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Bill· SS. 1993 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2003
National Highway Safety Act of 2003 - Requires the Secretary of Transportation to carry out a highway safety improvement program to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries on public roads. Requires a State, to receive funds under this Act, to have in effect a highway safety improvement program under which the State: (1) develops and implements a strategic highway safety plan that identifies and analyzes highway safety problems and opportunities; (2) produces a program of projects or strategies to reduce identified safety problems; and (3) evaluates the plan regularly to ensure the accuracy of the data and the priority of proposed improvements. Sets forth provisions regarding State plan requirements, eligible projects, and the Federal share. Provides for a reduction of funds to a State that fails to have in effect a primary safety belt law or that fails to demonstrate that the safety belt use rate in the State is at least 90 percent. Provides for a restoration of funds if, within three years, the State meets those requirements. Provides for reallocation of apportioned funds. Sets formulas for apportionment of highway safety improvement program funds. Requires at least $200 million of funds authorized and expended under this Act be available each fiscal year for the elimination of hazards and the installation of protective devices at railway-highway crossings.
Bill· SS. 1984 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2003
Tax Technical Corrections Act of 2003 - Amends the following acts (which amended the Internal Revenue Code) to make technical corrections: (1) the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003; (2) the Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002; (3) the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001; (4) the Victims of Terrorism Tax Relief Act of 2001; (5) the Community Renewal Tax Relief Act of 2000; (6) the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997; and (7) the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996.
Bill· SS. 1992 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2003
Defense of Medicare and Real Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in applying risk adjustment factors in a budget neutral manner to payment to Medicare+Choice organizations under part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), to assure that such factors, in the aggregate, take into account the actuarial characteristics of the entire Medicare population, and not merely the population of individuals enrolled under a Medicare+Choice plan. Requires the Secretary to provide for adjustment of payment rates to such organizations so that they reflect only the payment rate relating to 100 percent fee-for-service payment. Eliminates the Medicare Advantage (MA) Regional Plan Stabilization Fund established under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003. Repeals cost containment provisions of such Act. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare), as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to: (1) provide for phased-in elimination of the coverage gap; (2) eliminate discriminatory treatment of employer plans; (3) allow Medicaid wrap-around for dual-eligibles (persons eligible for Medicare and full Medicaid benefits, including drugs); (4) eliminate the assets test; and (5) eliminate Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans from the meaning of qualifying prescription drug plans (PDPs) with respect to the choice of a minimum of two qualifying plans a SSA title XVIII part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) eligible individual shall be allowed to choose between. Prohibits any formulary from being established or applied under the new Medicare prescription drug program under SSA title XVIII part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) unless the classes and categories used under it are specified by the Secretary. Allows certain Medigap Rx policies that provide wrap-around prescription drug coverage to be sold, issued, and renewed. Directs the Secretary to provide for appropriate adjustments in payments to PDP sponsors under SSA title XVIII part D, and to MA organizations offering MA-PD plans under SSA title XVIII part C, to assure that premiums of part D eligible individuals under PDPs and under MA-PD plans are not increased as a result of this Act. Phases out the phased-down State contribution with respect to the Federal phase-in of the costs of premiums and cost-sharing subsidies for dual eligibles. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as amended by the Medicine Equity and Drug Safety Act of 2000, to: (1) direct the Secretary to promulgate regulations permitting pharmacists and wholesalers to import Health Canada-approved prescription drugs from Canada; and (2) exclude an infused or intravenously injected drug, or a drug that is inhaled during surgery. Requires that a Canadian exporter: (1) register with the Secretary its name and place of business (including the place of business of each warehouse and establishment); (2) export only prescription drugs that have been approved by Health Canada and meet all requirements of Canadian law; (3) permit inspections by the Secretary (including inspections of all records, especially financial records) of each warehouse and establishment of the Canadian exporter; and (4) pay an inspection fee to the Secretary on a semiannual basis not to exceed five percent of the total price of prescription drugs exported by the Canadian exporter to the United States under the regulations (which fees the Secretary shall use solely to inspect the warehouses and establishments of Canadian exporters and to monitor imports of prescription drugs at ports of entry). Requires that each prescription drug imported under the regulations be imported directly from a Canadian exporter through a limited number of ports of entry (at which the Secretary shall monitor such imports). Prohibits discrimination in the sale of prescription drugs by manufacturers to pharmacists, wholesalers, or Canadian exporters, requiring: (1) terms as favorable as those provided to foreign purchasers; and (2) full access to drugs permitted to be imported. Continues the requirement that exported donated prescription drugs may only be reimported by the manufacturer. Permits the Secretary to waive the prohibition against importing a prescription drug or device on a case-by-case basis, particularly those from Canada that are FDA-approved and for personal use, not resale. Amends SSA title XVIII, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to give the Secretary the authority similar to that of other Federal entities that purchase prescription drugs in bulk to negotiate contracts with manufacturers of covered Medicare part D drugs in order to ensure that beneficiaries enrolled under PDPs and MA-PD plans pay the lowest possible price. Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to repeal the authorization and tax deduction under the Internal Revenue Code for Health Savings Accounts.
Bill· SS. 1981 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2003
Amends the Constitution Heritage Act of 1988 to set forth requirements for cooperative agreements between the Secretary of the Interior and the National Constitution Center for the operation of the Center, including a requirement that revenues from the operation of the Center be made available to the Center (without further appropriation) to offset its operating expenses, and requirements that the Center: (1) maintain appropriate risk insurance; (2) maintain its tax-exempt status; and (3) report annually to the Secretary or Congress on its activities, goals and plans. Authorizes the Secretary to terminate a cooperative agreement in the public interest. Exempts agreements, leases, contracts or other arrangements entered into under this Act from certain requirements for leases of buildings by the Federal Government and for the award of concession contracts in units of the National Park System.
Bill· HRH.R. 3653 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Fairness to Local Contractors Act - Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 and defense contract law to require a bidder or offeror, to be considered a responsible bidder or offeror for the construction of a public building, facility, or work, to submit a tax clearance (a document stating that such entity is in compliance with all State tax laws) from the State in which the contract is to be performed. Requires the head of a Federal or defense agency to withhold the final payment under such a contract until the contractor submits both a tax clearance and a certification of compliance with all State laws concerning payments to employees under a contract, including unemployment insurance, workers compensation, health insurance, and disability insurance. Authorizes the head of a Federal or defense agency to: (1) withhold from any contractor payments amounts necessary to pay any State tax liability attributable to the contract; and (2) pay such amount directly to such State. Directs the Secretary of Defense or agency head to require a contractor to be licensed if the State in which a construction contract is to be performed requires a license. Requires revision of the Federal Acquisition Regulation to explain the general excise tax law of Hawaii.
Bill· HRH.R. 3678 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the work opportunity tax credit to include trade adjustment assistance recipients as a targeted group.
Bill· HRH.R. 3694 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend, for three years, the deduction for clean-fuel vehicles and certain refueling property.
Bill· HRH.R. 3654 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Tax Technical Corrections Act of 2003 - Amends the following acts (which amended the Internal Revenue Code) to make technical corrections: (1) the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003; (2) the Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002; (3) the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001; (4) the Victims of Terrorism Tax Relief Act of 2001; (5) the Community Renewal Tax Relief Act of 2000; (6) the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997; and (7) the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996.
Bill· HRH.R. 3669 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit renewal community employers to qualify for the renewal community employment credit by employing residents of another renewal community if the other community is within the five miles, or the county within the which the majority of the services for the employer were performed.
Bill· HRH.R. 3651 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Alien Accountability Act - Provides that aliens unlawfully present in the United States who register with the Secretary of Homeland Security shall be permitted to apply for adjustment of status or to voluntarily depart. Grants immunity to employers who jointly register with an unlawfully employed alien or notify the Secretary of the alien's refusal to jointly register, if the employer pays all Federal taxes owed by reason of the unlawful employment. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to create a new W nonimmigrant visa category and allows registering aliens to adjust status pursuant to that category if the alien: (1) applies for adjustment during a six-month period to be specified by the Secretary; (2) pays a fee; (3) abandons other applications for relief; (4) establishes an adequate means of financial support through employment documentation or proof of sponsorship; (5) meets continuous presence requirements (or habitual presence requirements for habitual border crossers from contiguous territories); (6) has not been determined to be inadmissible on specified criminal or national security grounds; and (7) provides truthful answers to all questions posed by the Department of Homeland Security. Establishes an initial period of authorized admission of one year for W nonimmigrants, with the possibility of up to five renewals in one-year increments. Requires the W nonimmigrant visa category to sunset six years after the first alien is granted W nonimmigrant status. Authorizes appropriations to fund an increase in the total number of Government personnel engaged in interior enforcement and alien removal.
Bill· HRH.R. 3652 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Archery Revenue Reform and Opportunity for Workers Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise provisions taxing bows and arrows by: (1) imposing on the sale by the manufacturer, producer, or importer of any bow which has a peak draw weight (currently, draw weight) of 30 (currently, 10) pounds or more, a tax equal to 11 percent of the sale price; (2) imposing on the sale by the manufacturer, producer, or importer of any part or accessory suitable for inclusion in or attachment to any such bow, and of any quiver or broadhead (currently, quiver) suitable for use with arrows described in clause three, a tax equal to 11 percent of the sale price; (3) maintaining the current provisions applicable to arrows; and (4) adding provisions which impose on the sale by the manufacturer, producer, or importer of any arrow (a shaft described in clause three to which additional components are attached), a tax equal to 12 percent of the sale price, subject to exception.
Bill· HRH.R. 3670 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Anti-Communist Cooperation Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose on any U.S. person a tax of 100 percent of the amount received by such person directly or indirectly from the sale, lease, or licensing of property or services for consumption or use in Cuba if there is an agreement or understanding that such person will directly or indirectly lobby Congress to lift trade or travel restrictions on Cuba.
Bill· HRH.R. 3666 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase, from 13 to 15, the age of dependents taken into account for purposes of determining the credit for expenses for household and dependent care services necessary for gainful employment.
Bill· HRH.R. 3655 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Progressive Tax Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to replace the earned income credit, the child tax credit, and the deduction for dependents with a simplified family tax credit. Allows a limited credit for social security taxes. Sets forth provisions relating to corporate tax and provisions designed to curtail tax shelters, including provisions concerning penalties for: (1) failing to disclose reportable transactions; (2) accuracy; (3) understatements; (4) failing to register tax shelters; (5) failing to maintain lists of investors; (6) failing to report interests in foreign financial accounts; (7) frivolous tax submissions; and (8) promoters of tax shelters. Modifies individual income tax brackets and rates. Repeals the phaseout and termination provisions, enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, PL 107-16, applicable to the overall limitation on itemized deductions and the personal exemption amount (thus, repealing the removal of limitations). Treats individual capital gains and dividends as ordinary income. Repeals the repeal of estate taxes enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, PL 107-16. Modifies the estate tax. Increases the deduction for family-owned business interests. Extends superfund, oil spill liability, and leaking underground storage tank taxes. Revises provisions concerning the special depreciation allowance for certain property acquired after September 10, 2001, and before January 1, 2005, to change the January 1, 2005, limitation date to January 1, 2004. Repeals the exclusion for parking transportation fringe benefit. Repeals provisions concerning certain deductions for second homes.
Law· HJRESH.J.Res. 82 (108th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Amends the law making continuing appropriations for FY 2004 (the law) to increase from $3.8 billion to $7.667 billion the limitation on new loan guarantee commitments of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), General and Special Risk Insurance Fund, for the period of applicability of the law. Allows such increase only: (1) after a certification by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to the congressional appropriations committees that the use of such authority will not result in loan guarantee commitments for all of FY 2004 at a level in excess of the limitation set forth in the FY 2003 appropriations Act, and that the apportionment of loan commitment authority provided for the Fund and the FHA Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund is in compliance with the terms and conditions set forth in the law; (2) if the authority for such increase applies only to new commitments issued after the enactment of this Act; and (3) if nothing in this Act is construed to pardon or release a Government officer or employee for violations of Federal law prohibiting an officer or employee from expending amounts in excess of appropriated amounts or expending sequestered amounts (the Antideficiency Act) or other applicable laws. Amends the law making continuing appropriations to provide a $141.4 million rate of operations for the Federal Aviation Administration Operations Account Staff Offices line of business.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 473 (108th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2003
Waives points of order against the consideration of the conference report on H.R. 2673 (Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004).
Bill· SS. 1978 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 25 November 2003
Surface Transportation Safety Reauthorization Act of 2003 - Highway Safety Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2003 - Amends Federal highway law to reauthorize the highway safety grant program. Revises requirements for highway safety research and outreach programs and the impaired driving program. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to make grants to States for: (1) enacting and enforcing specified occupant protection laws; and (2) traffic safety information system improvements. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical Services. Repeals authority for alcohol traffic safety programs. Amends Federal transportation law with respect to specified vehicle safety-related matters. Motor Carrier Safety Reauthorization Act of 2003 - Amends Federal transportation law to reauthorize specified programs of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Directs the Secretary to: (1) convene a commercial driver's license (CDL) program working group; and (2) establish a Medical Review Board. Revises specified requirements with respect to motor carrier safety. Unified Carrier Registration Act of 2003 - Amends Federal transportation law to direct the Secretary to issue regulations to establish an on-line Federal Unified Carrier Registration System to replace specified current systems. Household Goods Mover Oversight Enforcement and Reform Act of 2003 - Amends Federal transportation law to provide for enforcement of Federal laws and regulations with respect to the interstate transportation of household goods. Directs the Secretary to establish a consumer complaint system and database. Establishes civil and criminal penalties for failure of a mover to give up possession of household goods. Hazardous Material Transportation Safety and Security Reauthorization Act of 2003 - Amends Federal transportation law to revise requirements for specified matters relating to hazardous material transportation safety and security. Reauthorizes the program through FY 2009. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program of random cargo inspections at U.S. points of entry to determine the extent to which undeclared hazardous material is being offered for transportation through them. Sanitary Food Transportation Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services by regulation to require shippers, carriers by motor vehicle or rail vehicle, receivers, and other persons engaged in the transportation of food to use prescribed sanitary transportation practices. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish procedures for transportation safety inspections to identify suspected incidents of contamination or adulteration of food, meat, or poultry products. Sport Fishing and Recreational Boating Safety Act - Amends the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act to provide for distribution of FY 2004 through 2009 appropriations, including those for the multistate conservation grant program. Amends the Clean Vessel Act, with respect to grants for State marine sanitation device pumpout station programs, to repeal the priority consideration to grant applications that, in coastal States, propose constructing and renovating pumpout stations and waste reception facilities in accordance with a coastal State's approved plan. Amends Federal shipping law to increase from one-half to 75 percent the maximum percentage of a State's total cost for its recreational boating safety program represented by the Federal allocation the State receives. Extends the availability of such allocation from two years to three years. Requires a reduction of such allocation if the State's expenditures for the program for the previous fiscal year is below the average expenditures for the three preceding fiscal years (failure of maintenance of effort). Amends Federal transportation law to authorize appropriations for FY 2004 through 2009 for Amtrak operating expenses. Establishes the Rail Infrastructure Finance Corporation (not a Federal agency or establishment) to support rail transportation capital projects through the issuance of rail capital infrastructure bonds. Railroad Track Modernization Act of 2003 - Amends Federal transportation law to: (1) repeal the Light Density Rail Line Pilot Projects program; and (2) replace it with a program of capital grants for the rehabilitation, preservation, or improvement of railroad track (including roadbed, bridges, and related track structures) of class II and class III railroads. Amends Federal transportation law to direct the Secretary to carry out a grant program to provide financial assistance for local rail line relocation projects involving a lateral or vertical relocation of any portion of the rail line within a municipality to avoid closing a grade crossing or constructing a road underpass or overpass in order to mitigate the adverse effects of rail traffic on safety, motor vehicle traffic flow, or economic development. Declares that the proceeds from the sale of any Federal bonds available to fund passenger rail projects may be used to fund a more cost-effective alternative qualified transportation infrastructure project proposed by a State, including a highway project, a transit system project, a railroad project, an airport project, a port project, and an inland waterways project.
Bill· SS. 1964 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 November 2003
Manufacturing Opportunities to Revitalize our Economy's JOBS Act - MORE JOBS Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the exclusion from gross income of extraterritorial income (gross income attributable to foreign trading gross receipts). Allows a deduction equal to nine percent of the qualified domestic production activities income, up to 50 percent of the W-2 wages paid by the employer for the taxable year.
Bill· SS. 1972 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 November 2003
Small Business State Mandated Health Insurance Assistance Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish, in the case of a qualified small employer, a limited employee health insurance expenses credit.
Bill· SS. 1962 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 November 2003
Excise Tax Reform and Simplification Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) with respect to the following excise taxes: (1) highway excise taxes, including appropriating to the Highway Trust Fund the gas guzzler tax, and repealing the 4.3-cents-per-gallon General Fund excise tax on diesel fuel used in trains and fuels used in barges operating on the designated inland waterways system; (2) aquatic excise taxes, including establishing the Sport Fish Restoration Trust Fund to be funded by amounts from the Boat Safety Account, repealing the harbor maintenance tax on any exported commercial cargo, and limiting the tax on any fishing rod or pole to ten dollars; (3) aerial excise taxes, including exempting fixed-wing aircraft used for forestry purposes from the tax on air transportation, and exempting certain sightseeing flights from the tax on air transportation; (4) alcoholic beverage excise taxes, including repealing the special occupational taxes on producers and marketers of alcoholic beverages, and repealing the limitation on the cover over of tax to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on distilled spirits; and (5) sport excise taxes, including exempting from the firearms excise tax producers and importers of less than 50 firearms annually, and treating Indian tribal governments as States for purposes of Chapter 35 (Taxes on Wagering) of the Code.
Bill· SS. 1952 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 November 2003
Mexican Agricultural Trade Compliance Act - Determines that U.S. rights under the Uruguay Round Agreements are being denied by Mexico in connection with Mexico's imposition of a 20 percent tax on soft drinks containing high fructose corn syrup, an extension of Mexico's unjustified antidumping order on high fructose corn syrup from the United States. Directs the U.S. Trade Representative, unless certifying to Congress within 30 days after the enactment of this Act that Mexico has eliminated such tax and is otherwise preserving all U.S. trade agreement rights with respect to high fructose corn syrup, to either: (1) suspend, withdraw, or prevent the application of benefits of trade agreement concessions to carry out a trade agreement with Mexico; or (2) impose duties or other import restrictions on the goods of Mexico, and fees or restrictions on the services of Mexico.
Bill· SS. 1979 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 November 2003
Fuel Fraud Prevention Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code concerning collecting taxes on and providing for the accountability of fuel, including: (1) providing for the taxation of aviation fuel upon its removal from any refinery or terminal, entry into the United States, and upon its sale; (2) establishing penalties for tampering with a mechanical dye injection system used to indelibly dye fuel and operators of such systems failing to maintain security standards to be established; (3) making fuel tax records available to Federal Department of Transportation; (4) granting the Secretary of the Treasury authority to inspect any books and records and shipping papers pertaining to fuel at any production or storage site; (5) expanding registration and reporting requirements with respect to those handling fuel; (6) taxing unregistered importers at point of entry; and (7) dedicating certain penalties to the Highway Trust Fund.
Bill· SS. 1951 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 November 2003
Rural Safety Act of 2003 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize: (1) the Attorney General to make grants to rural local and tribal governments for the retention for one additional year of police officers funded through the cops on the beat (COPS) Program; and (2) the use of COPS grants on a matching funds basis to improve police communications and access to crime-solving technologies. Directs the Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice to make grants to: (1) establish or improve 911 service in those communities; and (2) establish restorative justice programs for juveniles. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment to make grants to establish in rural areas substance abuse prevention and treatment pilot programs and methamphetamine prevention education programs. Directs the Attorney General to provide for the cleanup of methamphetamine laboratories and related hazardous waste and for the improvement of response time by providing additional contract personnel, equipment, and facilities in rural areas. Establishes a Rural Policing Institute as part of the Small Town and Rural Training Program. Secure Storage of Firearms Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to carry out a demonstration program to make grants to assist qualified law enforcement officers in the acquisition and installation of gun safes or gun storage racks in their residences. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a tax credit for certain gun safe or storage rack acquisition expenses.
Bill· SS. 1976 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 November 2003
Children's Health Equity Technical Amendments Act of 2003 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to permit qualifying States to use a portion of their SCHIP allotment for any fiscal year for certain Medicaid expenditures.
Bill· SS. 1975 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 November 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue code to prohibit the deduction of any fine or similar penalty paid to a government for the violation of any law. Sets forth a special rule prohibiting the deduction of securities-related fines and penalties. Appropriates to Securities and Exchange Commission amounts determined to be equivalent to the increases in Federal revenues by reason of such fines and penalties and requires the Commission to transfer such amounts to any disgorgement fund for the benefit of the victims of the violations which resulted in such securities-related fines and penalties.
Bill· HRH.R. 3650 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 November 2003
Tax Shelter Transparency and Enforcement Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise provisions concerning tax shelters, including to: (1) set forth rules for use in applying the economic substance doctrine, including defining economic substance; (2) impose penalties on individuals who fail to include on any return or statement required information regarding reportable transactions; (3) impose a penalty of 40 percent (20 percent, if there has been adequate disclosure) of the understatement for a noneconomic substance transaction understatement; (4) direct a material advisor, with respect to any reportable transaction, to make a return describing the transaction, its potential tax benefits, and other information prescribed by the Secretary; (5) penalize an individual for making a statement with respect to certain tax statements (deductions, credits, and etc.) that an individual knows is false or fraudulent as to any material matter at the rate of 50 percent of the gross income derived from such activity; (6) authorize appropriations for the purpose of carrying out tax law enforcement to combat tax avoidance transactions and other tax shelters, including the use of offshore financial accounts to conceal taxable income; (7) permit the Secretary of the Treasury, in prescribing regulations governing the tax liability of an affiliated group of corporations making a consolidated return, to prescribe rules applicable to corporations filing consolidated returns that are different from other provisions concerning consolidated returns that would apply if such corporations filed separate returns; (8) require corporate tax returns to include a declaration by the chief executive officer (CEO), under penalty of perjury, that the return complies with the Internal Revenue Code and that the CEO was provided reasonable assurance of the accuracy of all material aspects of the return; (9) limit the basis of certain corporate property acquired by the issuance of stock or as paid-in surplus and for which there is the importation of net built-in loss to the property's fair market value immediately after the transfer of such property; and (10) repeal part V (Financial Asset Securitization Investment Trusts) of subchapter M (Regulated Investment Companies and Real Estate Investment Trusts).
Bill· SS. 1937 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 November 2003
Tax Shelter Transparency and Enforcement Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise provisions concerning tax shelters, including to: (1) set forth rules for use in applying the economic substance doctrine, including defining economic substance; (2) impose penalties on individuals who fail to include on any return or statement required information regarding reportable transactions; (3) impose a penalty of 40 percent (20 percent, if there has been adequate disclosure) of the understatement for a noneconomic substance transaction understatement; (4) direct a material advisor, with respect to any reportable transaction, to make a return describing the transaction, its potential tax benefits, and other information prescribed by the Secretary; (5) penalize an individual for making a statement with respect to certain tax statements (deductions, credits, and etc.) that an individual knows is false or fraudulent as to any material matter at the rate of 50 percent of the gross income derived from such activity; (6) authorize appropriations for the purpose of carrying out tax law enforcement to combat tax avoidance transactions and other tax shelters, including the use of offshore financial accounts to conceal taxable income; (7) permit the Secretary of the Treasury, in prescribing regulations governing the tax liability of an affiliated group of corporations making a consolidated return, to prescribe rules applicable to corporations filing consolidated returns that are different from other provisions concerning consolidated returns that would apply if such corporations filed separate returns; (8) require corporate tax returns to include a declaration by the chief executive officer (CEO), under penalty of perjury, that the return complies with the Internal Revenue Code and that the CEO was provided reasonable assurance of the accuracy of all material aspects of the return; (9) limit the basis of certain corporate property acquired by the issuance of stock or as paid-in surplus and for which there is the importation of net built-in loss to the property's fair market value immediately after the transfer of such property; and (10) repeal part V (Financial Asset Securitization Investment Trusts) of subchapter M (Regulated Investment Companies and Real Estate Investment Trusts).
Bill· SS. 1936 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 November 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide, as a general rule, for the exclusion from unrelated business taxable income gain or loss from the qualified sale, exchange, or other disposition of any qualifying brownfield property by an eligible taxpayer.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 274 (108th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 24 November 2003
Authorizes the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, acting jointly, to provide to law enforcement and regulatory entities and officials, court-appointed officials, and other entities or individuals duly authorized by Federal, State, or foreign governments, records of the Subcommittee's investigation into the role of accountants, lawyers, and financial professionals in the tax shelter industry.
Bill· SS. 1935 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 November 2003
Universal Secure Access to Health Care Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to add a new title XXVIII (Universal Health Insurance Coverage). Requires each employer of at least 50 full-time employees to offer to enroll each of its employees and their families in a standard health benefit plan providing benefits for health care items and services that are actuarily equivalent to or greater in value than the benefits offered as of January 1, 2000, under the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Standard Option Plan provided under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHBP). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Federal program to award grants to States for State premium assistance programs for low-income workers and small business employers. Authorizes a small business employer of at least 75 full-time employees to enroll its employees in an FEHBP plan or the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA) if such employees are at least 50 years of age. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow a tax deduction for self-employed individuals equal to 100 percent of the amount paid during the taxable year for insurance which constitutes medical care for the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, and the taxpayer's dependents. Amends SSA to add a new part D (Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals Age 62-to-65 Years of Age). Creates in the Treasury the Medicare Early Access Trust Fund for collected premiums and other revenues for use in funding the new part D program. Provides access to Medicare benefits for displaced workers 55 to 62 years of age. Amends Federal civil service law to make FEHBP coverage available for the self-employed. Establishes a MediKids Program under a new SSA title XXII to allow certain eligible individuals born after December 31, 2002, who have not attained age 23, to enroll for benefits specified by the Secretary, including early and periodic screening, diagnostic services, and treatment services under Medicaid (SSA title XIX), and prescription drugs and biologicals. Creates in the Treasury the MediKids Trust Fund for collected premiums and other revenues for use in funding the MediKids Program. Amends SSA title XVIII to increase the membership of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, with the initial terms of additional members staggered. Amends the IRC to: (1) impose a MediKids premium tax in the case of any taxpayer (with certain exceptions) required to pay a premium under the MediKids Program for an eligible individual; and (2) provide for a refundable tax credit for 50 percent of cost-sharing expenses under the MediKids Program. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to propose a gradual schedule of progressive tax changes to fund the MediKids Program as the number of enrollees grows in the out-years.
Bill· SS. 1931 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 November 2003
Amends the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-16) to make the sunset provisions inapplicable to section 202, which expanded and increased the adoption credit and adoption assistance programs under the Internal Revenue Code.
Bill· SS. 1913 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Presidential Funding Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (including the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act and the Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account Act) and the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to, among other things: (1) increase the presidential primary $250 one-to-one match to a four-to-one match; (2) increase the presidential primary qualifying threshold of $5,000 in 20 States to $15,000 in 20 States; (3) require candidates to be eligible to receive funding under the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act to have received payments under the Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account Act; (4) revise candidate expenditure limits, including permitting the national committee of a political party to make expenditures in connection with the general election campaign of any candidate for President of the United States who is affiliated with such party in an amount of up to four (currently, two) cents multiplied by the U.S. voting age population and permitting an eligible candidate for the office of President of the United States to receive payments from the Secretary of the Treasury of up to $75,000,000 with respect to a campaign for nomination for election or of up to $75,000,000 with respect to a campaign for election to such office; and (5) double the three dollar presidential campaign tax return check-off to six dollars.
Bill· SS. 1918 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to specify that qualified homeowner down payment assistance is a charitable activity.
Bill· SS. 1922 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
American Manufacturing Jobs Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the exclusion from gross income of extraterritorial income (gross income attributable to foreign trading gross receipts). Allows a deduction equal to nine percent of the qualified domestic production activities income, up to 50 percent of the W-2 wages paid by the employer for the taxable year.
Bill· SS. 1917 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Clean Air and Water Investment and Infrastructure Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) permit the issuance of tax-exempt bonds for certain air and water pollution control facilities; and (2) provide that the volume cap for private activity bonds shall not apply to bonds for such air and water pollution control facilities, facilities for the furnishing of water, and sewage facilities.
Bill· SS. 1926 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Support Our Health Care Providers Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to services in rural areas, inpatient hospital services, physician services, preventive services, certain demonstrations and studies, home health services, graduate medical education (GME), chronic care improvement, regulatory and contracting reform, education and outreach, appeals and recovery, as well as specified aspects of the Medicaid program under title XIX. (S. 1926 is identical, except with respect to any provider cuts or premium increases, to titles IV through VII of the conference report of H.R. 1, the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003, which became Public Law 108-173 on December 8, 2003. It excludes titles I (Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit), II (Medicare Advantage), III (Combatting Waste, Fraud, and Abuse), XI (Access to Affordable Pharmaceuticals), and XII (Tax Incentives for Health and Retirement Security) of the conference report of H.R. 1.)
Bill· SS. 1915 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Honest Government Accounting Act of 2003 - Requires, in a current annual report from the Secretary of the Treasury to the President and Congress on the overall financial position of the U.S. Government, the preparation of a net present value calculation of all major Government liabilities and commitments, including outstanding debt held by the public and all social insurance entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare. Requires each calculation to: (1) be prepared for both a 75-year horizon and an indefinite time horizon; and (2) include the financial and demographic assumptions and details of the methods used in making the calculations. Mandates that if the total of debt held by the public added to the net present value calculation of the overall liabilities and commitments of the Government exceeds 1.25 percent of the present discounted value of all future payrolls no later than September 15, 2005, the President shall submit to Congress and the Commission on Long-Term Government Liabilities and Commitments (established herein) a plan to reduce that percentage to 1.25 or less. Establishes such Commission to make recommendations to the President and Congress for ensuring that such percentage is no greater than 1.25 percent as of September 11, 2011. Requires the President to report to Congress on any legislative recommendations included in the President's budget which have an adverse impact greater than 0.25 percent of the present discounted value of all future payrolls over 75 years or over an indefinite time horizon, as well as a plan to bring the percentage back to 1.25 by September 11, 2011. Amends the Congressional Budget Act to require budget resolutions to include calculations for the immediately preceding fiscal year of the impact of the resolution on the net present value of the Government's overall liabilities and commitments for both the 75-year and indefinite time horizon. Establishes a point of order against legislation that adversely affects the 1.25 percent by 0.25 percent or more. Directs the Secretary to analyze and report to Congress on the methodology and utility of preparing calculations of the net present value of specific provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that defer tax liability or cause long-term revenue effects that are not captured in a cash flow estimate over five or ten years. Bars the use of expedited procedures to enact legislation which has an adverse impact on the budget deficit or reduces the budget surplus. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to reinstate the "pay-as-you-go" budgetary requirements of such Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 3574 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Stock Option Accounting Reform Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require an issuer of registered securities to show as an expense in its mandatory annual report the fair value of all stock purchase options granted to certain of its senior executive officers after December 31, 2004. Exempts small business issuers from such requirement. Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to require reporting of: (1) stock option expenses as a reduction of the total expense in the fiscal year in which they expire or are forfeited; and (2) as income any excess by which such reduction exceeds total option expenses for any fiscal year. Requires any accounting principle recognized as "generally accepted" by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding the expensing of stock purchase options to comply with this Act. Denies recognition to any such accounting principle until the Secretaries of Commerce and of Labor complete a joint study on the economic impact of mandatory expensing of all employee stock options.
Bill· HRH.R. 3618 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Higher Education Affordability Resource Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to include coverage of other qualified higher education expenses under the HOPE scholarship tax credit. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish a program of student loan forgiveness for the following qualified public service employees: (1) highly qualified teachers in low-income communities; (2) highly qualified teachers of mathematics, science, and bilingual and special education; (3) nurses who serve low-income or needy communities in a clinical setting or as members of the nursing faculty at an accredited school of nursing; (4) child welfare workers who have completed a degree in social work or a related field with a focus on serving children and families in public or private child welfare services; and (5) firefighters, police officers, or emergency medical technicians (first responders) who serve low-income communities. Directs the Secretary of Education to allow a student to receive two Pell grants during a single award year under certain conditions. (Currently only authorizes allowing this on a case-by-case basis under such conditions.) Excludes from consideration as student assets, for purposes of HEA student financial needs analysis, qualified education benefits from prepayment or savings plans that meet certain IRC requirements, namely: (1) program described under specified IRC provisions; (2) State tuition programs; or (3) Coverdell education savings accounts. Requires lenders to provide certain student loan borrowers with special transition assistance plans at specified interest rates. Establishes a program to support academic transfer credits, to help students complete bachelor's degrees, through developing and implementing articulation and guaranteed transfer agreements between institutions of higher education (IHEs). Directs the Secretary to award grants to a partnership that includes two or more IHEs, at least one of which offers a baccalaureate or postbaccalaureate degree, for: (1) policy development; (2) support services for participating students; (3) academic program enhancements at the community or technical college; and (4) identifying barriers that inhibit student transfers. Revises provisions relating to financial aid administrator discretion. Prohibits an eligible institution from refusing to certify, or reduce the amount certified for, a loan under the part B Federal Family Education Loan Program in order to require the student to borrow a loan under the part D Federal Perkins Loans program if the student has remaining loan eligibility under part B.
Bill· HRH.R. 3640 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Cost of Living Measurement and Index Act of 2003 - Directs the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to develop a methodology for measuring the cost of living in each State. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study to determine how certain Federal benefits would be increased if such cost-of-living methodology were applied. Requires such study to include determination of increases in benefits under: (1) the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; (2) earned income tax credit provisions of the Internal Revenue Code; (3) all Federal housing assistance programs; (4) the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program; (5) the food stamp program; and (6) all other Federal nutrition assistance programs, to the extent they provide vouchers, coupons, cash grants, or cash reimbursements.
Bill· HRH.R. 3572 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
AGOA III Act - Declares the sense of Congress that beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries (SSA countries) under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) will benefit if they: (1) implement specified existing obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO); and (2) take steps to promote regional integration, including through agreements to eliminate regional trade barriers. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to repeal the requirement that certain non-apparel articles that are the growth, product, or manufacture of an SSA country shall receive duty-free treatment only if the President determines that they are not import-sensitive in the context of imports from such countries. Extends duty-free treatment for AGOA articles from FY 2008 through FY 2020. Amends AGOA to revise requirements for textile and apparel products from SSA countries receiving duty-free and other preferential import treatment. Permits certain articles to contain fabric or yarn not originating from an SSA country or the United States (third country fabric), regardless of commercial availability in the United States (as long as it is not the component that determines the classification of the article under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States). Extends through FY 2008 the current special rule for lesser developed SSA countries. Extends duty-free treatment to: (1) apparel articles formed on seamless knitting machines in an SSA country from yarns originating either in the United States or one or more SSA countries; and (2) ethnic printed fabric of an SSA country meeting certain criteria. Authorizes the President to extend duty-free treatment, subject to specified conditions, for up to two additional years to a particular lesser developed SSA country lacking sufficient domestic fabric-making capacity, taking into account the extent to which the country has taken steps to increase such capacity by attracting investment. Declares the sense of the Congress that, in negotiating free trade agreements with other countries, the President should negotiate rules of origin for textile and apparel products that allow the use of inputs from SSA countries. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to extend duty-free treatment to agricultural products from SSA countries that would otherwise be excluded for exceeding a tariff-rate quota. Requires the President to assess a duty (according to a specified formula) on over-quota imports of any agricultural product for which preferential treatment is claimed, if the President determines that the product's unit import price when it enters the United States, determined on an F.O.B. basis, is less than the annual trigger price. Amends AGOA to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to develop a comprehensive plan for public policies and incentives for the private sector to: (1) identify SSA products that can be exported to the United States; (2) analyze critical constraints to U.S.-Africa agricultural trade; and (3) develop a strategy for increasing such SSA agricultural exports. Directs the President to assign at least 20 full-time personnel of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, to not less than ten eligible SSA countries with the greatest potential to increase marketable exports of agricultural products to the United States and the greatest need for technical assistance, particularly in conducting pest risk assessments. Authorizes the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide grants to governmental and nongovernmental entities located in eligible SSA countries that can provide assistance, consultation, and equipment to agribusinesses located in those countries in order to enable agricultural products to meet U.S. import requirements. Requires the Secretary to direct the Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) to work with national African agricultural organizations to identify agricultural equipment and supply needs and implement programs that strengthen the ability of members of African agricultural organizations to fulfill these needs in conjunction with export credit guarantee programs. Amends AGOA to condition the President's termination of the designation of an SSA country upon Congress' not prohibiting it. Requires the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) to focus funding on investments in agriculture, tourism, and nature tourism. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to waive certain prohibitions against OPIC issuance of any contract of insurance or reinsurance, guaranty, or agreement to provide financing for an eligible investor's proposed investment in an SSA country even if such investment is likely to cause a significant reduction in the number of employees in the United States. Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to require the Bank to implement regulations and procedures appropriate to ensure that full consideration is given to the extent to which any credit extension is likely to have a positive effect on industries, including the textile and apparel industry and agricultural production, in SSA countries. States the sense of Congress that USAID, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), and the African Development Bank, should continue to provide technical assistance to SSA countries in tax policy and revenue administration, especially domestic policies and measures to replace lost trade tax revenues resulting from trade liberalization. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to seek negotiations with those SSA countries which the Secretary determines will benefit most from an income tax treaty with the United States to avoid double taxation. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a taxpayer a deduction from income for cash contributions to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Directs the USTR to seek to negotiate bilateral investment agreements with interested SSA countries. Directs the USAID Administrator to study the economy of each SSA country, identifying growth sectors and barriers impeding growth, as well as how the U.S. Government and the private sector can provide technical assistance to help dismantle such barriers and promote investment in such sectors. Directs the President to develop and implement policies to assist and encourage: (1) the development of infrastructure projects that will help to increase trade capacity and a sustainable ecotourism industry in SSA countries; and (2) investment in transportation, energy, agriculture, and telecommunications infrastructure in such countries. Directs the USAID Administrator to foster specified port-to-port and airport-to-airport relationships. Authorizes the USTR to provide grants to U.S. nongovernmental organizations and to U.S. representatives of the private sector to host AGOA forums. Directs the President to assemble an interagency task force to facilitate the goals and objectives of this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 3591 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Pharmacy Education Aid Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to permit payments of up to $35,000 on behalf of a qualifying individual with a pharmacy degree for the repayment of pharmacy education loans for each year (two-year minimum) that such person serves in a health care facility with a critical shortage of pharmacists. Provides for: (1) additional tax liability payments; (2) financial need preference; and (3) Federal repayment for recipient breach of agreement unless otherwise waived. Directs the Secretary to make payments of up to $35,000 on behalf of a qualifying individual with a pharmacy degree or in the final year of such study for the repayment of pharmacy educational loans for each year (two-year minimum) that such person serves as a faculty member at a school of pharmacy which provides assistance to: (1) medically underserved areas; (2) prisons; (3) veterans or the armed forces; (4) the Indian Health Service; or (5) a disproportionate share hospital under the Social Security Act .
Bill· HRH.R. 3599 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Auditor Independence and Tax Shelters Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 governing audit requirements to prohibit a registered public accounting firm (or associated person) from providing services to an issuer of securities, or an officer or director of an issuer, to design, organize, promote, assist, or execute any investment, entity, plan, arrangement, or transaction for which a significant purpose is the avoidance or evasion of Federal income tax (tax shelter), and for which the firm may receive fees exceeding $100,000 in the aggregate. Requires the audit committee of an issuer, before pre-approving a non-audit service not otherwise prohibited, to determine whether a reasonable likelihood exists that such service would impair the accounting firm's independence. Prohibits the audit committee from providing advance approval of such a service if a reasonable likelihood of impairment does exist.
Bill· HRH.R. 3578 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
New Starts Enhancement and Local Investment Promotion Act of 2003 - Amends Federal transportation law with respect to grants or loans for new starts of a capital project for a new fixed guideway system or extension of an existing system. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to waive the prior approval requirement for a State or local governmental authority's undertaking a project in advance of Federal funding, if the authority agrees to provide 60 percent or more of the net cost of the project from non-Federal funds. Allows the authority, as a consequence, to carry out any pre-construction part of the project without regard to whether the Secretary has approved in advance the plans and specifications for that part. Declares that the application process for a new starts project approved for a full funding grant agreement shall serve jointly as an application for a secured loan, line of credit, and loan guarantee. States that the proceeds of a line of credit, for projects with an approved full funding grant agreement and a non-Federal revenue share of at least 60 percent of the project cost, shall be available for ten years after the date of substantial completion of the project to pay eligible project costs and to provide liquidity for a variable rate remarketing program. States further that any draw on the line of credit shall not represent a guarantee of debt payment, but shall represent a direct loan and shall be made and repaid only under the terms, rate, and conditions as agreed to by the project sponsor and Secretary. Provides that each new starts project with a full funding grant agreement shall be funded from amounts made available from the capital program grants and loans for each of FY 2004 through 2009 to carry out such project in accordance with the annual schedule contained in each agreement. Requires the Secretary to make loans available to a new starts project sponsor in an amount equal to the difference between the full funding grant agreement amount for a fiscal year, and the amount appropriated in the same year, if the appropriated amount is lower than the full funding agreement amount. Requires the Federal Government to repay the principal of any such secured loan through a subsequent appropriation from the new starts program. Prohibits the assignment to a specific new starts project of any interest expense paid. Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) making a loan for a project for which a grant (except a relocation payment grant) is made; or (2) imposing an overall limitation on the amount of Government financial assistance that may be expended for alternatives analysis and preliminary engineering for a project, or a project full funding grant agreement.
Bill· HRH.R. 3611 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Metropolitan Congestion Relief Act of 2003 - Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) to provide that 80 percent of specified funds apportioned to a State (currently, 62.5 percent of the remaining 80 percent) shall be obligated in urbanized areas of the State with populations of over 200,000 and in other areas of the State, in proportion to their relative share of the State's population. Modifies: (1) the allocation formula under the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program; and (2) the Minimum Guarantee regarding programmatic distribution of funds. Directs that the funds apportioned to a State for a fiscal year for the National Highway System (NHS) be allocated between urbanized areas with a population of over 200,000 in the State and other areas in the State as follows: (1) 75 percent in the ratio that the total lane miles on the NHS in such urbanized areas in the State bears to the total lane miles on the NHS in all areas in the State; and (2) 25 percent in the ratio that the total vehicle miles traveled on the NHS in such urbanized areas in the State bears to the total vehicle miles traveled on the NHS in all areas in the State. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) establish a metropolitan congestion relief program; and (2) establish and implement an operational improvement program. Increases the percentage set aside for metropolitan planning.
Bill· HRH.R. 3613 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Student Aid Streamlined Disclosure Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize, through September 30, 2008, the disclosure of certain tax return information to the Department of Education with respect to students seeking federal student aid.
Bill· HRH.R. 3610 (108th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal provisions of the low income housing tax credit requiring a bond to cover recapture amounts from the disposition, prior to a 15-year compliance period, of a building (or interest therein) eligible for the credit. Provides for a three-year statute of limitation (from the end of the compliance period) for assessing a recapture deficiency. Requires owners of buildings eligible for the low income housing tax credit to file informational returns with the Secretary of the Treasury upon the occurrence of a recapture event and to provide persons who are named in such returns with specified information. Imposes penalties for failure to file required returns.
Bill· HRH.R. 3608 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Expand America's Workforce Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow, until December 31, 2005, a credit for hiring certain new employees.
Bill· HRH.R. 3617 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Presidential Funding Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (including the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act and the Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account Act) and the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to, among other things: (1) increase the presidential primary $250 one-to-one match to a four-to-one match; (2) increase the presidential primary qualifying threshold of $5,000 in 20 States to $15,000 in 20 States; (3) require candidates to be eligible to receive funding under the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act to have received payments under the Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account Act; (4) revise candidate expenditure limits, including permitting the national committee of a political party to make expenditures in connection with the general election campaign of any candidate for President of the United States who is affiliated with such party in an amount of up to four (currently, two) cents multiplied by the U.S. voting age population and permitting an eligible candidate for the office of President of the United States to receive payments from the Secretary of the Treasury of up to $75,000,000 with respect to a campaign for nomination for election or of up to $75,000,000 with respect to a campaign for election to such office; and (5) double the three dollar presidential campaign tax return check-off to six dollars.
Bill· HRH.R. 3607 (108th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Keeping Small Businesses Health Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a tax credit for health insurance coverage provided to employees by employers of 100 or fewer employees.