United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1999
Medicare Chronic Disease Prescription Drug Benefit Act of 1999 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for Federal payments to a State non-Medicaid prescription drug benefit program on behalf of Medicare part B enrollees for certain prescription drugs (including insulin) and biological products for treatment of specified chronic conditions. Provides for the selection through competitive bidding of eligible providers of such prescription drugs and biological products (covered outpatient drugs) in a particular coverage area. Requires an eligible beneficiary not enrolled in a Medicare+Choice plan under Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice) to enroll with an eligible entity under this Act to be eligible to receive covered outpatient drugs under Medicare part B. Mandates appropriate outreach activities by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Outlines cost-sharing requirements establishing an annual deductible of $250.00 and specified co-payments (with no co-payment for generic drugs). Allows the use of formularies, generic drug substitution, and other mechanisms to provide benefits economically. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a model for comprehensive educational programs to assure appropriate prescribing, dispensing, and use of such covered drugs; and (2) enter into an arrangement with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences for analysis of such new benefit and annual reports to the Secretary and Congress on its effectiveness in reducing demand for acute medical services, as well as its annual cost and resulting savings. Provides for appropriate funding for such analyses. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to provide for Medicaid coverage of the new Medicare part B prescription drug benefit cost-sharing for certain individuals who would be qualified Medicare beneficiaries but for their income which exceeds the level established by the State but is less than a certain percentage of the official poverty line for a family of the size involved.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1999
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the present Government of Laos should: (1) respect international norms of human rights and democratic freedoms for the Lao people and fully honor its commitments to those norms and freedoms as embodied in its constitution and international agreements and in the 1962 Declaration on the Neutrality of Laos and its Protocol and the 1973 Vientiane Agreement on Laos; (2) issue a public statement specifically reaffirming its commitment to protecting religious freedom and other basic human rights; (3) fully institute a process of democracy, human rights, and openly contested free and fair elections in Laos and ensure specifically that the National Assembly elections are openly contested; and (4) allow access for international human rights monitors to Lao prisons and to all regions of the country.
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
Graduate Medical Education Payment Restoration Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with regard to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services to terminate the multiyear reduction of indirect graduate medical education 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 · 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
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives regarding postpartum depression, including recommending that: (1) all hospitals and clinics provide departing new mothers, fathers, and family members with complete information about its symptoms, methods of coping, and treatment resources; and (2) the National Institutes of Health undertake additional research on postpartum psychiatric illnesses.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1999
Commends President Glafcos Clerides of Cyprus for his decision to cancel the deployment of the S-300 antiaircraft missiles in Cyprus. Urges the President of the United States to use the influence of the U.S. Government to persuade Turkey to comply with United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1217 and 1218 and to cooperate for a solution to the Cyprus problem.
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
Teenage Pregnancy Reduction Act of 1999 - Mandates evaluation (directly or through grants or contracts) of a wide variety of existing promising programs to prevent adolescent pregnancy, including programs that do not receive Federal grants. Mandates scientific peer review of evaluation proposals. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes an operating grant to a program found (by the evaluation under this Act) to be effective. Authorizes appropriations.
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 · 29 April 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to restore and make permanent the exclusion from gross income for amounts received under qualified group legal services plans.
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
Filipino Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act of 1999 - Authorizes payment of compensation for the service-connected disability of members of the Philippine Commonwealth Army who served with U.S. armed forces during World War II in the amount of one dollar for each dollar authorized, as long as each such individual resides in the United States and is a U.S. citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish hospital and nursing home care and medical services to such veterans and new Philippine Scouts in the same manner as furnished to U.S. veterans. Directs the Secretary to furnish care and services to veterans, Commonwealth Army veterans, and new Philippine Scouts for the treatment of service-connected disabilities and non-service-connected disabilities of such veterans and scouts residing in the Republic of the Philippines on an outpatient basis at the Manila VA Outpatient Clinic. Limits to $500,000 the amount to be expended during a fiscal year for such services.
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
FERS Buyback Act of 1999 - Amends Federal law concerning Government organization and employees to make certain temporary Federal service creditable for retirement purposes. Sets forth provisions relating to persons who have separated from Government service.
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 · 28 April 1999
United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution - Calls upon the President to: (1) provide in a collection all U.S. records related to the Armenian genocide and the consequences of the failure to enforce the judgments of the Turkish courts against the responsible officials; and (2) provide such collection to the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum library for incorporation into its holdings of official documentation on genocide and for purposes of public awareness and education, and the Armenian Genocide Museum in Yerevan, Armenia, in order to document and affirm the U.S. record of protest and recognition of this crime against humanity.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1999
Prohibits the import, export, or shipment in interstate commerce of conventional steel jawed leghold traps and of articles of fur derived from animals trapped in such traps. Prescribes criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to reward informers (other than Government employees performing official duties) for information leading to a conviction under this Act. Empowers enforcement officials to detain, search, and seize suspected merchandise or documents and to make arrests with and without warrants. Subjects seized merchandise to forfeiture.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1999
Children's Hospitals Education and Research Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payment as specified to each children's hospital for each hospital cost reporting period under Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA)) for FY 2000 and 2001 for the direct and indirect expenses associated with operating approved medical residency training programs. Provides that such payments are in lieu of certain Medicare payments to hospitals for inpatient hospital services, but shall not affect the amounts otherwise payable to such hospitals under a State Medicaid (SSA title XIX) plan. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1999
Save a Child Act of 1999 - Makes it unlawful, with such exceptions for law enforcement and other legitimate purposes as the Secretary of the Treasury by rule provides, to sell, purchase, or possess any firearm that is not approved by the Secretary. Prohibits the Secretary from approving the Intratec TEC-9 and similar weapons.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1999
Authorizes the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor veterans who became disabled while serving in the U.S. armed forces. Prohibits Federal funds from being used to pay any expense of the establishment of the memorial.
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 · 20 April 1999
Access to Prescription Medications in Medicare Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of certain covered outpatient prescription drugs (including insulin) and biological products, including those that are also prescribable but are available over-the-counter, under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) for enrolled part B beneficiaries. (Sec. 3) Establishes and outlines the administrative structure for implementing such new Medicare part B coverage, including requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish: (1) competitive bidding procedures for contracting with appropriate private sector service providers meeting specified requirements (including requirements to use cost-containment mechanisms such as formularies) to furnish such new Medicare part B benefits, which consist of a basic benefit package and a stop-loss benefit; and (2) a process for providing payments to eligible group health plans on behalf of such enrolled beneficiaries. Imposes certain cost-sharing requirements, with the stop-loss benefit limiting an enrollee's out-of-pocket expenses, and provides for appropriate outreach activities as well as protection of patient confidentiality. (Sec. 4) Permits the Secretary to make payments, subject to specified requirements, to enrollee group health insurance retiree plans providing drug coverage that is equivalent to or greater than the new Medicare part B coverage provided for by this Act while also permitting such enrollees receiving group coverage to continue to receive such coverage under the plan. (Sec. 5) Revises Medicare supplemental health insurance (Medigap) policy requirements with regard to this Act's mandated coverage of certain covered outpatient prescription drugs and biological products to require that an appropriate number of Medigap policies provide complementary, non-duplicative coverage in line with such mandated coverage. (Sec. 6) Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) with regard to Medicaid assistance for low-income individuals to modify State Medicaid plan requirements to: (1) increase (from 120 percent to 135 percent of the poverty level) the income eligibility level to qualify for certain Medicare cost-sharing with regard to monthly Medicare part B premiums; and (2) provide for Medicaid prescription drug benefits for qualified Medicare beneficiaries and others as a wrap- around benefit. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary to provide for waiver of the additional portion of the Medicare part B premium attributable to the prescription drug coverage mandate of this Act for certain Medicare beneficiaries already having actuarially equivalent drug coverage. Excludes from such waiver a group health plan enrollee if the plan receives payments for such enrollee under this Act. (Sec. 8) Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) eliminate the time limitation on Medicare benefits for immunosuppressive drugs; (2) require Medicare secondary payer provisions with regard to individuals with end stage renal disease be applied without regard to any time limitation with regard to immunosuppressive drugs furnished on or after this Act's enactment; and (3) increase the membership of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission by two members, with their initial terms staggered, as well as add to the qualifications for membership. (Sec. 10) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress with regard to the competitive bidding process for selecting service providers under this Act to furnish certain covered outpatient prescription drugs and biological products, including an analysis of any savings to Medicare as a result of this new Medicare part B benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1999
Family Reunification Act of 1999 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the conditions under which the Attorney General may cancel the removal of certain aliens from the United States, including cancellation of removal for humanitarian or public benefit reasons for certain aliens convicted of aggravated felonies. Subjects such judgments to judicial review. Directs the Attorney General to establish processes for discretionary waiver of inadmissibility or deportation for certain aliens who would otherwise be subject to exclusion or deportation. Subjects such judgments to judicial review.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1999
Iran Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Act of 1999 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to withhold U.S. voluntary contributions from programs and projects of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Iran unless the Secretary of State makes a determination in writing to certain congressional committees that such programs and projects are consistent with U.S. nuclear nonproliferation and safety goals, will not provide Iran with training or expertise relevant to nuclear programs' development, and are not being used as a cover for the acquisition of sensitive nuclear technology. Instructs the Secretary to review and report to the Congress annually for five years on all Agency programs and projects in specified countries to determine if they are consistent with U.S. nuclear nonproliferation and safety goals. Requires the Secretary to direct the U.S. representative to the Agency to oppose Agency programs determined inconsistent with U.S. nuclear nonproliferation and safety goals. Directs the Secretary to report annually to Congress for five years on specified aspects of annual Agency assistance to Iran, including nuclear materials technology transfer, and inconsistencies between Agency technical assistance programs and U.S. nuclear nonproliferation and safety goals. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should pursue internal Agency reforms that will ensure that all programs funded under the Technical Cooperation and Assistance Fund are compatible with U.S. nuclear nonproliferation policy and international nuclear nonproliferation norms.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1999
Recognizes the Hermann Monument and Hermann Heights Park in New Ulm, Minnesota, as a national symbol for the contributions of Americans of German heritage.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1999
Fragile X Research Breakthrough Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to: (1) expand, intensify, and coordinate the Institute's activities respecting research on the disease known as fragile X; (2) make grants to, and enter into contracts with, public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of at least three centers to conduct research for improving the diagnosis and treatment of, and finding the cure for, fragile X. Requires each such center assisted to conduct basic and clinical research, which may include clinical trials of new or improved diagnostic methods and drugs or other treatment approaches. Allows such centers to use grant funds provided under this Act to provide fees to individuals serving as subjects in clinical trials. Requires the Director to provide for the coordination of the centers' activities, including the exchange of information. Requires each center to use the facilities of a single institution, or be formed from a consortium of cooperating institutions. Allows support to be provided to a center for a period not exceeding five years with authorized extensions. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program under which the Federal Government enters into contracts with qualified health professionals who agree to conduct research on fragile X in consideration of the Government's agreement to repay, for each year of such service, no more than $35,000 of the principal and interest of the educational loans owed by such health professionals. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement the Class I milk price structure known as Option A as part of the final rule to consolidate Federal milk marketing orders.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
Fairness for Legal Immigrants Act of 1999 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 with respect to lawful resident aliens and their eligibility for Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) (titles XIX and XVI of the Social Security Act (SSA)) and other Federal assistance. Provides States with the option of extending Medicaid-eligibility to certain lawful resident alien pregnant women and children, as well as the option of extending CHIP-eligibility (SSA title XXI (Children's Health Insurance (CHIP)) to such children. Provides States with the option of extending Medicaid-eligibility to certain blind or disabled or other specified medically needy aliens, such as those who are residents of a nursing facility. Mandates SSI eligibility for certain lawful resident aliens who are aged, blind, or disabled. Exempts certain blind or disabled aliens from the five-year general limitation on the eligibility for qualified aliens for Federal means-tested public benefits that was imposed by such Act. Mandates food stamp program eligibility under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 for certain aliens lawfully residing in the United State on August 22, 1996, who would otherwise be subject to the same five-year general limitation. Exempts certain battered aliens (which under such Act are treated as lawful resident aliens) from disqualification (thereby making them SSI- and food stamp program-eligible). Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for waiver of affidavit of support requirements for benefits provided through such State elections to extend such optional Medicaid and other described optional public program eligibility to certain lawful resident aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
James Guelff Body Armor Act of 1999 - Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to amend the Federal sentencing guidelines to provide an appropriate enhancement, increasing the level not less than two levels, for any offense in which the defendant used body armor, with an exception involving a civil rights violation by a law enforcement officer acting under color of authority. (Sec. 5) Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit the purchase, ownership, or possession of body armor by violent felons, with a procedure for the Secretary of the Treasury to grant an exception where a person's employment, livelihood, or safety is dependent on the ability to possess and use body armor. Grants a law enforcement officer immunity from liability for false arrest arising from the enforcement of this section unless the person has in his or her possession a certified copy of the permission granting the person relief from the prohibition. Sets penalties for violations of this prohibition. (Sec. 6) Authorizes the head of a Federal agency to donate body armor that is surplus property and in serviceable condition directly to any State or local law enforcement agency. Allows specified officials in the Treasury and Justice Departments to act as the head of a Federal agency.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
Body Armor Restriction Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit the sale or delivery of body armor unless the buyer and seller meet in person to accomplish its sale, delivery, and receipt, with an exception for body armor used by law enforcement officers. Sets penalties for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
Amends Federal law to authorize appropriations through FY 2007 for the program of financial assistance for the preservation and restoration of structures on or eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places within the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor (in Massachusetts and Rhode Island) which exhibit national significance or provide a wide spectrum of historic, recreational, or environmental education opportunities to the general public.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1999
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish one appropriate Government headstone or marker, other than for replacement, to mark the graves of veterans. (Currently, such a headstone or marker is required only for unmarked graves of veterans.) Makes such provision effective with respect to applications received by the Secretary for individuals dying on or after November 1, 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1999
Medicare Cancer Clinical Trial Coverage Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a demonstration project which provides for payment under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act of routine patient care costs for Medicare beneficiaries with cancer who are enrolled in an approved clinical trial program, while still applying the beneficiary cost sharing provisions of such program to project participants. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the impact on Medicare of covering such costs as well as the cost of extending routine patient care coverage to Medicare beneficiaries with a diagnosis other than cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1999
Amends Federal tort claims provisions to repeal the exception from coverage for any claim arising in a foreign country. Authorizes a Federal officer or employee to bring an action against the United States which is based on the gross negligence of another U.S. officer or employee.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1999
Urges the U.S. Government to: (1) commend the three U.S. soldiers abducted from Macedonian territory by Serb forces on March 31, 1999, for their exemplary service, bravery, duty to their country, and part in helping to ensure a peaceful multiethnic democratic Kosovo on the basis of the Rambouillet Accords; (2) continue to forcefully press the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and President Milosevic for their unconditional release; (3) condemn any move on the part of such Government to put them on trial; (4) hold such Government and President Milosevic personally responsible for their welfare; (5) continue to condemn the atrocities committed by the Yugoslav army or paramilitary forces against civilians in Kosovo, particularly crimes associated with "ethnic cleansing"; and (6) support the prosecution under the Geneva Convention of all commanders of such army or forces taking part in acts of ethnic cleansing against civilians.
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 of Choice for Women in the Uniformed Services Act - Repeals a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 which prohibits any medical treatment facility of the Department of Defense from being used to perform an abortion except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to full term or in the case of rape or incest.
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
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victims' Housing Act - Increases a specified authorization of appropriations under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act to be used to provide housing assistance for individuals or families victimized by domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Department of Energy Foreign Visitors Program Moratorium Act of 1999 - Prohibits the Secretary of Energy from admitting to any Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory facility any individual who is a citizen of a country named on the current DOE sensitive countries list. Authorizes the Secretary to waive such prohibition on a case-by-case basis when considered necessary for national security, but requires prior notification to the congressional defense committees, followed by a ten-day waiting period . Directs the Secretary to establish a counterintelligence program at each of the national laboratories which shall include a plan to investigate any prior breaches of security discovered after the date of enactment of this Act. Requires background checks on all foreign citizens before entry into a national laboratory. Requires the Secretary to report to the defense committees on the status of counterintelligence activities at each national laboratory.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Food Banks Relief Act of 1999 - Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to authorize appropriations for the purchase of additional commodities for emergency feeding organizations. Limits the amount of funds that such organizations may use for distribution expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
George Washington, Bicentennial Act of 1999 - Requires that the legal public holiday known as Washington's Birthday be referred to by that name and no other: (1) by all U.S. Government entities and officials; and (2) whenever it appears in any federally funded publications.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kennedy, Patrick J. [D-RI-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000113_200.jpg)