United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1999
Fire Safe Cigarette Act of 1999 - Directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate a fire safety standard for cigarettes, including a prohibition on stockpiling cigarettes to which such standard will not apply. Prohibits the manufacture or import of cigarettes not in compliance with such standard. Authorizes a person adversely affected by such standard to file a petition for judicial review within a specified time period.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1999
Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the U.S. Postal Service to issue a postage stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal criminal code to set penalties for persons who, whether or not acting under color of law, willfully cause bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, or an explosive device, attempt to cause such injury, because of the actual or perceived: (1) race, color, religion, or national origin of any person; or (2) religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability of any person, where in connection with the offense, the defendant or the victim travels in interstate or foreign commerce, uses a facility or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce, or engages in any activity affecting interstate or foreign commerce, or where the offense is in or affects interstate or foreign commerce. (Sec. 5) Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to study the issue of, and, if appropriate, amend the Federal sentencing guidelines to provide sentencing enhancements for, adult defendants who recruit juveniles to assist in the commission of hate crimes. (Sec. 6) Requires the Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make grants to State and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. Authorizes appropriations, including programs to train local law enforcement officers in investigating, prosecuting, and preventing hate crimes. (Sec. 7) Authorizes appropriations to the Department of the Treasury and to DOJ to increase the number of personnel to prevent and respond to alleged violations of provisions regarding interference with specified federally protected activities, such as voting.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to give States the option of making medical assistance for breast and cervical cancer-related treatment services available during a presumptive eligibility period to certain low-income women without creditable coverage who have already been screened for such cancers under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention breast and cervical cancer early detection program and need treatment. Provides for an enhanced match with regard to such Medicaid treatment services.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 1999 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or local governments. Directs the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to determine whether State law provides specified rights and responsibilities for public safety officers, including: (1) granting public safety employees the right to form and join a labor organization which excludes management and supervisory employees, and which is, or seeks to be, recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for such employees; and (2) requiring public safety employers to recognize and agree to bargain with the employees' labor organization. (Sec. 5) Requires the FLRA to issue regulations establishing collective bargaining procedures for public safety employers and employees in States that do not substantially provide for such public safety employee rights and responsibilities. Directs the FLRA, in such cases, to: (1) determine the appropriateness of units for labor organization representation; (2) supervise or conduct elections to determine whether a labor organization has been selected as an exclusive representative by a majority of the employees in an appropriate unit; (3) resolve issues relating to the duty to bargain in good faith; (4) conduct hearings and resolve complaints of unfair labor practices; and (5) resolve exceptions to arbitrator's awards. Grants a public safety employer, employee, or labor organization the right to seek enforcement of such FLRA regulations and authority through appropriate State courts. (Sec. 6) Prohibits public safety employers, employees, and labor organizations from engaging in lockouts or strikes. (Sec. 7) Provides that existing collective bargaining units and agreements shall not be invalidated by this Act. (Sec. 9) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
Debt Relief for Poverty Reduction Act of 1999 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the President, subject to authorization of appropriations, to cancel or reduce all amounts owed to the United States by heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs) as a result of concessional and nonconcessional loans made, guarantees issued, or credits extended prior to January 1, 1996, under any provision of law. Sets forth eligibility requirements for cancellation or reduction of debt for HIPCs. Directs the President, in canceling or reducing debt, to give priority to HIPCs that have demonstrated a sustained commitment to poverty alleviation or have recently suffered a major natural disaster. (Sec. 2) Provides that cancellation or reduction of debt shall not be considered to be assistance for purposes of any law limiting assistance to a country. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth certain procedures for the making of new loans, extending new credits, or issuing new guarantees to the governments of developing countries. (Sec. 3) Amends the International Financial Institutions Act to urge the President, in order to accelerate multilateral debt relief and promote economic and human development and poverty alleviation in HIPCs, to commence diplomatic efforts within the Paris Club of Official Creditors, as well as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and other appropriate multilateral development institutions to make certain modifications in the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, including: (1) the placing of a limit on maximum waiting period before a country receives debt relief; (2) the incorporation of poverty reduction and environmental protection as conditions for HIPC debt relief; (3) the revision of country eligibility requirements under the HIPC Initiative; (4) the adoption of a human development action plan and fund by HIPCs; (5) limits on the amount of debt reduction; (6) transparency and participation by HIPCs in HIPC decision making; and (7) the provision of HIPC review. Authorizes appropriations for the HIPC Trust Fund. Declares the sense of Congress that the amounts that would otherwise be provided by the United States for development aid or other debt relief should not be reduced on account of any such appropriations. Directs the President to work with the member countries of international financial institutions to ensure transparency and public participation in decisions to make new loans (including terms and conditions of such loans) to developing countries.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
DeLauro-Lowey Water Pollution Control and Estuary Restoration Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for the State water pollution control revolving fund program through FY 2006. Requires a specified percentage (increasing with each succeeding fiscal year) of such appropriations to be used for capitalization grants for estuary plans to qualified States. Prohibits a qualified State from submitting an estimate of needs unless the estimate is approved by each management conference that is implementing an approved estuary plan and of which the State is a member. Makes States that fail to submit approved need estimates ineligible for assistance. Directs States to establish separate Estuary Accounts in their water pollution control revolving funds, to be used for implementing approved estuary plans. Permits loans made with Account funds to be for terms of up to 40 years or for the useful life of a facility constructed with the loan, whichever is less, if the borrower demonstrates financial hardship. Establishes a State matching requirement for deposits into Accounts. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to make grants for the implementation of estuary conservation and management plans. Authorizes appropriations. Permits certain grants under the National Estuary Program to be used for interim actions adopted by management conferences to protect the water and sediment quality of estuaries. Extends the authorization of appropriations for management conferences, grants, conservation and management plans, and research under the National Estuary Program through FY 2004. Requires a management conference to be convened for at least five years (currently, not to exceed five years). Sets forth conditions under which management conferences may be extended or terminated. Sets forth provisions regarding the reconvening of conferences. Revises approval and implementation procedures for estuary conservation and management plans and establishes procedures for interim actions. Prohibits any activity located in U.S. waters or which serves new development in such waters from being included in a conservation and management plan or a State needs estimate unless specified Federal officials determine that: (1) the activity is essential to reduce the discharge of pollutants into navigable waters; and (2) there is no practicable alternative to the proposed activity that would have a less adverse impact on the aquatic habitat.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
Montgomery GI Bill Improvements Act of 1999 - Amends Federal basic educational assistance provisions (the Montgomery GI Bill) to authorize enhanced educational assistance to a member of the armed forces who, after September 30, 1999: (1) first enters on active duty; (2) reenlists or continues to serve on active duty; (3) serves a continuous period of active duty of four years; or (4) serves and is discharged or released for a service-connected disability, at the convenience of the Government (after serving at least 42 months of such duty), or due to a reduction in force. Limits to 36 months the period for such enhanced assistance, with a special rule for certain early separations. Requires the payment of educational expenses under such program, including tuition and fees, books, and other supplies. Provides: (1) a monthly stipend for approved programs of education, with different rates for programs pursued on a full-time, three quarter-time, or half-time basis; and (2) tutorial assistance. (Sec. 3) Increases the monthly rates of basic educational assistance. (Sec. 4) Repeals, with respect to such assistance: (1) a required monthly reduction in pay for individuals who do not elect to participate in such assistance program; (2) a provision authorizing individuals to elect not to receive such assistance; (3) the requirement that participants complete the requirements of a high school diploma or equivalency certificate prior to the end of their initial obligated period of service in order to be eligible to receive such assistance; and (4) provisions limiting an individual's opportunity to withdraw an election not to enroll in such assistance program. (Sec. 5) Authorizes an individual entitled to basic educational assistance to receive an accelerated payment of such allowance, beginning on March 1, 2000, under certain conditions. (Sec. 6) Authorizes the use of basic educational assistance for: (1) the payment of vocational or professional licensing or certification tests required under Federal, State, or local law; (2) preparatory courses for college and graduate school entrance exams; and (3) training for technological occupations offered by entities other than educational institutions. (Sec. 9) Authorizes enrollment in the basic educational assistance program for individuals who: (1) before October 10, 1996, were enrolled in the veterans' educational assistance program (VEAP); (2) had continuously served on active duty since October 9, 1996; and (3) if discharged or released from active duty after the date on which the individual elects to participate in the basic educational assistance program, were discharged or released with an honorable discharge. Discontinues, after the enactment of this Act, the required reduction in basic pay for VEAP participants.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise limitations under subpart A (Nonrefundable Personal Credits) of part IV (Credits Against Tax) to prohibit the aggregate amount of credits allowed by such subpart for the taxable year from exceeding the sum of: (1) the taxpayer's regular tax liability for the taxable year; and (2) the tax imposed for the taxable year by alternative minimum tax provisions. Repeals provisions concerning: (1) with respect to the additional credit for families with three or more children, the reduction of the child tax credit for a taxpayer subject to the alternative minimum tax; and (2) the supplemental child credit. Reduces the income threshold amount for the phaseout of the child tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
Semiconductor Equipment Investment Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make semiconductor manufacturing equipment three-year depreciable property.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
Recognizes the historic significance of the first anniversary of the Good Friday Peace Agreement. Salutes British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and the elected representatives of the political parties in Northern Ireland for creating the opportunity for a negotiated peace. Commends Senator George Mitchell for his leadership on behalf of the United States in guiding the parties toward peace. Congratulates the people of the Republic of Ireland and of Northern Ireland for their commitment to work together in peace. Reaffirms the bonds of friendship and cooperation that exist between the United States and the Governments of the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Individuals' Rights Subtitle A: Access to Protected Health Information by Subjects of the Information Subtitle B: Establishment of Safeguards Title II: Restrictions on Use and Disclosure Title III: Office of Health Information Privacy of the Department of Health and Human Services Subtitle A: Designation Subtitle B: Enforcement Title IV: Miscellaneous Medical Information Privacy and Security Act - Title I: Individuals' Rights - Subtitle A: Access to Protected Health Information by Subjects of the Information - Requires specified parties to permit an individual who is the subject of protected health information to inspect and copy the information. (The list of specified parties varies throughout this Act and includes such individuals and entities as health care providers, health plans, health oversight agencies, public health authorities, employers, health researchers, law enforcement officials, health or life insurers, schools, universities, emergency medical personnel, and their agents.) Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) supplements to protected information; and (2) the provision of notice of privacy practices. Subtitle B: Establishment of Safeguards - Requires specified parties to establish safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, security, accuracy, and integrity of protected health information. Mandates development of model safeguard guidelines. Requires specified parties to establish a record of disclosures not related to payment or treatment. Title II: Restrictions on Use and Disclosure - Prohibits specified parties from disclosing protected health information, except as authorized under this title. Allows disclosure if authorized by the information subject. Mandates model written authorizations and model limitations. Provides for segregation of files on request, authorization revocation, and records of authorizations and revocations. (Sec. 203) Sets forth rules governing authorizations for disclosure of protected information for purposes other than for treatment or payment. Mandates model authorizations. (Sec. 204) Allows any person to disclose protected health information: (1) in order to allay or remedy a threat of imminent physical or mental harm to an information subject; and (2) if there is an identifiable threat of serious injury or death to an identifiable individual or group and other requirements are met. (Sec. 205) Authorizes disclosure to: (1) a public health authority; (2) certain protection and advocacy agencies if an individual is vulnerable to abuse or neglect by an agency providing health or social services; (3) a health oversight agency, under specified circumstances; and (4) on court order, a law enforcement authority. (Sec. 209) Regulates disclosure: (1) to next of kin; and (2) in directories of individuals admitted to a facility. (Sec. 210) Applies the requirements and protections of specified parts of the Code of Federal Regulations to research conducted by all research facilities using personally identifiable health information. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to the Congress whether written informed consent should be required and, if so, under what circumstances, before personally identifiable data can be used for medical research. (Sec. 211) Allows specified parties to disclose for certain judicial and administrative purposes. (Sec. 212) Sets forth a sequence regulating who may exercise an individual's rights under this Act when the individual cannot knowingly or effectively do so, designating first a person named in a health care power of attorney, then an individual authorized by law or by an instrument recognized under law to act as the individual's representative, then next of kin, and last the health care provider, in each case moving to the next level if the person cannot be contacted after a reasonable effort. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) the rights of minors; and (2) deceased individuals. (Sec. 213) Prohibits retaliation for the exercise of rights under this Act or disclosure of information regarding a possible violation of this Act. Title III: Office of Health Information Privacy of the Department of Health and Human Services - Subtitle A: Designation - Establishes the Office of Health Information Privacy, including in its duties receiving and investigating violation complaints and providing for the conduct of audits. Subtitle B: Enforcement - Chapter 1: Criminal Provisions - Amends the Federal criminal code to impose criminal penalties for knowingly and intentionally obtaining or disclosing protected health information in violation of title II of this Act. (Sec. 312) Mandates regulations and procedures to permit the debarment of specified parties from receiving benefits under any Federal health programs if the managers or officers are found guilty of such obtaining or disclosing. Authorizes the Attorney General to provide advice, technical assistance, and guidance to reduce improper disclosure. Chapter 2: Civil Sanctions - Imposes civil monetary penalties on specified parties if the Office determines a party has substantially and materially failed to comply with this Act. (Sec. 323) Allows any individual whose rights under this Act have been knowingly or negligently violated to bring a civil action to recover preliminary and equitable relief, compensatory (or specified liquidated) damages, punitive damages (for knowing violations), and attorney's fees. Sets a time limit for the commencement of actions. Title IV: Miscellaneous - Amends the Privacy Act of 1974 to require an agency that receives protected health information to promulgate rules to exempt a system of records within the agency from all but specified provisions of that Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1999
A Living Wage, Jobs for All Act - Declares that the Congress affirms the basic economic rights and responsibilities under the 1944 "Economic Bill of Rights," while updating and extending it to include: (1) certain rights to decent jobs, income security for individuals unable to work for pay, a decent living for farm families, freedom from monopolies, decent housing, adequate health services, social security in old age, sickness, accidental injury, and unemployment, and education and work training; and (2) certain other rights relating to collective bargaining, a safe working environment, information on trends in pollution sources and products and processes that affect the well-being of workers throughout the world, voting and campaigning, and personal security. Recognizes specified personal responsibilities of persons benefitting from such rights. (Sec. 3) Sets forth requirements relating to corporate responsibility. Requires each corporation registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to include in its annual reports to the SEC a full and fair disclosure of the impact of its activities in the United States and other countries on environmental quality and on the rights of other stakeholders, including employees, consumers, and communities. Requires each State, in order to be entitled to receive any Federal grants or enter into any Federal contracts, to have initiated a time-phased program to require that all State-chartered corporations submit annual reports including such disclosures of information. Requires the Secretary of Labor and the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) identify corporations that have gone the furthest in managing their enterprises with responsible action toward environmental quality and the rights of other stakeholders, including employees, consumers, and communities; and (2) recommend to the President a special annual award to those chief executives and boards of directors that have made the greatest progress in this direction. Directs the Attorney General, with the assistance of business leaders and organizations, to establish an ongoing computerized registration program of all corporations found guilty of violating a Federal or State law. Authorizes the President, in the absence of clear and convincing evidence of rehabilitation, to deny Federal contracts, loans, or loan guarantees to non-compliant corporations. Makes it the responsibility of each Federal agency and commission, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, to perform so as to help establish and maintain conditions under which all adult Americans may freely exercise the economic rights specified in 1944 and in this Act. Prohibits Federal agencies or commissions from directly or indirectly promoting recession, stagnation, or unemployment as a means of reducing wages and salaries or inflation. (Sec. 4) Directs the President to establish a framework for the annual budget submitted to the Congress that meets specified goals with respect to: (1) quality of life and environment; (2) responsible and sustainable growth; (3) reduction of officially measured unemployment; and (4) support for international human rights declarations. Requires such framework also to include specific legislative proposals, budgets, and executive policies and initiatives such as: (1) conversion from military to civilian economy; (2) truth in budgets; (3) improved indicators of progress and regress; (4) anti-inflation policies; (5) lower real interest rates; (6) public works and services; (7) international economic policy; (8) international conferences on reducing unemployment and underemployment; (9) reductions in work hours; (10) part-time employment with social benefits; (11) insurance protection for pension fund investments; and (12) other specified matters. (Sec. 5) Mandates Joint Economic Committee oversight of actions under this Act. Requires the Joint Economic Committee to submit an annual Concurrent Resolution on Economic Policy setting forth its proposed goals for employment by type of employment, with special attention to hours, wages, and social benefits, and for reducing unemployment, underemployment, and poverty in urban, suburban and rural areas. Requires these goals to serve as the framework for any concurrent resolutions on the Federal budget. (Sec. 6) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1999
International Military Training Transparency and Accountability Act - Amends the Arms Export Control Act to prohibit the sale, lease, loan, or grant of defense services or training (including Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET)) to any foreign country that is prohibited or restricted from receiving international military education and training (IMET), or other military assistance or arms transfers. Permits a foreign country that is eligible to receive only expanded IMET, and is not prohibited from receiving any other military assistance or arms transfers, to receive defense services and training if it provides for training of civilian officials and military officers of the armed forces on military justice, international human rights standards, and the proper role of such forces in a democratic society. Permits a foreign country otherwise prohibited or restricted from receiving IMET or any other military assistance or arms transfers to receive defense services and training substantially unrelated to the prohibited military assistance or arms transfers, provided the President makes a specified certification to the Congress. Authorizes the President to waive any prohibition under this Act with respect to a foreign country upon certification to the Congress that it is important to the national security of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1999
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the full realization of the rights of women is vital to the development and well-being of people of all nations; and (2) the Senate should give its advice and consent to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1999
Recognizes and honors Joe DiMaggio for his storied baseball career, for his many contributions to the nation, and for transcending baseball and becoming a symbol of talent, commitment, and achievement.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1999
Coastal States Protection Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from issuing a lease for mineral exploration, development, or production on submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf that are seaward or adjacent to lands beneath navigable waters of a coastal State whose Governor has placed a moratorium on such activities with respect to oil, gas, or other minerals.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
Directs the President to impose quotas, tariff surcharges, or negotiate enforceable voluntary export restraint agreements in order to ensure that the volume of imported steel products (semifinished, plates, sheets and strips, wire rods, wire and wire products, rail type products, bars, structural shapes and units, pipes and tubes, iron ore, and coke products) during any month does not exceed the average volume of imported steel for the 36-month period preceding July 1997. Directs the Secretaries of the Treasury and of Commerce to implement a program for administering and enforcing the restraints on such imports. Authorizes the Customs Service to refuse entry into the U.S. customs territory for a three year period of any steel products that exceed the allowable levels of such products. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish and implement a steel import notification and monitoring program. Requires any person who intends to import steel products into the United States to first obtain an import notification certificate. Sets forth specified import notification certificate requirements. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to publish on a weekly basis through the Internet certain information obtained from steel import notification certificate applications regarding imported steel, including country of origin, the port of entry, quantity, value of steel imported, single producer or exporter countries, and whether such imports are entered into a bonded warehouse or foreign trade zone. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to charge reasonable fees to defray the costs of carrying out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
Student Health Insurance Portability Protection Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply health insurance portability, access, and renewability requirements to coverage offered in connection with a college-sponsored health plan as they apply to a group health plan. Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code to include coverage under a college-sponsored plan in the definition of "creditable coverage."
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
Public Safety Act - Provides that the recipient of a grant under the violent offender incarceration and truth-in-sentencing incentive grant program may not contract with a private contractor or vendor to provide services related to the operation of a correctional facility or the incarceration of inmates. Amends the Federal criminal code to require the Bureau of Prisons to provide that: (1) any penal or correctional facility or institution (except for community correctional confinement such as halfway houses) confining any person convicted of offenses against the United States shall be under the direction of the Director of the Bureau and shall be managed and maintained by U.S. employees; and (2) the housing, safeguarding, care, subsistence, protection, instructing, and disciplining of any person charged with or convicted of any offense against the United States (with that exception) shall be conducted and carried out by U.S. employees.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
Advancement in Pediatric Autism Research Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of NIH with respect to autism. Requires the Director, among other things, to make awards of grants and contracts to public or nonprofit entities for centers of excellence regarding research on autism. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program to provide information and education on autism to health professionals and the general public. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to establish an Autism Coordinating Committee to coordinate HHS efforts concerning autism.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
Consumer Credit Report Accuracy and Privacy Act of 1999 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require a consumer reporting agency to provide a free annual credit report to any consumer upon request.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
School Construction Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a limited tax credit to holders of qualified public school construction bonds as an incentive for public school construction; (2) include in gross income the amount of such credit, which shall be treated as interest income; and (3) establish a national qualified school construction bond limitation for each calendar year, to be allocated among the States with projected enrollment increases.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1999
Affordable Higher Education-Through-Pell Grants Act of 1999 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to increase the maximum Federal Pell Grant award to $6,500 for academic year 2000-2001. Amends HEA to declare that there shall be available to the Secretary of Education, from funds not otherwise appropriated, sums necessary to provide funds for such grants in the maximum amounts authorized.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1999
Civic Participation and Rehabilitation Act of 1999 - Declares that the right of a U.S. citizen to vote in any election for Federal office shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense, unless the individual is serving a felony sentence in a correctional institution or facility at the time of the election. Authorizes the Attorney General, in a civil action, to obtain such declaratory or injunctive relief as is necessary to remedy a violation of this Act. Creates a private right of action, subject to specified requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1999
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to limit the late enrollment penalty to a ten percent increase in the monthly part B premium due over a period equal to twice the number of years that the part B beneficiary could have been but was not enrolled under part B.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1999
Osteoporosis Early Detection and Prevention Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to require a group health plan, and an insurer offering group coverage, to include coverage for bone mass measurement for individuals who: (1) are estrogen-deficient women at clinical risk for osteoporosis; (2) have vertebral abnormalities; (3) are receiving chemotherapy or long-term gluococorticoid (steroid) therapy; (4) have primary hyperparathyroidism, hyperthyroidism, or excess thyroid replacement; or (5) are being monitored to assess the response to or efficacy of approved osteoporosis drug therapy. Regulates frequency and cost sharing. Prohibits related denial of coverage, incentives to individuals, restrictions on provider-patient communications, and provider penalties. Allows State laws providing greater detection or prevention benefits. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply the above requirements to coverage offered in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1999
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Funding Act of 1999 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 and 2001 for U.S. voluntary contributions to the United Nations Population Fund. Withholds from the U.S. voluntary contribution to the UNFPA amounts allocated by the UNFPA for the country program in China, unless the President certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that the UNFPA country program in China: (1) focuses on improving the delivery of voluntary family planning information and services; (2) is in conformity with the human rights principles affirmed at the International Conference on Population and Development with the support of 180 nations including the United States; (3) is implemented only in counties of China where all quotas and targets for the recruitment of program participants have been abolished and the use of coercive measures has been eliminated; (4) is carried out in consultation with and under the oversight and approval of the UNFPA executive board, including the U.S. representative; (5) is subject to regular, independent monitoring to ensure compliance with the principles of informed consent and voluntary participation; and (6) suspends operations in project counties found to be in violation of program guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1999
Consumer Credit Card Protection Amendments of 1999 - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to require the following disclosures by a creditor of open-end consumer credit plans: (1) the method of determining the required minimum payment amount and the charges for failure to pay either such amount or its attendant finance charge; (2) certain repayment information applicable to the outstanding balance; (3) the method for determining the required minimum payment amount and the charge for failure to pay it; and (4) the amount and deadline for late payment penalties. (Sec. 4) Extends the Act's disclosure requirements to World Wide Web-based applications and solicitations for a credit card account under an open-end consumer credit plan. (Sec. 5) Mandates additional disclosures for credit card applications or solicitations whose annual percentage rates of interest are applicable for an introductory period of less than one year. (Sec. 6) Proscribes the imposition of inactivity fees under an open-end consumer credit plan if the obligor maintains an outstanding balance and is charged an attendant finance charge. (Sec. 7) Sets forth application requirements for credit cards issued to underage consumers. (Sec. 8) Prohibits the imposition of penalties for on-time payments under an open-end consumer credit plan. (Sec. 9) Mandates: (1) advance notice of any interest rate increase applicable to an outstanding credit balance, accompanied by notice of the debtor's right to cancel before the effective date of such increase; and (2) disclosure of interest rates and fees upon credit advances through third-party checks. (Sec. 11) Proscribes the imposition of fees for any extension of credit in excess of the authorized amount if such extension was made in connection with a creditor-approved transaction. (Sec. 12) Encompasses within the term "credit card" specified dual-purpose or multifunction cards connected with an open-end credit plan and that can be used to obtain credit directly or indirectly. Repeals the limitation of card-issuer liability only to fee-paying or credit- or charge-card-using cardholders in connection with specified disclosures required of a creditor pertaining to: (1) open-end consumer credit plans; and (2) credit and charge card applications and solicitations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Regulation of Firearm Products Title II: Prohibitions Title III: Enforcement Subtitle A: Civil Enforcement Subtitle B: Criminal Enforcement Title IV: Administrative Provisions Title V: Relationship to Other Law Firearms Safety and Consumer Protection Act of 1999 - Title I: Regulation of Firearm Products - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe such regulations governing the design, manufacture, and performance of, and commerce in "firearm products" (defined as a firearm, firearm part, nonpowder firearm, and ammunition) as are reasonably necessary to reduce or prevent unreasonable risk of injury resulting from the use of such products. Allows any person to petition the Secretary to: (1) issue, amend, or repeal such a regulation; or (2) require the recall, repair, or replacement of, or the issuance of refunds with respect to, a firearm product. Sets deadlines for taking action on petitions. (Sec. 102) Authorizes the Secretary to issue orders: (1) prohibiting the manufacture, sale, or transfer of a firearm product which has been manufactured, imported, transferred, or distributed in violation of a regulation prescribed under this Act; (2) requiring the recall, repair, or replacement of, or refunds for, firearm products; and (3) prohibiting the manufacture, importation, transfer, distribution, or export of a firearm product if the exercise of other authority under this Act would not be sufficient to prevent the product from posing an unreasonable risk of injury to the public. Authorizes the Secretary, in order to ascertain compliance with this Act, to enter and inspect: (1) any place in which firearm products are manufactured, stored, or held, for distribution in commerce; and (2) any conveyance being used to transport a firearm product. Title II: Prohibitions - Sets forth prohibitions on the manufacture or transfer of firearm products for failure by: (1) a manufacturer to test and certify firearm products or to provide notice to the Secretary of new types of firearm products; (2) a manufacturer or dealer in firearms to label firearm products; and (3) an importer, manufacturer, or dealer to fail to maintain, or permit inspection of, records. Prohibits: (1) the importation and exportation of uncertified firearm products; (2) the manufacturer, offer for sale, distribution in commerce, importation, or exportation of a firearm product in violation of this Act; and (3) the manufacture, purchase, or import of a firearm product at a rate that is significantly greater than that at which the person manufactured, purchased, or imported the product during a base period (prescribed by the Secretary) before the applicable regulation is prescribed under this Act. Makes this title inapplicable to specified governmental authorities. Title III: Enforcement - Subtitle A: Civil Enforcement - Directs the Secretary to impose a civil fine upon any person who violates title II. Provides that each violation shall constitute a separate offense with respect to each firearm product involved, subject to specified limitations. Sets the applicable fine amount at $5,000 for the five-year period immediately following this Act's enactment date, and $10,000 thereafter. (Sec. 302) Authorizes the Attorney General, upon request of the Secretary, to bring an action: (1) to restrain any violation of title II in the U.S. district court for any district in which the violation has occurred or in which the defendant is found or transacts business; and (2) in rem for condemnation of a qualified firearm product in the district court for any district in which the Secretary has found and seized for confiscation the product. (Sec. 303) Authorizes: (1) the Secretary to bring an action in district court to restrain a manufacturer or dealer from manufacturing, distributing, transferring, importing, or exporting; and (2) the court, in such an action, to grant such temporary or permanent relief as necessary to protect the public from the risks posed by such product. (Sec. 304) Authorizes: (1) any person aggrieved by a violation of this Act or any interested person to bring an action against such other person in district court for damages; and (2) the court to award to a prevailing plaintiff a reasonable attorney's fee. (Sec. 306) Specifies that: (1) compliance with this Act shall not relieve any person from liability to any person under common law or State statutory law; and (2) the failure of the Secretary to take any action authorized under this Act shall not be admissible in litigation relating to the product under common law or State statutory law. Subtitle B: Criminal Enforcement - Subjects any person who has been notified of a violation of a provision of this Act and who knowingly violates such provision with respect to a firearms product, to a fine and up to two years' imprisonment. Title IV: Administrative Provisions - Directs the Secretary to: (1) maintain a Firearm Injury Information Clearinghouse for information relating to the causes and prevention of death and injury associated with firearms; (2) conduct continuing studies and investigations of firearm-related deaths and injuries and the resulting economic costs and losses; (3) collect and maintain production and sales figures for licensed manufacturers under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act; (4) conduct research on the safety of firearm products; (5) develop firearm safety testing methods and devices; and (6) make available to the public, at least annually, the results of such activities. (Sec. 402) Sets forth reporting requirements. Title V: Relationship to Other Law - Specifies that: (1) in the event of any conflict between this Act and any provision of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), the AECA provision shall control; and (2) this Act shall not be construed to preempt State or local law or to prevent a State from enacting any provision of law regulating or prohibiting conduct with respect to a firearm product, except to the extent of inconsistency with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1999
Gun Show Accountability Act - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit any person from organizing, planning, promoting, or operating a gun show without: (1) registering with the Secretary of the Treasury and paying a registration fee; (2) notifying the Secretary, at least 30 days in advance, of the date, time, duration, and location of the show; (3) submitting to the Secretary, at least 72 hours in advance, an updated list of all show vendors planning to participate; (4) first verifying the identity of each show vendor participating by examining a valid identification document containing a photograph of the vendor; (5) first requiring each vendor to sign a ledger with identifying information and a notice advising the vendor of his or her obligations; (6) notifying each attendee of requirements under the Act; (7) submitting to the Secretary, at least five days after the end of the show, a copy of the ledger and notice; and (8) maintaining a copy of the records described above at the permanent place of business of the show promoter for such period of time and in such form as the Secretary shall require. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) responsibilities of transferors and transferees other than licensees, including criminal background check requirements; and (2) records of licensee transfers. Sets penalties for violations of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to enter during business hours the place of business of any show promoter and any place where a show is held for purposes of examining required records and the inventory of licensees conducting business at the show, without a showing of reasonable cause or a warrant. Increases penalties for: (1) serious recordkeeping violations by licensees; and (2) violations of criminal background check requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1999
National African American Museum Act - Establishes within the Smithsonian Institution the National African American Museum, to be operated as a center for scholarship and a location for museum training, public education, exhibits, and collection and study of items and materials relating to the life, art, history, and culture of African Americans. Authorizes the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution to plan, design, reconstruct, and renovate the Arts and Industries Building to house the Museum. Establishes a Board of Trustees of the Museum in the Smithsonian Institution. Directs the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution to appoint a Director to manage the Museum. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1999
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) recognizes the "Code Adam" child safety program; (2) commends all retail business establishments that have implemented such program to protect children from abduction; and (3) urges any establishments that have not implemented such program to consider doing so.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1999
Robin Danielson Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: (1) to establish a program to collect, analyze, and make available data on toxic shock syndrome, including data on the causes of such syndrome; and (2) in carrying out such program, to determine the national incidence and prevalence of such syndrome. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out such program directly and through grants to States and local health departments. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1999
Tampon Safety and Research Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to mandate the conduct or support of research on the extent to which additives in feminine hygiene products pose any risks to the health of women or to the children of women who use those products during or before the pregnancies involved. Requires that the research include research to confirm the data on feminine hygiene products submitted to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs by manufacturers of the products. Requires that research results be submitted to the Congress, specified governmental agencies, and the public.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1999
Clean Gasoline Act of 1999 - Amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit the manufacture, sale, supply, dispensation, transport, or introduction into commerce of motor vehicle gasoline that contains a concentration of sulfur exceeding 40 parts per million per gallon of gasoline. Provides that a person shall not be in violation of such prohibition if, during a one-year period, the person engages in such an activity with respect to gasoline that contains a sulfur concentration between 40 and 80 parts per million per gallon if the average concentration of sulfur in the gasoline during the period is less than 30 parts per million per gallon. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to report to the Congress on the effects of use of low sulfur motor vehicle gasoline on urban and regional air quality. Provides for an update within two years of submission of the original report. Authorizes the Administrator to promulgate a regulation to establish maximum and average allowable sulfur concentrations in motor vehicle gasoline that are lower than concentrations specified under this Act if: (1) research conducted after this Act's enactment indicates that significant air quality benefits would result from a reduction in allowable sulfur concentration in such gasoline; or (2) advanced vehicle technologies have been developed that can significantly reduce emissions of air pollutants from motor vehicles but that require gasoline with a lower concentration of sulfur than that specified under this Act. Prescribes penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1999
Freedom to E-File Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish in the Department of Agriculture a public use electronic filing and information retrieval system.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1999
Security and Freedom through Encryption (SAFE) Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to permit any person within any State and any U.S. person in a foreign country to use, and any person within any State to sell in interstate commerce, any encryption, regardless of the encryption algorithm selected, encryption key length chosen, or implementation technique or median use. Provides that neither the Federal Government nor a State may require that, or condition any approval on a requirement that, a key, access to a key, key recovery information, or any other plaintext access capability be: (1) built into computer hardware or software for any purpose; (2) given to any other person, including a Federal Government agency or an entity in the private sector that may be certified or approved by the Federal Government or any State to receive it; or (3) retained by the owner or user of an encryption key or any other person, other than for encryption products for use by the Federal Government or a State. Makes exceptions with respect to investigative or law enforcement officers and members of the intelligence community. Provides that neither the Federal Government nor a State may require the use of encryption products, standards, or services (products) for: (1) confidentiality purposes, as a condition of the use of such products for authenticity or integrity purposes; or (2) authenticity or integrity purposes, as a condition of the use of such products for confidentiality purposes. Sets penalties for the unlawful use of encryption in furtherance of a criminal act. Specifies that the use of encryption shall not be the sole basis for establishing probable cause with respect to a criminal offense or a search warrant. (Sec. 3) Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to grant the Secretary of Commerce exclusive authority to control exports of all computer hardware, software, computing devices, customer premises equipment, communications network equipment, and technology for information security (including encryption), except that which is specifically designed or modified for military use. Provides that after a one time, 50-day technical review by the Secretary, no export license may be required (with exceptions) for or in the export of specified computer hardware, software, computing devices, telecommunication devices, technical assistance and data, and encryption hardware, software, or computing devices. Authorizes the Secretary, after a one time, 15-day technical review, to authorize the export or reexport of computer hardware, software, or computing devices with encryption capabilities for nonmilitary and end uses in any country: (1) to which exports of computer hardware, software, or computing devices of comparable strength are permitted for use by financial institutions not controlled in fact by United States persons, unless there is substantial evidence that such computer equipment will be diverted to a military end-use or an end-use supporting international terrorism, modified for military or terrorist end-use, or reexported without authorization by the United States; or (2) if the Secretary determines that a computer hardware, software, or computing device offering comparable security is commercially available outside the United States from a foreign supplier, without effective restrictions. Directs that any encryption product not requiring an export license as of this Act's enactment date, as a result of administrative decision or rulemaking, shall not require an export license on or after such date. (Sec. 4) Directs: (1) the Attorney General to compile, and maintain in classified form, data on the instances in which encryption has interfered with, impeded, or obstructed the ability of the Department of Justice to enforce U.S. criminal laws; and (2) that such information be made available, upon request, to any Member of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1999
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to: (1) restrict the application of the windfall elimination provision to individuals whose combined monthly income from the individual's primary insurance amount under such title and the portion of the monthly periodic payment attributable to noncovered service performed after 1956 exceeds $2,000; and (2) provide for a graduated implementation of such provision by specified percentages with respect to incremental amounts above such threshold, up to 100 percent for combined amounts over $3,000.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1999
State and Local Investment Opportunity Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the State ceiling on private activity bonds. Provides for inflation adjustment.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Designation of and Tax Incentives for Renewal Communities Title II: Additional Provisions American Community Renewal Act of 1999 - Title I: Designation of and Tax Incentives for Renewal Communities - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to designate (upon local or State nomination) up to 100 renewal communities, of which at least 20 percent shall be in rural areas. Requires for nomination purposes that: (1) the area be experiencing high rates of poverty and unemployment and general distress; and (2) State and local governments enter into written contracts with community organizations to promote specified economic growth and employment activities. Excludes from gross income capital gains on the sale or exchange of a qualified community asset (stock, business property, or partnership interest) held for more than five years. Allows a specified deduction for amounts paid into a family development account on behalf of an individual or another qualified individual who is a renewal community resident. Excludes from gross income account distributions used for qualified family development expenses (postsecondary education, first-home purchase, business capitalization, medical, and rollovers). Provides a penalty (with exceptions) in addition to inclusion as gross income for nonqualifying distributions. Provides for designation of up to five qualifying renewal communities as matching demonstration areas eligible to receive family development account matching contributions. Authorizes: (1) designation of earned income tax credit payments for family development account deposit; (2) a commercial building revitalization tax credit; (3) increased first year expensing for renewal community businesses; (4) extension of environmental remediation cost expensing and the work opportunity credit for renewal communities; and (5) similar tax treatment of renewal communities and enterprise zones for specified youth residence requirements. (Sec. 104) Permits a deduction for contributions to a family development account whether or not a taxpayer itemizes. Makes conforming amendments to provisions respecting: (1) tax on excess contributions and prohibited transactions; (2) trust and annuity information; (3) tax exemption applications; and (4) the commercial revitalization credit. (Sec. 105) Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec. 106) Directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget not to make any estimates of changes in receipts under the pay-as-you-go estimate provisions of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 resulting from the enactment of this Act. Title II: Additional Provisions - Provides for local government transfer of unoccupied and substandard Department of Housing and Urban Development multifamily and single family housing in renewal communities, with subsequent disposition priority to be given to community development corporations. (202) Amends the Public Health Service Act to declare that the amendments made by this Act apply to each program that makes awards of Federal financial assistance to prevent or treat substance abuse. Allows, notwithstanding any other provision of law, a religious organization to be an award recipient, make subawards, provide services through vouchers, or accept vouchers for providing services. Makes religious organizations eligible on the same basis as any other nonprofit private organization. Prohibits Federal or State: (1) discrimination against an organization on the basis that the organization has a religious character; and (2) requirements that a religious organization, in order to be a program participant, remove religious art, icons, scripture, or other symbols. Requires a religious organization to arrange for services through an alternative entity if an individual objects to the religious organization. Allows a religious organization to require a beneficiary who has elected to receive services from the organization to actively participate in religious practice, worship, and instruction. Prohibits using funds for sectarian worship or instruction, unless the beneficiary may choose where the assistance is redeemed or allocated. Declares that assistance to or on behalf of a beneficiary is aid to the beneficiary and not to the organization. Requires, if a State law or constitution would prevent the expenditure of State or local funds by religious organizations, that the Federal funds shall be segregated from State or other public funds. Requires, for personnel working in religious organization drug treatment programs, giving credit for religious education and training equivalent to credit given for secular course work. Mandates waiver of educational requirements if the religious organization has a record of successful drug treatment and the State or local government fails to demonstrate empirically that the educational qualifications are necessary. (Sec. 203) Amends the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 to provide that a financial institution's investments in community development organizations located in renewal communities may be considered in evaluations under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1999
Care Givers Tax Reduction Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make the existing dependent care tax credit a refundable credit; (2) increase allowable dependent care expenses; and (3) revise the credit phasedown formula.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1999
Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to extend through FY 2002 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) the Federal Council on the Aging; (2) administration; (3) grants for State and community programs on aging; (4) the availability of surplus commodities; (5) training, research, and discretionary projects and programs; (6) community service employment for older Americans; (7) grants for Native Americans; (8) allotments for Vulnerable Elder Rights Protection activities; and (9) the Native American program.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1999
Human Rights, Opportunity, Partnership, and Empowerment for Africa Act (or the Hope for Africa Act) - Declares the policy of Congress toward sub-Saharan African countries. Title I: Cancellation of Debt Owed By Sub-Saharan African Countries - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the President to cancel all concessional and nonconcessional loans made, guarantees issued, or credits extended by the United States to sub-Saharan African countries. Directs the President to report annually to the appropriate congressional committees concerning the cancellation of debt. (Sec. 102) Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 103) Directs the Secretary of State to notify foreign governments that have provided loans, guarantees, or credits to the government of a sub-Saharan African country that it is U.S. policy to forgive all such debts and that such foreign governments should do the same. (Sec. 104) Amends the International Financial Institutions Act to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the United States Executive Directors at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) to use the U.S. vote to advocate that such financial institutions: (1) unconditionally cancel all debts owed by a sub-Saharan African country to such institution; (2) encourage each country benefitting from such debt cancellation to allocate 20 percent of the country's national budget (including savings from such debt cancellation) to basic services, as the country has committed to do under the United Nations 20- 20 Initiative; and (3) after canceling such debt, require that any future loans not be used to finance in whole or part the implementation of any agreement which requires the country to pay more than five percent of its annual export earnings toward the servicing of foreign loans. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to report to specified congressional committees with respect to the response by foreign governments to the policies advocated by this section. (Sec. 105) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) report to Congress on the amount of debt owed to any U.S. person by any country in sub-Saharan Africa; and (2) acquire and cancel each debt obligation owed to each U.S. person. (Sec. 106) Amends the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1999 to include as an additional duty of the International Financial Institution Advisory Commission that it advise the Secretary of the Treasury and report to Congress on the viability and desirability of having each indebted sub-Saharan African country repay foreign loans in their currency. (Sec. 107) Directs the Secretary of State to encourage the government of each sub-Saharan African country to allocate 20 percent of its national budget (including the savings from cancellation of debt owed by it to the United States) to other foreign countries, to the IMF and the World Bank, and to U.S. persons for the provision of basic services to individuals in their respective country, as provided for in the United Nations 20-20 Initiative. (Sec. 108) Expresses the sense of Congress that, prior to the cancellation of debt owed by sub-Saharan African countries, each such country should not pay in any calendar year an aggregate amount greater than five percent of the export earnings of the country for the prior calendar year. Title II: Trade Provisions Relating to Sub-Saharan Africa - Directs the United States, pursuant to the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, to eliminate existing quotas on textile and apparel exports to the United States from Kenya and Mauritius not later than 30 days after each country demonstrates that it: (1) does not engage in significant violations of internationally recognized human rights; (2) provides for the enforcement of certain internationally recognized worker rights; and (3) takes adequate measures to prevent illegal transshipment of goods. Directs the President to continue the no quota policy for each of the other sub-Saharan African countries that are in compliance with such requirements. (Sec. 201) Provides that, when the quota for either Kenya or Mauritius is first eliminated, the quota for textile and apparel products from China for each calendar year shall be reduced by an amount equal to the volume of imports of all textile and apparel products from all sub-Saharan African countries into the United States in the preceding calendar year, plus five percent of that amount. Requires the Secretary of Labor to determine, and report annually to Congress on, whether or not each sub-Saharan African country is providing for effective enforcement of internationally recognized worker rights. Directs the President to report annually to Congress on the growth in textiles and apparel exports to the United States from countries in sub-Saharan Africa in order to inform U.S. consumers, workers, and textile manufacturers about the effects of the no quota policy. Directs the President to provide an additional benefit of 50 percent tariff reduction for any textile and apparel product of a sub-Saharan African country that meets the requirements (relating to human rights, workers rights, and illegal transshipments) and that is imported directly into the United States from such country if the business enterprise, or a subcontractor of the enterprise, producing the product is in compliance with specified conditions. Sets forth specified conditions for the import of textile and apparel goods into the United States, including such goods from a sub-Saharan African country. Sets forth penalties for violations committed under this Act. Directs the U.S. Customs Service to monitor and the Commissioner of Customs to report annually on measures taken by sub-Saharan African countries which export textiles or apparel goods to the United States to prevent unlawful transshipment of such goods and circumvention of this Act or any agreement regulating trade in such goods between such country and the United States. (Sec. 202) Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize the President to provide duty-free treatment for certain import-sensitive articles, or articles set forth in the product list of the Lome Treaty, that are the product of a beneficiary developing sub-Saharan African country and that are in compliance with certain human rights requirements with respect to such articles if the President determines that such articles are not import-sensitive in the context of imports from such countries. Sets forth certain rules of origin for purposes of duty-free treatment of products from beneficiary developing sub-Saharan African countries. Extends duty-free treatment to: (1) products from beneficiary developing sub-Saharan African countries through June 30, 2005; and (2) products of other beneficiary developing countries through June 30, 1999. (Sec. 203) Grants a U.S. citizen a cause of action in the U.S. district court to seek compliance of sub-Saharan African countries with the requirements of this Act. Title III: Development Assistance for sub-Saharan African Countries - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to revise congressional findings with respect to long-term development assistance for sub-Saharan Africa to declare that the HIV- AIDS epidemic, along with other conditions, have caused countless deaths and untold suffering among the people of sub-Saharan Africa. (Sec. 302) Directs the Agency for International Development (AID) to provide capacity building assistance through participatory planning to private and voluntary organizations that are involved in providing assistance for sub-Saharan Africa. (Sec. 303) Prohibits military assistance to sub-Saharan African countries. (Sec. 304) Revises critical sectoral priorities provisions to give priority to: (1) increasing food security by promoting agriculture policies in sub-Saharan African countries; (2) improving health conditions in such countries by emphasizing, among other things, HIV-AIDS prevention and treatment programs; (3) providing increased access to voluntary family planning services, including access to prenatal healthcare; (4) improving education and vocational education, with particular emphasis on primary education and vocational education for women; and (5) developing income-generating opportunities, including development of manufacturing and processing industries and microcredit projects. (Sec. 305) Increases the minimum amount of long-term development assistance that should be targeted to certain critical sectors with respect to sub-Saharan African countries. (Sec. 306) Directs the Administrator of AID to report semiannually to Congress on: (1) how, and to what extent, AID has consulted with nongovernmental organizations in sub-Saharan Africa regarding the use of long-term development assistance to sub-Saharan African countries; (2) the extent to which such assistance has been successful in capacity building among local nongovernmental organizations and in increasing food security and access to health and education services among the people of sub-Saharan Africa; and (3) how, and to what extent, such assistance has furthered the goals of sustainable economic and agricultural development, gender equity, environmental protection, and respect for workers' rights there. (Sec. 307) Authorizes appropriations for the Development Fund for Africa. Title IV: Sub-Saharan Africa Equity and Infrastructure Funds - Directs the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) to initiate one or more equity funds in support of infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa, including basic health services (including AIDS prevention and treatment), hospitals, potable water, sanitation, schools, electrification of rural areas, and publicly-accessible transportation. Title V: Overseas Private Investment Corporation and Export-Import Bank Initiatives - Directs the Board of Directors of OPIC to establish and work with an advisory committee to assist it in developing and implementing policies, programs, and financial instruments with respect to sub-Saharan Africa, including with respect to equity and infrastructure funds established under this Act. Sets forth requirements with respect to the composition and administration of the advisory committee. (Sec. 502) Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to revise provisions establishing an advisory committee to require such committee to assist the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States in developing, among other things, financial instruments with respect to sub-Saharan African countries. Sets forth requirements with respect to the composition and administration of the advisory committee. Title VI: Miscellaneous Provisions - Prohibits the use of appropriated funds to any Federal agency to be used to seek the revocation or revisions of any sub-Saharan African intellectual property or competition law or policy that is designed to promote access to pharmaceuticals or other medical technologies. (Sec. 603) Directs the President to: (1) provide notice and opportunity to the public for comments on the success or failure of the implementation of this Act; and (2) report such comments to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1999
Resources 2000 Act - Reduces according to a specified formula the amount of qualified Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) revenues that shall be deposited for a limited fiscal year into the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, or any other fund or account established by this Act. (Sec. 6) Limits the amount available for administrative expenses to two percent. (Sec. 7) Requires off-budget treatment of the receipts and disbursements of funds under this Act. Title I: Land and Water Conservation Fund Revitalization - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965 to extend indefinitely the period for: (1) depositing amounts into the Land and Water Conservation Fund (currently, such period ends September 30, 2015); and (2) under specified conditions, annual authorization of appropriations to the Fund in certain amounts for FY 1977 through 1978 and each succeeding fiscal year. (Sec. 103) Makes $900 million available each fiscal year for obligation or expenditure without further appropriation, to be allocated as follows: (1) 50 percent for Federal purposes; and (2) 50 percent for State grants. (Sec. 105) Removes the "outdoor recreation" limitation on the use of financial assistance to States to carry out planning, land acquisition, and development projects for land and water conservation purposes. (Sec. 106) Revises the formula used to allocate amounts made available for State purposes from the Fund each fiscal year, including distributing one-third of such funds among the several States under a competitive grant program. (Sec. 107) Revises the requirement that a State have a comprehensive statewide outdoor recreation plan as a prerequisite to consideration by the Secretary of the Interior of financial assistance for acquisition or development projects. Allows a State, in order to reduce costly repetitive planning efforts, to use for such a plan a current State comprehensive outdoor recreation plan, a State recreation plan, or a State action agenda under criteria developed by the Secretary. (Sec. 108) Removes the restriction on providing financial assistance to States for incidental costs relating to land and water acquisition. Permits local funding and a limited percentage of the amount of State allocated funds in any one year to be used for sheltered facilities for swimming pools and ice skating rinks in areas where the Secretary determines a need to enhance public safety. (Sec. 109) Requires the Secretary to approve, subject to certain conditions, the conversion of property (other than for public outdoor recreation use) acquired or developed with assistance under the Act only if the State demonstrates that no prudent or feasible alternative exists. Exempts from such requirement conversion of property that is no longer viable as an outdoor conservation or recreation facility due to changes in demographics, or that must be abandoned because of environmental contamination which endangers public health and safety. Title II: Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program Amendments - Amends the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act of 1978 to provide for the development of new recreation areas and facilities (including the acquisition of lands for such development) under the urban park and recreation recovery program. (Sec. 205) Revises requirements for: (1) Federal assistance grant eligibility; (2) matching grants to local governments for rehabilitation, development, and innovation purposes; (3) local park and recreation recovery action programs; (4) State action incentives; and (5) conversion of recreation property for any other purpose other than public recreation purposes. (Sec. 210) Establishes in the Treasury the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Fund. Specifies the amount to be deposited into the Fund each fiscal year out of qualified OCS revenues, which shall be available, without further appropriation, until expended. Sets forth limitations on annual State grants under this Act and grant and program administration. (Sec. 211) Repeals sunset provisions and congressional reporting requirements with respect to: (1) the impact of the urban park and recreation recovery program; and (2) the annual achievements of the innovation grant program. Title III: Historic Preservation Fund - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to specify the amount to be deposited into the Historic Preservation Fund each fiscal year after FY 1998 out of qualified OCS revenues, which shall remain available, without further appropriation, and until expended, only to carry out the purposes of such Act. (Sec. 301) Requires at least one half of the funds obligated or expended each fiscal year under this Act to be used for preservation projects on historic properties (giving priority to the preservation of endangered historic properties). Title IV: Farmland, Ranchland, Open Space, and Forestland Protection - Establishes in the Treasury the Farmland, Ranchland, Open Space, and Forestland Protection Fund. (Sec. 403) Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to use specified amounts from the Fund for the farmland protection and forest legacy programs. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to use specified amounts from the Fund for the ranchland protection program. (Sec. 404) Amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 with respect to the farmland protection program to: (1) specify that the program shall be a matching grant program carried out through eligible entities such as State and local government, Indian tribes, and nonprofit conservation organizations; (2) eliminate acreage limitations; and (3) increase the existing funding cap, revising it from a total program cap to a fiscal year cap. (Sec. 405) Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a ranchland protection program similar to the farmland protection program. Title V: Federal and Indian Lands Restoration Fund - Establishes the Federal and Indians Lands Restoration Fund which shall be used as a dedicated source of funding for a coordinated program on Federal and Indian lands to restore degraded lands, protect resources that are threatened with degradation, and protect public health and safety. Deposits $250 million of qualified Outer Continental Shelf revenues received by the United States each fiscal year into the Fund and allocates: (1) 60 percent to the Secretary of the Interior for lands within the National Park System, National Wildlife Refuge System, and public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management; (2) 30 percent to the Secretary of Agriculture for lands within the National Forest System; and (3) ten percent to the Secretary of the Interior for competitive grants to Indian tribes under this Act. Requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) each establish priority lists for the use of funds which give priority to projects based upon the protection of significant resources, the severity of damages or threats to resources, and the protection of public health or safety; and (2) jointly establish a coordinated program for tracking the progress of activities carried out and determining the extent to which demonstrable results are being achieved. Title VI: Living Marine Resources Conservation, Restoration, and Management Assistance - Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to use amounts from the Living Marine Resources Conservation Fund for allocation to a coastal State with a Living Marine Resources Conservation Plan to reimburse the State for the costs of developing, implementing, and revising such a plan. Sets forth plan requirements. Establishes the Living Marine Resources Conservation Fund. Provides for the deposit in such fund of specified amounts received by the United States as qualified Outer Continental Shelf revenues. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants from such fund for the conservation, restoration, or management of living marine resources. Sets forth criteria for grant approval. Defines "living marine resources" as indigenous fin fish, anadromous fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and all other forms of marine animal and plant life, including marine mammals and birds, that inhabit marine or brackish waters of the United States during all or part of their life cycle. Title VII: Funding for State Native Fish and Wildlife Conservation and Restoration - Amends the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1980 to revise the purposes and applicability of such Act so as to: (1) provide for promoting conservation of native (currently, nongame) fish and wildlife; and (2) preserving biological diversity by maintaining natural assemblages of native fish and wildlife. Replaces the definition of "fish and wildlife" and "nongame fish and wildlife" with a definition of "native fish and wildlife" as a fish, animal, or plant species that: (1) historically occurred or occurs in an ecosystem, other than as a result of an introduction, and lives in an unconfined state; and (2) does not include any population of a domesticated species that has reverted to a feral existence. (Sec. 703) Requires State conservation plans to promote balanced and diverse assemblages of native fish and wildlife. (Sec. 704) Repeals the provision specifying that conservation actions set forth in a conservation plan approved by the Secretary of the Interior shall be eligible for reimbursement as fish and wildlife projects. (Sec. 705) Makes amendments relating to the reimbursement of State costs for the development, revision, and implementation of conservation plans to: (1) extend eligibility for reimbursement of costs incurred by States for developing conservation plans through FY 2010, and for implementing conservation plans through FY 2005; (2) repeal specified reimbursement requirements; (3) prohibit paying reimbursement to any State for any cost incurred in implementing an approved conservation plan or action to the extent that more than 50 (currently ten) percent of such costs in any such year are accounted for by inkind contributions; and (4) prohibit the amount of reimbursement paid to any State for any fiscal year after FY 2010 from exceeding 75 percent of the cost of implementing and revising the plan during the fiscal year. (Sec. 706) Establishes the Native Fish and Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Fund into which the following amounts received as qualified Outer Continental Shelf revenues shall be deposited: (1) $100 million for each of FY 2000 and 2001; (2) $200 million for each of FY 2002 through 2004; and (3) $350 million for FY 2005 and each proceeding fiscal year. Makes up to the amount stated for a fiscal year available to the Secretary of the Interior for that fiscal year to reimburse States for conservation plans and actions. Title VIII: Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Commerce to use amounts in the Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery Fund to provide financial assistance to persons for development and implementation of Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery Agreements. Requires either Secretary to give priority to the development and implementation of Agreements that: (1) implement actions identified under recovery plans approved by the Secretary; (2) have the greatest potential for contributing to the recovery of an endangered or threatened species; and (3) require use of the assistance on land owned by a small landowner or on a family farm by the owner or operator. Prohibits the Secretary from providing financial assistance for any action that is required by a permit issued under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 or that is otherwise required under Federal law. (Sec. 803) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into such Agreements and sets forth Agreement requirements, including: (1) requiring activities not otherwise mandated by law that contribute to species recovery; and (2) specifying species recovery goals. Requires the Secretary to review Agreements for compliance with such requirements, propose necessary revisions, approve Agreements in compliance, periodically monitor the implementation of each Agreement, and disburse financial assistance to implement the Agreement. (Sec. 804) Establishes the Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery Fund in the Treasury and requires $100 million to be deposited into the Fund each fiscal year from amounts received as qualified Outer Continental Shelf revenues.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1999
Amends the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act to prohibit the transfer or assignment of leased marketing premises during the franchise term unless the franchisor has first: (1) made a bona fide offer to the franchisee at least 45 days before the proposed transfer or assignment; or (2) offered the right of first refusal (of at least 45 days' duration) to the franchisee regarding an offer made by another to acquire the franchisor's interest in the premises. Declares that it shall be a violation of the Act for a refiner or distributor to fix or maintain motor fuel retail prices at a retail outlet supplied by that refiner or distributor, unless such outlet is also operated by the refiner or distributor.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1999
Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 1999 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), after July 1, 1999, from making any reallocations of amateur radio service and amateur satellite service frequency bands, diminishing the secondary allocations of such bands or making additional allocations within such bands that would substantially reduce their utility unless at the same time the FCC provides equivalent replacement spectrum.
![Official portrait of Rep. Brown, George E., Jr. [D-CA-42]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000918_200.jpg)