United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2001
Clean Diamond Trade Act - Prohibits the importation of rough diamonds into the United States unless the exporting country is implementing a system of controls on the export or import of rough diamonds that: (1) meets specified requirements, consistent with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 55/56 adopted on December 1, 2000, or is functionally equivalent; or (2) meets the requirements of an international agreement which requires such controls and to which the United States is a party. Prohibits the importation of polished diamonds (including jewelry containing diamonds) into the United States unless the exporting country: (1) is implementing a system of controls on the export and import of rough diamonds, except such system shall not be required for countries that do not import rough diamonds; and (2) requires that its own imports of diamonds originate from countries that have implemented a system of controls on the export and import of rough diamonds. Provides a waiver of the requirements of this Act. Urges the President to negotiate an international agreement to eliminate trade in diamonds used to support conflict in the country or regions in which such diamonds are mined.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2001
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. (posthumously) and his widow Coretta Scott King in recognition of their service to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2001
Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the lands, waters, and interests of the Rim of the Valley Corridor in Southern California to evaluate its national significance and the suitability and feasibility of establishing it as a unit of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area of the National Park System. Establishes the Rim of the Valley Corridor and Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Advisory Committee to: (1) advise the Secretary regarding such study; and (2) recommend to the Secretary boundaries for a Santa Monica Mountains and Rim of the Valley National Recreation Area.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2001
Declares that Congress encourages the Government of China to honor its obligations under the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951, as modified by the Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees of 1967, by: (1) making genuine efforts to identify and protect the refugees among the North Korean migrants encountered by Chinese authorities; (2) providing North Korean refugees residing in China with a safe asylum; (3) halting the forced repatriations of North Korean refugees seeking asylum in China; (4) allowing the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to have access to all North Korean refugees residing in China; and (5) cooperating with the UNHCR in efforts to resettle the North Korean refugees residing in China in other countries. Encourages the UNHCR to facilitate the resettlement of North Korean refugees residing in China in other countries.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2001
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to allow children enrolled (under SSA title XXI) in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to be eligible for benefits under the pediatric vaccine distribution program.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2001
Holocaust Victims Insurance Relief Act of 2001 - Directs the Archivist of the United States to establish and maintain a Holocaust Insurance Registry to consist of information on holders and issuers (and related liable entities) of Holocaust-era insurance policies that were: (1) in effect after January 30, 1933, and before December 31, 1945; and (2) issued to a policyholder domiciled in any area of Europe that was occupied or controlled by Nazi Germany or any ally or sympathizer during such period. Requires: (1) insurers to file such information in an electronic format with the Secretary of Commerce by a specified deadline; (2) the Secretary to assess a civil penalty for each day an insurer fails to comply; and (3) notify each State's commissioner of insurance of the identity of any insurer that has failed to file such information or to satisfy any penalty.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2001
Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2001 - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by covered entities (including employment agencies, labor organizations, and training programs). Prohibits related retaliation and coercion. Declares this Act inapplicable to the provision of employee benefits for the benefit of an employee's domestic partner. Prohibits the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from: (1) collecting statistics on sexual orientation from covered entities; and (2) compelling covered entities to collect such statistics. Prohibits: (1) quotas and preferential treatment; and (2) an order or consent decree for a violation of this Act that includes a quota or preferential treatment. Declares that this Act is inapplicable to: (1) religious organizations; (2) the relationship between the United States and members of the armed forces; or (3) laws creating special rights or preferences for veterans. Prohibits the imposition of affirmative action for a violation of this Act. Disallows State immunity. Makes the United States or a State liable for remedies to the same extent as under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2001
Bring Our Children Home Act - Amends the Federal judicial code to provide that a contestant may bring an action in district court to determine which of conflicting State court child custody determinations shall prevail. Directs the Attorney General (AG) to establish a registry for all custody orders entered by State courts. Authorizes law enforcement officers of a State or local government to hold, for no more than 24 hours, any child listed as missing for proper disposition under the latest valid custody determination. Requires the Secretary of State to prepare a report on progress made by the United States in negotiating and entering into bilateral treaties relating to international child abduction with countries that are not contracting parties under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require information on each country's efforts to prohibit international child abduction. Requires the AG to prepare a report describing the status of each case involving a request for extradition in cases involving international kidnaping by parents.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2001
Nursing Home Quality Protection Act of 2001 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for: (1) reinstitution of the Boren Amendment payment methodology repealed in 1997; (2) increased nurse staffing; (3) increased sanctions (including refunds and withholding of Federal funds) for substandard care furnished in nursing facilities; (4) a Nursing Facility Quality Improvement Account in the Treasury for deposit of all substandard care refunds and withheld amounts; (5) grants to States for improvement of the quality of care furnished in nursing facilities in the State; (6) increased public disclosure of information on the Internet regarding nursing facilities; (7) background checks on covered nursing facility employees; (8) the applicability of protections afforded under survey and certification process provisions to all nursing facility residents, not just those entitled to Medicaid payments or in an institution meeting certain requirements; and (9) financial accountability of nursing facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2001
Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act - Sets forth entitlement standards and implementation guidelines for employee use of emergency leave to address domestic or sexual violence. Permits victims of domestic or sexual violence to substitute existing leave in lieu of emergency leave. Authorizes State use of funds under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) to provide nonrecurrent short-term emergency benefits for emergency leave precipitated by domestic or sexual violence . Amends the Internal Revenue Code relating to approval of State unemployment compensation laws to prohibit denial of compensation where an individual is separated from employment due to circumstances resulting from the individual's experience of domestic or sexual violence. Amends the Social Security Act to include training under this Act for unemployment compensation and TANF personnel. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award a grant to a national victim services organization to develop and disseminate a model program for domestic and sexual violence training. Victims' Employment Sustainability Act - Prohibits certain discriminatory employer practices relating to terms or conditions of employment in connection with victims of domestic or sexual violence. Victims of Abuse Insurance Protection Act - Prohibits denial or restriction of insurance coverage based on the status of the applicant or insured regarding abuse or abuse-related claims. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business related credit for 40 percent of an employer's costs for implementing workplace safety and education programs relating to domestic and sexual violence. Authorizes the Attorney General to provide a grant for a clearinghouse and resource center to provide information and assistance to employers, labor organizations, and advocates on behalf of victims of domestic or sexual violence.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2001
Encourages all participants in the United Nations World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance (WCAR) to seize this opportunity to tackle the scourges of racism, xenophobia, sexism, religious intolerance, slavery, and other forms of discrimination. Recognizes that efforts to address these prejudices should occur within a global framework and without reference to specific regions, countries, or present-day conflicts. Urges: (1) the participants to utilize WCAR to mitigate, rather than aggravate, racial, ethnic, and regional tensions; and (2) WCAR to focus on concrete steps that may be taken to address gross human rights violations that were motivated by racially and ethnically based animus and on devising strategies to help eradicate such intolerance. Commends the efforts of the Government of South Africa in hosting WCAR.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2001
United States-Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Human Dignity Act - Amends Federal law to prohibit the affixation of the "Made in the USA" label to a product (including textile fiber product) from the Northern Mariana Islands unless: (1) each worker producing such product was paid a minimum wage equal to or greater than the wage set by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938; (2) the product was manufactured in compliance with all Federal laws relating to labor rights and working conditions; and (3) the factory or other business producing the product does not employ individuals under conditions of indentured servitude. Applies to the Northern Mariana Islands: (1) the minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938; and (2) the Immigration and Nationality Act. Prohibits any product of the Northern Mariana Islands from entering the customs territory of the United States duty-free or not subject to quota as a product of an insular possession unless specified requirements relating to fair labor practices and country of origin are met. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to authorize the inspection by the Customs Service of any vessel from a foreign port or from a place in any U.S. territory or possession arriving at a port or place in the Northern Mariana Islands. Requires a study of the extent of human and labor rights violations in the Northern Mariana Islands.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2001
Posthumous Citizenship Restoration Act of 2001 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to extend until two years after the later of the date of enactment of this Act or the date of the person's death the deadline for the Attorney General to approve a request to grant posthumous citizenship to individuals who die while on active-duty military service.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2001
Social Security Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal: (1) pension offset provisions applicable to husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and mother's and father's insurance benefits with respect to Old-Age and Survivors insurance benefit payments; and (2) windfall elimination provisions with respect to computation of the primary insurance amount of an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2001
Redesignates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 8200 South Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles, California, as the Augustus F. Hawkins Post Office Building.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2001
Bipartisan Patient Protection Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code with respect to health care coverage. Requires group health plans and health insurance issuers providing health insurance coverage to have approved utilization review programs, claims procedures, and appeal procedures concerning claims denials. Sets forth provisions concerning group health plans and health insurers and the provision of certain advice and care, including: (1) emergency care; (2) obstetric and gynecological care; (3) specialists care; (4) prescription drugs; (5) participation in approved clinical trials; and (6) health plan information. Restricts interference by health plans and insurers with the doctor-patient relationship. Prohibits health plans and insurers from discriminating against a licensed health care professional with respect to participation or indemnification. Extends and expands provisions of the medical savings account program. Provides for: (1) the deduction of 100 percent of the health insurance costs of the self-employed; and (2) a credit for the health insurance expenses of small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2001
Fisheries Recovery Act of 2001 - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act regarding avoiding and minimizing bycatch and bycatch mortality. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to report on progress made in implementing requirements regarding standardized reporting methodology and bycatch reduction. Requires a fishery management plan to close an area to a gear or practice that has been shown to adversely affect essential fish habitat unless the Regional Fishery Management Council (council) determines that closure is not necessary and the Secretary finds that the gear or practice will have a minimal adverse impact on habitat and minimal bycatch. Requires observers on commercial fishing vessels to collect data necessary for the conservation and management of the fishery, subject to specified requirements Modifies: (1) the definition of "overfishing" and "overfished" to include jeopardizing the ecological integrity and sustainability of marine ecosystems; (2) conservation and management measure requirements; and (3) fishery management plan requirements to add ecosystem considerations. Requires each fishery management plan to have a fishery impact statement. Directs the Secretary to develop at least one pilot fisheries ecosystem plan. Requires each council to prepare and submit to the Secretary a Fisheries Ecosystem Plan for each major marine ecosystem within its jurisdiction. Reauthorizes appropriations to carry out the Act. Amends the Saltonstall-Kennedy Act to earmark specified funds for direct industry assistance grants and for activities of the National Marine Fisheries Service that are directly related to implementation of the Magnuson Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2001
Provides that the program under which Federal agencies may agree to repay student loans of their employees shall apply to employees of the legislative branch (with the exception of Senators, Members of Congress, including Delegates, and the Resident Commissioner to Congress), except that: (1) requirements relating to the exclusion of any employee who occupies a position that is excepted from the competitive service because of its confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character shall not apply; and (2) the minimum required period of service shall be one year (rather than three) for a legislative branch employee selected to receive benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Government of the People's Republic of China should cease its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Calls for the U.S. Government to urge the Chinese Government to: (1) release from detention all Falun Gong practitioners and end the torture and other cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment of such practitioners and other prisoners of conscience; and (2) abide by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by allowing Falun Gong practitioners to pursue their personal beliefs.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2001
Lower Los Angeles River and San Gabriel River Watersheds Study Act of 2001 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to study and report to specified congressional committees on the suitability and feasibility of establishing the following areas collectively as a National Park System unit: (1) the Lower Los Angeles River and its tributaries below the confluence of the Arroyo Seco; (2) the San Gabriel River and its tributaries in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California; and (3) the San Gabriel Mountains within the territory of the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2001
Federal Courts Improvement Act of 2001 - Sets forth or modifies various provisions regarding judicial process, including provisions concerning: (1) bankruptcy administrator authority to appoint trustees; (2) the place of holding court in the Eastern District of Texas; (3) conditions of probation and supervised release; and (4) enforcement of National Labor Relations Board orders. Repeals a geographic location requirement for court records. Modifies wiretap order reporting requirements. Eliminates: (1) the automatic excuse from jury service for members of the armed forces, members of fire and police departments, and public officers; and (2) public drawing requirements for the selection of juror wheels. Makes the supplemental attendance fee for petit jurors serving on lengthy trials applicable where the juror is required to attend more than five (currently, 30) days in hearing one case. Sets forth or modifies various provisions regarding judicial personnel administration, benefits, and protections, including provisions concerning: (1) disability retirement and cost-of-living adjustments of annuities for territorial judges; (2) compensation for Federal Judicial Center employees; (3) the annual leave limit for judicial branch executives; (4) a supplemental benefits program for judicial branch employees; (5) law clerk loan deferment; (6) inclusion of judicial branch personnel in the organ donor leave program; (7) repeal of a requirement for additional legislative action regarding judicial compensation; (8) maximum compensation for services other than counsel; and (9) student loan forgiveness for Federal defender attorneys. Prohibits retaliating against a Federal judge by false claim or slander of title.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2001
Access to Higher Education Act of 2001 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to eliminate consideration of the amount of a student's tuition in determining the amount of a student's Federal Pell Grant. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand qualified higher education expenses and increase family income eligibility for Hope Scholarships and lifetime learning credits.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2001
Redesignates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 5472 Crenshaw Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, as the Congressman Julian C. Dixon Post Office Building.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2001
Gun Show Loophole Closing and Gun Law Enforcement Act of 2001 - Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2001 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to provide for regulation of firearms transfers at special firearms events (events at which 75 or more firearms are offered or exhibited for sale or exchange if one or more of the firearms has been shipped or transported in, or otherwise affects, interstate or foreign commerce, with an exception). Prohibits a special firearms events frequent operator from organizing, planning, promoting, or operating a special firearms event without meeting specified requirements. Sets forth: (1) responsibilities of special firearms events infrequent operators, transferors other than licensees, and licensees; (2) special firearms event license application requirements; and (3) penalties for violation of this Act. Provides an option for 24-hour background checks at special firearms events for States with computerized disqualifying records and programs to improve State databases. Increases penalties for: (1) serious record keeping violations by licensees; and (2) violations of criminal background check requirements. Gun Law Enforcement Act of 2001 - Authorizes appropriations for: (1) grants to States and local governments to support prosecutions in high gun crime areas; (2) the Attorney General to hire 114 additional Federal firearms prosecutors; (3) additional Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents; (4) gun tracing and youth crime gun interdiction; and (5) grants to research entities developing technologies that limit the use of a gun to the owner.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2001
Microbicide Development Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of the Institute with respect to research on the development of microbicides to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of such Centers with respect to research on microbicides to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2001
Working Lands Stewardship Act of 2001 - Amends specified agricultural Acts to: (1) revise and increase funding for the farmland protection program; (2) provide market development grants and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers who forgo development of certain lands; (3) expand State marketing programs, including set-asides for development of local and regional markets and research; (4) increase funding for farmer-to-consumer marketing assistance; (5) provide for a program to promote the purchase of locally grown produce; (6) increase funding for programs for socially disadvantaged farmers; (7) extend and increase funding for the environmental quality incentives program, including set-asides for livestock, pesticide reduction, and water conservation; (8) provide watershed quality incentive contracts; (9) provide loans for manure reuse activities and facilities; (10) extend and increase funding for the wildlife habitat incentives program, including set-asides for imperiled native species, and acquisition of easements and water rights; (11) extend and increase acreage for the wetlands reserve program; (12) establish a wetlands reserve enhancement program; (13) extend and increase funding for the conservation reserve program, including an acreage set-aside for environmentally-sensitive lands and buffer strips, and enrollment of grasslands and rangelands; (14) authorize incentive payments for private grazing land conservation; (15) establish a grassland reserve program; (16) expand the National Organic Program to include organic farming transition assistance; (17) establish an organic certification reimbursement program; (18) extend and increase funding for the forest stewardship program, including set-asides for new land management practices, and watershed forestry initiative activities; (19) authorize appropriations for urban and community forestry activities; (20) provide funding for specified conservation technical assistance and administration and outreach, including establishment of training centers in specified cities; and (21) establish a demonstration program to promote ecosystem- and watershed-based conservation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2001
Amends Federal aviation law with respect to communities which have lost or will otherwise lose nonstop air service to and from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport because an air carrier that was awarded a beyond-perimeter slot exemption (from the prohibition against nonstop flights between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and another airport more than 1,250 miles away) has filed for bankruptcy, had its assets acquired by another air carrier, and has returned the slot exemption to the Secretary of Transportation. Authorizes another air carrier acquiring such an air carrier to use no more than two of that air carrier's slots (if from a large hub airport) at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport between the hours of 7: 00 a.m. and 9: 59 p.m. to provide nonstop air service to and from such community. Declares that such requirements shall not apply if the Secretary awards the returned slot exemption in a fashion that preserves the nonstop service to and from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for the community.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2001
Reaffirms the U.S. commitment to opposing any commercial and lethal scientific whaling and to supporting the expansion of whale sanctuaries. Calls for: (1) the President to use all available diplomatic channels to convey U.S. opposition to commercial whaling activities and lethal scientific whaling and to consider actions, including bilateral negotiations and sanctions, to eliminate such whaling and to prevent any trade in whale meat; and (2) the United States to strongly oppose any effort at the 53rd meeting of the International Whaling Commission in London to approve the resumption of commercial whaling and all efforts at the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to downlist any threatened or endangered whale population and to reopen international trade in whale meat.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2001
Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to repeal the sunset provision for the exception from immediate and unconditional availability of, and the authorized redaction of, financial disclosure reports filed by certain judicial employees and officers.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2001
National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2001 - Establishes the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund in the Treasury to promote the development, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable and safe low-income housing.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2001
Tohono O'odham Citizenship Act of 2001 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to recognize persons listed on the official membership roll of the Tohono O'odham Nation, a federally recognized American Indian nation located in Arizona, as U.S. citizens as of the date such listing occurs. Provides that the valid membership credential issued to such listed persons shall be considered, for all purposes subject to Federal law, equivalent to: (1) a certificate of citizenship; and (2) a State-issued birth certificate.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2001
Congratulates: (1) the people of Peru for the successful completion of free and fair elections on April 8 and June 3, 2001; (2) Alejandro Toledo for his election as President and his commitment to democracy; (3) Valentin Paniagua, the current President, for his commitment to a peaceful transition; and (4) the Organization of American States Electoral Observer Mission for promoting representative democracy by working to ensure free and fair elections in Peru. Call for: (1) the United States to expand its cooperation with the Peruvian Government to promote the strengthening of democratic institutions and the rule of law, economic development, and an improved quality of life for citizens of both countries; and (2) such Governments to act in solidarity to promote democracy and respect for human rights and to enhance cooperation to confront common threats. Expresses: (1) sympathy to the Peruvian people for losses suffered as a result of the June 23, 2001 earthquake and support for their efforts to rebuild; and (2) support for relief and reconstruction assistance to Peru from the international community. Urges the President of the United States to encourage relief entities to expedite assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2001
Expresses the sense of the Congress that all workers deserve fair treatment and safe working conditions. Honors Dolores Huerta for her commitment to the improvement of working conditions for children, women, and farm worker families.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2001
International Human Rights Equality Resolution - Declares that Congress: (1) condemns all violations of internationally recognized human rights norms based on the real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity of an individual; (2) recognizes that human rights violations abroad based on sexual orientation and gender identity should be punished without discrimination between these and other crimes, regardless of the real or perceived sexual identity of the victims, and that such violations should be given the same consideration and concern as human rights violations based on other grounds in the formulation of policies to protect and promote human rights globally; (3) further recognizes that the protection from human rights abuses, such as torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, is fully embedded in international humanitarian law, regardless of the sexual orientation and gender identity of the victim; and (4) commends nongovernmental human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, as well as the United States Department of State and the United Nations, for documenting the ongoing abuse of human rights on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2001
Amends the National Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988 to extend the authorization of appropriations for the Drug-free Communities Support Program and the Advisory Commission on Drug-free Communities through FY 2007. Authorizes additional grants and renewal grants to eligible coalitions and grant recipients. Authorizes supplemental grants for coalition mentoring activities. Authorizes the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to make a grant to an eligible organization to provide for establishment of a National Community Antidrug Coalition Institute to: (1) provide education, training, and technical assistance for coalition leaders and community teams; (2) develop and disseminate evaluation tools, mechanisms, and measures to better assess and document coalition performance measures and outcomes; and (3) bridge the gap between research and practice by translating knowledge from research into practical information.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2001
Preservation of Civil Rights Protections Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal Arbitration Act to modify the definition of "commerce" so as to exclude employment contracts from arbitration provisions (currently, employment contracts of seamen, railroad employees, or any other class of workers engaged in foreign or interstate commerce are excluded). Makes arbitration clauses in employment contracts unenforceable, with exceptions for: (1) consent by the involved parties after a claim arises; and (2) enforcement of rights or terms of collective bargaining agreements. Provides that this Act shall apply to existing and future employment contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2001
Electricity Gouging Relief Act of 2001 - Instructs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to order a refund of unjust and unreasonable rates and charges by public utilities on sales of electric energy for use in the area covered by the Western Systems Coordinating Council of the North American Electric Reliability Council. Applies such refunds to charges paid between June 1, 2000, and the enactment of this Act. Authorizes State enforcement of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2001
Amends the Clean Air Act to allow reformulated gasoline rules of States for which a certain waiver is in effect (permitting them to enforce State motor vehicle emissions standards) to apply in an ozone nonattainment area in lieu of Environmental Protection Agency-promulgated requirements if the State rules will achieve reductions in the aggregate mass of emissions of toxic air pollutants and the aggregate mass of emissions of ozone-forming compounds at least as great as would result from application of the Federal requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2001
Digital Divide Elimination Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for qualified computer technology or equipment equal to 50 percent of the amount paid for it (up to $500) by any taxpayer allowed an earned income credit. Extends from December 31, 2003, through June 30, 2004, the current enhanced deduction from gross income for charitable contributions of computers for elementary or secondary school purposes. Prescribes a special rule for contributions of computer technology and equipment to a qualified organization made within three years after the taxpayer acquired or constructed the property, if: (1) the property's original use is by the donor or the donee; (2) substantially all of the property's use by the donee is within the United States and, in the case of a qualified educational organization, for educational purposes related to the organization's purpose or function; (3) the property is not transferred by the donee in exchange for money, other property, or services, except for shipping, installation, and transfer costs; and (4) other specified requirements are met.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2001
Women Immigrants Safe Harbor Act of 2001 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) to exempt battered aliens from the ban on receiving benefits under specified Federal programs, such as Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) (titles XIX and XVI of the Social Security Act (SSA)) and other Federal assistance. Amends: (1) PRWORA concerning the status as qualified alien for nonimmigrant "U" visa holders; and (2) the Immigration and Nationality Act concerning treatment of family-sponsored battered aliens under the public charge provisions of such Act. Provides that benefits provided to battered aliens are not subject to reimbursement under PRWORA.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2001
Directs the Architect of the Capitol to enter into a contract for the design and construction of a monument, which shall be placed on permanent display in the Capitol rotunda, commemorating the contributions of minority women to women's suffrage and to the participation of women in U.S. public life. Requires the monument to depict African, Hispanic, Asian Pacific, Jewish, and Native American women. Requires use of an advisory committee to make recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2001
Medicare Dialysis Benefit Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for: (1) payment under the Medicare Program for four hemodialysis treatments per week for specified patients; and (2) an increased update in the composite payment rate for renal dialysis treatments for FY 2002. Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 to restore a specified exception to renal dialysis composite rate under rate update provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2001
Pharmacy Education Aid Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Act to include pharmacist services within the National Health Service Corps program of scholarships, including first-year pharmacy studies, loans, and funding. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants and contracts to qualifying pharmacy schools for: (1) student and faculty recruitment and retraining, with scholarship preference for students with financial need; (2) computer-based pharmaceutical education systems; and (3) facilities construction. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a loan repayment program for qualifying individuals who become pharmacy school faculty.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2001
Renames the Technology Assessment Act of 1972 as the Office of Technology Assessment Reestablishment Act of 2001. Authorizes appropriations for the Office of Technology Assessment for FY 2002 through 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2001
Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends Federal law to provide that, with regard to an employee in fire protection activities: (1) heart disease, lung disease, specified cancers and infectious diseases shall be presumed to be proximately caused by the employee's employment; (2) the disability or death of an employee in fire protection activities due to such a disease shall be presumed to result from personal injury sustained while in the performance of such employee's duty; and (3) such presumptions may be rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2001
Russian Democracy Act of 2001 - Declares it shall be U.S. policy to: (1) engage the Government of the Russian Federation to strengthen democratic reform and institutions, and to promote good governance principles based on the internationally recognized norms of transparency in business practices, the rule of law, religious freedom, and human rights; (2) incorporate democratic reforms, independent media, and economic reforms in the broad U.S. agenda with such Government; and (3) encourage such Government to address cross-border issues, including the environment, crime, trafficking, and corruption in a cooperative and transparent manner consistent with internationally recognized principles of the rule of law. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Government of the Russian Federation, as obliged under existing bilateral agreements, should resolve outstanding taxation issues that hinder the deliverance of U.S. assistance programs. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include among activities eligible for U.S. assistance to the independent states of the former Soviet Union activities for the promotion of democracy, rule of law, human rights, economic reforms, administration of justice, and the development of a free and independent media in Russia. Authorizes the President to carry out specified related activities in providing such assistance to Russia.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2001
Amends the Tropical Forest Conservation Act of 1998 to authorize appropriations through FY 2004 for the cost for the reduction of debt owed by a developing country with a tropical forest to the United States as a result of concessional loans made or credits extended to such country under specified laws.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit: (1) Federal civilian and military retirees to pay Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis; and (2) a deduction (available to itemizers and nonitemizers) for TRICARE supplemental premiums and enrollment fees.
![Official portrait of Rep. Berman, Howard L. [D-CA-28]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000410_200.jpg)