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![Official portrait of Del. Christensen, Donna M. [D-VI-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c000380_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
3,919 records where Del. Christensen, Donna M. [D-VI-At Large] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2001
Recognizes the importance of veterans to the United States. Expresses support for the goals of Veterans Educate Today's Students Day (programs that educate children about the service of veterans and the sacrifices made by them and their families).
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2001 - Permits retired members of the armed forces with service-connected disabilities to be paid both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation. Repeals a special compensation program for certain severely disabled military retirees.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Removes the requirement that, in order to receive veterans' disability compensation for being disabled by treatment or vocational rehabilitation received through the Department of Veterans Affairs, an individual must apply within one year of such injury or disability.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Mammogram Availability Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to require a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer offering group coverage, that provides coverage for diagnostic mammographies for any woman 40 years old or older to provide coverage for annual screening mammographies for such a woman. Prohibits related enrollment and renewal discrimination, monetary incentives to women, and penalties or incentives to providers. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply those requirements and prohibitions to coverage offered by an issuer in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Right Start Act of 2001 - Extends authorizations of appropriations for: (1) the Head Start Act; (2) the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990; (3) funding for child care under the Social Security Act; and (4) the Early Learning Opportunities Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) revise the formula to increase the dependent care income tax credit for certain taxpayers, indexed for inflation, with an even greater credit for employment-related dependent care expenses; (2) allow a minimum dependent care income tax credit for stay-at-home parents; (3) provide for advance payment by the employer of an employee's dependent care income tax credit; and (4) allow a business-related tax credit for employer-provided child care expenditures. Family Income to Respond to Significant Transitions Insurance Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to make grants to a State or local government to pay for the Federal share of the cost of carrying out projects that assist families by providing wage replacement for eligible individuals responding to caregiving needs resulting from the birth or adoption of a son or daughter or other family caregiving needs. Family and Medical Leave Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to extend coverage to employees at worksites where the employer employs at least 25 (currently 50) employees at the worksite and within 75 miles of that worksite. Time for Schools Act of 2001 - Amends FMLA to allow employees covered by such Act to take up to 24 hours, during any 12-month period, of school involvement leave to participate in: (1) an academic activity of their child's school, such as a parent-teacher conference or an interview for a school; or (2) literacy training under a family literacy program. Amends Federal civil service law to provide the same school involvement leave allowance for Federal employees. Amends FMLA and Federal civil service law to entitle to leave those employees who must address the effects of domestic violence.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Provides coverage under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) for an unremarried former spouse of a member or former member of the armed forces who performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable service and who was married to the former spouse for at least 17 years during the period of such creditable service. Provides eligibility for the use of commissary stores for such former spouses.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Taxpayers' Cancer Research Funding Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain individuals to designate that five dollars (ten dollars in the case of joint returns) be paid over to the Breast and Prostate Cancer Research Fund established by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Broadband Internet Access Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the broadband credit which shall be the sum of: (1) the current generation broadband credit; plus (2) the next generation broadband credit. Defines terms.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Postmasters Fairness and Rights Act of 2001 - Amends Federal law to prescribe guidelines within which the Postal Service shall propose changes in pay policies, schedules, and fringe benefit programs affecting postmasters which are to be in effect during the period covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the Postal Service and certain recognized bargaining representatives. Grants certain qualified postmasters' organizations the right to participate in program planning and development pertaining to pay policies, schedules, and fringe benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2001
Benign Brain Tumor Cancer Registries Amendment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to add the collection of data on benign brain-related tumors to provisions authorizing grants to States for the operation of statewide registries (currently, statewide cancer registries).
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Educational Empowerment Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for qualified educational empowerment zone contributions. Allows the designation of up to 30 such zones. Bases designations on the degree of poverty. Establishes a teacher loan forgiveness program for mathematics and science teachers.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Keeping Our Promises to Special Education Act of 2001 - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to authorize funding to reach the Federal Government's goal of providing 40 percent of the national average per pupil expenditure to assist States and local educational agencies with the excess costs of educating children with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations for IDEA part B programs of assistance for education of all children with disabilities, in specified amounts for FY 2002 through 2006, and as necessary thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Violence Against Women Office Act - Establishes within the Department of Justice (DOJ) a Violence Against Women Office. Specifies the duties of the Office Director, including carrying out DOJ functions under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and on matters relating to violence against women.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Amends Federal employee provisions to include the following as an employee, for purposes of authorized enrollment under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: (1) a member of the armed forces who began service before June 7, 1956, and retired after a minimum of 20 years of such service or by reason of a service-connected disability; and (2) the surviving widow or widower of such member. Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide FEHB coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Law Enforcement Officers Flag Memorial Act of 2001 - Allows the family of a deceased law enforcement officer to request, and the Attorney General to provide, a U.S. flag flown over the Capitol in honor of the officer, to be supplied by the Architect of the Capitol. Directs that the family pay the cost of such flag, including shipping.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Includes within the definition of a "radiation-risk activity" for purposes of eligibility criteria for veterans' disability compensation the exposure to ionizing radiation due to residual contamination resulting from participation in a nuclear detonation, without regard to whether any particular level of radiation exposure was measured for that individual.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
National Improvement in Mathematics and Science Teaching Act of 2001 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish various programs for improvement of science and mathematics education. Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) make grants to States for improvement and recruitment of quality teachers in science and mathematics education; (2) make grants to States for professional development of mathematics and science teachers; (3) establish, in cooperation with the Director of the National Science Foundation, 15 John Glenn Academies, and make grants to such Academies for summer workshops for mathematics and science education teachers and for intensive, year-long fellowships for 3,000 individuals to prepare them to meet State certification requirements for teaching mathematics or science in grades seven through 12; (4) establish and operate a National Clearinghouse of Best Practices to coordinate successful and proven professional development opportunities for teachers, collect, and disseminate curricular materials, and undertake other activities to encourage teacher interest and involvement in professional development, particularly for mathematics and science teachers of grades seven through 12; (5) make grants to States to improve science and mathematics education, and encourage more students to enter the fields of mathematics, science, and technology; and (6) make grants to local educational agencies for subgrants to public elementary and secondary schools to promote both achievement equity and gender equity in mathematics and science education. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish: (1) a tax credit for businesses that employ science, mathematics, and technology teachers in summer fellowships related to their fields of teaching; and (2) a fair market value tax deduction for charitable contributions of science, mathematics, or technology equipment to public elementary and secondary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned to ensure that any person becoming a member of the armed forces is provided a written statement of retirement benefits, excluding any reservation of the right to change any such benefit. Requires any such person who retires from the armed forces to receive the benefits as described.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Book Stamp Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a grant program (based on certain State allocations under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990) to promote child literacy and improve children's access to books at home and in early learning and other child care programs, by making books available through such programs. Requires State agencies to use such grants to enter into contracts with local child care resource and referral agencies to: (1) provide payments for eligible early learning program and other child care providers, on the basis of local needs, to make books available; and (2) promote child literacy and improve children's access to books at home and in early learning and other child care programs. Allows State agencies to reserve a portion of grant funds to support a public awareness campaign relating to program activities. Amends Federal law relating to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to require USPS to establish special postage stamps for child literacy, at the regular first-class rate plus a differential amount, for voluntary use by patrons. Requires USPS to pay certain amounts raised by stamp sales to HHS for child literacy promotion activities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Younger Americans Act - Sets forth a national youth policy to assure that all youth have access to the full array of core resources, including: (1) ongoing relationships with caring adults; (2) safe places with structured activities in which to grow and learn; (3) services that promote healthy lifestyles, including those designed to improve physical and mental health; (4) opportunities to acquire marketable skills and competencies; and (5) opportunities for community service and civic participation. Establishes in the Executive Office of the President: (1) the Office of National Youth Policy ; (2) a Director of the Office; and (3) the Council on National Youth Policy within the Office. Directs the Associate Commissioner of the Family and Youth Services Bureau of the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services to make block grant allotments to States for State and community programs for youth to assure access to the five core resources listed in the national youth policy. Provides for reservations of funds for Native American organizations, outlying areas, and Federal discretionary programs to respond to needs of youth in correctional and other out-of-home settings, high poverty areas, rural areas, and other high-risk situations. Sets forth requirements for State agencies, planning and mobilization areas, distribution of funds for State activities and local allocations, community boards and area agencies on youth, area plans, grants and contracts to eligible entities, and youth development program activities. Authorizes awarding of grants and contracts to eligible entities for specified evaluation, education and training, research, and dissemination activities. Directs the Associate Commissioner to: (1) develop and establish systems for evaluating activities under this Act, and for providing education and training of personnel of States, area agencies, and community boards to work with youth; and (2) conduct an independent biennial evaluation of the impact of programs assisted under this Act and other initiatives to promote positive youth development.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Keeping Families Together Act of 2001 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (Act) to repeal the provision amending the definition of "aggravated felony," and restore provisions of law amended by such provision as if it had not been enacted, including residency-or status-related rights of an affected legal alien. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise detention of criminal alien provisions, effective as if included in the Act. Repeals, as if included in the Act: (1) certain provisions respecting termination of continuous presence or physical presence in the United States; and (2) the definition of "conviction." Authorizes the Attorney General to admit certain lawfully admitted permanent resident aliens returning to the United States who temporarily proceeded abroad voluntarily and not under an order of deportation or removal, effective as of a specified date, as if certain sections of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 had not been enacted. Revises provisions respecting judicial review of removal orders. Requires the Attorney General to establish a post-proceeding removal relief process for affected aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Women's Health Environmental Research Centers Act of 2000 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants for the development and operation of not more than six centers to conduct multidisciplinary research on environmental factors that may be related to the development of women's health conditions. Requires each center to conduct basic and clinical research, develop training protocols, conduct training, develop model continuing education programs, and disseminate information to professionals and the public, with priority to prevention activities. Allows a center to use grant funds for stipends for health and allied health professionals in that training. Requires each center to: (1) collaborate with community organizations; and (2) use the facilities of a single institution or be formed from a consortium of institutions. Limits support to five years but allows extensions if recommended by a technical and scientific peer review group appointed by the Institute's director. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Self-Employed Health Affordability Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the deduction allowed for the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals to 100 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Small Communities Assistance Act of 2001 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a small community advisory committee or reconstitute an existing small community advisory committee. Directs the Administrator to develop and implement a plan to increase the involvement of small communities in the regulatory review processes conducted under the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, and title II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995. Directs each EPA regional office to establish a Small Town Ombudsman Office. Requires the Administrator to distribute to small communities a guide to Federal environmental requirements for small communities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Medicare HMO Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with regard to contracts with Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) provide for extension of the initial Medicare+Choice contract period from one year to three years; and (2) require termination of any contract with an organization that terminates coverage for any part of a metropolitan statistical area (or a New England County Metropolitan Area). Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to delay the effectiveness of a Medicare+Choice organization's termination of its plan with respect to all individuals in an area, if: (1) the termination would cause an imminent and serious health risk to enrollees; (2) the termination would result in a significant reduction in the Medicare+Choice plans available in the area affected; or (3) the chief executive officer of the State in which the termination occurs requests such a delay. Provides for continuity of care, for a limited period, in certain cases of involuntary termination (other than for cause) of an individual's enrollment with a Medicare+Choice plan.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Amends titles XI and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) remove the cap on Medicaid payments for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa; and (2) adjust the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for those territories.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Armed Services Voting Act - Prohibits a State from refusing to count a ballot submitted in a Federal election by an absent uniformed services voter on the grounds that the ballot was improperly or fraudulently cast, unless the State finds clear and convincing evidence of fraud in the preparation or casting of the ballot by the voter.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Layoff Tax Relief Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income up to $2,500 of any "qualified severance payment." Defines such payment. Excludes from such definition payments exceeding $150,000.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Secure Democracy for All Americans Act - Establishes the Commission on the Comprehensive Study of Voting Procedures to study and report to the President and Congress on all issues relating to voting procedures in Federal, State, and local elections.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the full realization of the rights of women is vital to the development and well-being of people of all nations; and (2) the Senate should give its advice and consent to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that a commemorative postal stamp should be issued honoring Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2000
Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Beneficiary Protection Act of 2000 - Title I: Medicare Beneficiary Improvements - Subtitle A: Improved Preventive Benefits - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for: (1) coverage of biennial screening pap smear and pelvic exams; (2) coverage of screening for glaucoma; (3) coverage of screening colonoscopy for average risk individuals; (4) revision of payments and standards for screening mammography; (5) coverage of medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with diabetes or a renal disease; and (6) extension of Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) coverage for workers with disabilities. Subtitle B: Other Beneficiary Improvements - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for: (1) acceleration of reduction of beneficiary copayment for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services; (2) preservation of coverage of drugs and biologicals under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); (3) elimination of time limitation on Medicare benefits for immunosuppressive drugs; (4) imposition of billing limits on drugs; and (5) availability of application forms for medical assistance for Medicare cost-sharing. (Sec. 116) Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to provide for a waiver of 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage of individuals disabled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Subtitle C: Demonstration Projects and Studies - Outlines: (1) a Health and Human Services (HHS) demonstration project for disease management for severely chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries; (2) HHS demonstration projects for cancer prevention and treatment for ethnic and racial minorities; (3) a National Academy of Sciences study on the addition of coverage of routine thyroid screening using a thyroid stimulating hormone test as a preventive benefit provided to Medicare beneficiaries; (4) a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) study on consumer coalitions in marking Medicare+Choice (SSA title XVIII part C) plans; (5) an HHS study on the effect of limitations on State payment for Medicare cost-sharing on access to services for qualified Medicare beneficiaries; (6) HHS studies on preventive interventions in primary care for older Americans; and (7) a MEDPAC study on Medicare coverage of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation therapy services. Title II: Rural Health Care Improvements - Subtitle A: Critical Access Hospital Provisions - Amends SSA title XVII to: (1) prohibit beneficiary cost-sharing for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished by critical access hospitals; (2) increase the amount a critical access hospital may elect to be paid for outpatient critical access hospital (OCAH) services with respect to the fee schedule payment for OCAH professional services; (3) exempt critical access hospital swing beds from the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS); (4) provide for payment in critical access hospitals for emergency room on-call physicians; and (5) provide for the treatment of ambulance services furnished by certain critical access hospitals. (Sec. 206) Requires the General Accounting Office (GAO) to conduct a study on certain eligibility requirements for critical access hospitals. Subtitle B: Other Rural Hospitals Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services to provide for: (1) application of a uniform threshold for urban and rural hospitals to be classified as disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs) for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2001; (2) adjustment of payment formulas for various specified hospitals, including hospitals that are both sole community hospitals and rural referral centers for discharges occurring during such period; (3) an option to base eligibility for the Medicare dependent, small rural hospital program on discharges during two of the three most recently audited cost reporting periods; and (4) extension of the option to use rebased target amounts to all sole community hospitals. (Sec. 214) Directs MEDPAC, in its study and report to Congress on rural providers under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999, to analyze the impact of volume on the per unit cost of rural hospitals with psychiatric units, and recommend whether special treatment for such hospitals may be warranted. Subtitle C: Other Rural Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to special payment rules for particular items and services to provide transitional assistance for providers of ambulance services in rural areas. (Sec. 222) Amends SSA title XVIII part B with regard to the use of carriers for administration of benefits concerning payment for certain physician assistant services. (Sec. 223) Amends BBA'97 to: (1) set a time limit for Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services; and (2) provide for an expansion of Medicare payment for such services. (Sec. 224) Amends SSA title XVIII part B to provide for expanding access to rural health clinics. (Sec. 225) Directs MEDPAC to study the effect of low patient and procedure volume on the financial status of low-volume, isolated rural health care providers participating in Medicare. Title III: Provisions Relating to Part A - Subtitle A: Inpatient Hospital Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for elimination of the reduction in the PPS hospital payment update. (Sec. 301) Directs the Secretary, when rebasing and revising the hospital market basket index, to consider the prices of blood and blood products purchased by hospitals and to determine whether those prices are adequately reflected in such index. Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services and updating previous standardized amounts to provide for: (1) an adjustment for inpatient case mix changes; (2) modification of the transition for indirect medical education percentage adjustment for DSHs; and (3) decreases in reductions for DSH payments. (Sec. 304) Provides for a three-year effective period for any decision of the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board to reclassify a DSH for purposes of adjusting the diagnosis-related group (DRG) prospective payment rate for hospital wage level area differences for FY 2001 or any fiscal year thereafter. Requires the Secretary to establish procedures under which a DSH hospital may elect to terminate such reclassification before the end of such period. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a process under which an appropriate statewide entity may apply to have all the geographic areas in a State treated as a single geographic area for purposes of computing and applying the area wage index; and (2) provide for the collection of data every three years on occupational mix for employees of each DSH in the provision of inpatient hospital services in order to construct an occupational mix adjustment in the applicable hospital area wage index. (Sec. 305) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to prospective payment for inpatient rehabilitation hospital services and: (1) assistance with administrative costs associated with completion of patient assessment; as well as (2) a rehabilitation facility election to apply full prospective payment rate without phase-in. (Sec. 306) Provides that, with respect to the inpatient services of psychiatric hospitals and certain psychiatric units, in making incentive payments to such hospitals for cost reporting periods from October 1, 2000, through October 1, 2001, the Secretary shall increase the percent of the target amount used in determining such payments. (Sec. 307) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for: (1) increased target amounts and caps for long-term care hospitals before implementation of the PPS required under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 for payment for inpatient hospital services provided in long-term care hospitals; (2) alternative implementation of such PPS by the Secretary based on the use of existing hospital DRGs that have been modified; and (3) increase in the base payment for Puerto Rico DSH hospitals. Subtitle B: Adjustments to PPS Payments for Skilled Nursing Facilities - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment to SNFs for routine service costs to revise updating requirements, among other changes eliminating the reduction in the skilled nursing facility market basket update in 2001. (Sec. 311) Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the adequacy of Medicare payment rates to SNFs and the extent to which Medicare contributes to the financial viability of such facilities. (Sec. 312) Directs the Secretary to increase the nursing component of the case-mix adjusted Federal prospective payment rate specified in the final rule published in the Federal Register by the Health Care Financing Administration on July 31, 2000, effective for services furnished on or after April 1, 2001, and before October 1, 2002. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct an audit for Congress of nursing staffing ratios in a representative sample of Medicare SNFs. (Sec. 313) Amends SSA title XVIII to limit application of the SNF consolidated billing requirement to a period during which the resident is provided Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) covered post-hospital extended care services. Requires the Secretary to monitor payments made under Medicare part B for items and services furnished to SNF residents during a time in which they are not being provided Medicare covered post-hospital extended care services, in order to ensure that there is not duplicate billing for services or excessive services provided. (Sec. 314) Provides that, for purposes of computing payments for certain covered SNF services, the Secretary shall increase the adjusted Federal per diem rate for covered SNF services for specified RUG-III (resource utilization group) rehabilitation groups furnished to an individual during the period in which such individual is classified in such a RUG-III category. Directs the HHS Inspector General to review the Medicare payment structure for services classified within RUGs and report to Congress on whether payment incentives exist for the delivery of inadequate care. (Sec. 315) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a procedure for the geographic reclassification of a SNF for purposes of payment for covered SNF services under the PPS for SNFs for routine service costs. Subtitle C: Hospice Care - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a full market basket increase for hospice care for FY 2001 and 2002. (Sec. 322) Requires that the certification regarding an individual's terminal illness be based on the physician's or medical director's clinical judgment regarding the normal course of the illness. (Sec. 323) Directs MEDPAC to conduct a study on the factors affecting the use of hospice benefits under Medicare program and differences in such use between urban and rural hospice programs and based upon the presenting condition of the patient. Subtitle D: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a reduction in Medicare part A late enrollment premium increases (penalty) for a qualified State or local government retiree group in the case where a State, a local government, or an agency or instrumentality of a State or local government, determines to pay, for the life of each individual in such a group, the monthly premiums due. (Sec. 332) Outlines provisions for hospital geographic reclassification for labor costs applicable to other PPS systems and for grants to States for improvements in nursing home staffing and quality. Title IV: Provisions Relating to Part B - Subtitle A: Hospital Outpatient Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the PPS for hospital OPD services to provide for: (1) a full market basket increase for such services for 2001; (2) adjustment for service mix changes; (3) use of categories in determining eligibility of a device for pass-through payments; (4) application of OPD PPS transitional corridor payments to certain hospitals that did not submit a 1996 cost report; (5) treatment of children's hospitals under the PPS; (6) inclusion of temperature monitored cryoablation in transitional pass-through for certain medical devices, drugs, and biologicals under the PPS; and (7) the Secretary to create additional groups of covered OPD services that classify separately those procedures that utilize contrast media from those that do not. (Sec. 404) Provides that, for purposes of making determinations of provider-based status under Medicare on or after October 1, 2000, any facility or organization that is treated as provider-based in relation to a hospital or critical access hospital under Medicare as of October 1, 2000: (1) shall continue to be treated as provider-based in relation to such hospital or critical access hospital under Medicare during the two year period beginning on October 1, 2000; and (2) the requirements, limitations, and exclusions specified in appropriate Federal regulations detailing requirements for a determination that a facility or an organization has provider-based status shall not apply to such facility or organization in relation to such hospital or critical access hospital until after the end of such two- year period. Prohibits a facility or organization for which a determination of provider-based status in relation to a hospital or critical access hospital is requested during FY 2001 or 2002 from being treated as not having such status in relation to such a hospital for any period before a determination is made with respect to such status pursuant to such request and in making a determination with respect to such status for any facility or organization in relationship to such a hospital on or after October 1, 2000, the facility or organization shall be treated as satisfying any requirements and standards for geographic location in relation to such a hospital if the facility or organization: (1) satisfies appropriate Federal regulations pertaining to location in immediate vicinity or is located not more than 35 miles from the main campus of the hospital or critical access hospital; and (2) is owned and operated by a hospital or critical access hospital that meets specified criteria. Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Physicians' Services - Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study on: (1) the appropriateness of furnishing in physicians' offices specialist physicians' services which are ordinarily furnished in hospital outpatient departments; and (2) the refinements to the practice expense relative value units during the transition to a resource-based practice expense system for physician payments under Medicare. (Sec. 412) Amends SSA title XVIII to require the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects to test and, if proven effective, expand the use of incentives to health care groups participating in Medicare that: (1) encourage coordination of the care furnished to individuals under Medicare parts A and B by institutional and other providers, practitioners, and suppliers of health care items and services; (2) encourage investment in administrative structures and processes to ensure efficient service delivery; and (3) reward physicians for improving health outcomes. (Sec. 413) Directs the Comptroller General to study the current Medicare enrollment process for groups that retain independent contractor physicians with particular emphasis on hospital-based physicians. Subtitle C: Other Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a one-year extension of the moratorium on certain physical therapy services caps. (Sec. 421) Directs the Secretary to study the implications: (1) of eliminating the "in the room" supervision requirement for Medicare payment for services of physical therapy assistants supervised by physical therapists; and (2) of such requirement on the cap imposed under Medicare on physical therapy services. (Sec. 422) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to Medicare coverage for end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to increase the update for dialysis services furnished on or after January 1, 2001. Directs the Secretary to: (1) collect data and develop an ESRD market basket whereby the Secretary can estimate, before the beginning of a year, the percentage by which the costs for the year of the mix of labor and nonlabor goods and services included in the ESRD composite rate will exceed the costs of such mix for the preceding year; and (2) develop a system which includes in such composite rate, to the maximum extent feasible, payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and drugs that are routinely used in furnishing dialysis services to Medicare beneficiaries, but which are currently separately billable by renal dialysis facilities. (Sec. 423) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment for ambulance services to provide for: (1) restoration of the full consumer price index (CPI) increase for 2001; and (2) continued phase-in of the application of the payment rates under the ambulance services fee schedule in an efficient and fair manner; except that when the Secretary implements such fee schedule, such phase-in shall provide for full payment of any national mileage rate for ambulance services provided by suppliers that are paid by carriers in any of the 50 States where payment by a carrier for such services for all such suppliers in such State, before the fee schedule's implementation, did not include a separate amount for all mileage within the county from which the beneficiary is transported. (Sec. 424) Prohibits the Secretary from implementing a revised PPS for services of ambulatory surgical facilities before January 1, 2002. Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 with respect to the phase-in of the PPS for ambulatory surgical centers to: (1) extend the phase-in to four years; and (2) direct the Secretary, by January 1, 2003, to incorporate data from a 1999 Medicare cost survey or a subsequent cost survey for purposes of implementing or revising such PPS. (Sec. 425) Amends SSA title XVIII, with respect to special payment rules for particular items and services, to provide for: (1) the full update for durable medical equipment, orthotics, and prosthetics in 2001; and (2) addition of special payment provisions and requirements for prosthetics and certain custom fabricated orthotic items. (Sec. 428) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the replacement of, and payment for, prosthetic devices and parts. (Sec. 429) Directs the Comptroller General to study the reimbursement for drugs and biologicals under the current Medicare payment methodology and for related services under Medicare part B, with recommendations for revised payment methodologies. Directs the Secretary to revise such payment methodology based on such recommendations. (Sec. 430) Amends SSA title XVIII part D (Miscellaneous) to revise the qualifications for community mental health centers under provisions defining partial hospitalization services. (Sec. 431) Makes a hospital or a free-standing ambulatory care clinic, whether operated by the Indian Health Service or by an Indian tribe or tribal organization, eligible for payments for services for which payment is made under Medicare part B for physicians' services if and for so long as it meets all of the requirements which are applicable generally to such payments, services, hospitals, and clinics. (Sec. 432) Directs the Comptroller General to study the effect on Medicare and on Medicare beneficiaries of coverage of surgical first assisting services of certified registered nurse first assistants. (Sec. 433) Directs MEDPAC to study the appropriateness of: (1) the current Medicare payment rates for services provided by a certified nurse-midwife, a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner, and a clinical nurse specialist; and (2) Medicare coverage for services provided by a surgical technologist, a marriage counselor, a marriage and family therapist, a pastoral care counselor, and a licensed professional counselor of mental health. (Sec. 435) Directs the Comptroller General to study: (1) the costs of providing emergency and medical transportation services across the range of acuity levels of conditions for which such transportation services are provided; (2) the post-payment audit process under Medicare as such process applies to physicians; and (3) the aggregate effects of regulatory, audit, oversight, and paperwork burdens on physicians and other health care providers participating in Medicare. (Sec. 437) Directs MEDPAC to study the barriers to coverage and payment for outpatient interventional pain medicine procedures under Medicare. Title V: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Subtitle A: Home Health Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a two-year additional delay in the application of the 15 percent reduction on payment limits for home health services. (Sec. 501) Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 to delay for an additional year the 15 percent reduction in payment rates for home health services after implementation of the PPS. Requires the Comptroller General, instead of the Secretary (as currently required), to report to Congress an analysis of the need for such a reduction. Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the PPS for home health services concerning the annual update to provide for an adjustment for case mix changes. (Sec. 502) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for restoration of the full home health market basket update for home health services for FY 2001. Establishes a special rule for payment under the PPS for home health services for FY 2001 based on adjusted prospective payment amounts. (Sec. 503) Provides for a temporary two-month extension of periodic interim payments under BBA '97 in the case of a home health agency receiving periodic interim payments as of September 30, 2000. (Sec. 504) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the use of telehealth in the delivery of home health services. (Sec. 505) Directs the Comptroller General to study variations in prices paid by home health agencies furnishing home health services under Medicare in purchasing nonroutine medical supplies and volumes if such supplies used determine the effect (if any) of variations on prices and volumes in the provision of such services. (Sec. 506) Provides that, in determining for Medicare purposes whether an office of a home health agency constitutes a branch office or a separate home health agency, neither the time nor distance between a parent office of the home health agency and a branch office shall be the sole determinant of a home health agency's branch office status. (Sec. 507) Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the Medicare home health benefit to declare that absences from home to receive medical treatment shall not disqualify an individual from such benefit. (Sec. 508) Provides for a temporary payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area for2001 and 2002. Subtitle B: Direct Graduate Medical Education - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for an increase in the floor for direct graduate medical education payments for FY 2002. (Sec. 512) Changes the distribution formula for Medicare+Choice-related nursing and allied health education costs. Subtitle C: Changes in Medicare Coverage and Appeals Process - Amends SSA title XVIII to revise the Medicare appeals process. Provides for initial determinations of entitlement and benefits by the Secretary, by a utilization and quality control peer review organization, or by an independent contractor. Provides for redeterminations of denied benefit claims. Specifies appeal rights, including the right of an individual to request a medically exigent review from the contractor who made the initial determination. (Sec. 522) Provides for the review of coverage determinations under the Medicare appeals process. Amends SSA title XI to require any advisory committee on certain Medicare coverage exclusions to: (1) assure the full participation of a nonvoting member in its deliberations; and (2) provide such nonvoting member access to all information and data (with certain exceptions) made available to the committee's voting members. Provides that, if such committee organizes into panels of experts according to types of items or services, any such panel may report directly to the Secretary without prior approval. Subtitle D: Improving Access to New Technologies - Amends SSA title XVIII to establish a new payment rule for any clinical diagnostic laboratory test performed on or after January 1, 2001, that is a new test for which no limitation amount has previously been established. (Sec. 531) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish procedures for coding and payment determinations for the categories of new clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and new durable medical equipment under Medicare part B that permit public consultation in a manner consistent with the procedures established for implementing coding modifications for ICD-9-CM; and (2) report to Congress on the specific procedures used under Medicare part B to adjust payments for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and durable medical equipment which are classified to existing codes where, because of a technology advance, there has been a significant increase or decrease in the resources used in the test or in the manufacture of the equipment, and a significant improvement in test or equipment performance. (Sec. 532) Directs the Secretary to: (1) maintain and continue through December 31, 2003, the use of level III codes of the HCPCS (Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Common Procedure Coding System) coding system (as such system was in effect on August 16, 2000); and (2) make such codes publicly available. (Sec. 533) Directs the Secretary to: (1) report to Congress on methods of expeditiously incorporating new medical services and technologies into the clinical coding system used with respect to Medicare payment for inpatient hospital services, together with a detailed description of the Secretary's preferred methods to achieve this purpose; and (2) implement such preferred methods. Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to establish a mechanism to recognize the costs of new medical services and technologies with respect to inpatient hospital services under the hospital reimbursement control system. Subtitle E: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to reduce from 45 percent to 30 percent the reduction in the amount of bad debts otherwise treated as allowable costs attributable to the deductibles and coinsurance amounts under Medicare for FY 2001 and subsequent fiscal years in determining the reasonable costs of outpatient hospital services (thus increasing by 15 percent the amount that may be reimbursed). (Sec. 542) Provides for the treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare. (Sec. 543) Amends SSA title XI to make permanent the authority for the Secretary to issue written advisory opinions under provisions for guidance regarding application of health care fraud and abuse sanctions. (Sec. 544) Amends SSA title XVIII to make various specified changes in annual MEDPAC reporting with regard to revision of deadlines for submission of reports and on the record votes on recommendations. (Sec. 545) Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the development of standard instruments for the assessment of the health and functional status of patients, for whom specified items and services are furnished. (Sec. 546) Directs the Comptroller General to report to specified congressional committees on the effect of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act on hospitals, emergency physicians, and physicians covering emergency department call throughout the United States. (Sec. 547) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to agreements with providers of services to provide for the application of the bloodborne pathogen standard to certain hospitals. Title VI: Provisions Relating to Part C (Medicare+Choice Program) and Other Medicare Managed Care Provisions - Subtitle A: Medicare+Choice Payment Reforms - Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) increase the payment amount for 2001 through 2003 for accountable Medicare+Choice coordinated care plans; and (2) provide for a ten-year phase-in of risk adjustment. (Sec. 603) Provides for a transition to revised Medicare+Choice payment rates. (Sec. 604) Amends SSA title XVIII part C to provide for revision of payment rates for ESRD patients enrolled in Medicare+Choice plans. (Sec. 605) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to premiums to permit Medicare part B premium reductions as additional benefits under Medicare+Choice plans. (Sec. 606) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) ensure full implementation of risk adjustment methodology for congestive heart failure enrollees for 2001; and (2) provide for the expansion of the application of Medicare+Choice's new entry bonus. (Sec. 608) Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on a method to phase-in the costs of military facility services furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and those furnished by the Department of Defense, to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in the calculation of an area's Medicare+Choice capitation payment. Subtitle B: Other Medicare+Choice Reforms - Amends SSA title XVIII part C to provide for payment of additional amounts for new Medicare+Choice benefits covered during a contract term. (Sec. 612) Prohibits the Secretary from implementing, other than at the beginning of a calendar year, regulations that impose significant regulatory requirements on a Medicare+Choice organization or plan. (Sec. 613) Provides for timely approval of marketing material that follows model marketing language, and for avoiding duplicative regulation with respect to plan requirements. (Sec. 615) Provides that, in the case of a Medicare+Choice organization that offers a Medicare+Choice plan in an area in which more than one local coverage policy is applied with respect to different parts of the area, the organization may elect to have the local coverage policy for the part of the area that is most beneficial to Medicare+Choice enrollees apply with respect to all Medicare+Choice enrollees enrolled in the plan. (Sec. 616) Requires: (1) the quality assurance program under the Medicare+Choice program to include a separate focus on racial and ethnic minorities; and (2) the Secretary to submit to Congress a report regarding how such quality assurance programs focus on racial and ethnic minorities. (Sec. 617) Authorizes the Secretary to waive or to modify requirements that hinder the design of, the offering of, or enrollment in Medicare+Choice plans under contracts between Medicare+Choice organizations and employers, labor organizations, or the trustees of a fund established by one or more employers or labor organizations (or combination thereof) to furnish benefits to the entity's employees, former employees (or combination thereof) or to members or former members (or combination thereof) of the labor organizations. (Sec. 618) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with regard to special Medicare supplemental health insurance enrollment anti-discrimination provision for certain beneficiaries. (Sec. 619) Amends SSA title XVIII part C to restore the effective date of elections and changes of elections of Medicare+Choice plans. (Sec. 620) Permits ESRD beneficiaries to enroll in another Medicare+Choice plan if the plan in which they are enrolled is terminated. (Sec. 621) Provides that, in covering post-hospital extended care services, a Medicare+Choice plan shall provide for such coverage through a home SNF if: (1) the enrollee elects to receive such coverage through such SNF; and (2) the SNF has a contract with the Medicare+Choice organization for the provision of such services, or the SNF agrees to accept substantially similar payment under the same terms and conditions that apply to similarly situated SNFs under contract with the Medicare+Choice organization through which the enrollee would otherwise receive such services. (Sec. 622) Directs HCFA's Chief Actuary to review the actuarial assumptions and data used by the Medicare+Choice organization with respect to such rates, amounts, and values to determine the appropriateness of such assumptions and data. (Sec. 623) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for civil monetary penalties for contract default by a Medicare+Choice organization. Subtitle C: Other Managed Care Reforms - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 to provide for a one-year extension of the social health maintenance organization demonstration project authority. (Sec. 632) Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 to provide for revised terms and conditions for extension of Medicare community nursing organization demonstration project. (Sec. 633) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to provide for a two-year extension of Medicare municipal health services demonstration projects. (Sec. 634) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with regard to payments to health maintenance organizations and competitive medical plans and service area expansion for Medicare cost contracts during transition period. Title VII: Medicaid - Amends SSA title XIX with respect to DSH payments and: (1) continuation of Medicaid DSH allotments at FY 2000 levels for FY 2001 and 2002; and (2) a special rule for Medicaid DSH allotment for extremely low DSH States. (Sec. 701) Outlines provisions for: (1) assuring identification of Medicaid managed care patients for purposes of making DSH payments; (2) application of the Medicaid DSH transition rule to public hospitals in all States; (3) assistance for certain public hospitals; and (4) DSH payment accountability standards. (Sec. 702) Amends SSA title XIX to create a new PPS for Federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics. (Sec. 703) Amends SSA XI to establish an approval process for a State's application for an extension of any State-wide comprehensive demonstration project for which a waiver of compliance with Medicaid requirements is granted. (Sec. 704) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 with respect to Medicaid county-organized health systems. (Sec. 705) Directs the Secretary to issue a final regulation based on the proposed rule announced on October 5, 2000, that: (1) modifies the upper payment limit test applied to State Medicaid spending for inpatient hospital services, outpatient hospital services, nursing facility services, intermediate care facility services for the mentally retarded, and clinic services by applying an aggregate upper payment limit to payments made to government facilities that are not State-owned or operated facilities; and (2) provides for a specified transition period. (Sec. 706) Prescribes a formula for the Federal medical assistance percentage for Alaska for purposes of SSA titles XIX and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP), which shall apply only for FY 2001 through 2005. (Sec. 707) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for optional coverage of legal immigrants under Medicaid. (Sec. 708) Makes additional entities qualified to determine Medicaid presumptive eligibility for low-income children. (Sec. 709) Provides for a one year extension of provisions on eligibility for medical assistance under Medicaid. (Sec. 710) Includes as Medicaid medical assistance any services furnished by a physician assistant which the assistant is legally authorized to perform under State law and with the supervision of a physician. (Sec. 711) Gives States the option of allowing families of disabled children to purchase Medicaid coverage for such children. Title VIII: State Children's Health Insurance Program - Amends SSA title XXI to: (1) establish a rule for redistribution and extended availability of unused FY 1998 and 1999 SCHIP allotments; (2) provide authority to pay Medicaid expansion SCHIP costs from SCHIP appropriations; (3) eliminate requirement to reduce a SCHIP allotment by Medicaid expansion SCHIP costs; (4) provide authority to transfer SCHIP appropriations to the Medicaid appropriation account as reimbursement for Medicaid expenditures for Medicaid expansion SCHIP services; and (5) provide optional coverage of certain legal immigrants under SCHIP. Title IX: Other Provisions - Subtitle A: PACE Program - Amends BBA '97 with respect to programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE programs) to provide for an extension of transition for the current PACE demonstration project waiver authority. (Sec. 902) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payments to, and coverage of benefits under, PACE programs, and regulations and use of PACE protocol to provide for the continuation of modifications or waivers of operational requirements under demonstration status. (Sec. 903) Directs the Secretary to approve or deny a request for a modification or a waiver of provisions of the PACE protocol not later than 90 days after the Secretary receives the request, in order to provide flexibility in exercising waiver authority. Permits the Secretary to exercise authority to modify or to waive such provisions in a manner that responds promptly to the needs of PACE programs relating to areas of employment and the use of community-based primary care physicians in order to provide flexibility in exercising waiver authority. Subtitle B: Outreach to Eligible Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries - Amends SSA title XI to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to: (1) conduct outreach efforts to identify individuals entitled to Medicare benefits who may be eligible for medical assistance for payment of the cost of Medicare cost-sharing under Medicaid; and (2) notify such individuals of the availability of such medical assistance. (Sec. 911) Directs the Comptroller General to study the impact of such outreach efforts on the enrollment of individuals for Medicare cost-sharing under Medicaid. Subtitle C: Maternal and Child Health Block Grant - Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to increase the authorization of appropriations for the Maternal and Child Health Services block grant for FY 2001 and each fiscal year thereafter. Subtitle D: Diabetes - Amends the Public Health Service Act to increase FY 2001 through 2003 appropriations for special diabetes programs for children with type I diabetes and for special diabetes programs for Indians. (Sec. 931) Amends BBA '97 to extend the final report on diabetes grant programs. (Sec. 932) Amends the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998 to make appropriations to the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund for FY 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2000
Military Decoration Preservation Act - Requires that, if any unclaimed military decoration is escheated to a State, the person having custody shall deliver the decoration to the Secretary of the military department concerned, instead of to an official of such State. Requires such Secretary to maintain such custody, and authorizes such Secretary to provide for the display of such decoration in any museum or exhibition, including State and military museums. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to provide an exemption in the case of a State which has in effect: (1) a requirement that an appropriate State official maintain beneficial ownership of such property; and (2) a prohibition on the sale of such decoration. Allows persons claiming an interest in such a decoration to file a claim with the Secretary concerned. Excludes such decorations from estates for purposes of the bankruptcy laws.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2000
Veterans Commemoration Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue a maximum of 500,000 $1 coins to commemorate the service of veterans of the United States armed forces. Mandates that the proceeds from sale surcharges be paid promptly to the Disabled American Veterans to fund the transportation of veterans to and from hospitals administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2000
Authorizes Frederick Douglass Gardens, Inc., to establish a memorial and gardens on Department of the Interior lands in the District of Columbia or its environs in honor and commemoration of Frederick Douglass.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2000
Fairness for National Guard Technicians Act - Requires National Guard military technicians (dual status) who are eligible, at the time dual status is lost, to an unreduced retirement annuity and are age 60 or older to be separated no later than 30 days after such status is lost. Requires such technicians who are not eligible to an unreduced annuity or who are not under age 60 at such time to be offered the opportunity to either reapply for a dual status position or apply for a civil service position that is not a technician position. States that a technician shall be considered to lose dual status upon: (1) being separated from the Selected Reserve; or (2) ceasing to hold the military grade specified for the technician position held.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2000
Vaccines for the New Millennium Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a limited vaccine research credit and a limited lifesaving vaccine sales credit.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2000
Possessions Waste Management Improvement Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a limited possessions waste management electricity credit for electricity produced by certain waste management facilities in U.S. possessions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2000
Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act - Revises the bloodborne pathogens standard, in effect under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA), to include safer medical devices, such as sharps with engineered sharps injury protections and needleless systems, as examples of engineering controls designed to eliminate or minimize occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens through needlestick and other percutaneous injuries. Requires certain employers to: (1) review and update exposure control plans to reflect changes in technology that eliminate or reduce such exposure, and document their consideration and implementation of appropriate commercially available and effective safer medical devices for such purpose; (2) maintain a sharps injury log, noting the type and brand of device used, where the injury occurred, and an explanation of the incident (exempting employers who are not required to maintain specified OSHA logs); and (3) seek input on such engineering and work practice controls from the affected health care workers (exempting employers who are not required to establish exposure control plans). Requires such modifications of the standard to: (1) be in force until superseded by regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Labor under OSHA; and (2) take effect without regard to specified procedural requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2000
Day Laborer Fairness and Protection Act - Requires day labor service agencies to provide notice of the wage rate expected to be paid by each third party employer using their services. Requires the wage rate for such third party employers to equal the rate paid to their permanent employees who perform substantially equivalent work, with due consideration given to seniority, experience, skills and qualifications. Requires day laborers to be paid by third party employers at a wage rate not less than that stated in the agency notice for all work performed for such employers, including work contained in the detailed description issued under notification requirements of this Act. Prohibits employers from reducing the wage rate of any employee in order to comply with requirements of this Act. Sets forth requirements for: (1) agency payments to day laborers for excessive processing time; (2) civil damages and criminal penalties for certain employer violations; (3) itemized wage statements, annual earnings summaries, and optional payment schedules; (4) no charges for cashing wage payment checks or for overpayments; (5) nondiscrimination; (6) adequate seating, restrooms and water in waiting areas; (7) no restrictions on worker acceptance of permanent positions, but allowance placement fees paid to agencies by employers; (8) health care liability for injuries on the job or in transit; (9) agency notices, including employer lists and descriptions of jobs, wages, and other working conditions; (10) equitable expenses for day laborer meals, transportation, and equipment; (11) agency registration with the Secretary of Labor; and (12) Department of Labor enforcement of this Act. Amends the National Labor Relations Act to make it an unfair labor practice for employers to offer and grant: (1) permanent replacement employee status or other employment preferences to individuals for performing bargaining unit work for the employer during a labor dispute; or (2) any employment preference based on an individual's being employed, or having indicated a willingness to be employed, during a labor dispute, over any employee who was there at dispute commencement, has exercised rights through the labor organization involved in the dispute, and is working for the employer, or has unconditionally offered to return to such work.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2000
Home Health Refinement Amendments of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) eliminate the 15 percent reduction in payment rates under the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for home health services; (2) provide for additional payments for outliers; (3) provide for additional payments under the PPS for home health services furnished in a rural area; (4) provide for exclusion of nonroutine medical supplies under the PPS for home health services; and (5) set forth a rule of construction relating to telehomehealth services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to Congress on the feasibility and advisability of including home health services furnished by telecommunications systems as a home health service.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2000
Community Character Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish a program to provide grants to States to assist in the development or revision of land use planning legislation and the creation or revision of State comprehensive land use plans or plan elements. Requires grant funds to be used to obtain technical assistance in: (1) drafting such legislation; (2) research and development for land use planning programs and requirements relating to the development of State guide plans; (3) conducting workshops, educating and consulting policy makers, and involving citizens in the planning process; and (4) integrating State and regional concerns and land use plans with such Federal plans. Requires each Federal land management agency to designate, provide information to, and participate in community events as requested by, a coordinator to work with State planning directors on funded projects.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2000
Veterans Comprehensive Hepatitis C Health Care Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, during the first year after the enactment of this Act, to provide a blood test for the Hepatitis C virus to: (1) each veteran who served on active military duty during the Vietnam era, is enrolled to receive veterans' medical care, and requests such care or is otherwise receiving a physical examination or any other care or treatment from the Secretary; and (2) any other veteran who so requests. Requires the Secretary, after such period, to provide such test to any veteran who presents one or more risk factors for such virus and who requests the test. Requires the Secretary to provide appropriate treatment protocol for any veteran who tests positive, without regard to whether the virus is determined to be service-connected and without regard to the veteran's priority group categorization. Prohibits a copayment from being charged for such treatment. Requires the Secretary to: (1) perform a liver biopsy test on a positive-testing veteran as a follow- up test; (2) upon request, provide a Hepatitis C genotype test before beginning virus treatment; (3) employ at each Department of Veterans Affairs medical center at least one full-time gastroenterologist or hepatologist to conduct such tests; and (4) ensure that each center has at least one staff member assigned to coordinate treatment options and provide information to positive-testing patients. Provides funding for Department Hepatitis C detection and treatment programs, beginning with FY 2001. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and implement a standardized Department policy with respect to such virus; and (2) annually take appropriate outreach actions to notify untested veterans. Directs the Secretary to establish at least one and no more than three Hepatitis C centers of excellence within the Department health care network. Provides centers' funding.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2000
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to repeal the cap on Medicaid payments for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. Increases the minimum Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) (including for such territories) from 50 percent to 77 percent .
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2000
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to revise clock and watch provisions to require the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior, jointly, for each calendar quarter beginning after January 1, 2001, and before January 1, 2015, to: (1) verify for the preceding calendar quarter both the wages paid by each producer to permanent residents of the insular possessions (including the value of any fringe benefits) and the total quantity and value of watches produced there and imported into the U.S. customs territory; and (2) issue to each producer a certificate for the applicable amount. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, at the election of the certificate holder, to pay to the holder the face value of the certificate, less the value of any duty refund claimed by the holder under the certificate, plus a discount of not more than two percent of the face value of the certificate as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
District of Columbia and United States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar Program Act - Amends Federal monetary law to mandate that quarter dollar coins issued beginning in 2009 have designs on the reverse side emblematic of the District of Columbia and the territories: (1) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; (2) Guam; (3) American Samoa; (4) the United States Virgin Islands; and (5) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Prescribes implementation guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Affordable HIV-AIDS Medicines for Poor Countries Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to encourage developing countries (including sub-Saharan African countries) and pharmaceutical companies to make HIV-AIDS pharmaceuticals and medical technologies available to people who live in such countries without charge or at affordable prices. Sets forth certain restrictions and limitations, including that: (1) appropriated funds made available to U.S. agencies may not be obligated to seek the revocation or revision of any intellectual property or competition law or policy of a developing country (including any sub- Saharan African country) that regulates HIV-AIDS pharmaceuticals or medical technologies if such law or policy promotes access to such drugs and technologies to the country's population; and (2) the USTR may not initiate a proceeding in the World Trade Organization (WTO) challenging and law or policy of a developing country (including a sub-Saharan African country) that promotes access to HIV-AIDS pharmaceuticals or medical technologies to the population of the country. Requires the President to direct the U.S. representative to the WTO to urge the WTO and member countries to exempt developing countries (including sub-Saharan African countries) from the application of any provision of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights or any other international agreement relating to intellectual property rights that would prohibit or restrict such countries from establishing or implementing any law or policy that promotes access to HIV-AIDS pharmaceuticals or medical technologies to their population.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Conveys all U.S. rights, title, and interests in and to submerged lands in the area between the island of Saint Croix and the islands of Saint Thomas and Saint John to the Government of the Virgin Islands.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2000
Access to Capital for Individuals With Disabilities Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to include the expansion of business development by individuals with disabilities among the public policy goals of State development companies.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2000
Voting Rights Clarification Act of 2000 - Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to state that the purpose of denying or abridging the voting right is not limited to the purpose or intent to retrogress but can be any purpose or intent to discriminate.