United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1999
Food and Medicine for the World Act - Prohibits the President from imposing a unilateral agricultural sanction or unilateral medical sanction against a foreign country, except in specified circumstances, unless: (1) not less than 60 days before the sanction is proposed to be imposed, the President makes a specified report to Congress; and (2) Congress enacts a joint resolution approving the report.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 1999
Nampa and Meridian Conveyance Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the Nampa and Meridian Irrigation District certain facilities, including the water distribution and drainage system that is operated and maintained by the District for delivery and drainage of water for District lands.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1999
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to provide that if the United States initiates a retaliation list (list of products of a foreign country that has failed to comply with the report of the panel or Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO)), or the United States Trade Representative (USTR) takes specified trade action against the goods of a foreign country because of its failure to implement the recommendation made pursuant to a dispute settlement proceeding under the WTO, the USTR shall periodically revise the list or action to affect the other goods of the country. Declares that the USTR is not required to revise the retaliation list or the action with respect to a country, if: (1) the USTR determines that implementation of the recommendation by the country is imminent; or (2) the USTR together with the petitioner involved in the initial unfair trade investigation (or if no petition was filed, the affected U.S. industry) agree that it is unnecessary to revise the retaliation list.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1999
Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act of 1999 - Directs the United States Sentencing Commission (the Commission) to review and amend the Federal sentencing guidelines with respect to any offense relating to the manufacture, importation, exportation, or trafficking in amphetamine (including an attempt or conspiracy to do any of the foregoing) in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act (CSIEA), or the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA) to provide for increased penalties comparable to the base offense level for methamphetamine. Directs the Commission to: (1) ensure that the sentencing guidelines for such offenses reflect their heinous nature, the need for aggressive law enforcement, and the extreme dangers associated with unlawful activity involving amphetamines; and (2) promulgate amendments pursuant to this Act in accordance with the procedure set forth in the Sentencing Act of 1987, as though the authority of that Act had not expired. (Sec. 3) Amends the CSA to prohibit advertisements for the sale of drug paraphernalia and of schedule I controlled substances. (Sec. 4) Provides for mandatory restitution for CSA and CSIEA violations. Expands provisions regarding restitution for cleanup of clandestine laboratory sites to cover offenses involving, and reimbursement for costs incurred for the cleanup associated with, the manufacture of amphetamine (currently, limited to methamphetamine), and to include reimbursement to States and local governments, as well as to the United States. Amends the Federal judicial code to provide for the deposit of sums from a reimbursement order into the Department of Justice (DOJ) Assets Forfeiture Fund. (Sec. 5) Amends the Federal criminal code (the code) to: (1) prohibit and set penalties for teaching or demonstrating the manufacture of a controlled substance, or distributing information pertaining to such manufacture or use, with intent that it be used for or to further activity that constitutes a Federal crime, or knowing that the recipient intends to use it for or to further such activity; and (2) allow the delay of issuance of a warrant to search and seize property that constitutes evidence of a Federal criminal offense pursuant to the standards, terms, and conditions set forth in the code, unless otherwise expressly provided by statute. (Sec. 7) Directs the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to carry out specified programs (advanced mobile clandestine laboratory training teams, basic clandestine laboratory certification training, and clandestine laboratory recertification and awareness training) with respect to the law enforcement personnel of States and localities determined by the Administrator to have significant levels of methamphetamine- or amphetamine-related crime or projected by the Administrator to have the potential for such levels of crime in the future. Limits the duration of any such program to three years. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 8) Requires the Director of National Drug Control Policy to use amounts available under this section to combat the trafficking of methamphetamine and amphetamine in areas designated by the Director as high intensity drug trafficking areas. Requires the Director to provide funds for: (1) employing additional Federal law enforcement personnel, or facilitating the employment of additional State and local law enforcement personnel; and (2) such other activities that the Director considers appropriate. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Director to apportion amounts appropriated for a fiscal year pursuant to such authorization of appropriations for activities under this section among and within areas designated as high intensity drug trafficking areas based on: (1) the number of methamphetamine and amphetamine manufacturing facilities discovered by law enforcement officials in the previous fiscal year; (2) the number of methamphetamine and amphetamine prosecutions in the previous fiscal year; (3) the number of methamphetamine and amphetamine arrests in the previous fiscal year; (4) the amounts of methamphetamine, amphetamine, or listed chemicals seized in the previous fiscal year; and (5) intelligence and predictive data from the DEA and the Department of Health and Human Services showing patterns and trends in abuse, trafficking, and transportation in methamphetamine, amphetamine, and listed chemicals. Requires the Director, before apportioning any funds under this section to a high intensity drug trafficking area, to certify that the law enforcement entities responsible for clandestine methamphetamine and amphetamine laboratory seizures in that area are providing laboratory seizure data to the national clandestine laboratory database at the El Paso Intelligence Center. Sets limits on administrative costs. (Sec. 9) Authorizes the DEA to: (1) assist State and local law enforcement in small and mid-sized communities in all phases of investigations related to such manufacturing and trafficking; (2) staff additional regional enforcement and mobile enforcement teams related to such manufacturing and trafficking; (3) establish additional resident offices and posts of duty to assist State and local law enforcement in rural areas in combating such manufacturing and trafficking; and (4) provide the Special Operations Division of the DEA with additional agents and staff to collect, evaluate, interpret, and disseminate critical intelligence targeting the command and control operations of major amphetamine and methamphetamine manufacturing and trafficking organizations. Authorizes the Administrator to establish in the DEA not more than 50 full-time positions, including not more than 31 special agent positions, and to appoint personnel to such positions. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 10) Amends the Federal judicial code to make sums in the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund available for payment for costs incurred by or on behalf of: (1) DOJ in connection with the removal, for purposes of Federal forfeiture and disposition, of any hazardous substance or pollutant or contaminant associated with the illegal manufacture of amphetamine or methamphetamine; and (2) a State or local government in connection with such removal in any case in which such State or local government has assisted in a Federal prosecution relating to amphetamine or methamphetamine, to the extent such costs exceed equitable sharing payments made to such State or local government. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to make funds under the drug control and system improvement (Byrne) grant program available to remove any hazardous substance or pollutant or contaminant associated with the illegal manufacture of amphetamine or methamphetamine. Requires that any sums made available from the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund for purposes of this section in a fiscal year supplement and not supplant any other amounts made available to DOJ from other sources. (Sec. 11) Requires the head of each Federal department, agency, and establishment to place anti-drug messages on appropriate Internet websites controlled by such department, agency, or establishment which messages shall, where appropriate, contain an electronic hyperlink to the Internet website, if any, of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. (Sec. 12) Revises CSA mail order provisions to: (1) require that each regulated person who engages in an export transaction (currently, limited to each regulated person who engages in a transaction with a non-regulated person) submit a monthly report of each such transaction to the Attorney General; and (2) make specified exemptions from such reporting requirement, such as for certain distributions of sample packages of drug products and distributions of drug products pursuant to a valid prescription. Authorizes the Attorney General to revoke any such exemptions if drug products distributed by the regulated person are being used in violation of CSA requirements, subject to specified provisions concerning notification and the right to an expedited hearing. (Sec. 13) Amends the CSA to prohibit and set penalties for the theft of anhydrous ammonia, or the transportation of stolen anhydrous ammonia across State lines, knowing, intending, or having reasonable cause to believe that such ammonia will be used to manufacture a controlled substance in violation of the Act. Requires the DEA Administrator to seek to enter into an agreement with Iowa State University to permit the University to expand its current research into the development of inert agents that, when added to anhydrous ammonia, eliminate its usefulness as an ingredient in methamphetamine production. Authorizes such agreement to provide for the provision to such University of $500,000, on a reimbursable basis, for such activities. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 14) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit to designated congressional committees annual reports on the problems caused by methamphetamine consumption in rural areas, suburban areas, and small, mid-size, and large cities. (Sec. 15) Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to authorize the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to make grants to and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with public and nonprofit private entities to enable such entities to carry out: (1) school-based programs concerning the dangers of abuse of and addiction to methamphetamine and other illicit drugs, using methods that are effective and science-based, including initiatives that give students the responsibility to create their own anti-drug abuse education programs for their schools; and (2) community-based abuse and addiction prevention programs relating to methamphetamine and other illicit drugs that are effective and science-based. Sets forth provisions regarding permissible grant uses, priorities in making grants, program evaluation, and reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations for expansion of abuse prevention efforts and for practitioner registration requirements. (Sec. 16) Amends the PHSA to authorize the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse to make grants or enter into cooperative agreements to expand the current and on-going interdisciplinary research and clinical trials with treatment centers of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network relating to methamphetamine abuse and addiction and other biomedical, behavioral, and social issues related to methamphetamine abuse and addiction. Sets forth provisions regarding permissible uses of grant funds and dissemination of research results. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 17) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Senate and House Judiciary Committees on the development of medications for the treatment of addiction to amphetamine and methamphetamine. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 18) Amends the CSA to waive registration requirements for practitioners who dispense schedule IV or V narcotic drugs or combinations thereof for maintenance or detoxification treatment if the practitioner submits to the Secretary a notification of intent to begin such dispensation that contains certifications by the practitioner that: (1) the practitioner is a physician licensed under State law, has demonstrable training or experience and the ability to treat and manage opiate-dependent patients, and has the demonstrated capacity to refer the patients for appropriate counseling and ancillary services; and (2) the total number of such patients at any one time will not exceed 20, with exceptions. Sets forth additional conditions, including that the drugs or combinations: (1) have been approved for use in maintenance or detoxification treatment; and (2) have not been the subject of an adverse determination. Requires the Secretary to provide to the Attorney General requested information contained in required notifications as the Attorney General may request. Authorizes the Attorney General to consider a practitioner who violates requirements of this section to have committed an act that renders the registration to be inconsistent with the public interest. Directs that, during the three-year period beginning upon enactment of this Act: (1) the Secretary make determinations regarding the effectiveness, increased availability, and adverse consequences for public health, of treatments provided under the waivers; and (2) the Attorney General make determinations regarding the extent to which there have been violations of numerical limitations established and regarding whether waivers have increased the extent to which narcotic drugs in schedule IV or V or combinations are being dispensed or possessed in violation of this Act. Sets forth provisions regarding publication by the Secretary or Attorney General in the Federal Register of decisions. Prohibits a State from precluding a practitioner from dispensing narcotic drugs in schedule IV or V, or combinations of such drugs, to patients for maintenance or detoxification treatment during the three-year period unless, before the expiration of such period, the State enacts a law prohibiting a practitioner from dispensing such drugs. (Sec. 19) Directs the Commission to amend the Federal sentencing guidelines to increase the base offense level, with respect to any offense relating to the manufacture, attempt to manufacture, or conspiracy to manufacture amphetamine or methamphetamine in violation of the CSA, CSIEA, or MDLEA, by specified amounts if the offense created a substantial risk of harm to human life or the environment, or to the life of a minor or incompetent. (Sec. 20) Amends the CSA to include methamphetamine paraphernalia within provisions applicable to "drug paraphernalia."
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1999
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 who is also entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act; (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 who is entitled to Medicare hospital insurance benefits; and (5) a family member of such member. Repeals a provision prohibiting coverage under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services for persons entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 1999
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the U.S. Government should: (1) request that the new Government of Panama, under the leadership of President Mireya Moscoso, nullify the lease agreements for the Balboa and the Cristobal port facilities on each end of the Panama Canal and initiate a new bidding process that is both transparent and fair; (2) request that the new Government of Panama investigate charges of corruption related to the granting of the Panama Canal port leases by the previous Balladares administration; and (3) negotiate security arrangements with the Government of Panama that will protect the canal and ensure the territorial integrity of the Republic of Panama.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 1999
National Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals Act of 1999 - Amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to direct the Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy to cooperate in promoting research and development of biobased industrial products. Establishes: (1) the Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals Board to coordinate Federal programs promoting the use of biobased industrial products; (2) the Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals Technical Advisory Committee; and (3) a Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals Research Initiative to provide for related grants and contracts (authorizes appropriations). Authorizes appropriations to construct a Department of Agriculture corn-based ethanol research pilot plant.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Commends the veterans of service in the United States Army who fought during World War II in the German Ardennes offensive known as the Battle of the Bulge. Honors those who gave their lives during that battle. Authorizes the President to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to honor the veterans of the Battle of the Bulge with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities. Calls upon the President to reaffirm the bonds of friendship between the United States and Belgium.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1999
Electronic Benefit Transfer Interoperability and Portability Act of 1999 - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to provide for a national standard of interoperability and portability applicable to electronic food stamp benefit transactions. Requires systems that provide for the electronic issuance, use, and redemption of coupons in the form of electronic benefit transfer cards to be interoperable, and food stamp benefits to be made portable, among all States not later than October 1, 2002.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1999
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is - The VA Dentists Equity Act - Increases the authorized pay levels for full-time dentists and certain dental executive positions within the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1999
Sound Scientific Practices Act - Requires the Secretary of Labor, upon determining that a standard should be promulgated under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, to appoint a panel of individuals (in lieu of an advisory committee, as currently) to review and report on: (1) the scientific and economic data which form the basis for such standard; and (2) the relevance of the data to industries and workers which would be affected by such standard. Requires such panel to: (1) be broadly representative and balanced; and (2) include persons with expertise in scientific and economic analysis and persons with expertise relevant to any industry which would be subject to such standard. Provides that persons with substantial and relevant expertise shall not be excluded from a panel merely because they represent entities which may have potential interest in a standard under consideration if that interest is fully disclosed to the Secretary. Prohibits any peer reviewer representing such entity from being included on any panel considering a standard affecting a single entity only.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1999
Private Property Protection Act of 1999 - Requires the Federal Government to compensate a property owner whose use of that property has been limited by an agency action, pursuant to a specified regulatory law, that diminishes the fair market value of that property by 20 percent or more, for that diminution in value. Requires the Government to buy at fair market value any portion of a property whose value has been diminished by more than 50 percent. Declares that property with respect to which compensation has been paid under this Act shall not thereafter be used contrary to the limitation imposed by the agency action, unless: (1) the action is later rescinded or vitiated; and (2) the property owner refunds the amount of the compensation to the Treasury. Provides that if a use is a nuisance as defined by State law or local zoning ordinance, no compensation shall be made under this Act with respect to a limitation on that use. Prohibits compensation from being made under this Act with respect to: (1) an agency action the primary purpose of which is to prevent an identifiable hazard to public health and safety or damage to specific property other than the property whose use is limited; or (2) an agency action pursuant to the Federal navigational servitude, except as such servitude is applied by U.S. courts to wetlands. Sets forth the procedures by which a property owner may seek compensation under this Act. Requires any agency taking an action limiting private property use to give appropriate notice of rights and compensation procedures to the property owners. Declares that: (1) nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit any right to compensation under the Constitution or other Federal law; and (2) payment of compensation shall not confer on the Federal Government any rights other than the use limitation resulting from the agency action.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1999
Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 for the construction of a U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, Israel. Prohibits the United States from operating a U.S. consulate in Jerusalem unless it is under the supervision of the U.S. Ambassador to Israel. Requires any official U.S. Government document which lists countries and their capital cities to identify Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Declares that, for purposes of registration of birth, certification of nationality, or issuance of a passport of a U.S. citizen born in the city of Jerusalem, the Secretary of State shall, upon the citizen's request, record the place of birth as Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1999
Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act of 1999 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to define "high speed data service" as a service capable of transmitting electronic information at a rate generally not less than 384 kilobits per second in at least one direction. Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and each State, except as expressly provided in this Act, from regulating the rates, charges, terms or conditions for, or entry into the provision of, any high speed data service or Internet access service, or to regulate the facilities used in the provision of such service. Prohibits the FCC from requiring an incumbent (established) local exchange carrier to: (1) provide unbundled access to any network elements used in the provision of any high speed data service, other than those elements described in FCC regulations; or (2) offer for resale at wholesale rates any high speed data service. States that nothing in this Act shall: (1) limit or affect the authority of any State to regulate voice telephone exchange services; (2) affect the ability of the FCC to retain or modify the exemption from interstate access charges for enhanced service providers; or (3) prohibit the FCC from modifying the regulation concerning the number of networks subject to its unbundling requirement. Requires each incumbent local exchange carrier to provide: (1) Internet users with the ability to subscribe to and have access to any Internet service provider that interconnects with such carrier's high speed data service; (2) any Internet service provider with the right to acquire necessary facilities and services to facilitate such interconnection; and (3) any Internet service provider with the ability to collocate equipment in order to achieve such interconnection. Includes high speed data service or Internet access service within the definition of "incidental interLATA services" permitted for a Bell operating company (BOC). States that, until the date a BOC is authorized to offer interLATA services originating in an in-region State, such BOC offering any high speed data service or Internet access service may not, in such State, bill or collect for interLATA voice telecommunications service obtained by means of such high speed data or Internet access service provided by such company.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1999
State Water Sovereignty Protection Act - Directs the United States, whenever it seeks to appropriate water or acquire a water right within a State, to be subject to all procedural and substantive laws of that State relating to its water rights and uses. Gives consent to join the United States in any State proceeding relating to the allocation or use of a water right. Subjects management and control of water within a State to the laws of such State. Delegates to the respective States the authority to regulate water. Allows the United States to exercise management and control of water within a State only in compliance with that State's laws. Subjects the United States to the imposition of costs and fees in a proceeding to the same extent as a private party.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1999
Small Business Franchise Property Recovery Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish certain franchise operations as 15-year property under the accelerated cost recovery system.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1999
Amends the Agricultural Market Transition Act to extend authority to receive full or part payment of production flexibility contracts at times specified by the producer.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1999
Private Property Rights Implementation Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal judicial code to provide that whenever a district court exercises jurisdiction under civil rights provisions in an action in which the operative facts concern the uses of real property, it shall not abstain from exercising or relinquish its jurisdiction to a State court in an action in which no claim of a violation of a State law, right, or privilege is alleged, if a parallel proceeding in State court arising out of the same operative facts as the district court proceeding is not pending. Specifies that: (1) if the district court has jurisdiction over such an action in which the operative facts concern the uses of real property and which cannot be decided without resolution of an unsettled question of State law, it may certify the State law question to the highest appellate court of that State; and (2) after the State appellate court resolves the question certified to it, the district court shall proceed with resolving the merits. Prohibits 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 such question is patently unclear. Declares that any claim or action brought under provisions regarding civil actions for deprivation of rights to redress the deprivation of a property right or privilege secured by the Constitution shall 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. Sets forth provisions regarding what constitutes a "final decision." Specifies that: (1) the party seeking redress shall not be required to apply for an appeal or waiver if no such appeal or waiver is available, if it cannot provide the relief requested, or if the application or re-application would be futile; and (2) a final decision shall not require the party seeking redress to exhaust judicial remedies provided by any State or territory of the United States. (Sec. 3) Declares that any claim brought under provisions regarding the United States as a defendant, or under provisions regarding 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. (Sec. 5) Requires a Federal agency, whenever it takes action limiting the use of private property that may be affected by the amendments made by this Act, to give notice to the owners of that property explaining their rights and the procedures for obtaining any compensation that may be due to them under such amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1999
Directs the head of each executive agency to establish expedited review procedures under which a State may be granted a waiver under an agency grant program if another State has already been granted a similar waiver.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1999
Child Abuse Reform and Enforcement Act of 1999 or CARE Act of 1999 - Title I: Withholding and Redistribution of Certain State Child Protection Funds - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to reduce by 25 percent certain fiscal year allocations and grant amounts, respectively, to a State that is not in compliance with the requirements of title II of this Act. Requires the Attorney General by grants to redistribute such withheld amounts to States that are in compliance with title II of this Act, to be used for computerization and improvement of data and criminal history files in order to effectuate a statutory mechanism for child sexual abuse protection and sentencing reform. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Child Sexual Abuse Protection And Sentencing Reform - Includes the following criteria as prerequisites for eligibility for funding under this Act: (1) State study of its laws pertaining to intrafamilial and extrafamilial sexual abuse of children; (2) State examination of disparities in charging and sentencing perpetrators of child sexual abuse; (3) State examination and implementation of legislative actions necessary to equalize charging and sentencing without regard to familial relationship of such perpetrators to the child victim; (4) State compilation and analysis of relevant data; and (5) State promotion of regulations requiring State courts and agencies to compile such data.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1999
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should adopt certain trade negotiating objectives, including: (1) the initiation of a round of multilateral trade negotiations that continues to reform agricultural and food trade policy and increases trade liberalization in agriculture and food; (2) the elimination of all export subsidies and nontariff barriers to trade, including tightening of rules for their circumvention; (3) the elimination of state trading enterprises; (4) the accelerated resolution of trade disputes and prompt enforcement of dispute panels of the World Trade Organization (WTO); (5) the provision of food security for importing nations by ensuring access to supplies through a commitment by WTO member countries not to restrict or prohibit the export of agricultural products; and (6) the establishment of WTO rules that will allow developing countries to graduate to full participation in, and obligations under, the WTO.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1999
Hydroelectric Licensing Process Improvement Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal Power Act to prescribe statutory procedures for consideration by Federal agencies of: (1) conditions to a hydroelectric license on a Federal reservation, including a prescription relating to construction, maintenance or operation of a fishway; (2) their impact upon economic and power values, electric generation capacity and system reliability, air quality, environmental water and maritime concerns, and (3) means to ensure that conditions address only direct project environmental impacts at the lowest project cost. Prescribes implementation guidelines, including scientific and administrative review, and coordinated environmental review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as the designated lead agency. Directs FERC to submit a feasibility study to certain congressional committees congressional committees regarding the establishment of a special licensing procedure for small hydroelectric projects (projects with a generating capacity of five megawatts or less).
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1999
Safety Net Preservation Act of 1999 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish a new prospective payment system for federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1999
History of the House Awareness and Preservation Act - Directs the Librarian of Congress to: (1) prepare a new and complete written history of the U.S. House of Representatives; (2) in preparing the history, consult, commission, or engage the services or participation of eminent historians and Members or former Members of the House; (3) arrange for the printing of the history and the dissemination of excerpts of the history over the Internet; (4) make the history available for sale to the public; and (5) make available, free of charge, a limited number of copies to each Member of the House of Representatives and to the Senate. Sets forth guidelines for the history. Authorizes the Librarian to solicit and accept private funding for the publication, marketing, and public distribution of the history. Directs the Librarian to accept for deposit, preserve, maintain, and make accessible, an oral history of the House as told by its Members and former Members, compiled and updated (on a voluntary or contract basis) by the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress or other outside organization. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) orientation programs for freshman Members of the House should contain a seminar on the history of the House; and (2) the Speaker of the House should conduct a series of forums on the topic of such history.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1999
Congressional Responsibility Act of 1999 - Prohibits a regulation from taking effect before the enactment of a bill comprised solely of the text of the regulation. Requires an agency, whenever it promulgates a regulation, to submit to each House of Congress a report containing its text and an explanation. Sets forth expedited congressional procedures for consideration of agency regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1999
Pain Relief Promotion Act of 1999 - Title I: Use of Controlled Substances Consistent With the Controlled Substances Act - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to provide that for purposes of such Act, alleviating pain or discomfort in the usual course of professional practice is a legitimate medical purpose for the dispensing, distributing, or administering of a controlled substance consistent with public health and safety even if the use of such a substance may increase the risk of death. Declares that nothing in this Act authorizes intentionally dispensing or administering a controlled substance for purposes of causing death or assisting another person in causing death. Prohibits the Attorney General, in determining whether a controlled substance manufacturer, distributor, or dispenser registration is consistent with the public interest under the Act, from giving force and effect to State law permitting assisted suicide or euthanasia. Authorizes certain educational and research programs carried out by the Attorney General under the Act to include educational and training programs for local, State, and Federal personnel on the necessary and legitimate use of controlled substances in pain management and palliative care and means by which investigation and enforcement actions by law enforcement personnel may accommodate such use. Title II: Promoting Palliative Care - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Administrator of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research to carry out a program to: (1) develop and advance scientific understanding of palliative care; and (2) collect and disseminate protocols and evidence-based practices regarding such care, with priority given to pain management for terminally ill patients, and make such information publicly available. Defines "palliative care" as the active total care of patients whose prognosis is limited due to progressive, far-advanced disease. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to award grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to health professions schools, hospices, and other entities for programs to provide education and training to health care professionals in palliative care. Sets forth requirements for grant applicants. Provides for the evaluation of such programs to determine their effect on knowledge and practice regarding palliative care. Makes funds available for such grants and contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1999
Federalism Act of 1999 - Requires a State to expend and account for covered Federal grant funds in accordance with State law, to use, manage, and dispose of personal property acquired with covered Federal grant funds in accordance with State law, and in procuring any personal property or service with covered Federal grant funds, to follow the requirements and procedures applicable under State law, subject to any requirement that expressly applies under any other Federal statute. (Sec. 6) Prohibits any Federal agency head from including in any performance plan any agency activity that is a State-administered Federal grant program, unless the performance measures are determined in cooperation with public officials. (Sec. 7) Requires the head of an agency, no later than the date of publication of an advance notice of proposed rulemaking or the equivalent date if such notice is not published, to notify and consult with public officials who may potentially be affected for the purpose of identifying any preemption of State or local government authority that may result. Directs an agency head to publish with each proposed rule, interim final rule, and final rule a proposed federalism impact assessment that identifies: (1) any provision of the rule that is a preemption of State or local authority; (2) the constitutional basis for each such preemption; (3) any provision of statute under which the rule is issued that is an express preemption of State or local authority and any provision of any other statute that expressly states that Congress intended such preemption; (4) any provision of the rule that establishes a condition for receipt of grant funds that is not related to the purpose of the grant program; (5) any other provision of the rule that impacts State or local governments, including any provision that constitutes a Federal intergovernmental mandate; (6) any regulatory alternatives considered by the agency; (7) the estimated costs that will be incurred by State and local governments; and (8) the extent of the agency's consultations with potentially affected public officials. Provides for the agency head to include, in the separately identified part of the preamble to each proposed, interim final, and final rule published, a summary of the proposed or final federalism impact assessment. (Sec. 8) Requires the committee report accompanying any public bill, or the joint explanatory statement accompanying a conference report on any such bill, to include a statement that: (1) either identifies each section of the bill or conference report that constitutes an express preemption of State or local authority or asserts that the bill does not contain any such section; (2) describes the constitutional basis for any such preemption; (3) sets forth the reasons for each such preemption; and (4) includes a federalism impact assessment by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that describes the preemptive impact of the bill on State and local governments. Requires such assessment to identify: (1) the estimated costs that would be incurred by such governments for any Federal grant program; and (2) any provision that establishes a condition for receipt of funds under the program that is not related to the program's purposes. Requires a committee or conference committee, in the absence of a report or joint explanatory statement accompanying a bill or conference report, to report such a statement before consideration of the bill or conference report. Requires a Senate or House committee that orders a public bill reported, and a conference committee before filing a conference report thereon, to promptly provide the bill to the CBO Director and to identify each section of the bill that constitutes a preemption of State or local authority. (Sec. 9) Prohibits: (1) any Federal statute enacted after this Act's effective date from preempting, in whole or in part, any State or local law unless the statute expressly states that such preemption is intended or unless there is a direct conflict between such statute and a State or local law so the two cannot be reconciled or consistently stand together; and (2) any Federal rule issued under any provision of law enacted after this Act's effective date from preempting, in whole or in part, any State or local law unless the statute under which the rule is issued, or another statute, expressly states that such preemption is intended. Requires any ambiguity to be construed in favor of preserving State and local authority. (Sec. 10) Requires: (1) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to submit biennially to the CBO Director information describing interim final and final rules issued during the preceding two years that preempt State or local authority; and (2) the Director of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to submit biennially to the CBO Director information describing court decisions issued during the preceding two years that preempt State or local authority. Directs CBO: (1) no later than the adjournment sine die of each Congress, to submit to Congress a specified report on the extent of preemption of State and local authority by Federal laws enacted during the previous session of the Congress and by judicial or agency interpretations of Federal statutes issued during such session, using information regarding agency rules submitted by OMB and information regarding court decisions submitted by the CRS Director; and (2) to make such report available to each congressional committee, each Governor, the presiding officer of each chamber of the legislature of each State, and other public officials and to the public through publication in the Congressional Record and on the Internet. (Sec. 11) Prohibits applying this Act to any section of a bill or any provision of a Federal regulation or statute that establishes or enforces any statutory prohibition against discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap, or disability.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1999
Arctic Coastal Plain Domestic Energy Security Act of 1999 - Declares that: (1) it is the policy of the United States to permit exploration, development, production and transportation of oil and gas resources in a designated area of the Coastal Plain Study Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; (2) such exploration, development, production and transportation should proceed with dispatch; and (3) such activities should be conducted in a manner consistent with the protection of the Coastal Plain's fish and wildlife resources and environment and the needs of the area's subsistence users. (Sec. 4) Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to establish and implement a competitive oil and gas leasing program that will: (1) result in an environmentally sound program; (2) not result in significant adverse effects upon fish and wildlife; and (3) ensure the receipt of fair market value by the public for the mineral resources to be leased. Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to repeal the prohibition against production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and any leasing or development leading to such production. States that Congress determines that the Coastal Plain oil and gas leasing program and activities authorized by this Act are compatible with the purposes for which the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was established, and that no further findings or decisions are required to implement this determination. States this Act is the sole authority for Coastal Plain leasing, and that such Plain is considered "Federal land" for purposes of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) designate a maximum total of Coastal Plain acreage as "Special Areas" and close them to leasing if the Secretary determines that these Areas require special management and regulatory protection; (2) permit leasing in those Special Areas by setting lease terms that limit or condition surface use and occupancy by lessees but permit the use of horizontal drilling technology from sites on leases located outside the designated Special Areas. Declares that this Act constitutes the Secretary's sole authority to close Coastal Plain lands to oil and gas leasing and to exploration, development, and production. (Sec. 6) States that lands may be leased to any person qualified to obtain a lease for oil and gas deposits under the Mineral Leasing Act. Requires the Secretary to prescribe lease procedures. (Sec. 7) Authorizes the Secretary to grant to the highest responsible qualified bidder by sealed competitive cash bonus bid any Coastal Plain lands upon payment of such bonus and a royalty which shall not be less than a certain amount. Prescribes lease terms and conditions. (Sec. 10) Directs the Secretary to grant rights-of-way and easements across the Coastal Plain for oil and gas transportation.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1999
State and Local Government Participation Act of 1999 - Amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to require Federal officials, prior to making environmental impact statements on proposed actions and legislative proposals, to consult with and obtain the comments of Federal and State agencies and county and local governments (currently, Federal agencies) which have jurisdiction or special expertise with respect to involved environmental impacts.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Citizen Legislature and Political Freedom Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to terminate limitations on Federal election campaign contributions after 2000. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate after December 31, 1999, the designation of income tax payments to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund. Terminates the Fund itself and the Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account after December 31, 2000, and transfers any amounts remaining in the Fund to the general fund of the Treasury. Amends FECA, in the case of a political committee of a national political party, to require reports of all funds transferred to any political committee of a State or local political party, without regard to whether or not the funds are otherwise treated as contributions or expenditures under such Act (soft money). Requires any political committee of a State or local political party to file with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) a copy of any report on disbursements it is required under a State or local law, rule, or regulation to submit to the State or local government. Directs the FEC to make electronic filing of reports mandatory. Revises current deadlines for notification of contributions by a campaign committee. Applies such deadlines to each campaign committee of a candidate, not (as currently) just the principal campaign committee. Requires each political committee to notify, in writing, the appropriate office of any contribution (currently, of $1,000 or more) received by the committee during the period which begins on the 90th day before an election (currently, after the 20th day after, but more than 48 hours before, an election) and ends at the time the polls close for such election. Requires such notification to be made within 24 hours (or, if earlier, by midnight of the day on which the contribution is deposited) (currently, within 48 hours) after receipt of the contribution. Requires the FEC to make report information available on the Internet and at FEC offices as soon as practicable after its receipt. Declares that the "best efforts" exception to noncompliance with FECA shall not apply with respect to information regarding the identification of any contributor of more than $200 in the aggregate during a calendar year (thus requiring strict observance of reporting deadlines for all such contributions).
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1999
Iran Nonproliferation Act of 1999 - Directs the President to report periodically to specified congressional committees on foreign persons who, on or after January 22, 1998, have transferred to Iran: (1) controlled goods, services, or technology; or (2) non-controlled goods, services, or technology that would nevertheless would be, if they were U.S. goods, services, or technology, prohibited for export to Iran because of their potential contribution to the development of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, or ballistic missile systems. Excludes from identification in such reports any such persons who were previously identified, or who have acted on behalf of, or in concert with, the U.S. Government. Authorizes the President, with specified exceptions, to apply to such foreign person certain measures: (1) set forth in Executive Order 12938 prohibitions; (2) prohibiting the sale to such persons of defense items on the United States Munitions List and defense articles and defense services, or design and construction services under the Arms Export Control Act; and (3) prohibiting the export to such persons of controlled goods and technology under the Export Administration Act of 1979. Prohibits any U.S. agency from making extraordinary payments to the Russian Space Agency in connection with the International Space Station, or any other organization or entity of the Government of the Russian Federation, unless the President has determined, and reported to specified congressional committees, that: (1) it is the policy of the Government of the Russian Federation to oppose the proliferation to Iran of weapons of mass destruction and missile systems capable of delivering such weapons; (2) such government is taking the necessary steps to prevent the transfer from Russia to Iran of goods, services, and technology useful in the development of such weapons and systems; and (3) neither the Russian Space Agency, nor any organization under its control, has, during the one-year period prior to the determination, made transfers to Iran of controlled goods, services, or technology or non-controlled goods, services, or technology that has potential to contribute to Iran's development of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, or of ballistic missile systems.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1999
Expresses the sense of Congress that the 30th Anniversary of the first lunar landing should be a day of celebration and reflection on the Apollo-11 mission to the moon and the accomplishments of the Apollo program throughout the 1960's and 1970's.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Removal of Barriers to Housing Affordability Title II: Homeownership Through Mortgage Insurance and Loan Guarantees Title III: Section 8 Homeownership Option Title IV: Community Development Block Grants Title V: Home Investment Partnerships Program Title VI: Local Homeownership Initiatives Title VII: Manufactured Housing Improvement Title VIII: Indian Housing Homeownership Title IX: Transfer of Unoccupied and Substandard Hud-Held Housing to Local Governments and Community Development Corporations Title X: Private Mortgage Insurance Cancellation and Termination American Homeownership and Economic Opportunity Act of 1999 - Title I: Removal of Barriers to Housing Affordability - Housing Affordability Barrier Removal Act of 1999 - Requires proposed and final agency rules to analyze their impact upon affordable housing availability, including provision for interested parties to offer alternatives, which shall be incorporated into the final rule if found to accomplish required objectives with a less deleterious effect upon housing. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop model housing impact analyses. (Sec. 103) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to authorize direct appropriations for State and local grants for regulatory barrier removal. Makes consortia of local governments eligible grantees. Requires grant use in coordination with the local comprehensive affordability strategy under the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act. (Sec. 104) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to require jurisdictions to make good faith efforts at affordable housing barrier removal in order to qualify for community development block grants (CDBG) (without creating a private right of action). (Sec. 105) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to state that the regulatory barriers clearinghouse shall be established within the Office of Policy Development of HUD under the direction of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research. Title II: Homeownership Through Mortgage Insurance and Loan Guarantees - Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study of mandatory inspection requirements under the single family housing mortgage insurance program. (Sec. 202) Amends the National Housing Act to extend the loan term for manufactured home lot purchases. (Sec. 203) Neighborhood Teachers Act - Amends the National Housing Act to establish a (temporary) discounted home purchase program for elementary and secondary teachers. Sets forth program provisions, including a three-year residential use requirement. (Sec. 204) Authorizes mortgage insurance to refinance existing home equity conversion mortgages. Title III: Section 8 Homeownership Option - Amends the United States Housing Act to provide a single grant home ownership downpayment option under the section 8 housing assistance program. Title IV: Community Development Block Grants - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations for the CDBG program. Prohibits set-asides, with specified exceptions. (Sec. 403) Authorizes block grant use for: (1) qualifying municipal employee (including teachers) home ownership assistance; and (2) brownfields projects environmental cleanup and economic development. (Sec. 405) Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to authorize appropriations for the housing opportunities for persons with AIDS program. Title V: Home Investment Partnerships Program - Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to authorize appropriations for affordable housing programs. Prohibits set-asides, with specified exceptions. (Sec. 502) Makes limited equity cooperatives and mutual housing associations eligible for home investment partnerships. (Sec. 503) Permits loan pool investment of partnership funds. (Sec. 504) Authorizes the Secretary to make home investment partnerships loan guarantees. Sets forth an aggregate loan guarantee limitation. (Sec. 505) Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to make qualifying municipal employees (including teachers) eligible for home ownership assistance. Title VI: Local Homeownership Initiatives - Amends the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation Act to authorize appropriations for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation. (Sec. 602) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to revise the home ownership zone grant program, including providing: (1) grant eligibility for units of general local government (currently nonprofit organizations); and (2) assistance targeting for specified low-income home buyers. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 603) Expresses the sense of Congress in favor of lease-to-own tenancies as home ownership tools. (Sec. 604) Amends the HUD Demonstration Act of 1993 to make the National Association of Housing Partnerships eligible for local capacity grants. Removes the specified amount of authorized appropriations. (Sec. 605) Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to provide for a consolidated application and planning submission under the following programs: (1) HOME investment partnerships; (2) CDBG; (3) the economic development initiative; (4) emergency shelter grants; and (5) housing opportunities for persons with AIDS. Title VII: Manufactured Housing Improvement - Manufactured Housing Improvement Act - Amends the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 to revise Federal construction and safety provisions for manufactured homes based upon a consensus standards development process. Eliminates the National Manufactured Home Advisory Council. Title VIII: Indian Housing Homeownership - Establishes the Lands Title Report Commission to facilitate home loan Mortgages on Indian trust lands. Terminates the Commission one year after its initial meeting. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 802) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to make permanent Indian housing loan guarantee authority. Title IX: Transfer of Unoccupied and Substandard HUD-Held Housing to Local Governments and Community Development Corporations - Amends the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to transfer ownership of qualified HUD-held properties (substandard or unoccupied multifamily or unoccupied single family properties) to local governments and community development corporations under specified conditions. Title X: Private Mortgage Insurance Cancellation and Termination - Amends the Homeowners Protection Act of 1998 with respect to adjustable rate mortgages to: (1) revise definitions of "cancellation date" and "termination date"; (2) define "amortization schedule"; and (3) revise high risk loan provisions. (Sec. 1002) Authorizes modifications of termination, cancellation, and final termination date provisions. (Sec. 1003) Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) disclosure; and (2) balloon payments.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1999
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits outlays for a fiscal year (except those for repayment of debt principal) from exceeding total receipts (except those derived from borrowing or from any surplus within the Federal Old-Age and Survivors and Disability Insurance Trust Funds) for that fiscal year unless the Congress, by a three- fifths roll call vote of each House, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires a three-fifths roll call vote of each House to increase the public debt. Directs the President to submit a budget which conforms to this article's requirements to the Congress. Requires the approval of a majority of each House by roll call vote before any bill to increase revenue may become law. Authorizes Congress to waive these provisions, solely to the extent necessary for additional military funding, when: (1) a declaration of war is in effect; or (2) the United States is engaged in a military conflict which poses a threat to national security as declared by a joint resolution adopted by a majority of each House. Makes this article effective the first fiscal year beginning after its ratification.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1999
America's Better Classrooms Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide a limited tax credit to holders of qualified public school construction bonds; and (2) treat such credit as taxable interest income. Amends the General Education Provisions Act to provide for the application of certain labor standards to projects financed under this Act. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish provisions concerning employment and training activities related to the construction or reconstruction of public school facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1999
Expresses the sense of Congress that social security reform measures should not cause State and local government employees covered under public pensions to be forced into coverage under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1999
Ivanpah Valley Airport Public Lands Transfer Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to convey to Clark County, Nevada, certain Federal public lands in Ivanpah Valley, Nevada, for the development of an airport facility and related infrastructure. Prohibits such conveyance from being made until: (1) the County has conducted an airspace assessment to identify any potential adverse effects on access to the Las Vegas basin under visual flight rules that would result from the construction and operation of a commercial or primary airport, or both, on the land to be conveyed; (2) the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration certifies to the Secretary that such assessment is thorough, and that alternatives have been developed to address each adverse effect identified in such assessment; and (3) the County has entered into an agreement with the Secretary to retain ownership of Jean Airport, located at Jean, Nevada, and to maintain and operate such Airport for general aviation purposes. Requires conveyance of small parcels over 20 years as may be needed by the County to construct and develop the airport facility and infrastructure on the lands conveyed. Provides for the deposit of payments received from the County as consideration for the conveyance of each parcel in the special account described in the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act. Withdraws the conveyed lands from mineral entry under the Act of May 10, 1872, known as the Mining Law of 1872 and the Mineral Leasing Act. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to consult with the Secretary in the development of an airspace management plan for the Ivanpah Valley Airport that shall, to the maximum extent practicable and without adversely impacting safety considerations, restrict aircraft arrivals and departures over the Mojave Desert Preserve in California.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1999
National Medal of Honor Memorial Act - Designates the memorial being constructed at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California, to honor Medal of Honor recipients as the National Medal of Honor Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
Patent Fairness Act of 1999 - Amends Federal law to require, if the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks determines that certain standards are met, restoration of the term of any patent, in force on September 24, 1984, and on the filing date of a patent term restoration application under this Act, that claims: (1) a drug product; (2) a method of using a drug product; or (3) a method of manufacturing a drug product. (Sec. 2) Defines such standards as: (1) a regulatory review period from application submission to application approval exceeding 60 months; and (2) the absence of substantial evidence overcoming the rebuttable presumption that the applicant for patent term restoration for the drug product acted with due diligence. Requires subtraction from the total amount of the restoration term of any time during the regulatory review period during which the Commissioner finds that the applicant for patent term restoration did not act with due diligence. Limits a restoration period, after specified adjustments, to five years. Requires restoration term applications to be filed within 90 days after enactment of this Act. Provides for: (1) claim determination procedure; (2) interim restoration of the patent term pending final disposition; and (3) appeal of the Commissioner's determinations to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit only. Entitles to compensation by the patent owner of any person who has submitted an new drug application under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act for a drug product covered by a patent for which a patent term was restored under this Act, if such application has been found by the Food and Drug Administration on or before enactment of this Act to be sufficiently complete to permit substantive review. Sets the amount of compensation at: (1)$1 million; or (2) $500,000 for any holder of a Type II Drug Master File that has permitted a reference to its File to be made in such application. Limits a patent owner's overall liability to: (1) $5 million to persons submitting new drug applications; or (2) $2.5 million to holders of Type II Drug Master Files. Requires the Commissioner to report to Congress: (1) an evaluation of the patent term restoration review procedure established by this Act; and (2) a recommendation whether Congress should consider establishing such a patent term review procedure for patents not covered by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
Regulatory Fairness and Openness Act of 1999 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct a transition analysis report with respect to pesticide tolerances before releasing any product safety information to the public, or making final tolerance decisions. Includes within such report's requirements a description of the extent to which specified assumptions have been used to support findings or regulatory recommendations. (Sec. 5) Sets forth interim review or reassessment procedures. (Sec. 6) Requires the Administrator to issue within one year of enactment of this Act final implementing rules for tolerances and exemptions for pesticide chemical residues. (Sec. 7) Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Administrator to issue guidelines specifying required data in support of tolerances and exemptions. Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to provide for related notice and opportunity for hearing. (Sec. 8) Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to provide for an expedited replacement product registration process. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to authorize an expedited tolerance for an emergency exemption if no significant (food) consumer risk exists. (Sec. 9) Requires the Administrator and the Secretary of Agriculture to report with respect to related pesticide, residue, and food use priorities and resources. (Sec. 10) Requires the Secretary to develop a program to monitor the competitive international market strength of major U.S. agricultural commodity sectors. (Sec. 11) Establishes the Pesticide Advisory Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to restore the link ended by the Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act of 1995 between the rules relating to substantial gainful activity for blind individuals and the rules relating to excess earnings under the social security earnings test for individuals who have attained retirement age (thus allowing blind individuals, once again, to earn up to the social security excess earnings threshold without being regarded as having demonstrated an ability to engage in substantial gainful activity and without losing entitlement to OASDI benefits). Makes this Act effective with respect to taxable years ending after 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1999
Children's Hospitals Education and Research Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payment as specified to each children's hospital for each hospital cost reporting period under Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA)) for FY 2000 and 2001 for the direct and indirect expenses associated with operating approved medical residency training programs. Provides that such payments are in lieu of certain Medicare payments to hospitals for inpatient hospital services, but shall not affect the amounts otherwise payable to such hospitals under a State Medicaid (SSA title XIX) plan. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1999
Forest Roads-Community Right-To-Know Act - Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior, prior to making permanent road closings on National Forest System or Bureau of Land Management lands, respectively, to: (1) provide affected State and local officials with advance notice; and (2) provide for public notice and comment.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1999
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Freedom of Travel Act of 1999 - Amends Federal transportation law to require the Secretary of Transportation to grant 30 additional slot (arrival and departure space) exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in order to enable air carriers to provide daily nonstop air transportation using noise-compliant aircraft between it and an airport that is more than 1,250 miles away if the Secretary finds that the exemptions will: (1) result in air transportation service with domestic network benefits in areas that are more than 1,250 miles from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport; and (2) increase domestic travel options for communities that are more than 1,250 miles from such airport. Provides exemption limitations, including a limitation of no more than two exemptions per hour between 7: 00 a.m. and 9: 59 p.m. for slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Requires exemption decisions to be made by the Secretary within 120 days of application.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement the Class I milk price structure known as Option A as part of the final rule to consolidate Federal milk marketing orders.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Transportation Employee Fair Taxation Act of 1999 - Amends Federal shipping law to subject an individual to income tax liability in the State where such individual resides with respect to income derived by the individual while: (1) engaged as a pilot on a vessel performing duties in more than one State; or (2) performing regularly-assigned duties as a master, officer, or crewman on a vessel operating on the navigable waters of more than one State.
![Official portrait of Rep. Simpson, Michael K. [R-ID-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/678152c81f9ad6ea6fb1eb7f_200.jpg)