United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Education Technology Equity Act of 2001 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to: (1) reserve half of one percent of funds authorized under this Act for FY 2002 through 2006 for grants to Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia; (2) reserve one percent of such funds for the Secretary of the Interior to carry out programs for Indian children; and (3) allocate the remainder of such funds to States according to a formula based in part on eligibility under the national school lunch program. Requires each State educational agency seeking a grant under this Act to submit an application providing assurances that the State will provide technical assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) in developing a comprehensive system for the acquisition and use of technology and technology-enhanced curricula, instruction, and administrative support services. Requires each LEA seeking a grant to submit an application which includes: (1) the student to computer ratios; (2) the Internet connectivity of schools to be served; and (3) a plan for the acquisition and use of technology. Requires each LEA receiving a grant to use such funds to purchase computers for classrooms and related activities (teacher training, computer maintenance and support, home computer use by students).
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Responsible Fatherhood Act of 2001 - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to prescribe parameters for block grants to States and territories to implement at their option media campaigns promoting responsible fatherhood. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to contract with a nonprofit fatherhood promotion organization to: (1) develop and distribute a media campaign that addresses the issue of responsible fatherhood to States, local governments, public agencies, and private entities; and (2) develop a national clearinghouse to assist States and community efforts to promote and support responsible fatherhood by disseminating information regarding media campaigns and programs instituted by States using grant funds under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude contributions of any qualified conservation contribution or capital gain real property made for conservation purposes from the application of the special limitation on contributions of capital gain property and from the application of the five-year carryover limitation. Repeals specified property location restrictions on the estate tax exclusion for property subject to a qualified conservation easement.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Equal Protection School Finance Act - Provides for a system to help equalize funding for education within States. Makes a State ineligible for Federal funds administered by the Department of Education to support elementary and secondary education unless the coefficient of variation of per pupil expenditures in local educational agencies statewide for elementary and secondary education is greater than ten percent. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide such funding to a noncompliant State if that State submits a plan which the Secretary determines will bring the State into compliance within five years. Sets forth procedures for compliance reporting, certification, and challenges. Directs the Secretary to reallocate to compliant States, and States developing or implementing compliance plans, any funds that are not distributed to noncompliant States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
21st Century Higher Education Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 196 (HEA) to revise and to extend and increase the authorization of appropriations of HEA programs, including: (1) Pell Grants; (2) Federal Trio Programs; (3) Gear Up; (4) Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants; (5) College Work-Study; and (6) Strengthening and Developing Institutions. Establishes new HEA programs, including: (1) Byrd Honors Teacher Scholarships; (2) Dual Degree Achievement; (3) Community College Opportunity; (4) College Preparation; (5) Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans; (6) Collaborative Centers of Excellence in Teacher Preparation; and (7) a demonstration program in recruiting and preparing teachers. Tribal College or University Teacher Loan Forgiveness Act - Establishes a new HEA program of specified Federal student loan repayment or cancellation for individuals who teach for up to five years in Tribal Colleges or Universities. Access to High Standards Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to establish Advanced Placement (AP) programs of assistance grants to increase the access of low-income students to AP high school courses and AP tests to earn advanced placement and credits at institutions of higher education. Dropout Prevention Act - Establishes a new ESEA assistance grant program to address school dropout problems, including a coordinated national strategy and a national school dropout prevention initiative. NTIA Digital Network Technology Program Act - Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Organization Act to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish within NTIA's Technology Opportunities Program a digital network technologies program to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible institutions to provide educational instruction in digital network technologies. Amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to eligible Historically Black Colleges and Universities, to make at least 15 annual grants for buildings or structures listed on, or eligible for listing on, the National Register of Historic Places, if the grantee agrees to provide funds derived from non-Federal sources in an amount equal to 25 percent of the grant.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
No Taxation Without Representation Act of 2001 - States that notwithstanding any other provision of law, the community of American citizens who are residents of the District constituting the seat of government of the United States shall have full voting representation in the Congress. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a tax exemption to District of Columbia residents for years during which such residents do not have full voting representation in the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act of 2001 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to outline requirements for equal protection of voting rights in Federal elections and voting rights in State and local elections. Establishes a grant program to provide equal protection of voting rights with regard to States and localities. Creates the Commission on Voting Rights and Procedures to study and report to the President and Congress on specified issues with respect to elections for Federal, State, and local office, including alternative voting methods, ballot designs, ballot uniformity, and absentee voting, in order to develop specific recommendations of best practices in voting and election administration.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish in the Treasury the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund for the deposit of income, gift, and estate taxes paid by or on behalf of taxpayers: (1) who are designated conscientious objectors opposed to participation in war in any form based upon the taxpayer's deeply held moral, ethical, or religious beliefs or training (within the meaning of the Military Selective Service Act); and (2) who have certified these beliefs in writing. Requires that funds in the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund be allocated annually to any appropriation not for a military purpose. Declares the sense of Congress that any increase in revenue to the Treasury resulting from the creation of the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund shall be allocated in a manner consistent with the purposes of the Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Constitutional Amendment - States that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2001
Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement Act of 2001 - 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. Establishes a Railroad Retirement Trust Fund and a Railroad Retirement Investment Trust to manage and invest Fund assets. Abolishes the Railroad Retirement Supplemental Annuity Account and provides for transfer of its funds to the Fund. Provides for transfer to the Fund of certain portions of the Railroad Retirement Account and of Social Security Equivalent Benefit account funds. Transfers to the disbursing agent from the Dual Benefits Payments Account the amount necessary to make dual benefit payments. Requires the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) to calculate the ratio of assets to benefits to determine annual tier II tax rates for employers, employee representatives, and employees. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt the Fund from taxation. Repeals a supplemental annuity tax that railroad employers pay to finance a benefit for long-time rail employees. Provides for adjustments to railroad employers, employee representatives, and employee tier II tax rates.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2001
Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act of 2001 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer providing group coverage, from: (1) excluding or restricting benefits for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services; (2) denying eligibility based on use or potential use of such items or services; (3) providing monetary payments or rebates to a covered individual to encourage acceptance of less than the minimum protections available; (4) penalizing, reducing, or limiting a professional's reimbursement because the professional prescribed such drugs or devices or provided such services; or (5) providing incentives to a professional to induce the professional to withhold drugs, devices, or services. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply those prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2001
Antique Firearm Safety Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to eliminate the exclusion of antique firearms from the definition of a "firearm" subject to Federal firearms provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2001
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a congressional gold medal to Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2001
FDA Tobacco Authority Amendments Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to, among other things: (1) include "nicotine in a tobacco product" in the definition of the term "drug" and to include "a tobacco product" in the definition of the term "device;" and (2) set forth provisions for tobacco products concerning special standards for such products, warnings regarding such products, and a rule of construction regarding farmers and related entities.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2001
High Performance Schools Research Act - Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation to establish a research program to investigate how the characteristics of the physical environment of elementary and secondary schools affect student educational achievement. Requires merit-based, competitive awards for research projects that focus on quantifying such effects of lighting, noise, temperature and ventilation, general upkeep, and other such characteristics.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Government of the People's Republic of China should stop persecution of all religious practitioners and safeguard fundamental human rights; and (2) the U.S. Government should continue to insist that China adhere to such rights. Urges the Chinese Government to: (1) release from detention all religious practitioners, Falun Gong members, and prisoners of conscience and end torture and other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment; (2) allow the Chinese people to pursue their personal beliefs; and (3) adhere to the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2001
Assistant United States Attorneys Retirement Benefit Equity Act of 2001 - Makes applicable to Assistant United States Attorneys the provisions of the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System that apply to Federal law enforcement officers. Directs the Department of Justice to provide notice to incumbent Assistant U.S. Attorneys as to their election rights under this Act and the effects of making or not making a timely election under this Act. Allows such incumbents to elect the option to be treated either: (1) in accordance with the amendments made by this Act; or (2) as if this Act had never been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
National Sea Grant College Program Authorization Enhancement Act - Amends the National Sea Grant College Program Act to make the authorization of appropriations for the National Sea Grant College Program permanent. (Increases FY 2002 and 2003 authorization levels.)
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
America's Better Classroom Act of 2001 - 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 · 15 March 2001
Authorizes the printing as a House document of an updated version of House Document 101-238 (as revised by the Library of Congress) entitled "Women in Congress, 1917-1990."
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
States' Right To Innovate in Health Care Act of 2001 - Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title XXII (State Comprehensive Health Care and Cost Containment Demonstration Projects) to allow a limited number of States to apply to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for a planning grant and a demonstration grant to achieve a cost-effective delivery system of universal, comprehensive health care with simplified administration.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Quality Cheese Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit: (1) using Federal funds to amend specified regulations to include dry ultra-filtered milk, milk protein concentrates, or casein in the definition of "milk" or "nonfat milk" as specified in the domestic natural standards for cheese and cheese products; and (2) amending such regulations and definitions to include wet ultra-filtered milk until 60 days after submission of the study required by this Act. Requires a study of the impact of wet ultra-filtered milk's use on dairy farmers.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Comprehensive Retirement Security and Pension Reform Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) with respect to pensions. (All the following are amendments to the Code, except where the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, ERISA, is mentioned.) Increases: (1) annual dollar Individual Retirement Account (IRA) contribution limits; and (2) benefit and contribution limits, with indexes for inflation. Revises requirements relating to: (1) plan loans for subchapter S owners, partners, and sole proprietors; and (2) specified top-heavy rules. Provides that elective deferrals shall not be taken into account for purposes of limits on certain plan contributions. Repeals specified coordination requirements for deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations. Revises certain deduction limits for stock bonus and profit sharing trusts and for defined contribution plans. Provides for optional treatment of elective deferrals as after-tax contributions. Allows individuals age 50 or older to make additional contributions to an applicable employer plan (section 401(k) or similar plan). Sets forth requirements relating to equitable treatment for contributions of employees to defined contribution plans. Provides for faster vesting of certain employer matching contributions under the Code and ERISA. Revises: (1) minimum distribution rules; (2) requirements relating to tax treatment of division of section 457 plan benefits upon divorce; and (3) provisions for safe harbor relief for hardship withdrawals from 401(k) plans. Permits, under certain conditions, rollovers: (1) from and to various types of plans; (2) of IRAs into workplace retirement plans; and (3) of after-tax contributions in an exempt trust. Sets forth a hardship exception to the 60-day rule. Sets forth requirements for treatment of forms of distribution available under transferor and transferee plans under the Code and ERISA. Revises restrictions on distributions, including the same desk exception. Allows trustee-to-trustee transfers to purchase permissive service credit with respect to governmental defined benefit plans. Allows employers to disregard rollovers for purposes of cash-out amounts, under retirement plan provisions of the Code. Revises minimum distribution and inclusion requirements for section 457 plans. Repeals, for plan years beginning in 2004 and following years, the current liability full funding limit under the Code and ERISA. Revises maximum contribution deduction rules, and applies them to all defined benefit plans. Allows an employer, in determining the amount of nondeductible contributions for any taxable year, to elect not to take into account any contributions to a defined benefit plan except to the extent they exceed the full-funding limitation. Establishes an excise tax for the failure of a defined benefit plan or an individual account plan (except governmental, church, and other specified plans) subject to minimum funding standards to meet specified notice requirements, under the Code and ERISA, for plan amendments which significantly reduce benefit accruals. Makes certain compensation limitations for defined benefit plans inapplicable to governmental and multiemployer plans. Prohibits combining or aggregating a multiemployer plan with any other plan maintained by the employer for the purpose of applying such limitations. Amends the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 to protect the investment of employee contributions to 401(k) plans by providing that specified requirements apply to elective deferrals for plan years beginning after December 31, 1998. Requires that pension benefit statements be furnished annually (once every three years for defined benefit plans) or on request. Establishes an excise tax for certain prohibited allocations of stock in an S corporation ESOP. Revises Code and ERISA requirements relating to timing of plan valuations. Allows applicable dividends of ESOPs to be reinvested without loss of dividend deduction. Repeals a transition rule relating to certain highly compensated employees under the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Directs the Secretary to modify specified regulations with respect to certain plan participation by employees of tax-exempt entities. Treats the provision of certain retirement planning services by an employer for an employee as a de minimis fringe benefit to the extent it is not treated as a working condition fringe. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide simplified annual filing requirements for retirement plans with assets below a specified amount, if they cover: (1) one participant (an owner and spouse); or (2) fewer than 25 employees. Directs the Secretary to continue to update and improve the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System, or any successor program. Repeals a multiple use test. Allows certain alternative ways of satisfying nondiscrimination, coverage, and line of business rules. Exempts plans maintained by any governmental entity from certain nondiscrimination rules. Directs the Secretary to modify specified regulations relating to the notice and consent period regarding distributions. Revises ERISA provisions relating to: (1) annual report dissemination; (2) the National Summit on Retirement Savings; (3) missing participants; (4) Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) reduction of premiums for new plans of small employers and of additional premiums for new and small plans; (5) PBGC authority to pay interest on premium overpayment refunds; (6) substantial owner benefits in terminated plans; (7) civil penalties for breach of fiduciary responsibility; and (8) benefit suspension notices. Prescribes time requirements for plan amendments or annuity contract amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Revitalizing Cities Through Parks Enhancement Act - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants to qualified community organizations to develop as open space municipally owned vacant lots in urban areas.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Home Health Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000, to: (1) eliminate a specified 15 percent reduction in cost and per beneficiary limits with respect to payment rates for home health services under the Medicare prospective payment system for such services; and (2) provide for a permanent payment increase for such services furnished in a rural area. Makes this Act effective as if included in the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth a special rule allowing a charitable deduction for contributions of food inventory.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Resolution to Expand Access to Community Health Centers (REACH) Initiative - Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that appropriations for consolidated health centers under the Public Health Service Act should be increased by 100 percent over the next five fiscal years in order to double the number of individuals who receive health care services at community, migrant, homeless, and public housing health centers.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) all Americans should take an active role in combating reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) by recognizing specified symptoms (which often follow an injury or surgery); (2) national and community organizations should be recognized and applauded for their work in promoting RSD awareness and for providing information and support to its sufferers; (3) health care providers should continue to increase their efforts to diagnose the disease in its earliest possible stages to increase the likelihood of remission; and (4) the Government has a responsibility to endeavor to raise awareness about the importance of the early detection and proper treatment of RSD, work to increase research funding so that the causes of, and improved treatment and cure for, RSD may be discovered, and continue to consider ways to improve access to, and the quality of, health care services for detecting and treating RSD.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
Parent Act of 2001 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise and increase parental involvement requirements under various specified programs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
Amends the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994 (which is part A of title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) to establish provisions for Effective Prevention Program Implementation through a program of technical assistance grants for comprehensive prevention of violence, criminal and delinquent behavior, substance abuse, and other problem behaviors. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide such grants to States that meet specified requirements to implement prevention programs that meet a high scientific standard of program effectiveness. Requires: (1) State distribution of program funds through competitive grants to local educational agencies (LEAs); and (2) LEA use of funds for comprehensive prevention programs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
Housing Bond and Credit Modernization and Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the required use of certain principal repayments on mortgage subsidy bond financings to redeem bonds; (2) modify the purchase price limitation under mortgage subsidy bond rules based on median family income; and (3) define the term "area median gross income" for low-income housing credit projects.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
United Nations Rapid Deployment Act of 2001 - Requires the President to direct the U.S. representative to the United Nations (UN) to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to urge the UN to: (1) establish a United Nations Rapid Deployment Police and Security Force (UNRDPSF) that is rapidly deployable under the authority of the UN Security Council, and that meets other specified requirements; (2) recruit UNRDPSF personnel; and (3) provide equitable and reliable funding. Requires the President, in order to promote the development of human and material resources for UN peacekeeping operations as recommended by the August 2000 Report of the Panel on UN Peace Operations (Brahimi Report), to: (1) direct the Secretary of State and the U.S. representative to the UN to encourage UN member nations to enter into partnerships with one another to form Rapid Deployment Brigades which could develop operational capabilities to fully deploy peacekeeping operations within a specified time; and (2) direct the Secretary of Defense to study the advisability of and feasibility of using interim combat brigade teams as part of the Rapid Deployment Brigades.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
Innocence Protection Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal judicial code to authorize a person convicted of a Federal crime to apply to the appropriate Federal court for DNA testing to support a claim that the person did not commit: (1) the Federal crime of which the person was convicted; or (2) any other offense that a sentencing authority may have relied upon when it sentenced the person with respect to such crime. Sets forth: (1) guidelines for the court to use in ordering DNA testing; (2) post-testing procedures; (3) provisions regarding preservation of evidence; (4) criminal penalties for destroying or altering DNA evidence; and (5) provisions regarding post-conviction DNA testing in State criminal justice systems. Prohibits a State from denying an application for DNA testing made by a prisoner in State custody who is under sentence of death if specified conditions apply. Provides grants to prosecutors for DNA testing programs. Establishes the National Commission on Capital Representation. Withholds funds from States not complying with standards for capital representation. Provides for capital defense incentive grants and resource grants. Increases compensation in Federal cases, and sets forth provisions regarding compensation in State cases, where an individual is unjustly sentenced to death. Adds a certification requirement in Federal death penalty prosecutions. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the execution of juvenile offenders and the mentally retarded.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
Federal Living Wage Responsibility Act - Requires the Federal government and any employer under a Federal contract or subcontract exceeding $10,000 to pay each of their respective workers: (1) an hourly wage (or salary equivalent) necessary for such employee to earn, while working 40 hours a week on a full-time basis, the amount of the Federal poverty level for a family of four; and (2) an additional amount, based on the locality in which a worker resides, sufficient to cover the costs to such worker to obtain any fringe benefits not provided by the worker's employer. Exempts employers that are: (1) small business concerns; or (2) nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations, if the ratio of the total compensation of the chief executive officer to that of the full-time equivalent of their lowest-paid employee is not greater than 25 to 1. Directs the Secretary of Labor to enforce this Act. Makes Federal contractors that are part of a pattern or practice of violations of such wage requirements subject to Federal contract suspension, a five-year ineligibility period, and liability for Government costs of obtaining a replacement contractor. Provides for judicial review of the Secretary's determinations, and authorizes the President to suspend the provisions of this Act in times of emergency. Allows an aggrieved worker to bring a civil action against an employer for appropriate relief for a violation of this Act, if the employer has not paid or reinstated the worker as a result of the administrative action.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
Clean Diamonds Act - Prohibits the import of diamonds into the United States unless the exporting country is implementing a system of controls on the export or import of rough diamonds that meets specified requirements, consistent with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 55/56 adopted on December 1, 2000, or a future international agreement which implements such controls and to which the United States is a signatory. Sets forth both civil and criminal penalties for violations of the requirements of this Act. Prohibits the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Export-Import Bank from engaging in certain transactions in connection with projects or exports to countries violating the requirements of this Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should take steps to negotiate an international agreement to eliminate the trade in diamonds used to support conflict in the country or regions in which such diamonds are mined. Provides a waiver for the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2001
Medicare Education and Regulatory Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) concerning: (1) prospective application only of certain regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS); and (2) certain requirements for judicial and regulatory challenges of regulations. Requires the Secretary, with respect to Medicare audits, except when clear and convincing evidence exists of fraud or similar fault, to give a physician, provider of services, or provider of ambulance services (physicians or providers) the option of entering into: (1) an arrangement to offset alleged overpayments against future payments; or (2) a repayment plan with its carrier or fiscal intermediary to recoup such an overpayment. Prohibits the Secretary from taking any action to recoup an overpayment or to impose a penalty during the period in which a physician or provider is appealing a determination that such an overpayment has been made or the amount of the overpayment. Prohibits carriers, absent cause, from demanding the production of records or documentation before paying a Medicare claim. Amends SSA title XI with respect to prohibited extensions of remuneration to a Medicare-eligible individual to influence a choice of provider, practitioner, or supplier. Excludes from the meaning of remuneration any waiver of copayment made in a written, mailed communication with existing patients. Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to: (1) construction of hearing rights related to decisions to deny or not renew a physician enrollment agreement; (2) the post-payment audit process; (3) definitions relating to physicians or providers; and (4) the right to appeal on behalf of deceased beneficiaries. Amends SSA title XVIII to require carriers, fiscal intermediaries, and contractors to conduct education programs (funded from the Medicare Integrity Program) for physicians and providers on billing, coding, cost reporting, and documentation regulations and procedures. Outlines provisions with regard to certain information requests from physicians and providers. Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the inclusion of regulatory costs in the calculation of the sustainable growth rate with respect to the costs of physicians' services. Prohibits the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) from implementing any new evaluation and management documentation guidelines under Medicare, unless it: (1) has provided for an assessment of the proposed guidelines by organizations representing physicians; (2) has established a plan that contains specific goals, including a schedule, for improving use of such guidelines; (3) has completed a minimum of four pilot projects to test such guidelines; and (4) finds that specified objectives will be met in the implementation of such guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Steel Revitalization Act of 2001 - Directs the President to impose quotas, tariff surcharges, or other measures on, and to negotiate enforceable voluntary export restraint agreements with respect to, imports of steel products in order to ensure that: (1) the tonnage of iron ore, coke and coke products, semifinished steel, and pig iron imported into the United States during any month does not exceed the average tonnage of each product that was imported monthly into the United States during the 36-month period preceding July 1997; and (2) the share of domestic consumption of any other applicable steel product in the United States derived from imports during any month does not exceed the average monthly share of domestic U.S. consumption of that steel product during any month in the 36-month period preceding July 1997. Authorizes the Customs Service to refuse entry into the U.S. customs territory for a five-year period of any steel products that exceed their allowable levels. Establishes: (1) the Steel Retiree Health Care Board in the Department of Labor; (2) the Steelworker Retiree Health Care Trust Fund; and (3) the Health Care Benefit Costs Assistance Program. Sets forth the functions of the Board, including to: (1) provide, under the Health Care Benefit Costs Assistance Program, for payments to designated steelworker group health plans to assist in the funding of qualified retiree health benefits under such plans; and (2) establish policies for the investment and management of the Steelworker Retiree Health Care Trust Fund that provides for prudent investments and low administrative costs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on steel sold by the manufacturer, producer, or importer (such taxes to be deposited into the Steelworker Retiree Health Care Trust Fund). Amends the Emergency Steel Loan Guarantee Act of 1999 to increase the aggregate amount of loans guaranteed and outstanding (including additional costs of such loans) at any one time under Emergency Steel Guarantee Loan Program or with respect to a single qualified steel company. Requires the Loan Guarantee Board to approve or deny an application for a guarantee within 45 days after its receipt. Authorizes any person who acquires another person that produces any of the specified categories of steel products contained in this Act to apply to the Secretary of Commerce for a grant to defray the costs necessary to bring, and maintain, the resulting entity into compliance with U.S. environmental laws. Requires the Secretary to make a determination whether or not such mergers will promote the retention of at least 80 percent of the jobs of the steel workers and production of capacity of such steel products. Sets forth penalties for failure to achieve such retention levels.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Medicare Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant Direct Reimbursement Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of surgical first assisting services furnished by certified registered nurse first assistants.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Civil Rights Tax Relief Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income amounts received by a claimant on account of claims based on unlawful discrimination (as defined). Permits income averaging for backpay and frontpay awards received on account of such claims.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2001
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for and enforcement of prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages to: (1) add nonretaliation requirements; (2) increase penalties; and (3) authorize the Secretary of Labor to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Directs the Secretary to provide for certain studies, information, a national summit, guidelines, awards, and assistance for employer evaluations of job categories based on objective criteria. Establishes the Alexis Herman National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect certain pay information.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2001
Treatment of Children's Deformities Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code to set standards requiring that group and individual health insurance and group health plans provide coverage for treatment of a minor child's congenital or developmental deformity or disorder due to trauma, infection, tumor, or disease.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2001
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to repeal provisions which make persons convicted of drug offenses ineligible to receive student financial assistance for a certain period.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2001
Voting Improvement Act - Directs the Administrator of General Services to establish a program under which the Administrator shall make a one-time payment to each eligible State or local government which used a punch card voting system to administer the regularly scheduled Federal general election in November 2000. Requires the recipient State or local government to replace its punch card voting system with a voting system which does not use punch cards in time for the Federal general election in November 2002. Establishes as an independent entity in the executive branch the Election Administration Commission (Commission) to serve as a national clearinghouse and resource for the compilation of information and review of procedures with respect to the administration of Federal elections. Establishes the Election Administration Commission Advisory Group. Establishes within the Commission: (1) the Election Administration Office to develop, adopt, and update voluntary engineering and procedural performance standards for Federal election voting systems; and (2) the Grant Administration Office to make grants to eligible States, local governments, and eligible manufacturers of voting equipment. Directs the Commission to develop a model election code, and authorizes it to appoint a Model Election Code Task Force to prepare such code and submit it to the Commission for approval. Amends Federal civil service law to entitle an employee to leave without loss of or reduction in pay, leave to which otherwise entitled, credit for time or service, or performance or efficiency rating, in order to serve as an uncompensated poll worker on the day of any Federal general election. Transfers to the Commission: (1) all functions which the Office of the Election Administration, established within the Federal Election Commission (FEC), exercised before enactment of this Act; (2) all functions which the Presidential designee under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act exercised before such date; and (3) all functions which the FEC exercised under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 before such date.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2001
Morris K. Udall Arctic Wilderness Act of 2001 - Designates specified lands within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2001
Safety Valve Fairness Act of 2001 - Makes retroactive the court's authority to apply sentencing guidelines instead of mandatory sentences to drug offenders who were first time, nonviolent drug offenders who were not leaders or organizers, did not use a firearm, and provided the Government with all the information they had about the offense.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2001
North American Slavery Memorial Council Act - Establishes the North American Slavery Memorial Council to: (1) establish an architectural design for a national memorial and museum to slavery in North America appropriate to honor the memory of victims of slavery; (2) establish a single site within the District of Columbia suitable for construction and operation of the Memorial and Museum; and (3) construct and operate them.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2001
Recognizes the importance of: (1) substantially increasing U.S. investment in international tuberculosis control within the foreign aid budget for FY 2002; and (2) supporting and expanding domestic efforts to eliminate tuberculosis in the United States. Calls upon local, national and global leaders, including the President, to commit to putting an end to the worldwide tuberculosis epidemic.
![Official portrait of Rep. Fattah, Chaka [D-PA-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000043_200.jpg)