hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
USA Jobs Protection Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-1452
Sponsor: Sen. Dodd, Christopher J. [D-CT]
Introduced: 2003-07-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Administrative fees
Administrative remedies
Admission of nonimmigrants
Alien labor
Business records
Commerce
Congress
Congressional investigations
Department of Homeland Security
Economics and Public Finance
Employee rights
Employers' liability
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Governmental investigations
Labor and Employment
Law
Layoffs
Recruiting of employees
Skilled labor
Transfer of employees
Visas
Wages

Summary:
action_date: 2003-07-24
text: 
USA Jobs Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise L-1 nonimmigrant visa provisions (intracompany transfers). Prohibits the admission of an L-1 worker unless the employer files an application with the Secretary of Labor stating that the employer will: (1) not place the worker with another employer; (2) make the L-1 application available for public examination and compilation by the Secretary; (3) provide wage comparability; and (4) not displace U.S. workers during the period of 180 days before and after the L-1 hiring. 
 
Requires an employer, prior to petitioning for admission of a specialized knowledge L-1 worker, to file an application with the Secretary stating that good faith steps have been taken to recruit U.S. workers for the job for which the L-1 worker is sought.
 
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to consult annually with the Secretary respecting the use and effect of blanket L-1 petitions.
 
Increases the L-1 prior employment abroad requirement. Reduces the period of L-1 admission. Establishes an L-1 employer petition fee.
 
Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to initiate an L-1 employer investigation.
 
Revises H-1B nonimmigrant visa provisions (temporary workers) to: (1) subject all H-1B employers (currently H-1B dependent employers) to such provisions; (2) lengthen U.S. worker displacement protection; and (3) authorize the Secretary of Labor to initiate an H-1B employer investigation.
 
Directs the General Accounting Office to investigate the implementation and impact of amendments made by this Act.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-07-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2003-07-24
text: Introduced in Senate
Forestry and Community Assistance Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-1453
Sponsor: Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT]
Introduced: 2003-07-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Department of Agriculture
Environmental Protection
Forest conservation
Forest fires
Government Operations and Politics
Law
National forests

Summary:
action_date: 2003-07-24
text: 
Forestry and Community Assistance Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to conduct hazardous fuels reduction projects on National Forest System lands, and Bureau of Land Management lands, respectively. Provides for: (1) a collaborative project selection process; and (2) an expedited planning and implementation process.
 
Directs the Secretaries to track firefighter safety and training funds and include a line item for such expenditures in all budget requests after October 1, 2003.
 
Exempts the Forest Service from the competitive sourcing initiative.
 
Directs the Secretaries to ensure that forest health programs include research on: (1) best use of mechanical thinning and prescribed fire to reduce fire risk, and to improve the scientific basis for implementation of hazardous fuels reduction treatments; (2) insect and associated diseases and related prevention and early warning activities; and (3) new technologies and markets for value-added products that use the byproducts of insect and disease infestation or hazardous fuels reduction treatments.
 
Amends the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a watershed forestry assistance program to provide States, through State foresters or Indian tribes, with technical, financial, and related assistance to: (1) expand forest stewardship capacities and activities through best management practices; and (2) prevent water quality degradation, and address watershed issues, on non-Federal forest land.
 
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to designate ten forest and rangeland health demonstration projects at the watershed scale, and the Secretary of the Interior to designate five such projects.
 
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the healthy forests reserve program for the purpose of restoring and enhancing forest ecosystems to promote the recovery of threatened and endangered species as well as improve biodiversity and enhance carbon sequestration.
 
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish: (1) the Rural Community Forestry Enterprise Program to enhance necessary skills and establish organizations to promote forest-related products and activities; (2) at least one Forest Enterprise Center at each Research Station of the Forest Service; and (3) the forest enterprise technical assistance and grant program. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-07-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2003-07-24
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9907-9908)
action_date: 2003-07-24
text: Introduced in Senate
National Drought Preparedness Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-1454
Sponsor: Sen. Domenici, Pete V. [R-NM]
Introduced: 2003-07-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Animals
Army Corps of Engineers
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Department of Agriculture
Department of the Interior
Disaster insurance
Disaster relief
Droughts
Economics and Public Finance
Emergency Management
Endangered species
Environmental Protection
Executive reorganization
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to Indians
Federal aid to water resources development
Federal-Indian relations
Federal-local relations
Federal-state relations
Finance and Financial Sector
Fire prevention
Forest fires
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Government trust funds
Grants-in-aid
Hydrology
Infrastructure
Intergovernmental fiscal relations
Interstate relations
Land use
Law
Minorities
National forests
Planning
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Science, Technology, Communications
Technology transfer
Water Resources Development
Water conservation
Water quality
Water supply
Watersheds
Weather

Summary:
action_date: 2003-07-24
text: 
National Drought Preparedness Act of 2003 - Establishes in the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture the National Drought Council which shall develop a comprehensive National Drought Policy Action Plan. (Terminates the Council eight years after enactment of this Act.)
 
Directs the Secretary to establish the National Office of Drought Preparedness to assist the Council.
 
Establishes in the Treasury the Drought Assistance Fund, which shall provide financial assistance for drought preparedness plans and drought mitigation. Directs the Secretary to issue related implementing guidelines, including: special requirements applicable to interstate watersheds.
 
Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to require the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse States for costs of prepositioning wildfire suppression resources.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-07-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9908-9912)
action_date: 2003-07-24
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9908)
action_date: 2003-07-24
text: Introduced in Senate
International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-1455
Sponsor: Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]
Introduced: 2003-07-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Aliens
Assault
Child abuse
Citizenship
Civil actions and liability
Commerce
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Consumer education
Consumer protection
Crime and Law Enforcement
Criminal justice information
Criminal statistics
Damages
Department of Homeland Security
Divorce
Electronic mail systems
Evidence (Law)
Ex-offenders
Families
Family violence
Fines (Penalties)
Fraud
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Governmental investigations
Homicide
Housing and Community Development
Identification devices
Identification of criminals
Injunctions
International Affairs
Kidnapping
Law
Legal services
Marriage
Names
Rape
Science, Technology, Communications
Sentences (Criminal procedure)
Telephone
Victims of crimes
Visas
Women
Women's shelters

Summary:
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: 
International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2003 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents (LPRs) from filing more than one application for a K fiance(e) visa in any one-year period. 
 
Amends the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997 to prohibit international marriage brokers from releasing a foreign national client's personal contact information until the broker has informed the foreign national of the rights of domestic violence victims in the United States and received a signed consent to the release. Requires brokers to obtain specified background information from citizen or LPR clients and to forward such information to foreign nationals. Establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Authorizes States to bring civil actions for such violations in the U.S. district courts.
 
Requires petitioners for fiance(e) visas to undergo criminal history background checks.
 
Modifies consular processing procedures for fiance(e) visa applications to require specified disclosures to alien applicants.
 
Amends the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 to require an evaluation of the role of international marriage brokers in facilitating trafficking.
 
Requires a citizen or LPR client to provide to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, as part of a fiance(e) visa petition, the information that such clients are required to submit to brokers under this Act.
 
Prohibits a fiance(e) visa holder's awareness of the criminal background of a citizen or LPR client from being used as evidence that the marriage was not entered into in good faith.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9961-9963)
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9960-9961)
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Positive Aging Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-1456
Sponsor: Sen. Breaux, John B. [D-LA]
Introduced: 2003-07-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Access to health care
Adult day care
Alcohol
Block grants
Caregivers
Case management
Community centers
Department of Health and Human Services
Drug abuse
Drug utilization
Economics and Public Finance
Executive reorganization
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid programs
Federal-state relations
Geriatrics
Government Operations and Politics
Grants-in-aid
Intergovernmental fiscal relations
Life care communities
Medical education
Medical personnel
Medical research
Medical screening
Mental health services
Mental illness
Social Welfare

Summary:
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: 
Positive Aging Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Center for Mental Health Services, to make grants for evidence-based demonstration projects to integrate mental health services for older patients into primary care settings. Requires the inclusion of collaborative care, screening services, referrals, and protocols for prevalent mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, dementia, and substance abuse.
 
Requires the Director to make grants to community-based providers of geriatric mental health services for multi-disciplinary health outreach teams. Authorizes cooperative agreements with senior centers, adult day care programs, assisted living facilities, and other places providing services to senior citizens under the Older Americans Act.
Requires the Director to designate a Deputy Director for Geriatric Mental Health Services to develop and implement research programs, demonstration projects, models, and model training programs.
Revises the membership of the Advisory Council for the Center for Mental Health Services to include representatives of older Americans, their families, and geriatric mental health specialists.
Revises the criteria for State plans under Community Mental Health Services Block Grants to include goals and initiatives for improving access to services for older adult patients.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9963-9964)
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to reduce the rate of tax on distilled spirits on its pre-1985 level.

Bill: 108-s-1457
Sponsor: Sen. Bunning, Jim [R-KY]
Introduced: 2003-07-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Agriculture and Food
Alcohol tax
Tax rates

Summary:
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the tax rate on distilled spirits.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Financial Institution Privacy Protection Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-1458
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL]
Introduced: 2003-07-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Commerce
Communication in medicine
Confidential communications
Consumer protection
Fines (Penalties)
Health
Law
Medical records
Right of privacy

Summary:
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Financial Institution Privacy Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act to condition financial institution disclosure of consumer nonpublic personal health information upon the consumer's affirmative consent in writing. 
Replaces the opt-out requirements governing such a disclosure with a prohibition against denial of a financial service or product to any consumer based upon the consumer's refusal to grant consent to nonpublic personal information disclosure. 
Requires each financial institution to designate a privacy compliance officer to ensure compliance with privacy requirements. Sets forth civil penalties for noncompliance.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Introduced in Senate
American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act Amendments Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-1459
Sponsor: Sen. McCain, John [R-AZ]
Introduced: 2003-07-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Accounting
Advice and consent of the Senate
Animals
Auditing
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Department of the Interior
Economics and Public Finance
Executive reorganization
Federal advisory bodies
Federal officials
Federal-Indian relations
Finance and Financial Sector
Financial statements
Fishing
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government trust funds
Hunting
Indian lands
Investment of public funds
Landowners
Law
Leases
Minorities
Presidential appointments
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Rent
Right of privacy
Sports and Recreation
Trusts and trustees

Summary:
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: 
American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act Amendments Act of 2003 - Amends the American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994 to revise the accounting duties of the Secretary of the Interior with respect to the daily and annual balances of all monies or proceeds derived from trust assets and funds held in trust by the United States for the benefit of an Indian tribe or an individual Indian. Requires an annual audit only for accounts with over $1,000 in trust funds, but for accounts with less than $1,000, only statistical sampling audit procedures of all such accounts grouped separately. Specifies minimum additional responsibilities of the Secretary.
 
Allows an Indian tribe to use authority granted to the tribe under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to manage Indian trust funds and trust assets without terminating the trust responsibility of the Secretary or the trust status of the funds and assets. 
Replaces the current Office of Special Trustee for American Indians with a Deputy Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs to: (1) oversee the Bureau of Indian Affairs; (2) carry out all duties currently assigned to the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs; and (3) oversee all Indian trust fund and trust asset matters, and consult with Indian tribes and individual trust asset and trust fund account holders. 
Establishes within the Office of the Secretary the Office of Trust Reform Implementation and Oversight, headed by such Deputy Secretary, to supervise and direct day-to-day activities concerning such assets or funds, including providing accurate inventories, revenue postings, monthly statements, and annual audits. 
Establishes a Commission for Review of Indian Trust Fund Management Responsibilities to assess the fiduciary and management responsibilities of the Federal Government with respect to Indian tribes and individual Indian beneficiaries

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9964-9967)
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9964)
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-1460
Sponsor: Sen. Kennedy, Edward M. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2003-07-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Agricultural subsidies
Agriculture and Food
Animals
Antibiotics
Business records
Commerce
Drug approvals
Drug industry
Drug resistance in microorganisms
Drugs
Families
Family farms
Food safety
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Livestock
Meat
Medicated feeds
Poultry
Small farms
Veterinary medicine

Summary:
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: 
Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for a phased elimination of the nontherapeutic use in food-producing animals of critical antimicrobial animal drugs. Defines &quot;critical antimicrobial animal drug&quot; and &quot;nontherapeutic use.&quot;
 
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make payments to livestock or poultry producers to defray the costs of reducing such drugs' use, with priority given to family-owned or small farms and ranches.
 
Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary to provide grants for university research and demonstration programs to phase out the nontherapeutic use of critical antimicrobial animal drugs in livestock or poultry.
 
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require manufacturers of a critical antimicrobial animal drug or an animal feed for food-producing animals containing such a drug to report annual sales information.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-07-30
text: Star Print ordered on the bill.
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Border Security and Immigration Improvement Act

Bill: 108-s-1461
Sponsor: Sen. McCain, John [R-AZ]
Introduced: 2003-07-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Administrative fees
Administrative procedure
Administrative remedies
Admission of nonimmigrants
Advertising
Agricultural labor
Agriculture and Food
Alien labor
Aliens
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Crime and Law Enforcement
Criminal aliens
Data banks
Debt
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Labor
Deportation
Discrimination in employment
Dismissal of employees
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Educational exchanges
Electronic data interchange
Electronic government information
Elementary and secondary education
Employee rights
Employee selection
Employers' liability
Employment agencies
Evidence (Law)
Exchange of persons programs
Families
Finance and Financial Sector
Fines (Penalties)
Garnishment
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Grants-in-aid
Health
Higher education
Hours of labor
Identification devices
Illegal aliens
Injunctions
Interest
International Affairs
Internet
Job hunting
Labor and Employment
Law
Married people
Minorities
Parents
Passports
Physical examinations
Racial discrimination
Recruiting of employees
Right of privacy
Right to travel
Science, Technology, Communications
Seasonal labor
Technical assistance
Telephone
Temporary employment
Transportation and Public Works
Travel costs
Unemployment
Visas
Wages

Summary:
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: 
Border Security and Immigration Improvement Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish new visa programs for: (1) aliens who seek to enter the United States as temporary workers; and (2) undocumented aliens residing in the United States who seek to remain legally in the United States.
 
Authorizes additional funding for the United States Employment Service to assist States meet increased employment services resulting from the amendments made by this Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2004-04-07
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3927)
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9970-9973)
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9969-9970)
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Cumberland Island National Seashore Wilderness Boundary Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-1462
Sponsor: Sen. Chambliss, Saxby [R-GA]
Introduced: 2003-07-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Boundaries
Commerce
Concessions
Georgia
Government Operations and Politics
Land transfers
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
National seashores
Tourism
Transportation and Public Works
Wilderness areas

Summary:
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: 
Cumberland Island National Seashore Wilderness Boundary Act of 2003 - Designates certain land (excluding specified roadways) in the Cumberland Island Seashore as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System and names it the Cumberland Island Wilderness (the Wilderness). Directs the Secretary of the Interior (the Secretary) to include in the Wilderness specified land to be acquired and also certain other land once all prohibited uses on it have ceased. Directs that the Wilderness be administered by the Secretary in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Wilderness Act, with references to the Secretary of Agriculture in such Act where appropriate to be deemed references to the Secretary.
 
Allows: (1) persons with an existing right to utility service on Cumberland Island to retain such right in the Wilderness after the enactment of this Act; and (2) the Secretary to grant contracts, as deemed appropriate, for the provision of tours to visitors of the Cumberland Island National Seashore.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-10-30
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 108-278.
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9973-9974)
action_date: 2003-07-25
text: Introduced in Senate