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United States · Official source
2,200 records where Rep. Ehlers, Vernon J. [R-MI-3] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2000
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 200 West 2nd Street in Royal Oak, Michigan, as the William S. Broomfield Post Office Building.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2000
Privacy and Identity Protection Act of 2000 - Title I: Provisions Relating to the Social Security Account Number - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with regard to: (1) governmental use and treatment of social security account numbers, including restrictions on the sale of such account numbers by governmental agencies; and (2) prohibitions against public access to such account numbers in governmental agency possession, and against use of such account numbers on checks issued for payment by such agencies. (Sec. 101) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the current usage by governmental agencies of the Social Security account numbers of individuals, and derivatives of such numbers, for identification purposes; and (2) the most effective means by which any such usage extending beyond the original purposes of the Social Security account number may be minimized. Amends SSA title II to provide for independent verification of birth records provided in support of applications for Social Security account numbers. Directs the Commissioner of Social Security and the Attorney General to report jointly to Congress on the progress of the Social Security Administration and the Immigration and Naturalization Service in implementing a process for enumeration at entry for aliens entering the United States. Amends SSA title II to prohibit: (1) the appearance of Social Security account numbers on driver's licenses or motor vehicle registrations; and (2) the display of such account numbers, or any derivative, on any card or tag provided by governmental agencies to their employees for identification purposes. (Sec. 102) Provides for the regulation and restriction of the sale and purchase of the Social Security account number in the private sector. (Sec. 103) Amends SSA title II to subject criminal penalties the sale and purchase of Social Security account numbers. (Sec. 104) Amends SSA title XI with regard to civil monetary penalty authority concerning treatment of withholding of material facts, and application of civil money penalties to elements of criminal violations. (Sec. 105) Amends SSA titles II and XVI (Supplementary Security Income) (SSI) to provide authority for judicial orders of restitution in cases of Social Security payments obtained by fraud. Amends SSA title VII (Administration) to provide for the establishment of a special fund in the Treasury for receipt of restitution payments. (Sec. 106) Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to provide for confidential treatment of credit report header information including the Social Security account number of the consumer or any derivative thereof. (Sec. 107) Amends SSA title VII to provide for law enforcement authority by special agents of the Office of the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration. Title II: Provisions Relating to Representative Payees - Amends SSA titles II and XVI to authorize reissue to beneficiaries or alternative representative payees of OASDI and SSI benefits misused by organizational representative payees. (Sec. 202) Amends SSA titles II and XVI to provide for: (1) oversight of nongovernmental organizational representative payees and disqualification from service as a representative payee upon a felony conviction; (2) fee forfeiture in case of benefit misuse by such a representative payees; (3) liability of representative payees for misused benefits; and (4) extension of civil monetary penalty authority with respect to representative payees.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2000
National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 - Title I: Recording Preservation by the Librarian of Congress - Subtitle A: National Recording Registry - Requires the Librarian of Congress to: (1) establish the National Recording Registry for the purpose of maintaining and preserving recordings that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant; (2) establish criteria and procedures under which recordings may be included in the Registry, except that no recording shall be eligible for such inclusion until ten years after its creation; (3) establish procedures for general public recommendations to the National Recording Preservation Board (established under this Act) regarding the inclusion of recordings in the Registry; and (4) determine which recordings meet the established criteria and select them for inclusion, up to a maximum of 25 recordings or groups of recordings each year. (Sec. 103) Requires the Librarian to provide a seal to indicate that a selected recording has been included in the Registry and is the Registry version of that recording. Requires the Librarian to establish guidelines for approval of the use of the seal. Specifies prohibited uses, as well as remedies for violation of such prohibitions, including a civil fine and injunctive relief. (Sec. 104) Requires copies of such recordings on the Registry received under this Act to be maintained in the Library of Congress as the National Recording Registry Collection of the Library of Congress. Limits preservation to only one copy of the same version or take of any recording. Requires the Librarian to provide for reasonable access to the recordings and other material in the collection for scholarly and research purposes. Subtitle B: National Recording Preservation Program - Requires the Librarian to: (1) implement a comprehensive national recording preservation program, in conjunction with other recording archivists, educators and historians, copyright owners, recording industry representatives, and others involved in activities related to recording preservation, and taking into account studies conducted by the Board; (2) use the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center of the Library at Culpeper, Virginia, to ensure proper storage of preserved sound recordings; and (3) carry out activities to make sound recordings more accessible for research and educational purposes, and to generate public awareness and support of the Registry and such program. Subtitle C: National Recording Preservation Board - Requires the Librarian to establish in the Library of Congress a National Recording Preservation Board to: (1) review nominations of recordings for inclusion in the Registry; and (2) advise the Librarian with respect to the inclusion and the preservation of these and other recordings that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. (Sec. 124) Requires the Board to study and report on the current state of Library of Congress sound recording archiving, preservation, and restoration activities, taking into account the research and other activities carried out by or on behalf of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center. Subtitle D: General Provisions - Authorizes appropriations. Title II: National Recording Preservation Foundation - Grants a Federal charter to the National Recording Preservation Foundation (a charitable and nonprofit corporation that is not a Federal Government agency or establishment). (Sec. 201) Authorizes the Librarian to: (1) provide, on a reimbursable basis, personnel, facilities, and other administrative services to the corporation; and (2) accept the services of the corporation and its directors, officers, and employees as volunteers in performing functions authorized under this Act, without compensation from the Library of Congress. Authorizes appropriations in an amount equal to private donations to the corporation, for reimbursement of the Library for such personnel, facilities, and other administrative services. Bars the use of such funds for the corporation's own administrative expenses, including salaries, travel, transportation, and overhead expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2000
Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement Act of 2000 - Title I: Amendments to the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 - Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to increase benefits to railroad employees and their beneficiaries and to revise financing of the pension part (tier II) of the railroad retirement system. (Sec. 101) Increases benefits for widows and widowers by guaranteeing to them all of the tier II annuity the employee was entitled to at the time of the death. (Sec. 102) Makes employees with 30 years of service eligible to retire at age 60 with unreduced tier I and tier II annuities. Makes spouses of such employees eligible for unreduced annuities at age 60. (Sec. 103) Reduces the vesting requirement for tier II retirement annuities from ten years to five years of service after December 1995. Makes employees with at least five years of such service, but less than ten years of total service, eligible for a tier I disability annuity if their combined railroad retirement and social security earnings credits would satisfy social security eligibility requirements. Makes spouses, divorced spouses, and survivors of employees with at least five years of such service, but less than ten years of total service, eligible for a tier I annuity if they would have been entitled to a social security benefit based on combined service. (Sec. 104) Repeals a limit on the total amount of monthly railroad retirement benefits payable to an employee and spouse at the time the employee's annuity begins. (Sec. 105) Establishes a Railroad Retirement Trust Fund (the Fund) and a Railroad Retirement Investment Trust (RRIT) to manage and invest the assets of the Fund. Declares that RRIT is not an agency, department, or instrumentality of the U.S. Government. Requires RRIT to be administered by a Board of Trustees (the Trustees) with seven members (three representing labor, three representing employers, and one representing the general public) with experience and expertise in the management of financial investments and pension plans. Requires the Trustees to be appointed by a unanimous vote of the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB). Prohibits RRB members from being Trustees. Applies specified reporting requirements and fiduciary standards to the RRIT. Requires the Trustees to diversify investments so as to minimize the risk of large losses. Authorizes the Trustees to invest Fund assets in non-Governmental assets. (Sec. 106) Abolishes the Railroad Retirement Supplemental Annuity Account and provides for transfer of its funds to the Fund. (Sec. 107) Requires the RRB, upon the establishment of the Fund, to determine the portion of the Railroad Retirement Account not needed to pay current administrative expenses and direct the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer that amount into the Fund. Requires the Fund to transfer the necessary amount of funds to pay benefits and related administrative expenses to the disbursing agent. Transfers to the Fund Social Security Equivalent Benefit account funds not needed to pay current benefits, but requires that such funds only be used to pay benefits or to invest in U.S. Government or Government-guaranteed securities. Transfers to the disbursing agent from the Dual Benefit Account the amount necessary to make dual benefit payments. Requires the Trustees to consult with the Secretary of the Treasury to develop an appropriate method for transferring or converting existing account obligations. (Sec. 108) Requires the RRB to calculate the ratio of assets to benefits to determine annual tier II tax rates for employers, employee representatives, and employees. Establishes schedules for: (1) decreasing tax rates if the average account benefits ratio, based on the ratios for the ten most recent fiscal years, is above six; and (2) increasing employer and employee representatives' tax rates if the ratio is below four. Title II: Amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt the Railroad Retirement Trust Fund (the Fund) from taxation. (Sec. 203) Repeals a supplemental annuity tax that railroad employers pay to finance a benefit for long-time rail employees. (Sec. 204) Provides for adjustments to railroad employers, employee representatives, and employee tier II tax rates. Decreases such rates in 2001 and in 2002 for employers and employee representatives. Provides in the years after 2002 for tax rate schedules, based on the ten-year average account benefit ratio, for employers, employee representatives, and employees.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2000
Declares that: (1) the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall establish a special task force to study the history and contributions of African American slave laborers in the construction of the U.S. Capitol; and (2) such task force shall recommend an appropriate recognition for them which could be displayed in a prominent location in the U.S. Capitol.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2000
Emergency Rural and Small Railroad Preservation Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a program in which grants are allocated upon the application of State and local governments, government-sponsored authorities and corporations, and Class II and III freight railroads to upgrade track and bridges to accommodate 286,000 pound freight cars or promote essential service and enhance safety. Directs the Secretary to give priority to projects that are economically viable, and require a non-Federal matching contribution of at least ten percent. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the Railroad Trust Fund consisting of amounts derived from taxes on trains to be used to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2000
Community Economic Adjustment Act of 2000 - Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to establish in the Economic Development Administration (EDA) an Office of Community Economic Adjustment to coordinate the Federal Government's response to communities experiencing sudden economic distress caused by a loss of jobs due to plant closures, significant layoffs, or significant relocation of jobs to other communities for any reason, including shifting patterns in international trade, natural disasters, or other problems, by: (1) identifying relevant programs and resources to ensure that communities are aware of all available Federal resources that complement or support state and local resources and programs; (2) working with specified departments and agencies to ensure that communities receive Federal assistance in a targeted, integrated manner; and (3) assigning a project manager to work with an affected community. Directs such Office to: (1) provide technical assistance, planning grants, and other assistance to help communities organize themselves, develop, and carry out economic adjustment strategies for replacing industry and jobs that have been lost or are threatened by the economic downturn; and (2) help eligible applicants in completing applications for other assistance that may be useful in alleviating the economic distress in such communities. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2005 for community adjustment assistance under the economic adjustment program of the EDA, including specified amounts for such Office and for communities successfully completing planning grants to implement their approved plans.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2000
Combined Fund Stability and Fairness Act - Amends chapter 99 (Coal Industry Health Benefits) of the Internal Revenue Code and the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to redefine the term "coal wage agreement" to include only the 1988 agreement which became effective on February 1, 1988, and any predecessor to the 1988 agreement. Redefines the term "signatory operator" in a similar manner (as a 1988 operator). Provides for a reduction in health benefit premiums to coal miners if there is a surplus in the Combined Benefit Fund. Provides for a refund of premiums paid to the Fund for certain small entities which are not 1988 agreement operators. Provides for the transfer of certain amounts of interest from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund to the Combined Fund. Reduces Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund fees. Extends the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fee program for an additional six years. Authorizes appropriations for the transfer of $38 million from the 1950 United Mine Workers of America Pension Plan annually to the Combined Fund to cover any shortfall in the premium account of the Combined Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2000
Amends the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 to revise State agricultural loan mediation program provisions regarding eligibility, mediation services, and grant use. Authorizes permanent appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2000
Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Services Quality Improvement Act of 2000 - Grants a temporary waiver of certain nurse aid training requirements for specially trained individuals who meet other specified requirements and perform a nursing or nursing-related service for a resident of a skilled nursing facility or a nursing facility covered under titles XVIII (Medicare) or XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2000
Club Drug Anti-Proliferation Act of 2000 - Amends the Federal judicial code to direct the United States Sentencing Commission to amend the sentencing guidelines regarding any offense relating to the manufacture, importation, or exportation of, or trafficking in, 3-4 methylenedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA, or Ecstasy), 3-4 methylenedioxy amphetamine, 3-4 methylenedioxy-N-ethylamphetamine, paramethoxymethamphetamine (PMA), or any other controlled substance that is marketed as a club drug and that has either a chemical structure substantially similar to, or an effect on the central nervous system substantially similar to or greater than that of, MDMA or PMA. Directs the Commission: (1) to review and amend the Federal sentencing guidelines to provide for increased penalties comparable to the base offense levels for offenses involving any methamphetamine mixture; and (2) to ensure that the Federal sentencing guidelines reflect the need for aggressive law enforcement action regarding offenses involving such controlled substances and the dangers associated with unlawful activity involving such substances. (Sec. 4) Sets forth similar provisions with respect to offenses relating to the manufacture, importation, or exportation of, or trafficking in, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid and its salts (GHB), or the List I chemical gamma-butyrolactone. (Sec. 5) Directs the Commission to promulgate amendments under this Act as soon as practicable after this Act's enactment date in accordance with a procedure set forth in the Sentencing Act of 1987 (emergency guidelines promulgation authority), as though the authority under that Act had not expired. (Sec. 6) Amends the CSA to prohibit any person from teaching, demonstrating, or distributing information pertaining to the manufacture of: (1) a controlled substance with the intent that the teaching, demonstration, or information be used for, or in furtherance of, an activity that constitutes a crime; or (2) a controlled substance to any person knowing that such person intends to use the teaching, demonstration, or information for, or in furtherance of, an activity that constitutes an offense. Sets penalties for violations. (Sec. 7) Requires the head of each Federal department, agency, and establishment (department) to place anti-drug messages on appropriate Internet websites controlled by such department which shall contain an electronic hyperlink to the Internet website of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. (Sec. 8) Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to make grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, public and nonprofit private entities to carry out: (1) school-based programs concerning the dangers of abuse of and addiction to MDMA, PMA, or related drugs, using methods that are effective and science-based, including initiatives that give students the responsibility to create their own anti-drug abuse education programs for their schools; and (2) community-based abuse and addiction prevention programs relating to MDMA, PMA, or related drugs that are effective and science-based. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) permissible uses of grant funds; (2) priorities for grants; (3) a specified annual allocation to support and conduct periodic analyses and evaluations of effective prevention programs for abuse of and addiction to MDMA, PMA, or related drugs and the development of strategies for disseminating information about and implementing such programs; and (4) reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, in conducting the national media campaign under the Drug-Free Media Campaign Act of 1998, to ensure that such campaign addresses the reduction and prevention of abuse of MDMA, PMA, or related drugs among young people in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2000
Amends the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994 to include prevention of the abuse of inhalants under such Act's programs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2000
Amends Federal aviation transportation law to proscribe employment of certain convicted felons whom the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration determines indicate a propensity for placing contraband aboard an aircraft in return for money.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2000
Expresses the sense of the Congress that U.S. policy should: (1) support the restoration of democracy in Burma, including implementation of the results of the 1990 elections; (2) continue to call upon the military regime in Burma known as the State Peace and Development Council to guarantee freedoms of assembly, movement, speech, and the press for all Burmese citizens, to accept a political dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy, and ethnic leaders to advance peace, to release all detained Members elected to the 1990 parliament and other political prisoners, and to uphold the terms and conditions of all human rights and related resolutions passed by the United Nations General Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights, the International Labor Organization, and the European Union; and (3) sustain current economic and political sanctions against Burma as the appropriate means of securing the restoration of democracy, human rights, and civil liberties and of supporting U.S. national security counternarcotics interests.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2000
Honors the service and sacrifice during periods of war by members of the U.S. merchant marine. Recognizes the critical role played by vessels of the U.S. merchant marine fleet, such as the S.S. LANE VICTORY, in transporting equipment, supplies, and personnel necessary to support war efforts. Calls for ceremonies and activities to recognize and commemorate the U.S. merchant marine.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2000
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that ancestors and lineal descendants of past or present members of the Armed Forces shall be taken into account in determining whether a veterans' organization is exempt from tax.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2000
Declares that the Congress joins the international community in supporting peace and democracy in the Republic of Sierra Leone. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the President should direct the U.S. representative to the United Nations (UN) to work to bring before the UN Security Council a resolution imposing comprehensive sanctions against the sale of diamonds by rebels in Sierra Leone; (2) rebels in Sierra Leone should be condemned by the UN and the international community for murdering Kenyan troops serving as UN peacekeepers and for inflicting suffering on Sierra Leonean civilians; (3) U.S. diplomats should be dispatched to Sierra Leone to remind the rebel leaders that the peace agreement provides no amnesty for any war crimes committed since its signing; (4) because international law does not provide amnesty for war criminals, the United States should initiate actions to bring any individual who has committed war crimes during Sierra Leone's civil war to justice; and (5) U.S. authorities should not grant a visa to any individual who committed such war crimes or to members of the individual's family and should turn over any such individual found in the United States to the International War Crimes Tribunal for prosecution.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2000
Amends the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 to require guidelines on government use of the metric system of measurement to require any Federal agency transaction providing for a person to perform scientific or engineering research with Federal funding to include provisions: (1) clearly identifying the extent to which such system or other systems of measurement will be used under the transaction and requiring such use; and (2) assigning such person the financial responsibility for failure to follow such requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2000
Names room numbered H-130 in the House of Representatives wing of the U.S. Capitol in honor of former Representative G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
National Science Education Act - Amends the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (NSFA) to establish and expand programs relating to science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education. (Sec. 3) Provides that nothing in this Act may be construed to authorize any Federal department, agency, officer, or employee to exercise any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum, program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational institution or school system. (Sec. 4) Requires the NSF Director to make grants to State or local educational agencies (SEAs or LEAs) or private elementary or middle schools to hire master teachers. Requires grant applicants to describe their requirements for master teachers and how professional development will be integrated with their mathematics or science program. Requires such master teachers to: (1) provide support for not more than ten teachers at public and private schools in mathematics, science, engineering, or technology programs for students in kindergarten through the eighth grade; and (2) be responsible for in-classroom assistance and oversight of hands-on inquiry materials, equipment, and supplies, including supplying and repairing such materials. Requires such grants to be made out of funds available for the NSF for Education and Human Resources Activities. (Sec. 5) Authorizes the Director to make competitive grants to secondary school and college students working with university faculty, software developers, and experts in educational technology, or to such faculty, developers, and experts working with such students, to develop high-quality educational software and Internet web sites. Requires the Director to: (1) designate official judges to recognize outstanding educational software and Internet web sites, developed with such assistance, that focus on core curriculum areas; (2) issue a certificate signed by the President and Director to each student and faculty member who develops such recognized software and sites; and (3) give priority to awarding grants to develop such software or sites in the areas of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology. (Sec. 6) Establishes in NSF a working group to review and coordinate regular and supplemental curricula in kindergarten through the 12th grade for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. (Sec. 7) Requires the Director, subject to appropriations, to make demonstration project grants to eligible LEAS, which may use such funds to: (1) develop an information technology program that builds or expands mathematics, science, and information technology curricula; (2) purchase equipment necessary to establish such program; and (3) provide professional development in such fields. Requires such LEAs to enter into conditional agreements with representatives of the private sector which will participate by providing services and funds, including: (1) donating computer hardware and software; (2) establishing internship and mentoring opportunities for student participants in such program; and (3) donating higher education scholarship funds for eligible students who have participated in such program. Sets forth requirements for program applications, guidelines, assessment, study, and report. Authorizes appropriations to NSF for such program. Limits the maximum amount of such a grant award to any eligible LEA. (Sec. 8) Requires the Director, with the Secretary of Education, to compile and disseminate information on: (1) standard prerequisites for middle school and high school students who seek to enter a course of study at an institution of higher education in science, mathematics, engineering, or technology education for purposes of teaching in an elementary or secondary school; and (2) the licensing requirements in each State for science, mathematics, engineering, or technology elementary or secondary school teachers. (Sec. 9) Requires the Director to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for NAS to compile and evaluate studies on the effectiveness of technology in the classroom on learning and student performance, as measured by State standardized tests. Authorizes appropriations to NSF for such study-evaluation. (Sec. 10) Requires the Director to establish a grant program under which grants may be made for instruction of teachers for grades kindergarten through the 12th grade in the use of technology in the classroom. (Sec. 11) Authorizes the Director to award grants to assist States in reaching the goal of making all middle school graduates technology-literate. Requires such grants to be used for teacher training in technology, with an emphasis on programs that prepare one or more teachers in each middle school in the State to become technology leaders who then serve as experts and train other teachers. Requires States to encourage schools that receive such assistance to provide matching funds. (Sec. 12) Requires the Director to convene, as the National Science Education Forum, a conference of representatives from Federal, State, and local governments, private industries, professional organizations, educators, science, mathematics, engineering, and technology educational resource providers, students, and other stakeholders. (Sec. 13) Authorizes the Director to make grants to SEAs or LEAs or private elementary, middle, or secondary schools, under any grant program administered by the Director using funds appropriated for the NSF for Education and Human Resources Activities, for activities in which distance learning is integrated into the education process in kindergarten through the 12th grade. (Sec. 14) Requires the Director to make available through the Internet at no cost a complete field-test version of any curricular program for which the NSF provided development funds. (Sec. 15) Directs the President, acting through the NSF, to provide scholarships to teachers at public and private schools in kindergarten through the 12th grade to participate in Federal, State, or private research programs. Requires the Director to establish an Internet web site which may be used by students and teachers participating in such program to incorporate research knowledge and techniques into the educational process.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
Digital Divide Access to Technology Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that computers and Internet access provided by an employer to employees shall be treated as a "de minimis fringe" benefit (and thus excluded from gross income) provided specified requirements are met.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
National Science Education Incentive Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) permit an eligible science, engineering, math, or technology teacher a limited credit for undergraduate tuition; and (2) permit an elementary and secondary science, mathematics, engineering, and technology credit (SMET) credit for qualified contributions of property or service to qualified elementary and secondary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
Great Lakes Protection and Restoration Act of 2000 - Title I: Sediment Remediation Grant Program - Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2000 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, acting through the Great Lakes National Program Office, to make grants to States, Indian tribes, regional agencies, and local governments to carry out qualified projects that: (1) remediate contaminated sediment; (2) prevent further or renewed contamination of sediment; or (3) monitor or evaluate contaminated sediment. Sets forth limitations on projects. Requires the non-Federal share of project costs to be at least 35 percent and 100 percent for project operation and maintenance costs. Conditions grants on a grantee achieving a specified maintenance of effort requirement with respect to expenditures from other sources for remediation programs. Requires grant applicants to demonstrate that project remedial actions have been selected only after consideration of specified health and environmental risks, benefits, impacts, implementation likelihood, and costs. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Moratorium on Exports of Bulk Fresh Water - Prohibits the export from the United States of bulk fresh water from the Great Lakes Basin. Makes such prohibition inapplicable on the earlier of: (1) December 31, 2001; or (2) the effective date of an Act of Congress approving an agreement among the Great Lakes States to implement a mechanism that provides for a common conservation standard to make decisions concerning the withdrawal and use of water from the Basin. Defines "bulk fresh water" as fresh water extracted in amounts intended for transportation by tanker or similar form of mass transportation without further processing.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
National Science Education Enhancement Act - Provides that nothing in this Act may be construed to authorize any Federal department, agency, officer, or employee to exercise any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum, program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational institution or school system. Title I: Amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 - Revises the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) with respect to teacher professional development activities to include support for mentoring activities for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology teachers. (Sec. 101) Includes information on model science, mathematics, engineering, and technology teacher mentoring programs among the information which the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education (Clearinghouse) is required to disseminate. Requires States, in their plans in applications for teacher professional development grants, to describe how they will: (1) administer a mentoring system to ensure consistent implementation of mentoring programs for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology teachers; (2) provide a structure for local mentoring program evaluation; (3) provide technical assistance to local mentoring programs; (4) ensure compliance by local mentoring programs with State teacher training requirements; and (5) provide incentives for local educational agencies (LEAs) to take mentoring into consideration in assessing instructional staff hiring needs. Requires local activities under the teacher professional development program to include mentoring programs for novice teachers of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. Requires States to include, in their accountability reports under the teacher professional development program, the impact of State and local mentoring programs on teaching quality and teacher retention rates. (Sec. 102) Revises ESEA provisions for the allocation and use of funds for the Clearinghouse. Requires such funds to be used to: (1) solicit and gather qualitative and evaluative materials and programs, review their evaluation, rank their effectiveness, and distribute results of reviews, as well as excerpts of materials and links to Internet sites and information on on-line communities of users to teachers; and (2) establish an Internet site offering a search mechanism to assist site visitors in identifying information on science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education instructional materials and programs, including electronic links to information on classroom demonstrations and experiments, teachers who have used materials or participated in programs, vendors, curricula, and textbooks. Directs the Clearinghouse to give particular attention to the effective use of materials and technology in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education. Directs the National Academy of Sciences to study and report on the Clearinghouse. (Sec. 103) Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants, from specified ESEA funds, for summer professional development institutes for teachers. Provides for such grants to be awarded to State agencies for higher education, working in conjunction with the State educational agency (if such agencies are separate). Requires the grantees to: (1) make subgrants to or cooperative agreements with various entities working in conjunction with an LEA or consortium of LEAs; and (2) give priority to applicants assuring use of a curriculum recognized by the working group established under specified provisions of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950. Sets forth requirements relating to such institutes and their activities and curricula. Requires peer review of grant applications under a process established by the Director of the National Science Foundation. Requires participants in such institutes to earn credit toward State continuing education requirements for teachers or a post-baccalaureate degree program at an institution of higher education. Revises provisions for allocation of certain appropriated amounts. Reserves specified funds for the summer institute program. (Sec. 104) Includes providing technology training software and instructional materials to teachers among local uses of ESEA school technology resource grants. (Sec. 105) Requires grant applicants, under the ESEA 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, to assure that they will use at least five percent of the grant amount to provide after-school day care services that focus on science activities. (Sec. 106) Includes after-school day care services that focus on science activities for children in kindergarten through sixth grade among uses of grants under the ESEA 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. Title II: Other Provisions - Revises the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to treat technology training, tutoring teachers in the uses of classroom technology, as community service by college students under the work-study program. Increases funding for such program and reserves the amount of such increase to compensate students employed in technology training or tutoring teachers in the uses of classroom technology. (Sec. 202) Directs the Secretary of Commerce to study: (1) the feasibility and effectiveness of various incentives, including tax credits, for businesses to provide personnel with regular compensation for time spent as volunteers engaged in the technological training of teachers and facilities for such training; (2) alternative methods of providing financial support, through income tax credits, loan forgiveness, or otherwise, to individuals seeking training or retraining in mathematics, science, and technology education; (3) the effectiveness of higher education institutions in training teachers who can use technology and integrate it into lesson plans, curricula, and distance learning; (4) methods to coordinate working alliances at various levels of government between the business and academic community; and (5) other means of improving the efficiency of the technological training of teachers. (Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary of Commerce to report to Congress on such study, including proposals for a comprehensive approach to providing technologically competent teachers to the Nation's schools.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2000
National Museum of the American Indian Commemorative Coin Act of 2000, or American Buffalo Coin Commemorative Coin Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue a maximum of 500,000 $1 dollar coins in commemoration of the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian Institution. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Mint Facility in Denver, Colorado, should strike such coins unless the Secretary determines that it would be technically or cost-prohibitive. Mandates that the proceeds from sales surcharges be paid promptly to the National Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian Institution to: (1) commemorate the opening of the Museum; and (2)supplement the Museum's endowment and educational outreach funds. Subjects the Museum to certain Federal audit requirements. Instructs the Secretary to take actions to ensure that coin minting and issuance will not result in any net cost to the Government.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2000
Working and Reacting (WAR) Against Meth Act of 2000 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act (CSIEA) to make current penalties with respect to violations involving the manufacturing, distribution, importation, and exportation of specified amounts of methamphetamine applicable to such amounts of amphetamine. (Sec. 4) Modifies CSA provisions regarding endangering human life while illegally manufacturing a controlled substance to: (1) set penalties for harm to the environment, if the controlled substance consists of methamphetamine; (2) provide for imprisonment for up to 40 years, as well as a possible fine, for violations; and (3) make any penalty under provisions regarding the establishment of controlled substance manufacturing operations in addition to any penalty under such provisions regarding harm to human life or to the environment. Specifies that in any case where the conduct at issue is, relates to, or involves the manufacture of amphetamine or methamphetamine, such conduct shall, by itself, be rebuttably presumed to constitute the creation of a substantial risk of harm to human life or to the environment. (Sec. 5) Provides that the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) and the Los Angeles County Regional Criminal Information Clearinghouse (LA Clearinghouse), at the direction of the Attorney General, shall jointly and in concert constitute the National Center for Methamphetamine Clandestine Laboratory Information. Requires: (1) EPIC's National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure Intelligence database to provide for the nationwide electronic reporting, capture, and retrieval of clandestine laboratory seizure information; and (2) such information to be analyzed by the LA Clearinghouse, in concert and coordination with EPIC, and disseminated to appropriate law enforcement agencies in a timely manner. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2000
Safe Highways Resolution - Expresses the sense of Congress that certain statutory proscriptions and restrictions: (1) on longer combination vehicles should not be amended so as to weaken the current "freeze" on those vehicles or result in any less restrictive prohibition or restrictions upon them; and (2) should not be amended so as to permit operation of commercial motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight greater than that currently allowed under Federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2000
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the presence of brain activity and spontaneous cardiac activity should be considered conclusive evidence for all legal purposes of the presence of human life, without regard to age, health, defects, or condition of dependency; (2) the absence of such activity, other than an irreversible cessation of these activities, should not be considered conclusive evidence for legal purposes that a human life is not present; and (3) the Constitution protects all human life in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2000
Preparedness Against Terrorism Act of 2000 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Act) to include acts of terrorism or other catastrophic events within its definition of "major disaster" for purposes of authorized disaster relief. (Sec. 4) Requires the President (currently authorizes the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA Director)) to be responsible for carrying out Federal emergency preparedness plans and programs. Includes as a covered hazard a domestic terrorist attack involving a weapon of mass destruction or cybertechnology. (Sec. 6) Requires the FEMA Director to ensure that Federal response plans and programs are adequate to respond to the consequences of terrorism directed against a target in the United States, including both weapons of mass destruction and cybertechnology. Includes the development of equipment, clothing, and facilities within authorized preparedness measures. (Sec. 7) Repeals provisions of the Act which: (1) allow State preparedness funds to be used to prepare for hazards and for providing emergency assistance in response to hazards; and (2) require the FEMA Director to establish emergency preparedness security regulations. (Sec. 8) Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2003 to carry out emergency preparedness plans and programs. (Sec. 9) Establishes in the Executive Office of the President the Office of Terrorism Preparedness, to be headed by a Director who shall: (1) establish Federal policies, objectives, and priorities for enhancing State and local emergency preparedness and response capabilities, including with regard to early detection and warning of and response to domestic terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction or cybertechnology; and (2) publish a Domestic Terrorism Preparedness Plan and an annual strategy for carrying out such Plan. Requires the Plan and its annual strategy to be transmitted to the President and Congress. Requires the Director to develop for each fiscal year a consolidated budget proposal to implement the Plan, and to submit such proposal to the President and Congress. Requires budget submissions from each Federal department or agency with responsibilities under the Plan. Requires the Director to review and certify such budget submissions, or to notify the Director of the Office of Management and Budget of inadequate submissions. Directs the Secretary to review, and either certify or deny certification with respect to, each training and exercise program being conducted by a Federal department or agency to enhance the capabilities of State and local emergency preparedness and response personnel with respect to terrorist attacks. Requires recertification every three years. Requires consultation with the Director, to determine consistency with the Plan, from each Federal department or agency wishing to establish a new program or office to enhance such capabilities. Requires the Director to establish voluntary minimum standards for preparedness programs in order to provide guidance in the development and implementation of such programs. Authorizes the Director to make grants to a State or local governmental entity to offset the costs of participation in any certified training or exercise program. Authorizes the Director to attend meetings of the National Security Council pertaining to domestic terrorist attack preparedness matters, subject to the direction of the President. Requires cooperation with the Director from each Federal department and agency with responsibilities under the Plan. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2000
See summary of: H.R. 4109
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2000
Great Lakes Ecology Protection Act of 2000 - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations to prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic nuisance species within the Great Lakes. Calls upon such regulations to require, among other things, the use of environmentally sound treatment methods for ballast water and ballast sediments, such as sterilization, in preventing and controlling infestations of aquatic nuisance species. Sets forth provisions requiring maximum public participation in, and advance notice of, proposed rulemaking with respect to such regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2000
Education Opportunities to Protect and Invest in Our Nation's Students (Education OPTIONS) Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to allow States and local educational agencies (LEAs) to transfer funds among various ESEA programs. Revises and reauthorizes ESEA provisions for: (1) drug and violence prevention and education; (2) education technology; (3) innovative education; and (4) programs of national significance, including the Fund for the Improvement of Education, arts education, public charter schools, and civic education. Title I: Transferability - State and Local Transferability Act - Revises ESEA title XIV part B (Flexibility in the Use of Administrative and Other Funds) to authorize State and LEA transfers of funds: (1) among specified ESEA formula grant programs; and (2) from such programs to their allocations for ESEA title I (Helping Disadvantaged Students Meet High Standards) but does not allow transfer of title I funds to other programs. (Sec. 103) Allows States to make such transfers of all the nonadministrative funds for State-level activities under specified programs to the allocation for other programs. Allows LEAs to transfer up to 30 percent of specified program funds without obtaining State permission, and all of such funds with State approval. Title II: Drug and Violence Prevention and Education - Supporting Drug and Violence Prevention and Education for Students and Communities Act of 2000 - Revises and renames ESEA title IV as Supporting Drug and Violence Prevention and Education for Students and Communities (currently Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities, or the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994). Includes under such new title IV: (1) certain before- and after-school services and continuing education programs as authorized activities under part A (currently under ESEA title X part I, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, or the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act); and (2) a new part C, Gun Possession (currently ESEA title XIV part F, or the Gun Free Schools Act of 1994). (Sec. 201) Extends through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for ESEA title IV: (1) part A, State Grants for Drug and Violence Prevention Programs; and (2) part B, National Programs. Revises provisions for reservations, allotments, and within-State distribution of part A funds. Allows Governors to reserve ten percent of State allotments for Governor's authorized activities. Requires States to: (1) distribute at least 96 percent of the remainder to LEAs; and (2) in awarding 30 percent of such funds to LEAs with greatest need, give special consideration to LEAs that pursue a comprehensive approach to drug and violence prevention by providing or incorporating mental health services in their programs. Requires part A programs and activities to be based on certain principles of effectiveness, including (1) assessment of objective data about local drug and violence problems, current prevention activities, and activities to increase student academic achievement; (2) performance measures established by the LEA; (3) scientifically based research that provides evidence that the program or activity will prevent or reduce drug abuse and violence, with a waiver for innovative programs with a likelihood of success; and (4) periodical evaluation results to improve the program or activity. Requires LEA part A programs to address before- and after-school activities and continuing education needs of youth and adults in the community. Revises authorized LEA program activities to include: (1) before- and after-school programs and continuing education in specified forms (some of which are in the current 21st Century Learning Centers program); (2) counseling, mentoring, and referral services, and other student assistance practices and programs, training of teachers by school-based mental health service providers in appropriate identification and intervention techniques for disciplining and teaching students at risk of violent behavior; (3) services and activities that reduce the need for suspension and expulsion in maintaining classroom order and school discipline; (4) a system for transferring suspension and expulsion records by an LEA to any public or private school; (5) allowing students at unsafe public schools to transfer to safe public schools, and paying reasonable transportation costs for such students; (6) character education and training; (7) testing students for illegal drug use or conducting student locker searches for illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia; (8) establishing school uniform policies; (9) emergency intervention services following traumatic crisis events; (10) school violence hotlines; (11) background checks of school personnel; (12) school-based mental health services, including early identification of drug use and violence, assessment, and direct individual or group counseling services provided to students, parents, and school personnel by qualified school based mental health services personnel; (13) hiring and training coordinators of drug and violence prevention programs serving students in grades six through nine; and (14) mentoring and tutoring services for students provided by senior citizen volunteers. Allows LEAs or consortia that receive part A subgrants and have reported expulsions under part C (Gun Possession) during the past three years to: (1) develop plans with local law enforcement agencies to protect students and employees of public schools against gun violence that may include, but not be limited to, promoting the benefits of child safety locks for firearms; and (2) if they have a high rate of such expulsions, use a portion of the subgrant to study the effectiveness of promoting the benefits of child safety locks for firearms with the purpose of reducing the danger of firearms harming public school students and employees. Eliminates special part A provisions for Native Hawaiians. Revises part B national programs to authorize the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to provide: (1) for demonstrations and scientifically-based evaluations of innovative approaches to drug and violence prevention based on State and LEA reported needs; (2) information on drug abuse education and prevention to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for dissemination by the clearinghouse for alcohol and drug abuse information; and (3) continuing technical assistance to Governors, State education agencies (SEAs), and LEAs to build capacity to develop and implement high-quality, effective programs consistent with the principles of effectiveness. Directs the Secretary to establish a clearinghouse for after-school program technical assistance and models. Requires the clearinghouse to: (1) be available to the public, including via Internet; and (2) serve as a resource for child care organizations, communities, and individuals seeking to improve the quality and availability of after-school programs. Eliminates part B provisions for grants for local hate crime prevention. Redesignates Gun Possession as part C of title IV (it is currently under title XIV part F, known as the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994). Revises requirements for States receiving ESEA funds to have laws requiring LEA agencies to: (1) expel from school for at least one year any student who brings a weapon to school, allowing for case-by-case modifications; and (2) have a policy requiring each school to refer to the criminal justice or juvenile delinquency system any student who brings a firearm to school. Prohibits use of title IV funds for activities or programs that discriminate against or denigrate the religious or moral beliefs of students who participate or of their parents or legal guardians. Revises provisions for program standards of quality to include violence prevention programs, as well as drug prevention programs. Authorizes the Secretary to continue to fund, until the award period terminates, multiyear grants awarded prior to enactment of this Act under: (1) the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program (the current ESEA title X part I); and (2) the Middle School Coordinator Initiative (under title III of the Department of Education Act, 2000). Requires that the General Accounting Office to a report to Congress: (1) for each State, descriptions of types of after-school programs for students in kindergarten through grade 12, significant areas of unmet needs in quality and availability of such programs, and barriers to participation in such programs; (2) for 15 varied communities, a detailed analysis of such available programs; and (3) a list of activities, other than after-school programs, in which such students participate when not in school, and an analysis of the value of the listed activities for their well-being and educational development. Authorizes, and sets forth guidelines for, States to provide title IV services through grants and contracts with charitable, religious, or private organizations. Title III: Tech for Success - Tech for Success Act of 2000 - Revises ESEA title III Education Technology to consolidate various programs into a part A Tech for Success Grant Program. Includes among such consolidated programs: (1) Challenge Fund; (2) Challenge Grants; (3) Star Schools; (4) Software Development; (5) Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers; (6) Community Technology Centers; (7) Secretary's Leadership Fund; and (8) Middle Schools Teacher Training. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2005 for such part A program. Allocates 95 percent of part A program funds to subpart 1 State and local technology initiatives, and five percent to subpart 2 national technology initiatives. Bases one-half of State allotment amounts on relative amounts of title I part A grants, and the other half on relative State populations aged five through 17. Requires, within each State, at least 95 percent of funds to be distributed to LEAs. Requires at least 80 percent of such LEA funds to be distributed through a State-developed formula targeting high-need districts, and the remainder through competitive grants. Requires LEAs receiving formula grants to use at least 20 percent for professional development of teachers in the integration of technology into the curriculum. Includes among allowable local activities: (1) using technology to increase academic achievement; (2) expanding access; and (3) developing performance measurements. Requires LEAs using such funds to purchase computers used to access the Internet, or to pay costs for such accessing, to have filters to block material deemed harmful to minors. Authorizes the Secretary to use funds for part A subpart 3 National Technology Initiatives to: (1) fund research-based educational technology programs; (2) provide technical assistance; and (3) update the national long-range educational technology plan. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the use of technology to improve academic achievement. Revises the Ready to Learn Television program as part B (currently part C) of title III, which authorizes contracts and grants for producing educational video and television programming and support materials to increase academic achievement for preschool and elementary school children and their parents. Includes under program development activities: (1) programming and digital content especially designed for nationwide distribution over digital broadcasting channels and the Internet, containing Ready to Learn-based children's programming and resources for parents and caregivers; and (2) training and support materials, including interactive programs and programs adaptable to distance-learning technologies, designed to promote school readiness and effective use of Ready to Learn programming by parents, caregivers, and education and library personnel. Extends through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for such part B program. Establishes a new part C Telecommunications Program to improve the teaching of all core academic subjects (replacing the Telecommunications Demonstration Project, or Mathline, under current part D of title III). Authorizes the Secretary to award: (1) grants for a national telecommunications-based program to improve the teaching of core academic subjects; and (2) grants and contracts for developing, producing and distributing digital, educational and instructional video programming designed for use by elementary and secondary school students. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2005 for such part C program. Eliminates the Elementary Mathematics and Science Equipment Program under current part E of title III. Title IV: Innovative Education Programs - Revises ESEA title VI Innovative Education Program Strategies to eliminate references to National Education Goals. Adds to authorized LEA uses of title VI funds: (1) professional development and hiring of teachers, including activities consistent with the Teacher Empowerment Act; (2) education reform projects that provide single gender schools and classrooms, as long as comparable educational opportunities are offered for students of both sexes; (3) community service programs; (4) curriculum-based youth entrepreneurship education; (5) consumer, economic, and personal finance education; (6) public school choice programs; and (7) school-based mental health services. Requires that all amounts for title VI grants to States in excess of the FY2000 level be allocated to LEAs. Extends through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for such title VI programs. Title V: Programs of National Significance - Revises ESEA title X, Programs of National Significance. Part A: Fund for the Improvement of Education - Revises ESEA title X part A provisions for the Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE), to prohibit use of part A funds to: (1) develop, test, implement, administer, or distribute any national test in any subject without specific and authorization by Federal law; or (2) federally endorse, approve, or sanction of any curriculum designed for use in elementary or secondary schools. Eliminates references to National Education Goals. Includes as authorized uses of part A funds: (1) performance rewards for States that agree to meet specific performance goals and that increase proportions of certain groups of students who meet State proficiency standards; and (2) an independent study to provide a strategy for effective professional development activities for mathematics and science teachers. Revises provisions for part A grants for: (1) elementary and secondary school counseling programs; and (2) character education programs. Makes the Smaller Learning Communities grants program apply only to those within high schools. Eliminates provisions for: (1) Promoting Scholar Athlete Competitions; (2) National Student and Parent Mock Election; and (3) Model Projects. Extends through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for FIE programs. Part B: Arts Education - Revises ESEA title X part D Arts Education to eliminate references to National Education Goals. Includes State and local arts agencies, organizations representing the arts, and arts educators among the entities for which support may be given for collaborative efforts with Federal agencies or institutions. Requires the Secretary to consult with such non-Federal, as well as Federal, entities in carrying out arts education programs. Extends through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for Arts Education programs. Requires that such Federal arts education funds be used only to supplement and not supplant non-Federal arts education funds. Eliminates provisions for Cultural Partnerships for At-Risk Children and Youth (current part D subpart 2). Part C: Public Charter Schools - Revises ESEA title X part C, Public Charter Schools, to require public charter schools, if more students apply for admission than can be accommodated, to either admit students by lottery (as in current law) or in any other nondiscriminatory manner consistent with State law. Extends through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for Public Charter Schools programs. Part D: Civic Education - Education for Democracy Act - Revises ESEA title X, part F, Civic Education to provide for grants or contracts for the Center for Civic Education (CCE) to carry out civic education activities under: (1) (as under current law) (the We the People...) The Citizen and the Constitution program; and (2) (the We the People...) The Project Citizen program. Includes among program requirements provision of: (1) instructional materials and methods, including teacher training, that use the latest advancements in educational technology; (2) civic education materials and services to address specific problems such as prevention of school violence and drug and alcohol abuse; and (3) optional simulated hearings of Congress (Citizen and Constitution) and State legislatures (Project Citizen). Extends through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for such Civic Education programs. Title VI: General Provisions - Revises ESEA title XIV General Provisions to add definitions of: (1) a child with a disability; (2) family literacy services; and (3) scientifically based research. (Sec. 601) Allows SEAs, under specified conditions, to combine administrative funds under all ESEA programs and such other programs as the Secretary may designate. (Current law only allows combining administrative funds under specified ESEA and other programs.) Adds to authorized uses of such combined funds: (1) State level activities to carry out ESEA title XIV; (2) training personnel engaged in audit and other monitoring activities; and (3) implementation of the Cooperative Audit Resolution and Oversight Initiative of the Department of Education. Allows SEAs to submit to the Secretary consolidated plans and applications for all ESEA programs and such other programs as the Secretary may designate. Allows LEAs to submit to SEAs consolidated plans and applications for all ESEA programs. Revises provisions for waivers to: (1) make them inapplicable to certain prohibitions against use of ESEA funds; and (2) increase their maximum duration to five years (currently three years). Prohibits the Department of Education from making ESEA or other program funds available to any State or LEA which has a policy of denying, or which prevents participation in, constitutionally-protected voluntary prayer by individuals in public schools. Declares that: (1) ESEA funds may not be used for religious worship, instruction, or construction of any religious memorial; and (2) ESEA does not bar religious memorials and memorial services on public school campuses to honor persons slain on those campuses. Allows up to 20 percent of an LEA's administrative funds to be used for legal expenses in defending against legal actions claiming that an LEA, public school, or their agent violated the constitutional prohibition against the establishment of religion by permitting, facilitating, or accommodating: (1) a student's religious expression; or (2) the design or construction of any memorial which includes religious symbols, motifs, or saying as part of a memorial placed on a public school campus to honor the memory of a person slain on that campus. Prohibits use of ESEA funds for: (1) materials, programs, or courses directed at youth that are designed to promote or encourage sexual activity, whether homosexual or heterosexual; (2) distributing, or aiding distribution by any organization, of legally obscene materials to minors on school grounds; (3) sex education or HIV prevention education in schools, unless such programs are age appropriate and emphasize abstinence; or (4) programs of contraceptive distribution in schools. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on how audits of ESEA-assisted activities will comply with changes made by this Act, particularly with respect to permitting children with similar educational needs to be served in the same educational settings, where appropriate. Prohibits requiring any State to have content standards or student performance standards approved or certified by the Federal Government in order to receive assistance under ESEA, but provides that such prohibition shall not be construed to affect requirements under title I of ESEA. Prohibits the Department of Education from using any funds made available to it or to any applicable program to endorse, approve, or sanction any curriculum designed to be used in an elementary or secondary school. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding: (1) reducing the reading deficit; and (2) science assessment. (Sec. 602) Repeals provisions under the Goals 2000: Educate America Act for: (1) the National Education Goals Panel (parts A and C of title II); and (2) the International Education Program (title VI). Repeals ESEA provisions for: (1) Allen J. Ellender Fellowship Program (part G of title X); and (2) Coordinated Services (title XI).
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2000
Help Emergency Responders Operate Act - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Agriculture for FY 2001 and 2002 for carrying out provisions authorizing the Secretary to: (1) cooperate with State foresters or equivalent State officials in developing systems and methods for the prevention, control, suppression, and prescribed use of fires on rural lands and in rural communities that will protect human lives, agricultural crops and livestock, property and other improvements, and natural resources; (2) provide financial, technical, and related assistance to such foresters or officials, and through them to other agencies and individuals, for the prevention, control, suppression, and prescribed use of fires on non-Federal forest lands and other non- Federal lands; and (3) provide financial, technical, and related assistance to such foresters or officials in cooperative efforts to organize, train, and equip local firefighting forces, including those of Indian tribes or other native groups, to prevent, control, and suppress fires threatening human lives, crops, livestock, farmsteads or other improvements, pastures, orchards, wildlife, rangeland, woodland, and other resources in rural areas. Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to allow the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), using amounts in an account for the purpose of providing loan guarantees (established under this Act), to guarantee loans to volunteer fire and rescue agencies for the entire principal and interest on the loan for specified volunteer fire and rescue services, including to purchase equipment necessary for proper performance of the agency's duties, to repair, rehabilitate, or otherwise improve the agency's existing facilities, and for carrying out public education programs regarding fire prevention, life safety, and arson. Sets forth loan terms and conditions. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations to the Director for FY 2001 and 2002 for making grants directly to local fire and rescue services for equipment, including interoperability radio equipment. Authorizes the Director to make grants on a competitive basis to: (1) safety organizations that have experience in conducting burn safety programs for assisting those organizations in conducting such programs or augmenting existing burn prevention programs; (2) hospitals that serve as regional burn centers to conduct acute burn research; and (3) governmental and nongovernmental entities to provide after-burn treatment and counseling to individuals that are burn victims. Creates an office in FEMA to establish specific criteria of grant recipients and to administer such grants. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Director to establish a program to award grants to volunteer, paid, and combined departments that provide fire and emergency medical services. Permits such grants to be used, among other things, to: (1) acquire personal protective equipment required for firefighting personnel by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and other personal protective equipment for firefighting personnel; (2) acquire additional firefighting equipment, including equipment for communication and monitoring; (3) establish wellness and fitness programs for firefighting personnel to reduce the number of injuries and deaths related to health and conditioning problems; (4) promote professional development of fire code enforcement personnel; (5) integrate computer technology to improve records management and training capabilities; (6) fund fire prevention programs and public education programs about arson prevention and detection, and juvenile fire setter intervention; and (7) modify fire stations, fire training facilities, and other facilities to protect the health and safety of firefighting personnel. Provides for grant recipients to be subject to audits to ensure that the funds are spent for their intended purposes. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission, in addition to the allocations and assignments otherwise made with respect to new public safety services licenses and commercial licenses, within 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, to allocate the electromagnetic spectrum between 139 megahertz and 140.5 megahertz, inclusive, and between 141.5 megahertz and 143 megahertz, inclusive, to interoperability use by public safety services. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of the Interior for FY 2001 for the U.S. Geological Survey for the Hazard Support System for system improvements and for operation and maintenance. Directs such Secretary to transmit to Congress a report on the results of a study, carried out in consultation with the National Interagency Fire Center and State fire services, of the best methods of disseminating data from such System to State and local fire mitigation entities for realtime fire detection. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to include as activities eligible for assistance under the community development block grant program the provision of assistance to local firefighting, emergency medical, or rescue units serving low-income communities for: (1) acquisition, repair, or rehabilitation of equipment or vehicles for firefighting, emergency medical, or rescue services; (2) construction, acquisition, rehabilitation, or improvement of facilities for local firefighting, emergency medical, or rescue services; or (3) training or planning involved in providing fire fighting, emergency medical, or rescue services. States that such an assisted activity shall be considered to benefit persons of low and moderate income if the service provides such services to low- and moderate-income persons.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2000
Help Emergency Responders Operate Act - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Agriculture for FY 2001 and 2002 for carrying out provisions authorizing the Secretary to: (1) cooperate with State foresters or equivalent State officials in developing systems and methods for the prevention, control, suppression, and prescribed use of fires on rural lands and in rural communities that will protect human lives, agricultural crops and livestock, property and other improvements, and natural resources; (2) provide financial, technical, and related assistance to such foresters or officials, and through them to other agencies and individuals, for the prevention, control, suppression, and prescribed use of fires on non-Federal forest lands and other non- Federal lands; and (3) provide financial, technical, and related assistance to such foresters or officials in cooperative efforts to organize, train, and equip local firefighting forces, including those of Indian tribes or other native groups, to prevent, control, and suppress fires threatening human lives, crops, livestock, farmsteads or other improvements, pastures, orchards, wildlife, rangeland, woodland, and other resources in rural areas. Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to allow the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), using amounts in an account for the purpose of providing loan guarantees (established under this Act), to guarantee loans to volunteer fire and rescue agencies for the entire principal and interest on the loan for specified volunteer fire and rescue services, including to purchase equipment necessary for proper performance of the agency's duties, to repair, rehabilitate, or otherwise improve the agency's existing facilities, and for carrying out public education programs regarding fire prevention, life safety, and arson. Sets forth loan terms and conditions. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations to the Director for FY 2001 and 2002 for making grants directly to local fire and rescue services for equipment, including interoperability radio equipment. Authorizes the Director to make grants on a competitive basis to: (1) safety organizations that have experience in conducting burn safety programs for assisting those organizations in conducting such programs or augmenting existing burn prevention programs; (2) hospitals that serve as regional burn centers to conduct acute burn research; and (3) governmental and nongovernmental entities to provide after-burn treatment and counseling to individuals that are burn victims. Creates an office in FEMA to establish specific criteria of grant recipients and to administer such grants. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Director to establish a program to award grants to volunteer, paid, and combined departments that provide fire and emergency medical services. Permits such grants to be used, among other things, to: (1) acquire personal protective equipment required for firefighting personnel by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and other personal protective equipment for firefighting personnel; (2) acquire additional firefighting equipment, including equipment for communication and monitoring; (3) establish wellness and fitness programs for firefighting personnel to reduce the number of injuries and deaths related to health and conditioning problems; (4) promote professional development of fire code enforcement personnel; (5) integrate computer technology to improve records management and training capabilities; (6) fund fire prevention programs and public education programs about arson prevention and detection, and juvenile fire setter intervention; and (7) modify fire stations, fire training facilities, and other facilities to protect the health and safety of firefighting personnel. Provides for grant recipients to be subject to audits to ensure that the funds are spent for their intended purposes. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission, in addition to the allocations and assignments otherwise made with respect to new public safety services licenses and commercial licenses, within 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, to allocate the electromagnetic spectrum between 139 megahertz and 140.5 megahertz, inclusive, and between 141.5 megahertz and 143 megahertz, inclusive, to interoperability use by public safety services. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of the Interior for FY 2001 for the U.S. Geological Survey for the Hazard Support System for system improvements and for operation and maintenance. Directs such Secretary to transmit to Congress a report on the results of a study, carried out in consultation with the National Interagency Fire Center and State fire services, of the best methods of disseminating data from such System to State and local fire mitigation entities for realtime fire detection. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to include as activities eligible for assistance under the community development block grant program the provision of assistance to local firefighting, emergency medical, or rescue services for: (1) acquisition, repair, or rehabilitation of equipment or vehicles for fire fighting, emergency medical, or rescue services; (2) construction, acquisition, rehabilitation, or improvement of facilities for local fire fighting, emergency medical, or rescue services; or (3) training or planning involved in providing fire fighting, emergency medical, or rescue services. States that such an assisted activity shall be considered to benefit persons of low and moderate income if the service provides such services to all persons in the geographical area served, including any low and moderate income persons.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2000
Savings for Working Families Act of 2000 - Title I: Individual Development Accounts For Low-Income Workers - Sets forth requirements for qualified individual development accounts (IDAs) for low-income workers, including: (1) the basic structure and administration of qualified IDA programs established by qualified financial institutions (QFIs) or qualified nonprofit organizations (QNOs); (2) procedures for opening an IDA with a QFI or a QNO and contributing money (of up to a certain amount, except in the case of qualified rollovers) in accordance with specified guidelines to qualify for matching funds from QFIs, QNOs, State, local, or private sources to be held in a parallel account; (3) QFI or QNO deposits of all matching funds (matched dollar-for-dollar for the first 500 contributed by an eligible individual to an IDA for any taxable year) for each IDA in a parallel, interest-bearing account at a QFI or QNO; (4) procedures for withdrawals from an IDA for qualified higher education expenses, first-time homebuyer costs, business capitalization costs, or rollovers to other IDAs of the individual or the individual's spouse or dependents; (5) certification to the Secretary of the Treasury or designated organization that qualified IDAs and other described accounts are operating pursuant to this Act, and termination of qualified IDA programs if the Secretary, or designated organization, determines that a QFI, or QNO, is not operating a qualified IDA program in accordance with this Act; and (6) reporting, monitoring, and evaluation requirements. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 105) Allows for withdrawal from an IDA for non-qualified expenses, but with forfeiture of all corresponding matching funds and interest earned on them, unless the withdrawn funds are recontributed within one year. (Sec. 108) Disregards funds in parallel accounts of program participants for purposes of certain means-tested Federal programs. Title II: Qualified Individual Development Account Program Investment Credits - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for a qualified IDA program investment by an eligible taxpayer (a QFI or a non-QFI meeting specified criteria) during the taxable year. (Sec. 202) Declares that QFIs which establish qualified IDA programs shall not receive credit for funding, administration, and education expenses under any test contained in regulations for the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 for those activities and expenses related to such programs and accounted for in the tax credit above. (Sec. 203) Authorizes an individual to designate that a specified portion of any overpayment of tax for a taxable year attributable to the earned income credit shall be deposited by the Secretary into the individual's IDA.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2000
America's Better Classroom Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a limited credit for qualified public school modernization bonds (qualified school construction bonds and qualified zone academy bonds). Amends the General Education Provisions Act to provide for the application of certain labor standards to projects financed under this Act. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish provisions concerning employment and training activities related to the construction or reconstruction of public school facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2000
Urges all contracting parties to the Hague Convention: (1) particularly Austria, Germany and Sweden, to comply fully with their international obligations; (2) to ensure their compliance by enacting effective implementing legislation and educating their judicial and law enforcement authorities; (3) to honor their commitments and return abducted or wrongfully retained children to their place of habitual residence without reaching the merits of any underlying custody dispute and to remove obstacles to the exercise of parental access rights; and (4) to further educate their central authority and local law enforcement authorities regarding the Convention, the severity of the problem of international child abduction, and the need for immediate action when a parent of an abducted child seeks their assistance. Urges the Secretary of State to disseminate to all Federal and State courts the Department of State's annual report to Congress on Convention compliance and related matters.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2000
Stop Tuberculosis (TB) Now Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to declare that a major objective of the foreign assistance program of the United States is to control tuberculosis and that consequently Congress expects the agency primarily responsible for the administration of tuberculosis control health programs to focus upon implementation of Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course (DOTS), or other internationally accepted primary tuberculosis control strategies developed in consultation with the World Health Organization and other designated organizations. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2000
IDEA Full Funding Act of 2000 - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to authorize funding to reach the Federal Government's goal of providing 40 percent of the national average per pupil expenditure to assist States and local educational agencies with the excess costs of educating children with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations for IDEA part B programs of assistance for education of all children with disabilities, in specified amounts for FY 2001 through 2010, and as necessary thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2000
Fisheries Recovery Act of 2000 - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson Act) regarding avoiding and minimizing bycatch and bycatch mortality. Modifies the definition of "essential fish habitat" to include nonmanaged fish. Requires a fishery management plan to close an area to a gear or practice that may affect such habitat unless the Regional Fishery Management Council determines that closure is not necessary and the Secretary of Commerce finds that the gear or practice will have a minimal adverse impact on habitat and minimal bycatch. Requires a Federal agency to which the Secretary has recommended habitat conservation measures to ensure that its action is not likely to adversely modify or impair habitat. Requires that conservation organization representatives be included on Councils. Removes references to international agreements from provisions relating to rebuilding overfished fisheries. Directs the Secretary, during preparation of a highly migratory species plan or amendment, to take into account (currently, to minimize, to the extent practicable) any disadvantage to U.S. fishermen in relation to foreign competitors. Amends the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act of 1975 to modify the composition of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. (Sec. 7) Amends the Magnuson Act to mandate observers on commercial fishing vessels to collect data necessary for the conservation and management of the fishery. Requires a permit and fees regarding: (1) a vessel fishing in the exclusive economic zone or special areas or for anadromous species of Continental Shelf fishery resources; (2) the operator of such a vessel; or (3) the first U.S. processor to receive the fish. (Sec. 8) 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: (1) fishery management plan to have a fishery impact statement; and (2) Council established under the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas to prepare a Fisheries Ecosystem Plan for each major marine ecosystem in its jurisdiction. (Sec. 9) Modifies requirements regarding the contents of fishery management plans and rebuilding overfished fisheries. (Sec. 10) Defines "precautionary approach" as exercising additional caution in favor of conservation when information is absent, uncertain, unreliable, or inadequate. Applies that approach to conservation and management measures. (Sec. 11) Authorizes appropriations to carry out the Magnuson Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2000
Apples for Three Million Teachers Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make the two percent floor on miscellaneous itemized deductions inapplicable to the qualified professional development expenses incurred by teachers; and (2) allow a credit to elementary and secondary school teachers who provide classroom materials.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2000
Provides for the reliquidation of certain entries of vacuum cleaners.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2000
Commends the Library of Congress and its employees, both past and present, on 200 years of service to Congress and the Nation. Encourages the American public to participate in activities to commemorate the Library's bicentennial.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2000
Telework Tax Incentive Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit of up to $500 annually for "qualified teleworking expenses." Defines such expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
High-Speed Rail Investment Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a limited tax credit to holders of qualified intercity passenger rail carrier bonds. Sets forth definitions, State matching requirements, and other rules.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
2002 Winter Olympic Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue five dollar gold coins and one dollar silver coins emblematic of the participation of American athletes in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Mandates that coin design be selected by the Secretary after consultation with: (1) the Commission of Fine Arts; (2) the United States Olympic Committee; and (3) Olympic Properties of the United States-Salt Lake 2002 (created and owned by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee). States that all surcharges from the coin sales ($35 for a $5 coin and $10 for a $1 coin) shall be distributed by the Secretary to: (1) Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games of 2002; and (2) the United States Olympic Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Act of 2000 - Designates the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument in southern California, to be managed jointly by the Secretaries of the Interior and of Agriculture. Provides that nothing in the establishment of the Monument shall be construed as: (1) affecting Indian Reservations, individually held trust lands, Indian allotments, lands or interests in lands held by the State of California or its political subdivision, a special district, or the Mount San Jacinto Winter Park Authority, or private property rights within the Monuments boundaries; nor (2) granting the Secretaries authority on or over non-Federal lands not already provided by law. Requires the Secretaries to prepare a management plan for the conservation and protection of the Monument. Provides for the continued use by the University of California of certain Federal lands within the Monument (including other specified existing and historical uses). Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, without further authorization by law, to exchange lands with the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians for purposes of this Act. Requires the Secretaries to jointly establish an advisory committee for the Monument to advise them with respect to the preparation and implementation of the management plan. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the United States-Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement of 1996 should terminate on a specified date, with no extension or further quota agreement; and (2) the President should consult with appropriate stakeholders and continue discussions with the Government of Canada to promote open trade of softwood lumber between Canada and the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2000
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2000 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit any physician from knowingly performing a partial-birth abortion in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, unless it is necessary to save the mother's life that is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury. Prescribes penalties. Defines a "partial birth abortion" as an abortion in which the person performing the abortion deliberately and intentionally: (1) vaginally delivers some portion of an intact living fetus until the fetus is partially outside the body of the mother, for the purpose of performing an overt act that the person knows will kill the fetus while the fetus is partially outside the mother's body; and (2) performs the overt act that kills the fetus while the intact living fetus is partially outside the mother's body. Authorizes the father, if married to the mother at the time of the abortion, and the maternal grandparents of the fetus, if the mother is under 18 years of age, to obtain specified relief in a civil action, unless the pregnancy resulted from the plaintiff's criminal conduct or the plaintiff consented to the abortion. Authorizes a defendant accused of an offense under this Act to seek a hearing before the State Medical Board on whether the physician's conduct was necessary to save the life of the mother. Prohibits the prosecution of a woman upon whom a partial-birth abortion is performed for conspiracy to violate this Act or under provisions regarding punishment as a principal or an accessory or for concealment of a felony.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Authorizes the President, on behalf of Congress, to present a gold medal to Charles M. Schulz, in recognition of his lasting artistic contributions to the Nation and the world. Authorizes a specified amount to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund to pay for the costs of such medals. Mandates that sales proceeds from duplicate bronze medals be deposited into such Fund.