United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Can Spam Act - Prohibits any person from using equipment of an electronic mail (e-mail) service provider, or causing such equipment to be used, for transmission of unsolicited commercial e- mail in violation of a posted policy of such provider. Authorizes the provider to bring a civil action for violations, with appropriate relief. Amends the Federal criminal code to impose criminal penalties upon any individual who knowingly and without authorization uses the Internet domain name of another person in connection with the sending of e-mail messages and, as a result of such conduct, causes damage to a computer or a computer system or network.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
National Uniformity for Food Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to prohibit any State or political subdivision from establishing or continuing in effect as to any food in interstate commerce any requirement for food labeling or food that is not identical to specified FDCA provisions. Prohibits any State or political subdivision from establishing or continuing in effect any notification requirement for a food that provides for a warning concerning the food's safety that is not identical to FDCA provisions. Allows a State to petition for an exemption and for a national standard regarding any requirement under the FDCA, as amended by this Act, or the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act relating to food regulation. Allows a State to establish a requirement that would otherwise violate FDCA provisions relating to national uniform nutrition labeling or this paragraph if the requirement is needed to address an imminent hazard to health that is likely to result in serious adverse health consequences and if other requirements are met.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1999
State Responsible Alcohol Access Enforcement Act - Amends the Webb-Kenyon Act and provisions of the Liquor Law Repeal and Enforcement Act to authorize any State, the District of Columbia, any U.S. territory, and any place noncontiguous to but subject to U.S. jurisdiction to bring an action in the appropriate U.S. district court (or in the case of a place outside the United States, in an appropriate court of Federal jurisdiction) to enjoin the shipment or transportation of liquor in violation of either Act or to enforce the laws of such State, District, territory, or place with respect to such shipment or transportation. Directs the Federal Trade Commission to conduct a study to determine if it needs additional authority under the Federal Trade Commission Act to regulate the sale, marketing, and advertising of alcoholic beverages in commerce through all forms of remote commerce. Directs that such study include an examination of the current state of alcoholic beverage retailing through all forms of remote commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1999
Long-Term Care and Retirement Security Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction for premiums on qualified long-term care insurance contracts. Expands the child care credit and renames it the family care credit. Amends title XI of the Social Security Act to require annual social security account statements to include information concerning the limitation on Medicare and Medicaid long-term care benefits. Authorizes appropriations. Amends Medicaid (title XIX) provisions of the Social Security Act to expand State long-term care partnerships by exempting 75 percent of partnership assets from Medicaid estate recovery.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1999
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to extend the wetland reserve program. Replaces the total program acreage limitation with an annual enrollment limitation through FY 2005. Includes within eligible program land non-wetland areas that would substantially contribute to North American Waterfowl Management Plan habitat objectives. Authorizes program related cooperative agreements for goods and services.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1999
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that all fire fighters who risk their lives and die in the line of duty should be honored and recognized.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1999
Twenty-First Amendment Enforcement Act - Amends the Webb-Kenyon Act to authorize a State attorney general (State AG) who has reasonable cause to believe that a person is engaging in any act that would constitute a violation of State law regulating the importation or transportation of any intoxicating liquor, to bring a civil action for injunctive relief to: (1) restrain the person from engaging in the violation; and (2) enforce compliance with State law. Grants U.S. district courts jurisdiction over any action brought by a State AG against any person, except one licensed or otherwise authorized to produce, sell, or store intoxicating liquor in such State. Permits such an action to be brought only in accordance with Federal judicial code provisions regarding venue, or in the district in which the recipient of such liquor resides or is found. Directs the court, in such action and upon a proper showing by the State AG, to issue a preliminary or permanent injunction or other order without requiring the posting of a bond. Prohibits such issuance without notice to the adverse party. Sets forth provisions regarding the form and scope of the order. Authorizes the court to order the trial of the action on the merits to be advanced and consolidated with the hearing on the application. Specifies that such an action shall be tried before the court.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1999
Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 for infant and child health programs under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 that have a direct, measurable, and high impact on reducing the incidence of illness and death among children. Earmarks 25 percent of such funds for programs of U.S.-based, citizen-supported, private voluntary organizations that implement community-based programs. Limits certain funds under the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2000 for population planning activities or other population assistance, including all programs and activities designed to control fertility or to reduce or delay childbirths or pregnancies.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Arrow Excise Tax Clarification Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the excise tax on arrows to: (1) include among taxable components any article used to attach a point and shaft; (2) provide a reduced rate for certain hunting and fishing points; (3) impose a tax on imported arrows; (4) define "taxable arrow"; and (5) provide for tax-free sales by component purchasers to governments or tax-exempt entities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1999
NAFTA Impact Relief Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to, among other things: (1) provide for the designation of NAFTA-impacted communities; (2) establish an employment credit for such communities; and (3) provide for job training grants to such communities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1999
Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a commemorative postage stamp in honor of the U.S.S. New Jersey and all those who served aboard her.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Father Theodore M. Hesburgh Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a congressional gold medal to Father Theodore M. Hesburgh in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to civil rights, higher education, the Catholic Church, the Nation, and the global community. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Home Health Access Preservation Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, subject to certain restrictions, to pay an additional amount, determined in accordance with specified guidelines, to home health agencies furnishing qualified home health services during a cost reporting period beginning on or after October 1, 1997, under the Medicare program (title XVIII of the Social Security Act). Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits the Secretary from making additional payments under this Act for all or portions of cost reporting periods beginning on or after the date of the implementation of the prospective payment system (PPS) for home health services under Medicare. Bars judicial review with regard to any action of the Secretary with respect to the determination of an additional payment under this Act. Addresses overpayments to home health agencies, giving them a repayment option over a 36-month period, and prohibiting interest accrual on the outstanding balance of the overpayment amount during such period. Prohibits home health agencies from electing to make such a repayment for all or portions of cost reporting periods beginning on or after the date of the implementation of the PPS for home health services under Medicare. Makes the repayment option effective retroactively to the enactment of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Directs the Secretary to meet periodically with the staff of the appropriate congressional committees to provide an informal update regarding the Secretary's progress in implementing such PPS.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the International Labor Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work is an important achievement that may help advance core labor standards in a competitive global economy; and (2) the President should use all means at the President's disposal to ensure that the Declaration and its Follow Up Mechanism evolve into an effective means of monitoring worldwide compliance with core labor standards.
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 · 19 May 1999
Interstate Oasis Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a program to designate as Interstate Oases facilities near the Interstate System that offer products and services to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1999
Medicare Rehabilitation Benefit Improvement Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide certain Medicare beneficiaries with an exemption to the financial limitations imposed on physical, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study of specified effects of this Act for a report to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1999
Access to Thermal Imaging Cameras Act - Authorizes the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to make competitive grants to fire departments for the purpose of acquiring thermal imaging cameras. Requires the non-Federal share of acquisition costs to be 33 percent. Authorizes appropriations. Declares the sense of Congress that any funds appropriated to FEMA for this purpose should be offset with corresponding reductions in funds appropriated to carry out other Federal programs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1999
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering Establishment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for the establishment of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering. Requires the Director of the Institute to establish a National Biomedical Imaging and Engineering Program which shall include research and related technology assessments and development in biomedical imaging and engineering. Requires the Director, with respect to such Program, to prepare and transmit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) a plan to initiate, expand, intensify, and coordinate Institute biomedical imaging and engineering activities. Requires: (1) the consolidation and coordination of Institute biomedical imaging and engineering research and related activities with those of the NIH and other Federal agencies; and (2) the establishment of an Institute advisory council. Authorizes: (1) appropriations for the Institute for FY 2000 through 2002; and (2) the transfer of appropriate NIH personnel and research facilities for Institute activities.
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 · 11 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Brownfield Remediation and Environmental Cleanup Title II: Innocent Landowner, Prospective Purchaser, and Contiguous Property Owner Liability Title III: Seller Liability Relief and State Voluntary Response Programs Community Revitalization and Brownfield Cleanup Act of 1999 - Title I: Brownfield Remediation and Environmental Cleanup - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a program to provide grants to local governments to inventory and conduct site assessments of brownfield sites. Defines a "brownfield site" as a parcel of land that contains or contained abandoned, idled, or under-used commercial or industrial facilities, the expansion or redevelopment of which is complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. (Sec. 103) Directs the Administrator to establish a program of grants to local governments for capitalization of loan programs for brownfield site cleanup by the locality or owner or developer. (Sec. 104) Imposes funding limitations, including a restriction on use of funds to meet Federal cost-sharing requirements and a prohibition on the use of grants to pay fines or penalties. (Sec. 105) Requires reports to specified congressional committees regarding the site assessment and loan capitalization programs. (Sec. 108) Authorizes appropriations to carry out the site assessment and loan capitalization programs and State voluntary response programs described under title III of this Act. Title II: Innocent Landowner, Prospective Purchaser, and Contiguous Property Owner Liability - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), with respect to defenses to liability of an owner of property acquired after April 15, 1994, to deem a person to have made appropriate inquiry into the property's previous ownership and uses only if the person establishes that an environmental site assessment was conducted which meets specified requirements (compliance with an American Society for Testing and Materials standard or with standards issued by the Administrator) and the person fulfills certain responsibilities concerning information compilation, exercise of appropriate care with respect to hazardous substances at the facility, and cooperation with those conducting response actions. (Sec. 202) Absolves from liability for response actions bona fide prospective purchasers or operators of a facility owned by such a purchaser to the extent liability for a release or threat thereof is based solely on ownership or operation of a facility and such persons meet other specified conditions, including notice requirements, exercise of appropriate care concerning the hazardous substances, cooperation with those conducting response actions, and lack of affiliation with liable parties. Gives a lien upon a facility to the United States for unrecovered response costs not inconsistent with the National Contingency Plan in any case in which there are such unrecovered costs for which the owner is not liable by reason of being a prospective purchaser and the action increases the fair market value of the facility. (Sec. 203) Adds CERCLA provisions governing owner-operator status of persons owning or operating property contiguous to a release site. Title III: Seller Liability Relief and State Voluntary Response Programs - Amends CERCLA to add provisions requiring the Administrator to provide technical and other assistance to States to establish and enhance qualifying State voluntary response programs, comprised of elements including public participation opportunities, oversight and enforcement authorities, and certification mechanisms.
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 · 5 May 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the conducting of certain games of chance conducted by qualifying tax exempt or nonprofit organizations shall not be treated as an unrelated trade or business for purposes of the tax imposed on tax-exempt organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1999
Public School Modernization Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide: (1) a limited credit for qualified public school modernization bonds; (2) for qualified school construction bonds and qualified zone academy bonds and establish limits and allocation formulas for such bonds; and (3) corporations, a limited specialized training center credit. 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 · 3 May 1999
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 1999 - 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 · 29 April 1999
Cuban Food and Medicine Security Act of 1999 - Exempts from the embargo on trade with Cuba the export of food and other agricultural products (including fertilizer), medicines, medical supplies, instruments, or equipment, or any travel incident to the delivery of such items. Declares that such exemption shall not apply to certain restrictions imposed under the Export Administration Act of 1979 or the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report to specified congressional committees on existing U.S. agricultural export promotion and credit programs to determine how such programs can be carried out to promote the consumption of U.S. agricultural commodities in Cuba. Directs the President to report to Congress on: (1) the extent (expressed in volume and dollar amounts) of sales to Cuba of food and other agricultural products (including fertilizer), medicines, medical supplies, instruments, and equipment; (2) the types and end users of such items; and (3) whether there has been any indication that any medicines, medical supplies, instruments, or equipment exported to Cuba since enactment of this Act have been used for torture or other human rights abuses, were reexported, or were used in the production of any bio-technological product.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Dog and Cat Protection Act of 1999 - Prohibits: (1) the importation of dog or cat fur into the United States; and (2) any person in the United States from introducing into commerce, manufacturing, selling or offering to sell, trading, advertising, or transporting or distributing in commerce, any dog or cat fur product. Subjects a person to both civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Made in USA Label Defense Act of 1999 - Amends Federal law to prohibit the affixation of the "Made in the USA" label to a product of the Northern Mariana Islands. Prohibits such products from being imported into the United States free of duty or quotas.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Border Improvement and Immigration Act of 1999 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 with respect to the automated entry-exit control system to exempt from required recordkeeping: (1) land border crossings and seaports; and (2) permanent resident and certain other aliens. (Sec. 3) Requires the Attorney General to report: (1) on the feasibility of implementing an automated entry-exit control system that would include land border and seaport arrivals and departures; and (2) annually on the development status of the automated entry-exit control system, and on visa overstays identified through such system. Requires integration of overstay information into Department of State and Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) databases. (Sec. 5) Authorizes appropriations for INS and United States Customs Service border control and enforcement activities. Sets forth specified set-asides. Authorizes: (1) use of equipment funds for new technologies; and (2) transfer up to ten percent of specified set-asides for other equipment uses. Sets aside specified funds for peak hours and investigative resource enhancement. Provides for increased numbers of full-time INS and Customs inspectors at U.S. land borders.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Make College Affordable Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the deduction of qualified higher education expenses and interest on qualified higher education loans. Limits such deduction based on modified adjusted gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to restore and make permanent the exclusion from gross income for amounts received under qualified group legal services plans.
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
Swan Creek Black River Confederated Ojibwa Tribes of Michigan Act - Restores and reaffirms Federal recognition of the Swan Creek Black River Confederated Ojibwa Tribes of Michigan Indians as a distinct Indian tribe. Provides for the Tribe's tribal lands to be taken by the Secretary of Interior in trust for the benefit of the Tribe. Directs the Tribe to conduct by secret ballot an election to adopt a constitution and bylaws for the Tribe.
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 · 26 April 1999
Civil Aviation Research and Development Authorization Act of 1999 - Amends Federal transportation law to authorize FY 2000 and 2001 appropriations for certain Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) research and development (R&D) programs. Requires the Department of Transportation's (DOT) annual budget request for the FAA to identify all of the activities carried out by it within the categories of basic research, applied research, and development, as classified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-11. Requires the FAA's national aviation research plan to include, among other things, a highlight of the R&D technology transfer activities that promote technology sharing among government, industry, and academia through the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980. Directs the Administrators of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the FAA to submit jointly to Congress an integrated civil aviation safety R&D plan. Directs the Administrator of the FAA to exclude from consideration for a FAA grant any person (except certain members of a recipient class) who received grant funds from a Federal funding source for a project that was not subjected to a competitive, merit-based award process. Sets forth congressional notice requirements with respect to reprogramming of FAA funds or reorganization of any FAA program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1999
Smokeless Tobacco Warning Label Act - Amends the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986 to revise smokeless tobacco product warning label requirements. Includes among alternative warning statements: (1) "Smokeless Tobacco Is Addictive"; and (2) "This Product Contains Cancer Causing Chemicals." States that the Secretary of Health and Human Services may revise by a rulemaking such required statements.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1999
Amends the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) to direct the Secretary of Defense to ensure that health care coverage available through the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense managed health care program) is substantially similar to the health care coverage available under similar health benefits plans offered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits program. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide for the portability of benefits under the TRICARE program; (2) minimize the certification requirements imposed upon TRICARE beneficiaries; and (3) implement, with respect to the first two contracts awarded after this Act for the provision of managed care support under the TRICARE program, redesigned procedures for the payment and processing of claims. Authorizes a military medical treatment facility under the TRICARE program to collect from third party insurers reasonable charges for health care services incurred by the facility on behalf of covered beneficiaries under the program. Requires a report from the Secretary to Congress assessing the effects of the requirements and authorities of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1999
Crop Insurance Improvement Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to specify expected market price criteria for revenue or production-based crop insurance. (Sec. 3) Provides for 75 percent additional coverage. (Sec. 4) Revises Federal Crop Insurance Corporation premium subsidy provisions, including by making provision for certain mandatory and discretionary payments. (Sec. 5) Defines "designated disaster area." Excludes from yield determinations at producer request any crop year during which the county in which the crop was grown (or adjacent county) was included in a designated disaster area. (Sec. 6) Provides elective average production history adjustments for producers who are working new land or new crops. (Sec. 7) Extends the pilot cost of production risk protection plan. Authorizes 90 percent coverage. (Sec. 8) Directs the Office of Risk Management to contract for a rating methodologies development pilot program. (Sec. 9) Directs the Corporation to carry out a pilot livestock coverage project. (Sec. 10) Revises the membership of the Corporation's Board of Directors.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1999
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Academic Opportunities Act for Fiscal Years 2000, 2001, and 2002 - Authorizes appropriations for the academic programs of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for FY 2000 through 2002.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1999
Independent Contractor Clarification Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to employment taxes, to replace the current 20 point test for determining an independent contractor (for whom an employer need not pay or withhold the appropriate employment taxes) with a three-point test, including: (1) the employer's lack of control of the manner in which the individual service provider completes his or her assigned tasks; (2) the individual service provider is not precluded by the employer from soliciting and undertaking other business opportunities involving substantially similar services for others; and (3) the individual service provider encounters entrepreneurial risk, including the ability to generate a profit or bear the risk of financial loss. Sets forth restrictions on retroactive employment tax reclassifications, including safe harbor requirements. Provides that the statute of limitations on assessment of employment taxes shall run beginning on the date certain information returns (specifying payments to an individual for services performed where the payments are not taken into account in determining such taxes) are filed.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Safeguard Amendments Title II: Amendments to Title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930 Title III: Steel Import Notification Fair Trade Law Enhancement Act of 1999 - Title I: Safeguard Amendments - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to repeal the requirement that the cause of serious injury (or threat of it) be substantial to the domestic industry producing an article like or directly competitive with an article that is being imported into the United States in such increased quantities with respect to the President taking action to facilitate efforts by such industry to make a positive adjustment to the import competition. (Sec. 101) Declares that imports shall be considered to be a "cause of serious injury, or threat thereof," when a causal link is established between imports and injury to the domestic industry. Revises certain factors the International Trade Commission (ITC) must consider when investigating whether an article is being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury (or threat of it) to the domestic industry producing an article like or directly competitive with the imported article. Repeals, similarly, the requirement that such injury be substantial. (Sec. 102) Requires the ITC, for purposes of an investigation, to focus on the merchant market when determining the domestic industry's market share in producing an article like or directly competitive with the imported article in cases in which domestic producers transfer internally (including related parties) significant production of the like or directly competitive article for the production of a downstream article and sell significant production of such article in the merchant market (captive production). (Sec. 103) Directs the ITC to find that a rebuttable presumption that a domestic industry is threatened with serious injury, or a rebuttable presumption of critical circumstances, exists due to such imports if it finds there has been a rapid decline in domestic prices for the like or directly competitive article and a rapid increase in the imported articles. Requires the ITC in any case in which such presumptions do not apply, or in which they apply but are rebutted, to conduct a threat of serious injury or of critical circumstances analysis as if no such presumption applied. Title II: Amendments to Title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to make similar changes with respect to its countervailing duty and antidumping duty provisions. (Sec. 207) Prohibits the administering authority (Secretary of Commerce), for purposes of suspending an antidumping duty or countervailing duty investigation, from accepting an agreement with another country to eliminate or offset a countervailable subsidy placed by such country on an export to the United States or an agreement to cease such exports to, or eliminate their injurious effect on, the United States unless, among other things, such agreement is supported by domestic producers or workers accounting for more than 50 percent of the total production of the domestic like product. (Sec. 209) Revises the method for calculating the constructed export price of subject merchandise by reducing such price, among other things, by an amount equal to the dumping margin or the net countervailable subsidy unless the producer or exporter is able to demonstrate that the importer of such merchandise was in no way reimbursed for any antidumping duties paid on such merchandise. (Sec. 211) Requires the ITC, for purposes of an antidumping duty or countervailing duty investigation, to treat the producers of an agricultural product that has a short shelf life (perishable product) in a defined period or season as the domestic industry. Sets forth certain factors that the ITC can, cannot, or shall consider when making material injury determinations with respect to such products for the seasonal period. (Sec. 212) Requires the ITC, when making a determination of whether a countervailable subsidy exists in a country where transactions do not reflect market conditions due to government action associated with provision of the subject good or service or purchase of such goods, to make such determination through comparison with the most comparable market price elsewhere in the world. Title III: Steel Import Notification - Directs the Secretary to establish and implement a steel import notification and monitoring program. Requires: (1) a person to have a steel import notification certificate before he or she can import certain steel products into the United States; and (2) the Secretary to issue such certificate to any person who files an application that meets specified requirements. Requires the Secretary to compile and publish certain information with respect to such imported steel.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1999
Year 2000 Act - Requires the head of each Federal agency to: (1) take actions necessary to ensure that all systems and hardware administered by the agency are Year 2000 compliant to the extent necessary to ensure that no significant disruption of the agency's operations or data exchange partners occurs; and (2) convene, at least quarterly, and report to the Congress on, meetings with representatives of the agency's data exchange partners to assess implementation progress. Directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in conjunction with the Small Business Administration, to develop a Year 2000 compliance outreach program to assist the Nation's small and medium-sized businesses to ensure that such businesses are prepared to meet the Year 2000 computer problem (Y2K problem) challenge. Requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology: (1) in conjunction with other relevant Federal agencies, to transmit to the Congress a report assessing the international implications of the Year 2000 computer problem; and (2) to develop a Year 2000 consumer awareness program to assist the public in becoming aware of the implications of such problem. Directs the Food and Drug Administration, in consultation and cooperation with the Department of Veterans' Affairs, to develop a Year 2000 compliance outreach program to assist the Nation's health care providers in preparing to meet the Y2K problem challenge. Directs the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a Year 2000 compliance outreach program to assist the Nation's drinking water suppliers and wastewater treatment processors in preparing to meet the Y2K problem challenge.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1999
Access to Prescription Medications in Medicare Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of certain covered outpatient prescription drugs (including insulin) and biological products, including those that are also prescribable but are available over-the-counter, under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) for enrolled part B beneficiaries. (Sec. 3) Establishes and outlines the administrative structure for implementing such new Medicare part B coverage, including requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish: (1) competitive bidding procedures for contracting with appropriate private sector service providers meeting specified requirements (including requirements to use cost-containment mechanisms such as formularies) to furnish such new Medicare part B benefits, which consist of a basic benefit package and a stop-loss benefit; and (2) a process for providing payments to eligible group health plans on behalf of such enrolled beneficiaries. Imposes certain cost-sharing requirements, with the stop-loss benefit limiting an enrollee's out-of-pocket expenses, and provides for appropriate outreach activities as well as protection of patient confidentiality. (Sec. 4) Permits the Secretary to make payments, subject to specified requirements, to enrollee group health insurance retiree plans providing drug coverage that is equivalent to or greater than the new Medicare part B coverage provided for by this Act while also permitting such enrollees receiving group coverage to continue to receive such coverage under the plan. (Sec. 5) Revises Medicare supplemental health insurance (Medigap) policy requirements with regard to this Act's mandated coverage of certain covered outpatient prescription drugs and biological products to require that an appropriate number of Medigap policies provide complementary, non-duplicative coverage in line with such mandated coverage. (Sec. 6) Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) with regard to Medicaid assistance for low-income individuals to modify State Medicaid plan requirements to: (1) increase (from 120 percent to 135 percent of the poverty level) the income eligibility level to qualify for certain Medicare cost-sharing with regard to monthly Medicare part B premiums; and (2) provide for Medicaid prescription drug benefits for qualified Medicare beneficiaries and others as a wrap- around benefit. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary to provide for waiver of the additional portion of the Medicare part B premium attributable to the prescription drug coverage mandate of this Act for certain Medicare beneficiaries already having actuarially equivalent drug coverage. Excludes from such waiver a group health plan enrollee if the plan receives payments for such enrollee under this Act. (Sec. 8) Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) eliminate the time limitation on Medicare benefits for immunosuppressive drugs; (2) require Medicare secondary payer provisions with regard to individuals with end stage renal disease be applied without regard to any time limitation with regard to immunosuppressive drugs furnished on or after this Act's enactment; and (3) increase the membership of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission by two members, with their initial terms staggered, as well as add to the qualifications for membership. (Sec. 10) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress with regard to the competitive bidding process for selecting service providers under this Act to furnish certain covered outpatient prescription drugs and biological products, including an analysis of any savings to Medicare as a result of this new Medicare part B benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1999
Personal Information Privacy Act of 1999 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to redefine the term "consumer report" to exclude identifying information listed in a local telephone directory (thereby ensuring that the personal identification information in the credit headers accompanying credit reports of unlisted individuals remains confidential). (Sec. 3) Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to prohibit the commercial acquisition or distribution of an individual's social security number (or any derivative of it), as well as its use as a personal identification number, without the individual's written consent. Provides for: (1) civil money penalties and civil action in U.S. District Court by an aggrieved individual; and (2) coordination with criminal enforcement of identification document fraud. (Sec.4) Amends the Federal criminal code to require State motor vehicle department uses of social security numbers to be consistent with uses authorized by the Social Security Act, the Privacy Act, and by any other appropriate statutes. Prohibits marketing company use of social security numbers. (Sec. 5) Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit, with an exception for specified law enforcement requests, State motor vehicle department release or disclosure of an individual's photograph without the individual's written consent. (Sec. 6) Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a consumer reporting agency from providing a report in connection with a credit or insurance transaction not initiated by the consumer without the consumer's written consent. Requires full consumer disclosure before such consent shall be effective. (Sec. 7) Prohibits, with specified exceptions, a person doing business with a consumer from selling or transferring for marketing purposes any transaction or experience information (as defined by this Act) without the consumer's written consent.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1999
State and Local Government Economic Empowerment Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to have money available for purposes of this Act (i.e., the creation of non-interest-bearing Government credit funds in measured or limited increments for the purpose of funding capital and environmental projects in the public interest) in an amount equal to the product of: (1) the U.S. population, as determined by the Secretary of Commerce on the basis of the 1990 census; and (2) $1,400. Requires that the money be created by having the Secretary and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System enter into a loan agreement whereby: (1) the Board shall lend the U.S. Treasury a sum up to $360 billion at the rate of not more than $72 billion per annum (on a cumulative basis) in each of the five years commencing 60 days after this Act's enactment date; and (2) the Secretary shall pay an annual fee to the Board to cover administrative costs that the Board incurs in acting as the agent of the Administrator appointed by the Secretary. Treats any amount made available pursuant to this Act as money created in the sovereign and exclusive capacity of the United States to create money. Specifies that: (1) money created under this section shall not be treated as revenue when it is created or made available to the Administrator, nor when the loans are repaid; (2) the money created and the interest-free loan program established under this Act shall not be treated as budget authority, shall not be subject to apportionment or sequestration other than in accordance with this Act, and shall not be taken into account in the determination of the baseline for any fiscal year; and (3) the disbursement of money created under this Act shall not be treated as an outlay or a budget outlay. (Sec. 5) Entitles each State, county, township, incorporated municipality, school district, and Indian tribe to obtain a loan from the Administrator, unless such governmental unit is delinquent in repaying a prior loan, subject to specified limitations. (Sec. 6) Directs the Administrator to issue an interest-free loan from the money created to any such government unit if the Administrator obtains assurances that the proceeds will be used solely for the purpose of: (1) funding capital projects of such unit, including the construction of or improvements to school facilities, streets, water and sewer systems, and public and environmental facilities; or (2) the cleanup of toxic waste sites or other environmental improvements.
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 · 14 April 1999
Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act - Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor to prepare and publish a monthly Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI) that indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are typical for individuals aged 62 years of age or older. Authorizes appropriations. Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVIII (Medicare) to provide for the use of such new CPI in the computation of cost-of-living increases for social security and Medicare benefits under such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
James Guelff Body Armor Act of 1999 - Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to amend the Federal sentencing guidelines to provide an appropriate enhancement, increasing the level not less than two levels, for any offense in which the defendant used body armor, with an exception involving a civil rights violation by a law enforcement officer acting under color of authority. (Sec. 5) Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit the purchase, ownership, or possession of body armor by violent felons, with a procedure for the Secretary of the Treasury to grant an exception where a person's employment, livelihood, or safety is dependent on the ability to possess and use body armor. Grants a law enforcement officer immunity from liability for false arrest arising from the enforcement of this section unless the person has in his or her possession a certified copy of the permission granting the person relief from the prohibition. Sets penalties for violations of this prohibition. (Sec. 6) Authorizes the head of a Federal agency to donate body armor that is surplus property and in serviceable condition directly to any State or local law enforcement agency. Allows specified officials in the Treasury and Justice Departments to act as the head of a Federal agency.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that certain bonds issued by local governments in connection with delinquent real property taxes (delinquent tax bonds) may be treated as tax exempt. Requires: (1) such a bond to be issued (with a three-month maturity date) primarily to facilitate the collection or receipt of delinquent real property taxes; and (2) that all delinquent real property taxes (and interest, fees, and penalties attributable to them) received by such governmental units after a specified date but before any maturity date are used, within three months of receipt, for the payment of principal, interest, or redemption price of the issue of which the bond is a part (to the extent that such taxes, interest, fees, and penalties do not exceed such principal, interest, and redemption price, in the aggregate).
![Official portrait of Rep. Barcia, James A. [D-MI-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000134_200.jpg)