United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Eliminate Colorectal Cancer Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to require coverage of colorectal cancer screening according to certain guidelines by a group health plan, a health insurance issuer offering group health insurance coverage, and a health insurance issuer in the individual market. Directs the Secretaries of Labor and of Health and Human Services to ensure coordination in the implementation and enforcement of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2001 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or local governments. Directs the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to determine whether State law provides specified rights and responsibilities for public safety officers, including: (1) granting public safety employees the right to form and join a labor organization which excludes management and supervisory employees, and which is, or seeks to be, recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for such employees; and (2) requiring public safety employers to recognize and agree to bargain with the employees' labor organization. Requires the FLRA to issue regulations establishing collective bargaining procedures for public safety employers and employees in States that do not substantially provide for such public safety employee rights and responsibilities. Directs the FLRA, in such cases, to: (1) determine the appropriateness of units for labor organization representation; (2) supervise or conduct elections to determine whether a labor organization has been selected as an exclusive representative by a majority of the employees in an appropriate unit; (3) resolve issues relating to the duty to bargain in good faith; (4) conduct hearings and resolve complaints of unfair labor practices; and (5) resolve exceptions to arbitrator's awards. Grants a public safety employer, employee, or labor organization the right to seek enforcement of such FLRA regulations and authority through appropriate State courts. Prohibits public safety employers, employees, and labor organizations from engaging in lockouts or strikes. Provides that existing collective bargaining units and agreements shall not be invalidated by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Ombudsman Reauthorization Act of 2001 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to revise provisions regarding the Ombudsman. Expands the duties of the Ombudsman to include: (1) assisting citizens in resolving problems with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of the Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response; (2) proposing changes in EPA administrative practices to mitigate such problems; and (3) conducting investigations, making findings of fact, and making nonbinding recommendations concerning such problems. Describes additional administrative and investigative powers of the Ombudsman. Reauthorizes appropriations for the Ombudsman through FY 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Nurse Reinvestment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop and issue public service announcements that advertise and promote the nursing profession, highlight the advantages and rewards of nursing, and encourage individuals from diverse communities and backgrounds to enter the nursing profession; and (2) award grants to designated eligible entities in order to increase the number of nurses. Establishes a fast-track nursing school faculty training program. Establishes a National Nurse Service Corps Scholarship program that provides scholarships to individuals seeking nursing education in exchange for service by such individuals in areas with nursing shortages. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the exclusion from gross income of accounts received under the National Nursing Service Corps Scholarship Program. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for nurse education training payments to qualified entities. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to temporarily increase the matching rate for Medicaid nurse aide training and competency evaluation programs.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Get Arsenic Out of Our Drinking Water Act - Provides that effective on the date of enactment of this Act, the rule establishing a maximum contaminant level (MCL) and MCL Goal for arsenic in drinking water published by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency on January 22, 2001, shall have the force and effect of law.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions concerning designated settlement funds to exempt from tax any designated settlement fund established for the principal purpose of resolving and satisfying present and future claims relating to asbestos. Sets forth special rules concerning asbestos liability losses.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Small Business Contract Equity Act of 2001 - Sets forth procedures for the bundling of procurement contracts that the Administrator of the Small Business Administration determines would result in the displacement of small business concerns. Permits waivers for unusual or unexpected exigencies. Amends the Small Business Act to prohibit agencies that fail to attain small business procurement participation goals from awarding or soliciting offers for bundled contracts. Requires such agencies to meet such goals relating to small businesses generally, those owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, and those owned and controlled by women.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Increases the biweekly contribution payable by the Government for a Federal employee or annuitant enrolled in a Federal employee health insurance plan.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Fairness in Securities Transactions Act- Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to reduce (from one three-hundredth of one percent to one five-hundredth of one percent) the transaction fees designed to recover the costs to the Government of securities markets oversight and enforcement. Replaces the fee structure for off-exchange trades of last-sale-reported securities with a fee structure for off-exchange trades of exchange-registered and last-sale-reported securities. Provides that the fees so collected shall: (1) be deposited and credited as offsetting collections to the account providing appropriations to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); and (2) not be deposited and credited as general revenue of the Treasury for specified fiscal years. Sets forth requirements for pay parity for SEC employees.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Municipal Solid Waste Flow Control Act of 2001 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to authorize States and political subdivisions, under specified conditions, to exercise flow control authority for municipal solid waste and recyclable materials voluntarily relinquished by the owner or generator, directing such waste and materials to particular facilities. Imposes identification and volume restrictions on the exercise of flow control authority to the classes or categories of materials to which such authority was applicable on the suspension date. Sets dates for expiration of such authority. Defines "suspension date" as May 16, 1994; the date of an injunction or court order based on a ruling that a State or subdivision law or official act violated the Commerce Clause of the Constitution; or the date of a suspension or partial suspension of such law or act expressly because of the existence of such injunction or order. Imposes limitations on the use of revenues derived by a State or political subdivision from the exercise of flow control authority. Provides for the enforceability under State law of certain legally binding interim contracts. Allows a State to exercise flow control authority over solid waste if, on or before January 1, 1984, the State: (1) adopted regulations under a State law that required or directed the transportation, management, or disposal of such waste from residential, commercial, institutional, or industrial sources to specifically identified waste management facilities and applied those regulations to every political subdivision; and (2) subjected the facilities to the jurisdiction of a State public utilities commission. Lists additional conditions under which solid waste districts or political subdivisions may exercise flow control authority for 20 years after this Act's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Medicare Early Access and Tax Credit Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals Age 62-to-65 Years of Age) (Medicare buy-in) entitling to the same Medicare benefits as an individual entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and enrolled under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) an enrolled individual age 62 to 65 who: (1) would be eligible for such benefits if 65; but (2) is not eligible for benefits under a Federal health insurance program or a group health plan (other than merely through a Federal or State COBRA continuation provision) . Provides for the determination and payment of monthly premiums under the new part D program. Creates in the Treasury the Medicare Early Access Trust Fund to hold the premiums paid pursuant to this Act. Provides for oversight and accountability concerning the status of the Trust Fund. Amends SSA title XVIII to provide access to Medicare benefits to displaced workers age 55-to-62 and their spouses. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to provide for COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) continuation benefits for certain retired workers who lose retiree health coverage. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide an individual with a tax credit for 50 percent of certain COBRA continuation coverage premiums and Medicare buy-in premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Solid Waste Interstate Transportation Act of 2001 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to prohibit a landfill or incinerator (facility) from receiving out-of-State municipal solid waste (MSW) for disposal or incineration unless the waste is received pursuant to a new or existing host community agreement or an exemption from this prohibition (which may be limited by the State). Establishes conditions for exemptions. Authorizes States to establish limits on the amount of out-of-State waste received annually for disposal at each facility. Allows a State to limit the amount of out-of-State MSW received annually at each facility to the amount received during 1995 if the State has enacted a comprehensive, statewide recycling program. Prohibits State limits from conflicting with permits or host community agreements that set higher (or no) limits. Sets the limitation amount for any facility that began receiving documented out-of-State waste before enactment of this Act at the amount received during 1993. Prohibits discrimination against shipments of such waste on the basis of State of origin. Allows States to require that a permit issued for a new facility or an expansion include an annual limitation of not less than 20 percent on the total quantity of out-of-State MSW relative to the total waste received by the facility. Requires percentage limitations to be uniform for all facilities and not discriminate against out-of-State waste according to the State of origin.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Historic Homeownership Assistance Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for 20 percent (up to a maximum limit of $40,000 for a joint return) of the qualified rehabilitation expenditures made by a taxpayer with respect to the certified rehabilitation of a qualified historic home which has been substantially rehabilitated and which is owned by the taxpayer and used as his or her principal residence. Allows the credit for such expenditures to be taken by a purchaser of the rehabilitated home. Permits, in lieu of the credit, a historic rehabilitation mortgage credit certificate, which may be transferred to a lender in exchange for a reduction in the rate of interest on the loan secured by the building.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Constitutional Amendment - States that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2001
Human Rights Information Act - Requires certain Federal agencies to identify, review, and organize all human rights records, for declassification and public disclosure, if the President determines bona fide a request for them by an individual or entity carrying an official mandate to investigate a pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights. Prescribes guidelines under which the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel shall review agency determinations to postpone disclosure of any human rights record. Authorizes postponement of such public disclosures on specified grounds. Requires each Federal agency to identify, review, and organize all human rights records regarding activities occurring in Guatemala and Honduras for declassification and public disclosure.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2001
Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to increase benefits to railroad employees and their beneficiaries and to revise financing of the pension part (tier II) of the railroad retirement system. Establishes a Railroad Retirement Trust Fund and a Railroad Retirement Investment Trust to manage and invest Fund assets. Abolishes the Railroad Retirement Supplemental Annuity Account and provides for transfer of its funds to the Fund. Provides for transfer to the Fund of certain portions of the Railroad Retirement Account and of Social Security Equivalent Benefit account funds. Transfers to the disbursing agent from the Dual Benefits Payments Account the amount necessary to make dual benefit payments. Requires the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) to calculate the ratio of assets to benefits to determine annual tier II tax rates for employers, employee representatives, and employees. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt the Fund from taxation. Repeals a supplemental annuity tax that railroad employers pay to finance a benefit for long-time rail employees. Provides for adjustments to railroad employers, employee representatives, and employee tier II tax rates.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2001
Assistant United States Attorneys Retirement Benefit Equity Act of 2001 - Makes applicable to Assistant United States Attorneys the provisions of the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System that apply to Federal law enforcement officers. Directs the Department of Justice to provide notice to incumbent Assistant U.S. Attorneys as to their election rights under this Act and the effects of making or not making a timely election under this Act. Allows such incumbents to elect the option to be treated either: (1) in accordance with the amendments made by this Act; or (2) as if this Act had never been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Predatory Lending Consumer Protection Act of 2001 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act guidelines for certain credit transactions secured by the consumer's principal dwelling (high-cost mortgage). Requires additional disclosures that the consumer is contracting to pay a much higher loan than most people pay. Specifies additional prohibitions against prepayment penalties, except in certain circumstances. Prohibits all balloon payments. Prohibits the terms of a high-cost mortgage from including advance collection of a premium on a single premium basis for specified credit insurance products. Restricts the amount of points and fees which a creditor may finance in connection with a high-cost mortgage. Prohibits certain creditors from financing the prepayment fees or penalties due from the consumer. Prohibits a high-cost mortgage creditor from engaging in specified practices, including requiring arbitration or any other nonjudicial procedure as a method for resolving any controversy or claims arising from the transaction. Declares a consumer's waiver of the right of rescission ineffective if the creditor either advised, or encouraged such waiver, or required it as a precondition for a transaction. Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to mandate that each high-cost mortgage creditor (including the successor creditor) report the debtor's complete payment history to certain consumer reporting agencies in accordance with specified regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
America's Better Classroom Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a limited credit for qualified public school modernization bonds (qualified school construction bonds and qualified zone academy bonds). 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 · 15 March 2001
Consumer Credit Card Protection Amendments of 2001 - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to require specified additional disclosures by a creditor of open-end consumer credit plans regarding: (1) minimum monthly payments; (2) Internet-based applications and solicitations for a credit card account; and (3) credit card applications or solicitations whose annual percentage rates of interest are applicable for an introductory period of less than one year ("teaser rates"). Prohibits: (1) inactivity fees if the consumer maintains an outstanding balance and is charged an attendant finance charge; (2) penalties for on-time payments; (3) fees for extensions of credit in excess of the authorized amount if such extension was made in connection with a creditor-approved transaction; (4) two-cycle billing for certain extensions of credit; and (5) any increase in interest rates or fees on canceled cards above those applicable as of the cancellation date. Sets forth application requirements for credit cards issued to underage consumers. Mandates: (1) advance notice of any interest rate increase applicable to an outstanding credit balance; (2) disclosure of interest rates and fees upon credit advances through third-party checks; and (3) specified disclosures relating to late payment deadlines and penalties. Redefines "credit card" to include specified dual-purpose or multifunction cards.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Consumer Banking Services Costs Assessment Act of 2001- Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to require the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to obtain and report to Congress annually on a representative sample of enumerated retail banking services and products offered by insured depository institutions and credit unions, including related fees and minimum balances, as well as electronic transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Unsolicited Loan Check Consumer Protection Act of 2001 - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to prohibit loan solicitations to consumers that are accompanied by a negotiable instrument (unsolicited loan checks), unless such solicitations are in response to a prior consumer request for an extension of credit. Declares that such consumers are not liable for the amount of any negotiable instrument sent in violation of this Act. Prohibits reporting to, or receipt by, any credit agency of information on consumer creditworthiness based upon such unsolicited loan checks.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Federal Payday Loan Consumer Protection Amendments of 2001 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act with respect to any transaction (payday loan) in which a short-term cash advance is made to a consumer in exchange for: (1) the consumer's personal check or share draft, in the amount of the advance plus a fee, where presentment or negotiation is deferred by agreement of the parties until a designated future date; or (2) a consumer's authorization to debit the consumer's transaction account, in the amount of the advance plus a fee, where such account will be debited on or after a designated future date. Prohibits an insured depository institution from making: (1) payday loans; and (2) any loan to any lender in order to either finance, refinance, or extend a payday loan. Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to redefine credit to include a payday loan. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a creditor from making a payday loan if the creditor has reasonable cause to believe that: (1) the personal check or share draft received in exchange for such loan is drawn upon either an insured depository institution or insured credit union; or (2) the account debited in exchange for such loan is a transaction or share draft account at an insured depository institution or an insured credit union. Sets forth civil liabilities for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Consumer Affordable Transaction Account Act of 2001 - Requires each insured depository institution to make available to consumers an "affordable transaction account" containing specified features to be prescribed jointly by the Federal banking agencies, including at least eight free withdrawals per month. Prohibits the imposition of fees upon such account holders which are discriminatory in nature. Authorizes alternative account arrangements. Requires notice of availability of affordable transaction accounts to be posted upon the premises in the same manner as the depository institution posts notice of its other account products. Mandates depository institution compliance with more stringent State law where applicable.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to: (1) restrict the application of the windfall elimination provision to individuals whose combined monthly income from the individual's primary insurance amount under such title and the portion of the monthly periodic payment attributable to noncovered service performed after 1956 exceeds $2,000; and (2) provide for a graduated implementation of such provision by specified percentages with respect to incremental amounts above such threshold, up to 100 percent for combined amounts over $3,000.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Railroad Track Modernization Act of 2001 - Amends Federal rail transportation law to direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a program of capital grants to Class II and Class III railroads to rehabilitate, preserve, or improve railroad track (including roadbed, bridges, and related track structures) used primarily for freight transportation to a standard to accommodate 286,000 pound rail cars in a safe and efficient manner. Authorizes the Secretary to also make grants to supplement direct loans or loan guarantees (including for paying credit risk premiums, lowering rates of interest, or providing for a holiday on principal payments) for projects primarily benefitting non-Class I freight railroad carriers. Sets forth certain prevailing wage requirements with respect to projects financed by such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Comprehensive Retirement Security and Pension Reform Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) with respect to pensions. (All the following are amendments to the Code, except where the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, ERISA, is mentioned.) Increases: (1) annual dollar Individual Retirement Account (IRA) contribution limits; and (2) benefit and contribution limits, with indexes for inflation. Revises requirements relating to: (1) plan loans for subchapter S owners, partners, and sole proprietors; and (2) specified top-heavy rules. Provides that elective deferrals shall not be taken into account for purposes of limits on certain plan contributions. Repeals specified coordination requirements for deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations. Revises certain deduction limits for stock bonus and profit sharing trusts and for defined contribution plans. Provides for optional treatment of elective deferrals as after-tax contributions. Allows individuals age 50 or older to make additional contributions to an applicable employer plan (section 401(k) or similar plan). Sets forth requirements relating to equitable treatment for contributions of employees to defined contribution plans. Provides for faster vesting of certain employer matching contributions under the Code and ERISA. Revises: (1) minimum distribution rules; (2) requirements relating to tax treatment of division of section 457 plan benefits upon divorce; and (3) provisions for safe harbor relief for hardship withdrawals from 401(k) plans. Permits, under certain conditions, rollovers: (1) from and to various types of plans; (2) of IRAs into workplace retirement plans; and (3) of after-tax contributions in an exempt trust. Sets forth a hardship exception to the 60-day rule. Sets forth requirements for treatment of forms of distribution available under transferor and transferee plans under the Code and ERISA. Revises restrictions on distributions, including the same desk exception. Allows trustee-to-trustee transfers to purchase permissive service credit with respect to governmental defined benefit plans. Allows employers to disregard rollovers for purposes of cash-out amounts, under retirement plan provisions of the Code. Revises minimum distribution and inclusion requirements for section 457 plans. Repeals, for plan years beginning in 2004 and following years, the current liability full funding limit under the Code and ERISA. Revises maximum contribution deduction rules, and applies them to all defined benefit plans. Allows an employer, in determining the amount of nondeductible contributions for any taxable year, to elect not to take into account any contributions to a defined benefit plan except to the extent they exceed the full-funding limitation. Establishes an excise tax for the failure of a defined benefit plan or an individual account plan (except governmental, church, and other specified plans) subject to minimum funding standards to meet specified notice requirements, under the Code and ERISA, for plan amendments which significantly reduce benefit accruals. Makes certain compensation limitations for defined benefit plans inapplicable to governmental and multiemployer plans. Prohibits combining or aggregating a multiemployer plan with any other plan maintained by the employer for the purpose of applying such limitations. Amends the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 to protect the investment of employee contributions to 401(k) plans by providing that specified requirements apply to elective deferrals for plan years beginning after December 31, 1998. Requires that pension benefit statements be furnished annually (once every three years for defined benefit plans) or on request. Establishes an excise tax for certain prohibited allocations of stock in an S corporation ESOP. Revises Code and ERISA requirements relating to timing of plan valuations. Allows applicable dividends of ESOPs to be reinvested without loss of dividend deduction. Repeals a transition rule relating to certain highly compensated employees under the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Directs the Secretary to modify specified regulations with respect to certain plan participation by employees of tax-exempt entities. Treats the provision of certain retirement planning services by an employer for an employee as a de minimis fringe benefit to the extent it is not treated as a working condition fringe. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide simplified annual filing requirements for retirement plans with assets below a specified amount, if they cover: (1) one participant (an owner and spouse); or (2) fewer than 25 employees. Directs the Secretary to continue to update and improve the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System, or any successor program. Repeals a multiple use test. Allows certain alternative ways of satisfying nondiscrimination, coverage, and line of business rules. Exempts plans maintained by any governmental entity from certain nondiscrimination rules. Directs the Secretary to modify specified regulations relating to the notice and consent period regarding distributions. Revises ERISA provisions relating to: (1) annual report dissemination; (2) the National Summit on Retirement Savings; (3) missing participants; (4) Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) reduction of premiums for new plans of small employers and of additional premiums for new and small plans; (5) PBGC authority to pay interest on premium overpayment refunds; (6) substantial owner benefits in terminated plans; (7) civil penalties for breach of fiduciary responsibility; and (8) benefit suspension notices. Prescribes time requirements for plan amendments or annuity contract amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Business Checking Freedom Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act, the Home Owners' Loan Act, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to repeal the prohibition against the payment of interest on demand deposits.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Home Health Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000, to: (1) eliminate a specified 15 percent reduction in cost and per beneficiary limits with respect to payment rates for home health services under the Medicare prospective payment system for such services; and (2) provide for a permanent payment increase for such services furnished in a rural area. Makes this Act effective as if included in the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
Housing Bond and Credit Modernization and Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the required use of certain principal repayments on mortgage subsidy bond financings to redeem bonds; (2) modify the purchase price limitation under mortgage subsidy bond rules based on median family income; and (3) define the term "area median gross income" for low-income housing credit projects.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
Innocence Protection Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal judicial code to authorize a person convicted of a Federal crime to apply to the appropriate Federal court for DNA testing to support a claim that the person did not commit: (1) the Federal crime of which the person was convicted; or (2) any other offense that a sentencing authority may have relied upon when it sentenced the person with respect to such crime. Sets forth: (1) guidelines for the court to use in ordering DNA testing; (2) post-testing procedures; (3) provisions regarding preservation of evidence; (4) criminal penalties for destroying or altering DNA evidence; and (5) provisions regarding post-conviction DNA testing in State criminal justice systems. Prohibits a State from denying an application for DNA testing made by a prisoner in State custody who is under sentence of death if specified conditions apply. Provides grants to prosecutors for DNA testing programs. Establishes the National Commission on Capital Representation. Withholds funds from States not complying with standards for capital representation. Provides for capital defense incentive grants and resource grants. Increases compensation in Federal cases, and sets forth provisions regarding compensation in State cases, where an individual is unjustly sentenced to death. Adds a certification requirement in Federal death penalty prosecutions. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the execution of juvenile offenders and the mentally retarded.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
Airline Competition and Passenger Rights Act of 2001 - Amends Federal aviation law to require the Secretary of Transportation to consider whether a foreign air carrier has engaged in any unfair or deceptive practice or unfair method of competition in air transportation or the sale of air transportation in the preceding five years before issuing a certificate authorizing such carrier to provide foreign air transportation. Revises provisions prohibiting an air carrier, foreign air carrier, or ticket agent from engaging in unfair or deceptive practices or unfair methods of competition in air transportation or the sale of air transportation. Extends such prohibition to any major air carrier that prohibits, limits, or otherwise restricts a code share partner from entering into a code share agreement with another air carrier or foreign air carrier. Prescribes a maximum civil penalty for engaging in unfair methods of competition. Authorizes an air carrier to transfer a slot (take-off and landing rights at an airport) to another air carrier only upon approval of the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to investigate each hub airport (that has at least .25 percent of the total annual boardings in the United States) to determine whether, in the preceding five years, a dominant air carrier (that accounts for more than 40 percent of the total annual passenger boardings) at such airport has: (1) charged higher than average fares for interstate air transportation to or from such airport; (2) engaged in an unfair method of competition in response to a new entrant air carrier (that accounts for less than ten percent of the total annual boardings) at such airport; or (3) limited competition by a new entrant air carrier at the airport by restricting access of the new entrant to gates, slots, or other essential facilities at such airport on reasonable and competitive terms. Authorizes the Secretary, upon an affirmative determination, to order such carrier to increase opportunities for competition at such airport. Requires the Secretary, upon a determination that an air carrier is a dominant air carrier (that has at least 20 percent of the annual passenger boardings) at an airport, to: (1) issue an order requiring the airport operator to reallocate ten percent of the airport gates and facilities leased to a dominant air carrier to new entrant air carriers; and (2) if the airport is a high density airport, reallocate 20 percent of the slots of the dominant air carrier to new entrant air carriers. Directs the Secretary to withhold five percent (ten percent in subsequent years) of an airport's apportionment of airport planning and development funds for noncompliance with such requirements. Prohibits any action of an air carrier or foreign air carrier that fails to: (1) inform the consumer of the lowest available fare; (2) provide the consumer with full access to all available fares; or (3) inform the consumer about a flight segment that was, at least 40 percent of the time, either canceled or delayed by 30 minutes or more past its scheduled arrival time. Prohibits any air carrier or foreign air carrier action that: (1) prohibits a person from only using a portion of the purchased air transportation; or (2) assesses an additional fee on such person or any ticket agent. Prohibits any air carrier or foreign air carrier action that fails, in the case of a termination, cancellation, nonrenewal, or substantial change in the competitive circumstances of the appointment of a ticket agent, to provide the ticket agent with prior notice of such action (except in cases of insolvency). Sets forth provisions: (1) requiring air carriers to ensure access to necessary services and conditions, including water, restroom facilities, and the ability to deplane for all passengers; (2) prohibiting air carriers from preventing or hindering passengers from exiting an aircraft; (3) requiring air carriers to provide passengers with explanations for any delay, cancellation, or diversion of a flight segment (including prohibiting false or misleading explanations); (4) making air carriers liable to passengers for excessive departure or arrival delays of the aircraft; and (5) requiring air carriers to provide specific remedies for overbooked flights.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the credit for expenditures to provide access to disabled individuals to include modifications enabling inter-city buses to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Social Security Benefits Restoration Act of 2001 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to eliminate provisions that reduce primary insurance amounts for individuals receiving pensions from noncovered employment.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Steel Revitalization Act of 2001 - Directs the President to impose quotas, tariff surcharges, or other measures on, and to negotiate enforceable voluntary export restraint agreements with respect to, imports of steel products in order to ensure that: (1) the tonnage of iron ore, coke and coke products, semifinished steel, and pig iron imported into the United States during any month does not exceed the average tonnage of each product that was imported monthly into the United States during the 36-month period preceding July 1997; and (2) the share of domestic consumption of any other applicable steel product in the United States derived from imports during any month does not exceed the average monthly share of domestic U.S. consumption of that steel product during any month in the 36-month period preceding July 1997. Authorizes the Customs Service to refuse entry into the U.S. customs territory for a five-year period of any steel products that exceed their allowable levels. Establishes: (1) the Steel Retiree Health Care Board in the Department of Labor; (2) the Steelworker Retiree Health Care Trust Fund; and (3) the Health Care Benefit Costs Assistance Program. Sets forth the functions of the Board, including to: (1) provide, under the Health Care Benefit Costs Assistance Program, for payments to designated steelworker group health plans to assist in the funding of qualified retiree health benefits under such plans; and (2) establish policies for the investment and management of the Steelworker Retiree Health Care Trust Fund that provides for prudent investments and low administrative costs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on steel sold by the manufacturer, producer, or importer (such taxes to be deposited into the Steelworker Retiree Health Care Trust Fund). Amends the Emergency Steel Loan Guarantee Act of 1999 to increase the aggregate amount of loans guaranteed and outstanding (including additional costs of such loans) at any one time under Emergency Steel Guarantee Loan Program or with respect to a single qualified steel company. Requires the Loan Guarantee Board to approve or deny an application for a guarantee within 45 days after its receipt. Authorizes any person who acquires another person that produces any of the specified categories of steel products contained in this Act to apply to the Secretary of Commerce for a grant to defray the costs necessary to bring, and maintain, the resulting entity into compliance with U.S. environmental laws. Requires the Secretary to make a determination whether or not such mergers will promote the retention of at least 80 percent of the jobs of the steel workers and production of capacity of such steel products. Sets forth penalties for failure to achieve such retention levels.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Federal Government should make the benefits of chiropractic care available as a covered benefit in any Federal employees health plan.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2001
Faith-Based Lending Protection Act - Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to exclude loans made to nonprofit religious organizations from the maximum amount of member business loans outstanding at a Federal credit union at any one time.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2001
Airline Merger Moratorium Act of 2001 - Makes it unlawful, for a one-year period, for a major air carrier to acquire assets or voting securities of another major airline carrier if with respect to such acquisition notice is required to be filed (based on certain qualifying criteria) to enable the Federal Trade Commission and the Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, to determine whether the acquisition may violate U.S. antitrust laws.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth provisions for: (1) a small employer (100 or fewer employees) retirement plan; (2) a credit for the expenses of establishing such a plan; and (3) a model small employer retirement plan.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Conservation and Reinvestment Act - Establishes the Conservation and Reinvestment Act Fund (CRAF). Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit into the CRAF certain Outer Continental Shelf revenues, undisbursed impact assistance and coastal conservation amounts, and interest earned on CRAF investments. Allocates CRAF funds among coastal States for impact assistance and coastal conservation, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and Federal aid to a certain wildlife restoration fund. Provides for CRAF funding of the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act of 1978, the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Maritime Heritage Act of 1994, Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery Agreements, and a specified program for payments in lieu of taxes and refuge revenue sharing. Expresses the intent of Congress that amounts made available under this Act are to supplement, and not to detract from, annual appropriations for the National Park Service. Prohibits the expenditure of funds under this Act if such an expenditure diminishes benefit obligations of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund, the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, or the Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Truthfulness, Responsibility, and Accountability in Contracting Act - Prohibits any Federal agency from making a decision to privatize, outsource, contract out, or contract for the performance of a function currently performed by the agency or to conduct a study to convert a function from Federal to contractor performance. Allows an agency to contract out a function not then performed by Federal employees if such function would be performed under contract by the blind or handicapped. Authorizes any agency to apply to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget for a waiver of such prohibition on specified grounds. Requires each agency to establish a centralized system for reporting on its contracting efforts during the preceding and current fiscal years. Requires any agency decision to privatize, outsource, or contract out for the performance of a function, after expiration of the prohibition enacted by this Act, to be based on the results of a public-private competition process meeting specified requirements. Requires an agency either to conduct a new public-private competition or to convert a function to performance by Federal employees if a report indicates that: (1) contracting out costs exceed costs of performance by Federal employees; or (2) contracting out fails to meet quality control standards. Directs the Secretary of Labor to survey and report to specified congressional committees on the wages and quantifiable benefits provided by contractors to non-Federal personnel working under contract.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Oil Region National Heritage Area Act - Establishes the Oil Region National Heritage Area in Pennsylvania. Requires the Oil Heritage Region, Inc., a locally based, private nonprofit management corporation, to be the management entity for the Area. Bars the use of funds under this Act to acquire real property. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Historic American Building Survey and the Historic American Engineering Record, to conduct studies to document the industrial, engineering, building, and architectural history of the Area. Limits the Federal assistance match to 50 percent of any activity's total cost.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Childhood Assistance, Research and Education Amendments of 2001, or the DMD CARE Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health to: (1) expand and intensify programs of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (the National Institutes) with respect to research and related activities concerning Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD); (2) award grants or contracts to public or nonprofit entities for at least three DMD research centers of excellence; and (3) provide for donation, collection, and preservation of tissues and genetic materials for such research. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Muscular Dystrophy Coordinating Committee to coordinate all Federal DMD health programs and activities. Authorizes the Secretary, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants and cooperative agreements for the collection, analysis, and reporting of DMD data. Requires the establishment through the CDC of at least three regional centers of excellence in DMD epidemiology. Directs the Secretary to establish a DMD education and information program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2001 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the Federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.75 an hour beginning 30 days after enactment of this Act; (2) $6.25 an hour during the year beginning on January 1, 2002; and (3) $6.65 an hour beginning January 1, 2003. Makes Federal minimum wage requirements applicable to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Sets forth a transition period during which a specified minimum wage there shall be gradually increased to equal the Federal minimum wage.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Solid Waste Compact Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to allow States with approved State solid waste management plans to prohibit the importation of solid waste from outside the State. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to identify alternative solid waste disposal methods and establish and publish technical guidance regarding their implementation.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kanjorski, Paul E. [D-PA-11]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000008_200.jpg)