of HHS to request the Institute of Medicine to provide a study of the impact of islet cell transplantation on juvenile diabetes patients, including their health and the treatment's cost-effectiveness. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to establish a demonstration project to assess the efficacy of pancreatic cell islet transplantation for individuals who: (1) have Type I diabetes; and (2) have end-stage renal disease; and (3) are Medicare beneficiaries. Limits to six the number of eligible facilities that can participate in the project. Directs the Secretary to conduct an evaluation of the outcomes under the project and report to Congress. Allows the Secretary to waive such requirements of titles XI (General Provisions) and XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act as are necessary to carry out the project. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Native American Energy Development and Self-Determination Act of 2003 - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to require the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) establish an Indian Energy Resource Development Program to revise the program of grants and low-interest loans to Indian tribes and tribal consortia to develop the managerial and technical capacity to develop energy resource on Indian lands and promote the vertical integration of such resources. Repeals the Indian tribes energy assistance demonstration program. Authorizes Indians or Indian tribes to enter into leases or business agreements for the purpose of energy development. Authorizes Indian tribes to grant rights-of-way over tribal land for pipelines or electric transmission or distribution lines without specific approval by the Secretary under specified conditions. Specifies that Federal employees on the Indian Energy Resource Commission are to serve the Commission without additional compensation. Authorizes the Chairperson of the Commission to: (1) appoint and terminate an executive director and other personnel as necessary; and (2) set compensation for such personnel within specified limitations. (Currently, the Commission appoints the executive director, who appoints other personnel; and compensation is specified according to the Federal Executive Schedule.) Revises specified detail requirements for Federal employees on the Commission. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in cooperation with Indian tribes or tribally-designated housing entities of Indian tribes, to provide to eligible nonprofit and community organizations, technical assistance to initiate and expand the use of energy saving technologies in housing construction and rehabilitation. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to review and report to the Secretary (who shall report to specified congressional committees) on all activities being conducted under the Indian Mineral Development Act of 1982. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on energy development potential on Indian land.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Arming Cargo Pilots Against Terrorism Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that a flight deck crew member of a cargo aircraft should be armed with a firearm to defend such aircraft against attacks by terrorists that could use the aircraft as a weapon of mass destruction or for other terrorist purposes. Amends Federal transportation law to authorize the training and arming of flight deck crew members (pilots) of all-cargo air transportation flights to prevent acts of criminal violence or air piracy.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Colonias Gateway Initiative Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants through September 30, 2009, to regional organizations to enhance the availability of affordable housing, economic opportunity, and infrastructure in the colonias. Defines colonia as a recognized community: (1) along the United States-Mexico border region in Arizona, California, New Mexico, or Texas; and (2) lacking such services as potable water, adequate sewage systems, and safe and sanitary housing.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Border Infrastructure and Technology Modernization Act - Directs the Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security of the Department of Homeland Security to: (1) make specified personnel increases in the Department of Homeland Security's Bureaus of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Protection, respectively; (2) prepare an annual National Land Border Security Plan, which shall include a vulnerability assessment of each port of entry on the northern or southern border, and may provide for port security coordinators; and (3) carry out a three-to-five-site port of entry demonstration program. Directs the Administrator of General Services to make annual updates to the Port of Entry Infrastructure Assessment Study. Directs the Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection to: (1) develop an expansion plan for the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism programs along the northern and southern borders, including the Business Anti-Smuggling Coalition, the Carrier Initiative Program, the Americas Counter Smuggling Initiative, the Container Security Initiative, the Free and Secure Trade Initiative, and other Industry Partnership programs; (2) establish a Partnership demonstration program along the southern border; and (3) establish a demonstration program for a cooperative trade security system with respect to entities (maquiladora) in Mexico that assemble and produce goods from imported parts for export to the United States. Authorizes specified appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Code Talkers Recognition Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation of a congressional gold medal: (1) to persons, including specified individuals, who served as Sioux or Comanche Code Talkers during World War II; (2) honoring the Choctaw Code Talkers of World War I; and (3) to any other Native American member of the armed forces, identified by the Secretary of Defense, who served as a Code Talker in any foreign conflict in which the United States was involved during the 20th Century. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medals struck under this Act and to deposit the proceeds in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund to pay for the costs of the medals awarded under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2003
Authorizes the President to award on behalf of Congress a gold medal to Joseph De Laine, Jr., to honor posthumously his father, Rev. Joseph Anthony De Laine (civil rights activist), for his contributions to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Senior Nutrition Act of 2003 - Amends the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 to make a person who is at least 60 years old eligible for the commodity supplemental food program if such person: (1) is eligible for the food stamp program; or (2) has a household income that is not more than185 percent of Federal poverty income guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit certain employee group health plans or related insurances providing both medical-surgical and mental health benefits from imposing mental health treatment limitations or financial requirements unless comparable limitations and requirements are imposed upon medical-surgical benefits. States that the foregoing shall not be construed as requiring a group health plan (or related insurances) to: (1) provide any mental health benefits; (2) prevent the medical management of mental health benefits; or (3) require the provision of specific mental health services, except to the extent that failure to provide such services would result in a disparity between the coverage of mental health and medical-surgical benefits. Exempts specified small employers from such requirements. Requires that, in the case of a group health plan that offers a participant or beneficiary two or more benefit package options, the coverage requirements shall be applied separately with respect to each such option. Provides that, in the case of a plan or insurance providing in-network mental health benefits, out-of-network mental health benefits need not be provided at parity to medical-surgical benefits, as long as in-network mental health benefits are provided at parity with medical-surgical benefits and the plan or insurance provides reasonable access to in-network providers and facilities. Requires a General Accounting Office study of such requirements' effects upon health insurance costs, access, and quality and a cost estimation of extending such requirements to the treatment of substance abuse and chemical dependency.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2003
State Criminal Alien Assistance Program Reauthorization Act of 2003 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize appropriations for the State criminal alien assistance program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2003
Patient Navigator, Outreach, and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize: (1) the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration; (2) the Director of the National Cancer Institute; and (3) the Director of the Indian Health Service to make grants for model programs to provide services for cancer and chronic diseases to individuals of health disparity populations. Requires that these services: (1) be provided in a culturally competent way; (2) include patient navigators to help with finding services and follow-up care; and (3) include ongoing outreach activities. Conditions grants on the presence of a fee schedule consistent with prevailing rates and a fee discount schedule which provides fee adjustments based on ability to pay. Evaluates services according to a peer-reviewed model according to best practices. Limits the grants to five years.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2003
Organic Restoration Act of 2003 - Amends the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2003, to repeal the provision permitting a farm to be certified as organic with respect to livestock produced on such farm if it uses non-organically produced feed under certain cost-based circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2003
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2003 - 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 2004; (2) 40 percent for months during FY 2005; (3) 45 percent for months during FY 2006; (4) 50 percent for months during FY 2007; and (5) 55 percent for months after FY 2007. 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 2004; and (2) retired pay reductions for supplemental survivor annuities. Provides a one-year open enrollment period for SBP participation, commencing October 1, 2004, 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 · 14 February 2003
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit any physician or other individual from knowingly performing a partial-birth abortion, except when necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury. Defines a "partial-birth abortion" as an abortion in which the person performing the abortion: (1) deliberately and intentionally vaginally delivers a living fetus until, in the case of a head-first presentation, the entire fetal head is outside the mother's body, or, in the case of a breech presentation, any part of the fetal trunk past the navel is outside the mother's body; and (2) performs the overt act, other than completion of delivery, that kills the partially delivered living fetus. Authorizes the father, if married to the mother at the time of the abortion, and the maternal grandparents of the fetus, if the mother is under 18 years of age, to obtain specified relief in a civil action, unless the pregnancy resulted from the plaintiff's criminal conduct or the plaintiff consented to the abortion. Authorizes a defendant accused of an offense under this Act to seek a hearing before the State Medical Board on whether the physician's conduct was necessary to save the life of the mother. Prohibits the prosecution of a woman upon whom a partial-birth abortion is performed for conspiracy to violate this Act or under provisions regarding punishment as a principal or an accessory or for concealment of a felony.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2003
Local Emergency Health Services Reimbursement Act of 2003 - Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to appropriate $1,450,000,000 for each of FY's 2004 through 2008 for allotments to States for reimbursement of emergency health services furnished to undocumented aliens (presently such appropriations end after FY 2001). Sets forth formulas for the disbursement of funds by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Declares that $957,000,000 shall be allotted based on a percentage of undocumented aliens and $493,000,000 shall be allotted based on numbers of undocumented alien apprehensions (in the six States with the highest number of such apprehensions). Permits a State to receive funds on both accounts. Allows funds to go to States, local governments, hospitals, or other providers in a State, including providers of services received through an Indian Health Service facility (presently funds go only to States). Permits reimbursement to providers for the uncompensated provision of emergency health services to aliens who have been allowed to enter the United States for the sole purpose of receiving such services. Directs the Secretary to ensure that fraudulent payments are not made from allotments under this Act. Allows for the reallotment of unused funds. Declares that this Act constitutes budget authority in advance of appropriations Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2003
Medicare Access Equity Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish a minimum geographic cost-of-practice index value for physicians' services furnished under the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2003
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 these 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 these abused and neglected children; (4) the Senate supports the goals and ideas of the "Day of Hope," which was initiated by Childhelp USA and will be observed on April 2, 2003, as part of Child Abuse Prevention Month; and (5) the Senate commends Childhelp USA for all of its efforts on behalf of abused and neglected children throughout the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2003
Elder Justice Act - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new title XXII (Elder Justice) to establish: (1) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) an Office of Elder Justice; (2) within HHS an Intra-Agency Elder Justice Steering Committee to coordinate HHS elder justice programs and policy; (3) the Elder Justice Coordinating Council to make recommendations for the coordination of activities to HHS, the Department of Justice, and other relevant Federal, State, local, and private agencies and entities; and (4) the Advisory Board on Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation. Outlines provisions with respect to uniform collection, maintenance, and dissemination of national data relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Authorizes the HHS Secretary to award various grants, including grants for: (1) prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (2) five Centers of Excellence nationwide that shall specialize in research, clinical practice, and training relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (3) six diverse communities to examine various types of elder shelters and to test various models for establishing safe havens; (4) nonprofit organizations and faith-based organizations to encourage such organizations to establish or continue volunteer programs that focus on the issues of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, or that provide related services; and (5) various multidisciplinary elder justice activities. Provides for: (1) reporting to law enforcement of crimes occurring in Federally-funded long-term care facilities; (2) revising the quality of long-term care; and (3) increasing consumer information about long-term care. Amends: (1) SSA titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) to establish programs to prevent abuse of skilled nursing facility and nursing facility residents; (2) the Public Health Service Act to increase the number of health care professionals with geriatric training; (3) the Older Americans Act of 1965 with respect to the long-term care ombudsman program; (4) part A (General Provisions) of SSA title XI to establish in HHS the Office of Adult Protective Services; and (5) SSA titles XVIII and XIX to assure safety of residents when nursing facilities close. Establishes in the Department of Justice an Office of Elder Justice. Amends the: (1) Federal criminal code to provide for a cause of action for elder abuse and neglect; and (2) Internal Revenue Code to provide for a long-term care facility worker employment tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2003
Includes an oral surgeon, orthodontist, prosthodontist, periodontist, endodontist, or pediatric dentist as a "specialty care provider" for purposes of eligibility for reimbursement for certain travel expenses of covered beneficiaries under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2003
Veterans' Memorial Preservation and Recognition Act of 2003 - Establishes criminal penalties for willfully injuring or destroying or attempting to injure or destroy any structure, plaque, statue, or other monument on public property commemorating the service of any person(s) in the U.S. armed forces. Requires that veterans' cemeteries be treated as sites permitting supplemental guide signs on Federal-aid highways.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2003
Indian and Alaska Native Foster Care and Adoption Services Amendments of 2003 - Amends title IV part E of the Social Security Act (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) to authorize an Indian tribe or intertribal consortium meeting certain requirements to receive Federal foster care maintenance payments for children placed in its custody. Prescribes procedural guidelines for foster care programs operated by Indian tribal organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2003
Small Business Drought Relief Act of 2003 - Amends the Small Business Act to include within the definition of "disaster," for purposes of disaster loans provided to small businesses through the Small Business Administration (SBA), droughts and below average water levels in the Great Lakes or any other U.S. body of water that supports commerce by small businesses. Authorizes such loan assistance for farm- and nonfarm-related small businesses affected by droughts. Limits the amount that may be used during fiscal year 2003 to provide drought disaster loans to non-farm related concerns. Requires the SBA to respond in writing to a State Governor regarding its determination concerning the provision of disaster loan assistance within 30 days after receiving such Governor's certification that small businesses in that State have suffered economic injury as a result of a disaster.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2003
Declares that the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy shall not dissuade or discourage this Nation from venturing ever farther into space. Restates the commitment to exploring the planets and celestial bodies of our solar system and beyond. Expresses condolences to the families of the seven astronauts and to friends and allies in Israel over the loss of Colonel Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli in space.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2003
Indian Tribal Surface Transportation Act of 2003 - Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) to prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from distributing the obligation authority for Federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs for FY 2003 and 2004 with respect to amounts authorized for Indian reservation roads under the Federal Lands Highways Program. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a demonstration project under which all funds made available for Indian reservation roads and highway bridges located on such roads shall be made available to an Indian tribal government, upon its request, for contracts and agreements for planning, research, engineering, and construction of any highway, road, bridge, parkway, or transit facility that provides access to or is located within the reservation or community of the Indian tribe. Deems an Indian tribe eligible to participate in the Indian reservation roads program to be a State eligible for: (1) safety incentive allocations to assist Indian communities in developing innovative programs to promote increased seat belt use rates; and (2) safety incentive grant funding to assist such communities in the prevention of the operation of motor vehicles by intoxicated persons. Native American Commercial Driving Training and Technical Assistance Act - Authorizes the Secretary to provide competitive grants to tribal colleges or universities to support programs providing training and certificates leading to the licensing of Native Americans with respect to commercial vehicle driving.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2003
Class Action Fairness Act of 2003 - Establishes a consumer class action bill of rights, including provision for: (1) judicial review and approval of noncash settlements; (2) protection against loss by class members because of payments to class counsel; (3) a prohibition against court approval of a proposed settlement providing for greater payments to class members because they are located in closer geographic proximity to the court; (4) a prohibition against court approval of a proposed settlement providing for payment of a greater share of the award to a class representative serving on behalf of a class; (5) standardized settlement notification information; and (6) specific requirements regarding proposed settlement notifications to Federal and State officials. Grants the district courts original jurisdiction of any civil action in which the matter in controversy exceeds $2 million, exclusive of interest and costs, and is a class action in which any member of a class of plaintiffs is: (1) a citizen of a State different from any defendant; (2) a foreign state or a citizen or subject of a foreign state and any defendant is a citizen of a State; or (3) a citizen of a State and any defendant is a foreign state or a citizen or subject of a foreign state. Lists exceptions, such as where a class action brought by shareholders solely involves a claim concerning a covered security or relating to the internal governance of a corporation. Sets forth procedures for removal of interstate class actions to U.S. district court and for review of orders remanding class actions to State courts. Directs the Judicial Conference of the United States to report to the Senate and House Judiciary Committees on class action settlements.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2003
Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish special tax provisions applicable to the uniformed services and the Foreign Service, including an extension of time to exclude gain from the sale of a principal residence, exclusion from income of certain death gratuity benefits, extending combat zone filing rules to contingency operations, excluding certain dependent care assistance from income, and the deduction overnight travel expenses for National Guard and Reserve members. Suspends the tax-exempt status of a designated terrorist organization. Establishes IRS service user fee authority through September 30, 2013. Revises IRC expatriation tax provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2003
Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to identify as a high priority corridor on the National Highway System the Southwest Passage Initiative for Regional and Interstate Transportation Corridor (or SPIRIT Corridor), which extends along U.S. Route 54 from its starting point in Texas on the border between the United States and Mexico, through New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas, and ending in Wichita, Kansas.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2003
Native American Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program Consolidation Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary), in cooperation with the Secretaries of Labor, of the Interior, of Education, of Housing and Urban Development, of Transportation, and the Attorney General, as appropriate, upon receiving an acceptable plan from an Indian tribe, to carry out a demonstration project to coordinate the Indian behavioral health care programs of the Indian tribe in a manner that integrates the program services into a single, coordinated, comprehensive program that uses an automated clinical information system. Requires the above named officials to enter into an interdepartmental memorandum of agreement providing for the implementation of authorized plans. Establishes the Indian Health Service as the lead agency with specified responsibilities, including the development of a single reporting format for plans and projects and development of a single system of Federal oversight for the plan. Prohibits any reduction of Federal funds available to a participating tribe as a result of this Act. Makes any State with an alcohol and substance abuse or mental health program targeted to Indian tribes eligible to receive, at no cost, such Federal personnel assignments as the Secretary may deem appropriate to help ensure the success of such program.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2003
Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to exclude Los Alamos County, New Mexico from the Santa Fe metropolitan area for purposes of low-income housing assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2003
Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize qualified law enforcement officers (including certain qualified retired officers) carrying the photographic identification issued by their governmental agency, notwithstanding State or local laws, to carry a concealed firearm. Provides that such authorization shall not supersede State laws that: (1) permit private entities to prohibit the possession of concealed firearms on their property; or (2) prohibit the possession of firearms on State or local government property. Excludes from the definition of "firearm" any machine gun, firearm silencer, or destructive device.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2003
Charity Aid, Recovery, and Empowerment Act of 2003 or the CARE Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to charitable giving, charitable organizations, and social services to, among other things: (1) allow a deduction for a portion of charitable contributions to individuals who do not itemize; (2) allow tax-free distributions from individual retirement accounts for charitable purposes; (3) allow for the exclusion of 25 percent of gain on sales or exchanges of land or water interests to eligible entities for conservation purposes; (4) exclude mileage reimbursements to charitable volunteers from gross income; (5) increase oversight of tax-exempt organizations; (6) suspend the tax-exempt status of terrorist organizations; (7) modify the excise tax on unrelated business taxable income of charitable remainder trusts; (8) repeal the grassroots expenditure limit for charitable organizations; (9) modify the definition of convention or association of churches to state that no such grouping shall fail to qualify merely because individuals are members or because individuals have voting rights in such organization; (10) count certain payments made by charitable organizations to victims in the war against terrorism as related to the purpose or function constituting the basis for such organizations' exemptions; (11) restore funds for the Social Services Block Grant; (12) restore authority to transfer up to ten percent of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families funds to the Social Services Block Grant. Savings for Working Families Act of 2003 - States as a purpose of this Act to provide for the establishment of individual development account programs that will provide individuals and families with limited means an opportunity to accumulate assets and to enter the financial mainstream. Provides procedures for opening and maintaining such an account and qualifying for matching funds. Authorizes appropriations for the: (1) Savings for Working Families Act of 2003; and (2) administration of exempt organizations by the Internal Revenue Service. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to and enter into cooperative agreements to support nonprofit community-based organizations. Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits requiring a nongovernmental social service organization to: (1) remove religious art, icons, or scripture; (2) alter its charter; or (3) alter religious qualifications for board membership. Amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to provide for maternity group homes and evaluation of such homes.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to involuntary conversion rules, to extend the replacement period for livestock sold on account of weather related conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 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.
![Official portrait of Sen. Domenici, Pete V. [R-NM]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000407_200.jpg)