United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1997
National Park Improvement Act of 1997 - Requires all escrowed oil and gas revenues received by the United States pursuant to the June 19, 1997, decision by the Supreme Court in United States of America v. State of Alaska to be deposited in the National Park Improvement Account and made available, without further appropriations, to be expended by the Secretary of the Interior for purposes of improving the National Park System. Requires such funds to be used for projects which are consistent with the applicable General Management Plan for the park unit involved and to be allocated for the highest priority projects pursuant to the project priority list maintained by the National Park Service.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1997
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) trafficking in persons violates the fundamental principles of human dignity and that forced prostitution involving coercion or debt bondage constitutes a form of forced labor and a slavery-like practice; (2) the State Department or other appropriate Government agencies should investigate, combat, and report to the Congress annually on trafficking of women and girls and forced prostitution; (3) the international working group formed as a result of the World Congress on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children should continue its efforts; (4) the executive branch should take steps to assure that weapons and equipment provided or sold to the Thai police do not become available to members of forces involved in trafficking, forced prostitution, or abuse of women and girls who are apprehended; (5) the United States Agency for International Development should target a portion of its assistance to Thailand for AIDS prevention and control to the foreign population in Thailand, particularly Burmese women and girls in the Thai sex industry; and (6) the State Department should take specified steps, such as urging the Thai Government to strictly enforce the law criminalizing brothel operators, procurers, Thai police complicity in forced prostitution, and customers of women and children trafficked for the purpose of forced prostitution.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1997
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to reserve for training teachers and librarians in using technology at least 20 percent of certain funds for local programs for school technology resources.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1997
Women's Cardiovascular Diseases Research and Prevention Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to mandate expansion, intensification, and coordination of research and related activities of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute with regard to cardiovascular diseases in women. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1997
Jobs and Exports Renewal Act of 1997 - Sets forth policy recommendations for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to extend through FY 1999 OPIC's authority to issue investment insurance and guarantees. Revises maximum contingent liability requirements for such insurance and guarantees to specify a single maximum contingent liability outstanding at any time for investment insurance, investment guaranties, and direct investment of $29 million in the aggregate. Declares that no OPIC-approved loan, financial guarantee, or insurance commitment exceeding $200 million should be effective unless OPIC submits to the Congress a detailed statement describing the transaction at least 35 days before it becomes effective. Establishes the Commission on Foreign Export and Investment Promotion to assess, and report to the Congress on, the impact on U.S. economic and foreign policy interests of Federal agencies and programs which promote foreign export and investment opportunities for U.S. business concerns. Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to establish within OPIC an Office of Inspector General with responsibility over the Trade and Development Agency. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to revise the composition of the OPIC Board of Directors. Amends the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 to require the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC) to develop a Federal trade promotion plan that, among other things, shall: (1) identify the means for providing more coordinated export promotion services to small and medium-sized businesses; and (2) establish a set of priorities to promote U.S. exports to, and free market reforms in, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and other emerging markets, that are designed to stimulate job growth both in the United States and those regions and emerging markets. Requires the TPCC to: (1) identify areas of overlap and duplication among Federal export promotion activities and report on actions to eliminate such overlap and duplication; and (2) report to the Congress on actions taken to promote better coordination among State, Federal, and private sector export promotion activities.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1997
Takes into trust for the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma certain land in Oklahoma (part of the original Cheyenne-Arapaho reservation known as the Fort Reno Military Reservation) and authorizes the lease of all or part of such land to the Bureau of Prisons in connection with the Federal Reformatory at El Reno, Oklahoma. Sets forth improvements and easement provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1997
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Research, Treatment, and Assistance Act of 1997 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for a waiver of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage for individuals disabled by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to provide for Medicare coverage of any drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the treatment or alleviation of ALS-related symptoms. Authorizes appropriations, in addition to any already available, for ALS research through the National Institutes of Health.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1997
Celebrates the accomplishments of: (1) title IX of the Education Act Amendments of 1972 in increasing opportunities for women and girls in all facets of education; and (2) the magnificent accomplishments of women and girls in sports.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1997
Give Surviving Spouses of Veterans a Chance to Remarry Act of 1997 - Makes a remarried surviving spouse of a veteran eligible for reinstatement of dependency and indemnity compensation if the remarriage is terminated by death or divorce, unless the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines that the divorce was secured through fraud by the surviving spouse or collusion. Provides that if the surviving spouse of a veteran ceases living with another person and holding himself or herself out openly to the public as that person's spouse, the bar to such compensation shall not apply.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1997
Point Reyes National Seashore Farmland Protection Act of 1997 - Amends Federal law to include the Farmland Protection Area in the Point Reyes National Seashore, California, with the primary objective being to protect private agricultural land from nonagricultural development by conservation easements. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make farmland acquisitions within the Area. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1997
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program to provide low-income, minority, and disadvantaged college students with information, preparation, and financial assistance to gain access to and complete law school study. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with, or make a grant to, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, for at least a five-year period, to deliver specified services under such program, directly and through subgrants and subcontracts. Directs the Secretary to establish annually the maximum stipend to be paid to Thurgood Marshall Fellows for the period of prelaw preparation in summer institutes and midyear seminar prior to and during the period of law school study. Sets forth the maximum amount of grants for such program services for any fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1997
Urges the Federal Communications Commission to issue a notice of inquiry to seek comment and gather facts related to issues raised by the introduction of distilled spirits advertising on television and radio, with a particular focus on the effects of such advertisements on children and teenagers.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1997
Young American Workers' Bill of Rights - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to revise and increase requirements relating to child labor standards, including: (1) reporting, recordkeeping, and certification; (2) orders and regulations; (3) penalties; (4) coverage regardless of sales volume; (5) civil actions; and (6) migrant or seasonal agricultural labor. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) compile (jointly with the Census Bureau) annual child labor data with respect to individuals under age 18; (2) provide for coordination among enforcement personnel for Federal and State labor standards, occupational health and safety laws, and Federal immigration laws; (3) establish an Advisory Committee for Child Labor; and (4) publicize violators of child labor laws. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1997
Disadvantaged Minority Health Improvement Amendments Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to replace certain provisions relating to the Office of Minority Health with provisions establishing the Advisory Committee on Minority Health. Regulates the Office's activities, including regarding: (1) bilingual assistance to providers (mandating special consideration to those serving Asians and Pacific Islanders); (2) equitable allocation of grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts among racial and minority populations; (3) provision of information and services in the most appropriate language, educational, and cultural context; (4) the making of grants, cooperative agreements, contracts; and (5) evaluations. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 3) Requires: (1) that the Office of Research on Minority Health of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) coordinate minority health research conducted or supported by NIH; (2) a comprehensive research plan; (3) equitable addressing of all racial and ethnic minority groups; (4) establishment of the Advisory Committee on Research on Minority Health; (5) determination of the extent of minority representation among senior physicians and scientists of (or conducting research with funding from) the national research institutes; (6) that all grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts be competitively awarded; and (7) expansion of the Minority Health Initiative. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 4) Authorizes appropriations for: (1) the National Center for Health Statistics; (2) grants to States for demonstration programs to increase the availability of primary care in health professional shortage areas; (3) Federal capital contributions to health professions student loan funds; (4) scholarships for health professions students of exceptional financial need; (5) grants to health professions schools for scholarships for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds; (6) educational loan repayments in return for serving as faculty at health professions schools; (7) grants and contracts to increase the number of underrepresented minority faculty at health professions schools; (8) grants to health professions schools for programs of excellence for minority individuals; (9) grants and contracts for health professions schools for recruiting, counseling, preparing, and providing scholarships to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds; (10) grants and contracts for research on the extent to which medical student educational debt has had a detrimental effect on students' decisions on entering primary care specialties. (Sec. 5) Mandates a conference on matters relating to the health of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1997
Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 1997 - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by covered entities, including an employing authority or office to which specified provisions of the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991 or the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 apply. Prohibits related retaliation and coercion. Declares that: (1) this Act does not apply to the provision of employee benefits for the benefit of an employee's partner; and (2) a disparate impact does not establish a prima facie violation of this Act. Prohibits: (1) quotas and preferential treatment; and (2) the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from entering into a consent decree that includes a quota or preferential treatment. Declares that this Act does not apply to: (1) religious organizations (except regarding employment in a position the duties of which pertain solely to activities of the organization that generate unrelated business income subject to taxation under specified Internal Revenue Code provisions); (2) the armed forces; or (3) laws creating special rights or preferences for veterans. Provides for enforcement. Disallows State immunity. Makes the United States or a State liable for all remedies (except punitive damages, with compensatory damages available to the extent specified in certain existing provisions of law) to the same extent as under specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Allows recovery of attorney's fees. Requires posting notices for employees and applicants.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1997
Tribal Self-Governance Amendments of 1997 - Amends the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the Tribal Self-Governance program within HHS to provide for further self- governance by Indian tribes. Sets forth program requirements and related provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1997
Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a group health plan (and a health insurer providing coverage under a group plan) from imposing an aggregate dollar lifetime limit less than specified amounts. Exempts plans offered to or maintained for employees of employers with fewer than 20 employees.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1997
Recognizes the: (1) value of continued friendly relations between the United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands; and (2) importance of ongoing measures to address, in accordance with the legal settlement set forth in the Compact of Free Association of 1985, the impact on such Islands of the nuclear testing program. Expresses the intent of Congress: (1) to maintain, through appropriate mutually agreed political and economic measures, the long-term military alliance and strategic partnership defined by the Compact as a primary element of bilateral relations in the future; and (2) through its oversight responsibilities and the exercise of its constitutional authority regarding negotiation and approval of bilateral agreements with respect to the Compact's provisions which expire in 2001, to exercise vigilance in preserving the strategic U.S. interests in ensuring that the friendship between the Islands and the United States is sustained as mutually agreed pursuant to their respective constitutional processes.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1997
Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to use amounts in the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund (established under this Act) to provide financial assistance for projects for the conservation of Asian elephants for which final project proposals are approved by the Secretary. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) requirements for project proposals; (2) project review and approval; (3) reporting requirements for recipients of assistance provided by this Act; and (4) priority for projects for which there exists some measure of matching funds. Establishes the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1997
Nigeria Democracy Act - Imposes certain economic sanctions on Nigeria to promote democracy and human rights there. Requires the President to direct the Secretary of Transportation to revoke the right of Nigerian air carriers to service, and prohibit U.S. air carriers from servicing, routes between the United States and such country. Authorizes waiver of such sanctions if the President certifies to the Congress that such waiver is important to the national interest. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the United States should exclude Nigerian sporting teams from participating in any sporting event in the United States; and (2) the President should work with the Government of Australia before the 2000 Olympic Games to be held in Sydney to determine the appropriateness of issuing visas for Nigerian participants in such Games. Directs the President to report periodically to the Congress on the extent to which Nigeria has made progress toward democracy, civilian rule, and respect for internationally-recognized human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1997
DES Education and Research Amendments of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize and permanently extend the following programs regarding the drug diethylstilbestrol (commonly known as DES): (1) the research program; and (2) the new national program of education. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the heads of the appropriate agencies of the Public Health Service, to carry out a national program for the education of health professionals and the public with respect to DES, from amounts appropriated for carrying out the research and training program. Requires such program, to the extent appropriate, to use methodologies developed through the education demonstration program carried out under the Act. Directs the Secretary, in developing and carrying out the national program, to consult closely with representatives of nonprofit private entities that represent individuals who have been exposed to DES and that have expertise in community-based information campaigns for the public and for health care providers. Requires the implementation of the national program to begin during FY 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1997
Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure that any program to make prescription pharmaceuticals available by mail to covered beneficiaries under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) does not exclude covered beneficiaries who are also entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1997
Smoke-Free Environment Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the responsible entity for each public facility to prohibit smoking in the facility and on facility property in the immediate vicinity of the facility entrance. Allows designated smoking areas if: (1) the area is ventilated in accordance with certain specifications; (2) nonsmoking individuals do not have to enter the area for any purpose; and (3) children under 15 are prohibited from entering. Allows an action to enforce this Act by any aggrieved person, any State or local government agency, or the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Allows injunctions and civil monetary penalties, but prohibits the award of damages of any kind. Defines "public facility" as any building regularly entered by ten or more individuals at least one day per week, except for any building or portion thereof regularly used for residential purposes. Amends Federal transportation law to prohibit smoking in an aircraft in scheduled interstate, intrastate, or foreign flights.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Healthy Future Title II: Caring for Families Title III: Family Safety Title IV: Economic Security Title V: Educating Our Children Title VI: Budgeting Provisions Children's National Security Act - Title I: Healthy Future - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to allow State plans to provide for making Medicaid assistance available to low-income children. (Sec. 102) Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to provide guaranteed availability of individual health insurance coverage to uninsured children. (Sec. 103) Authorizes additional appropriations for diabetes-related research by the National Institutes of Health, particularly the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (Sec. 104) Amends PHSA to extend the authorization of appropriations for the bone marrow program. Requires the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry to increase the representation in the pool of potential donors of children of mixed ancestry. (Sec. 105) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, PHSA, SSA title XVIII (Medicare), and the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to prohibit discrimination on the basis of genetic information in group health insurance plans, individual market health insurance policies, and Medicare supplemental (Medigap) policies. Prohibits such plans or their issuers from requiring participants, beneficiaries, or applicants to disclose genetic information. Requires participant, beneficiary, or applicant authorization before such plans or insurers may disclose such genetic information. Makes violators of such prohibitions and requirements liable for compensatory, consequential, and punitive damages. (Sec. 106) Amends PHSA to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), to carry out, through the Director of the Center for Mental Health Services, a public information and education program on eating disorders, including toll-free telephone information and referral services. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 107) Amends SSA to set forth a special rule for Medicare reimbursement for primary care combined residency programs, including obstetrics and gynecology. (Sec. 108) Amends SSA title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation to exempt families headed by an adult nonparental relative caregiver from certain welfare assistance work requirements and time limits. Requires work participation rates to be determined without regard to such families. Prohibits States from imposing work requirements or time limits on such families, and reduces a State's grant if it violates such prohibitions. Entitles eligible States to grants for assistance to adult nonparental caregivers. Makes appropriations for such grants. Title II: Caring for Families - Directs the Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development and of HHS to carry out a program of grants to demonstrate the effectiveness of providing assistance to private nonprofit organizations for development of intergenerational foster care housing and for providing foster care services in such housing. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 202) Amends the IRC with respect to the child care tax credit to increase the amount of employment-related expenses taken into account and the amount at which phase-down of percentage begins. Offsets the cost of such changes by eliminating the following tax provisions regarding foreign sales corporations: (1) an exclusion for certain exempt foreign trade income; and (2) a deduction for dividends received from certain foreign corporations. (Sec. 203) Requires an employer to provide an employee who is a parent of an adopted child or a foster child with the same leave the employer provides (in addition to leave required by the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993) an employee who is on parental leave for the birth of a child. (Sec. 204) Amends SSA title IV part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) to require States to have certain standby guardianship laws and procedures as a condition of eligibility for Federal funds for foster care and adoption assistance. (Sec. 205) Amends SSA title IV part E to require States to: (1) administer qualifying examinations to all State employees with new authority to make decisions regarding child welfare services; and (2) establish certain procedures to expedite the permanent placement of foster children. Provides for placement of foster children in permanent kinship care arrangements. Gives States an option, for adoption assistance payment purposes, to deem kinship placement as adoption. Provides for consideration of the kinship placement option at the dispositional hearing. Makes Federal funds for foster care and adoption assistance available only to States that require State agencies to give preference to adoption applications of a foster parent or caretaker relative of the child. (Sec. 206) Amends the Child Care Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to authorize appropriations for FY 1997 through 2002 for: (1) child care for low-income working families; and (2) child care supply shortages. Requires States and the Secretary of HHS to report on access to child-care by low-income working families. Title III: Family Safety - Directs the Attorney General, as part of the prevention of date rape, to: (1) reschedule Gamma y-hydroxybutyrate in schedule I and Ketamine in schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act; (2) establish nationwide programs and disseminate materials to provide young people in high school and college with education about the use of controlled substances in the furtherance of rape and sexual assault; and (3) assist law enforcement personnel in the prevention of abuse of controlled substances for such purpose. (Sec. 302) Amends ERISA and the IRC to allow the creation or assignment of rights to employee pension benefits, under a qualified child abuse order, if this is necessary to satisfy a judgment against an employee benefit plan participant or beneficiary for physically, sexually, or emotionally abusing a child. (Sec. 303) Expresses the sense of the Congress with respect to protection from sexual predators. Amends Federal criminal law relating to punishment of sexual predators. Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to condition State eligibility for certain grants on a State's having in effect laws which allow the court to impose a sentence of life in prison without parole on a criminal defendant convicted of a State offense for specified types of sexually predatory conduct. Requires the National Institute of justice to study and report to the Congress and the President on persistent sexual predators. (Sec. 304) Establishes requirements relating to child safety locks for firearms. Sets forth prohibitions, and civil penalties, against: (1) the manufacture of handguns as well as the transfer of firearms without locking devices attached; (2) and (2) the transfer of firearms by licensees without notice and warning. Includes loss of a Federal dealer's license among civil penalties for such violations. Sets forth criminal penalties for an adult's leaving a firearm and ammunition with an unsupervised minor. Directs the National Institute of Justice and the Consumer Product Safety Commission each to study, and report to the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury on, the feasibility of developing minimum quality standards for locking devices for firearms. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control to study and report on the results. Authorizes appropriations to the Attorney General and the Secretary of HHS for public service announcements and counter advertisements designed to educate the public on the proper storage of firearms. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue regulations which prescribe minimum quality standards for locking devices. (Sec. 305) Amends Federal transportation law to require the Secretary of Transportation to withhold five percent of the funds authorized for Federal aid highway programs for FY 2001, and ten percent of such amounts for subsequent fiscal years, from any State that has not enacted and is not enforcing: (1) a law that considers as intoxicated an individual with an alcohol concentration level of 0.08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle; and (2) a law that provides, for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, revocation of driver's license for at least six months for a first conviction, revocation for at least one year for a second conviction, and permanent revocation for a third or subsequent conviction. (Sec. 307) Amends Federal criminal law to define firearm locking device. Makes it unlawful for a licensed manufacturer, importer, or dealer to sell, deliver, or transfer a handgun (with law enforcement and government exceptions) without a locking device or a specified related warning. Sets forth civil (in addition to any administrative) penalties for related violations, including suspension or loss of license. Title IV: Economic Security - Amends the IRC to provide for a refundable credit for household and dependent care services necessary for gainful employment. Increases the amount of a taxpayer's employment-related expenses taken into account and the amount at which phase-down of percentage begins. (Sec. 401) Allows an employer-provided child care credit for businesses. Amends the Child Care Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to extend the authorization of appropriations for grants to States for child care services for low-income working families. Authorizes appropriations for child care supply shortages, and requires States to use such funds in certain areas for specified types of activities. Requires States and the Secretary of HHS to report on access to child- care by low-income working families. (Sec. 402) Amends the IRC to allow an individual an income tax credit equal to the unpaid child support such individual is entitled to receive for the taxable year. Requires the taxpayer to identify each individual required to pay support. Increases by the amount of such credit the tax of the individual failing to make required support payments. Prohibits treating any such increase in tax as a tax for purposes of determining a credit or the minimum tax. Title V: Educating Our Children - Establishes a program to provide Federal interest subsidies, or similar assistance, to States and localities to help them bring all public school facilities up to an acceptable construction standard and build the additional public schools needed in the next decade. (Sec. 503) Makes appropriations to the Secretary of Education to carry out this title. (Sec. 504) Reserves specified funds for Indian school construction by the Secretary of the Interior and for grants to outlying areas. (Sec. 511) Sets forth requirements for formula grants to States and for direct grants to local educational agencies (LEAs). (Sec. 531) Sets forth general requirements relating to technical employees, wage rates, non-liability of the Federal Government, and consultation with Secretary of the Treasury. Title VI: Budgeting Provisions - Provides for: (1) an increase in budget functions for domestic programs resulting from this Act; and (2) offsetting reductions in the defense budget function.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997
Better Pharmaceuticals for Children Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to allow for additional deferred effective dates for the approval of certain new drug applications to allow for additional pediatric information developed by further studies. Mandates development, publication, and annual updating of a list of approved drugs for which additional pediatric information may produce health benefits in the pediatric population.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997
Netizens Protection Act of 1997 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to make it unlawful for any person within the United States to use any computer or other electronic device to send an unsolicited advertisement to an electronic mail address: (1) of an individual with whom the sender lacks a preexisting and ongoing business or personal relationship, unless such individual provides express invitation or permission; or (2) unless the sender clearly provides, at the beginning of the advertisement, the date and time of the message, the identity of the business, entity, or individual sending the message, and the sender's return electronic mail address.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997
Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to provide for off-budget treatment of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and of special accounts containing admission and special recreational use fees collected from national parks and other specified national public use and recreational areas by prohibiting the receipts and disbursements of the Fund and such accounts from being counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surplus for purposes of: (1) the Federal budget; (2) the congressional budget; or (3) the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). Exempts such receipts and disbursements from any general statutory budget limitation imposed on expenditures and budget outlays.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997
Child Care Infrastructure Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an employer-provided child care credit for qualified expenses to build, rehabilitate, or expand a qualified child care facility, or subsidize or contract for such services, for an employer's employees. Terminates such credit by a specified date.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997
Congratulates the people of India and Pakistan on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of their nations' independence. Declares that the House of Representatives intends to send a delegation to India and Pakistan during such anniversary year to further enhance the mutual understanding among the United States, Pakistan, India, and among the Congress and the parliaments of those countries.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1997
Women's Business Centers Act of 1997 - Amends the Small Business Act to: (1) authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide financial assistance to private organizations to conduct five-year (currently, three-year) demonstration projects to benefit small businesses owned and controlled by women; (2) adjust the level of cash contributions required from Federal and non-Federal sources for each of the five years of the projects; (3) require each assistance applicant to submit a five-year (currently, three year) plan on proposed fund raising and training activities under a project; (4) allow each recipient to receive such assistance for five years (in lieu of three); (5) establish within the SBA the Office of Women's Business Ownership to administer SBA's women's business enterprise programs; (6) require the SBA to report biennially to the small business committees on the effectiveness of projects conducted under this Act; and (7) increase the annual authorization of appropriations for such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1997
Cardiac Arrest Survival Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require that certain permitted field studies, large-scale testing and evaluation, and demonstrations of the National Heart, Blood Vessel, Lung, and Blood Diseases and Blood Resources Program include: (1) the development and dissemination of a core content for a model State cardiac arrest training program for inclusion in emergency medical services educational curricula and training programs addressing lifesaving interventions; and (2) related matters. Establishes as an independent executive branch agency the Commission on Cardiac Arrest Survival. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to with respect to the income exclusion for employer-provided educational assistance programs to: (1) make such exclusion permanent; and (2) include graduate school assistance. Provides an income-based deduction for interest on qualified education loans incurred on behalf of a taxpayer or spouse (excludes dependents). Sets forth reporting requirements for persons in the business of receiving interest from such loans.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Children's Environmental Protection Subtitle A: Disclosure of Industrial Releases That Present a Significant Risk to Children Subtitle B: Disclosure of High Health Risk Chemicals in Children's Consumer Products Title II: Public Right to Know About Toxic Chemical Use Children's Environmental Protection and Right to Know Act of 1997 - Title I: Children's Environmental Protection - Subtitle A: Disclosure of Industrial Releases That Present a Significant Risk to Children -Amends the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish thresholds for toxic chemicals which may present significant risks to children's health or the environment. Includes lead, mercury, dioxin, cadmium, chromium and other specified bioaccumulative chemicals as substances subject to such thresholds. Makes dioxin and specified bioaccumulative chemicals subject to toxic chemical release form reporting requirements under such Act. Authorizes citizen suits against the Administrator for failures to establish thresholds under this Act. Subtitle B: Disclosure of High Health Risk Chemicals in Children's Consumer Products - Amends the Federal Hazardous Substances Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the National Toxicology Program, to publish a list of substances which are toxic due to carcinogenic, neurotoxic, or reproductive toxic effects. Directs the Secretary to identify those substances to which infants and young children are exposed. Requires manufacturers or importers of eligible products (defined as toys or other articles intended for use by children) which contain such substances to report specified information to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, including information supporting that a substance is not a misbranded or banned hazardous substance. Authorizes exemptions from such reporting requirements if a substance would not cause substantial personal injury or illness as a result of foreseeable handling, including ingestion by children. Permits citizen suits with respect to certain violations under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act and against the Commission for failure to perform duties under this Act. Title II: Public Right to Know About Toxic Chemical Use - Expands information to be included in toxic chemical release forms, including the number of employees and occupational exposures at reporting facilities as well as materials accounting information. Requires the Administrator to take certain actions to: (1) standardize data and obtain and integrate information regarding toxic chemicals; (2) consolidate all annual reporting requirements of Federal environmental laws for small businesses and entities subject to toxic chemical release reporting; and (3) provide the public with one point of contact for access to information gathered by EPA. Requires disclosures on the uses of toxic chemicals by reporting facilities. Permits the withholding of portions of materials accounting information reported by covered facilities for purposes of protecting trade secrets.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1997
Federal Procurement and Assistance Integrity Act - States that the purpose of this Act is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness and protect the integrity of the Federal procurement and assistance systems by ensuring that the Federal Government does business with responsible contractors and participants. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to debar or suspend a person from procurement or nonprocurement activities upon a finding, in accordance with procedures developed under this Act, that the person violated any of the following: (1) the National Labor Relations Act; (2) the Fair Labor Standards Act; (3) the Occupational Safety and Health Act; or (4) Federal requirements for employment emphasis under Federal contracts to be given to special disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam era. Directs the Secretary and the National Labor Relations Board to jointly develop procedures to determine whether a violation of a law listed above is serious enough to warrant debarment or suspension. Mandates a report by the Secretary and the National Labor Relations Board to the Congress on the implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1997
Authorizes the Pyramid of Remembrance Foundation to establish a memorial on Federal land within the District of Columbia or its environs to honor members of the armed forces killed while engaged in a military operation, other than a declared war, which involved conflict with an opposing foreign force. Prohibits the use of Federal funds in establishing such memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1997
Permits the performance of honor guard functions by members of the National Guard at funerals for veterans to be treated as Federal functions for which appropriated funds may be used.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual income tax deduction for contributions to a savings account established to pay the educational expenses (tuition, supplies, meals, and lodging) of the taxpayer's child or certain other relatives at an institution of higher education or a vocational school. Limits the deduction to $2,000 annually (adjusted for inflation) for each account. Disallows the deduction for contributions to an account maintained for any individual aged 19 or older. Requires any account balance to be distributed after the beneficiary attains age 30. Imposes penalties for excess contributions or prohibited transactions associated with an account. Provides for an from annual contribution limitations for distributions from education savings accounts into individual retirement accounts. Excludes from gross income distributions from individual retirement accounts into education savings accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1997
National Beverage Container Reuse and Recycling Act of 1997 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to prohibit the sale of beer, mineral water, soda water, wine coolers, or carbonated soft drinks in beverage containers by retailers and distributors unless such containers carry a refund value of ten cents. Provides for the adjustment for inflation of the refund amount at ten-year intervals. Requires: (1) distributors to collect from retailers the refund value for each beverage sold to retailers; and (2) retailers to collect from consumers the refund value for each beverage sold to consumers. Requires retailers and distributors to pay the refund on returned containers of brands (in the same kind and size of container) sold. Directs distributors to pay annually to a State unclaimed refund amounts (the amount by which the total refund value of all containers sold by distributors exceeds the amount paid by distributors to persons in that State). Makes unclaimed refunds available to a State for carrying out pollution prevention and recycling programs. Prohibits distributors and retailers from: (1) selling beverages in metal beverage containers with detachable openings; and (2) disposing of containers subject to this Act or any metal, glass, or plastic from such containers (other than the top or seal) in landfills or solid waste disposal facilities. Makes this Act inapplicable to States that have adopted requirements identical to those under this Act or that have demonstrated achievement of a recycling or reuse rate for beverage containers of at least 70 percent. Prohibits States or political subdivisions that impose taxes on the sale of beverage containers from imposing any tax on the amount attributable to the refund value of such containers. Prescribes civil penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1997
Amends the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 and Federal highway provisions to allow the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to participate in the State infrastructure bank program and to use surface transportation program funds for construction of certain access and development roads.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1997
American Cities Investment Act of 1997 - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to: (1) set limitations on maximum outstanding loan guarantees issued by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; (2) authorize the Secretary to guarantee advances from Federal Home Loan Banks; and (3) expand the community participation requirements to include major stakeholders (as defined by this Act). Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to authorize advances to metropolitan cities, urban counties, or their public agencies for certain extraordinary, nonusual community development purposes pursuant to such loan guarantees. Prohibits the use of such funds to supplant Federal or non-federal fund sources. Sets forth amount limit and repayment provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1997
Leave Equity for Adoptive Families Act of 1997 - Entitles any employee who needs it, because of placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care, to any leave benefit provided by the employer for care of an employee's newborn biological child or for recovery from the employee's own illness, injury, or disability. Requires that such leave commence no later than 12 months after such placement. Authorizes civil actions to enforce this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1997
Private Property Rights Implementation Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal judicial code to provide that whenever a district court has jurisdiction in civil rights cases it shall not abstain from exercising or relinquishing its jurisdiction to a State court in an action where no claim of a violation of a State law, right, or privilege is alleged. Authorizes the district court, in such cases that cannot be decided without resolution of a significant but unsettled question of State law, to certify such question to the highest appellate court of that State (and after the State appellate court resolves the question certified to it, the district court shall proceed with resolving the merits). Bars the district court from certifying a question of State law unless such question will significantly affect the merits of the injured party's Federal claim and is so unclear and obviously susceptible to a limiting construction as to render premature a decision on the merits of the constitutional or legal issue in the case. Requires that any claim or action brought to redress the deprivation of a property right or privilege secured by the Constitution be ripe for adjudication by the district courts upon a final decision rendered by any person acting under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or territory of the United States, that causes actual and concrete injury to the party seeking redress. Provides that any claim brought under provisions regarding the United States as defendant and regarding the jurisdiction of the Court of Federal Claims that is founded upon a property right or privilege secured by the Constitution, but allegedly infringed or taken by the United States, shall be ripe for adjudication upon a final decision rendered by the United States that causes actual and concrete injury to the party seeking redress. Sets guidelines for what constitutes a "final decision" for purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1997
Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to remove from the National Register of Historic Places the National Historic Landmark Districts for which the Secretary of the Interior has not published boundaries in the Federal Register by January 1, 2007. Repeals provisions that require the Secretary to: (1) review the nomination of a property or district for inclusion on the National Register or designation as a National Historic Landmark where objections have been made and to determine whether or not the property or district is eligible for such inclusion or designation; and (2) administer a program of matching grant-in-aid to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States. Requires the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (currently, the Secretary) to promulgate guidelines for Federal agency responsibility for agency-owned historic properties. Makes each State solely responsible for determining which professional employees are necessary to carry out the State's duties regarding grants-in-aid for national historic preservation. Repeals provisions excluding the White House, the United States Supreme Court, and the United States Capitol from the program for preservation of historical properties under such Act. Extends appropriations for the Historic Preservation Fund through FY 2002. Requires Federal agencies: (1) in exercising responsibilities with respect to the preservation of historic properties which are owned or controlled by such agencies, to use historic properties prior to acquiring, constructing, or leasing other buildings, especially when such properties are located in central business areas; (2) when locating Federal facilities, to give first consideration to historic properties in historic districts and, if no such property is suitable, to consider other developed or undeveloped sites within, and then, outside of, historic districts. Requires any rehabilitation or construction that is undertaken pursuant to the Act to be architecturally compatible with the character of the surrounding historic district or properties. Rescinds the Secretary's authority to: (1) designate which appropriate agency shall receive the records on historic properties to be altered or demolished as a result of Federal action or assistance carried out by an agency; and (2) review and approve plans of transferees of surplus federally owned historic properties. Transfers the duties of the Secretary to the Council with respect to: (1) the annual preservation awards program; and (2) the waiver of provisions of the Act in the event of a major natural disaster or imminent threat to national security. Authorizes the Council to take appropriate action to resolve a disagreement (referred to the Council) between two or more Federal agencies, or between a State or political subdivision thereof and one or more Federal agencies, or between a project applicant and any level of government concerning an undertaking. Revises the definition of "undertaking" to mean a project, activity, or program with potential to affect historic resources funded in whole or in part under the direct or indirect jurisdiction of a Federal agency.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: America Reads Challenge Act Title II: Grants to States Title III: Local and Regional Grants to Support Effective Models and Exemplary Partnerships Title IV: Supportive Activities Title V: Miscellaneous America Reads Challenge Act of 1997 - Title I: America Reads Challenge - Makes appropriations to the Secretary of Education and provides for funds from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Corporation for National and Community Service for joint financial support for effective local reading programs for preschool-aged children and children attending both public and private schools. Title II: Grants to States - Directs the Secretary and the CEO to use specified amounts of funds for grants to States for subgrants to local reading programs and local "Parents As First Teachers" programs. Title III: Local and Regional Grants to Support Effective Models and Exemplary Partnerships - Directs the Secretary and the CEO jointly to: (1) make competitive grants for various local, regional, and national activities that identify and promote effective and promising practices for helping all children read well and independently by the end of the third grade; and (2) ensure that at least ten percent of such funds are awarded to national or regional information networks or other programs to provide support, training, and educational materials to assist parents to help their children become successful readers by the end of the third grade. Title IV: Supportive Activities - Directs the Secretary and the CEO to use certain reserved funds: (1) for technical assistance, dissemination of materials and information about best practices, and other activities; and (2) to evaluation of programs under this Act. Title V: Miscellaneous - Authorizes the Secretary and the CEO to waive certain provisions of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 under specified conditions. (Sec. 503) Prohibits use of funds under this Act for: (1) awards to a pervasively sectarian organization; or (2) support of religious worship, instruction, or proselytization.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1997
Hunger Has a Cure Act of 1997 - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to provide for an annual price-indexed standard deduction adjustment (as of FY 2001). (Sec. 3) Revises maximum excess shelter deduction amounts and authorizes such amounts through FY 2001 (currently permanent). (Sec. 4) Provides for an annual price-indexed vehicle allowance adjustment. (Sec. 5) Revises work requirement provisions. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to reserve specified amounts for FY 1998 through 2002 employment and training programs. (Sec. 6) Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 to make legal immigrants who became disabled after U.S. entry and certain elderly and under-18 years of age legal immigrants eligible for the food stamp program (program). Extends program eligibility for refugees and asylees from five years to seven years. Repeals specified program attribution of (alien) sponsor income provisions. (Sec. 7) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) specified funds under the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 should be appropriated to provide FY 1998 short-term emergency food assistance; and (2) FY 1997 and 1998 appropriations for the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC) should meet case load demands. (Sec. 9) Amends the National School Lunch Act to: (1) increase lunch and supper reimbursement rates for the summer food service program for children; and (2) increase the number of meals and-or supplements available under the child and adult food care program. (Sec. 10) Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to direct the Secretary to carry out school breakfast and summer feeding program outreach activities. Obligates specified Treasury funds for State start-up and expansion costs.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1997
Work for Real Wages Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide, with respect to an individual, that the term earned income credit shall include a specified portion of benefits received under part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act if: (1) as a condition of receiving any TANF payment or amount, the individual is required to perform services for any person or governmental unit; and (2) such individual receives no compensation (other than such payment or amount) for performing such services.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1997
Extends congressional gratitude to Leslie Townes (Bob) Hope for his accomplishments and service on behalf of U.S. military service members. Confers upon Mr. Hope the status of an honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1997
Family Services Improvement Act of 1997 - Directs the President to designate a Federal Coordination Council composed of various specified cabinet secretaries and other Federal agency heads to perform a variety of specified functions for the stated purposes of: (1) removing Federal impediments to coordination of service delivery; (2) enabling more efficient use of Federal, State, and local resources through program coordination and reduction of regulation; (3) facilitating cooperation among and coordination of programs operated by State, local, and tribal governments and private, nonprofit organizations; (4) identifying at least ten qualified consortia of such organizations and State or local agencies that receive federally appropriated funds, together with representatives of specified services, to participate in a demonstration program to determine the benefits of specified accountability procedures; and (5) placing less emphasis in Federal service programs on measuring resources and procedures and more emphasis on accountability for achieving policy goals. Requires the Federal Coordination Council to submit to the Congress: (1) not later than one year after the designation of the Council, a report detailing any legislative encumbrances preventing the Council from carrying out its duties; and (2) not later than three years after the designation of the Council, a report detailing any regulations implemented as a result of the Council's findings.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1997
African Growth and Opportunity Act - Declares the support of the Congress for the economic self-reliance of Sub-Saharan African countries committed to economic and political reform, market incentives and private sector growth, eradication of poverty, and the importance of women to economic growth and development. (Sec. 4) Makes a sub-Saharan African country eligible to participate in programs, projects, or activities, or receive assistance or other benefits under this Act for a fiscal year only if the President determines, according to specified evidence, that it has established, or is making continual progress toward establishing, a market-based economy. Directs the President to monitor and review eligible sub-Saharan countries that are in need of making continual progress in meeting one or more of this Act's requirements. Makes ineligible to participate in programs or receive assistance or other benefits under this Act any countries that have not made progress in meeting such requirements. (Sec. 5) Expresses the sense of the Congress that sustained economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa depends upon the development of a receptive environment for trade and investment through the continued support by the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) of programs that help to create this environment. Sets forth declarations of policy with respect to assistance provided to sub-Saharan Africa through the Development Fund for Africa and the African Development Foundation. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide: (1) additional program authorities to include assistance to promote democratization and strengthen conflict resolution; and (2) increased program flexibility through presidential waivers of certain requirements (except those for certain child survival activities). (Sec. 6) Directs the President to convene annual high-level meetings between U.S. Government officials and officials of the governments of sub-Saharan African countries to foster close economic ties between them. Directs the president to establish a United States-Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 7) Directs the President to develop a plan meeting certain requirements to enter into one or more trade agreements with certain eligible sub-Saharan African countries to establish a United States-Sub-Saharan Africa Free Trade Area. (Sec. 8) Expresses the sense of the Congress that reform of trade policies in sub-Saharan Africa that removes structural impediments to trade, consistent with the World Trade Organization (WTO), can lay the groundwork for sustained growth there in both textile and apparel exports. Directs the United States, pursuant to the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, to eliminate the existing quotas on textile and apparel exports to the United States from Kenya and Mauritius, provided they adopt a visa system to guard against the unlawful transshipment of such goods. Directs the President to: (1) continue the existing no quota policy for sub-Saharan African countries; and (2) report to the Congress on the growth in textiles and apparel exports to the United States from such countries in order to protect U.S. consumers, workers, and textile manufacturers from economic injury on account of the no quota policy. (Sec. 9) Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize the President to provide duty-free treatment for any non-import-sensitive article that is the growth, product, or manufacture of an eligible sub-Saharan African beneficiary developing country. Waives the competitive need limitation with respect to eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Extends duty-free treatment to sub- Saharan African beneficiary developing countries through May 31, 2007. (Sec. 10) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) specified international financial institutions and their programs are vital to the economic growth and development of sub-Saharan African countries; (2) the executive branch should extinguish concessional debt owed to the United States by the poorest sub-Saharan countries; and (3) the Congress supports the efforts of the executive branch to secure agreement from such institutions to maximize debt reduction for such countries as part of the multilateral initiative known as the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Supports and encourages the implementation of specified initiatives through AID and the Trade Development Agency, including: (1) the formation of American-African business partnerships; (2) technical assistance to promote trade reforms; (3) agricultural market liberalization; (4) trade promotion; and (5) trade in services. (Sec. 11) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) should exercise its authorities to initiate two or more equity funds in support of projects in sub-Saharan African countries, particularly projects that expand opportunities for women entrepreneurs and employment for the poor. (Sec. 12) Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to revise the composition of the Board of Directors of OPIC to require at least one of the eight presidentially-appointed Directors to have extensive private sector experience in sub-Saharan Africa. Directs the Board to increase financial assistance in sub-Saharan Africa. Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to make similar changes with respect to the Export-Import Bank of the United States. (Sec. 13) Directs the President to establish the position of Assistant United States Trade Representative within the Office of the United States Trade Representative to focus on trade issues relating to sub-Saharan Africa.
![Official portrait of Del. Faleomavaega, Eni F. H. [D-AS-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000010_200.jpg)