United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2003
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education Center Act - Authorizes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc., to construct at or near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site an education center for informing and educating the public about the Memorial. Considers the Center a commemorative work, but waives location and final approval requirements. Requires the center size to be limited to the minimum necessary to: (1) provide for appropriate educational and interpretive functions; (2) prevent interference with or encroachment on the Memorial; and (3) protect open space and visual sightlines on the Mall. Requires the center to be operated and maintained by the Secretary of the Interior.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2003
Recognizes "Inventing Flight: The Centennial Celebration," a celebration in Dayton, Ohio, of the centennial of Wilbur and Orville Wright's first flight.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Recognizes the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, on its 140th anniversary, for its contribution to the structural development and building of the United States and to the well-being of tens of thousands of workers.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2003 - Provides that: (1) any person who engages in conduct that violates specified provisions of the Federal criminal code, the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, or the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, or specified articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (conduct constituting certain Federal violent crimes), and thereby causes the death of, or bodily injury to, a child who is in utero, shall be guilty of a separate offense (but prohibits imposition of the death penalty for such offense); and (2) the punishment for that separate offense shall be the same as that provided under Federal law for that conduct had that injury or death occurred to the unborn child's mother. Directs that if the person engaging in the conduct thereby intentionally kills or attempts to kill the unborn child, that person shall be punished as provided under the Federal criminal code for intentionally killing or attempting to kill a human being. Bars prosecution under this Act: (1) for conduct relating to an abortion for which the consent of the pregnant woman has been obtained or for which such consent is implied by law in a medical emergency; (2) for conduct relating to any medical treatment of the pregnant woman or her unborn child; or (3) of any woman with respect to her unborn child.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2003
Declares that the civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans, including Arab-Americans, Muslim-Americans, Sikh-Americans, and South Asian-Americans, should be protected. Condemns bigotry and acts of violence against such people and calls upon local, State, and Federal law enforcement authorities to prevent and investigate and prosecute such bias-motivated crimes.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants to public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of not more than eight consortium centers (each such center shall be known as a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Center of Excellence). States that the centers shall conduct multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional research on environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Syria Accountability Act of 2003 - Declares the sense of Congress that: (1) Syria should halt support for terrorism, withdraw armed forces from Lebanon, stop develpment of ballistic missiles and biological and chemical weapons, and halt imports and transshipments of Iraqi oil; (2) Lebanon and Syria should enter into bilateral negotiations for peace with Israel; and (3) the United States should continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Lebanon only through private and international organizations until the Government of Lebanon asserts sovereignty over its borders. Declares U.S. policy that Syria: (1) will be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism until it stops supporting terrorism; (2) is in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 520 through its continued occupation of Lebanese territory; and (3) has violated Resolution 661 by purchasing oil from Iraq. Declares that restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty is in the U.S. national interest. Requires the President, unless the President certifies that Syria does not support international terrorist groups or allow them to maintain facilities in Syria, has withdrawn all security personnel from Lebanon, has ceased the development of ballistic missiles and biological and chemical weapons, and is no longer violating Resolution 661, to: (1) prohibit the export to Syria of specified defense articles or services and items on the Commerce Control List; and (2) impose two or more of specified sanctions (including prohibiting U.S. exports to, or U.S. businesses investments or operations in, Syria). Authorizes the President to provide development assistance to Syria and Lebanon if the President: (1) makes that certification; (2) determines that progress has been made toward negotiating peace agreements between Israel, Syria, and Lebanon; and (3) determines that Syria is strictly respecting Lebanon's sovereignty.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Commends government employees for their outstanding contributions and honors those who have given their lives in service to their country. Encourages efforts to promote public service careers at all levels of government.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2003
Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research Amendments Act of 2003 - Amends the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (Harmful Algal Act) to repeal the President's authority to disestablish the Interagency Task Force (thus retaining it). Requires the Task Force to: (1) work with the appropriate State, Indian tribe, and local governments to ensure that the assessment and research plans fulfill the requirements of the Harmful Algal Act; and (2) complete and submit to specified congressional committees not less than once every five years scientific assessments of harmful algal blooms and of hypoxia. Specifies amended assessment requirements. Requires the Task Force to: (1) make a specified scientific assessment of freshwater algal blooms; and (2) develop and submit to specified congressional committees a research plan providing for a comprehensive and coordinated national research program to develop prevention, control, and mitigation methods to reduce the impacts of harmful algal blooms on coastal ecosystems, public health, and the economy. Specifies research program requirements. Requires the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Task Force and appropriate State, Indian tribe, and local governments, to provide for local and regional scientific assessments of hypoxia or harmful algal blooms, as requested by State, Indian tribe, and local governments. Specifies assessment requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2003
Federal Employee Student Loan Assistance Act - Increases the annual and aggregate limits on the amount of an employee's student loan an agency may repay.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
Marine Corps 230th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 one dollar coins which shall be emblematic of the warrior ethos of the United States Marine Corps. Requires all surcharges from the sale of the coins to be paid to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation for construction of the Marine Corps Heritage Center.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Sickle Cell Treatment Act of 2003 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to include primary and secondary preventative medical strategies, treatment, and services, including genetic counseling and testing, for individuals who have Sickle Cell Disease as medical assistance under the Medicaid program. Directs the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration to conduct a demonstration program for the development and establishment of systemic mechanisms, including a National Coordinating Center, to improve the prevention and treatment of Sickle Cell Disease.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2003
Requires the Director of the Office of Domestic Preparedness of the Department of Homeland Security to allow any State to request approval to reallocate funds received pursuant to the State Homeland Security Grant Program among the four specified categories of equipment, training, exercises, and planning. Requires the Director to approve such requests in accordance with the State plan and any other relevant factors as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2003
Honors the life, achievements, and contributions of Alfred Lerner (founder, chairman, and chief executive of MBNA Corporation and owner of the expansion Cleveland Browns football team).
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2003
Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to: (1) require the Office for State and Local Government Coordination within the Department of Homeland Security to be headed by a Director of State and Local Government Coordination who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate; (2) transfer the Office for Domestic Preparedness from the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security to the Office for State and Local Government Coordination; (3) remove the requirement that the Director of the Office for Domestic Preparedness shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate; and (4) require such Director to report directly to the Director of State and Local Government Coordination.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2003
Reliable Fuels Act - Amends the Clean Air Act to require that gasoline contain a specified volume of renewable fuel. Provides for annual increases in the applicable volume through 2012. Establishes a ratio for determining the volume required from 2013 onward. Defines renewable fuel to include motor vehicle fuel produced from biomass (e.g., grain) or natural gas produced from a biogas (e.g., landfill) source. Establishes a system of credits for gasoline containing more renewable fuel than required. Requires studies concerning these renewable fuel requirements, in particular on: (1) seasonal variations in renewable fuel availability; (2) the impact on consumers; and (3) the impact on small refineries. Establishes a system of waivers for States claiming and proving economic or environmental hardship. Establishes a Federal agency ethanol-blended gasoline and biodiesel purchasing requirement. Requires data collection concerning the monthly consumption of renewable fuels. Federal Reformulated Fuels Act of 2003 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to permit the use of the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund for methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) 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; (3) public health and environmental impacts of fuels and fuel additives; (4) analyses of motor vehicle fuel changes; (5) additional opt-in areas under the reformulated gasoline program; and (6) Federal enforcement of State fuels requirements. Requires a joint study of Federal, State, and local requirements concerning motor vehicle fuels.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2003
Senior Executive Service Reform Act of 2003 - Establishes level II of the Executive Schedule as the maximum annual rate of pay, including comparability pay adjustments, for Senior Executive Service (SES) positions, including positions in the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Requires establishment of a range of rates of basic pay for the SES, requiring each senior executive to be paid at one of such rates based on individual performance, contribution to the agency's performance, or both. Provides a minimum and maximum rates. Provides pay rate increases for administrative law judges, Contract Appeals Board members, and certain senior level positions by raising the Executive Schedule level on which their pay is based. Removes the authority for the appointment of limited emergency appointees. Sets duration limits for limited appointees, allowing the Office of Personnel Management to exceed such limits in rare circumstances. Outlines reemployment rights and reassignment and transfer authority for limited appointees. Provides one day of annual leave for each full biweekly pay period for positions classified above GS-15, senior executives, and any employee with a minimum rate of basic pay greater than the GS-15, step 10 rate.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2003
Presidential Appointments Improvement Act of 2003 - Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to set forth separate, revised financial disclosure reporting requirements for executive branch personnel that eliminate, raise the thresholds for, or reduce the categories of value under specified current requirements. Requires a person to file a financial disclosure report within 30 days of taking the oath of office of President or Vice President, unless the person is the incumbent in such position. Requires disclosure of the source, description, and category of income from any source aggregating more than $500 in a year. Revises, for disclosure purposes, the categories of value for reporting income investment, assets, and liabilities and the thresholds for reporting interests in property or in a trade or business. Raises from: (1) $10,000 to $20,000 the threshold for the reporting of liabilities; and (2) $5,000 to $25,000 the threshold for the reporting by non-elected individuals of compensation received for personal services. Requires reports to include the sources of income earned by the spouse which exceeds $500 (currently $1,000). Requires the the Office of Personnel Management, within 15 days after a major party nominates its candidate for President, to transmit to that candidate an electronic record on presidentially appointed positions. Requires each Federal agency to submit to the President and specified congressional committees a plan providing for the reduction of the number of positions and the levels of positions within that agency that require an appointment by the President. Requires the Director of the Office of Government Ethics to review the conflict of interest laws relating to Federal employment and to report recommendations for legislation to improve coordination, uniformity, and efficiency in their administration.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2003
National Coal Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) perform an assessment that identifies cost and performance goals of technologies permitting continued cost-competitive use of coal for electricity generation, as chemical feedstocks, and as transportation fuel in 2007, 2015, and the years after 2020; and (2) implement a technology research, development, and demonstration program to facilitate production and generation of coal-based power through methods and equipment under specified Federal law. Prescribes conditions and criteria for the authorization of appropriations for a clean coal power initiative program. Instructs the Secretary to: (1) fund coal energy generation projects that advance efficiency, environmental performance, and cost competitiveness well beyond the level of technologies in operation as of the date of enactment of this Act; and (2) award competitive, merit-based grants to universities for the establishment of Centers of Excellence for Energy Systems of the Future. Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to prescribe credits against tax for: (1) production from a qualifying clean coal technology unit; and (2) production from and for investment in a qualifying advanced clean coal technology unit. Prescribes guidelines for the treatment of persons not able to use the entire credit relating to clean coal technology.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2003
Expresses the outrage of Congress at the flagrant violations by the Government of Iraq of the customary international law of war and the Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, dated at Geneva August 12 1949, and entered into force October 21, 1950. Supports in the strongest terms the President's warning to Iraq that the United States will hold the Government of Iraq, its officials, and military personnel involved accountable for any and all such violations. Expects Iraq to comply with the requirements of the international law of war and the explicit provisions of the Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, which afford prisoners of war the proper and humane treatment to which they are entitled. Expects that Iraq will afford prisoners of war access to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, as required by the Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2003
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to maintaining the security of all freedom-loving nations. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) strike such gold medal and to strike and sell duplicate bronze medals; and (2) deposit sums received from the sale of the bronze medals into the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2003
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a former member of the United States Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on March 26, 2003, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Moynihan.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2003
Commends and expresses the gratitude of the United States to the nations participating in and contributing to the Coalition to Disarm Iraq, including Australia, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Spain, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, and other allies of the United States participating in or contributing to the Coalition. Expresses sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, and the President of the Spanish Government, Jose Maria Aznar, for their courageous support and strong commitment to the Coalition to Disarm Iraq. Expresses sincere gratitude to other allied nations, including those in the Persian Gulf region, for their military support, logistical support, and other assistance in the current campaign against the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Welcomes and encourages the active involvement and participation of these countries, other nations, and key international organizations in the reconstruction and administration of Iraq after the current conflict in Iraq. Commends and expresses the gratitude of the United States to the military personnel and civilians of the member states of the Coalition to Disarm Iraq who are serving in operations against the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, and to the family members of such personnel and civilians who have borne the burden of sacrifice and separation from their loved ones during the current conflict in Iraq.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2003
Belarus Democracy Act of 2003 - Authorizes the President to support primarily indigenous Belarusian groups that are committed to the support of democratic processes in various activities that may include: (1) observation of elections and the promotion of free and fair electoral processes, including the development of democratic political parties; (2) development of independent media supported by nonstate-controlled printing facilities; (3) support of human rights; and (4) establishment of international exchanges and advanced professional training programs for leaders and members of democratic forces that foster the growth of civil society. Authorizes appropriations for each fiscal year for Voice of America and RFE/RL, Incorporated (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) for radio broadcasting to the people of Belarus in languages spoken in that country. Places economic sanctions on Belarus and bars senior Belarusian leaders and their immediate relations from entering the United States. Allows sanctions to be lifted only if the Belarusian Government meets specific democratic conditions. Affirms solidarity with the democratic forces in Belarus and calls upon the Government of Belarus to permit basic freedoms and allow free, fair and transparent presidential and parliamentary elections. Calls upon the Russian Government to use its influence to encourage democratic development in Belarus so that it can become an independent state that is integrated into Europe.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2003
Truth in Budgeting and Social Security Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to extend discretionary spending caps and pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) requirements. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA) to require: (1) proposed legislation to contain a projection by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) of the cost of debt servicing for measures; (2) conference reports to contain amounts allocated to the Committee on Appropriations subcommittees; and (3) the CBO to report on proposed legislation or conference reports by any committee that contain cost riders that are likely to increase the cost path of a measure. Requires the President to report to specified congressional committees in January of each year on the fiscal exposures of the Federal Government and their implications for long-term financial health. Federal Insurance Budgeting Act of 2003 - Requires that, starting FY 2008, the President's budget submitted to Congress be based upon the risk-assumed cost of Federal insurance programs for accrual budgeting purposes. Amends cost requirements of Federal insurance programs. Requires agencies that are responsible for Federal insurance programs to develop models to estimate their risk-assumed cost by year. Amends CBA to revise the Federal and congressional budget processes by establishing a two-year budgeting and appropriations cycle and timetable. Defines the budget biennium as the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year. Establishes and defines the duties of the Commission on Federal Budget Concepts.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2003
Postmaster Equity Act of 2003 - Amends Federal law to declare that the Postal Service's employment policy shall provide for compensation, working conditions, and career opportunities that will assure the attraction and attention of qualified and capable postmaster personnel. Grants postmaster organizations the right to participate in program planning and development pertaining to pay policies, schedules, and fringe benefits and other postmaster programs. Authorizes, under specified conditions, a postmasters organization to request the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) to convene a fact-finding panel if the organization disagrees with the decision of the Service's proposal to change pay policies, schedules, and fringe benefit programs affecting postmasters that shall be in effect during the period covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the Service and certain recognized bargaining representatives. Prescribes guidelines for establishing the panel. Requires the panel to recommend standards for pay policies and schedules and fringe benefit programs affecting the members of the postmasters organizations for the period covered by the collective bargaining agreement and, consistent with such standards, make appropriate recommendations concerning the differences between the parties on such policies, schedules, and programs within 30 days after its appointment, unless the Service and the postmasters organization agree to a longer period. Authorizes the Service or the postmasters organization, three years after enactment of this Act, to request FMCS and the other party to create a panel to review the effectiveness of the procedures and other provisions of this Act and the Postal Service's employment policy.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2003
Commends and supports the efforts and leadership of the President, as Commander in Chief, in the conflict against Iraq. Commends, and expresses the gratitude of the Nation to all members of the United States Armed Forces (whether on active duty, in the National Guard, or in the Reserves) and the civilian employees who support their efforts, as well as the men and women of civilian national security agencies who are participating in the military operations in the Persian Gulf region, for their professional excellence, dedicated patriotism and exemplary bravery. Commends and expresses the gratitude of the Nation to the family members of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and civilians serving in operations against Iraq who have borne the burden of sacrifice and separation from their loved ones. Expresses the deep condolences of the Senate to the families of brave Americans who have lost their lives in this undertaking, over many years, against Iraq. Joins all Americans in remembering those who lost their lives during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in 1991, those still missing from that conflict, including Captain Scott Speicher, USN, and the thousands of Americans who have lost their lives in terrorist attacks over the years, and in the Global War on Terrorism. Expresses sincere gratitude to British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his government for their courageous and steadfast support, as well as gratitude to other allied nations for their military support, logistical support, and other assistance in the campaign against Saddam Hussein's regime.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2003
Recognizes: (1) the 350th anniversary of the American Jewish community; and (2) the Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History (formed by the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Records Administration, the American Jewish Historical Society, and the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives) and its efforts to plan, coordinate, and execute commemorative events. Supports designation of American Jewish History Month.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2003
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act - Prohibits any qualified civil liability action from being brought in any State or Federal court and requires pending actions to be dismissed. Defines such an action to: (1) include an action brought against a manufacturer or seller of a firearm, ammunition, or a component of a firearm that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, or against a trade association of such manufacturers or sellers, for damages resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm; and (2) exclude an action brought against persons who transfer a firearm knowing that it will be used to commit a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime; an action brought against a seller for negligent entrustment or negligence per se; an action in which a manufacturer or seller of a firearm willfully violated a State or Federal statute applicable to the sale or marketing of the firearm and the violation was a proximate cause of the harm for which relief is sought; an action for breach of contract or warranty in connection with the purchase of the firearm; or an action for physical injuries or property damage resulting directly from a defect in design or manufacture of the firearm when used as intended.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
NASA Workforce Flexibility Act of 2003 - Adds new Federal employee provisions concerning National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) workforce authorities. Provides the authority to: (1) pay recruitment, redesignation, and relocation bonuses; (2) make term appointments and related personnel actions; (3) fix basic rates of pay; and (4) extend intergovernmental personnel act assignments. Requires the NASA Administrator, before exercising any such authorities, to submit a written workforce plan to the Office of Personnel Management for approval. Requires such plan to be provided to all NASA employees at least 60 days in advance of its implementation. Outlines requirements for each of the authorities. Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) conduct employee exchanges with private entities; (2) carry out a program under which science and technology scholarships are provided to students in exchange for their agreement to be employed by NASA upon graduation; (3) appoint distinguished scholars as NASA employees; (4) pay travel, transportation, and relocation expenses of new appointees; (5) deem periods of certain non-Federal service as Federal service for annual leave qualification purposes; and (6) provide superior qualifications pay to certain employees. Limits the number of NASA limited emergency appointees to ten percent of the total number of Senior Executive Service positions allocated to NASA.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
Mercury Reduction Act of 2003 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to: (1) prohibit the sale or supply of mercury fever thermometers to consumers, except by prescription; and (2) require manufacturers to provide clear instructions on handling of thermometers to avoid breakage and on proper cleanup in the event of breakage. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide grants for a household mercury thermometer collection and exchange program. Establishes a Task Force on Mercury to make recommendations on: (1) the long-term management of surplus mercury collected from thermometers and from medical, commercial, government, and industrial and other sources; (2) programs to test technologies for sequestration of retired mercury; (3) storage of mercury in a manner that ensures no release into the environment; (4) reduction of the total threat posed by mercury to humans and the environment; and (5) reduction of mercury produced, used, and released. Directs the Administrator, in consultation with the Task Force, to: (1) take title to mercury collected under the thermometer exchange program or from another source; (2) manage the mercury in a manner that prevents its release into the environment; (3) ensure that collected mercury is not reintroduced into commerce; (4) provide to the Task Force an analysis of, and recommendations concerning, collection and management activities under this Act; and (5) identify stabilization technologies and long-term storage measures that prevent mercury release and conduct appropriate research, development, and demonstration.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
Congratulates the National Wildlife Refuge System on its Centennial Anniversary and expresses strong support for its continued success. Encourages continued efforts to broaden understanding and appreciation for the System, to increase partnerships on behalf of the System to better manage and monitor wildlife, and to continue its support of outdoor recreational activities. Reaffirms the Senate's commitment to continued support for the System and the conservation of our Nation's natural heritage.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Help Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2003 - Makes changes to the health care liability system, including compensation for injured patients and other issues arising out of health care law suits. Requires a suit to be brought within three years of the date of the manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers or should have discovered the injury, whichever occurs first. Specifies exceptions, and rules for actions brought by minors. Sets forth requirements and permissible recovery amounts for compensating patient injury, including: (1) the full amount of economic loss without limitation; (2) noneconomic damages as specified; and (3) a fair share rule. Requires the court to supervise payment-of-damage arrangements, limiting contingency fees. Provides for a reduction in damage awards by the amount of collateral source benefits to which a claimant is entitled, less any insurance premiums or payments made to obtain such benefits. Limits the availability of punitive damages, requiring clear and convincing evidence of malicious intent to injure or a deliberate failure to avoid substantially certain, unnecessary injury. Prohibits any demand for punitive damages from being included in a health care lawsuit as initially filed. Prohibits the award of punitive damages for products that comply with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards, absent material and knowing misrepresentation by those submitting required approval or clearance information to the FDA. Authorizes periodic payment of future damages to claimants. Excludes suits for vaccine-related death or injury from the requirements of this Act if otherwise covered under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Preempts any Federal or State law unless such law imposes greater protections from liability, loss, or damages for a health care provider, a health care organization, or for the manufacturer, distributor, supplier, marketer, promoter, or seller of a medical product.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Homeland Security Federal Workforce Act - Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to: (1) establish a pilot program under which specified Federal agencies may agree to repay the student loans of their employees in national security positions; and (2) coordinate the program with such agencies to recruit employees for those positions. Requires the Director to establish a program for awarding National Security Fellowships to eligible graduate students who agree to employment with the Government in national security positions. Establishes a National Security Service Board to: (1) develop criteria for awarding such Fellowships; (2) provide for the wide dissemination of information regarding assisted activities; (3) work with the Director in hiring and placing fellows in national security positions; and (4) develop and provide to Congress a strategic plan that identifies the skills needed by the Federal national security workforce. Requires 20 percent of such Fellowships to be set-aside for Federal employees who are working in such positions to enhance their education and training in areas important to national security. Creates a National Security Service Corps, under the direction of the Board, to provide rotational opportunities for mid-level employees in national security positions within and between specified agencies. Requires agencies' annual strategic and performance plans and program performance reports to evaluate the role of specific skills in accomplishing or failing to accomplish such agencies' goals.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Housing Bond and Credit Modernization and Fairness Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the required use of certain principal repayments on mortgage subsidy bond financings to redeem bonds; (2) modify the purchase price limitation under mortgage subsidy bond rules based on median family income; and (3) define the term "area median gross income" for low-income housing credit projects.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2003
Coal Energy Research Development and Demonstration Act of 2003 - Instructs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) perform an assessment that identifies cost and performance goals of technologies permitting continued cost-competitive use of coal for electricity generation, as chemical feedstocks, and as transportation fuel in 2007, 2015, and the years after 2020; and (2) implement a technology research, development, and demonstration program to facilitate production and generation of coal-based power through methods and equipment under designated statutes. Prescribes conditions and criteria for the authorization of appropriations for a clean coal power initiative program. Instructs the Secretary to award competitive, merit-based grants to universities for the establishment of Centers of Excellence for Energy Systems of the Future. Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish income tax credits for investment in and for production from a qualifying advanced clean coal technology facility. Prescribes guidelines for the treatment of persons not able to use the entire credit relating to clean coal technology.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2003
Meningitis Immunization Awareness Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and make available to day care centers, camps, educational entities, prisons, and other entities that provide dorm-like housing, information concerning bacterial meningitis and the meningitis vaccine.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
National Invasive Species Council Act - Declares that no Federal agency may authorize, fund, or carry out any action that would likely cause or promote the introduction or spread of an invasive species in the United States or any other location, unless the agency head determines that: (1) the benefits outweigh the potential harm to the environment, economy, or human health; and (2) all feasible and prudent measures to minimize the risk or harm will be taken. Requires the Council On Environmental Quality, in conjunction with the National Invasive Species Council, to develop guidelines for such measures. Establishes within the executive branch the National Invasive Species Council to ensure that Federal agency efforts concerning invasive species are coordinated, effective, complementary, and cost-efficient. Requires the Council to develop a National Invasive Species Management Plan that details and recommends performance-oriented goals. Requires the Council to create the Invasive Species Advisory Committee to provide information and advice for consideration by the Council. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to prepare and submit to Congress and the Council a yearly budget analysis and summary of all Federal programs relating to invasive species.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2003 - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to establish aquatic invasive species prevention requirements for vessels (including towed vessels) operating in U.S. waters. Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to promulgate regulations for ballast water management standards and certification procedures. Directs the Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force to establish a priority pathway management program that identifies those pathways that pose the highest risk for the introduction of aquatic invasive species unless further managed. Prohibits the importation of live aquatic organisms not in trade without specified screening and approval. Requires the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, with the concurrence of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to construct and maintain a national dispersal barrier program to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in U.S. waterways. Provides for expansion of the Brown Tree Snake Control Program and Aquatic Nuisance Species Program information, education, and outreach activities. Requires the Task Force to establish a national subcommittee on nutria for its control. Requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, and the U.S. Geological Survey (Administering Agencies) to develop and conduct a marine and freshwater research program to assess rates of, patterns of, and conditions surrounding introductions of nonnative aquatic species in aquatic ecosystems and efforts to prevent the introduction of, and detect and eradicate, such species. Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a grant program to fund research, development, demonstration and verification of environmentally sound cost-effective technologies and methods to control and eradicate aquatic invasive species. Requires the Coast Guard and the EPA to develop a research program to support implementation of vessel pathway standards to prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species by vessels. Requires the National Science Foundation to establish a grant program for researchers at institutions of higher education and museums to carry out research in systematic and taxonomy. Requires the Invasive Species Council to coordinate with the Task Force to combat aquatic invasive species. Requires the Task Force to recommend to appropriate Federal agencies additions to the list of aquatic invasive species. Requires the Task Force, the Council, and the Secretary of State to ensure that international efforts to prevent, detect, monitor, assess, and control aquatic invasive species are coordinated with U.S. policies.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2003
Expresses support for the review by the Government of Saudi Arabia of its education curriculum. Calls on such Government to: (1) ensure that such review is thorough, objective, and public; and (2) reform such curriculum in a manner that promotes tolerance, develops civil society, and encourages functionality in the global economy. Requests the U.S. Representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to address the issue of the educational curriculum reform at the 2003 session of the UNESCO General Conference and to urge UNESCO to examine Saudi Arabia's educational system and monitor the progress of the efforts to reform the curriculum.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
Generating Opportunity by Forgiving Educational Debt for Service Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Social Security Act to exclude: (1) from the gross income of a Federal employee amounts the Federal Government repays on the employee's student loans; and (2) such payments from counting as wages for the calculation of Social Security taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2003
Authorizes the President to award on behalf of Congress a gold medal to Joseph De Laine, Jr., to honor posthumously his father, Rev. Joseph Anthony De Laine (civil rights activist), for his contributions to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Haiti Economic Recovery Opportunity Act of 2003 - Amends the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act to allow specified apparel articles that are imported directly into the customs territory of the United States from Haiti to enter free of duty if Haiti has satisfied the requirements of this Act. Declares that such articles include apparel articles that are wholly assembled or knit-to-shape in Haiti exclusively from fabric components and yarns formed in: (1) the United States; (2) a country that is party to a free trade agreement with the United States on January 1, 2003, that enters into a free trade agreement with the United States subject to trade promotion authority, or that has been designated as a beneficiary country; and (4) any country if the fabrics or yarns are designated as not being commercially available in the United States. Specifies the quantity of articles to which such preferential treatment shall extend. Declares that Haiti shall be eligible for such preferential treatment if the President determines and certifies to Congress that Haiti has met specified conditions, including: (1) establishing or making progress toward establishing a market-based economy that protects private property rights, the rule of law, the elimination of barriers to U.S. trade and investment, economic policies to reduce poverty, a system to combat corruption and bribery, and protection of internationally recognized worker rights; (2) not engaging in activities that undermine U.S. national security or foreign policy interests or gross violations of internationally recognized human rights; (3) not providing support for international terrorism; and (4) cooperating in international efforts to eliminate human rights violations and terrorist activities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Clear Skies Act of 2003 - Amends the acid deposition control provisions of the Clean Air Act with respect to emissions limitations and allowances programs for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury by: (1) revising the allowance system and associated transfer, tracking, permit, compliance plan, and penalty requirements, including those for auctions; and (2) establishing new emissions limitations and trading programs (including implementation of a separate sulfur dioxide scheme for States in the Western Regional Air Partnership). Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) promulgate performance standards (limiting emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and mercury) for new boilers, integrated gasification combined cycle plants, and combustion turbines; and (2) conduct a comprehensive research and environmental assessment program to enhance understanding of health and environmental effects of particulate matter and mercury and to demonstrate the efficacy of emission reductions under this Act. Excludes the following units from consideration as major emitting facilities or major stationary sources (or parts thereof) for purposes of compliance with provisions concerning prevention of significant deterioration of air quality and plan requirements for nonattainment areas: (1) those that are subject to the performance standards of this Act; or (2) those with properly operated and maintained equipment to limit particulate matter emissions or subject to a permit under an applicable implementation plan that provides a specified particulate matter emissions limitation and that use good combustion practices to minimize carbon monoxide emissions. Requires States to ensure in implementation plans that: (1) in an attainment or unclassifiable area, any emissions increase from the construction or modification of an affected unit will not result in exceeding a national ambient air quality standard; and (2) in a nonattainment area, the emissions increase will not interfere with a program to assure the achievement of such a standard. Provides for designation of transitional areas under implementation plans and states requirements for emissions inventories, the attainment of standards by the end of 2015, and penalties for not meeting the eight-hour ozone or fine particles standard.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2003
Excludes specified wire rods from the scope of any antidumping or countervailing duty issued as a result of certain investigations relating to carbon and certain alloy steel rods.
![Official portrait of Sen. Voinovich, George V. [R-OH]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/v000126_200.jpg)