United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
National Defense Rail Act - Requires studies or assessments of: (1) security risks associated with freight and intercity passenger rail transportation; (2) security priorities; (3) rail crossing delay security issues; (4) existing rail safety regulations; (5) foreign rail transport security programs; and (6) the feasibility of passenger, baggage, and cargo screening. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) establish a national high-speed ground transportation policy; and (2) provide 100 percent financial assistance to develop and implement high-speed rail corridors according to designated priorities, including the elimination of hazards of railway-highway crossings. Requires such projects to comply with Buy American and competitive bidding requirements, and specified labor standards, including the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act. Defines the national rail passenger transportation system. Authorizes Amtrak to operate an intercity rail service or route not included in such system, as specified. Declares that nothing in this Act is intended to preclude Amtrak from restoring, improving, or developing non-high-speed intercity passenger rail service. Repeals the requirement that Amtrak be self-sufficient. Authorizes additional appropriations for Amtrak for retirement of principal and interest on its debt service, and for improving accessibility for the elderly and people with disabilities, including compliance with environmental regulations. Authorizes appropriations for the Northeast Corridor, long and short distance trains, and State-supported routes. Directs the Secretary to re-establish the Northeast Corridor Safety Committee. Revises requirements concerning the Amtrak board of directors. Requires an independent audit of Amtrak operations and the development of a five-year financial plan. Revises requirements of the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 concerning loans and loan guarantees. Directs the Secretary to establish a rail passenger cooperative research program, including an advisory board.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
National Center for Social Work Research Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the National Center for Social Work Research as an agency of the National Institutes of Health. Authorizes the Center to establish research traineeships and fellowships, provide stipends and allowances, and make grants. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an advisory council for the Center.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Veterans Health Care Funding Guarantee Act of 2003 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) make available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health Administration for FY 2005 120 percent of the amount obligated during FY 2002; and (2) adjust the amount provided after FY 2005 based on the number of enrolled veterans and the number of others eligible for and provided care and the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index. Repeals provisions which: (1) prohibit the appropriation, obligation, or use of funds for any Department of Veterans Affairs major medical facility project or lease unless such funds have been specifically authorized by law; (2) require the Secretary to submit to specified congressional committees a prospectus of a proposed medical facility involving an expenditure of more than $4 million or facility lease with an average annual rental of more than $600,000; and (3) require the Secretary to give Congress notice before obligating an amount of funds for a major medical facility project that would cause the total amount obligated to exceed the amount specified in the law for that project by more than 10 percent, and when proposing that funds be used for a purpose other than the purpose for which such funds were appropriated.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Constitutional Amendment - Grants victims of violent crime the rights: (1) to reasonable and timely notice of any public proceeding involving the crime and of any release or escape of the accused; (2) to not be excluded from such public proceeding and reasonably to be heard at public release, plea, sentencing, reprieve, and pardon proceedings; and (3) to adjudicative decisions that consider the victim's safety, interest in avoiding unreasonable delay, and just and timely claims to restitution from the offender. Prohibits any restriction of such rights except as dictated by a substantial interest in public safety or the administration of criminal justice, or by compelling necessity.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Directs the Secretary of Defense to permit any former member of the armed forces who is entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability rated total by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to travel on military aircraft to the same extent as retired members of the armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2002
Authorizes the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in calculating the Federal cost for guaranteeing small business loans under the Small Business Act during FY 2003, to use: (1) the most recently approved subsidy cost model and methodology in conjunction with the program and economic assumptions; and (2) historical data included in the FY 2003 budget. Requires the Small Business Administration (SBA), after written notification to Congress, to implement the validated, OMB-approved rate for FY 2003. Amends the Department of Defense and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery from and Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States Act, 2002 to allow funds appropriated to the SBA for emergency expenses to also be used for such loan guarantee subsidies.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2002
Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building Act - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to award a grant to Neighborhood House of St. Paul, Minnesota, to finance the construction of a new community center in St. Paul, to be known as the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2002
Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act of 2002 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide that a public safety officer who dies as the direct and proximate result of a heart attack or stroke suffered while on duty or within 24 hours after participating in a training exercise or responding to an emergency situation shall be presumed to have died as the direct and proximate result of a personal injury sustained in the line of duty, for purposes of survivor benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2002
Sets forth requirements a charitable corporation, fund, foundation, or trust must meet to designate itself as a Johnny Micheal Spann Patriot Trust (a charitable trust for the spouses, dependents, and relatives of military and Federal personnel who lose their lives in the battle against terrorism that is named after the first American to die in such service following the September 11th terrorist attacks). Requires at least 85 percent of each Trust corpus to be distributed to such survivors and prohibits more than 15 percent from being used for administrative purposes. Prohibits any such Trust from participating in any political campaign on behalf of a candidate for public office. Requires: (1) audits of each Trust that annually receives contributions of more than $1 million; and (2) Trust distributions to be made at least once a year. Provides for the notification of Trust beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2002
Fisheries Research Improvement Act - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to require the National Academy of Sciences to review and recommend measures for improving National Marine Fisheries Service procedures for ensuring data quality in the data collection phase of the stock assessment program. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish a national cooperative research and management program to be administered by the National Marine Fisheries Service, based upon recommendations by the Regional Fishery Management Councils. Requires the Secretary to create guidelines so that participants in this program are not penalized for loss of catch history or unexpended days-at-sea as part of a limited entry system. Authorizes specified funds for cooperative comparative trawl research between the National Marine Fisheries Service and fishing industry participants for the Northeast multispecies groundfish fishery. Authorizes a Council or the Secretary to extend beyond ten years the time period for the rebuilding of an overfished fishery to accommodate a new rebuilding target if the target is changed during the rebuilding period. Repeals the current exception to the ten year rebuilding deadline in cases where the biology of the stock of fish, other environmental conditions, or management measures under an international agreement in which the United States participates dictate a longer rebuilding period.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2002
Supports the goals and ideas of a day of tribute to all firefighters who have died in the line of duty. Recognizes the important mission of the Fallen Firefighters Foundation in assisting family members to overcome the loss of their fallen heroes.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2002
Coast Guard Readiness Act of 2002 - Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security establish a system of Interagency Homeland Security Fusion Centers (Centers) composed of members from specified Federal agencies and foreign governments. Directs the Centers to: (1) coordinate maritime homeland security information focusing on air and sea approaches to the United States; (2) facilitate information sharing between specified Federal agencies and foreign governments; and (3) provide intelligence to the appropriate Federal Agencies concerning maritime threats to homeland security. Requires Centers to: (1) have access to all databases and information systems of member Federal agencies; (2) collect, compile, analyze, and disseminate agency information to identify and locate potential threats to homeland security; and (3) alert all pertinent government agencies regarding potential homeland security threats. Provides that no budget request submitted to Congress for FY 2004 or 2005 may contain a request for reductions in Coast Guard appropriations for specified non-homeland security mission areas below the larger of the FY 2002 or 2003 levels appropriated and allocated for each area.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2002
Visa Issuance Act of 2002 - Requires visa denial information to be entered into the electronic data system as provided for in the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002. Prohibits an alien denied a visa from being issued a subsequent visa unless the reviewing consular officer makes specified findings concerning waiver of ineligibility. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a security-related study on the use of foreign national personnel in visa processing. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary should develop and maintain intelligence analysts from the employees of the Directorate of Intelligence.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2002
Designates the month of September 2002 as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Declares that the Federal Government has a responsibility to: (1) raise awareness about the importance of screening methods and treatment of prostate cancer; (2) increase research funding that is commensurate with the burden of the disease so that the causes of, and improved methods for screening, treating, and curing prostate cancer may be discovered; and (3) continue to consider ways for improving access to, and the quality of, health care services for detecting and treating prostate cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2002
Honoring the Passengers and Crew of United Flight 93 Act - Authorizes the President to award posthumously the Congressional Gold Medal to the passengers and crew of United Airlines flight 93 in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2002
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health, should conduct or support research on the effectiveness of medical screening techniques for ovarian cancer, including the use of proteomic patterns in blood serum in combination with other techniques. Requires a report to Congress and the inclusion of such technique in Federal health care programs and group and individual health plans if it proves effective.
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 2002
Veterans Health Care Funding Guarantee Act of 2002 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) make available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health Administration for FY 2004 120 percent of the amount obligated during FY 2002; and (2) adjust the amount provided after FY 2004 based on the number of enrolled veterans and the number of others eligible for and provided care and the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2002
National AMBER Alert Network Act of 2002 - Requires the Attorney General to assign an AMBER Alert Coordinator of the Department of Justice to act as the national coordinator of the AMBER Alert communications network regarding abducted children. Requires the coordinator to: (1) seek to eliminate gaps in the network; (2) work with States to encourage the development of additional network elements and to ensure regional coordination; and (3) act as the nationwide point of contact for network development and for regional coordination of alerts on abducted children through the network. Directs the Coordinator to: (1) notify and consult with the Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning each child abduction for which an AMBER Alert is issued; and (2) establish minimum standards for the issuance of alerts and for the extent of their dissemination (limited to the geographic areas most likely to facilitate the recovery of the abducted child). Requires the Secretary of Transportation to provide grants to States for the development or enhancement of notification or communications systems along highways for alerts and other information for the recovery of abducted children. Includes among permissible activities the development or enhancement of electronic message boards, and the placement of additional signage, along highways. Directs the Attorney General to provide grants to States for the development or enhancement of programs and activities for the support of AMBER Alert communications plans.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2002
Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), within 15 days after the enactment of this Act, to return to the winning bidders of spectrum auction 35 the full amount of all deposits and down payments made for licenses that the FCC has not delivered by such date. Frees each winning bidder that elects within such period to relinquish a license not yet delivered of all license obligations such bidder would otherwise have had, including the obligation to pay the full amount of its winning bid upon license delivery.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2002
David Jayne Medicare Homebound Modernization Act of 2002 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the definition of homebound for purposes of determining Medicare eligibility for home health services. Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from disqualifying from consideration as confined to the home, based on the purpose, frequency, or duration of the absences from the home, any individual who: (1) has been certified by a physician as having a permanent and severe condition that will not improve which requires the individual to receive assistance from another individual with at least three out of five activities of daily living for the rest of the individual's life; (2) requires one or more described home health services to achieve a functional condition giving the individual the ability to leave the home; and (3) has received part-time or intermittent nursing care provided by or under the supervision of a registered professional nurse.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2002
Comprehensive Seaport and Container Security Act of 2002 - Directs the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security of the Transportation Security Administration to designate a Director of the Port who will be the primary authority responsible for security at each U.S. seaport to coordinate security and be the point of contact on seaport security issues for civilian port entities there. Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to implement a data collection system to compile data related to crimes at or affecting U.S. seaports. Requires U.S. seaports that receive cargo from a foreign country to allow the use of office and inspection space by U.S. Customs Service officers at no cost to the Customs Service. Directs the Commissioner of Customs to issue regulations transferring the responsibility to license, and revoke or suspend a license of, ocean transportation intermediaries from the Federal Maritime Commission to the Commissioner of Customs. Directs the Commissioner of Customs to submit to Congress a plan to station inspectors from the Customs Service, other Federal agencies, or the private sector at foreign facilities of manufacturers or common carriers to profile and inspect merchandise and containers prepared for shipment on vessels arriving at U.S. ports or U.S. places. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the advanced electronic transmission of cargo manifest information. Increases civil penalties for vessel owners who falsify or fail to produce a manifest. Sets forth criminal penalties for any person who provides false information with respect to the shipment of merchandise bound for the United States. Increases civil penalties for vessel, aircraft, or vehicle owners for violation of certain arrival, reporting, entry, and clearance requirements. Directs the Commissioner of Customs to develop a shipment profiling plan to track containers and shipments of merchandise imported into the United States for the purpose of identifying any shipment before it is transported to a U.S. seaport that is a threat to U.S. security. Prohibits an individuals who is regularly employed at a U.S. seaport or is employed by a common carrier that transports merchandise to or from a U.S. seaport from entering a U.S. seaport without a seaport security card. Sets forth certain requirements with respect to the issuance of such cards. Sets forth requirements with respect to: (1) seaport security; (2) protection of certain sensitive information; and (3) container security.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2002
Congratulates Lance Armstrong and his team on his historic victory in the 2002 Tour de France. Commends the unwavering commitment to cancer awareness and survivorship demonstrated by him.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2002
Amends the Federal Law Enforcement Pay Reform Act of 1990 to revise the special pay adjustments for (percentage differentials payable to) Federal law enforcement officers in specified consolidated metropolitan statistical areas.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2002
Access to High Quality Child Care Act - 2002 ACCESS Act - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBGA) to extend the authorization of appropriations, and to revise or set forth provisions relating to: (1) lead agencies; (2) State plan requirements; (3) activities to improve the quality of child care; (4) increased reimbursement rates; (5) administration and enforcement; (6) data about families receiving subsidies; (7) child care research and data; (8) activities for infants, toddlers, and children in other special populations; (9) resource and referral services; and (10) funds for Indian tribes. Federal Employees Child Care Act - Directs the Administrator of General Services to: (1) establish health, safety, and facility standards and compliance requirements for child care in executive branch facilities; (2) issue regulations requiring a child care facility to comply with standards of a child care accreditation entity; and (3) establish an interagency council to facilitate cooperation and sharing of best practices. Prescribes accreditation requirements for child care services in the House of Representatives, the Library of Congress, the Senate, and the U.S. Courts. Revises the criteria for children permitted child care and related services in Federal buildings, extending eligibility to children of Federal employees or on-site Federal contractors, or dependent children who live with such employees or contractors. Authorizes agreements, where necessary, with non-Federal, licensed, and accredited child care facilities, or planned facilities that will become licensed and accredited. Permits a Federal agency to conduct a pilot project to test innovative approaches to providing more cost-effective alternative forms of child care assistance for Federal employees. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award competitive grants to assist eligible intermediaries to provide technical and financial assistance to eligible recipients to pay the Federal matching share of costs of acquisition, construction, or improvement of center-based or home-based child care facilities or equipment, or for the improvement of related management and business practices. Book Stamp Act - Directs the Secretary of HHS to establish a grant program (based on certain State allocations under CCDBGA) to promote child literacy and improve children's access to books at home and in early learning and other child care programs, by making books available through such programs. Early Care and Education Act - Directs the Secretaries of Education and of HHS to: (1) allot incentive grants to States to develop or enhance high-quality systems of early child care and early education; (2) award bonus grants to States for demonstrated improvement in such care and education; and (3) establish an information clearinghouse.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2002
Small Business Drought Relief Act - Amends the Small Business Act to include drought within its definition of disaster (thus qualifying small businesses suffering economic harm from droughts for assistance under such Act).
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2002
Child Support Enforcement Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (relating to the deduction for bad debts) to allow a custodial parent to claim unpaid child support payments as a deduction. Bars a delinquent debtor from filing an amended return in any subsequent year to reflect the subsequent payment of unpaid child support. Includes unpaid child support in the gross income of the delinquent debtor. Precludes taxpayer information regarding child support payments from serving as a basis for selecting an individual's tax return for general audit.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2002
21st Century Medicare Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish: (1) a Voluntary Prescription Drug Delivery Program under a new part D; and (2) a Prescription Drug Account in the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish: (1) within the Department of HHS the Medicare Competitive Agency, headed by an Administrator charged with carrying out Medicare parts D and C (Medicare+Choice); and (2) within the Agency an Office of Beneficiary Assistance to carry out functions relating to Medicare beneficiaries. Creates a Medicare Ombudsman in such Office. Establishes within the Medicare Competitive Agency the Medicare Competitive Policy Advisory Board. Directs the Administrator of the Medicare Competitive Agency to study and report to Congress on the need for rules relating to permitting individuals who are enrolled under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) but are not entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) to buy into the Medicare voluntary prescription drug delivery program. Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund to require the Board of Trustees of the Trust Fund to submit to Congress a combined report on the operation and status of the Trust Fund and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund, including the Prescription Drug Account within such Trust Fund. Expands the membership and duties of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC). Directs the Secretary to establish procedures under which each eligible beneficiary shall be entitled to elect to receive enhanced Medicare benefits under a new Medicare part E (Enhanced Medicare Benefits) instead of the benefits under Medicare parts A and B. Sets forth rules relating to Medicare supplemental insurance (Medigap) policies that provide prescription drug coverage, such as prohibiting the sale, issuance, and renewal of policies that provide prescription drug coverage to part D enrollees. Amends SSA title XVIII part C to provide for competition under the Medicare+Choice program and part D and E benefits under competitive Medicare+Choice plans.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2002
Women's Pension Protection Act of 2002 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to require the spouse's consent for distributions from defined contribution plans (DCPs, which include individual account plans such as 401(k) plans). (Current law only requires such consent in the case of defined benefit plans). Applies joint and survivor annuity rules to DCPs. Provides for division of pension benefits upon divorce, including rules for treating: (1) subsequent qualified domestic relations orders; and (2) former spouses as surviving spouses in certain cases. Revises requirements for joint and survivor annuities. Requires pension plans to offer participants the option of a qualified joint and 3/4 survivor annuity (as an alternative to the current qualified joint and survivor annuity). Amends Federal law relating to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to provide for a survivor annuity to widows, widowers, and certain former spouses of Federal employees who die after having separated from the service with title to a deferred annuity under CSRS, but before attaining the age for such annuity under it (on the same basis as is currently provided to certain survivors of former Members of Congress). Revises CSRS and Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) requirements for court orders relating to Federal employee retirement benefits for former spouses. Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to: (1) entitle divorced spouses to railroad retirement annuities independent of the actual entitlement of the employees; and (2) extend the payment of any portion of Tier II railroad retirement benefits to surviving former spouses pursuant to divorce agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2002
Declares that the Senate strongly disapproves of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Newdow v. U.S. Congress. Authorizes and instructs the Senate Legal Counsel to seek to intervene in the case to defend the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2002
First Responder Terrorism Preparedness Act of 2002 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to establish in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) the Office of National Preparedness, headed by an Associate Director appointed by the President, to coordinate and build viable terrorism preparedness and response capability at all levels of government. Requires the Associate Director to designate a FEMA officer or employee in each of FEMA's ten regions to serve as the Office contact for the States in that region. Requires the Director of FEMA (Director), acting through the Office, to establish a program to provide assistance to enhance the ability of State and local first responders to respond to incidents of terrorism. Requires that not less than 75 percent of the assistance granted each State be provided to local governments and entities within the State. Requires the Director to provide each urban search and rescue task force a grant to pay the costs of operations. Authorizes the Director to provide an additional discretionary grant to pay for equipment, training, transportation, expansion of the task force, incident support teams and the costs of operations in excess of the funds provided. Permits the Director to establish any additional task forces as long as the 28 original task forces are able to deploy at least two fully functional teams simultaneously.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2002
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income amounts received after December 31, 2001, as loan repayments under the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program established under the Public Health Service Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2002
Directs the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security for the Transportation Security Administration to develop, and report to specified congressional committees on, a cargo security plan to ensure the adequacy of security measures for the transportation of cargo into and in the United States, and oversee the implementation of security measures with respect to cargo at airports and other transportation facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2002
Access for Afghan Women Act - Directs the United States to undertake a variety of measures to guard and enhance the quality of life of Afghan women, including: (1) incorporating the perspectives and advice of Afghan women's organizations and leaders in U.S. policymaking related to the governance of Afghanistan; (2) promoting the inclusion of a significant number of women in the Loya Jirga and future legislative bodies to ensure that women's human rights are included in any constitution for Afghanistan; (3) ensuring a significant portion of U.S. assistance is channeled to local and U.S.-based Afghan organizations, particularly Afghan women's organizations, and to high-quality comprehensive health care programs and education and training programs in Afghanistan; (4) training on the protection, rights, and the particular needs of women with respect to training for military and police forces in Afghanistan; and (5) ensuring that women refugees and those internally displaced in camps, urban areas, and villages are receiving food aid, health and medical services, and are free from sexual exploitation.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2002
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the status quo on Cyprus must end and the island and its people must be reunited in a bi-zonal, bi-communal federal Cyprus, on the basis of United Nations Security Council resolutions; (2) the accession of Cyprus to the European Union (EU) would act as a catalyst for the solution of the Cyprus problem without such solution being a precondition for accession; (3) membership of Cyprus to the EU should be strongly supported; (4) all Cypriots should be urged to support and encourage efforts to bring Cyprus into the EU; and (5) U.S. agencies should pursue initiatives that will help promote and achieve reunification, reconciliation, stability, and prosperity on Cyprus.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2002
Youth Smoking Prevention and Public Health Protection Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to give the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Food and Drug Administration, regulatory authority over tobacco products. Sets forth criteria by which tobacco products will be deemed adulterated and/or misbranded. Sets forth health information submission and annual registration requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to adopt performance standards. Provides for notification and other remedial measures, including recalls. Requires manufacturers and importers of such products to keep records as specified. Requires premarket review of new tobacco products, as specified. Provides a right of judicial review concerning the promulgation of regulations and the denial of premarket approval. Authorizes postmarket surveillance as necessary. Authorizes the Secretary to designate reduced risk tobacco products, as specified. Requires all retail outlets for tobacco products to be treated equally with regard to advertising restrictions. Requires coordination with the Federal Trade Commission, specifically retaining to the Commission the authority to enforce certain laws concerning the advertising, sale, or distribution of tobacco products. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) congressional review; (2) regulations; (3) preservation of State and local authority; (4) construction of current regulations; and (5) conforming amendments. Establishes a Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to revise tobacco and smokeless tobacco label and advertising warning requirements. Amends the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986 to revise smokeless tobacco warning label and advertising requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2002
Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act - Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to establish a Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Program to protect the environmental integrity of undeveloped coastal and estuarine areas. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to make program grants to coastal States for the purpose of acquiring property interests. Prohibits any more than 75 percent of the grant funding from being derived from Federal sources. Authorizes the Secretary to provide $5 million for a regional watershed protection demonstration project that: (1) leverages land acquisition funding from other Federal conservation or acquisition programs; (2) involves partnerships with Federal, State, and non-governmental entities; (3) creates conservation corridors; (4) protects habitats under imminent threat of development or conversion; (5) provides water quality protection for areas under the National Estuarine Research Reserve program; and (6) provides a model for future regional watershed protection projects. Reserves 15 percent of program funds for acquisitions benefitting the National Estuarine Research Reserve. Specifies that when property is acquired under this program: (1) title will be held by the grant recipient; (2) property will be managed consistent with the purpose of the program; and (3) funds will be returned to the Secretary if the property is sold, exchanged, or divested.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2002
Mammography Quality Standards Reauthorization Act of 2002 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend funding for the mammography facilities certification program through FY 2007. Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue a temporary certificate to facilities seeking reaccreditation and awarded an accreditation extension for specified reasons, including inability of accrediting body to complete the process in time and unforeseen situations which cause the facility to be unable to meet the reaccreditation timeframes, but do not compromise the quality of mammography. Requires the Comptroller General to evaluate the Mammography Quality Standards Act, including the demonstration program's frequency of inspections, accessibility of services, and the role of States as both accreditation and certification bodies. Directs the Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine to study health professional training in the area of mammography.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2002
Declares that, if the Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) for a State for FY 2002 is less than the FMAP for FY 2001, the FY 2001 FMAP shall be substituted for the State's FMAP for the third and fourth calendar quarters of FY 2002. Declares similarly that if a State's FY 2003 FMAP is less than the FY 2002 FMAP, the FY 2002 FMAP shall be substituted for each calendar quarter of FY 2003. Requires each eligible State for the third and fourth calendar quarters of FY 2002 and each calendar quarter of FY 2003 to have its FMAP increased by 1.0 percentage point. Mandates a specified Medicaid payment cap increase for territories. Prohibits application of the FMAP increases for a State under this Act with respect to: (1) disproportionate share hospital payments under Medicaid; and (2) payments under SSA titles IV and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP). Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services), for the purpose of providing State fiscal relief allotments to States and territories in accordance with a specified table, to make appropriations to be available for obligation by the State through June 30, 2004, and for expenditure by the State through September 30, 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2002
Expresses the sense of the Senate that at the 19th Annual Meeting of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization the United States should use diplomacy, relevant international laws and agreements, and other appropriate mechanisms to support scientific decision-making regarding Atlantic salmon, adequately protecting the imperiled U.S., Canadian and southern European salmon populations, making long-term conservation agreements, and forwarding the long-term rebuilding of North American salmon.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2002
Calls for Americans to observe a national moment of remembrance at 3:00 p.m. on Memorial Day, 2002, for members of the armed forces and civilian national security agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2002
Pathways to Self-Sufficiency Act of 2002 - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to give States that receive a TANF grant the option to: (1) use the grant to establish a program, including an undergraduate post-secondary or vocational education program, under which an eligible participant may be provided certain support services although the State may not use Federal TANF grant funds to pay the participant's tuition; and (2) credit months of program participation for disregard in calculation of the five year TANF assistance limitation.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2002
Medicare Hospital Outpatient Department Fair Payment Act of 2002 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the Medicare hospital outpatient department (OPD) prospective payment system with regard to: (1) fee schedule amounts for clinic and emergency visits; (2) transitional pass-through for additional costs of innovative medical devices, drugs, and biologicals; (3) OPD fee schedule increase factor; (4) budget neutrality adjustment under requirements for periodic review and adjustments components of the prospective payment system; (4) outlier payments; (5) transitional adjustment to limit decline in payment; and (6) requirement to increase relative payment weights in certain circumstances. Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 to provide for permanent extension of provider-based status for any facility or organization that is treated as provider-based in relation to a hospital or critical access hospital under Medicare as of October 1, 2000.
![Official portrait of Sen. Snowe, Olympia J. [R-ME]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000663_200.jpg)