Anti-spam bill among 7 Bush will sign

updated 12:03 p.m. ET Dec. 16, 2003

WASHINGTON - President Bush is clearing his desk before the holidays, signing seven bills that will stem the flood of unwanted e-mail pitches, help needy families buy their first homes and give flight attendants lessons in self-defense.

In the Oval Office on Tuesday morning, Bush was to sign the so-called “can spam” legislation. Passed by Congress earlier this month, the measure outlaws the persistent techniques used by e-mailers who send tens of millions of messages each day to peddle their products and services.

The bill would supplant tougher anti-spam laws already passed in some states, including California. It also encourages the Federal Trade Commission to create a do-not-spam list of e-mail addresses and includes penalties for spammers of up to five years in prison in rare circumstances.

“Spam and unsolicited e-mails are annoying to consumers and are costly to U.S. business,” Claire Buchan, deputy White House press secretary said. “This legislation will help address the problems associated with the growth and abuse of spam.”

In the afternoon, the president was to go to the Department of Housing and Urban Development to sign the American Dream Downpayment Act. It is aimed at helping families that can afford monthly mortgage payments but not the initial costs associated with buying a house.

Three-fourths of non-minority Americans own their own homes, but less than half of blacks, Hispanics and other minorities are homeowners. Through grants to state and local governments, low-income families would receive an average of about $5,000 to be help cover downpayment and closing costs on a first home.

The other bills Bush will sign are:

• AVIATION SPENDING: The Bush administration agreed to shield all air traffic control jobs from privatization for a year to get Congress to approve a $60 billion aviation spending bill. It calls for self-defense training for flight attendants and giving cargo pilots permission to carry guns. The legislation provides $14 billion for airport construction projects, including $140 million to help small communities attract and retain air service, and $308 million to ensure air service to isolated communities. It also sets aside $2 billion for airports to install bomb-screening machines as part of automated bag-handling systems to speed luggage checks.

• BLACK HISTORY MUSUEM: The measure establishes a national museum of black history and culture as part of the Smithsonian Institution. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and a former civil rights leader, had introduced legislation in each Congress since 1988 to create the museum. The estimated $400 million initial price tag would be split evenly between federal government and private sources. The bill authorizes $17 million in the first year to start the project. Bush’s signature clears the way for fund raising and for the Smithsonian Board of Regents to choose a site.

• PEDIATRIC EQUITY RESEARCH ACT: The legislation gives the Food and Drug Administration additional authority to require pediatric studies to ensure safe use of medicines in children. It allows the FDA to require testing of drugs for use in children when drug firms do not test them voluntarily.
  
• VETERANS BENEFITS: The bill expands benefits for disabled veterans, their surviving spouses and children. It gives more money to disabled veterans to adapt their homes and cars to their living conditions, changing the car grant from $9,000 to $11,000, and increasing the housing grants from $48,000 to $50,000 for the most severely disabled veterans and from $9,250 to $10,000 for less severely disabled veterans.
  
• HOMETOWN HEROES SURVIVORS BENEFITS: The measure offers federal aid to the families of fire, police and emergency medical personnel who die of heart attacks or strokes on duty. Under the federal Public Safety Officers Benefits program at the Justice Department, families of these workers can receive a one-time benefit of $267,494 when their relative is killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty.

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