United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2003
Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to permit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to register a Canadian pesticide that: (1) has not been previously disapproved; (2) is identical or substantially similar in composition to a comparable domestic pesticide already registered; and (3) is registered in Canada by the registrant (or affiliate) of the comparable domestic pesticide. Requires the Administrator to obtain the confidential statement of formula for the pesticide to determine if it is in fact identical or substantially similar to a comparable domestic pesticide. Stipulates that any Canadian pesticide the Administrator registers must bear an approved label which completely covers the original Canadian label. Prohibits actions in Federal court against: (1) the Administrator acting as a registering agency for damages resulting from the use of a product registered under this Act; or (2) registrants for damages resulting from adulteration or compositional alterations of such a product if the registrant could not reasonably have knowledge of such adulteration or alterations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2003
Disapproves the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission and received by Congress on July 10, 2003, relating to broadcast media ownership.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2003
Rural Universal Service Equity Act of 2003 - Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the need to reform the high cost support mechanism (with respect to universal telephone service) for rural, insular, and high cost areas. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in calculating Federal universal service support for eligible telecommunications carriers that serve such areas, to revise its support mechanism for high cost areas to provide support to each wire center in which the incumbent local exchange carrier's average cost per line exceeds the national average by such amount as the FCC determines appropriate for the purpose of ensuring the equitable distribution of universal service support throughout the United States. Requires: (1) the FCC to ensure that no State receives less Federal support than it would have received, up to ten percent of the total support distributed, under the FCC's previous support mechanism; and (2) the total amount of support for all States to be equal to the total support calculated under the support mechanism in existence before enactment of this Act. States that nothing in this Act shall affect the support provided to rural telephone companies.
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 · 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
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. (posthumously) and his widow Coretta Scott King in recognition of their service to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2003
Provides that a health insurance contract shall not be made or a health insurance plan approved under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program which does not offer to Medicare eligible enrollees prescription drug benefits the actuarial value of which is at least equal to the actuarial value of such benefits which are offered to enrollees under a plan generally. Directs the Office of Personnel Management to establish processes and methods for determining the actuarial value of prescription drug benefits.
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 · 26 June 2003
Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act - Includes as a protected disclosure by a Federal employee: (1) any lawful disclosure an employee or applicant reasonably believes is credible evidence of waste, abuse, or gross mismanagement, without restriction as to time, place, form, motive, context, or prior disclosure; and (2) the disclosure of information required to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or the conduct of foreign affairs that the employee or applicant reasonably believes is direct evidence of waste, abuse, or gross mismanagement if such disclosure is made to a Member or employee of Congress who is authorized to receive information of the type disclosed. Sets forth provisions concerning review and appeal of actions concerning such disclosures. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide that, for purposes of provisions regarding the protection of voluntarily shared critical infrastructure information, a permissible use of independently obtained critical infrastructure information includes any lawful disclosure an employee or applicant reasonably believes is credible evidence of waste, fraud, abuse, or gross mismanagement, without restriction as to time, place, form, motive, context, or prior disclosure. Requires agencies to inform employees on how to make a lawful disclosure of information.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit rural mail carriers to treat qualified vehicle expenses in excess of reimbursements as miscellaneous itemized deductions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2003
Collaborative Forest Health Act - Permits the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior (the Secretaries) to find that a proposed hazardous fuels reduction project that meets certain criteria shall not require an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement. Directs the Secretaries to identify projects implemented under this section through a collaborative framework to reduce hazardous fuels. Sets a limit of 20 million acres for projects implemented under this section (not including the existing hazardous fuels reduction program). Prohibits, except in extraordinary circumstances, timber sales and log skidding machines in at-risk communities and the nearby vicinities and in certain municipal watersheds. Excludes the provisions of this Act relating to expedited planning and implementation from applying to certain Federal lands. Directs the Secretaries to take certain actions to ensure that the agencies are implementing projects pursuant to this Act that reduce the risk of unnaturally intense wildfires and improve forest health. Directs the Secretaries to expend at least 70 percent of the hazardous fuels operations funds provided annually only on projects in at-risk communities and nearby vicinities or within municipal watersheds. Directs the Secretaries to jointly: (1) establish a commission to complete an assessment of the positive or negative impacts and effectiveness of projects implemented under this section; (2) earmark funds for the conduct of a systematic information gathering program on certain insect types that have caused large-scale damage to forest ecosystems; and (3) disburse funds to reduce the risk of wildfire to structures and restore burned areas on tribal lands. Allows the Secretaries to make cost-share grants to various entities for the removal, transport, and disposal of hazardous fuels around homes and properties.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2003
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as the Paul Wellstone Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2003
Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Secretary of Education and the appropriate congressional committees on proposed changes to the tables used in the Federal Needs Analysis Methodology to determine a student's expected family contribution for the award year 2004-2005 under general provisions for student assistance of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). Requires such study to examine the impact of such changes on students to ensure that they are not adversely affected. Amends HEA to direct the Secretary to consult with the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance before publishing any notice or promulgating any regulation with respect to updated tables to be used in such needs analysis.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2003
Medication Therapy Management Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for Medicare coverage of medication therapy management services under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Medicare program.
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 · 12 June 2003
Enhanced 911 Emergency Communications Act of 2003 - Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to direct the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the Department of Commerce to establish the Emergency Communications Task Force to facilitate coordination between Federal, State, and local emergency communications systems, emergency personnel, and public safety organizations. Directs the Task Force to provide advice and recommendations with respect to methods to improve coordination and communications between agencies and organizations involved in emergency communications, including 911 services to enhance homeland security and public safety. Directs the Assistant Secretary to provide grants to State and local governments and tribal organizations for enhancing emergency communications services through planning, infrastructure improvements, equipment purchases, and personnel training and acquisition. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission to review at least twice a year: (1) the State and local taxes, fees, or other charges appearing on telecommunications customers' bills that are designated for emergency communications improvements; and (2) the use of derived revenues. Requires each State to certify, annually, that no part of derived revenues is being used for a purpose not designated or presented. Authorizes the withholding of grant funds from States that do not comply.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable or educational purposes and which make collegiate housing and infrastructure improvement grants to continue to be treated as tax-exempt organizations so long as all of the active members of the recipient organization are full-time students at the college or university with which the recipient organization is associated.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Homeland Security Grant Enhancement Act of 2003 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish an Interagency Committee to Coordinate and Streamline Homeland Security Grant Programs. Provides that the Office for State and Local Government Coordination (OSLGC) within the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall be headed by a Director appointed by the President. Transfers administration of the firefighter assistance grant program and the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) to OSLGC. Establishes a Homeland Security Information Clearinghouse within OSLGC. Authorizes the Secretary to award homeland security grants to States. Specifies the permissible and impermissible uses for grant funds. Requires State grant applications to include certification that the State has prepared a three-year homeland security plan. Requires the Secretary to use ten percent of the funds appropriated for the Homeland Security Grant Program for discretionary grants to high threat areas. Establishes a formula for awarding the remaining funds. Requires grant recipients to use 80 percent of grant funds for local entities and first responders and to provide non-Federal matching funds. Instructs the Secretary to assist States in establishing interim performance measures and subsequently to set, and ensure State compliance with, national performance standards. Provides penalties for a grant recipient's noncompliance with any grant program provision of this Act. Requires the Director of ODP to allow any State to request approval to reallocate previously received homeland security funds among the categories of equipment, training, exercises, and planning.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2003
Child Health Care Crisis Relief Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to establish programs of educational loan forgiveness and scholarships to encourage qualified individuals to provide mental health services to children and adolescents. Sets forth qualifications, including education and licensing requirements. Limits the program to U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents. Grants priority according to financial need, methodology, and willingness to work with high priority populations in the public sector. Treats such grants as equivalent to those of the National Health Service Corps Programs. Authorizes additional grants for clinical and graduate and paraprofessional training to accredited schools and State-licensed mental health organizations, respectively. Gives priority to applicants that have: (1) a demonstrated ability to collect data on the numbers trained; (2) a familiarity with certain methodology; and (3) programs to increase the numbers of professionals and paraprofessionals serving high priority populations. Requires training to prioritize cultural competency. Amends the Social Security Act to increase the number of child and adolescent psychiatry residents permitted to be paid under the Medicare Graduate Medical Education Program. Extends the Medicare Board eligibility period for residents and fellows in child and adolescent psychiatry. Directs the Administrator to study and report to Congress on the distribution and need of child mental health service professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2003
Reaffirms support for the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Anticipates the commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act of 1987 on November 4, 2003. Encourages the people and Government of the United States to rededicate themselves to ending genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2003
Family Caregiver Relief Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise and rename the Child Tax Credit as the Family Care Credit. Includes within such credit (in addition to the child care credit) a $3,000 credit for each qualifying individual for whom an eligible taxpayer is a long-term care provider. Defines "eligible expenses" as: (1) certain medical care; (2) lodging away from home; (3) adult day care; (4) custodial care; (5) respite care; and (6) other specialized children's services, including day care for children with special needs.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2003
Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to include under the definition of "key resources," for purposes of protection by the Directorate for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection of the Department of Homeland Security, National Park Service sites identified by the Secretary of the Interior as being so universally recognized as symbols of the United States and so heavily visited by the American and international public that such sites would likely be identified as targets of terrorist attacks, including: (1) the Statue of Liberty National Monument in New York Harbor; (2) Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; (3) the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri; (4) Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota; and (5) memorials and monuments in the District of Columbia.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Consumer Assurance of Radiologic Excellence Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish standards to assure the safety and accuracy of medical imaging or radiation therapy. States that such standards shall include licensure or certification, accreditation, and other requirements determined by the Secretary. Exempts the standards from applying to physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Requires individuals prior to performing or preparing such imaging or therapy to have successfully completed a national exam approved by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to certify private nonprofit organizations or State agencies as approved bodies with respect to the accreditation of educational programs or the administration of examinations if such organizations or agencies meet certain standards and give certain assurances. Allows the Secretary to withdraw approval from an approved body. Permits the Secretary to develop alternative standards for rural areas if such action is needed to assure access to quality medical imaging.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
Rural Provider Equity Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), the Public Health Service Act, and other Federal law with respect to rural health care, especially: (1) physician reimbursement; (2) rural health clinics and community health centers; (3) home health services; (4) air and ground ambulance services; (5) mental health care accessibility; and (6) rural health services research. Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income any loan payments under the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. Provides for virtual pharmacist consultation service demonstration projects.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the June 2, 2003, ruling of the Federal Communications Commission weakening media ownership rules is not in the public interest and should be rescinded.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2003
Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act (or the IMPACT Act) - Amends the Public Health Service Act to address issues of overweight, obesity, and eating disorders. Expands an existing grant program for training for health profession students to include the treatment of overweight, obesity, and eating disorders. Creates a grant program for training for health professionals in such areas. Creates grant programs at the local level to promote increased physical activity and improved nutrition (in place of current law, which provides for grants to promote childhood nutrition and physical activity). Targets partnerships with businesses, schools, senior centers, day care facilities and other institutions. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to give priority in awarding grants to recipients who provide matching contributions. Permits the Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to provide technical assistance to grantees. Allows the Secretary, acting through the National Center for Health Statistics, to provide for the collection and analysis of certain data, including data collected as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Permits the Secretary to: (1) make grants to States, public entities, and nonprofits to further the collection and analysis of such data; and (2) provide technical assistance to such grantees. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to request that the Institute of Medicine conduct a study or contract for a study on the food and nutrition programs run by the Department of Agriculture. Permits the use of preventive health and health services block grants for community education programs which promote healthy eating and exercise habits. Establishes reporting requirements with regard to: (1) obesity research; and (2) the national campaign to change children's health behaviors and reduce obesity.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2003
Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act or PACT Act - Amends the Jenkins Act to prohibit any person or other legal entity from selling, transferring, or shipping cigarettes into a State that taxes the sale or use of cigarettes (or from advertising or offering cigarettes for such a sale or transfer and shipment) without filing specified information with the tobacco tax administrator of such State within a specified time frame. Requires any person making a "delivery sale" to comply with specified shipping and record-keeping requirements. Grants each State the authority to require any person making a delivery sale of cigarettes into the State to: (1) collect or pay the specified taxes; and (2) provide evidence that the cigarette manufacturer is in compliance with all Federal, State, or local laws generally applicable to the sale or distribution of cigarettes. Sets civil penalties for violations. Authorizes a State to bring an action in U.S. district court to prevent and restrain violations. Prohibits the transmission in the mails of cigarettes for purposes of sale. Designates cigarettes for purposes of sale to be nonmailable matter. Amends the Federal criminal code to lower the threshold quantity of cigarettes qualifying as contraband cigarettes. Grants the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives: (1) authority previously granted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to conduct certain undercover investigative operations; and (2) authority to inspect records and cigarettes of cigarette sellers who ship, sell, distribute, or receive any quantity in excess of 10,000 cigarettes within a single month.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2003
Working Taxpayer Fairness Restoration Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the refundability of the child tax credit, to accelerate the increase to the 15 percent rate. Limits, to fair market value immediately following a transaction, the importation of net built-in loss by a corporation. Prohibits an allocation of any decrease in the adjusted basis of partnership property to stock in a corporation which is a partner in the partnership. Repeals part V (Financial Asset Securitization Investment Trusts) of subchapter M (Regulated Investment Companies and Real Estate Investment Trusts). Expands the definition of a disqualified debt instrument with respect to deduction disallowance on certain debt instruments of corporations. Expands the authority to disallow deductions, credits, or other allowances under provisions disallowing such benefits due to acquisitions made to evade or avoid income tax. Amends provisions affecting passive foreign investment companies to state that the term "qualified portion" (of a shareholder's holding period) does not include any period if there is only a remote likelihood of an inclusion in gross income under subpart F (Controlled Foreign Income). Adds to the definition of the term "real estate investment trust" by stating that such term includes a corporation, trust, or association which is not a controlled entity. Directs the Secretary to establish a program requiring the payment of user fees, until September 30, 2013, for: (1) requests to the Internal Revenue Service for ruling letters, opinion letters, and determination letters; and (2) other similar requests.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2003
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs health care facility located at 820 South Damen Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, as the Jesse Brown Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2003
Hepatitis C Epidemic Control and Prevention Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and implement a plan for the prevention, control, and management of hepatitis C virus (HCV), which shall include strategies for education and training, surveillance and early detection, and research. Requires the Secretary to conduct a biennial assessment of the plan. Directs the Secretary to support the development of voluntary State, local, and tribal HCV testing programs and counseling. Provides for the vaccination of individuals infected with HCV against hepatitis A and B and other infectious diseases. Directs the Secretary to support the establishment and maintenance of HCV surveillance databases and to establish and support a Hepatitis C Clinical Research Network. Allows the Secretary to award grants to States, political subdivisions of States, Indian tribes, or non-profit entities that have special expertise relating to HCV, to carry out activities under this Act. Directs the Director of the National Institutes of Health to establish a Liver Disease Research Advisory Board.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2003
Children's Dental Health Improvement Act of 2003 - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to States to improve dental services to children enrolled in Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary, acting through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to establish a grant program to expand the availability of primary dental care services in medically underserved areas. Authorizes retention bonuses for eligible dental officers of the Indian Health Service. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of HRSA and the Director of the Indian Health Service, to establish demonstration projects to increase access to dental services for children in underserved areas. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) an oral health initiative to reduce disparities in oral health; and (2) Chief Dental Officers for Medicaid and SCHIP, HRSA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Requires the Director of the CDC to collect data on dental, craniofacial, and oral health. Requires the Secretary to identify populations at high risk for early childhood caries (tooth decay) and to develop prevention programs. Revises the eligibility requirements for the school-based dental sealant program to include Indian tribes. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to States and Indian tribes to improve their basic capacity to improve the oral health of children and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Unaccompanied Alien Child Protection Act of 2003 - Establishes procedures for immigration officers who find an unaccompanied alien child at a U.S. land border or point of entry who is a national or habitual resident of a contiguous country. Establishes that other unaccompanied alien children, including trafficking victims, shall be in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, except that such children who threaten U.S. security or who are charged with or have been convicted of a felony shall be in the care of the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security. Sets forth a family reunification preference order. Prohibits, with an exception for violent children, detention in adult or delinquent children facilities. Directs the Office to develop procedures for detention and prohibited detention practices. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Government should ensure that it does not repatriate children in its custody into life- and safety-threatening settings. Directs the Secretary of State to include in the annual State Department Country Report on Human Rights an assessment of the degree to which each country protects children from smugglers and traffickers. Directs the Office, with respect to unaccompanied alien children in the custody of the Office or the Department of Homeland Security, to: (1) develop age determination procedures; and (2) provide immigration counsel. Directs the Executive Office for Immigration Review to develop model guidelines for legal representation of children. Authorizes the Office to provide that each unaccompanied child have a guardian ad litem. Requires the Office to implement a pilot program for the appointment of guardians ad litem. Amends special immigrant juvenile provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Expresses congressional commendation of the Immigration and Naturalization Service' s issuance of its "Guidelines for Children's Asylum Claims." Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide immigration officers with related training. Exempts unaccompanied alien children from certain removal and asylum provisions. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to set forth additional responsibilities and authorities of the Office with respect to unaccompanied alien children.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Tribal Transportation Program Improvement Act of 2003 - Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to authorize appropriations for Indian reservation roads under the Federal Lands Highways Program through FY 2009. Requires the Secretary to establish a Federal lands highway program demonstration project for Indian reservation roads and highway bridges located on Indian reservations. Declares that an Indian tribe or tribal organization eligible to participate in an Indian reservation road program shall be eligible to receive advance construction funds for for projects on the program system. Prohibits the deduction from any funds available for tribal transportation purposes of any related Bureau of Indian Affairs administrative expenses. Establishes in the Office of the Secretary of Transportation a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tribal Governmental Affairs. Requires the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of the Interior to establish a Joint Indian Reservation Roads Coordinating Committee. Requires that a tribal scenic byways component be carried out within the national scenic byways program. Requires the Secretary to carry out a program to provide to eligible Indian tribes competitive grants for use in establishing tribal transportation safety programs. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue grants to Indian tribes to establish rural transit programs on reservations or other land under tribal jurisdiction.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Native American Small Business Development Act - Amends the Small Business Act to establish within the Small Business Administration (SBA) the Office of Native American Affairs, headed by an Assistant Administrator, to implement SBA programs for the development of business enterprises by Native Americans (American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians). Requires the Office to assist Native American entrepreneurs to: (1) start, operate, and grow small businesses; (2) develop management and technical skills; (3) seek Federal procurement opportunities; (4) increase Native American employment opportunities; and (5) increase Native American access to capital markets. Requires the SBA to provide financial assistance to tribal governments, tribal colleges, Native Hawaiian organizations, and Alaska Native corporations to create Native American business centers. Requires each business center to conduct five-year projects for business education aid to such entities. Requires each assistance applicant to submit a five-year plan on proposed assistance and training activities. Establishes a four-year pilot program under which the SBA is authorized to award Native American development grants to provide culturally-tailored business development training and related services to Native Americans and Native American small businesses. Establishes a four-year pilot program under which the SBA shall award at least three American Indian Tribal Assistance Center grants to establish joint projects to provide culturally-tailored business development assistance to prospective and current owners of small businesses on or near tribal lands.
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
National Cancer Act of 2003 - Provides a comprehensive Federal effort relating to treatments for and the prevention of cancer. Amends the Public Health Service Act to fund prevention, detection, and treatment programs of the National Cancer Institute, including translational cancer research (research needed to transform scientific discoveries into approaches and products to treat and cure cancer). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a research grant program to fund projects that seek to develop cancer treatments that target cancer cells. Addresses issues of cancer care, including: (1) clinical trial participation; (2) workforce needs; (3) cancer survivorship; (4) cancer care guidelines; (5) the supply of researchers; (6) a colorectal cancer screening demonstration program; and (7) an Institute of Medicine study on whether to provide medical coverage under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to certain cancer patients. Directs the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to submit to Congress a plan outlining steps to accelerate the process for reviewing and approving new cancer drugs and treatments. Requires health insurance plans covered by the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to provide: (1) coverage for clinical trials; (2) coverage of cancer screening, including tobacco and nutrition counseling and genetic testing; and (3) patient access to benefit information. Addresses issues of managing physicians and quality of care for cancer patients covered by such plans, including designating a lead managing physician. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to make grants for: (1) model programs to provide services for cancer and chronic diseases to individuals of health disparity populations; and (2) patient navigators for managing such care of such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2003
Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish a program of student loan forgiveness for borrowers who agree to remain employed, for at least three years, as public attorneys who are: (1) State or local criminal prosecutors; or (2) State, local, or Federal public defenders in criminal cases. Directs the Secretary of Education to provide such student loan repayment benefits for such public attorneys on a first-come, first-served basis, and subject to the availability of appropriations. Requires priority to be given to borrowers who received repayment benefits for the preceding fiscal year and have completed less than three years of the first required service period. Allows the borrower and the Secretary to enter into an additional agreement, after the required three-year period, for a successive period of service which may be less than three years. Limits the amount paid under such program on behalf of any borrower to $6,000 per calendar year and $40,000 total. Includes public defenders among those eligible under a current HEA program of cancellation of student loans for certain public service.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2003
Reclamation Rural and Small Community Water Enhancement Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a program to investigate and identify opportunities for ensuring safe and adequate regional rural water supply systems (serving areas with populations not exceeding 40,000, with exceptions) for use in small communities and rural areas through the construction of new regional systems and the enhancement of existing ruralsystems. Limits participation in such program to the States and areas (and Indian reservation lands within such States and areas) referred to in the Reclamation Act of 1902. Requires the Secretary to: (1) submit to specified congressional committees a report setting forth the status of all rural water projects within the Secretary's jurisdiction authorized prior to enactment of this Act and the Secretary 's plan for completing such projects within their respective time frames; and (2) take steps to complete such projects within such time frames. Authorizes the Secretary to undertake appraisal investigations to identify opportunities for the construction of new systems and enhancement of existing systems for small communities and rural areas; and (2) participate with appropriate Federal, State, tribal, regional, and local authorities in studies to determine the feasibility of such projects where such an investigation so warrants .
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2003
Iran Democracy Act - Declares that it is the policy of the United States to support full democracy in Iran. Directs the Broadcasting Board of Governors to: (1) require the head of Radio Farda to develop programming for Radio Farda after consulting with certain groups; and (2) ensure that a significant percentage of that programming is devoted to discussing democratic change in Iran, including a certain internationally-monitored democratic referendum in Iran. Requires the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) at the Department of State and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) at the Department of State to provide grants to appropriate entities to create and maintain websites, translate and distribute books, videos, documents, and other materials on democracy, rule of law, and free market economics. Authorizes the MEPI and the ECA to award grants to certain eligible entities to fund programs and activities to promote a democratic referendum in Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2003
Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Associate Administrator of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to award grants for newborn screening education and training, including followup.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2003
Brian Lykins Human Tissue Transplant Safety Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for oversight by the Commissioner of Food and Drugs of entities engaged in activities relating to human tissue or human tissue-based products, requiring their registration and authorizing their inspection. Requires the reporting of any adverse incidents. Requires the Commissioner to develop a reporting mechanism and a database to store such information. Allows the Commissioner, in an instance in which this Act is violated, to: (1) issue an order requiring any distributor of a human cell, tissue, or cellular or tissue-based product to recall or destroy such product; (2) condemn, seize, and destroy such product; (3) require a covered entity to cease the activity that resulted in the violation; or (4) suspend or revoke the registration and listing of the covered entity involved.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2003
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2003 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit health discrimination on the basis of genetic information or services. Defines genetic information as genetic tests of an individual or family member or occurrence of a disease or disorder in family members used to predict risk of disease in asymptomatic or undiagnosed individuals. Defines genetic services as health services provided for genetic education and counseling. Prohibits group health plans or health insurers offering group coverage from using genetic information to impose enrollment restrictions or adjust group premiums. Prohibits requests for genetic testing or results except as necessary for treatment, payment, or health care operations. Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit such discrimination in coverage offered in the individual market. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to issue final regulations, coordinating with the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Labor through an interagency memorandum of understanding. Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or training program to discriminate against an individual or deprive such individual of employment opportunities because of genetic information. Prohibits the collection of genetic information except where necessary to monitor the effects of toxic substances in the workplace when authorized by the employee, or as required by law. Requires genetic information to be treated as part of an individual's confidential medical record, limiting disclosure to the individual, the family, health researchers, or as required by law or court order. Grants enforcement powers to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2003
Preservation of Localism, Program Diversity, and Competition in Television Broadcast Service Act of 2003 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from permitting any license for a commercial television broadcast station to be granted, transferred, or assigned to any party if such action would result in that party owning, operating, controlling, or having a cognizable interest in stations which have an aggregate national audience reach exceeding 35 percent. Requires any party currently having licenses in excess of such limit to divest as necessary to comply with such limit within one year.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2003
Captive Supply Reform Act - Amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 respecting livestock producer-packer forward contracts to: (1) require the inclusion of fixed dollar amount base pricing and public bidding; (2) prohibit formula pricing; (3) limit individual contract size; and (4) exclude from the definition of "formula price" futures-based prices and base adjustments resulting from factors outside packer control.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Transit in Parks Act (or the TRIP Act) - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop cooperative relationships with the Secretary of the Interior providing for: (1) technical assistance in alternative transportation; (2) interagency and multidisciplinary teams to develop Federal land management agency (the National Park Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Bureau of Land Management) alternative transportation policy, procedures, and coordination; and (3) the development of procedures and criteria relating to the planning, selection, and funding of qualified planning or capital projects carried out in or in the vicinity of any federally owned or managed park, refuge, or recreational area that is open to the general public and implementation and oversight of the program of projects in accordance with this Act. Sets forth requirements with respect to departmental cost sharing, financing, and selection of qualified projects. Requires projects of more than $25 million to be carried out through a full funding agreement. Requires the qualified participants of such projects to prepare a project management plan.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Strengthening Our States Act of 2003, or the SOS Act of 2003 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) provide for full Medicaid coverage of all premium and other cost-sharing expenses incurred with respect to qualified Medicare beneficiaries under the Medicaid program (Medicare cost-sharing); (2) increase the scope of Medicare cost-sharing assistance and the number of low-income Medicare beneficiaries eligible for Medicare cost- sharing assistance for individuals who would be qualified Medicare beneficiaries but for the fact that their income exceeds applicable levels; and (3) provide for a temporary increase in the Medicaid Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP). Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) (SSBG) to make appropriations for additional temporary grants for fiscal relief allotments to States. Amends: (1) SSA title XIX to continue Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotment adjustments under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 and increase the floor for treatment as an extremely low DSH State; and (2) SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) to increase State access to unspent SCHIP funds. Amends SSA title XIX to: (1) make the Federal government fully responsible for the sums expended for emergency care and services furnished to illegal aliens; (2) increase Federal responsibility for translation services for Medicaid and SCHIP applicants and recipients; (3) increase Federal matching rates for certain services; (4) extend Medicaid coverage under the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program to spouses of participating disabled beneficiaries; and (5) provide for optional coverage of community-based attendant services and supports. Family Opportunity Act of 2003, or the Dylan Lee James Act - Amends SSA title XIX to give States the option of: (1) allowing families of disabled children to purchase Medicaid coverage for such children; and (2) imposing income-related premiums. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to allow a State plan to pay for the cost of home or community-based services equivalent to inpatient psychiatric hospital services for individuals under age 21. Amends: (1) SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to provide for the development and support of family-to-family health information centers; and (2) SSA title XIX to provide for the restoration of Medicaid eligibility for certain SSI beneficiaries under SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income). Revises requirements to allow uniform coverage of all low-income Americans, facilitate coverage of legal immigrants, and permit specified flexibility in eligibility determinations.
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.
![Official portrait of Sen. Johnson, Tim [D-SD]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c5d339296979dfed1ac5405574a1d7a5_200.jpg)