United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Abolishment of Obsolete Agencies and Federal Sunset Act of 1999 - Establishes the Federal Agency Sunset Commission to: (1) submit to Congress a schedule for review by the Commission, at least once every 12 years, of the abolishment or reorganization of each agency; (2) review and evaluate the efficiency and public need for each agency; and (3) recommend whether each agency should be abolished or reorganized. Requires the abolishment of any agency within one year of the Commission's review, unless the agency is reauthorized by Congress. Authorizes the deadline to be extended for an additional two years if enacted by a super majority of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Sets forth criteria for such review. Directs the Comptroller General and the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, in cooperation with the Director of the Congressional Research Service, to prepare an inventory of Federal programs within each agency for the purpose of advising and assisting Congress and the Commission in carrying out the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1999
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Clinton administration should: (1) be commended for supporting United Nations Commission on Human Rights Resolution 1999-13 (concerning continued discrimination against religious minorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran), and should continue to work through the United Nations to assure that Iran implements that resolution's recommendations; (2) condemn the recent arrest of members of Iran's Jewish minority and urge their immediate release; (3) urge all nations having relations with Iran to condemn the treatment of religious minorities in Iran and call for the release of all prisoners held on the basis of their religious beliefs; and (4) maintain the current U.S. policy toward Iran unless and until that country moderates its treatment of religious minorities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Export Enhancement Act of 1999 - Sets forth policy recommendations for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and the International Trade Administration (ITA). Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to extend through FY 2003 OPIC's authority to issue investment insurance and guarantees. Revises the purposes of the Trade and Development Agency to include, with respect to the promotion of U.S. private sector participation in development projects in developing and middle-income countries, special emphasis on economic sectors with significant U.S. export potential, such as energy, transportation, telecommunications, and environment. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations to the ITA for its Market Access and Compliance program, Trade Development program, and Commercial Service program. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to take steps to ensure the appointment of United States and Foreign Commercial Service employees in no fewer than ten sub-Saharan African countries, including the adequate appointment of personnel for South and Central America and the Caribbean, in order that U.S. businesses are made aware of existing market opportunities for goods and services. Directs the ITA to undertake the Global Diversity and Urban Export Initiative in order to increase exports from minority-owned businesses, focusing on businesses in under-served areas, including inner-city urban enterprise zones. Authorizes the ITA to advertise in newspapers, business journals, and other relevant publications and related media to inform businesses about ITA services. Revises the composition of the OPIC Board of Directors. Amends the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 to require the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC) to develop a Federal trade promotion plan that, among other things, shall: (1) ensure that all export promotion activities of the U.S. Agency for International Development are fully coordinated and consistent with those of other agencies; (2) identify the means for providing more coordinated export promotion services to small and medium-sized businesses; and (3) establish a set of priorities to promote U.S. exports to, and free market reforms in, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and other emerging markets, that are designed to stimulate job growth both in the United States and those regions and emerging markets. Requires the TPCC to: (1) report on actions taken to eliminate the areas of overlap and duplication identified among Federal export promotion activities; (2) coordinate efforts to sponsor or promote any trade show or trade fair; (3) work with all relevant State and national organizations, including the National Governors' Association, that have established trade promotion offices; and (4) report to Congress on actions taken to promote better coordination among State, Federal, and private sector export promotion activities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Civil Rights Tax Fairness Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income amounts received by a claimant on account of claims based on unlawful discrimination (as defined). Permits income averaging for backpay and frontpay awards received on account of such claims.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Banking Privacy Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to mandate customer notice and written consent as a prerequisite to personal information sharing between institutions under their purview (an insured depository institution or bank holding company, respectively) and other persons or affiliates. Delineates notice and consent procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Father Theodore M. Hesburgh Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a congressional gold medal to Father Theodore M. Hesburgh in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to civil rights, higher education, the Catholic Church, the Nation, and the global community. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Declares that Congress: (1) supports public and private entity efforts to heighten public awareness of pediatric cancer and the importance of regular medical examinations for children; and (2) encourages Federal agencies and departments to support those efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1999
Iran Nonproliferation Act of 1999 - Directs the President to report periodically to specified congressional committees on foreign persons who, on or after January 22, 1998, have transferred to Iran: (1) controlled goods, services, or technology; or (2) non-controlled goods, services, or technology that would nevertheless would be, if they were U.S. goods, services, or technology, prohibited for export to Iran because of their potential contribution to the development of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, or ballistic missile systems. Excludes from identification in such reports any such persons who were previously identified, or who have acted on behalf of, or in concert with, the U.S. Government. Authorizes the President, with specified exceptions, to apply to such foreign person certain measures: (1) set forth in Executive Order 12938 prohibitions; (2) prohibiting the sale to such persons of defense items on the United States Munitions List and defense articles and defense services, or design and construction services under the Arms Export Control Act; and (3) prohibiting the export to such persons of controlled goods and technology under the Export Administration Act of 1979. Prohibits any U.S. agency from making extraordinary payments to the Russian Space Agency in connection with the International Space Station, or any other organization or entity of the Government of the Russian Federation, unless the President has determined, and reported to specified congressional committees, that: (1) it is the policy of the Government of the Russian Federation to oppose the proliferation to Iran of weapons of mass destruction and missile systems capable of delivering such weapons; (2) such government is taking the necessary steps to prevent the transfer from Russia to Iran of goods, services, and technology useful in the development of such weapons and systems; and (3) neither the Russian Space Agency, nor any organization under its control, has, during the one-year period prior to the determination, made transfers to Iran of controlled goods, services, or technology or non-controlled goods, services, or technology that has potential to contribute to Iran's development of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, or of ballistic missile systems.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1999
Health Care Worker Needlestick Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), to amend the bloodborne pathogens standard to require that: (1) employers utilize needleless systems and sharps with engineered sharps injury protections in their work sites to prevent the spread of bloodborne pathogens; and (2) non-managerial direct care health care workers of employers participate in the identification and evaluation of such systems and sharps. Provides an exemption where an employer demonstrates that needleless systems and sharps: (1) do not promote employee safety, interfere with patient safety, or interfere with the success of a medical procedure under certain circumstances in the employer's work facility; or (2) are not commercially available to the employer. (Sec. 2) Includes under such revised standard requirements relating to: (1) exposure control plans; (2) sharps injury logs; and (3) worker training in the use of such systems and sharps. (Sec. 3) Requires the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to establish and maintain a national database on existing needleless systems and sharps with engineered sharps injury protections. Requires the Director to: (1) develop a set of evaluation criteria for use by employers, employees, and other persons in evaluating and selecting such systems and sharps; (2) develop a model training curriculum to train employers, employees, and other persons in such evaluation process, and provide requested technical assistance to the extent feasible; and (3) establish a national system to collect comprehensive data on needlestick injuries to health care workers, including data on mechanisms to analyze and evaluate prevention. Authorizes NIOSH access to information recorded by employers in sharps injury logs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require hospitals, as a condition of their Medicare program participation, to comply with the bloodborne pathogen standard as amended under this Act with respect to hospital employees, even if they are not otherwise subject to such standard because they are exempt from OSHA regulation.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1999
School Anti-Violence Empowerment Act - Title I: School Safety Programs - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) for: (1) crisis intervention programs, including the hiring of school counselors; and (2) school safety programs for students, staff, and school facilities. Requires reservation of 50 percent of funds under this title for grants to hire school counselors, and the other 50 percent for grants for school safety programs. Requires awards to be based on one or more of the following factors: (1) quality of existing or proposed violence prevention program; (2) greatest need for crisis intervention counseling services; and (3) documented financial need based on number of students served under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Increased COPS Funding - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations for certain grant programs for Community Policing and "Cops on the Beat" (COPS program). Requires 50 percent of such funds to be used for cooperative partnerships between schools and State and local police departments to provide for the use of police officers in schools. Eliminates provisions for decreasing Federal matching funds and for terminating grant program authority (thus making the authority permanent). Title III: 21st Century Learning - Amends ESEA to extend through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations for after-school and life skills programs for at-risk youth. Title IV: Model Program and Clearinghouse - Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop a model violence prevention program to be made available to LEAs; and (2) establish and maintain a national clearinghouse to provide LEAs with information on alternative violence prevention programs, and technical assistance to establish and to operate such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Strategies for Preventing Crimes Against Seniors Title II: Combating Crimes Against Seniors Title III: Preventing Telemarketing Fraud Title IV: Preventing Health Care Fraud Title V: Protecting Residents of Nursing Homes Title VI: Protecting the Rights of Elderly Crime Victims Seniors Safety Act of 1999 - Title I: Strategies for Preventing Crimes Against Seniors - Directs the Attorney General (AG) to study and report to the congressional judiciary committees on crimes against seniors (over 55 years of age) in order to prevent and otherwise reduce the incidence of those crimes, which include telemarketing fraud, elder abuse, and health care fraud. (Sec. 102) Requires certain statistics concerning crimes against seniors to be included by the AG within each annual National Crime Victimization Survey. Title II: Combating Crimes Against Seniors - Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to review and, if appropriate, amend Federal sentencing guidelines to include the age of a crime victim as one of the criteria for determining whether a sentencing enhancement is appropriate. Requires a Commission report to Congress on issues relating to the age of crime victims. (Sec. 202) Directs the Commission to review and, if appropriate, amend sentencing guidelines and Commission policy statements to include persons convicted of offenses involving fraud in connection with a health care benefit program. (Sec. 203) Amends the Federal criminal code to provide increased penalties for fraud which results in serious injury or death. (Sec. 204) Provides civil and criminal penalties for any person who executes, or attempts to execute, a scheme or artifice to: (1) defraud any retirement arrangement or any person in connection with the establishment or maintenance of such an arrangement; or (2) falsely or fraudulently obtain any of the money or property owned by, or under the custody or control of, any retirement arrangement or other person in connection with such an arrangement. (Sec. 205) Authorizes the AG to bring a civil action to enforce penalties for defrauding pension plans. (Sec. 206) Revises criminal code provisions concerning the illegal influencing of operations of employee benefit plans to: (1) add certain definitions; and (2) include under such provisions bribery and graft committed by an applicable person (an employee benefit plan administrator, officer, counsel, agent, employee, or other person having influence with respect to such plan). Title III: Preventing Telemarketing Fraud - Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish procedures to: (1) log and acknowledge the receipt of complaints by individuals who reasonably believe that they have been the victim of fraud in connection with telemarketing; (2) provide to such individuals and any others information on telemarketing fraud; and (3) refer such complaints to appropriate entities, including State consumer protection and law enforcement agencies, for potential law enforcement action. Requires the AG to establish and maintain a computer database containing information on corporations and companies convicted of Federal or State telemarketing fraud. Requires such database to be made available to the FTC. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 302) Includes a wire communications facility (facility) utilizing a telephone service within the scope of telemarketing fraud subject to enhanced criminal penalties under the criminal code. Provides that if a common carrier is notified by the AG that a facility furnished by such carrier is being or will be used by a subscriber to transmit or receive a wire communication in interstate or foreign commerce to execute any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent representations, in connection with telemarketing, then the carrier shall discontinue or refuse to lease, furnish, or maintain the facility to such subscriber after reasonable notice to the subscriber. Title IV: Preventing Health Care Fraud - Includes within Federal injunctive authority against fraudulent actions certain offenses under the Social Security Act relating to false claims and illegal kickback schemes involving Federal health care programs. Amends the Social Security Act to authorize the AG to bring an action to enforce such authority. (Sec. 402) Includes within the AG's authority to subpoena information involving a Federal health care offense any allegation of fraud or false claims (whether criminal or civil) in connection with a Federal health care program as defined under the Social Security Act. Prohibits, during the production of such information, any record that contains personally identifiable information from being disclosed to any person, with exceptions for certain attorneys and government personnel as part of their official functions. Requires court ordered disclosures to be undertaken so as to preserve the confidentiality and privacy of individuals, unless such disclosure is required by the nature of such proceedings. Requires such records to be destroyed within 90 days after their production. (Sec. 403) Amends the Social Security Act to extend certain antifraud safeguards to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. (Sec. 404) Authorizes grand jury disclosure of matters occurring during an investigation of a Federal health care offense for use in any investigation or civil proceeding relating to fraud or false claims in connection with a Federal health care program. (Sec. 405) Delegates to the Deputy or an Assistant Attorney General the AG authority to issue civil investigative demands for the production of information relevant to a false claims law investigation. Allows disclosure of such information only upon a showing that such disclosure would assist the Department of Justice in carrying out its statutory responsibilities. Title V: Protecting Residents of Nursing Homes - Nursing Home Resident Protection Act of 1999 - Provides civil penalties against anyone who knowingly and willfully engages in a pattern of violations that affects the health, safety, or care of individuals in a residential health care facility, and results in significant physical or mental harm to one or more of such individuals, except that any organization shall be fined not more than $2 million per facility. Authorizes the AG to bring an enforcement action. Lists maximum penalty amounts. Authorizes other relief, including equitable and declaratory relief to eliminate a pattern of violations. Prohibits retaliation against any person reporting a condition that may constitute grounds for civil action. Includes information as to such violations within Federal investigative demand procedures. Title VI: Protecting the Rights of Elderly Crime Victims - Amends Federal civil forfeiture provisions to authorize the AG to retain or transfer forfeited property as restoration to any victim of the offense giving rise to the forfeiture, including a money laundering offense or any offense constituting the underlying specified unlawful activity. (Sec. 602) Amends provisions of the Controlled Substances Act relating to criminal forfeitures to state that a defendant may not use property subject to forfeiture to satisfy an order of restitution, except when the defendant has no assets other than the property subject to forfeiture. Directs the Government to restore the forfeited property to the victims. (Sec. 603) Prohibits the use of bankruptcy proceedings to shield illegal gains from false claims brought against the Government. Prohibits the debt arising from such illegal gains from being discharged in bankruptcy proceedings. (Sec. 604) Authorizes a criminal or civil court, in imposing a sentence on a person convicted of a retirement offense (an offense involving fraudulent gains from another's retirement arrangement), to order such person to forfeit property that constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to the commission of such offense.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1999
Taiwan Security Enhancement Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense and the Secretaries of the military departments should make every effort to reserve additional positions for Taiwan military officers at the National Defense University and specified other professional military education schools, and at the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the Air Force Academy. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should, when considering foreign military sales to Taiwan, to take into account Taiwan's special status and make every effort to ensure it has full and timely access to price and availability data for defense articles and defense services. Directs the President, upon the request of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, to use Department of Defense (DOD) funds for the assignment of additional technical staff to the American Institute in Taiwan. Directs the President to report annually to Congress with respect to Taiwan's defense needs. Directs the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan for the enhancement of programs for operational training and exchanges of personnel between U.S. armed forces and Taiwanese armed forces for work in threat analysis, doctrine, force planning, operational methods, and other areas. Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish secure direct communications between the U.S. Pacific military command and the Taiwan military command. Authorizes the President, subject to the Arms Export Control Act, to make available for sale to Taiwan, at reasonable cost, theater missile defense equipment and related items, satellite early warning data, modern air-defense equipment, and naval defense systems.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Estuary Habitat Restoration Title II: Chesapeake Bay Program Estuary Habitat Restoration Partnership Act of 1999 - Title I: Estuary Habitat Restoration - Establishes the Estuary Habitat Restoration Council (Council), which shall: (1) develop a national strategy for estuary habitat restoration; and (2) review project applications. (Sec. 105) Establishes six Regional Councils to represent the: (1) Gulf region; (2) Middle Atlantic region; (3) Northeast region; (4) Northwest region; (5) Southeast region; and (6) Southwest region. States that such Councils shall: (1) be made up of the Governors and their appointees for each member State; (2) develop regional strategies for project prioritization and selection; and (3) evaluate and forward project applications to the Council. Directs the Secretary of the Army to coordinate technical support and provide, upon request, administrative support to the Councils. (Sec. 106) Directs the Council to develop an estuary restoration strategy within a specified time which shall provide for the integration of estuary restoration plans, programs, and partnerships. (Sec. 107) Sets forth project application and administrative provisions, including Federal cost-sharing limits. (Sec. 109) Directs the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere of the Department of Commerce to develop a project monitoring database. (Sec. 110) Authorizes appropriations for: (1) estuary restoration activities; and (2) database monitoring. Obligates administrative funds for the Council and Regional Councils. Title II: Chesapeake Bay Program - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize appropriations for the Chesapeake Bay Program, with an annual limitation on funds available for the Program office in the Environmental Protection Agency.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Removal of Barriers to Housing Affordability Title II: Homeownership Through Mortgage Insurance and Loan Guarantees Title III: Section 8 Homeownership Option Title IV: Community Development Block Grants Title V: Home Investment Partnerships Program Title VI: Local Homeownership Initiatives Title VII: Manufactured Housing Improvement Title VIII: Indian Housing Homeownership Title IX: Transfer of Unoccupied and Substandard Hud-Held Housing to Local Governments and Community Development Corporations Title X: Private Mortgage Insurance Cancellation and Termination American Homeownership and Economic Opportunity Act of 1999 - Title I: Removal of Barriers to Housing Affordability - Housing Affordability Barrier Removal Act of 1999 - Requires proposed and final agency rules to analyze their impact upon affordable housing availability, including provision for interested parties to offer alternatives, which shall be incorporated into the final rule if found to accomplish required objectives with a less deleterious effect upon housing. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop model housing impact analyses. (Sec. 103) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to authorize direct appropriations for State and local grants for regulatory barrier removal. Makes consortia of local governments eligible grantees. Requires grant use in coordination with the local comprehensive affordability strategy under the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act. (Sec. 104) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to require jurisdictions to make good faith efforts at affordable housing barrier removal in order to qualify for community development block grants (CDBG) (without creating a private right of action). (Sec. 105) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to state that the regulatory barriers clearinghouse shall be established within the Office of Policy Development of HUD under the direction of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research. Title II: Homeownership Through Mortgage Insurance and Loan Guarantees - Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study of mandatory inspection requirements under the single family housing mortgage insurance program. (Sec. 202) Amends the National Housing Act to extend the loan term for manufactured home lot purchases. (Sec. 203) Neighborhood Teachers Act - Amends the National Housing Act to establish a (temporary) discounted home purchase program for elementary and secondary teachers. Sets forth program provisions, including a three-year residential use requirement. (Sec. 204) Authorizes mortgage insurance to refinance existing home equity conversion mortgages. Title III: Section 8 Homeownership Option - Amends the United States Housing Act to provide a single grant home ownership downpayment option under the section 8 housing assistance program. Title IV: Community Development Block Grants - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations for the CDBG program. Prohibits set-asides, with specified exceptions. (Sec. 403) Authorizes block grant use for: (1) qualifying municipal employee (including teachers) home ownership assistance; and (2) brownfields projects environmental cleanup and economic development. (Sec. 405) Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to authorize appropriations for the housing opportunities for persons with AIDS program. Title V: Home Investment Partnerships Program - Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to authorize appropriations for affordable housing programs. Prohibits set-asides, with specified exceptions. (Sec. 502) Makes limited equity cooperatives and mutual housing associations eligible for home investment partnerships. (Sec. 503) Permits loan pool investment of partnership funds. (Sec. 504) Authorizes the Secretary to make home investment partnerships loan guarantees. Sets forth an aggregate loan guarantee limitation. (Sec. 505) Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to make qualifying municipal employees (including teachers) eligible for home ownership assistance. Title VI: Local Homeownership Initiatives - Amends the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation Act to authorize appropriations for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation. (Sec. 602) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to revise the home ownership zone grant program, including providing: (1) grant eligibility for units of general local government (currently nonprofit organizations); and (2) assistance targeting for specified low-income home buyers. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 603) Expresses the sense of Congress in favor of lease-to-own tenancies as home ownership tools. (Sec. 604) Amends the HUD Demonstration Act of 1993 to make the National Association of Housing Partnerships eligible for local capacity grants. Removes the specified amount of authorized appropriations. (Sec. 605) Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to provide for a consolidated application and planning submission under the following programs: (1) HOME investment partnerships; (2) CDBG; (3) the economic development initiative; (4) emergency shelter grants; and (5) housing opportunities for persons with AIDS. Title VII: Manufactured Housing Improvement - Manufactured Housing Improvement Act - Amends the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 to revise Federal construction and safety provisions for manufactured homes based upon a consensus standards development process. Eliminates the National Manufactured Home Advisory Council. Title VIII: Indian Housing Homeownership - Establishes the Lands Title Report Commission to facilitate home loan Mortgages on Indian trust lands. Terminates the Commission one year after its initial meeting. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 802) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to make permanent Indian housing loan guarantee authority. Title IX: Transfer of Unoccupied and Substandard HUD-Held Housing to Local Governments and Community Development Corporations - Amends the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to transfer ownership of qualified HUD-held properties (substandard or unoccupied multifamily or unoccupied single family properties) to local governments and community development corporations under specified conditions. Title X: Private Mortgage Insurance Cancellation and Termination - Amends the Homeowners Protection Act of 1998 with respect to adjustable rate mortgages to: (1) revise definitions of "cancellation date" and "termination date"; (2) define "amortization schedule"; and (3) revise high risk loan provisions. (Sec. 1002) Authorizes modifications of termination, cancellation, and final termination date provisions. (Sec. 1003) Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) disclosure; and (2) balloon payments.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1999
Youth Gun Crime Enforcement Act of 1999 - Title I: Extending and Strengthening the Brady Law - Subtitle A: Extending the Brady Act to Gun Shows - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit any person from organizing, planning, promoting, or operating a gun show without: (1) registering with the Secretary of the Treasury and paying a registration fee; (2) notifying the Secretary, at least 30 days in advance, of the date, time, duration, and location of the show; (3) submitting to the Secretary, at least 72 hours in advance, an updated list of all show vendors planning to participate; (4) verifying the identity of each show vendor participating by examining a valid identification document containing a photograph of the vendor; (5) requiring each vendor to sign a ledger with identifying information and a notice advising the vendor of his or her obligations; (6) notifying each attendee of requirements under the Act; (7) submitting to the Secretary, at least five days after the end of the show, a copy of the ledger and notice; and (8) maintaining a copy of the records described above at the permanent place of business of the show promoter for such period of time and in such form as the Secretary shall require. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) responsibilities of transferors and transferees who are not licensees, including criminal background check requirements; (2) responsibilities of licensees who agree to assist such persons in firearm transfers; and (3) records of licensee transfers. Sets penalties for violations of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to enter, during business hours, the place of business of any show promoter and any place where a show is held for purposes of examining required records and the inventory of licensees conducting business at the show, without a showing of reasonable cause or a warrant. Increases penalties for violations of criminal background check requirements. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle B: Establishing a Mandatory Handgun Waiting Period and Giving Law Enforcement More Time to Complete Background Checks - Prohibits a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer from transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person unless specified requirements are met, including that: (1) before completion of the transfer, the licensee transmits notice of the proposed firearm transfer to the chief law enforcement officer of the place of residence of the transferee; (2) the system provides the licensee with a unique identification number or five (currently, three) business days have elapsed since the licensee contacted the system and the system has not notified the licensee that the receipt of a firearm by such person would violate the Act; and (3) if the firearm is a handgun or semiautomatic assault weapon, not less than 72 hours have elapsed since the licensee contacted the system, or if the firearm is a handgun, the transferee has presented to the transferor a written statement, issued by the chief law enforcement officer of the transferee's place of residence during the 10-day period ending on the date of the most recent proposal of such transfer by the transferee, stating that the transferee requires access to a handgun because of a threat to the life of the transferee or of a member of the household of the transferee. Requires a chief law enforcement officer who accepts notice of a proposed firearm transfer to destroy any statement or other record containing information derived from the notice, unless such officer determines that the transfer would violate Federal, State, or local law. Directs the Secretary to: (1) promulgate regulations regarding the manner in which licensees shall transmit notice of a proposed transfer to such officer; and(2) exempt licensees from the notice requirement where the Secretary determines such notice does not further the purposes of this subtitle. Subtitle C: Keeping Guns Out Of the Hands of Dangerous Juvenile Offenders - Defines the term "adjudicated delinquent" to mean an adjudication of delinquency based upon a finding of the commission of an act by a person prior to his or her 18th birthday that, if committed by an adult, would be a serious drug offense or violent felony. Provides that for purposes of Federal firearms provisions, any State conviction or adjudication of delinquency which has been expunged or set aside or for which a person has been pardoned or has had civil rights restored by the jurisdiction in which the conviction or adjudication of delinquency occurred shall nevertheless be considered a conviction or adjudication of delinquency unless: (1) the expunction, set aside, pardon, or restoration of civil rights (expunction) is directed to a specific person; (2) the State authority granting the expunction has expressly determined that the circumstances regarding the conviction and the person's record and reputation are such that the person will not act in a manner dangerous to public safety; and (3) the expunction expressly authorizes the person to ship, transport, receive, or possess firearms. Specifies that the requirement for an individualized restoration of rights shall apply whether or not, under State law, the person's civil rights were taken away by virtue of the conviction or adjudication. Prohibits the sale or other disposal of a firearm or ammunition to a person knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that such person has been an adjudicated delinquent. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Restricting Youth Access to Firearms - Prohibits the sale, delivery, or other transfer: (1) of a handgun, or ammunition that is suitable for use only in a handgun, to a person who the transferor knows or has reasonable cause to believe is under age 21 (currently, such prohibition applies with respect to juveniles); or (2) of a semiautomatic assault weapon or a large capacity ammunition feeding device to persons under 21. Applies the exemption applicable with respect to possession of a handgun in defense against a home intrusion to persons under 21 (currently, juveniles). Adds an exemption with respect to the temporary possession or use of a handgun by a person who is at least 18, but under 21, in the course of employment, in the course of ranching or farming at his or her residence, or for target practice, hunting, or a course of instruction in handgun use. (Sec. 202) Provides for enhanced penalties for youth possession of handguns and semiautomatic assault weapons. Applies specified penalties to the transfer of a handgun, ammunition, semiautomatic assault weapon, or large capacity ammunition feeding device (weapon) to a person under age 21 knowing or having reasonable cause to know that such person intended to possess, discharge, or use the weapon in the commission of a crime of violence. (Sec. 203) Prohibits and sets penalties for the sale, transfer, or delivery of a firearm by a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to any person (other than a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer) unless the transferee is provided with a secure gun storage or safety device. Authorizes license suspension or revocation or imposition of a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 if a licensee knowingly violates this provision. (Sec. 204) Prohibits and sets penalties for keeping a loaded firearm, or an unloaded firearm and ammunition for it, knowing, or recklessly disregarding the risk, that a child is capable of gaining access to the firearm and that a child will use the firearm to cause death or serious bodily injury, or that possession of the firearm by the child is unlawful under Federal or State law, if the child uses the firearm to cause death or serious bodily injury, with exceptions. Title III: Combating Illegal Trafficking in Guns - Subtitle A: Restricting the Sources of Illegal Guns - Prohibits the sale, delivery, or transfer of: (1) two or more handguns to any single person during any 30-day period; or (2) a handgun to any single person knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that the transferee has already received one or more handguns within the previous 30 days. Prohibits any person from receiving more than one handgun within any 30-day period. Sets forth provisions regarding exemptions from such restrictions and penalties for violations. Increases penalties for licensees who knowingly make false statements in required records. Requires a licensee, within three days of receiving a request from the prospective transferee, to notify the national instant criminal background check system of any background check conducted within the previous 30 days that did not result in the transfer of a handgun. (Sec. 302) Prohibits a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer from storing firearms in their business inventory in a manner not in conformity with regulations issued by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary, in issuing such regulations, to consider the type and quantity of the firearms to be stored, as well as the standards of safety and security recognized in the firearms industry. Sets penalties for violations. Authorizes license suspension or revocation or imposition of a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 if a licensee knowingly violates this provision. Makes it a condition of licensing that within 30 days after the application is approved the firearms inventory of the business will be stored in compliance with the requirements of this section. (Sec. 303) Prohibits a common or contract carrier from failing to report to the Secretary and to the appropriate local authorities the theft or loss of a firearm within 48 hours after the theft or loss is discovered. Authorizes the Secretary to impose a civil fine of up to $10,000 for a violation. (Sec. 304) Increases the number of allowed compliance inspections of firearms dealers from one to three times a year. (Sec. 305) Sets penalties for transferring a firearm having reasonable cause to believe that it will be used to commit a crime of violence. (Sec. 306) Directs licensed importers, manufacturers, and dealers to submit to the Secretary monthly reports of all firearms obtained from non-licensees. Specifies that such information shall be reported on a form to be prescribed by the Secretary and that such reports shall not include the name of or identifying information about the firearm transferors or subsequent purchasers. (Sec. 307) Modifies provisions regarding voluntary submission of a dealer's records to allow: (1) a successor licensee, upon receipt of records, to retain the records of the discontinued business or submit them to the Secretary; and (2) a licensee to voluntarily submit the records required to be kept if such records are at least 20 years old. Subtitle B: Enhancing Penalties for Gun Trafficking - Sets penalties for violating restrictions (in subtitle A) regarding the transfer of multiple handguns. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend the Federal sentencing guidelines to provide: (1) an appropriate enhancement for violation of the provisions prohibiting any person, except a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer, from engaging in the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing in firearms or, in the course of such business, from shipping, transporting, or receiving any firearm in interstate or foreign commerce; and (2) additional sentencing increases, as appropriate, for offenses involving more than 50 firearms. (Sec. 309) Provides for increased penalties for certain serious recordkeeping offenses, including making false statements or furnishing false identification with respect to a fact material to the lawfulness of the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition. (Sec. 310) Authorizes the Secretary to suspend the license of, or assess a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation by, a dealer. (Current law only provides for license revocation) (Sec. 311) Provides for termination of a dealer's license upon the date of a felony conviction. (Sec. 312) Increases penalties for violations involving transactions in firearms with obliterated serial numbers. (Sec. 313) Provides for civil and criminal forfeiture of any conveyance used or intended to be used to commit a gun trafficking offense or conspiracy to commit such an offense, and property traceable to such conveyance. (Sec. 314) Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Strengthening the Assault Weapons Ban -Prohibits the importation of large capacity ammunition feeding devices. Title V: Combating Criminal Misuse of Firearms - Makes specified firearms-related offenses predicates to a violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. (Sec. 502) Increases the penalty for firearms conspiracy offenses. (Sec. 503) Makes specified firearms-related offenses, and serious juvenile drug trafficking offenses, predicate crimes under the Armed Career Criminal Act. (Sec. 505) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a five-year statute of limitations for firearms-related offenses. (Sec. 506) Provides for the civil and criminal forfeiture of firearms used or intended to be used to commit a crime of violence or a felony under Federal law. (Sec. 507) Provides for separate licenses, and license fees, for gunsmiths. Title VI: Enhanced Firearms Enforcement - Authorizes appropriations for intensive firearms prosecution projects implemented by the Department of Justice. (Sec. 602) Directs the Secretary to expand: (1) to 75 the number of city and county law enforcement agencies that, through the Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative (YGCII), submit identifying information relating to all firearms recovered during law enforcement investigations, including from individuals under age 25, to the Secretary to identify the types and origins of such firearms; and (2) the resources devoted to law enforcement investigations of illegal youth possessors and users and of illegal firearms traffickers identified through YGCII, including through the hiring of additional personnel. Directs the Secretary to: (1) select cities and counties for participation in the program established under this section; and (2) establish a system through which State and local law enforcement agencies, through on-line computer technology, can promptly provide firearms-related information to the Secretary and access information derived through YCGII as soon as such capability is available. Sets forth reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations. Title VII: Combating Criminal Misuse of Explosives - Revises explosives provisions to prohibit any person other than a licensee or permittee from knowingly transporting, shipping, causing to be transported, or receiving any explosive materials, or from distributing explosive materials to any person other than a licensee or permittee. Prohibits a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer from transferring explosive materials to any other person who is not a licensee unless: (1) before the completion of the transfer, the licensee contacts the national instant criminal background check system established under the Brady Act; (2) the system provides the licensee with a unique identification number, or five business days have elapsed since the licensee contacted the system and the system has not notified the licensee that the receipt of explosive materials by such other person would violate the Act; (3) the transferor has verified the identity of the transferee by examining a valid identification document of the transferee containing a photograph of the transferee; and (4) the transferor has examined the permit issued to the transferee and recorded the permit number on the record of the transfer. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) further procedures and exceptions, penalties for violations, and Federal, State, and local government immunity for preventing or failing to prevent sales of explosive materials; and (2) remedies for erroneous denial of explosive materials. Requires an application for a license or user permit for explosive materials to include the applicant's fingerprints and photograph. Modifies Federal criminal code (code) provisions to charge the applicant a fee of up to $300 for a license and up to $100 for a permit. Sets penalties for violating the requirement for a background check for purchases of explosives. Prohibits the distribution of explosive materials to: (1) anyone who has been committed to a mental institution; (2) certain aliens; (3) anyone discharged from the armed forces under dishonorable conditions; (4) persons who have renounced their U.S. citizenship; (5) certain persons subject to a court order (such as one involving harassment, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or their child); (6) anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence; or (7) persons adjudicated delinquent. Sets forth: (1) similar restrictions regarding possession of explosives; and (2) provisions relating to aliens admitted under non-immigrant visas. (Sec. 703) Prohibits the shipment, transport, receipt, or possession of explosive materials by persons under age 21, with an exception involving commercially manufactured black powder. (Sec. 704) Exempts from: (1) Federal explosives prohibitions assembled small arms ammunition and primers not assembled into cartridges (other than bulk smokeless powder); and (2) Federal explosives prohibitions on the transportation and distribution of explosives specified quantities of commercially manufactured black powder intended for sporting or recreational use in antique firearms or devices. (Sec. 705) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Brownfield Remediation and Environmental Cleanup Title II: Innocent Landowner, Prospective Purchaser, and Contiguous Property Owner Liability Title III: Seller Liability Relief and State Voluntary Response Programs Community Revitalization and Brownfield Cleanup Act of 1999 - Title I: Brownfield Remediation and Environmental Cleanup - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a program to provide grants to local governments to inventory and conduct site assessments of brownfield sites. Defines a "brownfield site" as a parcel of land that contains or contained abandoned, idled, or under-used commercial or industrial facilities, the expansion or redevelopment of which is complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. (Sec. 103) Directs the Administrator to establish a program of grants to local governments for capitalization of loan programs for brownfield site cleanup by the locality or owner or developer. (Sec. 104) Imposes funding limitations, including a restriction on use of funds to meet Federal cost-sharing requirements and a prohibition on the use of grants to pay fines or penalties. (Sec. 105) Requires reports to specified congressional committees regarding the site assessment and loan capitalization programs. (Sec. 108) Authorizes appropriations to carry out the site assessment and loan capitalization programs and State voluntary response programs described under title III of this Act. Title II: Innocent Landowner, Prospective Purchaser, and Contiguous Property Owner Liability - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), with respect to defenses to liability of an owner of property acquired after April 15, 1994, to deem a person to have made appropriate inquiry into the property's previous ownership and uses only if the person establishes that an environmental site assessment was conducted which meets specified requirements (compliance with an American Society for Testing and Materials standard or with standards issued by the Administrator) and the person fulfills certain responsibilities concerning information compilation, exercise of appropriate care with respect to hazardous substances at the facility, and cooperation with those conducting response actions. (Sec. 202) Absolves from liability for response actions bona fide prospective purchasers or operators of a facility owned by such a purchaser to the extent liability for a release or threat thereof is based solely on ownership or operation of a facility and such persons meet other specified conditions, including notice requirements, exercise of appropriate care concerning the hazardous substances, cooperation with those conducting response actions, and lack of affiliation with liable parties. Gives a lien upon a facility to the United States for unrecovered response costs not inconsistent with the National Contingency Plan in any case in which there are such unrecovered costs for which the owner is not liable by reason of being a prospective purchaser and the action increases the fair market value of the facility. (Sec. 203) Adds CERCLA provisions governing owner-operator status of persons owning or operating property contiguous to a release site. Title III: Seller Liability Relief and State Voluntary Response Programs - Amends CERCLA to add provisions requiring the Administrator to provide technical and other assistance to States to establish and enhance qualifying State voluntary response programs, comprised of elements including public participation opportunities, oversight and enforcement authorities, and certification mechanisms.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Financial Support for Brownfield Site Remediation Title II: Financial Support for Brownfield Site Prevention and Redevelopment Brownfield Redevelopment and Environmental Revitalization Act of 1999 - Title I: Financial Support for Brownfield Site Remediation - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a program to provide grants to States and local governments to inventory and conduct site assessments of, and other pre-cleanup activities at, brownfield sites. (Sec. 102) Directs the Administrator to establish a program of grants to States and local governments for capitalization of loan programs for brownfield site cleanup by the locality or owner or prospective purchaser. (Sec. 103) Makes amounts in the Hazardous Substance Superfund (the Fund) available for carrying out such grant programs. Authorizes appropriations from the Fund. (Sec. 104) Imposes funding limitations. (Sec. 107) Authorizes appropriations to carry out the site assessment and loan capitalization programs. Title II: Financial Support for Brownfield Site Prevention and Redevelopment - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a credit that is 50 percent of the costs: (1) paid or incurred by the taxpayer for environmental remediation of any qualified contaminated site which is owned by the taxpayer; and (2) incurred by the taxpayer pursuant to an environmental remediation plan for such site which was approved by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Prohibits the environmental remediation credit from being determined unless the Administrator certifies that the remediation plan has been completed. Requires the credit to be taken into account ratably over the applicable five-year taxable period if the Administrator certifies that such plan has been completed. Permits a taxpayer to cease such remediation if: (1) the cost of completing the remediation plan exceeds 200 percent of the estimated costs of completing such plan; and (2) the State or local official administering the remediation credit program agrees with such determination. Makes certain taxpayers ineligible for the credit. Makes the environmental remediation credit part of the sum of the current year general business credit and allows any unused portion as a deduction for certain unused business credits. (Sec. 202) Allows an income tax deduction for payments into a tax-exempt Hazardous Waste Remediation Reserve to be used exclusively to pay costs of the taxpayer to: (1) assess the extent of a site's environmental contamination and its expected remediation cost; and (2) remediate the contamination. (Sec. 203) Permits, as specified, the issuance of tax-exempt qualified contaminated site remediation bonds. (Sec. 204) Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to require the Small Business Administration (SBA) to set aside a specified amount available for the development company program for local development companies to use to finance projects that assist existing or prospective new businesses in carrying out site assessment and cleanup activities at brownfield sites. (Sec. 205) Directs the SBA to promote the formation of small business investment companies (SBICs) devoted to: (1) brownfield site cleanup activities; or (2) projects that help existing companies clean up their facilities and adopt new, clean technologies. Waives filing fees for such companies. Requires the SBA to set aside a specified amount available for the SBIC program to provide leverage to such companies.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1999
Clean Money, Clean Elections Act - Title I: Clean Money Financing of House Election Campaigns - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to add a new title V (Clean Money Financing of House Election Campaigns) under which is set forth eligibility and qualifying contribution requirements, seed money provisions, and benefits of clean money financing of election campaigns. Defines the terms "qualifying contribution" and "seed money contribution." (Sec. 102) Sets forth requirements applicable to clean money candidates regarding the following: (1) contributions and expenditures; and (2) personal funds use. Directs the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to: (1) determine whether the candidate meets the eligibility requirements; and (2) certify whether or not the candidate is a clean money candidate. Establishes in the Treasury a House of Representatives Election Fund for the FEC to deposit unspent seed money contributions, qualifying contributions, penalty amounts, and amounts appropriated for clean money financing. Requires the FEC to assess a certain civil penalty against a clean money candidate when such candidate makes an expenditure from funds other than clean money funds. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 103) Sets forth reporting requirements regarding certain expenditures of private money candidates. Title II: Independent Expenditures; Coordinated Political Party Expenditures - Amends FECA to set forth requirements for reporting of certain independent expenditures. (Sec. 202) Redefines the term "independent expenditure." (Sec. 203) Limits expenditures that may be made by political party committees in connection with the general election campaign of a House election in which one or more of the candidates is a clean money candidate. (Sec. 204) Requires a committee of a political party, before making coordinated expenditures in excess of $5,000 for a Federal election, to certify to the FEC that it has not and will not make any independent expenditures in connection with such campaign. Prohibits a party committee that determines to make coordinated expenditures to transfer or receive any transfer of funds in the same election cycle from any other party committee that determines to make independent expenditures in connection with the same campaign for Federal office. Title III: Voter Information - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to entitle clean money candidates to receive specified free broadcast time. (Sec. 302) Allows clean money candidates to receive certain broadcast media rates for use of a television broadcasting station. Prohibits preemption of the use of a broadcasting station by a legally qualified candidate for Congress, except under circumstances beyond a station's control. (Sec. 303) Amends FECA to revise requirements for publication and distribution of statements and solicitations, including applying the requirements to political committees (currently applicable to any person). Sets forth: (1) political advertising provisions for print and broadcast or cablecast communications; and (2) reporting requirements for issue advertisements. (Sec. 304) Amends Federal postal law to prohibit franked mass mailings (except about a public meeting) by a Member in his or her election year, unless such Member will not be a candidate for any Federal office. Title IV: Soft Money of Political Parties - Amends FECA with respect to soft money to: (1) prohibit a national committee of a political party (including a national congressional campaign committee of a political party) from soliciting or receiving contributions or making expenditures not subject to FECA; (2) require a State, district, or local committee of a political party to make Federal election year expenditures (with exceptions) from funds subject to FECA; (3) prohibit a national, State, district, or local committee from soliciting or donating funds to a tax-exempt organization; and (4) prohibit an incumbent or candidate for Federal office, or an agent of a candidate or an incumbent, from soliciting or receiving funds not subject to FECA, or to solicit or receive funds for a non-Federal election in excess of certain limits or from prohibited sources (with exceptions for State or local candidates in compliance with State law). (Sec. 402) Establishes aggregate contribution limits for political committees established and maintained by a State committee of a political party and increases the aggregate contribution limit for any individual in any calendar year. (Sec. 403) Prescribes reporting requirements pertaining to political committees. Eliminates the exception for building funds relating to the definition of contribution. Title V: Restructuring and Strengthening of the Federal Election Commission - Revises FECA requirements for the composition and terms of FEC Commissioners. Authorizes the FEC to: (1) conduct random post election audits to ensure voluntary FECA compliance; (2) seek injunctions; and (3) expedite its procedures for certain complaints. (Sec. 504) Revises the standard for an investigation by the FEC of a violation to require the FEC to investigate a violation when it has reason to open an investigation on whether (currently, reason to believe that) a violation of FECA has been committed or is about to be committed. (Sec. 505) Revises requirements relating to the powers of the FEC to authorize it to: (1) appeal a petition for certiorari before the Supreme Court; and (2) issue a subpoena without the signature of the chairperson or the vice chairperson. (Sec. 507) Amends FECA to mandate electronic filing of FEC reports for public availability on the Internet and at FEC offices. Establishes within FEC reporting requirements specified time frames for separate, detailed notifications to the FEC and other appropriate Federal officials when any contribution is received by any political committee within a certain period of time surrounding the election. Title VI: Miscellaneous Provisions - Provides for: (1) severability of the provisions of this Act; (2) U.S. Supreme Court review of constitutional issues; and (3) the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Designation of Wilderness Areas Title II: Administrative Provisions America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 1999 - Title I: Designation of Wilderness Areas - Designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin wilderness areas; (2) Zion and Mojave Desert wilderness areas; (3) Grand Staircase-Escalante wilderness areas; (4) Moab-LaSal Canyons wilderness areas; (5) Henry Mountains wilderness areas; (6) Glen Canyon wilderness areas; (7) San Juan-Anasazi wilderness areas; (8) Canyonlands Basin wilderness areas; (9) San Rafael Swell wilderness areas; and (10) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin wilderness areas. Title II: Administrative Provisions - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to file a map and a legal description of each designated wilderness area with appropriate congressional committees. (Sec. 203) Provides that if State-owned land is included within a designated wilderness area, then the Secretary shall offer to exchange U.S. lands in the State of approximate equal value (prohibits the transfer of associated mineral interests) in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the Wilderness Act. (Sec. 204) Reserves the Federal Government's rights to a quantity of water determined by the Secretary to be sufficient for each wilderness area designated by this Act. (Sec. 205) Sets forth provisions for the measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness. (Sec. 206) Permits authorized grazing of livestock within the designated wilderness areas to continue subject to such regulations and procedures as the Secretary considers necessary, as long as they are consistent with: (1) the Wilderness Act; and (2) the Arizona Desert Wilderness Act of 1990. (Sec. 209) Withdraws such Federal land, subject to valid rights existing on the enactment of this Act, from all forms of: (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under public law; (2) location, entry, and patent under mining law; and (3) disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials. (Sec. 210) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1999
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations to the Department of Labor for FY 1999 through 2003 for: (1) trade adjustment assistance to displaced workers and for firms; and (2) the North American Free Trade Agreement Transitional Adjustment Assistance Program. Increases the total amount of payments for job training of displaced workers due to import competition to $30 million for the period October 1, 1998 through June 30, 1999. Provides that a certification of eligibility to apply for trade adjustment assistance shall not cover a worker whose last total or partial separation from a firm occurred more than two years (currently, one year) before the date of a petition on which such certification was granted (effectively extending the time for filing the petition for worker assistance).
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1999
East Timer Paramilitary Accountability Resolution - Declares that the United States will no longer accept, condone, finance, or supply the Indonesian military occupiers or their proxies, the paramilitary civilian militia units, in East Timor. Urges the Secretaries of State and Defense to take an active and visible role in urging the Government of Indonesia and the Indonesian military to: (1) permit an international investigation of the massacre at Liquica; and (2) bring to justice those individuals responsible for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights in East Timor. Expresses the sense of the Congress that U.S. military assistance and arms transfers should not be provided to the Government of Indonesia unless the President certifies to the Congress that the Government of Indonesia: (1) is no longer arming, financing, or supporting paramilitary units in East Timor, and ceases its own military attacks on civilians, separate from and together with these paramilitary units; (2) has assisted in the disarming and disbanding of such paramilitary units; (3) allows free and open access to East Timor to a continuing United Nations (UN) presence, international human rights and relief and development organizations, and the press; and (4) has reduced substantially the Indonesian military (ABRI) troop presence in East Timor as the beginning of a UN-monitored withdrawal.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1999
Public School Modernization Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide: (1) a limited credit for qualified public school modernization bonds; (2) for qualified school construction bonds and qualified zone academy bonds and establish limits and allocation formulas for such bonds; and (3) corporations, a limited specialized training center credit. Amends the General Education Provisions Act to provide for the application of certain labor standards to projects financed under this Act. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish provisions concerning employment and training activities related to the construction or reconstruction of public school facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Children's Environmental Protection Subtitle A: Disclosure of Industrial Releases That Present a Significant Risk to Children Subtitle B: Disclosure of High Health Risk Chemicals in Children's Consumer Products Title II: Public Right to Know About Toxic Chemical Use Children's Environmental Protection and Right to Know Act of 1999 - Title I: Children's Environmental Protection - Subtitle A: Disclosure of Industrial Releases That Present a Significant Risk to Children - Amends the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish thresholds for toxic chemicals which may present significant risks to children's health or the environment. Includes lead, mercury, dioxin, cadmium, chromium, and other specified bioaccumulative chemicals as substances subject to such thresholds. Makes dioxin and specified bioaccumulative chemicals subject to toxic chemical release form reporting requirements under such Act. Authorizes citizen suits against the Administrator for failures to establish thresholds under this Act. Subtitle B: Disclosure of High Health Risk Chemicals in Children's Consumer Products - Amends the Federal Hazardous Substances Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the National Toxicology Program, to publish a list of substances which are toxic due to carcinogenic, neurotoxic, or reproductive toxic effects. Directs the Secretary to identify those substances to which infants and young children are exposed. Requires manufacturers or importers of eligible products (defined as toys or other articles intended for use by children) which contain such substances to report specified information to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, including information supporting that a substance is not a misbranded or banned hazardous substance. Authorizes exemptions from such reporting requirements if a substance would not cause substantial personal injury or illness as a result of foreseeable handling, including ingestion by children. Permits citizen suits with respect to certain violations under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act and against the Commission for failure to perform duties under this Act. Title II: Public Right to Know About Toxic Chemical Use - Expands information to be included in toxic chemical release forms, including the number of employees and occupational exposures at reporting facilities as well as materials accounting information. Requires the Administrator to take certain actions to: (1) standardize data and obtain and integrate information regarding toxic chemicals; (2) consolidate all annual reporting requirements of Federal environmental laws for small businesses and entities subject to toxic chemical release reporting; and (3) provide the public with one point of contact for access to information gathered by EPA. Requires disclosures on the uses of toxic chemicals by reporting facilities. Permits the withholding of portions of materials accounting information reported by covered facilities for purposes of protecting trade secrets.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Human Rights Information Act - Requires certain Federal agencies to identify and organize all human rights records regarding activities occurring in Guatemala and Honduras after 1944 for declassification and disclosure purposes, and to make them available to the public. Instructs the President to report to Congress regarding agency compliance. Prescribes guidelines under which the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel shall review agency determinations to postpone public disclosure of any human rights record. Authorizes postponement of such public disclosures on specified grounds. Requires any U.S. agency, upon request by an entity created by the United Nations, the Organization of American States (or similar entity), a national truth commission (or similar entity), or from the principal justice or human rights official of a country that is investigating a pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, to review, declassify, and publicly disclose any human pertinent rights records. Directs the Information Security Policy Advisory Council to report to Congress on declassification of human rights records relating to other countries and to make such report available to the public. Creates two additional positions in the Panel in order to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Made in USA Label Defense Act of 1999 - Amends Federal law to prohibit the affixation of the "Made in the USA" label to a product of the Northern Mariana Islands. Prohibits such products from being imported into the United States free of duty or quotas.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact Title II: Southern Dairy Compact Dairy Consumers and Producers Protection Act - Title I: Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact - Amends the Agricultural Market Transition Act to include Maryland, New Jersey, and New York within the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact. Includes Ohio among the additional States that may join such Compact, and eliminates Virginia from such group. Eliminates and revises specified provisions regarding Compact implementation, duration, restricting authority, and Commodity Credit Corporation compensation. Title II: Southern Dairy Compact - States that Congress consents to the Southern Dairy Compact entered into by Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Includes Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas as additional States that may join such Compact. Limits price regulatory authority to Class I fluid milk unless otherwise consented to by Congress. Provides for Commodity Credit Corporation compensation. Sets forth the Southern Dairy Compact.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
Retirement Accessibility, Security, and Portability Act of 1999 - Title I: Pension Access and Coverage - Subtitle A: Improved Access to Individual Retirement Savings - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow a tax credit for qualified start-up costs of eligible small employers in establishing a qualified pension plan or qualified employer payroll deduction system. Limits the amount of such credit to: (1) $1,000 for the first credit year; (2) $500 for each of the two taxable years immediately following the first credit year; and (3) zero for any other taxable year. (Sec. 102) Provides for an exclusion from an employee's gross income of payroll deduction contributions to individual retirement accounts (IRAs). (Sec. 103) Provides for a nonrefundable tax credit for contributions to individual retirement plans. (Sec. 104) Allows the use, without penalty, of distributions from certain plans during periods of unemployment. Subtitle B: Secure Money Annuity or Retirement (SMART) Trusts - Establishes a defined benefit plan option for small businesses, to be known as secure money annuity or retirement (SMART) trusts. Subtitle C: Improved Fairness in Retirement Plan Benefits - Amends the IRC to require a specified minimum employer contribution to simple retirement accounts. Provides for an employer option to suspend contributions with 30-days' notice. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) with respect to fiduciary duties in the case of such accounts. (Sec. 122) Amends the IRC to set forth various nondiscrimination rules for qualified cash or deferred arrangements and matching contributions. (Sec. 123) Increases from $75,000 to $80,000 per year specified compensation criteria for a highly compensated employee. Excludes specified categories of employees with respect to age, short length of service, and part-time service from the meaning of highly compensated employee. (Sec. 124) Includes multiemployer plans, as well as governmental plans, under specified provisions of IRC for: (1) special limitation rules relating to compensation limits; and (2) exemptions for survivor and disability benefits. (Sec. 125) Declares that compensation deferred under a mirror plan shall not be taken into account in applying certain limits (with respect to deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations) to compensation deferred under any other deferred compensation plan. (Sec. 126) Amends specified Federal law relating to Federal employees to allow immediate participation in the Thrift Savings Plan for Federal employees by eliminating certain waiting periods. (Sec. 127) Amends IRC and ERISA to set a full funding limitation for multiemployer plans. (Sec. 128) Eliminates IRC partial termination rules for multiemployer plans. (Sec. 129) Replaces the 150 percent of current liability factor in the calculation of the full-funding limit with an incremental scale from 155 percent in 1998 to 170 percent in 2001, followed by zero in 2002 and succeeding years. Title II: Security - Subtitle A: General Provisions - Amends ERISA to revise requirements for periodic pension benefits statements. (Sec. 202) Applies an ERISA requirement for annual, detailed investment reports to certain IRC section 401(k) plans. (Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary of Labor, in prescribing regulations for required information in such reports, to consider including specified types of information. (Sec. 204) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the extent to which pension plans invest in collectibles; and (2) whether such investments present a risk to the pension security of the participants and beneficiaries of such plans. (Sec. 205) Amends IRC to prohibit qualified employer plans from making loans through credit cards and other intermediaries. (Sec. 206) Increases the amounts of multiemployer plan benefits guaranteed under ERISA. (Sec. 207) Increases the maximum amount of the civil penalty which may be assessed administratively for certain prohibited transactions. (Sec. 208) Amends ERISA with respect to substantial owner benefits to revise the phase-in of guarantee and the allocation of assets. (Sec. 209) Directs the Secretary to report annually to the President and the Congress on plans from which residual assets were distributed to employers (reversion report). Subtitle B: ERISA Enforcement - Amends ERISA enforcement provisions to change from mandatory to discretionary the Secretary's authority to impose certain civil penalties for breach of fiduciary responsibilities. (Sec. 212) Revises reporting and enforcement requirements for employee benefit plans. Requires plan administrators and accountants to notify the Secretary: (1) of specified irregularities; and (2) upon termination of the accountant. Authorizes the Secretary to impose civil penalties for failure to make such notifications. (Sec. 213) Sets forth additional ERISA requirements for qualified public accountants. (Sec. 214) Directs the Inspector General of the Department of Labor to study, and report to Congress and the Secretary on, the need for regulatory standards and procedures to authorize the Secretary, in appropriate cases, to prohibit persons from serving as qualified accountants for purposes of specified annual reports. Subtitle C: Increase in Excise Tax on Employer Reversions - Amends the IRC to increase the excise tax on reversions of qualified employee benefit plan assets to employers. Title III: Portability - Amends ERISA and the IRC to provide for faster vesting of employer matching contributions. (Sec. 302) Revises certain restrictions on distributions from IRC section 401(k) plans. (Sec. 303) Amends ERISA and the IRC with respect to an accrued benefit not to be decreased by plan amendment to revise the treatment of transfers between defined contribution plans. (Sec. 304) Amends ERISA rules requiring transfer of benefits of missing participants to direct the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to prescribe similar rules for multiemployer plans that terminate. Requires transfer of missing participants' plan benefits to the PBGC by certain plans not otherwise subject to ERISA enforcement provisions. (Sec. 305) Allows rollovers from and to the IRC section 403(b) plans (annuities purchased for employees by a tax-exempt organization or public school). (Sec. 306) Amends the IRC to set forth requirements relating to rollover contributions from deferred compensation plans of State and local governments. (Sec. 307) Extends the IRC 60-day rollover period in the case of presidentially declared disasters and service in combat zones. (Sec. 308) Excludes from gross income, for certain IRC purposes, amounts involved in a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer to a defined benefit governmental plan, if such transfer is for: (1) purchase of service credit under such plan; or (2) a specified type of repayment. Title IV: Comprehensive Women's Pension Protection - Subtitle A: Pension Reform - Amends the IRC and ERISA to provide for the spouse's right to know specified distribution information relating to survivor annuities. Provides for the employee's right to know of the opportunity for elective contributions under IRC section 401(k) plans. (Sec. 402) Directs the Secretary of Labor to contract with an independent organization to create a women's pension toll-free phone number and contact. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 403) Amends the Social Security Act to modify the government pension offset with respect to certain insurance benefits for wives, husbands, widows, widowers, and mothers and fathers. (Sec. 404) Amends the IRC and ERISA to treat periods of family and medical leave, under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, as hours of service for purposes of pension participation and vesting. (Sec. 405) Amends the IRC to: (1) disallow integration for simplified employee pensions; and (2) provide for eventual repeal of certain pension integration rules. (Sec. 406) Amends the IRC and ERISA with respect to division of pension benefits upon divorce, at the former spouse's election, to deem any State divorce decree to be a domestic relations order specifying that half of the marital share of the participant's accrued benefit is to be provided to such former spouse. (Sec. 407) Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 (RRA) to entitle divorced spouses to railroad retirement annuities independent of the employee's actual entitlement. Subtitle B: Protection of Rights of Former Spouses to Pension Benefits Under Certain Government and Government-Sponsored Retirement Programs - Amends RRA to extend Tier II railroad retirement benefits to surviving former spouses pursuant to divorce agreements. (Sec. 412) Amends Federal civil service law with respect to survivor annuities for widows, widowers, and former spouses of Federal employees who die before attaining the age for deferred annuity under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). (Sec. 413) Amends Federal civil service law with respect to payment of lump-sum benefits to former spouses of Federal employees under CSRS and the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS). Subtitle C: Modifications of Joint and Survivor Annuity Requirements - Modifies ERISA and IRC requirements for joint and survivor annuities to provide for an alternative joint and two-thirds survivor annuity payable while both the participant and the spouse are alive. (Sec. 422) Requires spousal consent for distributions from the IRC section 401(k) plans. Title V: Date for Adoption of Plan Amendments - Sets forth dates for adoption of plan amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to restore the link ended by the Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act of 1995 between the rules relating to substantial gainful activity for blind individuals and the rules relating to excess earnings under the social security earnings test for individuals who have attained retirement age (thus allowing blind individuals, once again, to earn up to the social security excess earnings threshold without being regarded as having demonstrated an ability to engage in substantial gainful activity and without losing entitlement to OASDI benefits). Makes this Act effective with respect to taxable years ending after 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the court-martial charges against then-Captain Charles McVay, U.S. Navy, arising from the sinking of the USS INDIANAPOLIS on July 30, 1945, while under his command were not morally sustainable; (2) Captain McVay's conviction was a miscarriage of justice; (3) the American people should now recognize Captain McVay's lack of culpability for the loss of such ship and the lives of the men who died as the result of her sinking; and (4) the President should award a Unit Citation to the final crew of the INDIANAPOLIS in recognition of their courage and fortitude in the face of tremendous hardship and adversity after their ship was torpedoed and sunk.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1999
Prevention of School Violence Act of 1999 - Establishes the National Commission on the Prevention of School Violence. Directs the Commission to submit a final report to the President and the Congress within one year after its first meeting. Terminates the Commission 60 days after such required report date.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1999
Indigent Care Reimbursement Act of 1999 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from treating patient days for individuals eligible for general assistance under the laws of certain States as not consisting of patients who were eligible for medical assistance under the State's Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act (SSA)) plan in calculating the amount of disproportionate share (DSH) adjustment payments under the Medicare program (SSA title XVIII) for hospitals in such States for discharges occurring before October 1, 1998. Prohibits the Secretary from recouping payments from (or otherwise reducing, disallowing, or adjusting payments under Medicare to) such a hospital for such discharges. Requires the Secretary to refund to the affected hospital any amounts recouped, reduced, disallowed, or adjusted before enactment of this Act that are attributable to such discharges.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1999
Independent Contractor Clarification Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to employment taxes, to replace the current 20 point test for determining an independent contractor (for whom an employer need not pay or withhold the appropriate employment taxes) with a three-point test, including: (1) the employer's lack of control of the manner in which the individual service provider completes his or her assigned tasks; (2) the individual service provider is not precluded by the employer from soliciting and undertaking other business opportunities involving substantially similar services for others; and (3) the individual service provider encounters entrepreneurial risk, including the ability to generate a profit or bear the risk of financial loss. Sets forth restrictions on retroactive employment tax reclassifications, including safe harbor requirements. Provides that the statute of limitations on assessment of employment taxes shall run beginning on the date certain information returns (specifying payments to an individual for services performed where the payments are not taken into account in determining such taxes) are filed.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1999
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Amendments of 1999 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code, and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit group and individual health plans from imposing treatment limitations or financial requirements on the coverage of mental health benefits, or substance abuse and chemical dependency benefits, if similar limitations or requirements are not imposed on medical and surgical benefits. Amends the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1986 to provide for coordination in implementation of such amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Safeguard Amendments Title II: Amendments to Title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930 Title III: Steel Import Notification Fair Trade Law Enhancement Act of 1999 - Title I: Safeguard Amendments - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to repeal the requirement that the cause of serious injury (or threat of it) be substantial to the domestic industry producing an article like or directly competitive with an article that is being imported into the United States in such increased quantities with respect to the President taking action to facilitate efforts by such industry to make a positive adjustment to the import competition. (Sec. 101) Declares that imports shall be considered to be a "cause of serious injury, or threat thereof," when a causal link is established between imports and injury to the domestic industry. Revises certain factors the International Trade Commission (ITC) must consider when investigating whether an article is being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury (or threat of it) to the domestic industry producing an article like or directly competitive with the imported article. Repeals, similarly, the requirement that such injury be substantial. (Sec. 102) Requires the ITC, for purposes of an investigation, to focus on the merchant market when determining the domestic industry's market share in producing an article like or directly competitive with the imported article in cases in which domestic producers transfer internally (including related parties) significant production of the like or directly competitive article for the production of a downstream article and sell significant production of such article in the merchant market (captive production). (Sec. 103) Directs the ITC to find that a rebuttable presumption that a domestic industry is threatened with serious injury, or a rebuttable presumption of critical circumstances, exists due to such imports if it finds there has been a rapid decline in domestic prices for the like or directly competitive article and a rapid increase in the imported articles. Requires the ITC in any case in which such presumptions do not apply, or in which they apply but are rebutted, to conduct a threat of serious injury or of critical circumstances analysis as if no such presumption applied. Title II: Amendments to Title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to make similar changes with respect to its countervailing duty and antidumping duty provisions. (Sec. 207) Prohibits the administering authority (Secretary of Commerce), for purposes of suspending an antidumping duty or countervailing duty investigation, from accepting an agreement with another country to eliminate or offset a countervailable subsidy placed by such country on an export to the United States or an agreement to cease such exports to, or eliminate their injurious effect on, the United States unless, among other things, such agreement is supported by domestic producers or workers accounting for more than 50 percent of the total production of the domestic like product. (Sec. 209) Revises the method for calculating the constructed export price of subject merchandise by reducing such price, among other things, by an amount equal to the dumping margin or the net countervailable subsidy unless the producer or exporter is able to demonstrate that the importer of such merchandise was in no way reimbursed for any antidumping duties paid on such merchandise. (Sec. 211) Requires the ITC, for purposes of an antidumping duty or countervailing duty investigation, to treat the producers of an agricultural product that has a short shelf life (perishable product) in a defined period or season as the domestic industry. Sets forth certain factors that the ITC can, cannot, or shall consider when making material injury determinations with respect to such products for the seasonal period. (Sec. 212) Requires the ITC, when making a determination of whether a countervailable subsidy exists in a country where transactions do not reflect market conditions due to government action associated with provision of the subject good or service or purchase of such goods, to make such determination through comparison with the most comparable market price elsewhere in the world. Title III: Steel Import Notification - Directs the Secretary to establish and implement a steel import notification and monitoring program. Requires: (1) a person to have a steel import notification certificate before he or she can import certain steel products into the United States; and (2) the Secretary to issue such certificate to any person who files an application that meets specified requirements. Requires the Secretary to compile and publish certain information with respect to such imported steel.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1999
Medicare Nursing and Paramedical Education Act of 1999 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exclude nursing and paramedical education costs from the calculation of payment adjustments to the annual area-specific Medicare+Choice capitation rate for each Medicare+Choice payment area. Provides that, in determining the payment of reasonable costs for approved nursing and paramedical education programs to a hospital for portions of cost reporting periods occurring on or after January 1, 2000, individuals who are enrolled with a Medicare+Choice organization shall be treated as if they were not so enrolled.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1999
Personal Information Privacy Act of 1999 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to redefine the term "consumer report" to exclude identifying information listed in a local telephone directory (thereby ensuring that the personal identification information in the credit headers accompanying credit reports of unlisted individuals remains confidential). (Sec. 3) Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to prohibit the commercial acquisition or distribution of an individual's social security number (or any derivative of it), as well as its use as a personal identification number, without the individual's written consent. Provides for: (1) civil money penalties and civil action in U.S. District Court by an aggrieved individual; and (2) coordination with criminal enforcement of identification document fraud. (Sec.4) Amends the Federal criminal code to require State motor vehicle department uses of social security numbers to be consistent with uses authorized by the Social Security Act, the Privacy Act, and by any other appropriate statutes. Prohibits marketing company use of social security numbers. (Sec. 5) Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit, with an exception for specified law enforcement requests, State motor vehicle department release or disclosure of an individual's photograph without the individual's written consent. (Sec. 6) Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a consumer reporting agency from providing a report in connection with a credit or insurance transaction not initiated by the consumer without the consumer's written consent. Requires full consumer disclosure before such consent shall be effective. (Sec. 7) Prohibits, with specified exceptions, a person doing business with a consumer from selling or transferring for marketing purposes any transaction or experience information (as defined by this Act) without the consumer's written consent.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1999
Stamp Out Diabetes Act of 1999 - Amends Federal law to require the Postal Service to establish a special rate of postage for first class mail that is up to 25 percent higher than the regular rate as a voluntary alternative that the public may use to contribute to funding for diabetes research. Requires collected amounts to be paid to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Expresses the sense of the Congress that nothing in this Act should: (1) cause a net decrease in total funds received by NIH below the level that would have otherwise been received but for this Act's enactment; or (2) affect first-class or other regular postage rates. Requires special postage stamps to be made available to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1999
Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish in the Treasury the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund for the deposit of income, gift, and estate taxes paid by or on behalf of taxpayers: (1) who are designated conscientious objectors opposed to participation in war in any form based upon the taxpayer's deeply held moral, ethical, or religious beliefs or training (within the meaning of the Military Selective Service Act); and (2) who have certified these beliefs in writing. Requires that funds in the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund be allocated annually to any appropriation not for a military purpose. Declares the sense of Congress that any increase in revenue to the Treasury resulting from the creation of the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund shall be allocated in a manner consistent with the purposes of the Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1999
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to reauthorize and revise provisions for the National Writing Project (NWP). Increases the maximum amount for any one contractor under limits on the Federal share of NWP teacher training programs. Repeals the classroom teacher grants program under NWP. Increases and extends through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations for NWP.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1999
National Forest Protection and Restoration Act of 1999 - Prohibits commercial logging and timber sales (with specified exceptions) on Federal public lands, with a two-year phase-out for existing contracts. Provides for payment of relinquished contracts. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to each establish a National Heritage Restoration Corps to restore such lands to their natural pre-logging condition. Provides for worker retraining of eligible persons whose jobs have been lost due to terminated timber and logging contracts. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to make training grants, including grants for job search and relocation. Sets forth fund allocation provisions, including amounts for an Environmental Protection Agency investigation of non-wood paper and construction alternatives.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Quality Health-Care Coalition Act of 1999 - Entitles any health care professionals negotiating with a health plan regarding contract terms under which they provide health care items or services for which plan benefits are provided to the same treatment under antitrust laws as that accorded to a collective bargaining unit recognized under the National Labor Relations Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Freedom From Sexual Trafficking Act of 1999 - Declares that the purpose of this Act is to eliminate international sexual trafficking in which women and children are brought across international boundaries by means of force or fraud for purposes of forced prostitution, sexual slavery, and similar practices. (Sec. 4) Sets forth minimum international standards for the elimination of sexual trafficking. (Sec. 5) Establishes in the Office of the Secretary of State an Office for the Protection of Victims of Trafficking, to be administered by a director appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require the Secretary to include in a certain human rights report, among other things, information on sexual trafficking and the efforts of a country to prevent it. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the status of international sexual trafficking, including a list of any countries that do not meet the minimum international standards for the elimination of such trafficking. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 6) Authorizes appropriations for assistance administered through nongovernmental organizations: (1) to foreign countries in programs and activities designed to meet the minimum international standards for the elimination of sexual trafficking, including drafting of legislation to prohibit and punish acts of sexual trafficking, investigation and prosecution of sexual trafficking, and facilities, programs, and activities for the protection of victims; and (2) for programs and activities to assist victims of sexual trafficking in the United States. (Sec. 7) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a nonimmigrant visa category for an alien (including spouse, married and unmarried sons and daughters, and parents of such alien) who the Attorney General determines: (1) is physically present in the United States; (2) is or has been a victim of sexual trafficking; (3) has not unreasonably refused to assist in the investigation or prosecution of acts of sexual trafficking (or has not attained age 14); and (4) would face a significant possibility of retribution or other hardship if removed from the United States. Denies such person eligibility for admission to the United States if there is substantial reason to believe that the person has committed an act of sexual trafficking. Directs the Attorney General to determine whether a ground for inadmissibility exists with respect to such nonimmigrant alien. Authorizes the Attorney General to waive the requirements of this Act if it is in the national interest. Authorizes the Attorney General to adjust the status of the nonimmigrant alien (and spouse, married and unmarried sons and daughters, and parents of such alien) to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States (provided such alien was not a participant in Nazi persecutions or genocide) if such nonimmigrant alien: (1) has been physically present in the United States for a continuous period of at least three years; (2) has, throughout such period, been a person of good moral character; (3) has not, during such period, unreasonably refused to provide assistance in the investigation or prosecution of acts of sexual trafficking; and (4) would face a significant possibility of retribution or other hardship if removed from the United States. (Sec. 8) Declares it to be U.S. policy not to provide nonhumanitarian foreign assistance to countries which do not meet minimum standards for the elimination of sexual trafficking. (Sec. 9) Amends Federal criminal law to subject to both civil (including forfeiture) and criminal penalties anyone who, whether inside or outside the United States, for the purpose of causing a person under age 18 (by fraud, force, or coercion) to engage in a commercial sexual act, knowingly does or attempts or conspires to: (1) transport the person across an international border; (2) recruit, entice, harbor, or engage in the purchase or sale of the person, who will then be or has been transported across an international border; or (3) own, manage, operate, or share in the proceeds of an enterprise in which the person has been transported across an international border.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: The Children's Firearm Safety Act of 1999 Title II: The Children's Firearms Age Limit Act of 1999 Title III: The Children's Firearm Dealer's Responsibility Act of 1999 Title IV: Children's Firearms Access Prevention Title V: The Children's Firearms Injury Surveillance Act of 1999 Title VI: Children's Gun Violence Prevention Education Children's Gun Violence Prevention Act of 1999 - Title I: Children's Firearm Safety Act of 1999 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit (beginning 18 months after this Act's enactment) the manufacture or import of an unsafe handgun, with exceptions. Defines "unsafe handgun" to mean:v (1) any handgun that fails a specified drop test; (2) any handgun without a child resistant trigger mechanism designed to prevent a child under age five from operating it; (3) any semiautomatic pistol that does not have a magazine disconnect safety; and (4) any handgun that is sold without a mechanism designed to prevent a handgun's discharge by an authorized user. (Sec. 102) Requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to conduct a study to determine how the safety of handguns can be improved so as to prevent the unauthorized use or discharge of handguns by children under age 18. Title II : Children's Firearms Age Limit Act of 1999 - Prohibits the sale, delivery, or other transfer of a semiautomatic assault weapon to a juvenile. (Sec. 202) Doubles the term of imprisonment for a person who transfers a handgun (or semiautomatic assault weapon) to a juvenile for use in a crime of violence. Title III: Children's Firearm Dealer's Responsibility Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, to revoke the license of a dealer who willfully sells a firearm to an individual who has not attained age 18. (Sec. 302) Requires two forms of identification for firearms purchasers known or believed to be under age 24. (Sec. 303) Directs the Secretary to issue final regulations that establish minimum firearm safety and security standards that apply to dealers who are issued a license. Sets penalties for licensed dealers who knowingly fail to comply with applicable regulations regarding such standards. Title IV: Children's Firearm Access Prevention - Prohibits keeping a loaded firearm, or an unloaded firearm and ammunition, within any premise under that person's control if that person knows, or reasonably should know, that a juvenile is capable of gaining access to the firearm without the permission of the parent or legal guardian, subject to specified requirements and exceptions. Imposes a fine of up to $10,000 for violations. Sets criminal penalties of up to a year in prison if a juvenile obtains access to the firearm and thereby causes death or bodily injury, or exhibits the firearm in a public place, or in violation of specified provisions, including prohibitions against the possession or use of a firearm in a school zone. Title V: Children's Firearm Injury Surveillance Act of 1999 - Children's Firearm Injury Surveillance Act of 1999 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to State and local departments of health and State and local law enforcement agencies for purposes of establishing and maintaining children's firearm-related injury surveillance systems. Authorizes appropriations. Title VI: Children's Gun Violence Prevention Education - Children's Gun Violence Prevention Education Act of 1999 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education or the State educational agency to award grants to local educational agencies for the purpose of educating children about preventing gun violence. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 603) Directs the Secretary: (1) before awarding such grants, to consult with the Attorney General to establish guidelines for gun violence prevention education programs for children; (2) to include on the Department of Education's Internet site a description of programs that receive such grants; and (3) to publicize the competitive grant program through its Internet site, publications, and public service announcements. (Sec. 605) Amends the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994 to provide for timely counseling to, and evaluations of, any public school student who possesses a weapon on school grounds, and advice to public school students, staff, and administrators after an incident of gun-related violence on school grounds. Title VII: Children's Firearm Tracking Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to endeavor to expand the number of cities and counties directly participating in the Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative (YCGII). Requires the Secretary to: (1) utilize information provided by YCGII to facilitate the identification and prosecution of individuals illegally trafficking firearms to individuals under age 24; (2) share information derived from YCGII with State and local law enforcement agencies through on-line computer access; and (3) award grants to States, cities, and counties to assist their tracing of firearms and participation in YCGII.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Patient Freedom from Restraint Act of 1999 - Amends part D (Peer Review) of title XI of the Social Security Act (SSA) to specify Medicare and Medicaid (SSA titles XVIII and XIX) program beneficiaries' rights to freedom from restraint and other abuse while in a psychiatric hospital or other care facility or treatment center. Requires a covered facility to report sentinel events (when a program beneficiary under psychiatric or other specified care dies unexpectedly or suffers injury unrelated to his or her illness or underlying condition) to the appropriate protection and advocacy agency. Allows the imposition of restraints only: (1) to ensure physical safety of the individual or others in the provider's care; and (2) upon the written order of a physician specifying the duration (but no more than two hours) and circumstances under which restraints and seclusion are to be used (except in emergency circumstances specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services until such an order could reasonably be obtained). Prohibits their simultaneous use. Requires the covered facility to provide for annual staff training on the proper use of restraints and seclusion, to make available to each resident or patient (or guardian) a statement of their rights with regard to such mechanisms along with identifying information on the appropriate protection and advocacy agencies, such information to be posted in the facility where the patients or residents can see and read it. Imposes certain recordkeeping and other reporting requirements with regard to uses of restraints and seclusion, including making available applicable medical record information to the appropriate protection and advocacy agencies for inspection and periodic reporting to the Secretary on the overall use of restraints and seclusion. Requires the Secretary to compile and publish annually a comprehensive summary of the reports on sentinel events. Mandates sanctions for failure to report, which includes a civil money penalty for failure to file sentinel reports, and other specified violations, including those involving staff training.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
IRA Charitable Rollover Incentive Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from inclusion as income individual retirement account 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 · 25 March 1999
Good Samaritan Tax Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth a rule for determining the amount of the deduction allowable for a charitable contribution of food inventory.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1999
Amends the Animal Welfare Act to eliminate the provision permitting interstate movement of live fighting birds if the fighting venture is to take place in a State allowing such fights.
![Official portrait of Rep. Hoeffel, Joseph M. [D-PA-13]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h001031_200.jpg)