United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2002
Calls for: (1) an increased role of U.S. foreign assistance in the global fight against terrorism to complement national security objectives; (2) the United States to lead coordinated international efforts to provide increased financial assistance to countries with impoverished and disadvantaged populations that are the breeding grounds for terrorism; (3) use of economic incentives, consistent with U.S. foreign policy, to end state support or tolerance of terrorism; and (4) the United States Agency for International Development and the Department of Agriculture to substantially increase humanitarian, economic development, and agricultural assistance to foster international peace and stability and the promotion of human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2002
Business Retained Income During Growth and Expansion Act of 2002 or the BRIDGE Act of 2002 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an eligible small business to elect to pay its tax in four equal installments. Limits the maximum amount of tax which may be paid in installments for any taxable year to whichever of the following is the least: (1) the tax imposed for the taxable year; (2) the amount contributed by the taxpayer into a BRIDGE Account during such year; or (3) the excess of $250,000 over the aggregate amount of tax for which an election was made by the taxpayer for all prior taxable years. Limits the above provisions to taxes imposed for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2001, and before January 1, 2006. Sets forth provisions: (1) defining an eligible small business; (2) setting dates for installment payments and interest payments; (3) establishing BRIDGE accounts; and (4) providing for a study and report.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2002
Fully Informed Investor Act of 2002 - Declares that any disclosure required by the Securities and Exchange Commission of the sale of any securities by an affiliated person of the issuer of those securities shall be made available in electronic form: (1) to the Commission by the affiliated person before the end of the calendar day on which the transaction occurs; (2) to the public by the Commission no later than the end of the business day on which the disclosure is received; and (3) in any case in which the issuer maintains a corporate website that is accessible only internally, on that internal website before the end of the calendar day on which the transaction occurs.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2001
Establishes a National Commission on Terrorist Acts Upon the United States. Directs the Commission to: (1) investigate facts and circumstances relating to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; and (2) evaluate lessons learned from the such attacks regarding the Federal Government's abilities to detect, prevent and respond to such attacks. Empowers the Commission to hold hearings, collect relevant materials and subpoena witnesses.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2001
Nurse Reinvestment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to permit the service required by the Nursing Workforce Development Student Loan Repayment program to be performed in a nursing home, in a hospice, in a home health agency, in a nurse-managed health center, or in a public health department, in addition to facilities where such service may currently be performed. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a National Nurse Corps Scholarship program to provide scholarships to individuals seeking nursing education in exchange for service from such individuals in critical nursing shortage areas or facilities upon completion of such education. Sets forth eligibility, application, payment, and reporting requirements. Requires the Secretary to award grants to schools of nursing and/or health care facilities to develop and support: (1) educational outreach programs to encourage entry into the profession, targeting primary, secondary, and other schools, the disadvantaged, underrepresented minorities, and underserved rural and urban communities; (2) career ladder programs; (3) gerontology curriculum and competencies and efforts to encourage long-term care nursing services for the elderly as a career choice; (4) nurse internship and residency programs; and (5) demonstrations of models and best practices in nursing care, including retention strategies. Requires the Secretary to develop and administer a comprehensive national multi-media public education campaign to encourage pursuit of the nursing profession. Includes grants for similar State campaigns. Requires the Secretary to award grants to area health education centers to develop models of excellence for nurses or expand existing school mentoring programs to include one for nurses. Establishes for advanced degree nursing students: (1) a fast-track nursing faculty loan program, providing loan forgiveness in exchange for teaching services; and (2) a scholarship and stipend program. Establishes a National Commission on the Recruitment and Retention of Nurses to make innovative and creative recommendations concerning recruitment, retention, and advancement.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2001
Terrorist Victims' Courtroom Access Act - Directs the trial court, in order to permit victims of crimes associated with the September 11, 2001, terrorist acts to watch proceedings in the criminal case against Zacarias Moussaoui, to order closed circuit televising of the proceedings to convenient locations, including Northern Virginia, Los Angeles, New York City, Boston, Newark, San Francisco, for viewing by victims who have a compelling viewing interest but are unable to travel to the location of the trial. Applies relevant provisions of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 to the televising of court proceedings under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2001
Medicare+Choice Consumer Protection Act of 2001 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) provide for continuous open enrollment and disenrollment in Medicare+Choice plans; (2) permit enrollment in the Medicare supplemental insurance (Medigap) program when Medicare+Choice plans reduce benefits or when a provider leaves a Medicare+Choice plan; and (3) limit Medicare+Choice cost-sharing.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2001
Teleworking Advancement Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit to employers of up to $500 annually for each employee participating in an employer-sponsored telework arrangement. Allows a tax credit for telework equipment expenses, as specified. Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to conduct a pilot program promoting telecommuting among small business employers, with special outreach to individuals with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 December 2001
Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2001 - Provides that, with regard to an individual federally employed in fire protection activities: (1) heart disease, lung disease, and specified cancers and infectious diseases shall be presumed to be proximately caused by the individual's employment; (2) such individual's disability or death due to such a disease shall be presumed to result from personal injury sustained while in the performance of duty; and (3) such presumptions may be rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the credit for production of electricity from renewable resources to include production of energy from agricultural and animal waste, including by-products and associated materials. Limits such credit to facilities placed in service after 2001 and before 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2001
Provides under the Internal Revenue Code (the Code), in the case of an incentive stock option exercised during calendar year 2000, the amount taken into account under provisions of the Code concerning adjustments in computing alternative minimum taxable income for individuals by reason of such exercise shall not exceed the amount that would have been taken into account if, on the date of such exercise, the fair market value of the stock acquired pursuant to such option had been its fair market value as of April 15, 2001 (or, if such stock is sold or exchanged on or before such date, the amount realized on such sale or exchange). Establishes adjusted gross income threshold and phaseout amounts for purposes of this adjustment.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2001
Airport Security Personnel Protection Act - Amends the Aviation and Transportation Security Act to establish a special rule granting transitional employment eligibility, upon a specified certification by the Attorney General, to qualified lawful permanent resident alien airport security screeners until their naturalization process is completed. Directs the Attorney General to expedite the naturalization process for such screeners.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2001
Reservist Pay Security Act of 2001 - Entitles a person who is absent from his or her position of Federal employment to perform service in the uniformed services or the National Guard to receive from his or her agency an amount that, when added to the pay and allowances for such service, equals the basic pay which would have been payable to such employee for such period of service for which such employee is not otherwise compensated.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2001
Expresses: (1) gratitude to the Government and people of the Philippines for their sympathy and support since September 11, 2001; (2) sympathy to the Filipino victims of terrorism and their families; and (3) support for such Government's efforts to prevent and suppress terrorism. Affirms the U.S. commitments to the Philippines as expressed in the Mutual Defense Treaty signed at Washington on August 30, 1951. Acknowledges and pledges continued assistance in addressing the economic and military needs of the Philippines.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2001
National Aviation Capacity Expansion Act - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to implement the redesign and reconstruction of Chicago O'Hare International Airport in Cook and DuPage Counties, Illinois, in accordance with a specified runway redesign plan, and the development of a south suburban airport in the Chicago metropolitan region, by facilitating approval, funding, construction, and implementation of such plan and suburban airport. Requires all environmental reviews, analyses, and opinions related to issuance of permits, licenses, or approvals relating to such plan or airport to be conducted on an expedited and coordinated basis. States that approval by the Administrator of an airport layout plan submitted by Chicago that includes the runway redesign plan shall: (1) provide that any runway located more than 2500 feet south of existing runway 9R-27L shall not begin construction before January 2011; and (2) be subject to the condition that noise impact of aircraft operations at O'Hare after the year in which the first new runway is first used will be less than that in 2000. Prohibits the consideration of such a plan unless it includes public roadway access through the western boundary of O'Hare to passenger terminal and parking facilities. Directs the Administrator to give priority consideration to a letter of intent application submitted by the State of Illinois (or a political subdivision thereof) for construction of the suburban airport. Sets forth requirements regarding the construction of the runway redesign plan as a Federal project on or after July 1, 2004. Requires the withholding of all airport grant funds for O'Hare (other than grants involving national security and safety) until January 1, 2026, unless specified conditions with respect to operations at Merrill C. Meigs Field have been met.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2001
White House Commission on National Military Appreciation Month Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the President should establish the White House Commission on National Military Appreciation Month to make recommendations to the President on the proclamation of National Military Appreciation Month to be celebrated in May of each year; and (2) any such Commission should be composed of specified members. Expresses the sense of Congress that if such Commission is established, the President should also establish the Spirit of America Alliance to assist the Commission: (1) in the planning, organization, and conduct of an annual White House Conference on National Military Appreciation and other similar events; (2) in the promotion of the observance of such Month and other military commemorative events through appropriate means, subject to any guidelines developed by the Commission; (3) in the establishment of necessary incentives for Federal, State, and local governments and private sector entities to sponsor and participate in programs initiated by the Commission or the Alliance; (4) in the evaluation of the effectiveness of efforts by the Commission and the Alliance in carrying out this Act; and (5) by the performance of any other related duties that are assigned by the Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2001
Energy Policy Act of 2002 - Amends the Federal Power Act to set forth an energy delivery and production scheme that includes: (1) electric reliability standards; (2) electric utility mergers; (3) market-based rates; (4) transmission interconnections; and (5) open access transmission. Public Utility Holding Company Act of 2002 - Repeals the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935. Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to: (1) adopt real-time pricing standards; (2) terminate mandatory cogeneration and small power production purchase and sale requirements; and (3) mandate net metering service. Provides for renewable energy and rural construction grants. Sets forth alternative mandatory conditions for hydroelectric relicensing on Federal reservation lands. Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to establish within the Department of Energy (DOE) an Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs. Price-Anderson Amendments Act of 2002 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to provide permanent DOE contractor indemnification authority and to revise liability limits. Prescribes guidelines for domestic oil production and transportation, including Federal onshore oil and gas leasing programs, and full capacity for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2002 - Prescribes guidelines for expedited approval, construction, and Federal loan guarantees for Alaska natural gas transportation and delivery systems into the contiguous United States. Amends Federal transportation law to mandate increased Federal fleet vehicle fuel efficiency. Establishes the National Motor Vehicle Efficiency Improvement Program to provide assistance for State programs to retire fuel-inefficient motor vehicles. Prescribes guidelines for increased use of alternative and renewable fuels. Federal Reformulated Fuels Act of 2002 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to permit the use of the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund for methyl tertiary butyl ether (MBTE) remediation purposes. Amends the Clean Air Act to revise guidelines pertaining to: (1) water quality protection from fuels; (2) oxygen content requirements for reformulated gasoline; and (3) public health and environmental impacts of fuels and fuel additives. Provides increased funding for: (1) Low-Income Home Energy Assistance; (2) weatherization assistance; and (3) State energy conservation plans. Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to: (1) revise energy performance and management requirements for Federal buildings; and (2) mandate procurement of energy efficient products. Establishes the Federal Energy Bank to make loans to assist Federal agency implementation of energy conservation measures in Federal buildings. Amends Federal housing laws to provide further support for energy efficient, affordable housing, including: (1) FHA mortgage insurance incentives for energy efficient housing; and (2) grants for energy-conserving improvements for assisted housing. Climate Change Strategy and Technology Innovation Act of 2002 - Establishes the National Office of Climate Change Response within the Executive Office of the President. Establishes related bodies, including: (1) the Office of Climate Change Technology in DOE to manage an energy technology research and development program that directly supports the Strategy; and (2) the United States Climate Change Response Strategy Review Board. Instructs the Secretary of Commerce to establish the National Greenhouse Gas Database. Establishes the Interagency Task Force on Greenhouse Gas Database as an advisory body. Energy Science and Technology Enhancement Act of 2002 - Sets forth a national energy research, development, demonstration, and technology deployment program that operates as an integral part of the national climate change strategy in partnership with industry, the national laboratories, and institutions of higher learning. Includes within such program: (1) energy efficiency; (2) renewable energy; (3) fossil energy; (4) nuclear energy; (5) fundamental energy science; and (6) critical energy infrastructure protection research and development. Establishes: (1) a Clean Energy Technology Exports Program to focus upon transferring clean energy technology to countries expected to experience the most significant growth in energy production and associated greenhouse gas emissions over the next 20 years; (2) an International Energy Technology Deployment Program to construct an energy production facility outside the United States to implement specified greenhouse gas reduction; and (3) in the Office of Science and Technology Policy an integrated program for the global change research program. Instructs the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) submit to Congress a plan of action for a National Climate Service under the National Climate Program; and (2) initiate a program to develop innovative standards and measurement technologies to calculate greenhouse gas emissions. Mandates establishment of: (1) an integrated ocean and coastal observing system; (2) a global climate change standards and processes research program within the National Institute of Standards and Technology; (3) a National Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Program for regional impacts related to increased greenhouse gas concentrations; (4) a NASA pilot project exploration of remote sensing and other geospatial information in order to forecast a plan for adaptation to coastal zone and land use changes. Instructs the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) to establish national energy research and development advisory boards to exercise external technical review of DOE research and development programs. Creates a coordination and management framework within DOE for civilian science and technology programs, including: (1) an Under Secretary for Energy and Science to serve as the Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary and monitor the DOE research and development programs; (2) an Assistant Secretary of Science for fundamental DOE science and engineering research functions, including policy and management; (3) a Technology Transfer Coordinator; (4) a Technology Partnership Working Group; (5) a Technology Transfer Infrastructure Program; and (6) appointment of a small business advocate in connection with each National Laboratory. Authorizes the Secretary to establish security enhancement programs for critical energy infrastructure. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to establish the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Energy Infrastructure Security Program to: (1) provide financial assistance for State security plans against threats to critical OCS energy infrastructure facilities; and (2) support public service or transportation activities needed to maintain the safety and operation of critical energy infrastructure activities.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2001
American Field Service Recognition Act of 2001 - Considers as active duty, for purposes of veterans' benefits eligibility, service performed before August 15, 1945, by enlisted members of the American Field Service ambulance corps who reported for overseas duty during World War II and were honorably discharged. Authorizes the award of a campaign or service medal for such service.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2001
Condemns the terrorist murders of 26 innocent people in Israel within 14 hours during December 1-2, 2001, and extends the deepest sympathies of Congress to Israel and to the families of the victims. Expresses outrage at the ongoing Palestinian terrorist campaign and insists that the Palestinian Authority take all necessary steps to end it. Urges the President to suspend all relations with Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority if they fail to take specified action to stop Palestinian terrorist groups from committing acts of terrorism. Urges the President to insist that countries harboring or materially supporting Palestinian terrorist groups end their support, dismantle the groups, and bring them to justice. Expresses U.S. solidarity with Israel in their struggle against terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2001
Bioterrorism Preparedness Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to add provisions granting additional authorities to the Secretary of Health and Human Services concerning bioterrorism preparedness and responding to public health emergencies. Requires the Secretary to develop and implement a plan which includes the development of specific criteria enabling measurements to be made of the progress made at the national, State, and local levels toward achieving the national goal of bioterrorism preparedness. Requires the maintenance of an adequate national pharmaceutical stockpile of vaccines (including a smallpox vaccine), therapies, and medical supplies for use at the Secretary's discretion in the event of a biological threat or attack or other public health emergency. Expands the role of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a coordinated network of public health laboratories to assist with the detection of and response to a biological threat or attack. Provides for the appointment of an Assistant Secretary for Emergency Preparedness who shall head the Office for Emergency Preparedness. Provides for a National Disaster Medical System to provide appropriate health and social services to respond to a public health emergency, if the Secretary activates the System. Provides for enhanced regulatory control of biological agents and toxins. Establishes a State Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Block Grant Program to improve State and local preparedness and response capabilities. Amends the Clayton Act to provide for a limited antitrust exemption with respect to the development of new countermeasures against bioterrorism. Requires, under the Public Health Service Act, the development of a crisis communications and education strategy with respect to bioterrorist threats to the food supply. Expands animal and plant health inspection service activities and authorities. Amends the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to expand the authority of the Food and Drug Administration with respect to food presenting a serious threat to humans or animals. Requires the registration of food manufacturing, processing, and handling facilities. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to utilize existing authorities to expand Agricultural Research Service and Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service programs to protect the food supply of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2001
Putting Americans First Act - Sets forth provisions for a temporary unemployment compensation (UC) program. Permits any State to enter into and participate in an agreement with the Secretary of Labor for such program under which States receive Federal payments and State agencies pay: (1) modified regular UC to individuals; and (2) temporary supplemental UC to individuals who have otherwise exhausted their rights to regular UC or have received 26 weeks of regular UC. Requires the modified regular UC to: (1) have an alternative base period; (2) not be denied to individuals who can show good cause for seeking or being available for only part-time employment; and (3) include increased benefits. Requires temporary supplemental UC accounts for eligible individuals who file applications for such UC. Limits such agreements to weeks of unemployment: (1) beginning after the date on which such agreement is entered into; and (2) ending before January 1, 2003. Sets forth health insurance coverage options for recently unemployed individuals and their families. Requires establishment of a temporary program under which 75 percent of the premium for COBRA continuation coverage for Medicaid be provided for an individual who: (1) at any time during the period that begins on September 11, 2001, and ends on December 31, 2002, is separated from employment; and (2) is eligible for, and has elected coverage under, COBRA continuation coverage. (COBRA refers to title X of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, and concerns employee group health plan coverage under specified provisions of the Public Health Service Act, the Internal Revenue Code, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of1974.) Permits a State to elect to provide temporary Medicaid coverage (under title XIX of the Social Security Act) for individuals who: (1) are separated from employment at any time during the period that from September 11, 2001, through December 31, 2002; (2) are not eligible for COBRA continuation coverage; (3) are uninsured; and (4) do not have assets, resources, and earned or unearned income that exceed limitations set by the State. Permits a State to pay the entire COBRA premium for individuals whose family income does not exceed 200 percent of the poverty line and who are receiving COBRA premium assistance under this Act. Provides for temporary increases in the Medicaid Federal Medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for FY 2002. Amends the Social Security Act title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) to: (1) reauthorize TANF supplemental grants for population increases for FY 2002; and (2) extend and increase TANF contingency fund grants through FY 2002.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2001
Microbicide Development Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Director of the Office of AIDS Research to expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases with respect to research on the development of microbicides to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with respect to research on microbicides to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2001
Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2001 - Directs the Attorney General to waive Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) personnel limits. Authorizes appropriations for INS, Border Patrol, United States Customs Service, and consular personnel, training, facilities, and security-related technology. Provides for machine-readable visa fees. Directs U.S. law enforcement and intelligence entities to share alien admissibility- and deportation-related information with INS and the Department of State. Directs the President to develop and implement an interoperable law enforcement and intelligence data system (with name-matching and linguistic capacity) for visa, admissibility, or deportation determination purposes. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act) to require a consular officer issuing a visa to provide INS with an electronic version of the alien's visa file prior to the alien's U.S. entry. Sets forth technology standard and interoperability requirements respecting development and implementation of the integrated entry and exit data system and related tamper-resistant, machine-readable documents containing biometric identifiers. Directs the Secretary of State (Secretary) to: (1) establish a Terrorist Lookout Committee at each U.S. mission in which there is a consular post; and (2) provide consular staff with visa screening training. Prohibits the admission of an alien from a country designated to be a state sponsor of terrorism until a determination has been made that such individual does not pose a risk to the United States. Conditions participation in the visa waiver program upon a country's timely reporting to the United States of its stolen blank passports. Requires the Attorney General to enter stolen passport identification numbers into the interoperable data system.. Directs the Secretary, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, and the Commissioner of INS to study the feasibility of establishing a North American Perimeter National Security Program (United States, Canada, Mexico), including consideration of alien preclearance and preinspection. Amends the Act to require commercial aircraft or vessels arriving at, or departing from, the United States to provide immigration officers with specified passenger and crew manifest information. Authorizes such provisions' extension to land carriers. Requires electronic manifest transmission by a specified date. Amends the Ports and Waterways Safety Act to revise and specify vessel prearrival message requirements. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to direct the Attorney General to develop an electronic means of verifying and monitoring the foreign student information program, including aspects of documentation and visas issuance, and registration and enrollment. Increases student data requirements. Specifies information required for foreign student visa applications. Sets forth transitional monitoring requirements, including a requirement that an educational institution report student failure to enroll information to INS. Provides for INS and Department of State review of institutions authorized to enroll foreign students and exchange visitors. Amends Federal law to treat INS immigration inspectors as law enforcement officers for Federal retirement purposes. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to extend the deadline for presentation of biometric border crossing identification cards. Directs: (1) the Comptroller General to determine the feasibility of requiring each nonimmigrant alien to report annually to INS respecting his or her address and employer's address; and (2) the Secretary and INS to study alternative approaches to international electronic data cooperation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2001
Delays until at least January 1, 2003, any changes in Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) regulations that modify the Medicaid upper payment limit for services of non-State government-owned or operated hospitals.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2001
Homeland Security Block Grant Act - Authorizes the Attorney General to make homeland security block grants to States, local governments, and Indian tribes. Requires grantees to: (1) prepare a statement of homeland security objectives and projected fund use; and (2) provide the Attorney General with a certification that they have developed a homeland security plan that meets short- and long-term security needs and that they will comply with applicable laws. Directs: (1) each grantee to submit to the Attorney General a performance and evaluation report concerning the use of funds, together with an assessment of the relationship of such use to security objectives; and (2) the Attorney General to encourage and assist national associations of eligible grantees, States, and local governments in non-qualifying areas to develop and recommend uniform record-keeping, performance reporting, evaluation reporting, and auditing requirements, to establish such requirements, and to make specified reviews and audits at least annually. Lists activities eligible for assistance under this Act, including funding additional law enforcement, fire, and emergency resources, improving cyber and infrastructure security, and devising a homeland security plan. Sets forth provisions regarding allocation and distribution of funds and matching requirements. Mandates nondiscrimination in programs and activities. Sets forth remedies for noncompliance with Act requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2001
Medicare Appeals, Regulatory, and Contracting Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends part D (Miscellaneous) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to: (1) timelines for publication of final regulations and compliance with substantive changes after notice; (2) timeframes for the completion of the record in the appeals process; (3) contracts with Medicare administrative contractors for determining payment amounts, making payments, and providing certain provider services; (4) coordination of funding for education of service providers; and (5) standardization of random prepayment review and recovery of overpayments from Medicare administrative contractors. Grants a one-year delay in the lock-in procedures for Medicare+Choice plans under SSA title XVIII part C. Provides a temporary moratorium on the requirement that home health agencies collect Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) data from non-Medicare patients.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a portion of the humanitarian assistance provided to Afghanistan should be targeted to Afghan women; (2) Afghan women from all ethnic groups should be permitted to participate in the economic and political reconstruction of Afghanistan; and (3) any constitution or legal structure of a reconstructed Afghanistan should guarantee the human and political rights of Afghan women.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2001
Medicare Physician Payment Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to set the conversion factor (update) for payments under the Medicare physician fee schedule for 2002 at 0.9 percent less than the conversion factor for 2001. Declares that this conversion factor and a specified update adjustment factor for a year after 2002 shall be applied as if this Act had not been in effect. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to study and report to Congress on replacing the use of the sustainable growth rate as a factor in determining the update for such payments with a factor that more fully accounts for changes in the unit costs of providing physicians' services.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2001
Global Climate Change Act of 2001 - Provides for establishment of a number of new Government entities, including: (1) a National Office of Climate Change Action and an integrated program office for the global change research program within the Office of Science and Technology Policy; (2) an interagency climate change action task force to develop a national strategy for, among other things, substantially reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and promoting energy efficiency research and development; and (3) a Science and Technology Assessment Service in the legislative branch. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop a comprehensive measurement and verification system for greenhouse gas emissions. Requires the task force to initiate a mandatory emissions reporting system for the industrial, energy-producing, and transportation sectors. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) establish an atmospheric greenhouse gas monitoring and verification program; (2) conduct research on climate variability in the Asia-Pacific sector; (3) initiate a program for development of innovative greenhouse gas standards and measurement technologies; (4) establish a technology transfer program for emissions reduction and energy efficiency technologies; and (5) conduct regional coastal vulnerability assessments, develop a national coastal adaptation plan, and provide financial assistance. Amends the National Climate Program Act to, among other things: (1) include in the program methods to guide decision making on land use, water hazards, and related issues; (2) extend funding; and (3) require submission to Congress of a plan of action. Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to authorize the Secretary to perform research to develop standards and technology enabling reduced production in the United States of greenhouse gases associated with global warming. Requires the Director to establish a program of research on global climate change standards and processes. Authorizes the Director to: (1) hold a portion of competitions in areas designed to develop and commercialize technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and (2) develop a program to support "green" manufacturing technologies, emphasizing energy efficiency of electric motors. Directs the President to: (1) establish within the Department of Commerce a National Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation Program to address regional impacts; and (2) establish and maintain an integrated ocean and coastal observing system. Directs the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to establish a program to explore the use of geospatial information to address governmental needs to forecast a coastal zone adaptation plan.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2001
Calls for a joint session of Congress in New York City, New York, during the 107th Congress at such date, time, and location as the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate may jointly select, for the purpose of conducting such business as the Speaker and the President Pro Tempore may consider appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2001
Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to place limitations on the mandatory overtime hours a nurse may be required to work in certain providers of services.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2001
Affordable Small Business Stimulus Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the expensing of depreciable business assets (section 179) to increase maximum annual amounts and the phase-out threshold (eliminating the current phase-in of annual increases). Increases the exclusion percentage when calculating the exclusion of gain on qualified small business stock, including critical technology and specialized small business investment company stock. Increases the period in which purchased replacement stock will qualify for rollover status. Reduces the recovery period for depreciation of computers, peripheral equipment, and software. Permits self-employed individuals to deduct all of their health insurance costs. Permits the disclosure of Federal taxpayer identity information and signatures to State entities to carry out an approved combined employment tax reporting program. States that income averaging for farmers and fisherman will not increase their alternative minimum tax liability. Excludes from acquisition indebtedness certain indebtedness incurred by a small business investment company licensed under the Small Business Investment Act of 1958.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2001
Military Homeowners Equity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to state that members of the Uniformed or Foreign Services on qualified official extended duty shall be considered to be using already owned and used property as a principal residence for purposes of determining exclusion of gain upon such residence's sale.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2001
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States should: (1) make full use of diplomatic and other appropriate mechanisms to ensure member compliance with International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) conservation measures and quotas; (2) press for improved monitoring, recording, and reporting of harvesting and compliance information by contracting and non-contracting nations to ICCAT; (3) identify nations that engage in actions, including illegal fishing, that diminish the fishery conservation program; and (4) encourage adoption of recommendations authorizing the use of enforceable measures to prevent such nations from taking actions that would undermine the effectiveness of conservation and management recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2001
Small Business Venture Capital Act of 2001 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1985 to increase the cost recovery fee charged by the Small Business Administration for guaranteeing small business investment company debentures. Extends the program to debentures obligated after FY 2001 (currently, FY 2000).
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2001
Medicare Physician Payment Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to set the conversion factor (update) for payments under the Medicare physician fee schedule for 2002 at 0.9 percent less than the conversion factor for 2001. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to study and report to Congress on replacing the use of the sustainable growth rate as a factor in determining the update for such payments with a factor that more fully accounts for changes in the unit costs of providing physicians' services.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2001
Welcomes the Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to the United States. Expresses gratitude to the Government of India for its expressions of sympathy for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and its demonstrated willingness to fully cooperate with the United States in the campaign against terrorism. Pledges commitment to the continued expansion of friendship and cooperation between the United States and India.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2001
Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Act of 2001 - SAFER Act of 2001 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Labor to make matching grants for up to 75 percent of the costs of projects to hire firefighters to eligible States, local governments, tribal organizations, or other public entities, or multi-jurisdictional or regional consortia of such entities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2001
Children's Dental Health Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States to improve dental services to children enrolled in a State plan under title XIX (Medicaid) or title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP). Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program for eligible entities and individuals (including Indian tribes) to expand the availability of primary dental care services where necessary. Offers retention bonuses for eligible dental officers of the Indian Health Service. Revises the process for designating dental health professional shortage areas. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) demonstration projects to increase access to dental services for children in underserved areas; (2) an oral health initiative to reduce disparities in oral health, targeting low-income children and including community water fluoridation and dental sealants; and (3) a Chief Dental Officer for the Medicaid and State children's health insurance programs. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to annually collect data on the dental, craniofacial, and oral health of residents of at least one State and one Indian tribe from each region. Requires the Secretary to identify populations at high risk for early childhood caries and provide for the development of prevention programs. Revises the eligibility requirements for the school-based dental sealant program to include Indian tribes.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2001
Metacomet-Monadnock-Mattabesett Trail Study Act of 2001 - Amends the National Trails System Act to designate the Metacomet-Monadnock-Mattabesett Trail (a system of trails and potential trails extending southward approximately 180 miles through western Massachusetts on the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, across central Connecticut on the Metacomet Trail and the Mattabesett Trail, and ending at Long Island Sound) for study for potential addition to the National Trails System.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2001
Nurse Reinvestment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop and issue public service announcements that advertise and promote the nursing profession, highlight the advantages and rewards of nursing, and encourage individuals from diverse communities and backgrounds to enter the nursing profession; and (2) award grants to designated eligible educational entities in order to increase the number of nurses. Establishes a National Nurse Service Corps Scholarship program that provides scholarships to individuals seeking nursing education in exchange for service by such individuals in areas with nursing shortages.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2001
Port Threat and Security Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to report to specified congressional committees: (1) a list of all nations whose flag vessels have entered U.S. ports in the previous year, and of those nations, a separate list of nations whose registered flag vessels appear as Priority III or higher on the Boarding Priority Matrix, that have presented certain false vessel-related information to the United States, or whose laws or regulations are not sufficient to allow tracking of ownership and registration histories of registered flag vessels; (2) on actions taken by the United States to improve transparency and security of vessel registration procedures in nations that have been listed; and (3) on recommendations for legislative or other actions needed to improve security of U.S. ports against potential threats posed by flag vessels of such nations. Establishes a program to place sea marshals on vessels entering U.S. ports that have been identified as posing a potential target of attack or because of their location may pose a risk to residential or other densely populated areas. Directs the Secretary to assess the effectiveness of security measures maintained at foreign seaports that serve U.S. vessels, from which foreign vessels serve the United States, or that pose a high risk of introducing danger to international sea travel. Sets forth certain actions the Secretary must take against seaports that do not maintain effective security measures. Imposes a user fee on cruise vessels that arrive at a U.S. port from a foreign port.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2001
Internet Tax Moratorium and Equity Act - Amends the Internet Tax Freedom Act to extend: (1) permanently provisions which prohibit a State or political subdivision from imposing taxes on Internet access, unless such tax was generally imposed and actually enforced prior to October 1, 1998; and (2) until December 31, 2005, the State or political subdivision prohibition on multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) States and localities should work together to develop a uniform streamlined sales and use tax system that addresses remote sales; and (2) a study should be commissioned to determine seller costs of collecting and remitting State and local sales and use taxes from remote sales. Authorizes States to enter into an Interstate Sales and Use Tax Compact which shall describe a uniform, streamlined sales and use tax system consistent with the above system.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2001
Technology Talent Act of 2001 - Authorizes the Director of the National Science Foundation to award competitive grants to institutions of higher education to increase the number of students studying and receiving associate's or bachelor's degrees in established or emerging fields within science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. Provides that an institution receiving such a grant shall be known as a National Science Foundation Science and Engineering Talent Expansion Center.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2001
Railroad Advancement and Infrastructure Law for the 21st Century - Amends Federal transportation law to authorize appropriations for FY 2003 to the Secretary of Transportation for Amtrak capital expenditures, operating expenses, and certain mandatory payments. Repeals certain Amtrak self-sufficiency requirements terminating Federal operating grant funds (Government subsidies) to Amtrak. Authorizes emergency appropriations for specified Amtrak activities. Amends the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 to change from discretionary to mandatory the authority of the Secretary to provide direct loans and loan guarantees for railroad rehabilitation and improvement projects to State and local governments, certain interstate compacts, government sponsored authorities, and corporations, railroads, and joint ventures that include at least one railroad. Includes the acquisition, improvement, or rehabilitation of rail safety and security equipment and facilities as an eligible project for such financing. Increases the aggregate amount: (1) of direct loans and loan guarantees made at any one time for such projects; and (2) for projects primarily benefitting non-class I freight railroad carriers. Sets forth additional requirements with respect to cohorts of such direct loans and loan guarantees (involving commitment from non-Federal sources), and applications for them. Establishes a program of capital grants to class II and III railroads to rehabilitate, preserve, or improve railroad track used primarily for freight transportation to a standard to ensure that it can be operated safely and efficiently and accommodate 286,000 pound rail cars. Sets forth certain grant and project requirements. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2009 for certain designated High-Speed Rail Corridor projects.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2001
Social Security Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal: (1) pension offset provisions applicable to husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and mother's and father's insurance benefits with respect to Old-Age and Survivors insurance benefit payments; and (2) windfall elimination provisions with respect to computation of the primary insurance amount of an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2001
Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to provide reservists and National Guard members activated on or after September 11, 2001, and other eligible persons with specified farm credit assistance, including loan modification, debt restructuring, and emergency loans.
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