United States · United States Congress · 5 September 2003
Imposes an additional duty of 27.5 percent on Chinese goods imported into the United States unless the President submits a certification to Congress that the People's Republic of China (PRC) is no longer manipulating the rate of exchange and is complying with accepted market-based trading policies. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to negotiate with the PRC to ensure a process that leads to a market-based system of currency valuation.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2003
Religious Liberties Restoration Act - States that the following powers are reserved to the States or their political subdivisions on property owned or administered by them: (1) to display the Ten Commandments; (2) to recite the Pledge of Allegiance as: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all "; and (3) to recite the national motto as "In God we trust". States that such powers are excepted from the jurisdiction of Federal courts inferior to the Supreme Court.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2003
Fair Care for the Uninsured Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual a tax credit in an amount equal to the amount paid for qualified health insurance, subject to stated limitations. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments to the provider of an individual's qualified health insurance equal to such individual's qualified health insurance credit advance amount with respect to such provider. Amends the Public Health Service Act, as inserted by the Trade Act of 2002, to extend funding for State high risk health insurance pools. Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow health benefits coverage through individual membership associations. Sets forth association requirements. Requires associations to include a minimum of two health insurance coverage options.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2003
DSHEA Full Implementation and Enforcement Act of 2003 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 2004 through 2008: (1) to carry out the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) and all applicable regulatory requirements for dietary supplements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA); and (2) for expanded research and development of consumer information on dietary supplements by the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Makes appropriations: (1) for FY 2004, to carry out DSHEA and all applicable regulatory requirements for dietary supplements under FFDCA; and (2) for FY 2004 through 2008, for expanded research and development of consumer information on dietary supplements by ODS at NIH. Requires the Food and Drug Administration to fully and appropriately use such funds to regulate dietary supplements. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report annually to Congress on the implementation and enforcement of the DSHEA.
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 the Internal Revenue Code to classify any motorsports entertainment complex asset as 7-year property for purposes of the accelerated cost recovery system.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2003
Expresses the sense of the Senate that trade agreements are not the appropriate vehicle for enacting immigration-related laws or modifying current immigration policy and that future trade agreements to which the United States is a party and the legislation implementing them should not contain immigration-related provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2003
Tobacco Market Transition Act of 2003 - Amends, and repeals, specified agricultural Acts to eliminate tobacco quota and price support programs, including no net cost provisions. Adds a new subtitle, Subtitle E: Tobacco Assistance, to title III of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 which requires the Secretary of Agriculture to make transition payments to each tobacco quota holder (generally, an owner of a farm, as of July 1, 2002, for which a basic tobacco marketing or farm acreage allotment for quota tobacco was established for the 2002 tobacco marketing year under a marketing quota program). Requires the Secretary to make direct payments to a traditional producer of tobacco (a person that, for at least one of the 2000, 2001, or 2002 tobacco marketing years, was actively engaged in the production of tobacco marketed, or considered planted, under a marketing quota and shared in the risk of producing the tobacco). Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a permanent advisory board, the Tobacco Quality Board; (2) a permanent advisory board for each kind of tobacco, a Production Board; and (3) an acreage limitation program for each crop of each kind of tobacco. Directs the Secretary, during any consecutive 4-week period of a marketing year in which the world price for the crop of a kind of tobacco exceeds the average domestic price for such tobacco, to make market stability payments available to active producers of such tobacco. Directs the Secretary to make grants: (1) to eligible States for the Federal share of carrying out economic development initiatives in impacted counties (counties in which tobacco producers have sustained a reduction in gross receipts from the sale of tobacco for a base period); and (2) to colleges and universities in eligible States to conduct research to assist tobacco producers to diversify so as to reduce or eliminate reliance on tobacco production (or to promote alternative uses of tobacco or enhance the quality of tobacco produced), and to foster development of economically viable new agricultural technologies and enterprises for rural communities. Establishes in the Commodity Credit Corporation a revolving trust fund to carry out this subtitle. Deposits into the Fund an annual assessment (imposed by this Act) on each tobacco product manufacturer and tobacco product importer that sells tobacco products in domestic U.S. commerce. Sets forth tobacco stocks and no net cost transition provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Border Security and Immigration Improvement Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish new visa programs for: (1) aliens who seek to enter the United States as temporary workers; and (2) undocumented aliens residing in the United States who seek to remain legally in the United States. Authorizes additional funding for the United States Employment Service to assist States meet increased employment services resulting from the amendments made by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2003
Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit falsely pretending to be an officer or employee acting under the authority or law of the United States with intent to harass, alarm, shock, terrify, or cause mental distress to another person regarding the military status of such person's relative.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2003
District of Columbia Personal Protection Act - Amends the District of Columbia Code to provide that the D.C. Council's regulatory authority regarding firearms, explosives, and weapons in the District shall not be construed to permit the Council, the Mayor, or any governmental or regulatory authority of the District to prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the ability of persons otherwise permitted to possess firearms under Federal law from acquiring, possessing in their homes or businesses, or using for sporting, self-protection or other lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited by Federal law nor regulated by the National Firearms Act. Denies the District any authority to enact laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms. Repeals the definition of machine gun as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading. (Thus repeals the ban on semiautomatic weapons.) Repeals the District's: (1) registration requirement for possession of firearms; (2) prohibition on registration of pistols (handguns); (3) prohibition on possession of handgun ammunition; (4) requirement that, under certain conditions, firearms in the possession of certain individuals must be kept unloaded, disassembled, or with the trigger locked; (5) related firearm registration requirements such as applicant qualifications and filing deadline. Eliminates criminal penalties for: (1) possessing an unregistered firearm; or (2) carrying a pistol whether loaded or unloaded in one's dwelling house, place of business, or on land possessed by such person.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the restrictions on the tax deduction for the travel expenses of a taxpayer's spouse, dependent, or other individual accompanying the taxpayer on business travel.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2003
Child Medication Safety Act of 2003 - Requires States, as a condition of receiving funds under any program or activity administered by the Secretary of Education, to develop and implement policies and procedures prohibiting school personnel from requiring a child, as a condition of attending school or receiving services, to obtain a prescription for a controlled substance in schedule II under the Controlled Substances Act. (Thus prohibits school personnel from coercing children to receive, or their parents to administer, psychotropic medication.) Provides that nothing in such requirement shall be construed to create a Federal prohibition against teachers and other school personnel consulting or sharing classroom-based observations with parents or guardians regarding a student's academic performance or behavior in the classroom or school, or regarding the need for evaluation for special education or related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Directs the Comptroller General to review and report on: (1) the variation among States in definitions of psychotropic medication as used in regard to State jurisdiction over public education; (2) the prescription rates of medications used in public schools to treat children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other disorders or illnesses; (3) which such medications are listed under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA); and (4) which such medications are not listed under CSA, including their properties and effects and whether they have been considered for CSA listing.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2003
American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 one dollar silver coins in commemoration of disabled American veterans, which shall be emblematic of the design selected by the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial. Requires: (1) all sales of the coins to include a ten dollar per coin surcharge; and (2) the surcharges received to be paid to the Foundation to establish an endowment to support the construction of an American Veterans' Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2003
Reforestation Tax Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction to a taxpayer who has a qualified timber gain in an amount equal to the qualified percentage of such gain. Allows a deduction, for qualified timber property, for reforestation expenditures and terminates current provisions allowing for the amortization of such expenditures. Provides for the application of passive activity loss limitations to timber activity of an individual who is a member of a closely held entity if management of such activity is less than 100 hours annually.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2003
Better HEALTH Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to award grants or contracts for geographic areas that have a shortage of health care professionals due to the costs of medical malpractice insurance. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a business tax credit for medical professional malpractice insurance according to a specified schedule. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration, to make grants to eligible nonprofit hospitals and clinics to pay 15 percent of qualified medical malpractice insurance costs. Prohibits any individual from bringing a medical malpractice liability action unless it is accompanied by the affidavit of a qualified specialist attesting to the reasonableness of the filing. Requires the attorney of a person filing such an action, or the individual if there is no attorney, to sign a certificate of merit attesting to the justified nature of the action. Directs courts to impose sanctions for violations of the provisions pertaining to the certificate of merit, including to issue fines for multiple offenders. Medical Malpractice Insurance Antitrust Act of 2003 - Declares that nothing in the McCarran-Ferguson Act shall be construed to permit commercial insurers to engage in any form of price fixing, bid rigging, or market allocations in connection with the conduct of the business of providing medical malpractice insurance. Establishes an Independent Advisory Commission on Medical Malpractice Insurance. Patient Safety Improvement and Medical Injury Reduction Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to set forth that, with certain exceptions, patient safety information shall be privileged and confidential and not subject to specified disclosures. Allows health care professionals to waive such privileges. Declares that it is unlawful for any person to disclose patient safety information in violation of this Act (with specified exceptions). Grants protection against adverse employment actions to individuals who report certain types of information to providers or patient safety organizations. Requires the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to establish: (1) a Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety; (2) a National Patient Safety Database; and (3) a National Patient Safety Research Demonstration System. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities to promote community partnerships for health care improvement among health care professionals, with the aim of improving the quality of medical care in communities. Directs the Secretary to appoint a Medical Information Technology Advisory Board. Allows the Secretary to make grants for: (1) computerized physician order entry systems; (2) informatics systems; and (3) patient safety research. Amends provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to classify drugs and biological devices as misbranded unless they include a unique product identifier. Directs the Secretary to issue and periodically revise regulations to require the manufacturer of such a product, or its packager or labeler, to include such information on the packaging.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2003
Expresses the condolences of the Senate on the death of the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond, former Senator and President Pro Tempore Emeritus from South Carolina.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2003
Amends the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to retain the exemption from certain maximum hours of service requirements granted to operators of commercial vehicles that transport certain agricultural commodities and farm supplies. Exempts such operators, specifically, from the authority of the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a rulemaking proceeding to determine whether granting such an exemption is not in the public interest and would have a significant adverse impact on the safety of commercial motor vehicles. Redefines agricultural commodity to reflect the definition in the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Permits one additional advance refunding of certain tax-exempt bonds, of which the net proceeds are used to finance the costs of electric generation, transmission, or distribution assets owned by the issuer or by a consortium of State or local governments which includes the issuer. Sets certain conditions the bonds must meet to qualify for the advance refunding.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2003
State and Local Law Enforcement Discipline, Accountability, and Due Process Act of 2003 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to set forth the due process rights, including procedures, that shall be afforded a law enforcement officer (officer) who is the subject of an investigation or disciplinary hearing. Declares that an officer shall not be: (1) prohibited from engaging in political activity or be denied the right to refrain from engaging in such activity, except when on duty or acting in an official capacity; and (2) prohibited from being a candidate for an elective office or from serving in such elective office solely because of the officer's status as an officer, with exceptions. Requires that: (1) each agency adopt and thereafter comply with a written complaint procedure that meets specified requirements; and (2) an investigation based on a complaint from outside the agency commence not later than 15 days after receipt of the complaint by the agency employing the officer against whom the complaint has been made, or any other agency charged with investigating such complaint. Directs that any officer who is the subject of an investigation be notified of the investigation 24 hours before the commencement of questioning. Establishes rights of officers before and during questioning, including the right to counsel. Requires questioning to be conducted at reasonable hours. Prohibits an officer from being compelled to submit to the use of a lie detector.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2003
Authorizes the President to present to Dr. Dorothy Height (President of the National Council of Negro Women) a congressional gold medal in recognition of her many contributions to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2003
Stop Pornography and Abusive Marketing Act or SPAM Act - Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish a registry in which persons not wishing to receive unsolicited commercial electronic (UCE) mail may register their (or their child's) electronic mail (email) address. Makes it unlawful for a person to initiate UCE mail to a registered email address. Provides for enforcement by the FTC, with civil penalties of $5,000 for each violation. Makes it unlawful for any person to initiate the transmission of any UCE mail to a protected computer (a computer used by or for a financial institution or the U.S. Government) unless the message provides clear and conspicuous identification that it is an advertisement or solicitation by including "ADV" as the first characters in the subject line. Outlines procedures under which the FTC may approve a self-regulatory organization that requires program participants to adhere to such requirements. Makes it unlawful for a person to: (1) initiate the transmission of commercial email or UCE mail in violation of Internet service provider policies with respect to email, account registration and use, or other terms of service; and (2) send to a protected computer a message that contains false, misleading, or deceptive information in the subject line, header, or router information or in the body of the message. Requires all commercial email and UCE mail to contain: (1) a functioning return email address that a recipient may use to request not to receive any such mail in the future; and (2) clear and conspicuous notice of the opportunity to decline to receive further mail from the sender. Prohibits the transmission of commercial email and UCE mail: (1) to addresses obtained through illegal harvesting or automated means; and (2) without identifying the valid physical address of the sender. Provides for enforcement of this Act by: (1) the FTC; (2) certain other Federal agencies; (3) the attorney general of a State; (4) an Internet service provider; or (5) an individual consumer.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
YMCA Healthy Teen Act - Directs the Attorney General to award a grant to the YMCA of the USA to make subgrants to local YMCAs for programs to promote healthy living among teenage youth.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2003
Relief for Working Families Tax Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the child care credit to: (1) accelerate and make permanent the $1,000 child tax credit; (2) make the 15 percent refundable portion of the child tax credit effective as of 2003 (currently 2005); and (3) increase the income threshold amounts for joint filers and for married filing separate filers. Amends the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 to make the revisions to such credit made by the Act permanent. Amends the Code to provide a uniform definition of "child."
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2003
Relief for Working Families Tax Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the child care credit to: (1) accelerate and make permanent the $1,000 child tax credit; (2) make the 15 percent refundable portion of the child tax credit effective as of 2003 (currently 2005); and (3) increase the income threshold amounts for joint filers and for married filing separate filers. Amends the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 to make the revisions to such credit made by the Act permanent. Amends the Code to provide a uniform definition of "child."
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2003
National Museum of African American History and Culture Act - (Sec. 4) Establishes within the Smithsonian Institution (SI) the National Museum of African American History and Culture, to be operated as a center for scholarship and a location for museum training, public education, exhibits, and collection and study of items and materials relating to the life, art, history, and culture of African Americans that encompass the period of slavery, the era of reconstruction, the Harlem renaissance, the civil rights movement, and other periods of the African American diaspora. (Sec. 5) Establishes the National Museum of African American History and Culture Council to: (1) advise and assist the SI Board of Regents on Museum planning, design, construction, operation, and budgets; and (2) have responsibility and authority with respect to the Museum's collections and work, subject to the Board of Regents' general policies. (Sec. 6) Requires the Secretary of SI to appoint a Director to manage the Museum. (Sec. 7) Establishes the Office of Education and Liaison Programs within the Museum to work with educational institutions and museums throughout the Nation. Requires the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services to establish specified grant, scholarship, internship, and fellowship programs relating to African American museums. (Sec. 8) Directs the Board of Regents to select the Museum's site from one of four specified sites on or adjacent to the national mall. Requires the Board of Regents to pay costs of planning, design, and construction of the Museum on the chosen site as follows: 50 percent from Federal funds and 50 percent from non-Federal sources. (Sec. 9) Provides for Congressional Budget Act compliance by declaring that authority under this Act to enter into contracts or to make payments shall be effective in any fiscal year only to the extent provided in advance in an appropriations Act, except that mounts made available under section 11 of this Act shall remain available until expended. (Sec. 10) Directs the Council and the Board of Regents, in carrying out their duties under this Act, to consider the reports and plans submitted by the National Museum of African American History and Culture Plan for Action Presidential Commission under the National Museum of African American History and Culture Plan for Action Presidential Commission Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-106). (Sec. 11) Authorizes appropriations in a specified amount for FY 2004, and in necessary amounts for subsequent fiscal years.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Veterans' Survivors Benefits Enhancements Act of 2003 - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to increase the rates of: (1) survivors' and dependents' educational assistance; and (2) assistance for correspondence courses and apprenticeship training. Provides a duration of 36 months for survivors' and dependents' educational assistance (currently, 45 months) for a person who first files a claim after the date of enactment of this Act. Increases by $250 the monthly rate of dependency and indemnity compensation in the case of a surviving spouse with one or more children under the age of 18. Continues such additional payment until all of that spouse's children reach 18 years of age, for not more than five years following the veteran's death. Makes eligible for burial in national cemeteries a surviving spouse who had a subsequent remarriage (currently, a surviving spouse who had a subsequent remarriage which was terminated by death or divorce). Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide to any child of a veteran of covered service in Korea who is suffering from spina bifida the health care, vocational training and rehabilitation, and monetary allowance currently required to be paid to a child of a Vietnam veteran who is suffering from spina bifida.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Build America Bonds Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax credit to a taxpayer holding a Build America bond on a credit allowance date of such bond. Defines a Build America bond as any bond issued by the Build America Corporation as part of an issue if 95 percent or more of the proceeds from the sale of such issue are to be used for expenditures incurred for any qualified project, or for deposit in the Build America Trust Account for repayment of Build America bonds at maturity. Defines qualified project as the financing of capital improvements for any transportation infrastructure project of any governmental unit or other person, including highways, transit systems, railroads, airports, ports, and inland waterways, proposed by a State and approved by the Build America Corporation. Establishes the non-profit Build America Corporation to: (1) issue Build America bonds for the financing of qualified projects; (2) establish and operate the Build America Trust Account; and (3) perform any other function the sole purpose of which is to carry out the financing of qualified projects through Build America bonds.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Amends the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 to rename the Act as the Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act and to revise provisions with respect to certain civil protections and rights afforded to servicemembers while on active-duty assignment. Authorizes any servicemember to waive any of such rights and protections, pursuant to written agreement. Provides certain protections of servicemembers against default judgments, including a minimum 90-day stay of proceedings, with respect to the payment of any tax, fine, penalty, insurance premium, or other civil obligation or liability. Prohibits an eviction or distress from being made against a servicemember or his or her dependents during a period of military service for a premise for which rent does not exceed the greater of $1,950 (currently $1,200) or the monthly basic allowance to which the member is entitled, except by court order. Prohibits: (1) rescinding or terminating for breach of contract during a period of military service a contract for the purchase or lease of real or personal property (including a motor vehicle) entered into prior to such service; and (2) a person holding a lien on property or effects of a servicemember from foreclosing or otherwise enforcing such lien (with penalties and protection for materially affected dependents) during a period of service and 90 days thereafter. Increases the total amount of life insurance coverage protection provided under the Act to $250,000, or an amount equal to the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance maximum limit, whichever is greater. Allows findings of fact and conclusions of law made by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in administering the life insurance provisions of the Act to be reviewed by the Board of Veterans Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (not reviewable under current law). Sets forth provisions: (1) protecting a servicemember's assets not held in connection with an obligation or liability of a trade or business of that servicemember during his or her military service; and (2) requiring institutions of higher education to allow a servicemember to return to the institution and complete classes after military service.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2003
National War Permanent Tribute Historical Database Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to establish and maintain the National War Permanent Tribute Historical Database for identifying and cataloging the many thousands of permanent tributes that commemorate U.S. military conflicts and the service and sacrifice of U.S. armed forces. Requires the Database to be publicly accessible through the Internet or other means in a format that permits the public to submit information for the purpose of updating and expanding the Database. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress assessing the efficacy and desirability of establishing a permanent fund within the Treasury for the repair, restoration, and maintenance of the memorials identified and cataloged.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2003
Medicare Vision Rehabilitation Services Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of outpatient vision rehabilitation services under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2003
Securing Judicial Independence Act of 2003 - Increases Federal judicial salaries by 25 percent. Repeals provisions: (1) authorizing annual judicial salary adjustments equal to the most recent change in the Employment Cost Index; (2) prohibiting the years of military service for which credit is allowed for the purposes of retirement or retired pay under any other provision of law from being included as allowable years of service for purposes of the computation of the annuities for survivors of Federal judicial officials; or (3) the service used in the computation of Federal judicial official survivor annuities from also be credited in computing any other survivor annuity. Increases the notification period for survivor annuity coverage for a judge of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2003
Highway Funding Equity Act of 2003 - Revises Federal highway funding minimum guarantee provisions. Requires the Secretary of Transportation, for each of FY 2004 through 2009, to allocate among the States amounts sufficient to ensure that the percentage for each State of the total apportionments for the fiscal year for the National Highway System (NHS), the high priority projects program, the Interstate maintenance program, the surface transportation program, metropolitan planning, the highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the recreational trails program, the Appalachian development highway system, and the minimum guarantee equals or exceeds 95 percent of the ratio that the estimated tax payments to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) (other than the Mass Transit Account) attributable to highway users in the State bears to such payments attributable to highway users in all States (with a specified exception for any State having a population density of less than 50 individuals per square mile). Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the programmatic distribution of NHS funds exceeding $2.8 billion; (2) the apportionment of the remainder of funds to the States; and (3) required adjustments where the sum of State percentages exceeds 100.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2003
Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 2003 - Authorizes appointment of additional bankruptcy judgeships for specified States, including additional temporary bankruptcy judgeships for Puerto Rico, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Mississippi, and Georgia. Extends certain existing temporary bankruptcy judgeships in Alabama and. Tennessee. Converts the bankruptcy judgeship presently shared by the southern district and the middle district of Georgia to a bankruptcy judgeship for the middle district of Georgia. Converts to a permanent bankruptcy judgeship existing temporary bankruptcy judgeships for the districts of Delaware and Puerto Rico.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2003 - Provides that: (1) any person who engages in conduct that violates specified provisions of the Federal criminal code, the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, or the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, or specified articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (conduct constituting certain Federal violent crimes), and thereby causes the death of, or bodily injury to, a child who is in utero, shall be guilty of a separate offense (but prohibits imposition of the death penalty for such offense); and (2) the punishment for that separate offense shall be the same as that provided under Federal law for that conduct had that injury or death occurred to the unborn child's mother. Directs that if the person engaging in the conduct thereby intentionally kills or attempts to kill the unborn child, that person shall be punished as provided under the Federal criminal code for intentionally killing or attempting to kill a human being. Bars prosecution under this Act: (1) for conduct relating to an abortion for which the consent of the pregnant woman has been obtained or for which such consent is implied by law in a medical emergency; (2) for conduct relating to any medical treatment of the pregnant woman or her unborn child; or (3) of any woman with respect to her unborn child.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act - Permits the Director of the National Institutes of Health (the "Director" of NIH), acting through the Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, to expand and coordinate the activities of NIH with respect to research on paralysis. Allows the Director to award grants to public or nonprofit entities to fund Christopher Reeve Paralysis Research Consortia for paralysis research. Permits the Director to solicit public input regarding paralysis research programs. Allows the Director, acting through the Director of the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development and the National Center for Rehabilitation Research and in collaboration with other agencies, to expand and coordinate the activities of NIH with respect to research with implications for enhancing daily function for persons with paralysis. Permits the Director to make grants to multicenter networks of clinical sites that will collaborate on rehabilitation intervention protocols. Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to study the unique health challenges associated with paralysis and other physical disabilities to improve the quality of life and long-term health status of individuals with such conditions. Allows the Secretary to undertake direct research and to make grants. Provides for the formation of a national paralysis and physical disability quality of life plan and a hospital-based paralysis registry. Permits the Secretary to award grants to: (1) State and local health and disability agencies, including for the purpose of establishing paralysis registries; and (2) nonprofit private health and disability organizations, including for the purpose of disseminating information to the public. Allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) establish within the Department of Veterans Affairs centers for paralysis research, education, and clinical activities; and (2) carry out initiatives, through the award of grants, for quality enhancement of research on paralysis.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2003
Amateur Sports Integrity Act - Athletic Performance-Enhancing Drugs Research and Detection Act - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to: (1) establish a program to support research into the use of performance-enhancing substances by athletes and methods of detecting their use; (2) consider research proposals involving performance-enhancing substances banned from use by competitors in events sanctioned by professional and collegiate sports organizations; (3) fund research on the detection of naturally-occurring steroids, other testosterone precursors, and other substances for which no tests are available but for which there is evidence of abuse or abuse potential; (4) fund research that focuses on population studies to ensure that tests are accurate for men, women, all relevant ages, and major ethnic groups; (5) not fund research on drugs of abuse; and (6) develop a grant program to fund educational substance abuse prevention and intervention programs related to the use of such banned performance-enhancing substances by high school and college student athletes. Amends the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act to make it unlawful to sponsor, operate, advertise, promote, license, or authorize a betting, gambling, or wagering scheme based on a competitive game at the Summer or Winter Olympics or in which high school or college athletes participate.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2003
National Guard and Reserves Reform Act for the 21st Century - Makes an individual eligible for retired pay for non-regular (reserve) military service if such individual: (1) satisfies one of specified combinations of minimum age (between 55 and 60) and years of service (between 20 and 30); (2) performed the last six years of qualifying service in currently authorized categories of military service, but not while a member of a regular component, the Fleet Reserve, or the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve; and (3) is not entitled to any other retirement pay from an armed force or as a member of the Fleet Reserves. Authorizes a member of the Selected Reserve to enroll for self or for self and family under the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense managed health care program). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a reserve component employment credit equal to the sum of the employment credit with respect to all qualified employees of the taxpayer and the self-employment credit of a qualified self-employed taxpayer. Limits the credit to $25,000 for each qualified employee. Disallows the credit for failure to comply with reserve member employment or reemployment rights, or when a reserve member is called or ordered to active duty for training.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants to public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of not more than eight consortium centers (each such center shall be known as a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Center of Excellence). States that the centers shall conduct multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional research on environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Syria Accountability Act of 2003 - Declares the sense of Congress that: (1) Syria should halt support for terrorism, withdraw armed forces from Lebanon, stop develpment of ballistic missiles and biological and chemical weapons, and halt imports and transshipments of Iraqi oil; (2) Lebanon and Syria should enter into bilateral negotiations for peace with Israel; and (3) the United States should continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Lebanon only through private and international organizations until the Government of Lebanon asserts sovereignty over its borders. Declares U.S. policy that Syria: (1) will be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism until it stops supporting terrorism; (2) is in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 520 through its continued occupation of Lebanese territory; and (3) has violated Resolution 661 by purchasing oil from Iraq. Declares that restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty is in the U.S. national interest. Requires the President, unless the President certifies that Syria does not support international terrorist groups or allow them to maintain facilities in Syria, has withdrawn all security personnel from Lebanon, has ceased the development of ballistic missiles and biological and chemical weapons, and is no longer violating Resolution 661, to: (1) prohibit the export to Syria of specified defense articles or services and items on the Commerce Control List; and (2) impose two or more of specified sanctions (including prohibiting U.S. exports to, or U.S. businesses investments or operations in, Syria). Authorizes the President to provide development assistance to Syria and Lebanon if the President: (1) makes that certification; (2) determines that progress has been made toward negotiating peace agreements between Israel, Syria, and Lebanon; and (3) determines that Syria is strictly respecting Lebanon's sovereignty.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Ballistic Imaging Evaluation and Study Act of 2003 - Directs the Attorney General to enter into an arrangement with the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences to study the effectiveness of ballistic imaging technology. Prohibits a State from using Federal funds for ballistic imaging technology until the NRC report is transmitted to Congress. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, at a State's request, to waive such prohibition upon a showing that the use would be in the national interest.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins and 500,000 $1 silver coins, which shall be emblematic of the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia (the first permanent English settlement in America). Provides for a $35 per coin surcharge for the $5 dollar coins and $10 per coin for the $1 dollar coins. Directs the Secretary to distribute: (1) 50 percent of the surcharges to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation of Virginia to support programs to promote the understanding of the legacies of Jamestown; and (2) 50 percent to sustain the ongoing mission of preserving Jamestown, to enhance national and international educational programs, to improve infrastructure and archeological research activities, and to conduct other programs to support the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown. States that entities specified for such purposes are the Secretary of the Department of the Interior, the President of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and the Chairman of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2003
Armed Forces Citizenship Act of 2003 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act respecting naturalization through service in the armed forces to: (1) eliminate the three-year service requirement; (2) prohibit the imposition of a naturalization fee; (3) provide for overseas naturalization proceedings for members of the armed forces; and (4) provide for revocation of citizenship for separation from military service under other than honorable conditions (such ground for revocation shall be in addition to any other provided by law).
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
Marine Corps 230th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 one dollar coins which shall be emblematic of the warrior ethos of the United States Marine Corps. Requires all surcharges from the sale of the coins to be paid to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation for construction of the Marine Corps Heritage Center.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
Museum and Library Services Act of 2003 - Amends the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA) to replace the National Museum Services Board with a National Museum and Library Services Board, established in the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). 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, and other Federal activities; and (2) conduct and publish analyses of the impact of museum and library services. Revises requirements for annual national awards to outstanding libraries and museums that have made significant contributions in service to their communities. Entitles subchapter C of MLSA as the Museum Services Act. Amends the Library Services and Technology Act 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. Amends the Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act to increase maximum limits on liability amounts. Renames the Capital Children's Museum in Washington, D.C., the National Children's Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Sickle Cell Treatment Act of 2003 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to include primary and secondary preventative medical strategies, treatment, and services, including genetic counseling and testing, for individuals who have Sickle Cell Disease as medical assistance under the Medicaid program. Directs the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration to conduct a demonstration program for the development and establishment of systemic mechanisms, including a National Coordinating Center, to improve the prevention and treatment of Sickle Cell Disease.
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