United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1999
Radio Broadcasting Preservation Act of 1999 - Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission from prescribing any rules authorizing the operation of new, low power FM radio stations, or establishing a low power radio service, as currently proposed. Terminates previously prescribed rules which would violate such prohibition and voids licenses issued pursuant to such rules.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1999
Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants to public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of not more than eight centers for the conduct of multidisciplinary research on environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer. Requires each center to: (1) conduct basic and clinical research; (2) develop protocols for training health professionals; (3) conduct training programs for such individuals; (4) develop model continuing education programs for such professionals; and (5) disseminate information to such professionals and the public. Authorizes a center to provide stipends for professionals enrolled in the program. Allows grant support for a center for up to five years, with authorized extensions. Requires an equitable geographic distribution of such centers. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1999
Youth Drinking Elimination Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to enable public and nonprofit private entities, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to develop plans for and to carry out school (including college) and community based programs for the prevention of alcoholic beverage consumption by persons who have not attained the legal drinking age. Requires a prospective grantee to provide assurances that it will: (1) use science based and age appropriate approaches; and (2) involve local public health officials and community prevention program staff in the planning and implementation of the program. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1999
Urges the Government of Germany to: (1) uphold its commitments to take effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination against individuals or communities on the grounds of religion or belief' and to foster a climate of mutual tolerance and respect between believers of different communities as required by the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe's Vienna Concluding Document of 1989; and (2) enter into a constructive dialogue with minority groups subject to government discrimination based on religion or belief. Declares that the House of Representatives continues to hold the Government of Germany responsible for protecting the right of freedom of religion or belief of U.S. citizens who are living, performing, doing business, or traveling in Germany. Calls upon the President to assert the concern of the U.S. Government to the Government of Germany regarding government discrimination in Germany.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 1999
Equality for Israel at the United Nations Act of 2000 - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the United States must promote an end to the exclusion of Israel from any of the United Nations (UN) regional blocs, including rotating membership on the UN Security Council; and (2) the U.S. Ambassador to the UN should take all steps necessary to ensure Israel's acceptance in the Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG) regional bloc (membership which includes the non-European countries of Canada, Australia, and the United States). Directs the Secretary of State to report to appropriate congressional committees on efforts taken to achieve such goals.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 1999
Repeals a provision of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2000 which prohibits the use of Department of Defense (DOD) funds to pay environmental fines and penalties imposed against DOD unless such payment has been specifically authorized by law.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 1999
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 a new subpart 2, Effective Prevention Program Implementation, providing comprehensive prevention technical assistance grants. Authorizes appropriations. 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. Sets forth program requirements for State plans, reservations and allocations of funds, State distribution of program funds through competitive grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), and LEA plans and use of funds for comprehensive prevention programs that meet certain requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from an employee's gross income certain housing incentives provided by the employer to purchase and reside in housing located in qualified urban housing fringe areas. Defines "qualified urban housing fringe."
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1999
Authorizes the American Battle Monuments Commission to place within the Vietnam Veterans Memorial a plaque to honor those Vietnam veterans who died after service in the Vietnam War, but as a direct result of such service, and whose names are not otherwise eligible for placement on the Memorial wall.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1999
Long Island Sound Restoration Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the office established to assist the Management Conference of the Long Island Sound Study (Management Conference) to assist in efforts to establish a system for trading nitrogen credits within the process for granting watershed general permits. Authorizes States, in making assistance available for the upgrading of wastewater treatment facilities under provisions regarding the Long Island Sound, to give priority to a distressed community. Provides for negative interest rates on loans made to such communities for implementation of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Long Island Sound (Plan). Extends through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) carrying out the Management Conference; and (2) making grants for projects and studies to implement the Plan. Increases the maximum amount available for such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1999
Cleaner Buses for Cleaner Cities Act - Amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit the provision of grants or other financial assistance under Federal highway or mass transportation provisions or under the Urban Mass Transportation Act to any State or local government or other entity if such government or entity has acquired, in the prior fiscal year, a diesel-fueled bus to be used in any ozone, particulate, or carbon monoxide nonattainment area. Makes such prohibition inapplicable to grants for safety.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1999
CT-43A Federal Employee Settlement Act - Directs the Secretary of the Air Force to pay $2 million to the specified beneficiary of each of the 14 Federal civilian officers and employees killed in the crash of a United States Air Force CT-43A aircraft on April 3, 1996, near Dubrovnik, Croatia. Provides that acceptance of such payment constitutes full settlement of all claims by that person against the United States arising from the death. Prohibits any representative of a beneficiary from receiving more than ten percent of a payment for services rendered in connection with the beneficiary's claim.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1999
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States has a responsibility toward its veterans; (2) future congressional budget resolutions and laws making appropriations to the Veterans Health Administration should reflect the ongoing need for quality health care; and (3) the congressional committees of jurisdiction should act accordingly.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1999
School Environment Protection Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a National School Integrated Pest Management Advisory System to develop and update uniform standards and criteria for implementing integrated pest management systems in schools. Directs local educational agencies (LEAs) of school districts to develop and implement systems in schools in compliance with this Act. Permits LEAs to continue to implement existing State systems that meet this Act's standards and criteria. Applies this Act's requirements to pesticide application in school buildings and on school grounds. Requires schools to prohibit: (1) the application of a pesticide when a school or school ground is occupied or in use; or (2) the use of an area or room treated by a pesticide, other than a least toxic pesticide, during the 24-hour period beginning at the end of the treatment. Requires the Administrator to establish a National School Integrated Pest Management Advisory Board. Directs the Board, among other duties, to: (1) review pesticides used in schools for their acute toxicity and chronic effects; and (2) recommend a list of least toxic pesticides. Authorizes the Board to recommend restrictions on pesticide use in schools. Requires the Administrator to: (1) establish a list of least toxic pesticides that may be used in schools; (2) publish pesticide restrictions in the Federal Register; and (3) issue findings on whether use of registered pesticides in schools may endanger children's health. Directs the Administrator to appoint an official for school pest management within the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs to coordinate integrated pest management systems in schools. Requires LEAs to: (1) designate contact persons for carrying out such systems; (2) maintain all pesticide use data for each school in the district and make such data publicly available; and (3) include notice of such systems in forms of universal notification at the beginning of each school year. Permits the use of a pesticide only if the pesticide has been disclosed in such notice. Prescribes procedures to be followed if a pest cannot be controlled after having used an integrated pest management system and least toxic pesticides, including prior notification of parents, guardians, and staff members of the use of a pesticide and posting of signs. Prescribes alternative procedures in emergency situations. Provides for public comments, through school board meetings, on integrated pest management systems. Establishes a complaint procedure to remedy violations of this Act. Prescribes civil penalties for violations. Establishes the Integrated Pest Management Trust Fund to carry out education, training, propagation, and development activities under integrated pest management systems of schools to remedy the harmful effect of actions taken by persons who paid civil penalties. Describes remedies for employees alleging violations of this Act. Directs the Administrator to provide grants to LEAs to develop systems under this Act. Prohibits, no later than six years after this Act's enactment, the use of any pesticide other than a least toxic pesticide in schools unless the Administrator has met the requirements of this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 1999
Veterans' Right to Know Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) provide information concerning eligibility for Department benefits and health care services and application requirements when a veteran or his or her dependent first applies for any such benefit; and (2) prepare an annual plan for the conduct of outreach activities to provide such veterans and dependents with such information.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 1999
Women's Health and Cancer Rights Conforming Amendments of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require group health plans to provide coverage for post-mastectomy reconstructive surgery.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 1999
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) applauds and supports the work of the young people from across the United States who participated in the recent Voices Against Violence teen conference in Washington, D.C.; and (2) recognizes the importance of youth involvement in the development of national policy solutions to youth violence. Encourages: (1) the continued involvement of youth in their schools and their communities to address youth violence; (2) Members to promote efforts in their districts to end youth violence; and (3) Members to take immediate action to comprehensively address youth violence and actively involve young people in the decision-making process.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 1999
Duty to Assist Veterans Act of 1999 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, with respect to any veterans' benefits claim filed on or after July 14, 1999, to assist such claimant in developing information pertinent to a decision on the claim, including by informing the claimant of any medical or lay evidence needed and by providing a medical examination to determine the current disability of the veteran concerned.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 1999
Smart Kids-Safe Kids Act - Amends title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which is also known as the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994, to include among authorized activities, for which funds for local drug and violence prevention programs may be used, age-appropriate, developmentally-based or community-oriented safety programs for all students, from the preschool level through grade 12, that address prevention and education of child abuse and abduction. Includes in such safety programs: (1) teaching students the skills to identify, avoid if possible, and cope with potentially dangerous or threatening situations that may include abduction, abuse, or neglect; and (2) providing guidance to students that encourages them to seek advice for anxiety, threats of abuse, or actual abuse and to confide in a trusted adult regarding an uncomfortable or threatening situation.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 1999
Hunger Relief Act of 1999 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to remove specified restrictions on qualified aliens' eligibility for food stamp and supplemental security income benefits. Exempts food stamp provisions respecting aliens from: (1) the five-year waiting period for Federal means-tested public benefits eligibility; (2) inclusion of sponsor income and resources to an alien for State benefits eligibility; and (3) sponsor reimbursement requirements in cases of hardship. Sets forth effective dates for: (1) aliens; and (2) refugees and asylees. (Sec. 3) Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to authorize a State to use an alternative State auto valuation rather than the Federal one in order to provide a lower household resource attribution for food stamp program purposes. (Sec. 4) Increases, and indexes for inflation, the food stamp excess shelter deduction. (Sec. 5) Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to authorize additional appropriations for commodity purchases under the emergency food assistance program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1999
Expresses support for the goals and ideas of Italian-American Heritage Month and recognizes the significant contributions that Italian Americans have made to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1999
Children's Gasoline Burn Prevention Act - Authorizes the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish a standard for special packaging of portable gasoline containers under specified provisions of the Poison Prevention Packaging Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1999
Providing Reliable Officers, Technology, Education, Community Prosecutors, and Training In Our Neighborhoods Act of 1999 or PROTECTION Act - Modifies provisions of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (the Act) regarding public safety and community policing ("cops on the beat" program, COPS) to authorize the Attorney General to use funding under COPS grants to: (1) increase prosecutor presence and to enhance law enforcement access to new technologies; (2) pay overtime to existing career law enforcement officers to the extent that such overtime is devoted to community policing efforts; and (3) promote higher education among in-service State and local law enforcement officers by reimbursing them for the costs associated with seeking a college or graduate school education. Includes among permitted additional grant projects: (1) specialized integrity and ethics training; (2) innovative proactive crime control and prevention programs involving school officials and religiously-affiliated organizations; (3) school-based partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and local school systems by using school resource officers who operate in and around elementary and secondary schools (current law) to serve as a law enforcement liaison with other Federal, State, and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies and to combat gang membership and criminal activity, firearms and explosives-related incidents, illegal use and possession of alcohol, and the illegal possession, use, and distribution of drugs; and (4) innovative programs that bring together a community's sheriff, police chief, and elderly residents to address the public safety concerns of older citizens. Authorizes the Attorney General to use up to five percent of appropriated funds for technical assistance and training to States, local governments, Indian tribal governments, and other public and private entities. Requires the technical assistance provided by the Attorney General to include the establishment and operation of regional community policing institutes training centers or facilities. Permits the functions of the centers or facilities to include instruction and seminars for specified individuals, including representatives of police labor and management organizations and community residents. Repeals provisions of the Act regarding: (1) termination of grants for hiring officers; and (2) preferential consideration of applications for certain grants. Allows grants to be used to assist: (1) police departments in employing specified professional, scientific, and technological advancements; and (2) State, local, or tribal prosecutors' offices in implementation of community-based prosecution programs that build on local community policing efforts. Reserves specified funds for units of local government with a population of less than 50,000. Authorizes the Attorney General to use no more than 50 percent of grant renewal funds to award grants targeted specifically for retention of police officers to grantees in good standing, with preference to those that demonstrate financial hardship or severe budget constraint that impacts the entire local budget and may result in the termination of employment for officers. Redefines: (1) "career law enforcement officer" to include sheriffs' deputies charged with supervising offenders who are released into the community but also engaged in local community policing efforts; and (2) "school resource officer" to mean a career law enforcement officer deployed in community-oriented policing and assigned to work in collaboration with schools and community-based organizations (as under current law) to engage in specified activities, including serving as a law enforcement liaison with other Federal, State, and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies to address and document crime and disorder problems, training students in conflict resolution and crime awareness, and assisting school administrators with the preparation of an annual report on the number of students expelled per year for bringing a weapon, firearm, or explosive to school. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1999
Urges the Government of the Russian Federation to: (1) cease the indiscriminate use of force against the civilian population in Chechnya, in accordance with commitments of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); (2) enter into negotiations on the North Caucasus conflict with legitimate political representatives of the region and avail itself of the conflict prevention and crisis management capabilities of the OSCE which helped broker an end to the 1994-1996 war; and (3) seek and accept international humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of the internally displaced persons from Chechnya, to reduce the risk of civilian casualties. Urges the Government of Chechnya to use every appropriate means to deny extremist forces located in its territory a base of operations for the mounting of armed incursions that threaten peace and stability in the North Caucasus region. Calls on the U.S. Government to express to all parties the necessity of resolving the conflict peacefully, with full respect to the human rights of all the citizens of the Russian Federation, and to support the provision of appropriate international humanitarian assistance. Cautions that forcible resettlement of internationally displaced persons would evoke outrage from the international community.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 1999
Declares that Congress: (1) expresses concern about the tendency of Central Asian leaders to seek to remain in power indefinitely and their willingness to manipulate constitutions, elections, and legislative and judicial systems to do so; and (2) reminds the leaders of Central Asian states that elections cannot be free and fair unless all citizens can take part in the political process on an equal basis, without intimidation or fear of reprisal, and with confidence that their human rights and fundamental freedoms will be fully respected. Urges: (1) Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to come into compliance with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) commitments on human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, specifically the holding of free and fair elections that do not exclude genuine challengers, to permit independent and opposition parties and candidates to participate on an equal basis with representation in election commissions at all levels, and to allow domestic non-governmental and political party observers, as well as international observers; (2) Central Asian leaders to establish conditions for independent and opposition media to function without constraint, limitation, or fear of harassment, to repeal criminal laws which impose prison sentences for alleged defamation of the state or public officials, and to provide access to state media on an equal basis during election campaigns to independent and opposition parties and candidates; (3) the leaders of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to condemn and take effective steps to cease the systematic use of torture and other inhuman treatment by authorities against political opponents and others and to permit the registration of independent and opposition parties and candidates; and (4) Voice of America and Radio Liberty to expand broadcasting to Central Asia. Encourages the Administration to: (1) raise with the governments of other OSCE participating states the possible implications for OSCE participation of any participating state in the region that engages in clear, gross, and uncorrected violations of its OSCE commitments; and (2) seek formation of an OSCE Human Dimension Mission to Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to investigate the human rights situation.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 1999
Amends Federal rail transportation law to prohibit a railroad carrier (including its officers and agents) from requiring a train employee who has been on duty or available for it for any portion of each of seven consecutive days to go on duty or be available for it until at least 72 consecutive hours have passed after the employee is released from duty or availability.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 1999
Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 1999 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to modify procedures and provide special rules for battered spouses and children with respect to: (1) adjustment of status; (2) removal and deportation; (3) implementation of immigration provisions in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA); (4) waivers and exceptions to inadmissibility for otherwise qualified battered immigrants; (5) calculation of physical presence in VAWA cancellation of removal proceedings and suspension of deportation proceedings; (6) VAWA immigration protections; (7) VAWA cancellation of removal and adjustment of status for certain nonpermanent residents; and (8) good moral character determinations for self- petitioning immediate relatives. (Sec. 10) Prescribes guidelines for inapplicability of public charge determinations for designated aliens. Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to redefine "qualified alien" to include certain battered aliens for purposes of welfare and public benefits eligibility. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980 to declare restrictions on the use of assisted housing inapplicable to certain battered aliens. (Sec. 11) Amends the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 to provide that requirements and restrictions placed upon Legal Services Corporation funding shall not be construed to prohibit a recipient from providing related legal assistance to certain aliens who have been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty. Directs the Violence Against Women Grants Office in the Department of Justice to report on services for underserved populations. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (Act) to include legal advocacy for domestic violence in immigration cases under the program of grants to encourage arrest policies. Includes alienage status within the definition of "underserved populations." Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to include immigration-related matters under the program of rural domestic violence and child abuse enforcement grants. Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to include alienage status within the scope of underserved populations. Amends the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 1999 to obligate funds for grants to combat violence against women, which shall include immigration-related matters. Amends the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 to include immigration-related matters under the program of campus domestic violence grants. (Sec. 12) Amends the Act to require each branch of the U.S. military to train its supervisory military officers in domestic violence dynamics in military families, and the protections available for battered immigrant women and children. Expands the purposes of training grants to combat violent crimes against women to include: (1) training immigration and asylum officers and judges; and (2) training justice system personnel on the judicial ramifications of the Violence Against Women Act, and the potential immigration consequences for perpetrators of domestic violence. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to express the intent of the Congress that statutory constraints upon the powers of immigration personnel not be construed as discouraging crime and domestic violence victims from reporting crimes to the police, from cooperating in criminal prosecutions, or from obtaining the legal relief needed for protection from ongoing violence. (Sec. 13) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a humanitarian-material witness nonimmigrant classification. (Sec. 14) Extends access for battered spouses and children under the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act, the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998, and Federal law relating to Cuban adjustment.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 1999
DNA Backlog Elimination Act - Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to develop a voluntary plan to assist State and local forensic laboratories in performing deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analyses of DNA samples collected from convicted offenders and in analyzing all casework evidence for unsolved crimes in a manner that will provide for their entry into the Combined DNA Indexing System. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1999
Medicare Return To Home Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to permit a Medicare+Choice (Medicare part C) beneficiary to elect to receive covered home skilled nursing facility (SNF) services at specified SNFs that meet certain conditions if the Medicare+Choice plan covers post-hospital extended care services.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1999
Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act of 1999 - Directs the United States Sentencing Commission (the Commission) to review and amend the Federal sentencing guidelines with respect to any offense relating to the manufacture, importation, exportation, or trafficking in amphetamine (including an attempt or conspiracy to do any of the foregoing) in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act (CSIEA), or the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA) to provide for increased penalties comparable to the base offense level for methamphetamine. Directs the Commission to: (1) ensure that the sentencing guidelines for such offenses reflect their heinous nature, the need for aggressive law enforcement, and the extreme dangers associated with unlawful activity involving amphetamines; and (2) promulgate amendments pursuant to this Act in accordance with the procedure set forth in the Sentencing Act of 1987, as though the authority of that Act had not expired. (Sec. 3) Amends the CSA to prohibit advertisements for the sale of drug paraphernalia and of schedule I controlled substances. (Sec. 4) Provides for mandatory restitution for CSA and CSIEA violations. Expands provisions regarding restitution for cleanup of clandestine laboratory sites to cover offenses involving, and reimbursement for costs incurred for the cleanup associated with, the manufacture of amphetamine (currently, limited to methamphetamine), and to include reimbursement to States and local governments, as well as to the United States. Amends the Federal judicial code to provide for the deposit of sums from a reimbursement order into the Department of Justice (DOJ) Assets Forfeiture Fund. (Sec. 5) Amends the Federal criminal code (the code) to: (1) prohibit and set penalties for teaching or demonstrating the manufacture of a controlled substance, or distributing information pertaining to such manufacture or use, with intent that it be used for or to further activity that constitutes a Federal crime, or knowing that the recipient intends to use it for or to further such activity; and (2) allow the delay of issuance of a warrant to search and seize property that constitutes evidence of a Federal criminal offense pursuant to the standards, terms, and conditions set forth in the code, unless otherwise expressly provided by statute. (Sec. 7) Directs the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to carry out specified programs (advanced mobile clandestine laboratory training teams, basic clandestine laboratory certification training, and clandestine laboratory recertification and awareness training) with respect to the law enforcement personnel of States and localities determined by the Administrator to have significant levels of methamphetamine- or amphetamine-related crime or projected by the Administrator to have the potential for such levels of crime in the future. Limits the duration of any such program to three years. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 8) Requires the Director of National Drug Control Policy to use amounts available under this section to combat the trafficking of methamphetamine and amphetamine in areas designated by the Director as high intensity drug trafficking areas. Requires the Director to provide funds for: (1) employing additional Federal law enforcement personnel, or facilitating the employment of additional State and local law enforcement personnel; and (2) such other activities that the Director considers appropriate. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Director to apportion amounts appropriated for a fiscal year pursuant to such authorization of appropriations for activities under this section among and within areas designated as high intensity drug trafficking areas based on: (1) the number of methamphetamine and amphetamine manufacturing facilities discovered by law enforcement officials in the previous fiscal year; (2) the number of methamphetamine and amphetamine prosecutions in the previous fiscal year; (3) the number of methamphetamine and amphetamine arrests in the previous fiscal year; (4) the amounts of methamphetamine, amphetamine, or listed chemicals seized in the previous fiscal year; and (5) intelligence and predictive data from the DEA and the Department of Health and Human Services showing patterns and trends in abuse, trafficking, and transportation in methamphetamine, amphetamine, and listed chemicals. Requires the Director, before apportioning any funds under this section to a high intensity drug trafficking area, to certify that the law enforcement entities responsible for clandestine methamphetamine and amphetamine laboratory seizures in that area are providing laboratory seizure data to the national clandestine laboratory database at the El Paso Intelligence Center. Sets limits on administrative costs. (Sec. 9) Authorizes the DEA to: (1) assist State and local law enforcement in small and mid-sized communities in all phases of investigations related to such manufacturing and trafficking; (2) staff additional regional enforcement and mobile enforcement teams related to such manufacturing and trafficking; (3) establish additional resident offices and posts of duty to assist State and local law enforcement in rural areas in combating such manufacturing and trafficking; and (4) provide the Special Operations Division of the DEA with additional agents and staff to collect, evaluate, interpret, and disseminate critical intelligence targeting the command and control operations of major amphetamine and methamphetamine manufacturing and trafficking organizations. Authorizes the Administrator to establish in the DEA not more than 50 full-time positions, including not more than 31 special agent positions, and to appoint personnel to such positions. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 10) Amends the Federal judicial code to make sums in the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund available for payment for costs incurred by or on behalf of: (1) DOJ in connection with the removal, for purposes of Federal forfeiture and disposition, of any hazardous substance or pollutant or contaminant associated with the illegal manufacture of amphetamine or methamphetamine; and (2) a State or local government in connection with such removal in any case in which such State or local government has assisted in a Federal prosecution relating to amphetamine or methamphetamine, to the extent such costs exceed equitable sharing payments made to such State or local government. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to make funds under the drug control and system improvement (Byrne) grant program available to remove any hazardous substance or pollutant or contaminant associated with the illegal manufacture of amphetamine or methamphetamine. Requires that any sums made available from the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund for purposes of this section in a fiscal year supplement and not supplant any other amounts made available to DOJ from other sources. (Sec. 11) Requires the head of each Federal department, agency, and establishment to place anti-drug messages on appropriate Internet websites controlled by such department, agency, or establishment which messages shall, where appropriate, contain an electronic hyperlink to the Internet website, if any, of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. (Sec. 12) Revises CSA mail order provisions to: (1) require that each regulated person who engages in an export transaction (currently, limited to each regulated person who engages in a transaction with a non-regulated person) submit a monthly report of each such transaction to the Attorney General; and (2) make specified exemptions from such reporting requirement, such as for certain distributions of sample packages of drug products and distributions of drug products pursuant to a valid prescription. Authorizes the Attorney General to revoke any such exemptions if drug products distributed by the regulated person are being used in violation of CSA requirements, subject to specified provisions concerning notification and the right to an expedited hearing. (Sec. 13) Amends the CSA to prohibit and set penalties for the theft of anhydrous ammonia, or the transportation of stolen anhydrous ammonia across State lines, knowing, intending, or having reasonable cause to believe that such ammonia will be used to manufacture a controlled substance in violation of the Act. Requires the DEA Administrator to seek to enter into an agreement with Iowa State University to permit the University to expand its current research into the development of inert agents that, when added to anhydrous ammonia, eliminate its usefulness as an ingredient in methamphetamine production. Authorizes such agreement to provide for the provision to such University of $500,000, on a reimbursable basis, for such activities. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 14) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit to designated congressional committees annual reports on the problems caused by methamphetamine consumption in rural areas, suburban areas, and small, mid-size, and large cities. (Sec. 15) Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) 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 enable such entities to carry out: (1) school-based programs concerning the dangers of abuse of and addiction to methamphetamine and other illicit 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 methamphetamine and other illicit drugs that are effective and science-based. Sets forth provisions regarding permissible grant uses, priorities in making grants, program evaluation, and reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations for expansion of abuse prevention efforts and for practitioner registration requirements. (Sec. 16) Amends the PHSA to authorize the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse to make grants or enter into cooperative agreements to expand the current and on-going interdisciplinary research and clinical trials with treatment centers of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network relating to methamphetamine abuse and addiction and other biomedical, behavioral, and social issues related to methamphetamine abuse and addiction. Sets forth provisions regarding permissible uses of grant funds and dissemination of research results. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 17) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Senate and House Judiciary Committees on the development of medications for the treatment of addiction to amphetamine and methamphetamine. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 18) Amends the CSA to waive registration requirements for practitioners who dispense schedule IV or V narcotic drugs or combinations thereof for maintenance or detoxification treatment if the practitioner submits to the Secretary a notification of intent to begin such dispensation that contains certifications by the practitioner that: (1) the practitioner is a physician licensed under State law, has demonstrable training or experience and the ability to treat and manage opiate-dependent patients, and has the demonstrated capacity to refer the patients for appropriate counseling and ancillary services; and (2) the total number of such patients at any one time will not exceed 20, with exceptions. Sets forth additional conditions, including that the drugs or combinations: (1) have been approved for use in maintenance or detoxification treatment; and (2) have not been the subject of an adverse determination. Requires the Secretary to provide to the Attorney General requested information contained in required notifications as the Attorney General may request. Authorizes the Attorney General to consider a practitioner who violates requirements of this section to have committed an act that renders the registration to be inconsistent with the public interest. Directs that, during the three-year period beginning upon enactment of this Act: (1) the Secretary make determinations regarding the effectiveness, increased availability, and adverse consequences for public health, of treatments provided under the waivers; and (2) the Attorney General make determinations regarding the extent to which there have been violations of numerical limitations established and regarding whether waivers have increased the extent to which narcotic drugs in schedule IV or V or combinations are being dispensed or possessed in violation of this Act. Sets forth provisions regarding publication by the Secretary or Attorney General in the Federal Register of decisions. Prohibits a State from precluding a practitioner from dispensing narcotic drugs in schedule IV or V, or combinations of such drugs, to patients for maintenance or detoxification treatment during the three-year period unless, before the expiration of such period, the State enacts a law prohibiting a practitioner from dispensing such drugs. (Sec. 19) Directs the Commission to amend the Federal sentencing guidelines to increase the base offense level, with respect to any offense relating to the manufacture, attempt to manufacture, or conspiracy to manufacture amphetamine or methamphetamine in violation of the CSA, CSIEA, or MDLEA, by specified amounts if the offense created a substantial risk of harm to human life or the environment, or to the life of a minor or incompetent. (Sec. 20) Amends the CSA to include methamphetamine paraphernalia within provisions applicable to "drug paraphernalia."
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1999
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Amends Federal employee provisions to include the following as an employee, for purposes of authorized enrollment under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: (1) a member of the armed forces who began service before June 7, 1956, and retired after a minimum of 20 years of such service or by reason of a service-connected disability; and (2) the surviving widow or widower of such member. Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide FEHB coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay who is also entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member who is entitled to Medicare hospital insurance benefits; and (5) a family member of such member. Repeals a provision prohibiting coverage under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services for persons entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1999
Intercountry Adoption Act of 1999 - Title I: United States Central Authority - Requires the Department of State through the Secretary of State to serve as the central authority of the United States with respect to implementation of the Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption done at the Hague on May 29, 1993. Outlines responsibilities of the Secretary of State, including liaison, information exchange, and other coordination activities relating to the Convention. (Sec. 103) Requires the Attorney General to be responsible for the filing of applications by prospective adoptive parents to the central authority of their country of residence. (Sec. 104) Requires annual reports from the Secretary of State to Congress describing activities of the U.S. central authority during the previous year. Title II: Provisions Relating to Accreditation and Approval -Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) to carry out functions prescribed by the Convention with respect to the accreditation of agencies and the approval of persons to provide adoption services in the United States. (Sec. 202) Prohibits a person, with specified exceptions, from offering or providing an adoption service in connection with a Convention adoption in the United States unless that person is accredited under this title, or is providing such service through or under the supervision and responsibility of an accredited person. (Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary to enter into agreements with one or more qualified entities that will provide for the accreditation of agencies, and approval of persons, to provide adoption services in the United States in cases subject to the Convention. Requires such entities to undertake related oversight, enforcement, and information collection activities. Sets forth procedures for an agency or person to reapply for accreditation as a result of an adverse action by an accrediting entity. Provides for the judicial review of such actions. Allows fees to be charged against agencies or persons seeking accreditation for Convention intercountry adoptions. Outlines accreditation standards and procedures. (Sec. 205) Directs the Secretary to: (1) monitor each entity's performance of accrediting duties and compliance with the Convention and other applicable laws and regulations; and (2) suspend or cancel the accreditation of an agency or person found to be substantially out of compliance with applicable requirements, and the accrediting entity has failed or refused to take appropriate corrective action. Authorizes the Secretary to debar an agency or person from accreditation, under certain conditions. Provides judicial review of the Secretary's decisions under this section. (Sec. 206) Authorizes appropriations, limited to the amount of fees collected by accrediting entities. Title III: Recognition of Convention Adoptions in the United States - Directs the Secretary, with respect to each Convention adoption, to issue a certificate to the adoptive citizen parent domiciled in the United States recognizing the legal effect, for purposes of emigration and adoption, of a Convention adoption, as long as the Secretary has received appropriate documentation from the central authority of the child's country of origin, and has verified that other requirements of this Act have been met with respect to adoption. Provides for U.S. recognition of adoptions finalized in other Convention countries. (Sec. 302) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include: (1) under its definition of "child" a child adopted through the Convention; and (2) under its immigration approval procedures a child for whom the Secretary has certified that a U.S. citizen has effected final adoption under the Convention. (Sec. 303) Outlines procedures for the adoption in any other Convention country of a child residing in the United States, requiring certain duties to be performed by an accredited agency or approved person or the prospective parents acting on their own behalf (if so permitted in such country). Prohibits a State court from entering an order declaring such adoption to be final or granting custody for adoption, unless such court: (1) has received and verified that such duties have been performed, as well as evidence that other Convention requirements have been met; and (2) has determined that the adoptive placement is in the child's best interests. (Sec. 304) Prohibits a State court from vacating a final adoption decree entered pursuant to the Convention unless: (1) the decree was granted by a State court; (2) the court finds clear and convincing evidence that adoptive consent was obtained through fraud, duress, or improper inducement by compensation; (3) voiding such adoption is in the best interests of the child; and (4) the adoptive parents are afforded an opportunity to be heard in such proceedings. Recognizes another country's proceedings vacating such adoptions. States that the voiding of such an adoption does not void or prohibit the naturalization of such child as a U.S. citizen. Title IV: Administration and Enforcement - Provides for: (1) the preservation of Convention adoption records; (2) the nondisclosure of identifying information contained in such records (except to the extent necessary to administer the Convention or this Act); and (3) recognition of Convention documents of other countries. (Sec. 403) Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 404) Provides civil penalties and other enforcement procedures for violations of this Act. Title V: General Provisions - Sets forth provisions with respect to the recognition of Convention adoptions. (Sec. 502) Authorizes the Secretary of State to establish by regulation alternative procedures for the adoption of children by individuals related to them by blood or marriage in cases subject to the Convention. (Sec. 503) States that the Convention and this Act shall have no effect on: (1) State law; or (2) provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1999
Calls upon the President: (1) not to participate in any international negotiation in which antidumping or antisubsidy rules are part of the negotiating agenda; (2) to refrain from submitting for congressional approval agreements that require changes to the current antidumping and countervailing duty laws and enforcement policies of the United States; and (3) to enforce the antidumping and countervailing duty laws vigorously in all pending and future cases.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1999
Amends the National School Lunch Act, with respect to the child and adult care food program, to revise eligibility requirements for private organizations providing nonresidential day care services. Requires only that at least 25 percent of the children served by it meet the income eligibility criteria for free or reduced price meals. (Current law limits institutional eligibility to an organization receiving compensation under title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) of the Social Security Act for at least 25 percent of its enrolled children or 25 percent of its licensed capacity, whichever is less.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1999
Clean Smokestacks Act of 1999 - Amends the Clean Air Act (CAA) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations to achieve specified reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, and mercury from powerplants (electric generation facilities with a nameplate capacity of 15 megawatts or greater that use a combustion device to generate electricity for sale) by January 1, 2005. Requires outdated powerplants, on the later of the date 30 years after the powerplant commenced operation or five years after this Act's enactment, to comply with the most recent new source performance standards under CAA provisions regarding air quality and emissions limitations and with specified requirements for modified sources. Defines an "outdated powerplant" as a powerplant that has been in operation for 30 years or more.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1999
Foreign Money Laundering Deterrence and Anticorruption Act - Amends Federal law governing monetary transactions to set forth requirements relating to transactions and accounts with or on behalf of foreign entities. (Sec. 4) Expresses the sense of Congress that, in its deliberations with another country concerning money laundering and corruption issues, the United States should: (1) emphasize an approach that addresses not only the laundering of traditional criminal activity proceeds, but also the endemic problem of governmental corruption and the corruption of ruling elites; and (2) encourage enactment and enforcement of laws in such country to prevent money laundering and systemic corruption. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) instruct the United States Executive Directors of each international financial institution to oppose any loan, disbursement, or other utilization of resources by the international financial institution (other than to address basic human needs) for any country the Secretary determines has a high level of corruption and is not taking meaningful steps to reduce it; and (2) report annually to Congress on deliberations between the United States and other countries regarding money laundering and corruption issues. (Sec. 5) Revises Federal law with respect to immunity from civil liability for disclosures of suspicious monetary transactions made by a financial institution and any of its directors, officers, employees, or agents to: (1) limit such disclosures to those made to an appropriate governmental agency; (2) extend such immunity to an independent accountant who audits a financial institution; and (3) include immunity from liability under contracts or other legally enforceable agreements. Extends such immunity also to any failure to notify either the subject of such disclosure, or any other person identified in it. Makes such immunity inapplicable to any disclosure or communication required under Federal securities law unless such law specifically refers to the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970. Prohibits notification of such disclosures or their contents to any person involved in the suspect transaction by any person, including any Government officer or employee, who knows that a report has been made. Exempts from such prohibition any use of related information by government officers in the conduct of either official duties or law enforcement, regulatory, or investigative proceedings. States that written employment references submitted by a financial institution to another upon request may disclose information concerning possible involvement in suspicious transactions relevant to possible illegalities. Shields from civil liability any financial institution and its directors, officers, employees, and agents for such a disclosure, unless it is false or made with reckless disregard for the truth. (Sec. 6) Amends Federal criminal law to specify new unlawful money laundering activities, including: (1) fraud committed against a foreign governmental entity; (2) certain munitions smuggling or export; (3) misuse of funds of certain international institutions, including the International Monetary Fund; and (4) failure to report to the appropriate Federal agency the ownership or control of a foreign corporation, of a financial account, or of a beneficial interest in a foreign trust. (Sec. 7) Imposes a fine or imprisonment penalty for false statements concerning the identity of customers of financial institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1999
Pension Benefits Protection and Preservation Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require the plan administrator of any large (100 or more participants) defined employee benefit plan (applicable plan) to notify each applicable individual of any adoption of plan amendments that may reduce future benefit accruals of one or more participants to a specified significant extent (plan amendments), with details on the change's possible effect on the individual's pension, at least 45 days before such a plan change becomes effective. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to enforce specified age discrimination provisions relating to pensions under the Code, without regard to the portion of the preamble to a specified Treasury Decision which relates to allocation of interest adjustments through normal retirement age under a cash balance plan. Declares that such preamble is, and has been since its adoption, without the force of law. Requires applicable plans to offer, in addition to the notice and written statement of benefit change, opportunity for applicable individual participants to elect to continue benefit accruals, without regard to such plan amendments, under the former defined benefit plan instead of under a cash benefit plan. Imposes an excise tax for the failure of any applicable pension plan to offer an opportunity to applicable participants to continue benefit accruals under the former defined benefit plan in the event of significant reductions in future plan accruals. Sets the amount of such tax at 50 percent of the excess pension assets in the plan. Makes the plan liable for such tax in the case of a multiemployer plan, and the employer liable in any other case. Prohibits pension plan amendments that reduce future accrued benefits for years of service for any participants in applicable plans (large defined benefit plans with 100 or more members). Sets forth criteria, under both the Code and ERISA, for determining when a pension plan amendment by an applicable plan shall be treated as reducing the accrued benefit of a participant.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 1999
Violent Offender DNA Identification Act of 1999 - Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to develop a voluntary plan to assist State and local forensic laboratories in performing deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analyses of DNA samples collected from convicted offenders, aimed at eliminating the backlog of convicted offender DNA samples awaiting analysis in State or local forensic laboratory storage in an efficient, expeditious manner that will provide for their entry into the Combined DNA Indexing System (CODIS). Sets forth provisions regarding plan conditions and plan implementation. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 3) Revises the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 to authorize the Director of the FBI to expand CODIS to include information on DNA identification records and analyses related to criminal offenses under Federal law, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and the District of Columbia (DC) Code. Modifies the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (VCCLEA) to authorize the Director to establish an index of individuals convicted of criminal offenses, including specified qualifying offenses. Directs that the index include only information on DNA identification records and DNA analyses that undergo semiannual external proficiency testing and that meet other specified requirements. Requires the Director to establish a list of qualifying offenses, including each criminal offense under Federal law that constitutes a serious violent felony or burglary, and under the DC Code that would, if committed in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, constitute a serious violent felony or burglary, and certain standards and procedures. Requires: (1) the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to collect a DNA sample from each individual in the custody of the Bureau who has been convicted of a qualifying offense; and (2) the agency responsible for the supervision under Federal law of an individual on supervised release, parole, or probation to collect a DNA sample from each individual who has been convicted of a qualifying offense. Authorizes the Government of DC to collect a DNA sample from each individual in custody of DC as a result of a conviction for a qualifying offense. Requires that such DNA identifications records be automatically removed when the underlying conviction for the qualifying offense is vitiated or expunged by appeal or otherwise. Directs the Director of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for DC, or the Trustee appointed under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 as appropriate, to collect a DNA sample from each individual under Agency or Trustee supervision who is on supervised release, parole, or probation and who has been convicted of a qualifying offense. Directs the Secretary of Defense to prescribe regulations that specify categories of conduct punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (qualifying military offenses) that are comparable to qualifying offenses, and sets forth standards and procedures for the analysis of DNA samples collected from individuals convicted of a qualifying military offense, their inclusion in an index, and the automatic removal of DNA identification records and analyses under specified circumstances. Sets criminal penalties for individuals from whom the collection of a DNA sample is required or authorized who fail to cooperate in the collection of that sample. Authorizes appropriations. Requires such cooperation as a condition of probation, supervised release, or release generally. Sets forth report and evaluation requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 1999
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present congressional gold medals to astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, in recognition of their monumental and unprecedented feat of space exploration, as well as their achievements in the advancement of science and promotion of the space program. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Requires receipts from such sales to be deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
AIDS Marshall Plan Fund for Africa Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to establish the AIDS Marshall Plan Fund for Africa Corporation (AMPFA Corporation) which shall carry out a program to provide assistance for HIV-AIDS research, prevention, and treatment activities in Africa. Establishes the AIDS Marshall Plan Fund for Africa which shall consist of contributions from private sources and from foreign governments, including the governments of other G-8 countries (France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Italy, and Russia). Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Bipartisan Consensus Managed Care Improvement Act of 1999 - Title I: Improving Managed Care - Subtitle A: Grievances and Appeals - Requires a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer that provides health insurance coverage, to conduct utilization review activities that monitor or evaluate the use or coverage, clinical necessity, appropriateness, efficacy, or efficiency of health care services, procedures, or settings. (Sec. 102) Requires a plan and an issuer to provide appropriate notices to the participant, beneficiary, or enrollee for benefit claims it has denied that include reasons for denial and instructions for initiating specified internal appeals procedures, which must include procedures for an expedited review process in emergency situations. (Sec. 103) Outlines external appeals procedures for the timely resolution of certain denied claims through the use of qualified external appeal entities, which shall determine whether the plan's or issuer's decision is in accordance with the patient's medical needs. Declares that an external appeal entity's determination is binding on the plan and issuer involved. Provides for court-imposed civil monetary penalties and cease and desist orders against authorized officials of plan or issuers who refuse to timely follow the determination of an external appeal entity to provide a benefit. (Sec. 104) Requires a plan and an issuer to establish a system featuring specified components for the presentation and resolution of grievances brought by participants, beneficiaries, or enrollees, or health care providers or other individuals acting on behalf of an individual either with the individual's consent or without it if the individual is medically unable to provide it. Declares that grievances are not subject to appeal under this subtitle. Subtitle B: Access to Care - Provides that if an issuer offers coverage of services only if they are furnished through members of a network of health care professionals and providers contracting with the issuer, the issuer shall also offer the option of coverage of such services which are not furnished through members of such a network, unless enrollees are offered such non-network coverage through another plan or issuer in the group market. Makes the enrollee bear the cost of any additional premium the issuer charges for such option, and the amount of any additional cost sharing, unless it is paid by the health plan sponsor through agreement with the issuer. (Sec. 112) States that if a plan or an issuer requires or provides for designation of a participating primary care provider by a participant, a beneficiary, or an enrollee, then the plan or issuer shall permit each such person to designate any participating primary care provider available to accept such individual. Requires a plan and an issuer to permit each participant, beneficiary, or enrollee to receive medically necessary or appropriate speciality care, pursuant to appropriate referral procedures, from any qualified participating health care professional available to accept such individual. Waives such requirement in the case of specialty care if the plan or issuer clearly informs each participant, beneficiary, and enrollee of the limitations on choice of participating professionals with respect to such care. (Sec. 113) Requires a plan or an issuer providing any emergency hospital benefits to cover emergency services: (1) without the need for any prior authorization determination; (2) whether or not the health care provider furnishing such services is a participating health care provider; and (3) without regard to any other term or condition of such coverage (other than exclusion or coordination of benefits, or an affiliation or waiting period, permitted under the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), or the Internal Revenue Code, and other than applicable cost-sharing). Requires such coverage in a manner so that, if the emergency services are provided by a nonparticipating health care provider with or without prior authorization or by a participating provider without such authorization, the participant, beneficiary, or enrollee is not liable for amounts exceeding the liability that would be incurred if the services were provided by a participating provider with prior authorization. Prescribes the same coverage for maintenance care or post-stabilization care (subject to certain guidelines) by nonparticipating health care providers. (Sec. 114) Requires plans and issuers to refer participants, beneficiaries, or enrollees who have a serious disease or condition requiring treatment by a specialist to an appropriate specialist who is available and accessible (regardless of whether the specialist is participating or nonparticipating), provided the benefits for such treatment are covered by the plan or issuer. Sets forth rules governing referrals and specialists. (Sec. 115) Prohibits a plan or an issuer that requires or provides for designation of a participating primary care professional from requiring authorization or a referral by such primary care professional for gynecological care and pregnancy-related services provided by a participating health care professional (including a specialist). Requires the plan or issuer to treat the ordering of other obstetrical or gynecological care by such a participating professional as the authorization of the primary care professional. (Sec. 116) Requires certain plans and issuers to permit an enrollee to designate a pediatrician as a primary care provider for the enrollee's child. (Sec. 117) Prescribes requirements for continuity of care during a transition period for participants, beneficiaries, or enrollees undergoing treatment for an ongoing special condition in the event of a termination of: (1) a contract between the plan or an issuer and a health care provider; or (2) a contract between a plan and an issuer that results in the termination of coverage of services of a health care provider. Prescribes a 90-day basic transition period, with specified extensions in the case of scheduled surgery and organ transplantation, pregnancy, or terminal illness. (Sec. 118) Provides that a plan or issuer restricting prescription drug benefits to drugs included in a formulary to: (1) ensure participation of participating physicians in development of the formulary; (2) disclose to providers, and upon request to participants, beneficiaries, and enrollees, the nature of the formulary restrictions; and (3) consistent with the standards for a utilization review program, provide for exceptions from the formulary limitation when a non-formulary alternative is medically indicated. (Sec. 119) Prohibits a plan or issuer from: (1) denying individual participation in an approved clinical trial; (2) denying or limiting or imposing additional conditions on the coverage of routine patient costs for items and services furnished in connection with participation in the trial; and (3) discriminating against the individual on the basis of the enrollee's participation in such trial. Subtitle C: Access to Information - Specifies benefits, access, emergency coverage, prior authorization, grievance and appeals, and other pertinent information which plans and issuers shall provide to participants and beneficiaries at the time of initial coverage, annually, within a reasonable period before or after the date of significant changes, and upon request. Subtitle D: Protecting the Doctor-Patient Relationship - Prohibits any contract or agreement between a plan or issuer and a health care provider from prohibiting or otherwise restricting a health care professional from advising a participant, beneficiary, or enrollee who is the professional's patient about his or her health status or medical care or treatment for his or her condition or disease, regardless of whether benefits for such care or treatment are provided under the plan or coverage, if the professional is acting within the lawful scope of practice. Declares null and void any such contract or agreement provisions. (Sec. 132) Prohibits a plan or issuer from discriminating with respect to participation or indemnification as to any provider acting within the scope of the provider's license or certification, solely on the basis of such license or certification. (Sec. 133) Prohibits any plan or issuer from operating any physician incentive plan that does not meet certain requirements under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. (Sec. 134) Requires a plan or issuer to provide for prompt payment of claims in a manner consistent with Medicare clean claims requirements. (Sec. 135) Sets forth prohibitions and requirements for protection of: (1) participants, beneficiaries, enrollees, and health care providers in their use of a utilization review or grievance process; and (2) health care professionals for good faith disclosure of information to an appropriate agency or body in the interest of quality advocacy. Subtitle E: Definitions - Sets forth definitions. Title II: Application of Quality Care Standards to Group Health Plans and Health Insurance Coverage Under The Public Health Service Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require each plan and issuer to comply with the patient protection requirements of this Act. (Sec. 202) Requires each health insurance issuer to comply with such requirements with respect to individual health insurance coverage. Title III: Amendments to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 - Amends ERISA to: (1) require each plan and issuer to comply with the patient protection requirements of this Act; and (2) deem a plan in compliance with subtitle A of title I of this Act to be in compliance with ERISA's claim procedure requirement with respect to claims denial. (Sec. 302) Declares that nothing in ERISA shall be construed to invalidate, impair, or supersede any cause of action under State law by a participant or beneficiary (or by his or her estate) to recover damages resulting from personal injury or wrongful death against any person (except employers and other plan sponsors) in connection with the provision of insurance, administrative services, or medical services by that person to or for a group health plan, or that arises out of the arrangement by that person for the provision of insurance, administrative services, or medical services by other persons. Denies plan or issuer liability for punitive damages in any cause of action relating to an externally appealable decision when: (1) the appeal has been completed; and (2) the plan or issuer has complied with the determination of the external appeal entity. Allows an action against an employer or other plan sponsor (or an employee of one or the other acting within the scope of employment) if it is based on the employer's or sponsor's exercise of discretionary authority to decide a claim for covered benefits, and such exercise has resulted in personal injury or wrongful death. Title IV: Application to Group Health Plans Under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan to comply with this Act. Deems the requirements of this Act to be incorporated into the Internal Revenue Code. Title V: Effective Dates; Coordination in Implementation - Sets forth effective dates for provisions of this Act. (Sec. 502) Requires the Secretaries of Labor, of Health and Human Services, and of the Treasury to ensure coordination in the implementation of this Act. Title VI: Health Care Paperwork Simplification - Establishes the Health Care Panel to Devise a Uniform Explanation of Benefits to devise a single form for use by third-party health care payers for the remittance of claims to providers.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Seniors in Our Schools Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require that senior citizens be given an opportunity to serve as mentors, tutors, and volunteers for: (1) 21st Century Learning Centers; and (2) State Governors', local, and national programs for drug and violence prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Lyme Disease Initiative of 1999 - Directs the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, of Agriculture, of the Interior, and of Defense to: (1) establish specified detection test, improved surveillance and reporting system, and prevention goals to provide for a reduction in the incidence and prevalence of Lyme disease and related tick borne infectious diseases; and (2) establish a five-year plan of activities toward achieving those goals, and carry them out. Establishes the Lyme Disease Taskforce to advise the Secretaries with respect to achieving such goals. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Prohibits the United States from operating a U.S. consulate in Jerusalem unless it is under the supervision of the U.S. Ambassador to Israel. Requires any official U.S. Government document which lists countries and their capital cities to identify Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Declares that, for purposes of registration of birth, certification of nationality, or issuance of a passport of a U.S. citizen born in the city of Jerusalem, the Secretary of State shall, upon the citizen's request, record the place of birth as Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Policyholder Disaster Protection Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the creation of disaster protection funds by property and casualty insurance companies for the payment of policyholders' claims arising from certain catastrophic events.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Kosovar-American Enterprise Fund Act of 1999 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to designate one private, nonprofit organization as the Kosovar-American Enterprise Fund. Sets forth the purposes of the Fund, including promotion of small-and medium- sized business development in Kosova through loans, microcredit lending, grants, equity investments, insurance, and loan guarantees. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Jerusalem Birthplace Act of 1999 - Requires the Secretary of State to record the place of birth as Jerusalem, Israel, for purposes of the registration of birth, certification of nationality, or issuance of a passport with respect to a U.S. citizen born in the city of Jerusalem.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) all Americans, and above all women, should take an active role in the fight against breast cancer by using all the means available to them; (2) the role played by national and community organizations and health care providers in promoting awareness of the importance of regular clinical and self-examinations, regular mammograms, and biopsies (when appropriate), and in providing information, support, and access to services, should be recognized and applauded; and (3) the Federal Government has a responsibility, among other things, to continue to fund research so that the causes of, and improved treatment for, breast cancer may be discovered.
![Official portrait of Rep. Forbes, Michael P. [D-NY-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000257_200.jpg)