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
Antiterrorism Intelligence Distribution Act of 2003 - Amends the Department of Homeland Security Act to require the Office for State and Local Government Coordination within the Office of the Secretary to identify the appropriate officials of each State who will require access to classified information to ensure the health and safety of its citizens. Specifies guidelines for identifying the appropriate State and local officials. Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to require the Director of Central Intelligence to provide the appropriate national intelligence to State and local governments. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide security clearances and appropriate training to such officials. Requires the Secretary provide the appropriate technology and facilities to ensure prompt, efficient, and secure transmittal, receipt, and storage of classified information.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Museum and Library Services Act of 2003 - Amends the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA) and the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA, which is subchapter B of MLSA) to extend authorizations of appropriations and revise programs under such Acts. Amends MLSA to establish the National Museum and Library Services Board within the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). (Eliminates a National Museum Services Board.) Requires the IMLS Director to: (1) ensure coordination with certain activities under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), and other Federal activities; and (2) conduct and publish analyses of museum and library services impact. Revises requirements for annual national awards to outstanding libraries and museums that have made significant contributions in service to their communities. Includes specified entities under the term museum, for MLSA purposes. Revises museum services activities. Entitles subchapter C of MLSA as the Museum Services Act. Amends LSTA to provide for: (1) an increased portion for administrative costs; (2) an increased alternative minimum allotment to States under certain conditions; (3) State plans once every five years, as determined by the IMLS Director; (4) additional uses of grants to States for library programs; and (5) recruitment of library and information science personnel under the program of national leadership grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. Amends the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science Act with respect to contributions and membership. Repeals requirements relating to Commission responsibilities to: (1) advise the IMLS Director; and (2) meet with the National Museum Services Board, which is eliminated by this Act. Amends the Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act to increase maximum limits on liability amounts. Designates the Capital Children's Museum in Washington, D.C., as the National Children's Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2003
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2003 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the Federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.90 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after enactment of this Act; and (2) $6.65 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day. Makes Federal minimum wage requirements applicable to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Sets forth a transition period during which a specified minimum wage there shall be gradually increased to equal the Federal minimum wage.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2003
Building Security Act of 2003 - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish a research and development program to provide for improved building and fire codes, standards, and practices. Requires the Director to: (1) work with industry, trade associations, and professional societies to research construction, material, and equipment standards and practices to reduce the impact of extreme threats to the safety of buildings, their occupants, and emergency responders and to study the best methods (such as tax incentives or grants) for ensuring full implementation of and compliance with such standards and practices; and (2) oversee a program for dissemination and implementation of such practices and standards. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a Private Security Industry Task Force to: (1) examine the limitations in training, screening, standard-setting, retention, and oversight practice in the private security industry; and (2) develop structural guidelines and standards of quality for the industry and determine the best way to help States implement them.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2003
National Cyber Security Leadership Act of 2003 - Requires the Chief Information Officer of each Federal agency to: (1) identify the significant vulnerabilities of the information technology (IT) of such agency; (2) establish performance goals for eliminating such vulnerabilities; (3) procure or develop tools to identify and eliminate those vulnerabilities in order to achieve such performance goals; (4) train personnel in the utilization of those tools; (5) test the agency's IT to determine the extent of its compliance with the performance goals; and (6) develop and implement a plan to eliminate significant vulnerabilities in order to achieve compliance. Requires: (1) each Officer to include information on the agency's activities under this Act in annual reports on the agency's information security program and practices submitted to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB); and (2) the OMB Director to ensure the review of such reports by the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); (3) the NIST Director to designate, as the result of such review, any significant IT vulnerabilities of such broad applicability and severity so as to warrant the use of government-wide guidelines the Director shall develop and make available to such Officers for complying with this Act; and (4) the Secretary of Commerce to mandate agency use of such guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2003
DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act of 2003 - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) survey Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement jurisdictions to assess the amount of DNA evidence from sexual assault crimes that has not been subjected to testing and analysis; (2) review national, State, local, and tribal government protocols on the collection and processing of DNA evidence at crime scenes; and (3) make grants for sexual assault examiner programs, examiner training and certification, acquisition or improvement of forensic equipment, and other training. Amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to: (1) ensure that DNA testing and analysis of samples from rape kits and non-suspect cases are carried out in a timely manner; (2) reauthorize grants; (3) make local governments eligible for grants; (4) direct the Attorney General to give priority to a State or local governmental unit that has a significant rape kit or non-suspect case backlog; and (5) expand the scope of DNA samples subject to privacy protections. Amends: (1) the Federal criminal code and the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to authorize "John Doe" DNA indictments for sexual abuse (allows describing a person as an unknown individual who has a particular DNA profile if the identity of the accused or defendant is unknown); and (2) the DNA Identification Act of 1994 to authorize appropriations to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to carry out a redesign of the Combined DNA Index System.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2003
Chemical Security Act of 2003 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations to: (1) designate certain combinations of chemical sources and substances of concern as high priority categories based on the severity of the threat posed by an unauthorized release from chemical sources; and (2) require each owner and operator of a high priority category chemical source to conduct an assessment of the vulnerability of the source to a terrorist attack or other unauthorized release, identify hazards that may result from such release, and prepare a prevention, preparedness, and response plan. Sets forth: (1) certification requirements regarding assessments, and completion and review of response plans, by owners and operators of high priority chemical sources; and (2) protocols for protecting information disclosed in such certifications. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) certification by the Administrator of source assessment and plan compliance with requirements; (2) compliance assistance; and (3) compliance orders. Provides that if the Secretary of Homeland Security determines that: (1) a threat of a terrorist attack exists that is beyond the scope of a submitted plan, or that plan implementation is insufficient, the Secretary shall notify each source of the elevated threat; and (2) a source has not taken appropriate action in response to the notification, the Secretary shall notify the source, the Administrator, and the Attorney General. Authorizes the Administrator or the Attorney General to then secure such relief as necessary to abate a threat. Sets forth: (1) source record-keeping requirements; (2) entry and access rights of the Administrator; and (3) civil, criminal, and administrative penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2003
Prosecutorial Remedies and Tools Against the Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003 (PROTECT Act) - Amends Federal criminal code provisions regarding child pornography to prohibit: (1) advertising, promoting, distributing, or soliciting in interstate or foreign commerce any material in a manner that conveys the impression that it contains an obscene visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; or (2) knowingly offering or providing to a minor any such visual depiction to induce such minor to participate in any illegal activity. Makes certain information identifying minors depicted in child pornography inadmissible and subject to redaction from any otherwise admissible evidence in any prosecution of such an act. Modifies the definition of: (1) "minor" to provide that it shall not be construed to require proof of the actual identity of the person under age 18; (2) "child pornography" to include any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct that is of a minor engaging in bestiality, sadistic or masochistic abuse, or sexual intercourse; that lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value; or the production of which involves the use of an identifiable minor; (3) "identifiable minor" to include a computer generated image that is virtually indistinguishable from an actual minor; and (4) "produces" to cover computer generated images. Increases penalties for violating prohibitions against sexual exploitation of children. Amends the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 to authorize disclosure of child pornography by an electronic communication service provider to State officials and to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Sets penalties for using or inducing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct outside of the United States to produce any visual depiction of such conduct for transportation to the United States. Authorizes civil remedies for child pornography offenses. Makes persons previously convicted of obscenity eligible for enhanced recidivist penalties for sexual child exploitation. Directs the Attorney General to appoint 25 additional trial attorneys for investigation and prosecution of Federal child pornography laws.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2003
Emergency Warning Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretaries of Commerce and Homeland Security to establish comprehensive national standards and systems for providing effective public warnings. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) develop and implement benchmarks assessing current all-hazard warning capabilities; (2) conduct research and pilot programs to determine and improve the effectiveness of such warnings; (3) develop specifications for a national backbone for collecting and routing all-hazard warnings; (4) use the full range of communications technologies to provide warnings; (5) provide public warnings through automatic alert televisions and radios; and (6) educate the public about such warnings. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) develop and recommend standards and guidelines for universal all-hazard terminology and protocols, and (2) issue warnings related to acts of terrorism and other public safety threats via a public warning system.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2003
Nuclear Security Act of 2003 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to establish a task force on nuclear infrastructure security to protect sensitive nuclear facilities from potential terrorist threats. Instructs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to promulgate regulations that: (1) identify the threats that sensitive nuclear facilities must protect against to prevent radiological sabotage and theft of special nuclear material; and (2) establish a system to determine multiple threat levels in order to describe threat conditions. Prescribes guidelines for mandatory NRC review of security plans and emergency response plans. Directs the President to: (1) promulgate regulations establishing the Nuclear Infrastructure Antiterrorism Team to protect sensitive nuclear facility perimeters; and (2) establish a training program for National Guard, State and local law enforcement agency response to threats against a sensitive nuclear facility. Amends the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 to establish: (1) the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response; and (2) a Security Response Unit, including a mock terrorist team. Instructs the NRC to: (1) establish a security response evaluation program for sensitive nuclear facilities; and (2) conduct emergency response exercises to evaluate emergency personnel response to a radiological emergency at those facilities. Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to authorize trained security guards and employees of NRC certificate holders to carry firearms, other weapons, devices, or ammunition at NRC facilities. Prescribes guidelines for such personnel to detain or arrest without a warrant. Subjects to a criminal penalty: (1) any attempt or conspiracy to commit sabotage of nuclear facilities or fuel (the current standard is intentional or willful attempt); and (2) sabotage committed during construction of certain NRC facilities if the sabotage could adversely affect public health and safety during facility operation. Amends the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 to extend whistleblower protections to an employee of an NRC contractor or subcontractor.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Filipino Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act of 2003 - Authorizes: (1) payment of the full rate of compensation (currently, 50%) for the service-connected disability of members of the New Philippine Scouts (and their survivors) who served with U.S. armed forces during World War II and who now are U.S. citizens or lawfully reside in the United States; (2) full dependency and indemnity compensation for the surviving spouses of Filipino veterans who became U.S. citizens or lawfully resided in the United States; and (3) hospital and nursing home care and medical services for such veterans and new Philippine Scouts in the same manner as U.S. veterans. Limits the disability pension to $100 per month for such veterans who reside in the Philippines. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish care and services to veterans of World War II, Commonwealth Army veterans, and new Philippine Scouts for the treatment of service-connected disabilities and non-service connected disabilities of such veterans and scouts residing in the Philippines on an outpatient basis at the Manila VA Outpatient Clinic. Limits to $500,000 the amount to be expended during a fiscal year for such services.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Greater Access to Affordable Pharmaceuticals Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise provisions concerning the timing of generic drug availability. Requires applicants (pharmaceutical companies) to register their patents with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within 30 days of approval (or issuance for subsequently issued patents). Makes failure to timely register a bar to civil actions for patent infringement. Requires applications for new drugs (NDA) or abbreviated new drug applications (ANDA) which rely upon investigations not conducted by or for the applicant and which concern a patent that claims both the drug and a method of use or more than one method of use to include a certification on a claim-by-claim basis that the patent is invalid or will not be infringed (known as a Paragraph IV filing/certification) by the new drug's (generic) manufacture and a statement regarding the method(s) of use claim. Prohibits (for subsequently issued patents) an extension of the 30 month stay of FDA approval for any new drug where an ANDA or NDA contains a Paragraph IV filing/certification and the patent holder indicates an intention to bring a patent infringement suit against the new (generic) drug's manufacturer. Makes failure to timely file a civil action for infringement a bar to later action. Requires the first generic applicant with a Paragraph IV filing to forfeit the 180 day marketing exclusivity period to a subsequent generic applicant if the first generic applicant engages in certain behaviors (forfeiture events) which delay or prevent the marketing of the generic drug. Revises notice requirements for Paragraph IV filings to include and protect certain proposed formulation, composition, or method of use information. Excludes an applicants's ability to pay damages from a court's consideration of whether or not to provide injunctive relief before the expiration of the 30 month stay of approval period.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Fair Contracts for Growers Act of 2003 - Allows the use of arbitration to resolve a controversy as provided for under a livestock or poultry contract only if, after the controversy arises, both parties consent. Directs an arbitrator to provide to the parties to a written explanation of the factual and legal basis for an award.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2003 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the Federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.90 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after enactment of this Act; and (2) $6.65 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day. Makes Federal minimum wage requirements applicable to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Sets forth a transition period during which a specified minimum wage there shall be gradually increased to equal the Federal minimum wage.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Emergency Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide: (1) emergency financial assistance to agricultural producers (without regard to Federal crop insurance coverage) who have incurred qualifying 2001 and/or 2002 crop losses due to weather or related conditions; and (2) payments to livestock producers who have incurred 2001 and/or 2002 losses in an emergency-designated county, with set-asides for the American Indian livestock program.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Equal Rights and Equal Dignity for Americans Act of 2003 - Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Attorney General (AG), upon request, to provide assistance with the investigation or prosecution of any crime that constitutes: (1) a Federal crime of violence; (2) a felony under State or Indian tribal law; and (3) is motivated by prejudice based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability, or is a violation of State or Indian tribe hate crime laws. Amends the Federal criminal code to provide criminal penalties for certain hate crimes. Authorizes funding for enforcing civil rights laws and for indigent defense. Indian Trust Asset and Trust Fund Management and Reform Act of 2003 - Amends the American Indian Fund Management Reform Act of 1994 to expand the annual audit responsibilities of the Secretary of the Interior. Prescribes guidelines for development and implementation of an Indian Trust Fund and Trust Asset Management and Monitoring Plan. Establishes the position of Deputy Secretary for Trust Management and Reform to oversee all trust fund and trust asset matters of the Department of the Interior. Establishes the Office of Trust Reform Implementation and Oversight, headed by the Deputy Secretary, to supervise activities of specified senior officials who administer Indian trust assets or funds. Instructs the Deputy Secretary to establish a Tribal Task Force on Trust Reform. Expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should enact legislation: (1) to ban the practice of racial profiling; and (2) to require law enforcement agencies to take steps to prevent the practice. Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to revamp proscriptions against sex discrimination in wages. Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2003 - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by covered entities. Genetic Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance and Employment Act - Amends the following Acts to prohibit specified discriminatory practices concerning genetic information: (1) the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974; (2) the Public Health Service Act; (3) the Internal Revenue Code; and (4) title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act . Protecting Americans' Medical Privacy Act - States that specified modifications made by the August 2002 medical privacy rule to the December 2000 medical privacy rule governing consent for uses or disclosures for treatment, payment, or health care operations shall have no force or effect. Prohibits the collection of information on U.S. citizens inside the United States for intelligence or law enforcement purposes by any member of the Armed Forces or civilian employee of the Department of Defense. Help America Vote Act of 2002 (sic) - Authorizes appropriations to implement the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and the Help America Vote Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2002
Nuclear Waste Transportation Security Act of 2002 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop and implement a program for the transportation safety of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel (waste and fuel) taking into consideration terrorist threats and other potential emergencies. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States and local and tribal governments for activities to enhance the security of transporting nuclear waste, including emergency response. Directs the Secretaries of Transportation and Energy, in establishing routes for the transportation of nuclear waste through a State, to jointly consult with the State's chief executive officer regarding preferred or alternative routes. Requires the executive officer to be given 7 days' prior notice of any such transportation. Specifies requirements for particular shipments. Prohibits nuclear waste from being transported by vessel in the inland waters of the United States or the Great Lakes. Requires renewal every three years of a hazmat employee's certification of training to handle waste and fuel. Provides training grants for hazmat employees and instructors. Enhances civil penalties for violations in the transportation of waste and fuel. Requires: (1) a program of outreach regarding response to accidents, attacks, or other emergencies involving the transportation of waste and fuel; (2) a study regarding effects on public health of such transportation; and (3) a comprehensive program of testing the physical integrity and suitability of the packages used for such transportation. Requires the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board to evaluate the validity of any activities undertaken by the Secretary or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with respect to the transportation of waste or fuel.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2002
Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building Act - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to award a grant to Neighborhood House of St. Paul, Minnesota, to finance the construction of a new community center in St. Paul, to be known as the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2002
Youth Service Scholarship Act of 2002 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a Public Service Incentives college scholarship program to reward low-income students who have, during high school, and who continue, during college, to make significant public service contributions to their communities. Requires 300 hours of public service by the student: (1) during each of two academic years of secondary school, to be eligible for a scholarship for the first year of college; and (2) during the preceding postsecondary academic year, to be eligible for a second, third, or fourth year. Requires such students to: (1) have been eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act; and (2) be eligible to receive Federal Pell Grants in the year in which the scholarships are awarded. Sets the scholarship amount at $5,000 for any academic year during a student's first four years of undergraduate education, and provides for adjustments of such amount in the event of insufficient appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2002
Designates Thursday, November 21, 2002, as Feed America Thursday. Calls upon the U.S. people to sacrifice two meals on such day and to donate the money they would have spent on such meals to a religious or charitable organization of their choice for the purpose of feeding the hungry.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2002
Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 2002 - Makes appointments to the office of bankruptcy judge for judicial districts in the following States: California, Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Maryland; Michigan; Mississippi; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina, Pennsylvania; Puerto Rico; Tennessee; Virginia, South Carolina and Nevada. Grants extensions to the temporary office of bankruptcy judges authorized for the northern district of Alabama, the district of Delaware, the district of Puerto Rico, and the eastern district of Tennessee.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2002
Renames title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (prohibiting discrimination in education based on sex) the "Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act".
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2002
Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq - Expresses support for the President's efforts to: (1) strictly enforce through the United Nations Security Council all relevant Security Council resolutions applicable to Iraq; and (2) obtain prompt and decisive action by the Security Council to ensure that Iraq abandons its strategy of delay, evasion, and noncompliance and promptly and strictly complies with all relevant Security Council resolutions. Authorizes the President to use the U.S. armed forces to: (1) defend U.S. national security against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and (2) enforce all relevant Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq. Directs the President, prior to or as soon as feasible (but not later than 48 hours) after exercising such authority, to make available to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate his determination that: (1) reliance on further diplomatic or peaceful means alone will not achieve the above purposes; and (2) acting pursuant to this resolution is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Declares that this section is intended to constitute specific statutory authorization for use of the armed forces, consistent with requirements of the War Powers Resolution. Requires the President to report to Congress at least every 60 days on matters relevant to this resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2002
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 - Amends the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 (TEUCA, which is title II of the Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002, PL107-147) to extend the TEUCA program through weeks of unemployment ending before July 1, 2003 (currently January 1, 2003). Entitles eligible individuals in all States to a total of 26 weeks of TEUCA compensation (13 weeks beyond the current 13 weeks). Provides an additional seven weeks of TEUCA benefits for workers in high unemployment States (entitling them to a total of 33, which is 20 weeks beyond the current 13). Applies a revised adjusted insured unemployment rate State trigger. Sets an additional TEUCA benefit period State trigger based on total unemployment rate.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2002
Recognizes the 100th anniversary of the 4-H Youth Development Program, and commends such program for service to the youth of the world. Designates October 6, 2002, through October 12, 2002, as National 4-H Youth Development Program Week.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2002
Quality of Care for Individuals With Cancer Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to grant a contract to a national voluntary consensus organization, whereby the organization shall agree to identify core sets of quality of cancer care measures in consultation with a panel or an advisory group of interested parties. Expands the national program of State cancer registries funded under the Act. Directs the Secretary to establish a Cancer Surveillance System to monitor such registries, and reauthorizes the national program through 2008. Modifies provision dealing with matching funds to require States pay at least one dollar for every five (currently, three) Federal dollars spent on a cancer registry. Requires the Secretary to develop partnerships to speed the pace of improvements in the quality of cancer care. Directs the Secretary to establish a National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program to improve the quality of cancer care. Requires the Secretary to award grants to entities to develop, implement, and evaluate: (1) cancer case management programs; (2) model programs for the delivery of palliative care for cancer sufferers; and (3) end-of-life care programs. Directs the Secretary to conduct and support research regarding cancer survivorship. Requires the Secretary to make grants to support cancer curriculum development for health care provider training. Requires National Cancer Institute cancer control programs to include a plan to assist health professionals in professions facing the most severe shortages. Requires the Director of the National Cancer Institute to cooperate with, and make grants to, public or nonprofit entities to conduct multidisciplinary translational cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2002
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Act of 2002 - Establishes the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (the "Area") in the State of North Carolina (the "State"). Designates the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership (the "Partnership") as the management entity for the Area. Directs the Partnership to submit to the Secretary of the Interior a management plan (the "Plan"), which shall contain recommendations and strategies for the conservation, funding, management, and development of the Area. Directs the Secretary to approve or disapprove of the Plan, and of a revised Plan if the original one is not approved. Requires the Secretary to consider amendments to the Plan for approval. Authorizes the Partnership to make loans and grants to and enter into cooperative agreements. Directs the Partnership, among other activities, to: (1) implement the Plan; (2) conduct public meetings in the Area; and (3) provide assistance to units of government, nonprofit organizations, and persons in protecting the Area's resources and developing recreational and educational opportunities in the Area. Prohibits the Partnership from using Federal funds to acquire real property or interest in real property. Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance and financial assistance to the Partnership in developing and implementing the Plan. Requires the non-Federal share of the cost of any activity under this Act carried out using Federal funds to be not less than 50 percent. States that the authority of the Secretary to provide assistance under this Act shall terminate 15 years after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2002
Designates the month of September 2002 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 methods for screening, treating, and curing 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.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2002
Honoring the Passengers and Crew of United Flight 93 Act - Authorizes the President to award posthumously the Congressional Gold Medal to the passengers and crew of United Airlines flight 93 in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2002
National AMBER Alert Network Act of 2002 - Requires the Attorney General to assign an AMBER Alert Coordinator of the Department of Justice to act as the national coordinator of the AMBER Alert communications network regarding abducted children. Requires the coordinator to: (1) seek to eliminate gaps in the network; (2) work with States to encourage the development of additional network elements and to ensure regional coordination; and (3) act as the nationwide point of contact for network development and for regional coordination of alerts on abducted children through the network. Directs the Coordinator to: (1) notify and consult with the Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning each child abduction for which an AMBER Alert is issued; and (2) establish minimum standards for the issuance of alerts and for the extent of their dissemination (limited to the geographic areas most likely to facilitate the recovery of the abducted child). Requires the Secretary of Transportation to provide grants to States for the development or enhancement of notification or communications systems along highways for alerts and other information for the recovery of abducted children. Includes among permissible activities the development or enhancement of electronic message boards, and the placement of additional signage, along highways. Directs the Attorney General to provide grants to States for the development or enhancement of programs and activities for the support of AMBER Alert communications plans.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2002
Security and Liberty Preservation Act - Establishes the Commission on Enhancing Security and Preserving Freedom to conduct a thorough investigation of: (1) standards for using, selecting, and operating investigative and surveillance technologies to meet law enforcement and national security needs in the manner that best preserves the personal dignity, liberty, and privacy of individuals within the United States; and (2) the advisability of establishing Government entities or procedures to ensure that the Government complies with such standards.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2002
Our Lady of Peace Act - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to require the head of each U.S. department or agency to ascertain whether it has such information on persons for whom receipt of a firearm would violate specified Federal provisions regarding excluded individuals or State law as is necessary to enable the National Instant Criminal Background Check System to operate. Directs that any such record that the department or agency has be made available to the Attorney General for inclusion in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System or transmission of a certification identifying the record for removal from the System. Directs the head of such department or agency, at the Attorney General's request, to furnish such information to the System electronically. Makes a State eligible to receive a waiver of the ten percent matching requirement for National Criminal History Improvement Grants if the State provides at least 95 percent of the information described in this Act, including the name of and other relevant identifying information related to each person disqualified from acquiring a firearm. Requires the Attorney General to make grants to each State: (1) to establish or upgrade information and identification technologies for firearms eligibility determinations; and (2) for use by the State's chief judicial officer to improve the handling of proceedings related to criminal history dispositions and restraining orders. Requires the Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics to study and evaluate the operations of the System and to report on grants and on best practices of States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Amends the National Maritime Heritage Act of 1994 to: (1) revise the designation of museums composing the America's National Maritime Museum; and (2) designate specified new museums to be museums of the America's National Maritime Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2002
Reaffirms support of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Commemorates the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act of 1987 (the Proxmire Act) on November 4, 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2002
Access to High Quality Child Care Act - 2002 ACCESS Act - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBGA) to extend the authorization of appropriations, and to revise or set forth provisions relating to: (1) lead agencies; (2) State plan requirements; (3) activities to improve the quality of child care; (4) increased reimbursement rates; (5) administration and enforcement; (6) data about families receiving subsidies; (7) child care research and data; (8) activities for infants, toddlers, and children in other special populations; (9) resource and referral services; and (10) funds for Indian tribes. Federal Employees Child Care Act - Directs the Administrator of General Services to: (1) establish health, safety, and facility standards and compliance requirements for child care in executive branch facilities; (2) issue regulations requiring a child care facility to comply with standards of a child care accreditation entity; and (3) establish an interagency council to facilitate cooperation and sharing of best practices. Prescribes accreditation requirements for child care services in the House of Representatives, the Library of Congress, the Senate, and the U.S. Courts. Revises the criteria for children permitted child care and related services in Federal buildings, extending eligibility to children of Federal employees or on-site Federal contractors, or dependent children who live with such employees or contractors. Authorizes agreements, where necessary, with non-Federal, licensed, and accredited child care facilities, or planned facilities that will become licensed and accredited. Permits a Federal agency to conduct a pilot project to test innovative approaches to providing more cost-effective alternative forms of child care assistance for Federal employees. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award competitive grants to assist eligible intermediaries to provide technical and financial assistance to eligible recipients to pay the Federal matching share of costs of acquisition, construction, or improvement of center-based or home-based child care facilities or equipment, or for the improvement of related management and business practices. Book Stamp Act - Directs the Secretary of HHS to establish a grant program (based on certain State allocations under CCDBGA) to promote child literacy and improve children's access to books at home and in early learning and other child care programs, by making books available through such programs. Early Care and Education Act - Directs the Secretaries of Education and of HHS to: (1) allot incentive grants to States to develop or enhance high-quality systems of early child care and early education; (2) award bonus grants to States for demonstrated improvement in such care and education; and (3) establish an information clearinghouse.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2002
Small Business Drought Relief Act - Amends the Small Business Act to include drought within its definition of disaster (thus qualifying small businesses suffering economic harm from droughts for assistance under such Act).
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2002
Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 - Authorizes the President to provide assistance for Afghanistan through 2005 for the following activities: (1) urgent humanitarian needs; (2) repatriation and resettlement of refugees and internally displaced persons; (3) counternarcotics efforts; (4) reestablishment of food security, rehabilitation of the agriculture sector, improvement in health conditions, and the reconstruction of basic infrastructure; (5) reestablishment of Afghanistan as a viable nation-state through support for the development and expansion of democratic and market-based institutions; and (6) support for the establishment of a market economy, private financial institutions, the development of a telecommunications infrastructure, and trade and commercial links. Urges the President to: (1) designate within the Department of State a coordinator for such assistance and U.S. interests in Afghanistan; (2) utilize the expertise of Afghan-Americans; (3) encourage the donation of manufacturing equipment by U.S. businesses for the reconstruction of Afghanistan; and (4) utilize research conducted by U.S. land grant universities and the technical expertise of professionals at such institutions, particularly in the agricultural and rural development areas. Expresses the sense of Congress that, during the transition to fully representative government, the U.S. should support: (1) the development of a civilian-controlled and centrally-governed standing Afghanistan army that respects human rights and prohibits the use of children as soldiers; (2) the creation and training of a professional civilian police force that respects human rights; and (3) a multinational security force in Afghanistan. Authorizes the President to provide and direct the drawdown of defense articles and services and military education to the Government of Afghanistan. Prohibits U.S. involvement in poppy cultivation or illicit narcotics growth, production, or trafficking in Afghanistan.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2002
Amends rule XLII (employment practices) of the Standing Rules of the Senate to prohibit employment discrimination in the Senate based on sexual orientation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2002
Declares that the Senate strongly disapproves of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Newdow v. U.S. Congress. Authorizes and instructs the Senate Legal Counsel to seek to intervene in the case to defend the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2002
Nurturing Special Kids Act of 2002 - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (CCDBGA) to require States to reserve certain funds for activities to improve the quality of child care for children with disabilities or other special needs (special children). Requires States that receive CCDBGA allotments in excess of a covered amount to reserve and use the excess to: (1) support child care programs that accept special children, provide higher reimbursements to providers who serve special children, and support training for providers in the care of special children; (2) fund consultations by professionals to improve providers' abilities to identify and care for special children; (3) provide a comprehensive system of ongoing training and technical assistance with respect to providers and others involved in care of special children; and (4) provide grants for recruitment and retention of qualified staff for care of special children.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2002
Opportunity Passport Act of 2002 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to assist partnerships of public agencies or private nonprofit organizations in developing and implementing methods of providing financial security for youth in foster care and for youth aging out of foster care, including: (1) electronic opportunity passports, such as electronic cards or secure Internet databases containing vital information about medical records, legal identification, and school transcripts; (2) individual development accounts for educational, housing, medical, business, or automobile expenses; (3) debit accounts for short-term use to build credit histories and purchase essential items; and (4) youth leadership boards providing assistance to enable such youth to negotiate agreements, obtain expedited access to education and training programs, obtain pre-approval for student loans or other student financial assistance, and become entrepreneurs.
![Official portrait of Sen. Edwards, John [D-NC]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/e000286_200.jpg)