United States · United States Congress · 3 September 1997
Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, as amended by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, to repeal the provision crediting the increase in excise taxes on certain tobacco products against payments made pursuant to specified tobacco industry settlement legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
Census of Agriculture Act of 1997 - Amends Federal law to transfer authority to conduct the census of agriculture from the Secretary of Commerce to the Secretary (Secretary) of Agriculture. Requires the Secretary to take a census every five years beginning in 1998. Sets forth enforcement and confidentiality provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1997
Authorizes the President to award the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously to Theodore Roosevelt for his actions in the attack of San Juan Heights, Cuba, during the Spanish-American War on July 1, 1898.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1997
Genetic Employment Protection Act of 1997 - Prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of genetic information with respect to an individual, including an inquiry by the individual regarding genetic services. Sets forth confidentiality and civil action provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1997
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to modify the formula for determining the amount of reduced monthly OASDI benefits payable to a spouse, surviving spouse, or parent receiving monthly payments from a Federal or State pension plan.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1997
Requires each State to establish an Advisory Board for Risk Assessment which shall comply with the requirements and guidelines regarding notification and release of sexually violent offenders established for a State board under the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act and under this Act. Directs: (1) the Chief Executive Officer of each State (CEO) to develop guidelines and procedures for use by the Board to assess the risk of a repeat offense by such an offender and the threat posed to the public safety; and (2) any State or local correctional facility, hospital, or institution to forward relevant information pertaining to a sex offender to be discharged, paroled, or released to the Board for review prior to the release (and provides for the confidentiality of records so provided, with exceptions). Requires the Board to use the guidelines established under this Act to recommend to the appropriate State court one of three levels of notification. Directs such court to: (1) make a determination regarding the level of notification after receiving a tier recommendation from the Board; and (2) upon the reversal of a conviction of a sexual offense, order the expungement of any records required to be kept pursuant to this Act. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) penalties for misuse of registration information; (2) juvenile offenders; (3) official immunity from liability; and (4) exclusion of the victim's identity from public access or dissemination. Requires: (1) each CEO to establish reasonable notification requirements and to appoint a voluntary advisory council to design a policy to assist communities in which a sex offender resides to plan and prepare for such a resident; and (2) the department required to coordinate the sex offender registration program to compile and update offender information.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1997
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to religious understanding and peace. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike duplicate medals in bronze. Authorizes appropriations from the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund, where sales proceeds shall be deposited.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1997
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act Amendments of 1997 - Exempts a physician clinical office laboratory from Public Health Service Act certification requirements, except when such laboratory performs a pap smear (Papanicolaou Smear) analysis.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1997
Small Business Microloan Program Improvement Act - Amends the Small Business Act to: (1) increase from $2.5 million to $3.5 million the individual loan limit under the Microloan Demonstration Program (a program providing assistance to women, low-income, and other underprivileged and minority businesses); (2) revise loan loss reserve fund requirements for Program intermediaries; and (3) extend through FY 2000 the authorization of appropriations for the Program (renamed the Microloan Program).
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1997
National Marrow Donor Program Reauthorization Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to replace provisions relating to the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry with provisions mandating establishment, by contract, of a program to assist patients needing a blood stem cell transplant in searching for biologically unrelated donor individuals. Sets forth program functions, including: (1) maintaining one or more donor and one or more recipient registries; (2) educational activities (including donor recruitment and professional and public information); and (3) establishing the Office of Patient Advocacy and Case Management. Mandates: (1) standards regarding quality, tissue typing, donor informed consent, and patient advocacy; (2) donor selection criteria; (3) stem cell collection and transportation procedures; (4) confidentiality standards; and (5) procedures for integrating participating donor registries and centers. Mandates criminal penalties for confidentiality violations. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates a plan to effectuate efficiencies in the relationship between the program and donor centers.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1997
Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act of 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 insurance issuer providing group coverage, from: (1) excluding or restricting benefits for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services; (2) denying eligibility based on use or potential use of such items or services; (3) providing monetary payments or rebates to a covered individual to encourage acceptance of less than the minimum protections available; (4) penalizing, reducing, or limiting a professional's reimbursement because the professional prescribed such drugs or devices or provided such services; or (5) providing incentives to a professional to induce the professional to withhold drugs, devices, or services. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply those prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market.
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 · 8 July 1997
Equitable Health Care for Neurobiological Disorders Act of 1997 - States that the standards for the nondiscriminatory and equitable treatment by employer health benefit plans of individuals with neurobiological disorders require that such plans provide for coverage of services essential to the effective treatment of such disorders in a specified manner. Sets forth the criteria under which an employer plan may meet such standards. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a tax of up to 25 percent of the amounts received by the carrier or under the plan for coverage if a carrier or an employer health benefit plan fails to comply with the standards relating to the nondiscriminatory treatment of neurobiological disorders under this Act.
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 · 24 June 1997
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (CRA) to revise and increase remedies and enforcement on behalf of victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex. Amends FLSA to provide for enhanced enforcement of equal pay requirements (also known as the Equal Pay Act of 1963), adding a nonretaliation requirement. Increases penalties for such violations. Provides for the Secretary of Labor to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in such cases. Amends CRA to direct the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to require certain employers to maintain payroll records and report to the EEOC pay information analyzed by race, sex, and national origin of employees. Applies such requirement to employers who have 100 or more employees for each working day in each of 20 or more calendar weeks. Requires EEOC and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving discrimination in the payment of wages. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public concerning the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women, including convening a national summit and carrying out other specified activities. Establishes the Robert Reich National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace, which shall be evidenced by a medal. Sets forth criteria for specified types of entities to receive such an award. Authorizes appropriations to the EEOC, the OFCCP, and the Secretary to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1997
Medicaid Community Attendant Services Act of 1997 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicaid coverage of qualified community-based attendant services for any individual entitled to nursing facility or intermediate care facility services. Limits such services to those furnished to an individual in a home or community-based setting, which may include a school, workplace, or recreating or religious facility, but not a nursing facility, an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded, or other institutional facility. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) review existing Medicaid regulations for home health services and other services in home and community-based settings; (2) report to the Congress on how excessive utilization of medical services can be reduced under Medicaid by using qualified community-based attendant services; (3) develop a functional needs assessment instrument with respect to an individual's need for such services; and (4) establish a task force to examine appropriate methods for financing long-term care services. Amends SSA title XIX to allow States to waive certain income limitations with respect to Medicaid payments to individuals eligible for medical assistance who are also eligible for or already receiving a State supplementary payment. Allows such a waiver in such cases as the State finds the potential for employment opportunities would be enhanced through the provision of qualified community-based attendant services. Allows the State, in the case of such an individual made eligible for medical assistance because of such a waiver, to impose a premium based on a sliding scale relating to income.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1997
Eating Disorders Information and Education Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for a program of information and public education concerning the prevention and treatment of eating disorders. Authorizes appropriations.
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 · 18 June 1997
Cuban Humanitarian Trade Act of 1997 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to exempt from the embargo on trade with Cuba the export of food, medicines, or medical supplies, instruments, or equipment, or any travel incident to delivery of such items. Exempts the same items from the President's authority to restrict exports to Cuba under the Export Administration Act of 1979 or the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate the denial of foreign tax credit with respect to income, war profits, or excess profits taxes paid to Cuba that are attributable to activities with respect to the permitted exports, or travel incident to such activities, under this Act. Directs the President to report to the Congress with respect to the uses, and end users, of the permitted exports to Cuba.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1997
National Salvage Motor Vehicle Consumer Protection Act of 1997 - Amends Federal transportation law to require States, in licensing a passenger motor vehicle whose ownership has been transferred, to disclose on the certificate of title whenever records indicate that such vehicle was previously issued a title that contained a word or symbol signifying that it was "salvage," "unrebuildable," "parts only," "scrap," "junk," "nonrepairable," "reconstructed," "rebuilt," or that it has been damaged by flood. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations requiring each State in licensing such vehicles to apply uniform standards, procedures, and methods for the issuance and control of motor vehicle titles and for information to be contained on such titles. Sets forth requirements for the transfer of salvage title and rebuilt salvage title vehicles and nonrepairable vehicle certificate vehicles. Requires persons transferring ownership of a salvage vehicle to give notice to the transferee that the vehicle is a salvage vehicle. Directs the Secretary to prescribe requirements (similar to those of the Automobile Information Disclosure Act) that a label containing certain information be affixed to the windshield or window of a rebuilt or remanufactured salvage vehicle before its first sale. Prohibits a person from willfully removing, altering, or rendering illegible such label before the vehicle is delivered to the ultimate purchaser. Makes it unlawful for any person knowingly and willfully to: (1) make false statements on an application for a motor vehicle title; (2) fail to apply for a salvage title when such application is required; (3) alter, forge, or counterfeit a certificate of title, a nonrepairable vehicle certificate, a certificate verifying an anti-theft inspection or an anti-theft and safety inspection, or a required decal affixed to a passenger motor vehicle; (4) falsify the results of an inspection; (5) offer to sell any salvage vehicle or nonrepairable vehicle as a rebuilt salvage vehicle; or (6) conspire to commit any of the above acts. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Authorizes States and other State officials to bring civil or criminal action in the appropriate court to enforce the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1997
Prohibits, notwithstanding the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, any large fishing vessel from fishing for Atlantic herring or Atlantic mackerel in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone until: (1) the National Marine Fisheries Service has completed a new population survey regarding the discrete spawning stocks of those fish; and (2) the Secretary of Commerce has approved and implemented fishery management plans, developed by the appropriate regional fishery management council for those fish, that specifically allow participation of large fishing vessels. Defines "large fishing vessel" as being at least 165 feet long, having over 3,000 horsepower, and not having a documented landing in any east coast port as of May 1, 1997, of at least one pound of any species of fish caught under a Federal or State fishing or landing permit or license.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1997
Local Free Access Act - Amends provisions regarding Federal payments in lieu of taxes to exempt persons residing within the boundaries of local governments that receive such payments from National Forest System recreational user fees unless sufficient funds are appropriated in a fiscal year to provide full payments to eligible local governments.
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 · 5 June 1997
Amends the Small Business Act to increase from 20 to 25 percent of the total value of all Federal prime contracts awarded in a fiscal year the goal for contracts awarded to small businesses, small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, and small businesses owned and controlled by women.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude gain or loss from the sale of livestock (as defined in existing provisions relating to property used in the trade or business and involuntary conversions) from the definition of "disqualified income" for purposes of the earned income credit. Applies the amendment to taxable years beginning after December 31, 1995.
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 enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to conduct a demonstration project under which covered members and beneficiaries under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) who are or become entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act will be eligible to enroll in health benefits plans offered through the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program. Requires the demonstration project to be conducted in two geographic areas and to last at least two, but not more than three, contract years. Provides for: (1) management of participation in the project; (2) Government contributions for beneficiary coverage under the FEHB program; and (3) reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 1997
Amends the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 to require the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, for FY 1997 through 2001, to make grants to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) to establish and extend club facilities where needed, with particular emphasis on establishing clubs in and extending services to public housing projects and distressed areas. Directs the Attorney General to accept and approve an application for such a grant submitted by BGCA if the application: (1) includes a long-term strategy to establish 1,000 additional clubs and a detailed summary of those areas in which new facilities will be established or existing facilities expanded to serve additional youths during the next fiscal year; (2) includes a plan to insure that there are a total of not less than 2,500 BGCA facilities in operation before January 1, 2000; (3) certifies that there will be appropriate coordination with those communities where clubs will be located; and (4) explains the manner in which new facilities will operate without additional, direct Federal financial assistance. Earmarks specified funds to provide a grant to BGCA for administrative, travel, and other costs associated with a national role-model speaking tour program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997
Access to Women's Health Care Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to establish standards requiring that group and individual health insurance coverage and group health plans provide adequate access to services provided by obstetrician-gynecologists.
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
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging Establishment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish: (1) the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging in the National Institutes of Health; and (2) the National Biomedical Imaging Program. Authorizes appropriations.
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
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency should: (1) immediately release to the Congress the study of mercury emissions required under the Clean Air Act to have been completed by November 15, 1994; (2) conduct landfill air emission tests for mercury in the Northeast and nationally; and (3) not exempt mercury-containing lamps from hazardous waste regulations, but instead adopt universal waste rules that foster mercury recycling.
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
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1997 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to establish in the National Park Service (NPS) a program to be known as the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom under which the Secretary shall: (1) produce and disseminate educational materials about the Railroad; (2) provide technical assistance to other government agencies, private entities, or the Governments of Canada, Mexico, or any appropriate Caribbean country to ensure coordination of Federal and non-Federal elements of the Network; and (3) regulate use of an official symbol for the Network. Includes within the Network: (1) NPS units or programs pertaining to the Railroad; (2) Federal, State, local, or privately-owned properties pertaining to the Railroad that have a verifiable connection to it and that are included or eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places; and (3) governmental or nongovernmental facilities or programs of educational, research, or interpretive natures that are directly related to such Railroad. Prohibits amounts from being appropriated for the purposes of this Act except to the Secretary for carrying out his or her responsibilities.
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
Congressional Pension Forfeiture Act of 1997 - Amends Federal law to provide that any service as a Member of Congress of an individual convicted of one of specified offenses committed while a Member and directly related to the individual's service during the 106th Congress or later shall not be taken into account as creditable service for purposes of annuity or retirement provisions. Includes among such offenses: (1) bribery of public officials; (2) conspiracy to defraud the Government with respect to claims; (3) making or receiving expenditures to influence voting; (4) acting as an agent of a foreign principal; (5) frauds and swindles; and (6) tax evasion. Entitles such individual (or his or her beneficiary or estate, if applicable) to be paid so much of such individual's lump-sum credit as is attributable to such service. Prohibits: (1) the individual, while serving as a Member after the date of the conviction, from being eligible to participate in the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees Retirement System; and (2) interest from being computed on such lump-sum payment for the period after the conviction or commission of the violation, or after September 26, 1961, whichever is later.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1997
Lewis and Clark Expedition Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one-dollar and half-dollar coins emblematic of the expedition of Lewis and Clark. Allocates surcharges from coin sales between the National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Council and the National Park Service for activities associated with the bicentennial commemoration of the expedition.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1997
Rural Law Enforcement Assistance Act of 1997 - Authorizes the establishment of the National Center for Rural Law Enforcement as a private, nonprofit corporation for the purpose of assisting rural law enforcement agencies with management education and training, maintaining a clearinghouse, evaluation, technical assistance, research, computer and forensic education and training, and providing other support. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1997
Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide financial assistance to private organizations to conduct three-year women's business development programs (currently called demonstration projects) for the benefit of small businesses owned and controlled by women. Deletes provisions concerning possible non-Federal source cash contributions to such organizations for such programs received on or before FY 1993. Repeals a provision prohibiting the SBA from providing such assistance to any new project after October 1, 1997.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1997
Expresses the commitment of the Members of the House of Representatives to the elimination of racism and to working tirelessly on behalf of justice and peace for all people.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1997
Patient Access to Responsible Care Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require a health insurance issuer to: (1) assure that covered items and services are available and accessible to each enrollee; (2) assure the availability and accessibility of emergency services and urgent care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; (3) not require prior authorization for emergency services; and (4) cover emergency and urgent (and related ancillary) services. Requires an issuer offering network coverage to show that enrollees have access to specialized treatment. Regulates network incentive plans. Requires an issuer to: (1) permit each network enrollee to select a personal health professional from participating professionals; (2) cover nonparticipating providers, regulating premiums and cost sharing; (3) avoid undue enrollee burden from care coordination and cost control processes; (4) ensure direct specialist access; (5) provide for continuity of care for those with special needs or a chronic condition; and (6) provide for continued coverage in certain circumstances. Prohibits issuer discrimination on the basis of specified factors against individuals or providers. Prohibits any issuer-professional agreement from restricting the professional from engaging in medical communications with the professional's patient. Sets forth requirements regarding utilization review, an appeals process, and the process by which health professionals and providers become participants. Requires issuers to: (1) disclose certain information to enrollees and prospective enrollees; (2) comply with Federal and State confidentiality laws; (3) meet State solvency-related requirements; and (4) establish a quality improvement program. Requires issuers to comply with this Act regarding group and individual coverage. Declares that the requirements of this Act do not preempt any State law providing equivalent or stricter protections for individuals. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to require a group health plan and an issuer offering coverage under such a plan to comply with the requirements of this Act. Declares that this Act does not preempt any State: (1) law providing equivalent or stricter protections for individuals; or (2) cause of action for personal injury or wrongful death damages that provides insurance or administrative services to or for an employee welfare benefit plan maintained to provide health benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1997
Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 1997 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy services of registered dieticians and nutrition professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1997
Redesignates the Department of Justice Building located at 10th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., in Washington, D.C., as the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income (under the qualified scholarship provisions) certain amounts provided by an employer to the child of an employee.
![Official portrait of Rep. Baldacci, John Elias [D-ME-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000081_200.jpg)