datamatters24/research-document-archive huggingface dataset:
I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4960 
To prohibit the anticipated extreme reduction in the national marketing 
quotas for the 2005 crop of Flue-cured and Burley tobacco, which, 
if permitted to occur, would mean economic ruin for tobacco farmers 
and their families. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 22, 2004 
Mr. JONES of North Carolina introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To prohibit the anticipated extreme reduction in the national 
marketing quotas for the 2005 crop of Flue-cured and 
Burley tobacco, which, if permitted to occur, would mean 
economic ruin for tobacco farmers and their families. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL MARKETING 
QUOTA FOR 2005 CROP OF FLUE-CURED AND 
BURLEY TOBACCO AT 2004 LEVEL. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for the 
2005 crop year, the Secretary of Agriculture shall estab-
lish and maintain the national marketing quota for Flue- 
cured and Burley tobacco at the 2004 level. 
SEC. 2. FORFEITURES OF FLUE-CURED AND BURLEY TO-
BACCO. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—This section shall apply notwith-
standing sections 106 through 106B of the Agricultural 
Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C. 1445 through 1445–2). 
(b) LOAN FORFEITURE.—A producer-owned coopera-
tive marketing association may fully settle, without further 
cost to the association, a loan made for the 2005 crop 
of Flue-cured and Burley tobacco by forfeiting to the Com-
modity Credit Corporation the Flue-cured or Burley to-
bacco covered by the loan regardless of the condition of 
the tobacco. 
(c) TREATMENT OF CCC LOSSES.—Any losses to the 
Commodity Credit Corporation as a result of the forfeiture 
of tobacco under subsection (b)— 
(1) shall not be charged to the No Net Cost To-
bacco Account; and 
(2) shall not affect the amount of any assess-
ment imposed against Flue-cured or Burley tobacco 
under sections 106 through 106B of the Agricultural 
Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C. 1445 through 1445–2). 
(d) TREATMENT OF FORFEITED TOBACCO.—Tobacco 
forfeited under subsection (b) shall not be—
(1) counted for the purpose of determining the 
Flue-cured or Burley tobacco quota for any year 
pursuant to section 319 of the Agricultural Adjust-
ment Act of 1938 (7 U.S.C. 1314e); or 
(2) sold for use in the United States, except 
that, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
Commodity Credit Corporation, directly or through 
the use of United States leaf dealers, may market 
the forfeited tobacco outside the United States. 
Æ
‘‘(1) NOT TREATED AS MEDICAL EXPENSE.—
For purposes of section 213, the amount imposed by 
this section for any taxable year shall not be treated 
as an expense paid for medical care. 
‘‘(2) NOT TREATED AS TAX FOR CERTAIN PUR-
POSES.—The amount imposed by this section shall 
not be treated as a tax imposed by this chapter for 
purposes of determining—
‘‘(A) the amount of any credit allowable 
under this chapter, or 
‘‘(B) the amount of the minimum tax im-
posed by section 55. 
‘‘(3) TREATMENT
UNDER
SUBTITLE
F.—For 
purposes of subtitle F, the amount imposed by this 
section shall be treated as if it were a tax imposed 
by section 1. 
‘‘(4) SECTION 15 NOT TO APPLY.—Section 15 
shall not apply to the amount imposed by this sec-
tion. 
‘‘(5) SECTION NOT TO AFFECT LIABILITY OF 
POSSESSIONS, ETC.—This section shall not apply for 
purposes of determining liability to any possession of 
the United States. For purposes of section 932 and 
7654, the amount imposed under this section shall 
not be treated as a tax imposed by this chapter.
‘‘(e) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary may prescribe 
such regulations as may be appropriate to carry out the 
purposes of this section.’’. 
(2) ADJUSTMENTS
TO
WITHHOLDING.—Sub-
section (a) of section 3402 of such Code (relating to 
income tax collected at source) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(3) SPECIAL RULE FOR AMOUNTS IMPOSED BY 
SECTION 59B.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—In determining the 
amount required to be deducted and withheld 
from wages paid to an individual during any 
month by such individual’s employer, the 
amount imposed by section 59B shall be taken 
into account. 
‘‘(B) WAGES
NOT
REDUCED
BY
EXEMP-
TIONS.—In determining the amount to be de-
ducted and withheld by reason of subparagraph 
(A), the amount of wages shall not be reduced 
as provided in paragraph (2).’’. 
(3) CLERICAL
AMENDMENT.—The table of 
parts for subchapter A of chapter 1 of such Code is 
amended by adding at the end the following new 
item:
‘‘PART VIII. AMERICAN HEALTH BENEFITS PROGRAM PREMIUMS’’.
3(16) of the Employee Retirement Income Security 
Act of 1974. 
(2) COBRA CONTINUATION
COVERAGE.—The 
term ‘‘COBRA continuation coverage’’ means con-
tinuation coverage provided pursuant to title XXII 
of the Public Health Service Act, section 4980B of 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (other than sub-
section (f)(1) of such section insofar as it relates to 
pediatric vaccines), part 6 of subtitle B of title I of 
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 
1974 (other than under section 609), section 8905a 
of title 5, United States Code, or under a State pro-
gram that provides continuation coverage com-
parable to such continuation coverage. 
(3) GROUP HEALTH PLAN.—The term ‘‘group 
health plan’’ has the meaning given such term in 
section 9832(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986. 
(4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ includes the 
District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, 
and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Is-
lands.
condition Federal participation in such projects or
measures on the receipt of such contributions.
‘‘(2) LIMITATION
ON
STATUTORY
CONSTRUC-
TION.—Nothing in this subsection shall be construed
to affect the Secretary’s authority under section
903(c) of this Act.’’.
SEC. 2003. HARBOR COST SHARING.
(a) PAYMENTS DURING CONSTRUCTION.—Section
101(a)(1) of the Water Resources Development Act of
1986 (33 U.S.C. 2211(a)(1); 100 Stat. 4082) is amended
in each of subparagraphs (B) and (C) by striking ‘‘45
feet’’ and inserting ‘‘53 feet’’.
(b) 
OPERATION
AND
MAINTENANCE.—Section
101(b)(1) of such Act (33 U.S.C. 2211(b)(1)) is amended
by striking ‘‘45 feet’’ and inserting ‘‘53 feet’’.
(c) DEFINITIONS.—Section 214 of such Act (33
U.S.C. 2241; 100 Stat. 4108) is amended in each of para-
graphs (1) and (3) by striking ‘‘45 feet’’ and inserting
‘‘53 feet’’.
(d) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by sub-
sections (a), (b), and (c) shall apply only to a project, or
separable element of a project, on which a contract for
physical construction has not been awarded before the
date of enactment of this Act.
II 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 253
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
NOVEMBER 21, 2003
Received 
DECEMBER 9. 2003
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs 
AN ACT 
To amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to 
reduce losses to properties for which repetitive flood in-
surance claim payments have been made.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require
the Chief of Engineers to conduct multiple peer reviews
for a project study.
(c) ESTABLISHMENT OF PANELS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—For each project study sub-
ject to peer review under subsection (a), as soon as
practicable after the Chief of Engineers determines
that a project study will be subject to peer review,
the Chief of Engineers shall contract with the Na-
tional Academy of Sciences (or a similar independent
scientific and technical advisory organization), or an
eligible organization, to establish a panel of experts
to peer review the project study for technical and
scientific sufficiency.
(2) MEMBERSHIP.—A panel of experts estab-
lished for a project study under this section shall be
composed of independent experts who represent a
balance of areas of expertise suitable for the review
being conducted.
(3) LIMITATION ON APPOINTMENTS.—An indi-
vidual may not be selected to serve on a panel of ex-
perts established for a project study under this sec-
tion if the individual has a financial or close profes-
sional association with any organization or group
133.40 
feet 
to 
a 
point 
N103,743.76, 
E417,922.89, thence running south 24 degrees 
07 minutes 04 seconds east 127.75 feet to a 
point N103,627.16, E417,975.09, thence run-
ning north 33 degrees 07 minutes 30 seconds 
west 190.00 feet to a point N103,786.28, 
E417,871.26, thence running north 17 degrees 
05 minutes 15 seconds west 72.39 feet to the 
point of origin. 
(3) CHICAGO RIVER AND HARBOR, CHICAGO, IL-
LINOIS.—Those portions of the projects for naviga-
tion, Chicago River and Chicago Harbor, Chicago, 
Illinois, authorized by the River and Harbor Act of 
March 3, 1899 (30 Stat. 1129), extending 50 feet 
riverward of the existing dock wall on the south side 
of the channel from Lake Street to Franklin Street 
and 25 feet riverward of the existing dock wall on 
the south side of the channel from Franklin Street 
to Wabash Avenue, and those areas within 20 feet 
of the bridge abutments on the south side of the 
channel for the length of the protection bridge piers 
from the Franklin Street Bridge to the Michigan 
Avenue Bridge. 
(4) ISLAND END RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS.—The 
portion of the project for navigation, Island End
as part of the project, and the cost of such work shall
be recommended in the final report for credit toward the
non-Federal share of the cost of the project. Work carried
out after submission of the final report and before the date
of the partnership agreement for the project that is deter-
mined to be integral to the project shall be considered as
part of the project, and the cost of such work shall be
credited toward the non-Federal share of the cost of the
project.
SEC. 3015. PACIFIC FLYWAY CENTER, SACRAMENTO, CALI-
FORNIA.
The project for aquatic ecosystem restoration, Pacific
Flyway Center, Sacramento, California, being carried out
under section 206 of the Water Resources Development
Act of 1996 (33 U.S.C. 2330), is modified to authorize
the Secretary to expend $2,000,000 to enhance public ac-
cess to the project.
SEC. 3016. PINOLE CREEK, CALIFORNIA.
The project for improvement of the quality of the en-
vironment, Pinole Creek Phase I, California, being carried
out under section 1135 of the Water Resources Develop-
ment Act of 1986 (33 U.S.C. 2309a), is modified to direct
the Secretary to credit toward the non-Federal share of
the cost of the project the cost of work carried out by
the non-Federal interest before the date of the partnership
‘‘PART IX—MEDICAL CHECKING ACCOUNTS
‘‘Sec. 530A. Medical checking accounts.
‘‘SEC. 530A. MEDICAL CHECKING ACCOUNTS. 
‘‘(a) GENERAL RULE.—A medical checking account 
shall be exempt from taxation under this subtitle. Not-
withstanding the preceding sentence, any medical checking 
account shall be subject to the taxes imposed by section 
511 (relating to imposition of tax on unrelated business 
income of charitable, etc., organizations). Rules similar to 
the rules of paragraphs (2) and (4) of section 408(e) shall 
apply to medical checking accounts, and any amount treat-
ed as distributed under such rules shall be treated as not 
used to pay qualified medical expenses. 
‘‘(b) DEDUCTION FOR CONTRIBUTIONS.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—In the case of an indi-
vidual, there shall be allowed as a deduction an 
amount equal to the aggregate amount paid in cash 
during the taxable year to a medical checking ac-
count of the taxpayer. 
‘‘(2) LIMITATIONS.—
‘‘(A) MAXIMUM ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION.—
The deduction under paragraph (1) for a tax-
able year shall not exceed $1,000 ($2,000 in 
the case of a joint return). 
‘‘(B) MAXIMUM
ALLOWABLE
DEDUCTION 
BASED ON BALANCE IN ACCOUNT.—No deduc-
I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2541
To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to require public 
disclosure of information about cases of child abuse or neglect which 
result in child fatality, near fatality, other serious injury, or felony 
conviction. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 19, 2003
Mr. MOORE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act 
to require public disclosure of information about cases 
of child abuse or neglect which result in child fatality, 
near fatality, other serious injury, or felony conviction.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Public Records Open 
to End Child Tragedy (PROTECT) Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5101) threatens States with the for-
feiture of Federal funds under that Act if States 
provide for public disclosure of a child abuse or ne-
glect records when the child has been a victim of 
child abuse. 
(2) Overly strict privacy laws can have the ef-
fect of shielding negligent public officials, camou-
flage inefficiency in State and Federal child welfare 
programs and mask severe underfunding and official 
neglect of this important government function. 
(3) It is vitally important that the public be 
aware of such problems and be given the opportunity 
to force their elected officials to change the system. 
(4) The privacy of adoptive and foster families, 
as well as children, must be protected by the judicial 
process. 
(5) States should be permitted to open up a 
child’s records in very limited circumstances, under 
the auspices of a judge, when a child has been the 
victim of child abuse.
SEC. 3. PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION ABOUT 
CHILD ABUSE CASES. 
Section 106(b)(2)(A)(vi) of the Child Abuse Preven-
tion and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a(b)(2)(A)(vi)) 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(vi) provisions which require public 
disclosure of the findings or information 
about the case of child abuse or neglect, as 
determined to be appropriate by a judge 
and in accordance with applicable law, 
which has resulted in a child fatality, near 
fatality, other serious injury, or felony con-
viction;’’.
Æ
services. This has increasingly placed medical deci-
sions in the hands of health care bureaucracies and 
has eroded doctor-patient relationships. 
(6) The role of the marketplace in both medical 
insurance and medical services should be strength-
ened. The discriminatory tax policies in the area of 
health insurance and health care should be ended. 
Private individuals should be able to contract for 
their health insurance and health care delivery in at-
mosphere free of discriminatory tax pressures. High 
deductible low premium as well as catastrophic alter-
natives in health insurance should be viable options 
for all Americans. 
SEC. 102. DEDUCTION OF MEDICAL EXPENSES FOR INDI-
VIDUALS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 213 of 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to treatment 
of medical, dental, etc., expenses) is amended to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(a) ALLOWANCE OF DEDUCTION.—There shall be 
allowed as a deduction the expenses paid during the tax-
able year, not compensated for by insurance or otherwise, 
for medical care of the taxpayer, his spouse, or a depend-
ent (as defined by section 152).’’.
I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2543
To amend section 504(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to eliminate 
the 2-year wait out period for grant recipients under the Hispanic-
Serving Institutions program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 19, 2003
Mr. PEARCE (for himself and Mr. UDALL of New Mexico) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend section 504(a) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 to eliminate the 2-year wait out period for grant 
recipients under the Hispanic-Serving Institutions pro-
gram.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. ELIMINATION OF THE 2-YEAR WAIT OUT PE-
RIOD FOR GRANT RECIPIENTS. 
Section 504(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1101c(a)) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘PERIOD.—’’ and all that fol-
lows through ‘‘The Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘PE-
RIOD.—The Secretary’’; and 
(2) by striking paragraph (2).
Æ
I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2545
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to waive the 10-percent addi-
tional tax on early distributions from section 401(k) plans in the case 
of hardship of certain employees due to facility closures or employers 
in bankruptcy. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 19, 2003
Mr. RYAN of Ohio (for himself and Mrs. JONES of Ohio) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to waive 
the 10-percent additional tax on early distributions from 
section 401(k) plans in the case of hardship of certain 
employees due to facility closures or employers in bank-
ruptcy.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Blue-Collar Employee 
Relief Act of 2003’’.
SEC. 2. 10-PERCENT ADDITIONAL TAX ON EARLY DISTRIBU-
TIONS FROM QUALIFIED RETIREMENT PLANS 
NOT TO APPLY TO CERTAIN HARDSHIP DIS-
TRIBUTIONS FROM SECTION 401(K) PLANS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subparagraph (A) of section 
72(t)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended 
by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of clause (vi), by striking the 
period at the end of clause (vii) and inserting ‘‘, or’’, and 
by adding at the end the following new clause: 
‘‘(viii) made from a cash or deferred 
arrangement (as defined in section 401(k)) 
upon the hardship of the employee if—
‘‘(I) the employer maintaining 
the plan of which such arrangement is 
a part is a debtor in a title 11 or 
similar case (as defined in section 
368(a)(3)) or the employee separates 
from employment on account of the 
closure of a facility of the employer, 
and 
‘‘(II) the adjusted gross income 
of the taxpayer for the taxable year 
(determined without regard to such 
distributions) in which such distribu-
tion is received does not exceed
$50,000 ($100,000 in the case of a 
joint return).’’
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
this section shall apply to distributions after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.
Æ
I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2546
To amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require consumer reporting 
agencies to provide any consumer with a free credit report annually 
upon the request of the consumer, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 19, 2003
Mr. SANDERS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require consumer 
reporting agencies to provide any consumer with a free 
credit report annually upon the request of the consumer, 
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Free Credit Report 
Act of 2003’’.
SEC. 2. FREE CREDIT REPORT ANNUALLY UPON REQUEST 
OF CONSUMER. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 612 of the Fair Credit 
Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681j) is amended—
(1) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 
subsections (d) and (e), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(c) FREE CREDIT REPORT ANNUALLY UPON RE-
QUEST OF CONSUMER.—Upon the request of any con-
sumer, each consumer reporting agency shall make all dis-
closures pursuant to section 609 without charge to such 
consumer at least once each calendar year.’’. 
(b) CREDIT SCORES AND PREDICTORS REQUIRED TO 
BE INCLUDED.—Section 609(a)(1) of the Fair Credit Re-
porting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681g(a)(1)) is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(1) All information in the consumer’s file at 
the time of the request, which shall include all of the 
following information: 
‘‘(A) The consumer’s current credit score 
or the consumer’s most recent credit score that 
was previously calculated by the credit report-
ing agency for a purpose related to the exten-
sion of credit.
‘‘(B) The range of possible credit scores 
under the model used. 
‘‘(C) All the key factors that adversely af-
fected the consumer’s credit score in the model 
used. 
‘‘(D) The date the credit score was cre-
ated. 
‘‘(E) The name of the person or entity (if 
other than the person or entity making the dis-
closure under this subsection) that provided the 
credit score or credit file on the basis of which 
the credit score was created. 
This paragraph shall not be construed so as to com-
pel a consumer reporting agency to develop or dis-
close a score if the agency does not distribute scores 
that are used in connection with residential real 
property loans, or does not develop scores that assist 
credit providers in understanding a consumer’s gen-
eral credit behavior and predicting his or her future 
credit behavior.’’. 
(c) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—
Section 612(a)(1) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 
U.S.C. 1681j(a)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘(c), and (d)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘(c), (d), and (e)’’.
Æ
by the North American Development Bank, and the
reasons that the projects have not yet been financed.
(4) The total of the paid-in capital, callable cap-
ital, and retained earnings of the North American
Development Bank, and the uses of such amounts.
(5) A description of any efforts and discussions
between the United States and Mexican governments
to expand the type of projects which the North
American Development Bank finances beyond envi-
ronmental projects.
(6) A description of any efforts and discussions
between the United States and Mexican governments
to improve the effectiveness of the North American
Development Bank.
(7) The number and description of projects au-
thorized under the Water Conservation Investment
Fund of the North American Development Bank.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS RELATING TO UNITED
STATES SUPPORT FOR NADBANK PROJECTS
WHICH FINANCE WATER CONSERVATION FOR
TEXAS 
IRRIGATORS 
AND 
AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCERS IN THE LOWER RIO GRANDE
RIVER VALLEY.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—
studies to improve water conservation, and cross-
border water exchanges consistent with treaties; and 
(2) new water supply research and projects 
along the Mexico border in southern California and 
other eligible areas in the 4 United States border 
States to desalinate ocean seawater and brackish 
surface and groundwater, and dispose of or manage 
the brines resulting from desalination. 
SEC. 5. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS RELATING TO UNITED 
STATES SUPPORT FOR NADBANK PROJECTS 
FOR WHICH FINANCE WATER CONSERVATION 
FOR IRRIGATORS AND AGRICULTURAL PRO-
DUCERS 
IN 
THE 
SOUTHWEST 
UNITED 
STATES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) Irrigators and agricultural producers are 
suffering enormous hardships in the southwest 
United States. The border States of California, Ari-
zona, New Mexico, and Texas are suffering from one 
of the worst droughts in history. In Arizona, this is 
the second driest period in recorded history and the 
worst since 1904. 
(2) In spite of decades of water conservation in 
the southwest United States, irrigated agriculture