United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2001
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) mandate a single national average standardized payment amount for inpatient hospital services furnished, regardless of whether in an urban or non-urban area, under the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for discharges occurring in FY 2002 and thereafter; and (2) establish a minimum factor of .925 as a floor for area wage adjustment factors used under the PPS for inpatient and outpatient hospital services.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to suspend, for purposes of determining exclusion of gain from the sale of a principal residence, the five-year determination period for: (1) members of the uniformed services or the Foreign Service serving on qualified extended duty (at least 50 miles from such residence or residing in Government quarters); or (2) an employee serving for more than 90 days on assignment abroad.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2001
Honors the service and sacrifice by members of the U.S. merchant marine. Recognizes: (1) the critical role played by vessels of the U.S. merchant marine fleet in transporting equipment, supplies, and personnel in support of the nation's defense; and (2) the historical significance of May 22 as National Maritime Day, which commemorates the anniversary of the first transoceanic voyage under steam propulsion. Encourages the American people and appropriate government agencies to recognize the services and sacrifices of the U.S. merchant marine through appropriate ceremonies and activities. Requests that all ships under the U.S. flag prominently display the flag on such day.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2001
Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal criminal code to replace provisions regarding the purchase of prison-made products by Federal departments with provisions establishing a Government-wide procurement policy relating to purchases from Federal Prison Industries (FPI) which shall generally require the use of competitive procedures. Requires FPI to comply with Federal occupational, health, and safety standards regarding its industrial operations. Requires that an analysis of the probable impact of a proposed expansion of inmate-work activities by FPI on private sector firms and their non-inmate workers be made whenever FPI proposes to authorize the sale of a new specific product or service or to expand production of a current product or service. Provides for inmate wages and deductions. Amends the Federal judicial code regarding the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund to authorize payments to the Bureau of Prisons exclusively for the purpose of providing additional vocational and remedial educational training for inmates. Amends the Federal criminal code to require that not less than 20 percent of the gross profits of the corporation at the end of each fiscal year be allocated to fund vocational training for inmates. Requires the Director of the Bureau to afford to inmates opportunities to participate in programs and activities designed to help prepare such inmates to obtain employment upon release. Authorizes FPI to: (1) locate more than one workshop at a Federal correctional facility; and (2) operate a workshop outside of a correctional facility if all of participating inmates are minimum security inmates.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2001
American Hospital Preservation Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), as amended by Federal law commonly referred to as the (Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP) Benefits Improvement and Protection Act, to: (1) increase (restore the full) market basket update for inpatient prospective payment services hospitals; and (2) maintain the indirect medical education adjustment percentage at 6.5 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the inclusion of any social security or tier I railroad retirement benefits in gross income. Appropriates non-appropriated Treasury amounts for the social security and railroad retirement funds to equal the amounts not transferred as a result of such repeal. Expresses the sense of Congress that tax increases will not be used to provide such revenue.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions concerning designated settlement funds to exempt from tax any designated settlement fund established for the principal purpose of resolving and satisfying present and future claims relating to asbestos. Sets forth special rules concerning asbestos liability losses.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2001
Fair Care for the Uninsured Act of 2001- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual a tax credit in an amount equal to the amount paid for qualified health insurance, subject to stated limitations. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments to the provider of an individual's qualified health insurance equal to such individual's qualified health insurance credit advance amount (the Secretary's estimate of the amount of credit allowable) with respect to such provider. Requires each health insurer, health maintenance organization, and health service organization to participate in a health insurance safety net which shall assure the availability of health insurance to uninsurable individuals. Funds such safety nets through assessments against such insurers and organizations. Permits such insurers and organizations to add the costs of such assessments to the costs of its insurance or coverage. Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow health benefits coverage through individual membership associations (IMAs). Sets forth IMA requirements, including that the IMA be an organization operated under the direction of an association and that IMA health benefits coverage only be provided through contracts with health insurance issuers. Requires IMAs to include a minimum of two health insurance coverage options.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2001
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish one appropriate Government headstone or marker, other than for replacement, to mark the graves of veterans. (Currently, such a headstone or marker is required only for unmarked graves of veterans.) Makes such provision effective with respect to applications received by the Secretary for individuals dying on or after November 1, 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Requires the metal content of the Medal of Honor, awarded by the President to members of the armed forces and Coast Guard, to be 90 percent gold and ten percent alloy.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Increases the biweekly contribution payable by the Government for a Federal employee or annuitant enrolled in a Federal employee health insurance plan.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Requires the American flags on all Federal office buildings to be lowered to half-staff each year in honor of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service in Emittsburg, Maryland.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2001
Veterans' Higher Education Opportunities Act of 2001 - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to change the amount of monthly veterans' educational assistance allowance under the Montgomery GI Bill from a fixed amount adjusted for inflation to an amount equal to the average monthly costs of tuition and expenses for commuter students at public institutions of higher education that award baccalaureate degrees (75 percent of such amount for veterans whose initial obligated period of active duty is two years). Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to determine such average monthly costs each year and to publish such amounts in the Federal Register.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Lyme Disease Initiative of 2001 - 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.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Military Survivors Equity Act of 2001 - Repeals the social security offset applicable to certain annuities paid to surviving spouses under the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) for retired members of the armed forces, to the extent that such offset is due to integration with social security benefits when the surviving spouse reaches 62 years of age. Repeals the required reduction in such annuity when such person reaches age 62. Directs the Secretary of Defense to recompute the existing annuities of certain individuals under the SBP to reflect the changes made by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Municipal Solid Waste Flow Control Act of 2001 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to authorize States and political subdivisions, under specified conditions, to exercise flow control authority for municipal solid waste and recyclable materials voluntarily relinquished by the owner or generator, directing such waste and materials to particular facilities. Imposes identification and volume restrictions on the exercise of flow control authority to the classes or categories of materials to which such authority was applicable on the suspension date. Sets dates for expiration of such authority. Defines "suspension date" as May 16, 1994; the date of an injunction or court order based on a ruling that a State or subdivision law or official act violated the Commerce Clause of the Constitution; or the date of a suspension or partial suspension of such law or act expressly because of the existence of such injunction or order. Imposes limitations on the use of revenues derived by a State or political subdivision from the exercise of flow control authority. Provides for the enforceability under State law of certain legally binding interim contracts. Allows a State to exercise flow control authority over solid waste if, on or before January 1, 1984, the State: (1) adopted regulations under a State law that required or directed the transportation, management, or disposal of such waste from residential, commercial, institutional, or industrial sources to specifically identified waste management facilities and applied those regulations to every political subdivision; and (2) subjected the facilities to the jurisdiction of a State public utilities commission. Lists additional conditions under which solid waste districts or political subdivisions may exercise flow control authority for 20 years after this Act's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Law Enforcement Officers Due Process Act of 2001 - Authorizes the Attorney General to provide grants to law enforcement agencies (agencies) that: (1) have in effect an administrative process or an existing procedure that complies with officer rights requirements; or (2) certify that they will establish, within two years, an administrative process that complies with such requirements. Requires the administrative process to require that an agency that investigates an officer for matters which could reasonably lead to disciplinary action provide recourse for the officer that includes: (1) access to any existing administrative process established by the employing agency prior to disciplinary action; and (2) the right to a hearing before a fair and impartial board or hearing officer, to be represented by an attorney or other officer at such officer's expense, to confront any witness testifying against such officer, and to record all meetings. Permits the immediate suspension with pay of an officer: (1) whose continued presence on the job is considered to be a substantial and immediate threat; (2) who refuses to obey a direct order issued in conformance with the agency's written and disseminated rules and regulations; or (3) who is accused of committing an illegal act. Makes this Act inapplicable to an agency if the Attorney General determines that such agency has in effect an established civil service system, agency review board, grievance procedure, or personnel board which meets or exceeds the minimum standards set forth in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Solid Waste Interstate Transportation Act of 2001 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to prohibit a landfill or incinerator (facility) from receiving out-of-State municipal solid waste (MSW) for disposal or incineration unless the waste is received pursuant to a new or existing host community agreement or an exemption from this prohibition (which may be limited by the State). Establishes conditions for exemptions. Authorizes States to establish limits on the amount of out-of-State waste received annually for disposal at each facility. Allows a State to limit the amount of out-of-State MSW received annually at each facility to the amount received during 1995 if the State has enacted a comprehensive, statewide recycling program. Prohibits State limits from conflicting with permits or host community agreements that set higher (or no) limits. Sets the limitation amount for any facility that began receiving documented out-of-State waste before enactment of this Act at the amount received during 1993. Prohibits discrimination against shipments of such waste on the basis of State of origin. Allows States to require that a permit issued for a new facility or an expansion include an annual limitation of not less than 20 percent on the total quantity of out-of-State MSW relative to the total waste received by the facility. Requires percentage limitations to be uniform for all facilities and not discriminate against out-of-State waste according to the State of origin.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2001
Child Status Protection Act of 2001 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act, respecting immediate relative and certain related statuses, to determine the age of an alien child (under 21 years old) as of the filing date of the immigrant visa petition.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Justice for United States Prisoners of War Act of 2001 - Requires any Federal court in which an action is brought against a Japanese national by a member of the U.S. armed forces seeking compensation for mistreatment or failure to pay wages in connection with labor performed in Japan for such national as a prisoner of war during World War II to: (1) apply the applicable statute of limitations of the State in which the action is pending; and (2) not construe a specified provision of the Treaty of Peace With Japan as a waiver by the United States of such claims. States that it is U.S. policy to ensure that any war claims settlement terms between Japan and any other country that are more beneficial than terms extended to the United States under the above Treaty are extended to the United States with respect to claims under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to secure information relating to chemical or biological tests conducted by Japan on members of the U.S. armed forces held as prisoners of war during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to limit the late enrollment penalty to a ten percent increase in the monthly part B premium due over a period equal to twice the number of years that the part B beneficiary could have been but was not enrolled under Medicare part B.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise title I as Improving the Academic Performance of the Disadvantaged (currently Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards). Revises title I part A with respect to: (1) yearly testing and assessments of student performance; (2) Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards; (3) identification of schools for improvement and corrective actions; (4) supplemental education services, or public (or private) school choice options under certain conditions, if a school fails repeatedly; (5) reporting to parents and the public on school performance and teacher quality; (6) State reservation of funds for school improvement; (7) formulas relating to Basic, Concentration, Targeted, and Education Finance Incentive Grants; and (8) eligibility requirements for schoolwide programs. Revises and reauthorizes title I provisions for: (1) the William F. Goodling Even Start Family Literacy Program; (2) Education of Migratory Children; (3) Neglected or Delinquent Youth; and (4) Federal evaluations and demonstrations. Establishes title I programs for: (1) Reading First and Early Reading First initiatives; and (2) Comprehensive School Reform. Rural Education Initiative Act - Revises, reauthorizes, and transfers to title I part G Rural Education Flexibility and Assistance, ESEA provisions for a Rural Education Initiative, with State formula grants for: (1) flexibility for small rural schools; and (2) assistance for low-income and rural schools. Revises ESEA title II as Preparing, Training, and Recruiting Quality Teachers to: (1) replace the current Eisenhower Professional Development and Class-Size Reduction programs; and (2) establish a teacher quality training and recruiting fund as a State formula grant program, with subgrants to LEAs, to support various similar and additional activities to improve elementary and secondary school teaching. Establishes a Mathematics and Science Partnerships subgrants program involving SEAs, higher education mathematics or science departments, and LEAs. Includes among authorized national teacher activities, administered by the Secretary, support for: (1) the Troops-to-Teachers program recruiting military retirees into teaching; and (2) innovative preretirement teacher certification programs for members of the Armed Forces. Eliminates an authorization for the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Math and Science Education. Sets forth title II part B, Teacher Liability Protection, to provisions to exempt teachers, administrators, and school board members from certain liability for actions taken in official capacity to maintain school discipline. Revises ESEA title III as Education of Limited English Proficient Children; Indian and Alaska Native Education (consolidating current title VII and title IX parts A and C). (Current title III Technology for Education programs are eliminated, but some similar activities are consolidated under the new title V part B.) English Language Proficiency and Academic Achievement Act - Sets forth a title III part A, Education of Limited English Proficient Children. Replaces the Bilingual Education Act programs, Foreign Language Assistance Program, and Emergency Immigrant Education Program with this program of formula grants to States for education of limited English proficient (LEP) children. Requires students who have been in U.S. schools for at least three years to be tested for reading in English. Sets forth certain language program exceptions for programs that serve Native American and Native Pacific Island children and children in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to rename the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs as the Office of Educational Services for Limited English Proficient Children. Reauthorizes and revises ESEA provisions for Indian and Alaska Native Education (currently under ESEA title IX parts A and C, but eliminates current title IX part B provisions for education of Native Hawaiians), under the new title III part B. Alaska Native Educational Equity Support and Assistance Act - Revises the Alaska Native Educational Equity Support and Assistance Act (currently under ESEA title IX part C). Amends the Education Amendments of 1978 to revise provisions for Bureau of Indian Affairs programs. Revises ESEA title IV as Promoting Informed Parental Choice and Innovative Programs. (Transfers parts of the current title IV to title V.) Revises and reauthorizes: (1) part A Innovative Programs (currently under title VI Innovative Education Program Strategies); (2) part B Public Charter Schools (currently under title X part C); and (3) part D Magnet Schools Assistance (currently under title V part A). Allows Innovative Program funds to be used for public (or private) school choice, under certain conditions, for disadvantaged students in failing schools. Establishes a part C Educational Opportunity Fund for competitive awards to eligible entities for school choice research and demonstration projects concerning the effectiveness of school choice programs in improving the academic performance of low-income students. Revises ESEA title V as Safe Schools for the 21st Century. (Eliminates current title V parts B and C provisions for Women's Educational Equity and for Assistance to Address School Dropout Problems.) Safe Schools for the 21st Century Act of 2001- Revises and reauthorizes title V part A, Supporting Drug and Violence Prevention and Education for Students and Communities (currently under title IV, Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities). Revises: (1) school safety programs; (2) national activities; and (3) gun-free school requirements (currently under title IX part F of ESEA, also known as the Gun-Free Schools Act). Requires drug and violence prevention programs to be consistent with certain principles of effectiveness. Requires States to establish policies providing public school choice (and private school choice if a safe public school cannot accommodate them) to students who attend persistently dangerous schools or who are victims of violent crimes in school or on school grounds. Allows States to carry out programs through grants and contracts with charitable, religious, and other private organizations, in addition to LEAs. Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2001 - Sets forth title V part B, Enhancing Education Through Technology which revises and reauthorizes some programs currently under title III Education for Technology and title X part I 21st Century Community Learning Centers. Consolidates such program activities for telecommunications and technology access into a formula grant program for State and local technology for success programs, and authorizes certain national technology initiatives. Sets forth title V part C Character Education programs (revises and expands a pilot project currently under title X part A). Revises and reauthorizes the Impact Aid Program as ESEA title VI (currently title VIII). Revises ESEA title VII as Flexibility and Accountability. Sets forth part A, State Accountability for Improving Academic Achievement. Authorizes various education performance awards for States and schools. Penalizes States that fail to achieve progress in certain educational assessments by reducing administrative funds under ESEA formula grant programs. Directs the Secretary to make: (1) awards to States for costs of developing certain additional required assessments and standards, administration of assessments and other accountability activities; and (2) bonus payments for development of such assessments ahead of deadline. Academic Achievement for All Act (Straight A's Act) - Sets forth ESEA title VII part B, Performance Agreements. Allows States a certain type of flexibility in consolidating and using specified formula program funds for State education priorities and programs, in exchange for being held accountable for meeting, in a five-year period, certain performance goals which they propose. State and Local Transferability Act - Sets forth ESEA title VII part C, Transferability of Funds. Authorizes State and LEA transfers of funds: (1) among specified ESEA formula grant programs; and (2) from such programs to their allocations for ESEA title I but does not allow transfer of title I funds to other programs. Revises as ESEA title VIII General Provisions (current title IX), including flexibility in the use of administrative and other funds, coordination of programs, consolidated plans and applications, waivers, uniform provisions, and evaluations. Sets forth the sense of the Congress regarding: (1) paperwork reduction; and (2) memorials. Prohibits: (1) use of Federal funds or sanctions for mandatory national certification of teachers and paraprofessionals; and (2) use of ESEA funds for federally-sponsored national testing, unless specifically authorized by law. Redesignates as ESEA title VIII parts H, I, J, and K, current ESEA title XIII provisions for: (1) Comprehensive Regional Assistance Centers; (2) National Diffusion Network; (3) Eisenhower Regional Mathematics and Science Education Consortia; and (4) Technology-Based Technical Assistance. Amends the National Education Statistics Act of 1994 with respect to State assessments. McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to revise and reauthorize provisions for education for homeless children and youth. Repeals provisions under the Goals 2000: Educate America Act for: (1) the National Education Goals Panel and the National Education Standards and Improvement Council; and (2) an International Education Program. Repeals the Troops-to-Teachers Program Act of 1999. Repeals the following ESEA provisions: (1) part B of title IX, education of Native Hawaiians; (2) title X, Programs of National Significance, including the Fund for the Improvement of Education and programs for gifted and talented children, arts in education, inexpensive book distribution, civic education, Ellender fellowships, urban and rural education assistance, and the national writing project; (3) title XI, Coordinated Services; and (4) title XII, School Facilities Infrastructure Improvement, a program of grants for school construction and renovation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2001
Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to increase benefits to railroad employees and their beneficiaries and to revise financing of the pension part (tier II) of the railroad retirement system. Establishes a Railroad Retirement Trust Fund and a Railroad Retirement Investment Trust to manage and invest Fund assets. Abolishes the Railroad Retirement Supplemental Annuity Account and provides for transfer of its funds to the Fund. Provides for transfer to the Fund of certain portions of the Railroad Retirement Account and of Social Security Equivalent Benefit account funds. Transfers to the disbursing agent from the Dual Benefits Payments Account the amount necessary to make dual benefit payments. Requires the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) to calculate the ratio of assets to benefits to determine annual tier II tax rates for employers, employee representatives, and employees. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt the Fund from taxation. Repeals a supplemental annuity tax that railroad employers pay to finance a benefit for long-time rail employees. Provides for adjustments to railroad employers, employee representatives, and employee tier II tax rates.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2001
Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to provide that moneys in the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund shall be available without further appropriation for reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by past coal mining.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2001
Assistant United States Attorneys Retirement Benefit Equity Act of 2001 - Makes applicable to Assistant United States Attorneys the provisions of the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System that apply to Federal law enforcement officers. Directs the Department of Justice to provide notice to incumbent Assistant U.S. Attorneys as to their election rights under this Act and the effects of making or not making a timely election under this Act. Allows such incumbents to elect the option to be treated either: (1) in accordance with the amendments made by this Act; or (2) as if this Act had never been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to: (1) restrict the application of the windfall elimination provision to individuals whose combined monthly income from the individual's primary insurance amount under such title and the portion of the monthly periodic payment attributable to noncovered service performed after 1956 exceeds $2,000; and (2) provide for a graduated implementation of such provision by specified percentages with respect to incremental amounts above such threshold, up to 100 percent for combined amounts over $3,000.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Marriage Tax Elimination Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to provide that the basic standard deduction on a joint return shall be equal to 200 percent of the dollar amount of an individual who is not married. Provides a schedule for making, by 2005, the maximum taxable income in the lowest married bracket equal to double the maximum taxable income in the lowest single filer bracket. Increases the earned income credit phaseout amount on a joint return by $2,000. Revises IRC provisions relating to limitation based on tax liability and the definition of such liability to provide that the aggregate amount of credits allowed as nonrefundable personal credits shall not exceed the sum of: (1) the taxpayer's regular tax liability for the taxable year reduced by the foreign tax credit; and (2) the tax imposed by the alternative minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Railroad Track Modernization Act of 2001 - Amends Federal rail transportation law to direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a program of capital grants to Class II and Class III railroads to rehabilitate, preserve, or improve railroad track (including roadbed, bridges, and related track structures) used primarily for freight transportation to a standard to accommodate 286,000 pound rail cars in a safe and efficient manner. Authorizes the Secretary to also make grants to supplement direct loans or loan guarantees (including for paying credit risk premiums, lowering rates of interest, or providing for a holiday on principal payments) for projects primarily benefitting non-Class I freight railroad carriers. Sets forth certain prevailing wage requirements with respect to projects financed by such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Comprehensive Retirement Security and Pension Reform Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) with respect to pensions. (All the following are amendments to the Code, except where the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, ERISA, is mentioned.) Increases: (1) annual dollar Individual Retirement Account (IRA) contribution limits; and (2) benefit and contribution limits, with indexes for inflation. Revises requirements relating to: (1) plan loans for subchapter S owners, partners, and sole proprietors; and (2) specified top-heavy rules. Provides that elective deferrals shall not be taken into account for purposes of limits on certain plan contributions. Repeals specified coordination requirements for deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations. Revises certain deduction limits for stock bonus and profit sharing trusts and for defined contribution plans. Provides for optional treatment of elective deferrals as after-tax contributions. Allows individuals age 50 or older to make additional contributions to an applicable employer plan (section 401(k) or similar plan). Sets forth requirements relating to equitable treatment for contributions of employees to defined contribution plans. Provides for faster vesting of certain employer matching contributions under the Code and ERISA. Revises: (1) minimum distribution rules; (2) requirements relating to tax treatment of division of section 457 plan benefits upon divorce; and (3) provisions for safe harbor relief for hardship withdrawals from 401(k) plans. Permits, under certain conditions, rollovers: (1) from and to various types of plans; (2) of IRAs into workplace retirement plans; and (3) of after-tax contributions in an exempt trust. Sets forth a hardship exception to the 60-day rule. Sets forth requirements for treatment of forms of distribution available under transferor and transferee plans under the Code and ERISA. Revises restrictions on distributions, including the same desk exception. Allows trustee-to-trustee transfers to purchase permissive service credit with respect to governmental defined benefit plans. Allows employers to disregard rollovers for purposes of cash-out amounts, under retirement plan provisions of the Code. Revises minimum distribution and inclusion requirements for section 457 plans. Repeals, for plan years beginning in 2004 and following years, the current liability full funding limit under the Code and ERISA. Revises maximum contribution deduction rules, and applies them to all defined benefit plans. Allows an employer, in determining the amount of nondeductible contributions for any taxable year, to elect not to take into account any contributions to a defined benefit plan except to the extent they exceed the full-funding limitation. Establishes an excise tax for the failure of a defined benefit plan or an individual account plan (except governmental, church, and other specified plans) subject to minimum funding standards to meet specified notice requirements, under the Code and ERISA, for plan amendments which significantly reduce benefit accruals. Makes certain compensation limitations for defined benefit plans inapplicable to governmental and multiemployer plans. Prohibits combining or aggregating a multiemployer plan with any other plan maintained by the employer for the purpose of applying such limitations. Amends the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 to protect the investment of employee contributions to 401(k) plans by providing that specified requirements apply to elective deferrals for plan years beginning after December 31, 1998. Requires that pension benefit statements be furnished annually (once every three years for defined benefit plans) or on request. Establishes an excise tax for certain prohibited allocations of stock in an S corporation ESOP. Revises Code and ERISA requirements relating to timing of plan valuations. Allows applicable dividends of ESOPs to be reinvested without loss of dividend deduction. Repeals a transition rule relating to certain highly compensated employees under the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Directs the Secretary to modify specified regulations with respect to certain plan participation by employees of tax-exempt entities. Treats the provision of certain retirement planning services by an employer for an employee as a de minimis fringe benefit to the extent it is not treated as a working condition fringe. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide simplified annual filing requirements for retirement plans with assets below a specified amount, if they cover: (1) one participant (an owner and spouse); or (2) fewer than 25 employees. Directs the Secretary to continue to update and improve the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System, or any successor program. Repeals a multiple use test. Allows certain alternative ways of satisfying nondiscrimination, coverage, and line of business rules. Exempts plans maintained by any governmental entity from certain nondiscrimination rules. Directs the Secretary to modify specified regulations relating to the notice and consent period regarding distributions. Revises ERISA provisions relating to: (1) annual report dissemination; (2) the National Summit on Retirement Savings; (3) missing participants; (4) Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) reduction of premiums for new plans of small employers and of additional premiums for new and small plans; (5) PBGC authority to pay interest on premium overpayment refunds; (6) substantial owner benefits in terminated plans; (7) civil penalties for breach of fiduciary responsibility; and (8) benefit suspension notices. Prescribes time requirements for plan amendments or annuity contract amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Death Tax Elimination Act - Repeals the estate tax, gift tax, and the tax on generation-skipping transfers, effective January 1, 2011. Provides for annual reductions of the tax until such date. Increases the unified estate and gift tax credit to $1.3 million. Repeals the estate and gift tax provisions applicable to family-owned businesses. Amends provisions concerning the special rules for allocation of the generation-skipping tax (GST) exemption to provide, as a general rule, that: (1) if any individual makes an indirect skip during such individual's lifetime, any unused portion of such individual's GST exemption shall be allocated to the property transferred to the extent necessary to make the inclusion ratio for such property zero; and (2) if the amount of the indirect skip exceeds such unused portion, the entire unused portion shall be allocated to the property transferred. Declares that, if a trust is severed in a qualified severance, the trusts resulting from such severance shall be treated as separate trusts thereafter. Revises valuation rules for gifts for which a gift tax return was filed or deemed allocation made. Provides that, if an allocation of the GST exemption to any transfers of property is deemed to have been made at the close of an estate tax inclusion period, the value of the property shall be its value at such time. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe circumstances and procedures under which extensions of time will be granted to make an allocation of GST exemption or an election not to apply specified allocation requirements to certain lifetime direct skips, indirect skips, or transfers to a particular trust. Increases the permissible number of partners or shareholders in a closely held business for purposes of eligibility for an extension of estate tax payments.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Budget Responsibility and Efficiency Act of 2001 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to revise the Federal and congressional budget processes by establishing a two-year budgeting and appropriations cycle and timetable. Defines the budget biennium as the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year. Conforms provisions of the Rules of the House of Representatives, provisions governing the President's budget, and requirements for certain strategic and performance plans and reports to the biennial framework. Provides a point of order against any measure that contains a specific authorization of appropriations unless such authorization is for each fiscal year in a biennium. Requires the President's budget submission for FY 2004 to identify budget accounts for which an appropriation should be made for each fiscal year of the FY 2004-2005 biennium. Directs congressional committees, during the 108th Congress, to work with the Comptroller General to develop plans to transition program authorizations to a multi-year schedule. Sets forth additional transition requirements. Makes this Act applicable to budget resolutions and appropriations for the biennium beginning with FY 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
Housing Bond and Credit Modernization and Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the required use of certain principal repayments on mortgage subsidy bond financings to redeem bonds; (2) modify the purchase price limitation under mortgage subsidy bond rules based on median family income; and (3) define the term "area median gross income" for low-income housing credit projects.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
Workplace Goods Job Growth and Competitiveness Act of 2001 - Prohibits the filing of a civil action against a manufacturer or seller of a durable good (except a motor vehicle, vessel, aircraft, or train that is used primarily to transport passengers for hire) more than 18 years after it was delivered to its first purchaser or lessee for: (1) damage to property arising out of an accident involving such good; or (2) damages for death or personal injury arising out of an accident involving such good if the claimant has received or is eligible to receive worker compensation and the injury does not involve a toxic harm (including, but not limited to, all asbestos-related harm). Declares that this Act: (1) shall not bar an action against a defendant who made an express warranty in writing as to the safety or life expectancy of a specific product which was longer than 18 years (except that this Act shall apply at the expiration of such warranty); and (2) does not supersede or modify any statute or common law that authorizes an action for civil damages, cost recovery, or any other form of relief for remediation of the environment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2001
Makes technical amendments to provisions that: (1) enumerate the grounds for which a Federal district court may vacate an arbitration award; and (2) authorize a court to order a rehearing of a vacated award, under certain circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2001
Medicare Education and Regulatory Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) concerning: (1) prospective application only of certain regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS); and (2) certain requirements for judicial and regulatory challenges of regulations. Requires the Secretary, with respect to Medicare audits, except when clear and convincing evidence exists of fraud or similar fault, to give a physician, provider of services, or provider of ambulance services (physicians or providers) the option of entering into: (1) an arrangement to offset alleged overpayments against future payments; or (2) a repayment plan with its carrier or fiscal intermediary to recoup such an overpayment. Prohibits the Secretary from taking any action to recoup an overpayment or to impose a penalty during the period in which a physician or provider is appealing a determination that such an overpayment has been made or the amount of the overpayment. Prohibits carriers, absent cause, from demanding the production of records or documentation before paying a Medicare claim. Amends SSA title XI with respect to prohibited extensions of remuneration to a Medicare-eligible individual to influence a choice of provider, practitioner, or supplier. Excludes from the meaning of remuneration any waiver of copayment made in a written, mailed communication with existing patients. Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to: (1) construction of hearing rights related to decisions to deny or not renew a physician enrollment agreement; (2) the post-payment audit process; (3) definitions relating to physicians or providers; and (4) the right to appeal on behalf of deceased beneficiaries. Amends SSA title XVIII to require carriers, fiscal intermediaries, and contractors to conduct education programs (funded from the Medicare Integrity Program) for physicians and providers on billing, coding, cost reporting, and documentation regulations and procedures. Outlines provisions with regard to certain information requests from physicians and providers. Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the inclusion of regulatory costs in the calculation of the sustainable growth rate with respect to the costs of physicians' services. Prohibits the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) from implementing any new evaluation and management documentation guidelines under Medicare, unless it: (1) has provided for an assessment of the proposed guidelines by organizations representing physicians; (2) has established a plan that contains specific goals, including a schedule, for improving use of such guidelines; (3) has completed a minimum of four pilot projects to test such guidelines; and (4) finds that specified objectives will be met in the implementation of such guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Social Security Benefits Restoration Act of 2001 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to eliminate provisions that reduce primary insurance amounts for individuals receiving pensions from noncovered employment.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Steel Revitalization Act of 2001 - Directs the President to impose quotas, tariff surcharges, or other measures on, and to negotiate enforceable voluntary export restraint agreements with respect to, imports of steel products in order to ensure that: (1) the tonnage of iron ore, coke and coke products, semifinished steel, and pig iron imported into the United States during any month does not exceed the average tonnage of each product that was imported monthly into the United States during the 36-month period preceding July 1997; and (2) the share of domestic consumption of any other applicable steel product in the United States derived from imports during any month does not exceed the average monthly share of domestic U.S. consumption of that steel product during any month in the 36-month period preceding July 1997. Authorizes the Customs Service to refuse entry into the U.S. customs territory for a five-year period of any steel products that exceed their allowable levels. Establishes: (1) the Steel Retiree Health Care Board in the Department of Labor; (2) the Steelworker Retiree Health Care Trust Fund; and (3) the Health Care Benefit Costs Assistance Program. Sets forth the functions of the Board, including to: (1) provide, under the Health Care Benefit Costs Assistance Program, for payments to designated steelworker group health plans to assist in the funding of qualified retiree health benefits under such plans; and (2) establish policies for the investment and management of the Steelworker Retiree Health Care Trust Fund that provides for prudent investments and low administrative costs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on steel sold by the manufacturer, producer, or importer (such taxes to be deposited into the Steelworker Retiree Health Care Trust Fund). Amends the Emergency Steel Loan Guarantee Act of 1999 to increase the aggregate amount of loans guaranteed and outstanding (including additional costs of such loans) at any one time under Emergency Steel Guarantee Loan Program or with respect to a single qualified steel company. Requires the Loan Guarantee Board to approve or deny an application for a guarantee within 45 days after its receipt. Authorizes any person who acquires another person that produces any of the specified categories of steel products contained in this Act to apply to the Secretary of Commerce for a grant to defray the costs necessary to bring, and maintain, the resulting entity into compliance with U.S. environmental laws. Requires the Secretary to make a determination whether or not such mergers will promote the retention of at least 80 percent of the jobs of the steel workers and production of capacity of such steel products. Sets forth penalties for failure to achieve such retention levels.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Long-Term Care and Retirement Security Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a deduction (based on years of continuous coverage) for eligible long-term care insurance premiums for a taxpayer, spouse, and dependents, including accelerated deduction percentages for persons who are 55 years old; and (2) long-term care insurance to be offered under cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements. Allows an income-adjusted (limited) credit for eligible individuals with long-term care needs. Sets forth specified requirements for qualifying long-term care insurance contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2001
Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to require the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, jointly with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other appropriate Federal agencies, to develop, transmit to Congress, and implement a plan for stockpiling potassium iodide tablets in areas within a 50-mile radius of a nuclear power plant which includes a strategy for the storage and delivery of such tablets to persons who may be affected by a disaster at such a plant.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2001
Constitutional Amendment - Authorizes the President to disapprove any item of appropriation in any bill. Requires any item of appropriation contained in a bill approved by the President which is not disapproved to become law. Permits the Congress to reconsider any item so disapproved.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2001
Biomedical Revitalization Resolution of 2001 - Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that funding for the National Institutes of Health should be increased by $3.4 billion in FY 2002.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Conservation and Reinvestment Act - Establishes the Conservation and Reinvestment Act Fund (CRAF). Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit into the CRAF certain Outer Continental Shelf revenues, undisbursed impact assistance and coastal conservation amounts, and interest earned on CRAF investments. Allocates CRAF funds among coastal States for impact assistance and coastal conservation, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and Federal aid to a certain wildlife restoration fund. Provides for CRAF funding of the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act of 1978, the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Maritime Heritage Act of 1994, Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery Agreements, and a specified program for payments in lieu of taxes and refuge revenue sharing. Expresses the intent of Congress that amounts made available under this Act are to supplement, and not to detract from, annual appropriations for the National Park Service. Prohibits the expenditure of funds under this Act if such an expenditure diminishes benefit obligations of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund, the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, or the Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Oil Region National Heritage Area Act - Establishes the Oil Region National Heritage Area in Pennsylvania. Requires the Oil Heritage Region, Inc., a locally based, private nonprofit management corporation, to be the management entity for the Area. Bars the use of funds under this Act to acquire real property. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Historic American Building Survey and the Historic American Engineering Record, to conduct studies to document the industrial, engineering, building, and architectural history of the Area. Limits the Federal assistance match to 50 percent of any activity's total cost.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Veterans' Compensation Equity Act of 2001 - Permits service-disabled former military personnel who are retired with 20 or more years of creditable service and are age 65 or older to be paid both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to modify the formula for determining the amount of reduced monthly OASDI benefits payable to a spouse, surviving spouse, or parent receiving monthly payments from a Federal or State pension plan. Declares that such benefit reductions shall be equal to the lesser of: (1) the amount by which the total amount of the combined monthly benefit (before reduction) and monthly pension exceeds $1,200, adjusted for inflation; or (2) an amount equal to two-thirds of the amount of any such monthly pension plan payment.
![Official portrait of Rep. Gekas, George W. [R-PA-17]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/g000121_200.jpg)