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United States · Official source
1,317 records where Rep. Furse, Elizabeth [D-OR-1] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1997
Domestic Violence Legal Services Eligibility Act - Amends the Legal Services Corporation Act to require the Legal Services Corporation, in establishing income levels to determine if a client who is the victim of domestic violence is eligible for assistance, to prescribe that only that client's income will be considered in making such determination.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1997
Northern Ireland Peace Act - Prohibits the sale or export of plastic bullets to the United Kingdom, including the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Directs the President, in order to deny the United Kingdom and the Royal Ulster Constabulary the ability to support acts of violence and destruction against Catholic enclaves in Northern Ireland, to establish diplomatic initiatives, both bilaterally with U.S. allies and multilaterally in appropriate international fora (including the United Nations) to limit the sale or export of plastic bullets to the United Kingdom and the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Directs the President to report periodically to the Congress on such bilateral and multilateral efforts. Directs the Secretary of State, as part of the annual human rights report to the Congress under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, to include a description of each incident involving the use of plastic bullets as weapons in Northern Ireland.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1997
Help Equip Local Police Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to expand current Department of Defense procedures for the procurement by State and local law enforcement agencies of law enforcement equipment suitable for counter-drug activities to include equipment that is not suitable or intended for counter-drug activities, but excluding any equipment that the Department does not procure for its own purposes. Terminates such expanded authority two years after the enactment of this Act, but allows the Secretary to continue to process requests received before such date.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Designation and Evaluation of Renewal Communities Title II: Tax Provisions Subtitle A: Tax Incentives for Renewal Communities Subtitle B: Charitable Contribution Credit Title III: Low-Income Educational Opportunity Scholarship Program Title IV: Additional Provisions American Community Renewal Act of 1997 - Title I: Designation and Evaluation of Renewal Communities - Renewing American Communities Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to create a new subchapter on renewal communities (RCs), authorizing designation of not more than 100 areas (with the first 50 being from areas which are enterprise zones or empowerment communities) as RCs if: (1) the areas have pervasive poverty, unemployment, and general distress and meet other requirements; and (2) State and local governments agree to take actions such as tax reduction, crime reduction strategies, and reducing, repealing, or not enforcing within the area certain governmental requirements such as licensing, zoning, and permits. Provides for: (1) coordination of RCs with empowerment zones and enterprise communities; and (2) interaction of the provisions of this Act with other Federal programs. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to report to the Congress concerning such designations. Title II: Tax Provisions - Subtitle A: Tax Incentives for Renewal Communities - Excludes from gross income the capital gain from an RC stock, business property, or partnership interest held more than five years. Allows a deduction to any qualified individual or other person for amounts paid in cash to a family development account for the individual's benefit. Allows account use for postsecondary education, first home purchase, business capitalization, medical expenses, and qualified rollovers. Excludes such accounts from taxation. Requires that the individual resided in an RC and was allowed an earned income credit for the preceding taxable year. Authorizes designation of not more than 25 RCs as account matching demonstration areas. Provides, to the extent provided in appropriations Acts, for matching contributions to accounts. Sets the commercial revitalization credit (established below) at 20 to 50 percent of the revitalization expenditures regarding a revitalization building. Increases, for an RC business, the dollar limit on expensing certain depreciable business assets. Permits a taxpayer to treat any RC environmental remediation cost as an expense which is not chargeable to capital account. Allows any cost so treated as a deduction. (Sec. 202) Provides a special work opportunity credit rule for RCs. (Sec. 203) Provides for the commercial revitalization credit. Subtitle B: Charitable Contributions Credit - Allows an individual a credit for 75 percent of the contributions (of up to $100 annually for a taxpayer) to an organization described in Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3) (charitable, etc., organizations) for which the taxpayer has done more than ten hours of volunteer service and which: (1) is primarily assisting poor individuals; (2) spends all of its resources providing services to the poor; and (3) has limited political activity. Terminates such credit after December 31, 1999. Title III : Low-Income Educational Opportunity Scholarship Program - Low-Income Educational Opportunity Act of 1997 - Requires an RC to establish and operate a Low-Income Educational Opportunity Scholarship program to: (1) provide RC families a choice of schools; and (2) provide assistance for attending public and private elementary and secondary schools, including religious schools. (Sec. 309) Requires that children attending: (1) private schools receive assistance for tuition, fees, and transportation; and (2) alternative public schools receive assistance for transportation. (Sec. 310) Sets forth school eligibility requirements. (Sec. 311) Declares that a scholarship under this title is an award of aid to a family, not to a school. Prohibits: (1) a Federal, State, or local agency taking into account Federal funds provided to a renewal community, school, or parent in determining whether to provide any other funds; and (2) deeming scholarships as parental income for Federal income tax purposes or for determining eligibility for other Federal programs. States that nothing in this title shall be construed to supersede any State law prohibiting the expenditure of public funds by sectarian schools, except that no State law may prohibit the expenditure by sectarian schools of Federal funds under this title. (Sec. 316) Requires that any constitutional challenge to the program be tried in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Permits an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Sec. 317) Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Additional Provisions - Provides for the transfer of ownership of any qualified Department of Housing and Urban Development property to the unit of local government having jurisdiction, if such unit of local government agrees to dispose such qualified property as specified, including granting to a community development corporation the right of first refusal. (Sec. 402) Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to declare that the provisions of this section apply to each program under the PHSA that makes Federal awards to prevent or treat substance abuse. Allows, notwithstanding any other provision of law, a religious organization (RO) to be an award recipient, make subawards, provide services through vouchers, or accept vouchers for providing services. Makes ROs eligible on the same basis as any other nonprofit private organization. Prohibits Federal or State: (1) discrimination against an organization on the basis that the organization has a religious character; and (2) requirements that an RO, in order to be a program participant, remove religious art, icons, scripture, or other symbols. Requires an RO to arrange for services through an alternative entity if an individual objects to the RO. Allows an RO to require a beneficiary who has elected to receive services from the organization to actively participate in religious practice, worship, and instruction. Prohibits using funds for sectarian worship or instruction, unless the beneficiary may choose where the assistance is redeemed or allocated. Declares that assistance to or on behalf of a beneficiary is aid to the beneficiary and not to the organization. Requires, if a State law or constitution would prevent the expenditure of State or local funds by ROs, that the Federal funds shall be segregated from State or other public funds. Requires, for personnel working in RO drug treatment programs, giving credit for religious education and training equivalent to credit given for secular course work. Mandates waiver of educational requirements if the RO has a record of successful drug treatment and the State or local government fails to demonstrate empirically that the educational qualifications are necessary. (Sec. 403) Amends the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 to allow the appropriate Federal financial supervisory agency, in assessing the record of a financial institution, to consider the institution's ventures with any community development organization in an RC.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1997
Child Safety Lock Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal criminal code to define (firearm) "locking device." Makes it unlawful for a licensed manufacturer, importer, or dealer to sell, deliver, or transfer a handgun without a locking device or a specified related warning, with exceptions for law enforcement and governmental entities. Sets forth civil penalties (in addition to any administrative penalties) for related violations, including suspension or loss of license.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1997
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the full realization of the rights of women is vital to the development and well-being of people of all nations; and (2) the Senate should give its advice and consent to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1997
Requires the Capitol Police Board to: (1) designate or establish a flag pole upon which the U.S. flag shall be flown at half-staff for one day whenever a Federal, State, local, or territorial law enforcement officer is slain in the line of duty; (2) post, in close proximity to the flag, public notice of the name, tenure of service, and jurisdiction of the officer being honored; and (3) present such flag to the officer's family.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Hemophilia Relief Fund Title II: Treatment of Certain Private Settlement Payments in Hemophilia-Clotting-Factor Suit under the Medicaid and SSI Programs Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1997 - Title I: Hemophilia Relief Fund - Establishes in the Treasury the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 103) Specifies that any individual who has a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection shall receive $125,000 from amounts available in the Fund if the individual meets one of the following conditions: (1) has a blood-clotting disorder and was treated with blood-clotting agents between July 1, 1982, and December 31, 1987; (2) is the lawful spouse of such individual or the former lawful spouse and was the lawful spouse of the individual at any time after a date within such period on which the individual was treated; or (3) acquired the HIV infection through perinatal transmission from a parent who is such an individual. Requires that the following conditions be met with respect to such individual: (1) the individual submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services written medical documentation that the individual has an HIV infection; (2) a petition for payment be filed with the Secretary by or on behalf of such individual; and (3) that the Secretary determine that the claim meets the requirements of this Act. (Sec. 105) Specifies that any right under this Act shall not be assignable or transferable. Sets limits regarding the number of claims per victim. (Sec. 106) Prohibits the Secretary from making any payment with respect to any petition filed under this Act unless the petition is filed within three years after the enactment of this Act. Title II: Treatment of Certain Private Settlement Payments in Hemophilia-Clotting-Factor Suit under the Medicaid and SSI Programs - Prohibits a settlement payment from being considered income or resources in determining a class member's eligibility for, or the amount of: (1) medical assistance under the Medicaid program; or (2) benefits under the Supplemental Security Income program. Defines the terms: (1) "class member"; and (2) "settlement payment."
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1997
Brooke Amendment Restoration Act - Amends the following Acts with respect to certain housing program rental contributions: (1) the United States Housing Act of 1937; (2) the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act; (3) the Housing Act of 1959; (4) the National Housing Act; (5) the Housing and Urban-Rural Recovery Act of 1983; (6) the Stewart B. Mckinney Homeless Assistance Act; and (7) the Housing Act of 1949.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1997
United States Olympic Checkoff Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish the United States Olympic Trust Fund; (2) permit an individual to designate one dollar of any tax overpayment for such Fund; (3) permit an individual to make cash contributions to such Fund; and (4) direct the Secretary of the Treasury to pay amounts in the Fund, less administrative expenses, to the U.S. Olympic Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1997
Medicare Bone Mass Measurement Coverage Standardization Coverage Act of 1997 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for standard national Medicare coverage of bone mass measurements (for early detection of potential osteoporosis).
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1997
Civil Rights Procedures Protection Act of 1996 - Amends specified Federal civil rights statutes (including title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, the equal pay requirement under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993) to prevent the involuntary application of arbitration to claims that arise from unlawful employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1997
Safe and Sober Streets Act of 1997 - Amends Federal transportation law to require the Secretary of Transportation to withhold five percent of the funds authorized for Federal aid highway programs for FY 2001, and ten percent of such amounts for subsequent fiscal years, from any State that has not enacted and is not enforcing a law that considers as intoxicated an individual who has an alcohol concentration level of 0.08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle in such State. Allows funds withheld from a State during FY 2001 to be available for up to three fiscal years after such date (to allow a State to meet such requirement within such period), but allows no grace period with respect to funds withheld during the subsequent fiscal years.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the post-1987 reduction in the State ceiling on private activity bonds. Provides, beginning in 1999, for cost-of-living adjustments in the State ceiling on such bonds.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1997
Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a postage stamp to honor law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the credit for increasing research activities. Removes a restriction on electing the alternative incremental credit.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1997
Payoffs-for-Layoffs Corporate Welfare Elimination Act of 1997 - Prohibits any funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the Department of Defense (DOD) from being obligated or expended for payment of any restructuring cost associated with a merger or acquisition incurred by a DOD contractor. Provides for the handling of contractor claims for such costs with respect to a merger or acquisition occurring before the enactment of this Act. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 to: (1) repeal a provision made inconsistent by this Act; (2) extend through FY 2000 a requirement of a report from the Secretary of Defense to the Congress concerning DOD savings achieved under a corporate restructuring; (3) require in such report certain additional information concerning DOD's past experience with contractors for which DOD agreed to allow such costs; and (4) require a current report from the Comptroller General to the Congress to include an estimate and description of the net effect on the Federal budget of reimbursing defense contractors for such costs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1997
Ovarian Cancer Research and Information Amendments of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for research on ovarian cancer. Specifies material to be included in ovarian cancer information and education programs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1997
James Guelff Body Armor Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit the sale or delivery of body armor unless the buyer and seller meet in person to accomplish its sale, delivery, and receipt, with an exception for body armor used by law enforcement officers. Sets penalties for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1997
Amends Federal employees' retirement law to compute annuities for Members of Congress under the same formula as applies to Federal employees generally. Subjects Members to the same guidelines as apply to Federal employees with respect to deductions from pay and Government contributions for retirement plans. Applies this Act to individuals who first served as Members of Congress in the 103d Congress or later. Requires Member annuities based on service performed before enactment of this Act or to which this Act does not apply to be computed as if this Act had never been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1997
Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit the disposition of a firearm or ammunition to, and the possession of a firearm or ammunition by, non-permanent resident aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1997
Aviation Safety Protection Act of 1997 - Amends Federal transportation law to establish a whistleblower protection program for airline employees providing air safety information. Prohibits air carriers, contractors, and subcontractors from discharging or otherwise discriminating against an employee as to pay, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because the employee: (1) is about to provide or has provided to the Federal Government information relating to air safety; or (2) is about to file or has filed a proceeding, or testified, or otherwise participated in a proceeding relating to air safety. Sets forth a Department of Labor complaint procedure for persons who believe they have been discharged or discriminated against in violation of this Act. Provides for award of attorney's fees of up to $5,000 to a prevailing employer for any such complaint found frivolous or brought in bad faith. Specifies civil penalties for violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1997
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to remove the requirement for an X-ray as a condition of coverage of chiropractic services under the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1997
Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 - Provides limited tort claim liability protection for nonprofit or governmental volunteers acting in good faith and within the scope of their duties. Sets forth discretionary State conditions and exceptions to such liability protection. Increases Social Services Block Grant Program allotments under title XX of the Social Security Act to a State that has adopted a similar measure within a specified time and conditions such increase upon an annual certification that the State law remains in effect.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1997
Women's Health Office Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Social Security Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to establish an Office of (or on) Women's Health and a related coordinating committee in the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, the Health Care Resources and Services Administration, and the Office of the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to, and enter into cooperative agreements, contracts, and interagency agreements with public and nonprofit private entities, agencies, and organizations. Requires that the Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall directly or through contracts with public and private entities, agencies, and organization, provide for evaluations of projects carried out with financial assistance provided under the grants and for the dissemination of information developed as a result of such projects. Transfers to such Office all functions exercised by the Office on Women's Health of the Public Health Service prior to the enactment of this Act, including all personnel and compensation authority, all delegation and assignment authority, and all remaining appropriations. Authorizes appropriations of such sums as may be necessary for FY 1998 through 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: General Provisions Title II: Revenue from Mining Claims Title III: Use or Disposal of Federal Natural Resources Title IV: National Park Concessions Public Resources Deficit Reduction Act of 1997 - Title I: General Provisions - Prohibits the disposal of federally-owned natural resources at less than fair market value (including forage, timber, minerals, water and hydroelectric energy generated at a Federal facility). Authorizes a presidential waiver of this proscription whenever the President determines it is in the national interest. (Sec. 102) Authorizes the Secretaries of the Interior and of Agriculture to impose user fees upon program beneficiaries. (Sec. 103) Requires the President's budget message to include a separate statement, asset by asset and aggregated by major functional category, identifying: (1) projected revenues from the anticipated sale, lease, or transfer of any physical asset; and (2) the estimated price at which it would be sold in an arms length transaction in the private sector. Title II: Revenue from Mining Claims - Requires the payment of a royalty to the Federal government of five percent of the net smelter return from the production of locatable minerals or mineral concentrates produced from any mining claim located under the general mining laws. Establishes the Abandoned Minerals Mine Reclamation Fund, into which all such royalty receipts shall be deposited for the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by past minerals activities (other than coal and fluid minerals activities). Identifies the kinds of land and waters eligible for reclamation expenditures. Authorizes appropriations for the Fund. Restricts the issuance of any patents for mining or mill site claims to those for which applications were filed, and certain statutory requirements governing vein or lode claims, placer claims, and mill site claims were complied with, before September 30, 1994. Sets forth annual claim maintenance fee requirements (which shall not apply to oil shale claims subject to claim maintenance fees under the Energy Policy Act of 1992). Title III: Use or Disposal of Federal Natural Resources - Amends the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to National Forest lands in the 16 contiguous Western States, and the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to public domain lands, where domestic livestock grazing is permitted under applicable law, to establish and implement an annual domestic livestock grazing fee equal to fair market value, based on a specified formula. Abolishes grazing advisory boards. Dedicates the U.S. share of grazing fee receipts to: (1) fish and wildlife habitat restoration and enhancement; (2) restoration and improved management of riparian areas; and (3) enforcement of applicable land management plans, allotment plans, and regulations. (Sec. 302) Amends the National Forest Management Act of 1976 to prohibit below-cost timber sales from National Forest System Lands. Requires sale revenues to exceed costs. (Sec. 303) Amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 to require the Secretary of Agriculture in revising land management plans to take into account the economic suitability of lands for timber production. (Sec. 304) Amends the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 to require that irrigation water from the Bureau of Reclamation used to produce crops on production flexibility contract acreage be paid for at the full cost for delivery. (Sec. 305) Amends the Food Security Act of 1995 and the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to provide for the reduction of payment limitations for persons who receive Federal irrigation water for agricultural purposes. (Sec. 308) Amends the Emergency Livestock Feed Assistance Act of 1988 to repeal the livestock feed assistance program. (Sec. 309) Requires that right-of-way permits for the use and occupation of public lands or National Forests be established at fair market value. (Sec. 310) Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to require that oil and gas rental prices for leases on public lands be established at fair market value. (Sec. 311) Amends the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Simplification and Fairness Act of 1996 to identify circumstances under which the Secretary of the Interior may make an assessment of 20 percent of the amount of underreported royalties from any lease for any production month. Title IV: National Park Concessions - Repeals the Concessions Policy Act of 1965. (Sec. 404) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to award concession contracts that authorize private persons, corporations, or other entities to provide services to park visitors and to utilize facilities if it is determined that such award is appropriate. (Sec. 405) Requires a concession contract to be awarded to the person submitting the best proposal through a competitive selection process to be established by the Secretary. Allows noncompetitive award of a temporary contract to avoid interruption of services. Requires the Secretary to publish a notice of availability for a prospectus soliciting proposals for contracts for concessions at a Park specifying minimum contract requirements and contract terms and conditions. Requires congressional notification for any proposed contract with anticipated gross receipts exceeding $1 million or of a duration of over ten years. Prohibits the Secretary from granting a preferential right to a concessioner to renew concession contracts under this Act, except for certain outfitting and guide contracts and certain contracts with annual gross receipts of under $500,000. (Sec. 406) Sets forth criteria for determining franchise fees, including fees for multiple franchise contracts within a park. (Sec. 407) Requires all fees to be: (1) covered into a special Treasury account established for reallocation to NPS units for resource management and protection, maintenance activities, interpretation, and research; or (2) deposited into a Park Improvement Fund established by the concessioner (as directed by the Secretary) from which expenditures shall be made for park activities and projects. Requires: (1) an annual statement from the concessioner to the Secretary reflecting total activity in the Fund for the preceding fiscal year; and (2) an annual report from the Secretary to specified congressional committees concerning Fund expenditures. (Sec. 408) Establishes a maximum: (1) ten-year duration for a concessions contract, provided that the Secretary may award a contract for up to 20 years if determined necessary; and (2) two-year duration for a temporary contract. (Sec. 409) Requires the approval of the Secretary and congressional notification before a concession contract can be transferred, assigned, sold, or conveyed. Sets forth conditions that preclude such approval. (Sec. 410) Grants possessory interest to: (1) concessioners who have commenced acquisition or construction of any structure on Federal land within a park before the enactment of this Act; and (2) concessioners who construct or acquire an improvement on U.S. land within a Park after enactment of this Act. (Sec. 411) Places limitations on a concessioner's rates and charges to the public. (Sec. 412) Directs the Secretary to: (1) evaluate periodically the performance of each concessioner under contract; (2) terminate a contract if a concessioner fails, within the prescribed time, to meet minimum requirements identified in a notice of unsatisfactory performance; and (3) notify specified congressional committees of each unsatisfactory rating and each contract terminated. (Sec. 413) Grants the Comptroller General of the United States access to and the right to examine any pertinent books, documents, papers, and records of the concessioner related to the contracts. (Sec. 414) Exempts contracts awarded by the Secretary under this Act from certain provisions of Federal law with respect to the leasing of U.S. buildings and properties. (Sec. 416) Requires the Inspector General of the Department of the Interior to submit biannual reports to specified congressional committees on the implementation of this Act and its effect on facilities operated pursuant to concession contracts and on visitor services. (Sec. 417) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Decentralization Act of 1997 - Directs the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to use abandoned and underutilized facilities in depressed communities to meet the Administration's facilities' needs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Morris K. Udall Wilderness Act of 1997 - Designates specified lands in Alaska as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Commemorative Coins Title II: Circulating Coins Marian Anderson Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Title I: Commemorative Coins - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) mint and issue one-dollar and half-dollar coins in commemoration of the centennial of the birth of Marian Anderson; and (2) allocate sales surcharges to the Smithsonian Institution, the Public Broadcasting Fund, and the National Museum of American History for the support of the National Numismatic Collection. Title II: Circulating Coins - Amends Federal currency law to provide that at the Secretary's discretion, half-dollar coins minted after specified dates may bear the same design as the commemorative coins minted under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Housing Counseling Enhancement Act - Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 to: (1) extend the emergency home ownership counseling program; (2) extend the authorization of appropriations for the prepurchase and foreclosure prevention counseling demonstration; and (3) require notification of delinquency on veterans' home loans.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Federal Juvenile Proceedings Title II: Grant Program for at Risk Juveniles Teaching Responsibility and Accountability to Children Act of 1997 - Title I: Federal Juvenile Proceedings - Amends the Federal criminal code to require an appropriate Federal authority (designated by the Attorney General), before any decision is made to proceed against a juvenile as a juvenile or as an adult, or to refer the juvenile to State authorities, to perform an initial intake screening to determine whether that juvenile is an at risk juvenile. Requires a juvenile who is determined to be at risk and who is proceeded against as a juvenile to be referred to a youth development specialist. Provides that if a juvenile is referred to State authorities for further proceedings or transferred for prosecution as an adult, the results of the screening shall be made available to those authorities or to the entity to which the juvenile is so transferred. Requires the screening body to determine that a juvenile is at risk if it determines that the juvenile is likely to exhibit recidivist or increasingly violent crimes, based on specified factors. Limits the use of such determination. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the qualifications and duties of the youth development specialist, including determining a course of action for the juvenile that will avoid continued criminal activity and monitoring the juvenile's progress through the court system; and (2) data collection and dissemination by the Attorney General. Title II: Grant Program for At Risk Juveniles - Directs the Attorney General to award: (1) grants to an entity that has implemented specified at risk juvenile screening programs and youth development specialist referral services; and (2) not more than $10,000 each year for each juvenile who receives services to an entity that meets the requirements of this title. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) eligibility; and (2) permissible uses of grant funds. Authorizes appropriations. Specifies that funds authorized may be appropriated from the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Domestic Violence Victims Housing Act - Increases specified authorizations of appropriations under the United States Housing Act of 1937 to provide rental relocation assistance to victims of domestic violence.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Child Support Enforcement Act - Prohibits construing this Act to affect: (1) the right of an individual or State to receive child support payments; or (2) the obligation of an individual to pay child support. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require that taxable child support payments the taxpayer is required to pay and that are unpaid be treated as included in gross income by reason of discharge of indebtedness. Allows a taxpayer entitled to receive such payments a deduction for unpaid payments. Allows the deduction for those who do not itemize deductions. Requires that net revenues received in the Treasury under this Act be applied, as provided in appropriations Acts, solely to the retirement of outstanding public debt.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Increases the salaries of the Chief Justice and associate Supreme Court justices of the United States and the judges of the United States courts of appeals, the United States district courts, and the United States Court of International Trade by 9.6 percent. Requires future adjustments in judicial salaries to equal the percentage by which General Schedule pay rates are adjusted (currently, the percentage change in the Employment Cost Index).
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Recognizes the importance of African-American music to global culture. Calls on the people of the United States to study, reflect on, and celebrate African-American music.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1997
Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 1995 (sic) - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to include certain service in the organized military forces of the Philippines and service as Philippine Scouts within the definition of active U.S. military service for purposes of eligibility for various veterans' benefits for former active-duty military personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1997
Battered Women's Employment Protection Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to unemployment tax to require appropriate State laws to provide for unemployment compensation for an individual separated from employment due to circumstances directly resulting from the individual's experience of domestic violence. Amends the Social Security Act to require State laws approved under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act to provide for training for claims reviewers and hearing personnel in the nature of domestic violence, and in methods of ascertaining its existence, so that employment separations stemming from domestic violence are reliably screened, identified, and adjudicated. (Sec. 4) Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act to entitle an employee to such leave: (1) in order to care for the employee's child or parent, if such child or parent is addressing domestic violence and its effects; or (2) because the employee is addressing domestic violence and its effects, the employee is unable to perform any of the functions of the employee's position. Allows leave, in such cases, to be taken intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule. Allows the employee to elect, or the employer to require, substitution of accrued paid leave for such leave. Sets forth provisions Provides for certification and confidentiality of domestic violence information involved in such cases. (Sec. 5) Amends specified Federal law to provide for entitlement to leave for Federal employees in such domestic violence situations. (Sec. 6) Allows unemployment compensation or leave benefits under other laws, collective bargaining agreements, or employment benefit programs greater then those provided by this Act; but prohibits diminishment of the rights and benefits established by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1997
Health Insurance Bill of Rights Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require a health insurance issuer under provisions of this Act to comply with certain notice requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Requires an issuer, if coverage provides any emergency services benefits, to cover emergency services without authorization, participating provider, or (subject to exception) other restrictions. Requires an issuer, if the issuer requires or provides for an enrollee to designate a participating primary care provider, to permit a female enrollee to designate an obstetrics and gynecology specialist as the enrollee's primary care provider. Prohibits an issuer, if an enrollee has not designated such a specialist as a primary care provider, from requiring prior authorization for coverage of routine gynecological care and pregnancy-related services provided by such a specialist. Requires an issuer to refer to a specialist an enrollee who requires treatment by a specialist. Provides, in certain circumstances, for: (1) a specialist to provide and coordinate an enrollee's primary and specialty care; and (2) standing referrals. Requires an issuer, if a contract between the issuer and a provider is terminated, to permit an enrollee undergoing a course of treatment to continue with the provider during a transitional period. Requires an issuer to permit each enrollee to receive: (1) primary care from any available participating primary care provider; and (2) subject to limitation, specialty care from any available qualified participating provider. Prohibits issuer discrimination against an enrollee on the basis of the enrollee's participation in a clinical study or investigation approved and funded by specified Federal agencies. Regulates coverage of prescription drugs when an issuer uses a formulary. Requires issuers to: (1) maintain a quality assurance and improvement program; (2) collect uniform quality data; (3) have a written process for the selection of participating professionals; (4) maintain a drug utilization program; (5) conduct utilization review; (6) disclose specified information to enrollees and prospective enrollees; (7) ensure compliance with confidentiality laws; and (8) maintain a complaints and appeals system. Authorizes appropriations for grants to States to establish and maintain a Health Insurance Ombudsman. Prohibits agreements between issuers and providers from: (1) restricting the provider from engaging in medical communications with a patient (allowing the issuer to advise of the coverage's limitations on particular services based on the religious or moral convictions of the issuer); or (2) transferring to the provider any liability relating to actions or omissions of the issuer or agent. Imposes requirements on physician incentive plans. Prohibits an issuer from limiting the manner in which covered services are delivered. Requires each health issuer to comply with patient protection requirements of this Act regarding group and individual health insurance coverage it offers. Allows a State to establish requirements at least as stringent on issuers as the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1997
Access to Emergency Medical Services Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Public Health Service Act to require any group health plan which provides emergency health services to cover emergency services furnished to a plan participant: (1) without need for any prior authorization; (2) subject to stated exceptions, whether or not the physician or provider is plan participant; and (3) subject to stated exceptions, without regard to any other term or condition of the plan. Defines "emergency medical services" and related terms. Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) to provide for the provision of the same benefits to Medicare and Medicaid plan participants. Provides for the establishment of guidelines by the appropriate Secretaries in order carry out the provisions of this Act. Directs the Secretaries to jointly establish an advisory panel to assist in the development of such guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1997
Directs the Attorney General to promulgate regulations relating to gender-based persecution, including female genital mutilation, for use in determining an alien's eligibility for asylum or withholding of deportation.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1997
Prohibits a person from leaving a loaded firearm, or an unloaded firearm and ammunition, any of which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, in a manner that the person knows or reasonably should know is likely to be accessible to a juvenile, unless the person has given the juvenile permission to possess the firearm and the possession is under the supervision of an adult who is not prohibited by Federal, State, or local law from possessing a firearm. Requires that: (1) licensed dealers post a copy of such prohibition; and (2) notice be included on the form required to be obtained by licensed dealers from prospective firearms transferees. Makes it an affirmative defense that the firearm was left in a locked, opaque box or with a trigger locking device installed. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, to impose a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for a violation. Limits judicial review of the Secretary's action. Prohibits, with exceptions, the sale of a firearm by a licensed dealer to any person unless, before the sale, the dealer has offered to sell the purchaser a trigger locking device, explained its operation, and had the person indicate in writing that the person understands that trigger locking devices are available for purchase.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1997
Amends the Paperwork Reduction Act to require that a list of racial or ethnic classifications for a collection of information provide an opportunity for a respondent to specify "multiracial" or "multiethnic."
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1997
21st Century Scholars Act of 1997 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to establish a 21st Century Scholars Program, which shall give eligible 21st Century Scholars (eligible Scholars) a legally binding promise, secured by the full faith and credit of the United States, to provide the maximum authorized Pell Grant to cover the costs of attendance for each of up to four years of attendance at an eligible institution. Makes students eligible Scholars if they successfully completed the uppermost grade at a qualifying elementary school and were residents of the such school's attendance area during the school year in which such grade was completed. Makes schools qualifying elementary schools if they serve attendance areas in which the concentration of children from low-income families exceeds 75 percent, as determined under specified provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Pension Reform Title II: Protection of Rights of Former Spouses to Pension Benefits Under Certain Government and Government-Sponsored Retirement Programs Title III: Reforms Related to 401(k) Plans Title IV: Modifications of Joint and Survivor Annuity Requirements Title V: Spousal Consent Required for Distributions from Section 401(k) Plans Title VI: Women's Pension Toll-Free Phone Number Title VII: Periodic Pension Benefits Statements Comprehensive Women's Pension Protection Act of 1997 - Title I: Pension Reform - Amends the Tax Reform Act of 1986 to apply specified integrated plan nondiscrimination rules to all accrued benefits. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (Code) to repeal the permitted disparity provision with respect to simplified employee pension contributions. (Sec. 102) Applies minimum coverage requirements to a separate line of business employer plan for qualified trust purposes. Establishes a single line of business special rule. (Sec. 103) Sets forth provisions concerning the division of pension benefits upon divorce. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to set forth similar provisions. (Sec. 104) Provides for the continued availability of certain remedies with respect to pre-1985 domestic relations orders. (Sec. 105) Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to eliminate specified employee-annuitant requirements with respect to a divorced wife's annuity. Title II: Protection of Rights of Former Spouses to Pension Benefits Under Certain Government and Government-Sponsored Retirement Programs - Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 and Federal law to provide for protection of former spouses to railroad and civil service pension benefits. Title III: Reforms Related to 401(k) Plans - Applies a specified limitation on acquisition and holding of employer securities and real property to 401(k) plans. Title IV: Modifications of Joint and Survivor Annuity Requirements - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Code to permit, with respect to specified plans, a qualified joint and two-thirds survivor annuity. Defines such an annuity. Title V: Spousal Consent Required for Distributions from Section 401(k) Plans - Amends the Code to require spousal consent for 401(k) plan distributions. Title VI: Women's Pension Toll-Free Phone Number - Directs the Secretary of Labor to provide for a women's pension toll-free telephone number. Authorizes appropriations. Title VII: Periodic Pension Benefits Statements - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to prescribe time periods for furnishing pension benefits statements.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1997
Youth Protection From Tobacco Addiction Act of 1997 - Places specified limitations on tobacco advertising, promotion, and packaging.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1997
Access to Medical Treatment Act - Permits any individual to be treated by a health care practitioner with any medical treatment that the individual desires (including a treatment that is not approved, certified, or licensed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services) if: (1) the practitioner agrees to treat the individual; and (2) the administration of such treatment does not violate licensing laws. Authorizes health care practitioners to provide any method of treatment to such an individual if certain requirements are met. Requires a practitioner to report: (1) administering such treatment and discovering it to be a danger to an individual; and (2) the positive effects of an unconventional medical treatment for a life-threatening medical condition.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1997
Directs the Attorney General to adjust the status of specified Persian Gulf evacuees to permanent resident.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1997
National Clean Water Trust Fund Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a National Clean Water Trust Fund to be composed of monies obtained through enforcement actions. Makes the Fund available for projects to restore waters from damages resulting from violations of such Act and from the discharge of pollutants. Authorizes the use of civil penalties obtained under such Act for mitigation projects.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1997
National African American Museum Act - Establishes within the Smithsonian Institution the National African American Museum, to be operated as a center for scholarship and a location for museum training, public education, exhibits, and collection and study of items and materials relating to the life, art, history, and culture of African Americans. Authorizes the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution to plan, design, reconstruct, and renovate the Arts and Industries Building to house the Museum. Establishes a Board of Trustees of the Museum in the Smithsonian Institution. Directs the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution to appoint a Director to manage the Museum. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1997
Amends Federal aviation law to direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations requiring the use of federally-approved child safety restraint systems (including weight and age limits) on commercial aircraft. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization should seek an international standard to require that passengers on civil aviation aircraft be restrained: (1) on takeoff and landing; and (2) when directed by the aircraft captain on commercial aircraft.