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
Universal Service Support Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to terminate current caps and limitations on universal service support mechanisms. Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from enforcing or reimposing such caps or limitations for rural telephone companies or exchanges they acquire based on fund size or other considerations unrelated to the sufficiency of support to achieve desired purposes. Requires the FCC to calculate: (1) high-cost (in excess of 115 percent of the nationwide average) loop (connection) support portions; and (2) the nationwide average unseparated loop cost.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Historic Homeownership Assistance Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for 20 percent (up to a maximum limit of $40,000 for a joint return) of the qualified rehabilitation expenditures made by a taxpayer with respect to the certified rehabilitation of a qualified historic home which has been substantially rehabilitated and which is owned by the taxpayer and used as his or her principal residence. Allows the credit for such expenditures to be taken by a purchaser of the rehabilitated home. Permits, in lieu of the credit, a historic rehabilitation mortgage credit certificate, which may be transferred to a lender in exchange for a reduction in the rate of interest on the loan secured by the building.
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 · 19 March 2001
Investor and Capital Markets Fee Relief Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to reduce mandatory transaction fees pertaining to: (1) exchange-traded securities; (2) off-exchange trades of exchange-registered and last-sale-reported securities; (3) stock repurchase statements; and (4) proxy solicitations and statements in corporate control transactions. Replaces the fee structure for off-exchange trades of last-sale-reported securities with a fee structure for off-exchange trades of exchange-registered and last-sale-reported securities. Provides that the fees so collected shall: (1) be deposited and credited as offsetting collections to the account providing appropriations to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); and (2) not be deposited and credited as general revenue of the Treasury. Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to: (1) reduce registration fees; and (2) reflect the provisions of this Act. Amends the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 to terminate the mandatory application filing fee. Sets forth requirements for pay parity for SEC employees.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2001
Value-Added Development Act for American Agriculture - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to eligible applicants for an agricultural innovation center demonstration program to assist value-added agricultural businesses. Authorizes up to ten initial grants. Sets forth permitted fund uses.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2001
Amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to require the Director of the Office for Victims of Crime to ensure that all sums in the Victims of Crime Fund in a fiscal year are in fact obligated in the subsequent fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2001
Farmers' Value-Added Agricultural Investment Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that for purposes of the general business credit, for either an eligible farmer or a farmer-owned entity, the value-added agricultural property investment credit for any taxable year is 50 percent of the basis of any qualified value-added agricultural property placed in service during the taxable year. Provides that, in the case of a farmer-owned entity, such credit shall be allocated on a pro rata basis among eligible persons holding qualified interests in such entity as of the last day of such taxable year. Limits such credit.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to permit State registration of a Canadian pesticide for distribution and use within such State, subject to certain requirements. Prohibits actions in Federal court against: (1) States acting as registering agencies for damages resulting from the use of a product registered under this Act; or (2) registrants for damages resulting from adulteration or compositional alterations of such a product if the registrant could not reasonably have knowledge of such adulteration or alterations.
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
Liberty Bill Act - Amends Federal law to require that the design of the reverse side of all Federal reserve notes incorporate: (1) the preamble to the Constitution; (2) a list describing the Articles of the Constitution; and (3) a list describing the Articles of Amendment. Prescribes the design format. States that such requirements do not limit the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) include other inscriptions or material on the reverse side of such notes; or (2) adopt other design features to deter counterfeiting of currency.
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
Access to Cancer Clinical Trials Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to provide coverage for qualified individuals participating in approved cancer clinical trials if a group health plan or an issuer offering health insurance coverage in connection with a group health plan or in the individual market otherwise provides coverage to such an individual. Directs the Secretaries of Health and Human Services (HHS), of Labor, and of the Treasury to: (1) analyze cancer clinical research and its cost implications for managed care; and (2) report to Congress an assessment of any incremental cost to group health plans resulting from this Act and any recommendations regarding action on other diseases. Requires the Secretaries of Labor, of the Treasury, and of HHS to ensure coordinated administration of this Act.
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
Reservists Tax Relief Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the deduction, as a trade or business expense, of certain expenses of members of a reserve component of the U.S. armed forces incurred in connection with such service.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
Innocence Protection Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal judicial code to authorize a person convicted of a Federal crime to apply to the appropriate Federal court for DNA testing to support a claim that the person did not commit: (1) the Federal crime of which the person was convicted; or (2) any other offense that a sentencing authority may have relied upon when it sentenced the person with respect to such crime. Sets forth: (1) guidelines for the court to use in ordering DNA testing; (2) post-testing procedures; (3) provisions regarding preservation of evidence; (4) criminal penalties for destroying or altering DNA evidence; and (5) provisions regarding post-conviction DNA testing in State criminal justice systems. Prohibits a State from denying an application for DNA testing made by a prisoner in State custody who is under sentence of death if specified conditions apply. Provides grants to prosecutors for DNA testing programs. Establishes the National Commission on Capital Representation. Withholds funds from States not complying with standards for capital representation. Provides for capital defense incentive grants and resource grants. Increases compensation in Federal cases, and sets forth provisions regarding compensation in State cases, where an individual is unjustly sentenced to death. Adds a certification requirement in Federal death penalty prosecutions. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the execution of juvenile offenders and the mentally retarded.
United States · United States Congress · 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
IDEA Full Funding Act of 2001 - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to authorize funding to reach the Federal Government's goal of providing 40 percent of the national average per pupil expenditure to assist States and local educational agencies with the excess costs of educating children with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations for IDEA part B programs of assistance for education of all children with disabilities.
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
Medicaid Safety Net Hospital Continued Preservation Act of 2001 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to repeal specified reductions after FY 2000 and thereby extend certain modifications to disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments provided under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000. Increases the Medicaid DSH allotment for the District of Columbia.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Medicare Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant Direct Reimbursement Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of surgical first assisting services furnished by certified registered nurse first assistants.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2001 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), after July 1, 2001, from making any reallocations of amateur radio service and amateur satellite service frequency bands, diminishing the secondary allocations of such bands, or making additional allocations within such bands that would substantially reduce their utility unless at the same time the FCC provides equivalent replacement spectrum.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2001
People's Access to Government Information Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a searchable Internet site to provide to the public ready access to information on Federal financial assistance, including grants, loans, loan guarantees, scholarships, and fellowships.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2001
IRA Charitable Rollover Incentive Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from inclusion as income individual retirement account (IRA) distributions used for qualified charitable purposes. Sets forth related rules for charitable remainder trusts, pooled income funds, and charitable gift annuities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States-Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement of 1996 should terminate on a specified date, with no extension or further quota agreement; and (2) the President should consult with appropriate stakeholders, including consumers, and continue discussions with the Government of Canada to promote open trade of softwood lumber between Canada and the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2001
Faith-Based Lending Protection Act - Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to exclude loans made to nonprofit religious organizations from the maximum amount of member business loans outstanding at a Federal credit union at any one time.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2001
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Adjustment Act - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to prescribe a formula for periodic adjustments to the maximum amount of deposit insurance coverage, including an inflation adjustment.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth provisions for: (1) a small employer (100 or fewer employees) retirement plan; (2) a credit for the expenses of establishing such a plan; and (3) a model small employer retirement plan.
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
Hope for Children Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the expenses allowable towards the adoption credit. Renames such credit as the "Tom Bliley adoption credit."
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Childhood Assistance, Research and Education Amendments of 2001, or the DMD CARE Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health to: (1) expand and intensify programs of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (the National Institutes) with respect to research and related activities concerning Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD); (2) award grants or contracts to public or nonprofit entities for at least three DMD research centers of excellence; and (3) provide for donation, collection, and preservation of tissues and genetic materials for such research. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Muscular Dystrophy Coordinating Committee to coordinate all Federal DMD health programs and activities. Authorizes the Secretary, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants and cooperative agreements for the collection, analysis, and reporting of DMD data. Requires the establishment through the CDC of at least three regional centers of excellence in DMD epidemiology. Directs the Secretary to establish a DMD education and information program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Men's Health Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Department of Health and Human Services an office to be known as the Office of Men's Health. Requires a report.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide criminal penalties for intentionally initiating the transmission of any unsolicited commercial electronic mail message (message) to a protected computer in the United States with the knowledge that any domain name or other initiator identifying information contained in or accompanying such message is false or inaccurate. Prohibits any person from sending such a message unless the message contains a valid e-mail address, conspicuously displayed, to which a recipient may send notice of a desire not to receive further messages. Prohibits a person from sending other unsolicited commercial e-mail messages after a reasonable period of time following such notice. Requires any such message to include information that: (1) identifies the message as unsolicited commercial e-mail; and (2) contains notice of the opportunity for the recipient to request to not receive further messages. Makes it unlawful for a person to initiate the transmission of such a message in violation of a policy regarding unsolicited commercial e-mail messages that complies with specified requirements. Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to notify violators under this Act, to prohibit further initiation of such messages, and to require the initiator to delete the names and e-mail addresses of the recipients and providers from all mailing lists. Requires the names and e-mail addresses of any children of the recipient to be included in such notification.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
National Collegiate and Amateur Athletic Protection Act of 2001 - Directs the Attorney General to establish a prosecutorial task force on illegal wagering on amateur and collegiate sporting events. Increases penalties for illegal sports gambling. Requires: (1) the Director of the National Institute of Justice to study the extent to which minors participate in illegal sports gambling activities; and (2) the Attorney General to establish a panel to a study illegal college sports gambling. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to: (1) require each institution of higher education to designate one or more full-time senior officers of the institution to coordinate the implementation of a comprehensive program to reduce illegal gambling and gambling control disorders by students and employees; (2) condition receipt of financial aid on compliance with this Act; (3) specify that a recipient of athletically related student aid shall cease to be eligible for such aid upon a determination by either the institution of higher education or the applicable amateur sports organization that the recipient has engaged in illegal gambling activity, including sports bribery, in violation of the policies or by-laws of the institution or organization; and (4) require an institution of higher education that provides athletically related student aid to report annually to the Attorney General and the Secretary of Education. Expresses the sense of Congress that illegal sports gambling poses a significant threat to youth.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a multistate comparative study for a report to Congress on mortality and adverse outcome rates of Medicare patients by providers of anesthesia services and by type of such providers. Requires the Secretary to revise any regulations establishing conditions of Medicare participation for hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers relating to anesthesia services to provide that nurse anesthetists may furnish such services under: (1) the medical direction of an immediately available anesthesiologist; (2) the supervision of an immediately available physician; or (3) a written collaboration agreement with an immediately available physician or physician group experienced in anesthesia administration and credentialed by the hospital and ambulatory surgical center to participate in such collaboration.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Help for America's Uninsured Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an individual to designate a portion of any tax overpayment for the Health Coverage for the Uninsured Trust Fund, which shall use such funds to provide injury and catastrophic illness protection to individuals without health coverage. Establishes the Health Coverage for the Uninsured Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Federal Communications Commission Reform Act - Establishes the Commission to Study the Structure and Reauthorization of the Federal Communications Commission to study and report to Congress on the Commission's organizational structure with an emphasis on determining: (1) whether that structure should be changed to reflect the current state of telecommunications; and (2) whether there should be a reduction in the number of commissioners.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Farm and Ranch Risk Management Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual engaged in an eligible farming or commercial fishing business a deduction for any taxable year of up to 20 percent of taxable income attributable to the eligible farming or commercial fishing business which was paid in cash by the taxpayer to a Farm and Ranch Risk Management Account (FARRM Account). Includes distributions from a FARRM account in the taxpayer's gross income, and subjects to a special ten percent surtax any distributions not made within five years of contribution. Establishes a tax on excess contributions, but exempts the taxpayer from the tax on certain prohibited transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2001
Genetic Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance and Employment Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Public Health Service Act , the Internal Revenue Code, and Medicare supplemental policy provisions to prohibit health plans and insurers, with respect to protected genetic information, from discriminating in enrollment, eligibility, contribution rates, and premium rates based on such information. Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or training program to discriminate because of protected genetic information.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2001
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2001 - Adjusts the basic Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity amount for surviving spouses, age 62 or over, of former military personnel to: (1) 35 percent of the retired pay of the decedent (current law), for months beginning on or before the enactment of this Act; (2) 40 percent of such pay, for months beginning after enactment of this Act until October 2004; (3) 45 percent of such pay for months beginning after September 2004 and before October 2011; and (4) 55 percent of such pay for months after September 2011. Adjusts similarly the percentage amounts of SBP supplemental annuity authorized to be provided for such surviving spouses. Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure appropriate adjustments in the computation of retired pay reductions for such supplemental annuities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt certain State and local political committees from specified notification and reporting requirements applicable to political organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2001
Gifted and Talented Students Education Act of 2001 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to State educational agencies to assist local educational agencies to develop or expand gifted and talented education programs through one or more of the following activities: (1) professional development programs; (2) technical assistance; (3) innovative approaches and curricula; and (4) emerging technologies, including distance learning.
![Official portrait of Rep. Gillmor, Paul E. [R-OH-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/g000210_200.jpg)