United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2002
Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act of 2002 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide that a public safety officer who dies as the direct and proximate result of a heart attack or stroke suffered while on duty or within 24 hours after participating in a training exercise or responding to an emergency situation shall be presumed to have died as the direct and proximate result of a personal injury sustained in the line of duty, for purposes of survivor benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2002
Local Control of Cellular Towers Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to repeal the prohibition against a State or local government regulating the placement, construction, and modification of personal wireless service facilities on the basis of the environmental effects of radio frequency emissions to the extent that such facilities comply with emission regulations of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Requires, in any action in which a person is seeking to place, construct, or modify such a facility, that person to bear the burden of proof, regardless of who commences the action. Prohibits the FCC from adopting a final rule or otherwise implementing any portion of a proposed FCC rule regarding relief from State and local regulation of such facilities. Allows a State or local government to deny an application to place, construct, or modify such facilities on the basis that alternative technologies, systems, or structures are capable of delivering such services in a manner less intrusive to the local community. Requires the burden of proving the appropriateness of proposed facilities to be the applicant's. Allows a State or local government to regulate the location, height, or modification of such facilities in order to address the effects of radio frequency interference on local communities and the public. Prohibits the Act from being interpreted to prohibit a State or local government from requiring environmental or other studies, reports, or documentation concerning the placement, construction, or modification of such facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2002
Local Control of Broadcast Towers Act - Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission from adopting a final rule or otherwise implementing any portion of a proposed rule regarding the preemption of State and local zoning and land use restrictions concerning the siting, placement, and construction of broadcast station transmission facilities. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to allow a State or local government to deny an application to place, construct, or modify such facilities on the basis that alternative technologies, systems, or structures are capable of delivering such services in a manner less intrusive to the local community. Requires the burden of proving the appropriateness of proposed facilities to be the applicant's. Allows a State or local government to regulate the location, height, or modification of such facilities in order to address the effects of radio frequency interference on local communities and the public. Prohibits the Act from being interpreted to prohibit a State or local government from requiring environmental or other studies, reports, or documentation concerning the placement, construction, or modification of such facilities.
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 · 3 October 2002
No Taxation Without Representation Act of 2002 - Provides for full voting representation in Congress for the residents of the District of Columbia, including two Senators and as many Representatives as a similarly populous State would be entitled to under the law.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2002
Wastewater Treatment Works Security and Safety Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require certain water treatment works to assess their vulnerability to terrorist and intentionally disruptive attack and develop an emergency response plan in coordination with local emergency plans. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to review both the assessment and the plan. Provides for the protection of the confidentiality of such information, including criminal penalties for unauthorized disclosure. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to water treatment works to assist in compliance and pay the costs of basic security enhancements. Provides grants for immediate and urgent security needs. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct the Administrator to research and review possible terrorist means of intentional disruption as well as alternative treatment processes should a disruption occur. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants for the improvement of vulnerability self-assessment tools for publicly owned treatment works.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2002
Captive Wildlife Safety Act - Amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to define "prohibited wildlife species" as any live lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar. Declares it a prohibited act for any person to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce any prohibited wildlife species. Exempts from this prohibition licensed zoos, circuses, accredited sanctuaries, federally-licensed breeders, State entities (universities, wildlife rehabilitators or veterinarians), any incorporated humane society, animal shelter, or society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, persons transporting prohibited wildlife species to any such facility, and specified related organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2002
Beneficiary Access to Care and Medicare Equity Act of 2002 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to make a variety of changes with regard to rural health care and such matters as: (1) urban and rural standardized payment amounts under the Medicare inpatient hospital prospective payment system (PPS); (2) disproportionate share hospital (DSH) treatment for rural hospitals and urban hospitals with under 100 beds; (3) a temporary increase in payments for certain services furnished by small rural hospitals and for hospice care furnished in a frontier area; (4) the critical access hospital program; (5) the physician fee schedule geographic adjustment factor; (6) the Medicare incentive payment program; and (7) exclusion of certain rural health clinic and federally qualified health center services from the Medicare PPS for skilled nursing facilities. Amends the Public Health Service Act to give the Secretary the authority to make and guarantee loans from the loan fund to any rural entity for projects for capital improvements. Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to revising updates and restoring payments under: (1) Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) relating to inpatient hospital services, skilled nursing facility services, and hospice services; (2) Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) relating to physicians' and other services; and (3) both parts A and B relating to home health services, eliminating the 15 percent reduction in PPS payment rates. Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) with respect to: (1) the minimum percentage increase for 2003 and 2004; (2) authority regarding disapproval of unreasonable beneficiary cost-sharing; (3) specialized Medicare+Choice plans for special needs beneficiaries; and (4) extension of new entry bonus. Revises requirements for Medicare appeals, regulatory procedures, contracting, education and outreach, prepayment review, overpayment recovery, and enforcement. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) with respect to: (1) Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments; (2) extension of Medicare cost-sharing for part B premiums for certain additional low-income Medicare beneficiaries; and (3) inpatient drug prices in the best price exemptions for the Medicaid drug rebate program. Amends SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) with respect to SCHIP allotments. Amends SSA title XI on the process for the development and implementation of Medicaid and SCHIP waivers. Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to provide for additional temporary grants for State fiscal relief. Establishes the Safety Net Organizations and Patient Advisory Commission to review health care safety net programs.
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 · 25 September 2002
Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require food that is not a raw agricultural commodity, and that is, or intentionally bears or contains, a major food allergen, to state that information on its label by January 1, 2006. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to give priority to increasing the number of inspections under the Act to ensure that foods comply with practices to reduce or eliminate cross-contact with major food allergen residues and to ensure that major food allergens are properly labeled on foods. Requires the Secretary, through the National Institutes of Health, to convene a panel of nationally recognized experts to review basic and clinical research efforts related to food allergies and to develop a plan for expanding, intensifying, and coordinating such research. Directs the Secretary, in the Conference for Food Protection, as part of its cooperative activities between the States under the Public Health Service Act, to pursue certain revisions of the Food Code to provide guidelines for preparing allergen-free foods in food establishments. Requires the Secretary to include assistance relating to the use of different modes of treatment for and prevention of allergic responses to foods when providing technical assistance relating to trauma care and emergency medical services under the Public Health Service Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2002
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, a hospital-based paralysis registry, and a Comprehensive Paralysis and Other Physical Disability Quality of Life Program. Allows the Secretary to convene a working group for coordinating paralysis research, public health, and rehabilitation training at the Federal level.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2002
Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act of 2002 - Amends the American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 to direct the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the American Battlefield Protection Program, to establish a battlefield acquisition grant program under which the Secretary may provide grants to a State or local government (eligible entity) to pay the Federal share of the cost of acquiring interests in eligible sites for the preservation and protection of those sites. Permits an eligible entity to acquire an interest in an eligible site using a grant in partnership with a nonprofit organization. Subjects acquired property to the prohibition against conversion to other than public outdoor recreation uses, without the Secretary's approval. Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress a report that updates the Report on the Nation's Civil War Battlefields to reflect preservation activities and changes in the condition of the 384 battlefields. Extends the American Battlefield Protection Program through FY 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2002
Student Testing Flexibility Act of 2002 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to grant waivers of certain annual testing and assessment requirements to States and local educational agencies (LEAs) if they demonstrate that they have: (1) significantly closed the achievement gap between certain groups of students; or (2) exceeded their adequate yearly progress for two or more consecutive years. Requires States and LEAs receiving such waivers to use ESEA annual assessment funds for educational activities which they determine will improve the academic achievement of students attending public elementary schools and secondary schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress. Prohibits such States and LEAs from using such funds to pay a student's private school costs.
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 · 12 September 2002
Daniel Patrick Moynihan Lake Champlain Basin Program Act of 2002 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish the Lake Champlain Basin Program in place of the Lake Champlain Management Conference. Requires the program to protect the Lake Champlain basin and implement the plan entitled "Opportunities for Action: An Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin," approved by the Lake Champlain Steering Committee. Sets forth the environmental goals of the plan, including: (1) reducing phosphorous inputs and toxic contamination; (2) controlling nonnative nuisance species; (3) protecting sources of drinking water; (4) restoring wildlife and habitat; (5) shoreline protection; and (6) protecting and promoting recreational and economic activity. Directs the Committee to implement the program and review the plan at least every five years. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to implement plan management strategies. Requires the Secretaries of Agriculture, Interior, and Commerce to support the implementation of the program with assistance from existing Federal programs concerning: (1) agricultural nonpoint source pollution; (2) watersheds; (3) habitat protection and restoration; (4) management of fisheries and marine resources, including nuisance aquatic species; and (5) cultural and natural resources. States that existing authorities remain unaffected by this program. Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 to include Hamilton County in the Lake Champlain watershed.
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 · 10 September 2002
Emergency Communications and Competition Act of 2002 - Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to assign licenses in the 12.2 -12.7 gigahertz band for the provision of fixed terrestrial communications services. Prohibits: (1) granting such a license if operations would interfere with direct broadcast satellite service; or (2) such licenses from being used for the provision of personal communications or terrestrial telephony service. Requires licensees to begin providing services within five years after the license is granted. Requires each licensee to: (1) disseminate Federal, State, and local Emergency Alert System warnings to all subscribers; (2) provide immediate access of its services for national security and emergency preparedness personnel; and (3) adhere to all FCC-established access requirements, including the carriage of local television station signals, access for political candidates, and public interest programming and services. Directs the FCC to: (1) establish boundaries for license recipients that conform to existing television markets; and (2) redesignate the Multichannel Video Distribution and Data Service as the Terrestrial Direct Broadcast Service.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2002
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health, should conduct or support research on the effectiveness of medical screening techniques for ovarian cancer, including the use of proteomic patterns in blood serum in combination with other techniques. Requires a report to Congress and the inclusion of such technique in Federal health care programs and group and individual health plans if it proves effective.
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 2002
Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team Act of 2002 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure that at least one Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team is established in each State by September 30, 2003, to provide support for emergency preparedness programs to respond to any emergency involving the use of a weapon of mass destruction.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2002
Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2002 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to use amounts in the Multinational Species Conservation Fund to finance projects for the conservation of marine turtles. Gives preference to projects which: (1) will help recover and sustain viable populations of marine turtles in the wild by assisting foreign conservation efforts; (2) are designed for long-term conservation of the turtles and their nesting habitats; and (3) have matching funds. Establishes the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund as a separate account in the Multinational Species Conservation Fund. Permits the acceptance and use of donations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2002
Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), within 15 days after the enactment of this Act, to return to the winning bidders of spectrum auction 35 the full amount of all deposits and down payments made for licenses that the FCC has not delivered by such date. Frees each winning bidder that elects within such period to relinquish a license not yet delivered of all license obligations such bidder would otherwise have had, including the obligation to pay the full amount of its winning bid upon license delivery.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2002
David Jayne Medicare Homebound Modernization Act of 2002 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the definition of homebound for purposes of determining Medicare eligibility for home health services. Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from disqualifying from consideration as confined to the home, based on the purpose, frequency, or duration of the absences from the home, any individual who: (1) has been certified by a physician as having a permanent and severe condition that will not improve which requires the individual to receive assistance from another individual with at least three out of five activities of daily living for the rest of the individual's life; (2) requires one or more described home health services to achieve a functional condition giving the individual the ability to leave the home; and (3) has received part-time or intermittent nursing care provided by or under the supervision of a registered professional nurse.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2002
State Children's Health Insurance Program Budget Allocation Act of 2002 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to permit a qualifying State to elect to use unexpended allotments under SCHIP for payments for FY 2002 and 2003 under SSA title XIX (Medicaid), and for expenditures under SCHIP. Revises requirements with respect to the redistribution and extended availability of funds unexpended from FY 1998 and 1999 allotments, and of funds unexpended from FY 2000 allotments, as well as those concerning the extended availability of certain other funds. Provides authority for qualifying States to use up to ten percent of FY 1998 and 1999 unexpended allotments for outreach activities under SCHIP.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2002
Expresses the sense of the Senate that having the President lead the U.S. delegation at the World Summit on Sustainable Development would send a strong signal of U.S. support. Calls for the United States to: (1) take specified steps at the Summit, such as reaffirming its support for the implementation of commitments entered into at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), supporting efforts to improve the institutional structure for implementing the framework created by Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, remaining firmly opposed to commercial whaling, and supporting measures to increase the use of renewable sources of energy worldwide; and (2) provide leadership and pursue the negotiation of international agreements to address global climate change and to protect the marine environment. Urges the President to identify priority international environmental agreements that the United States has signed during and following the UNCED that the Administration will present to the Senate for ratification.
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 · 22 July 2002
John F. Kennedy Center Plaza Authorization Act of 2002 - Amends the John F. Kennedy Center Act to direct the Secretary of Transportation to undertake activities necessary to plan, design, engineer, and construct a Plaza (other than buildings) adjacent to the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, including improved bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicular access to and round the Center. Authorizes the Board of Trustees of the Center to undertake activities on the Plaza necessary to facilitate the project, including construction of buildings. Allows the Board to acknowledge private contributions used in construction only in the interior, not on the exterior, of the buildings. Grants the Mayor of the District of Columbia, as necessary to meet project requirements and needs, exclusive authority to: (1) modify the permanent system of District highways; (2) convey any interest in real estate (including air rights or air space) owned or controlled by the District; and (3) enter into memoranda of agreement with the Board and any Federal or other governmental agency. Declares that upon completion of the project the responsibility for maintenance and oversight of roadways, sidewalks and green spaces shall remain with the owner of the affected property. Declares that the Board shall own, operate, and maintain the buildings and green spaces established on the Plaza. Authorizes the Secretary to realign national highways related to project changes and improve direct access and egress between Interstate Route 66 and the Center.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2002
Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership Act of 2002 - Establishes the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (the "Partnership") within the States of Vermont and New York. Directs the Partnership's management entity, the Lake Champlain Basin Program (the "Program"), to develop a management plan (the "plan") for the Partnership. Requires the plan to include: (1) recommendations for funding, managing, and developing the Partnership; (2) a description of activities to be carried out by public and private organizations to protect the Partnership's resources; and (3) recommendations for collaboration with Canada and the Province of Quebec in implementing this Act. Authorizes the Program to enter into partnerships with various public and private entities to carry out this Act, and to issue grants to such entities. Allows the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance (including financial assistance) to carry out this Act. Prohibits the Program from using Federal funds made available by this Act to acquire real property or any interest in real property. States that nothing in this Act: (1) grants the Program powers of zoning or land use; (2) changes the authority of government to manage or regulate any use of land under any law (including regulations); or (3) obstructs or limits private business development or resource development activities. Prohibits Federal assistance under this Act after 15 years after its enactment.
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 · 18 July 2002
Medicare Quality Improvement Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for a health care quality demonstration program under which the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall approve demonstration projects that examine health delivery factors that encourage the delivery of improved quality in patient care. Directs the Secretary to establish within HHS a national steering committee for medical excellence demonstration programs to make recommendations to the Secretary regarding program design, evaluation, and participation criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2002
21st Century Medicare Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish: (1) a Voluntary Prescription Drug Delivery Program under a new part D; and (2) a Prescription Drug Account in the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish: (1) within the Department of HHS the Medicare Competitive Agency, headed by an Administrator charged with carrying out Medicare parts D and C (Medicare+Choice); and (2) within the Agency an Office of Beneficiary Assistance to carry out functions relating to Medicare beneficiaries. Creates a Medicare Ombudsman in such Office. Establishes within the Medicare Competitive Agency the Medicare Competitive Policy Advisory Board. Directs the Administrator of the Medicare Competitive Agency to study and report to Congress on the need for rules relating to permitting individuals who are enrolled under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) but are not entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) to buy into the Medicare voluntary prescription drug delivery program. Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund to require the Board of Trustees of the Trust Fund to submit to Congress a combined report on the operation and status of the Trust Fund and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund, including the Prescription Drug Account within such Trust Fund. Expands the membership and duties of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC). Directs the Secretary to establish procedures under which each eligible beneficiary shall be entitled to elect to receive enhanced Medicare benefits under a new Medicare part E (Enhanced Medicare Benefits) instead of the benefits under Medicare parts A and B. Sets forth rules relating to Medicare supplemental insurance (Medigap) policies that provide prescription drug coverage, such as prohibiting the sale, issuance, and renewal of policies that provide prescription drug coverage to part D enrollees. Amends SSA title XVIII part C to provide for competition under the Medicare+Choice program and part D and E benefits under competitive Medicare+Choice plans.
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
First Responder Terrorism Preparedness Act of 2002 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to establish in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) the Office of National Preparedness, headed by an Associate Director appointed by the President, to coordinate and build viable terrorism preparedness and response capability at all levels of government. Requires the Associate Director to designate a FEMA officer or employee in each of FEMA's ten regions to serve as the Office contact for the States in that region. Requires the Director of FEMA (Director), acting through the Office, to establish a program to provide assistance to enhance the ability of State and local first responders to respond to incidents of terrorism. Requires that not less than 75 percent of the assistance granted each State be provided to local governments and entities within the State. Requires the Director to provide each urban search and rescue task force a grant to pay the costs of operations. Authorizes the Director to provide an additional discretionary grant to pay for equipment, training, transportation, expansion of the task force, incident support teams and the costs of operations in excess of the funds provided. Permits the Director to establish any additional task forces as long as the 28 original task forces are able to deploy at least two fully functional teams simultaneously.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2002
International AIDS Treatment and Prevention Act of 2002 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID), to carry out HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and related activities in countries with or at risk for severe HIV epidemic. Requires particular attention to resource constrained countries and the use of indigenous capacity to the degree practicable. Authorizes support and assistance relating to: (1) HIV prevention services, including post exposure prophylaxis and a safe blood supply; (2) HIV/AIDS care and treatment services, linked to prevention services; (3) infrastructure and training, including the availability of health care facilities; and (4) HIV/AIDS treatment protocols. Creates grant programs for: (1) clinical education and training in the delivery of HIV/AIDS care and treatment services; (2) activities to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV; and (3) research on innovative microbicide concepts. Requires the coordination of Department of Health and Human Services programs by the Director of the Office of International Affairs. Extends the tuberculosis prevention program, to be coordinated with the activities under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Administrator of AID, to carry out workplace-based HIV/AIDS prevention and education programs in at-risk, constrained countries, with emphasis on protections against discrimination and creating supportive environments for individuals living with HIV/AIDS.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2002
Museum and Library Services Act of 2002 - Amends the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA) and the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) 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 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. Amends LSTA to provide for: (1) an increased portion for administrative costs; (2) an increased alternative minimum allotment to States under certain conditions; (3) competitive grants to specified U.S. Territories; (4) State plans once every five years, as determined by the IMLS Director; (5) additional uses of grants to States for library programs; and (6) recruitment of library and information science personnel under the program of national leadership grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. Includes specified entities under the term museum, for MLSA purposes. Revises museum services activities. Repeals requirements under the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science Act 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. Revises Commission membership requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2002
Digital Opportunity Investment Trust Act - Establishes the Digital Opportunity Investment Trust (the Trust), which shall receive 50 percent of the cash payment received by the Federal Government each fiscal year quarter through FY 2020 from auctions of the publicly owned electromagnetic spectrum and spectrum-derived licensing fees. Establishes an Advisory Board with respect to administration of Trust funds. Permits the Director of the Trust to use Trust funds to: (1) supplement Federal funds for Federal education programs; (2) serve as a venture capital fund for American nonprofit educational and public service institutions by utilizing new telecommunications and information technologies; (3) invest in use of advanced telecommunications and information to deliver public information and education to all Americans; (4) enable schools, universities, libraries, museums, and other specified bodies to take advantage of information technologies; (5) use innovative technologies to reach nontraditional learners, including individuals with disabilities; and (6) further the teaching of mathematics and science. Allows the Director of the Trust to award contracts and grants to nonprofit public institutions (with or without private partners) for innovative and experimental ideas and techniques to enhance learning and achieve specified related goals. Directs the Director to invest funds of the Trust in U.S. interest bearing or U.S.-guaranteed obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2002
Toxic Clean-up Polluter Pays Renewal Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code by reinstating the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate until January 1, 2013, and reinstating the Corporate Environmental Income Tax until January 1, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2002
Mammography Quality Standards Reauthorization Act of 2002 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend funding for the mammography facilities certification program through FY 2007. Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue a temporary certificate to facilities seeking reaccreditation and awarded an accreditation extension for specified reasons, including inability of accrediting body to complete the process in time and unforeseen situations which cause the facility to be unable to meet the reaccreditation timeframes, but do not compromise the quality of mammography. Requires the Comptroller General to evaluate the Mammography Quality Standards Act, including the demonstration program's frequency of inspections, accessibility of services, and the role of States as both accreditation and certification bodies. Directs the Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine to study health professional training in the area of mammography.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2002
Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to make patient safety data privileged and confidential. Excludes such data from subpoena, discovery, disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), evidentiary use, or any credentialing or licensing situation. Permits disclosures necessary to the proper management and administration of the patient safety organization, including maintenance of a patient's medical record, in a disciplinary proceeding relating to a provider, or as needed by the Food and Drug Administration for regulatory purposes. Authorizes the establishment of a database for non-identifiable patient safety data, consistent, if practicable, with the administrative simplification provisions of the Social Security Act. Authorizes technical assistance, including annual meetings for patient safety organizations. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop or adopt voluntary national standards promoting the integration of health care information technology systems. Requires the Secretary to contract for and report to Congress on a study assessing the impact of medical technologies and therapies on patient safety and benefit, health care quality and costs, as well as productivity growth. Directs the Attorney General to survey and report to Congress on State laws and their interpretation as they relate to patient safety data peer review systems.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2002
Holocaust Restitution Tax Fairness Act of 2002 - Amends the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-16) to make the sunset provisions inapplicable to section 803, which excluded from income, under the Internal Revenue Code, specified restitution payments received by persons (or heirs) persecuted by Nazi Germany, its allied or controlled countries, or any other Axis regime because of race, religion, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2002
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Act - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to expand activities addressing inflammatory bowel disease, emphasizing genetic, animal model, and clinical research. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to establish a national program of prevention and epidemiology concerning such disease, addressing its prevalence and public and professional awareness. Directs the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science to study public and private insurance standards for coverage of inflammatory bowel therapies. Directs the General Accounting Office to study problems inflammatory bowel disease patients have applying for disability insurance benefits under the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2002
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2002 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the Federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.75 an hour beginning 30 days after enactment of this Act; (2) $6.25 an hour during the year beginning on January 1, 2003; and (3) $6.65 an hour beginning January 1, 2004. 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 · 22 May 2002
Pathways to Self-Sufficiency Act of 2002 - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to give States that receive a TANF grant the option to: (1) use the grant to establish a program, including an undergraduate post-secondary or vocational education program, under which an eligible participant may be provided certain support services although the State may not use Federal TANF grant funds to pay the participant's tuition; and (2) credit months of program participation for disregard in calculation of the five year TANF assistance limitation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2002
Rx Flexibility for States Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to declare that nothing prohibits a State: (1) from directly entering into drug rebate agreements that are similar to a specified rebate agreement with a manufacturer to ensure the affordability of outpatient prescription drugs in order to provide access to them by residents of a State who are not otherwise eligible for medical assistance under the Medicaid program; or (2) from making prior authorization a condition of not participating in such a similar rebate agreement.
![Official portrait of Sen. Jeffords, James M. [I-VT]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/j000072_200.jpg)