United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1997
Defense of the Environment Act of 1997 - Requires any report of a congressional committee or committee of conference accompanying a public bill or joint resolution that includes any provision that reduces environmental protection to contain: (1) an identification and description of the provision; (2) an assessment of the extent of such reduction; (3) a description of any actions to avoid such reduction; and (4) any statement received from the Comptroller General, upon request of the committee or a majority of either the minority or majority members of the committee, assessing the reduction. Deems a provision to reduce environmental protection if it may: (1) allow increased pollution; (2) adversely affect the environmental quality of public lands or diminish protection of species that may be endangered; (3) increase children's exposure to environmental contaminants and other environmental risks; or (4) have the effect of shielding environmental law violators or limiting judicial review of agency action under authority of any environmental law. Provides for consultation and assistance of the Comptroller General at the request of any committee. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to ensure that each Federal agency: (1) collects and catalogs available information that would assist in assessing whether any bill, joint resolution, amendment, or conference report provision would reduce environmental protection; (2) facilitates the availability of such information for Congress' use; and (3) makes such information readily available to the Comptroller General for purposes of fulfilling the assessment and consultation duties described above. Requires such information to be made publicly available. Makes out of order in the House of Representatives and the Senate the consideration of any reported bill or joint resolution, or conference report, unless the committee has complied with the identification and assessment provisions of this Act. Makes any rule waiving these provisions out of order in the House. Amends the Rules of the House of Representatives with respect to the consideration and striking of provisions reducing environmental protection within the meaning of this Act. Provides Senate procedures for the striking of such provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1997
Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 1997 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy services of registered dieticians and nutrition professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income (under the qualified scholarship provisions) certain amounts provided by an employer to the child of an employee.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1997
Social Security Information Safeguards Act of 1997 - Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to convene a Social Security Information Safeguards Panel, which shall advise the Commissioner, upon request, about appropriate mechanisms for ensuring the security and confidentiality of personal social security records made accessible to the public by electronic means, including the Internet. Directs the Commissioner to request: (1) such advice in advance of any reinstitution of access to such information via the Internet; and (2) other advice regarding the most appropriate means of assuring that individuals have the ability to verify the accuracy of personal social security information about themselves and to correct errors contained in such information.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1997
Expedited Rescissions Act of 1997 - Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to provide for the expedited consideration of certain proposed rescissions of budget authority.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1997
Mammography Quality Standards Reauthorization Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations to carry out provisions relating to the certification of mammography facilities. Requires that appeals from certification denials follow procedures in effect at that time (currently, in effect on a specified date). Modifies mammogram record retention requirements. Allows inspection of facilities (currently, certified facilities) for compliance with certification requirements and mammography quality standards (currently, compliance with mammography quality standards). Allows inspections to be conducted by a local agency on behalf of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Empowers the Secretary to require a facility to notify patients who received mammograms if the Secretary determines the quality was so inconsistent with standards as to present a significant risk to the individual or public health. Authorizes civil money penalties for failure to comply. Allows certificate suspension or revocation for a failure to comply with an accreditation body's requests for records or materials. Modifies requirements for certification suspension before holding a hearing.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1997
Fair Pay Act of 1997 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit discrimination in the payment of wages on account of sex, race, or national origin. (Allows payment of different wages under seniority systems, merit systems, or systems that measure earnings by quantity or quality of production.) Prohibits the discharge of or any other discrimination against an individual for opposing any act or practice made unlawful by this Act, or for assisting in an investigation or proceeding under it. Directs courts, in any action brought under this Act for violation of such prohibition, to allow expert fees as part of the costs awarded to prevailing plaintiffs. Allows any such action to be maintained as a class action. Requires employers subject to such prohibition to: (1) preserve records which document and support the method, system, calculations, and other bases used by the employer in establishing, adjusting, and determining the wages paid to their employees, for periods of time prescribed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC); and (2) make reports to the EEOC. Directs the EEOC to: (1) undertake studies and provide information and technical assistance to employers, labor organizations, and the general public concerning effective means available to implement this Act; (2) carry on a continuing program of research, education, and technical assistance with specified components related to the purposes of this Act; and (3) include a separate evaluation and appraisal regarding the implementation of this Act in its annual report to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1997
Congratulates the residents of Jerusalem and the people of Israel on the 30th anniversary of the reunification of that city. Calls upon the President and the Secretary of State to affirm publicly as a matter of U.S. policy that Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of Israel. Urges U.S. officials to refrain from any actions that contradict this policy.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1997
Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to mandate a program for the conduct and support of research and training regarding Parkinson's disease. Directs the Director of the National Institutes of Health to provide for coordination of the program among all the national research institutes conducting Parkinson's research. Requires coordination to include the convening of a research planning conference at least once every two years. Provides for each such conference to prepare and submit to certain congressional committees a report concerning the conference. Requires Core Center Grants to encourage the development of innovative multidisciplinary research and provide training concerning Parkinson's, designating each grant recipient as a Morris K. Udall Center for Research on Parkinson's Disease. Establishes a grant program to support investigators with a proven record of excellence and innovation in Parkinson's research and who demonstrate potential for significant breakthroughs in the understanding of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of Parkinson's. Limits the availability of grants for a period not to exceed five years. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Tax Provisions Title II: Student Financial Aid Provisions Hope and Opportunity for Postsecondary Education Act of 1997 - Title I: Tax Provisions - Higher Education Tax Incentive Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a tax credit of up to $1,500 for qualified higher education expenses. Allows the credit: (1) for only the first two years of postsecondary education; and (2) only if an individual is an eligible student for at least one academic period during the year. Reduces such credit: (1) by the amount of any non-taxable Federal scholarship or grant assistance received; and (2) if adjusted gross income exceeds specified levels. Sets forth other rules concerning the credit, including denying the credit to an individual: (1) convicted of a drug offense; and (2) failing to maintain grade point average requirements. Prohibits the credit after December 31, 2000. (Sec. 103) Permits a limited deduction for qualified higher education expenses based on modified adjusted gross income for qualified higher education expenses. Prohibits taking both such deduction and the above credit. Prohibits the deduction after December 31, 2000. (Sec. 104) Revises provisions concerning the cancellation of certain student loans. (Sec. 105) Terminates, after December 31, 2000, the exclusion from gross income of employer-provided educational assistance. (Sec. 106) Includes in the general business credit, until December 31, 2000, a small business educational assistance credit equal to ten percent of qualified educational assistance expenses. Prohibits a deduction for that portion of such expenses otherwise allowable as a deduction which is equal to such credit. Permits election of a reduced credit. Title II: Student Financial Aid Provisions - Student Financial Aid Improvements Act of 1997 - Part A: Pell Grants - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to increase the maximum Pell grant award from $2,700 to $3,000, subject to specified award rules. Part B: Student Loan Provisions - Directs the Secretary of Education to recall from the reserve funds held by guaranty agencies specified minimum amounts in FY 1998 through 2002. Requires such recalled amounts to be: (1) in proportion to each guaranty agency's share of the total reserve funds held by guaranty agencies as of September 30, 1996; and (2) deposited in the Treasury. Requires each guaranty agency to transfer all reserve funds that it holds to a restricted account and invest those funds in U.S. Government securities specified by the Secretary. Prohibits a guaranty agency from using any restricted account funds for any purpose without the express permission of the Secretary, with specified exceptions for limited amounts of working capital to use for certain operational expenses. Provides that non-liquid reserve fund assets, as well as any liquid assets remaining in a guaranty agency's restricted account after the recalls, remain U.S. property, may only be used for purposes that the Secretary determines are appropriate, and are be subject to recall by the Secretary. (Sec. 222) Provides borrowers under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program with certain extended and graduated repayment options currently available to Direct Loan program borrowers, including the option to change repayment plans. Directs the Secretary to ensure that the repayment plans offered to FFEL borrowers are comparable to Direct Loan repayment plans. (Sec. 223) Reduces the applicable interest rate on all subsidized and unsubsidized FFEL and Direct Loans during in-school, grace, and deferment periods to the same rate as the borrowing rate of the Department of Education, but retains current cap levels on such interest rates. Specifies that the interest rate used to determine the rebate of excess interest under specified HEA is not to be used to change special allowance payments for the period affected by the rebate. (Sec. 224) Revises specified HEA provisions to reduce the lenders' insurance rate from 98 to 95 percent. (Sec. 225) Eliminates the one percent insurance premium charged to a FFEL borrower at the time of loan origination. Reduces FFEL origination fees on subsidized FFELs from three percent to two percent. Reduces the loan fee charged on Direct Loans from four percent to three percent for unsubsidized Direct Loans, and from four percent to two percent for subsidized Direct Loans. (Sec. 226) Revises HEA provisions relating to the role of the guaranty agency in the FFEL program. Declares that the Secretary is the sole guarantor of FFELs. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with a guaranty agency to insure loans, with the guaranty agency acting as the agent of the Secretary. Allows any guaranty agency that had an agreement with the Secretary under specified provisions on the day before the date of enactment of this Act to enter into an initial agreement with the Secretary. Makes all existing guaranty agency agreements expire within 180 days of such date of enactment. Replaces outstanding loan insurance issued by the guaranty agency by loan insurance issued by the Secretary. Relieves the guaranty agency of any further liability on the loans. Authorizes interim administration measures necessary for the efficient transfer of such loan insurance function. Makes the new guaranty agreements effective for five years, and renewable by the Secretary for successive five-year periods, but authorizes the Secretary to terminate the agreements prior to expiration under certain circumstances. Authorizes the Secretary, after the initial agreement has ended, to enter into: (1) another agreement with that guaranty agency; (2) an alternate agreement with a different guaranty agency; or (3) one or more contracts under specified provisions, under which contractors would carry out one or more of the functions formerly performed by the guaranty agency. Requires the agreement between the Secretary and a guaranty agency to specify the responsibilities of the guaranty agency, if any, with respect to certain functions. Authorizes the Secretary to permit a guaranty agency to engage in other businesses, previously purchased or developed with reserve funds, that relate to the FFEL program. Provides that, under such agreements, guaranty agencies shall receive specified fees and revenues. Permits guaranty agencies to retain a share of their net revenues for activities in support of postsecondary education. Requires such share to be calculated and approved by the Secretary after determining an adequate level of economic incentive for guaranty agencies to maximize their efficiency, in an amount not to exceed 50 percent of guaranty agency net revenues. Requires guaranty agencies to carry out their responsibilities under the agreement in accordance with performance standards set by the Secretary and uniformly applied to all guaranty agencies. Directs the Secretary to compare the performance of the guaranty agencies with one another, and publicly disseminate such comparison. Establishes fines for guaranty agencies that fail to achieve a specified level of performance on one or more performance standards. Requires the guaranty agency, if its failure resulted in a financial loss to the United States, to indemnify the Secretary for that loss. Termination of a guaranty agency's agreement prior to the expiration date either automatically under certain circumstances or upon the Secretary's determination that the guaranty agency has substantially failed to achieve an acceptable level of performance. Grants an exemption to lenders with small FFEL portfolios, by requiring only eligible lenders that originate or hold more than $5 million in FFELs during an annual audit period to submit to compliance audit for that period. (Sec. 227) Repeals specified HEA provisions which require a State to pay to the Secretary an annual amount that represents the State's share of risk for high default rates at institutions within the State. (Sec. 228) Revises HEA provisions relating to FFEL consolidation loans. (Sec. 229) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into one or more contracts to carry out any of the functions that otherwise would be carried out by a guaranty agency. (Sec. 230) Revises the definition of an eligible lender to require lenders to offer uniform terms and conditions to all borrowers taking out the same type of FFEL loans. (Sec. 231) Requires computation of special allowance rates at the same time and in the same manner as student loan interest rates (annually rather than quarterly). (Sec. 232) Revises provisions relating to the Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae) and its payment of an offset fee on loans it holds. (Sec. 233) Limits the payment of a specified transition fee to: (1) institutions or consortia in their first year of participation in the Direct Loan program; and (2) an amount not more than an average of $10 per borrower at such institutions. (Sec. 234) Sets funding levels through FY 2002 for mandatory administrative expenses for the student financial aid programs, including the Direct Loan program, at levels lower than the current baseline. Part C: Need Analysis and General Provisions - Revises provisions for calculation of a postsecondary student's need for assistance under HEA title IV. (Provides, in various ways, that students' future eligibility for title IV assistance not be affected by their families' use of the HOPE Scholarship tax credit or the education and training tax deduction.) (Sec. 242) Makes the income protection allowance (IPA) for independent students without dependents (other than a spouse) comparable to those used for parents of dependent students and for independent students with dependents. Permits updating IPA calculation to reflect inflation. (Sec. 243) Requires the Secretary to define certain education-related terms for purposes of the HOPE Scholarship tax credit and the education and training tax deduction provided under specified provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Makes inapplicable to such regulations specified HEA provisions relating to a deadline for publication of regulations in final form. (Sec. 244) Extends the FFEL program and certain other HEA title IV student assistance provisions through FY 2002. Part D: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for specified provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 1997
Taxpayer Browsing Protection Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make it unlawful for Federal employees, State employees, or other specified persons to willfully inspect, except as authorized, any tax return or return information. Imposes a monetary penalty, imprisonment, or both for violations. (Current law provides for imposition of penalties only for the unlawful disclosure of such information.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: General Programs Regarding Prevention of HIV Infection Title II: Preventive Health Programs Regarding Women and HIV Infection Title III: General Provisions William A. Bailey Comprehensive HIV Prevention Act of 1997 - Title I: General Programs Regarding Prevention of HIV Infection - Amends the Public Healht Service Act to replace title XXV (Prevention of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) with a new title (Prevention of HIV Infection). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to plan, coordinate, and evaluate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection prevention activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Indian Health Service, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (designated agencies). Directs the Secretary to establish the Secretary's Advisory Council on HIV Prevention. Mandates, for each designated agency, a comprehensive plan and certain implementation activities regarding the conduct and support of all HIV prevention activities. Requires annual budget requests by the Secretary and each designated agency. Requires each designated agency (except NIH) to establish an office to carry out HIV prevention activities. Requires that the remainder of this title be carried out through the CDCP. Authorizes HIV epidemiology and surveillance activities. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes financial assistance to health departments of States and subdivisions for HIV prevention projects in communities of at-risk individuals. Mandates local and statewide HIV community planning groups. Allows use of assistance for: (1) certain counseling and testing; and (2) counseling and treatment for any victim of a crime involving force or the threat of force to compel sexual activity. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary, directly or through financial assistance, to carry out HIV public education. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes HIV prevention activities regarding specific populations identified by the Secretary. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes HIV prevention activities regarding adolescents, including through school-based programs. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes, directly or through financial assistance, the conduct of HIV prevention research and the carrying out of demonstration projects. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes, directly or through financial assistance, HIV prevention activities in addition to those specified above in this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Preventive Health Programs Regarding Women and HIV Infection - Women and HIV Outreach and Prevention Act - Amends Public Health Service Act provisions (as amended by title I of this Act) relating to the CDCP to authorize grants, with regard to women (and their partners) and HIV, for preventive health services, referrals, follow-ups, outreach, and training on the effective provision of such services. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes grants to provide HIV prevention education to women. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to provide: (1) substance abuse treatment to women; (2) counseling to women who engage in substance abuse on the prevention of infection with, and the transmission of, the etiologic agent for AIDS; and (3) such counseling to women who are the partners of individuals who abuse substances. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations for grants under existing provisions to provide early intervention services for women and related technical assistance. Title III: General Provisions - Authorizes technical assistance to applicants and recipients under provisions of this Act relating to the CDCP.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1997
Honors the memory of the victims of the Armenian genocide. Calls for the United States to encourage the Republic of Turkey to acknowledge and commemorate the atrocity committed against the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend permanently the tax credit for expenses of clinical testing of certain drugs for rare diseases or conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1997
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 1997 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or local governments. Requires States to grant 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. Specifies related requirements for public safety employers. Requires the Director the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) to issue regulations establishing collective bargaining procedures for public safety employers and employees in States that fail to comply with the requirements of this Act. Gives the FMCS the same authority as a State Labor Relations Board (or of the National Labor Relations Board where no such State Board exists) for public safety employers and employees covered by this Act. Grants a public safety employer, employee, or labor organization the right to seek enforcement of such regulations 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. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1997
Prohibits the import, export, or shipment in interstate commerce of steel jaw 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 nongovernment informers 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 · 20 March 1997
Captive Exotic Animal Protection Act of 1997- Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit and set penalties for knowingly transferring, transporting, or possessing a confined exotic animal for purposes of allowing the killing or injuring of that animal for entertainment or the collection of a trophy.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1997
Credit Union Membership Access Act - Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to limit Federal credit union membership to one or more groups each of which has a common bond within such group.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1997
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Pension Access and Coverage Subtitle A: Improved Access to Individual Retirement Savings Subtitle B: Improved Fairness in Retirement Plan Benefits Subtitle C: Improving Retirement Plan Coverage Subtitle D: Simplifying Plan Requirements Title II: Security Subtitle A: General Provisions Subtitle B: ERISA Enforcement Title III: Portability Title IV: Comprehensive Women's Pension Protection Subtitle A: Pension Reform Subtitle B: Protection of Rights of Former Spouses to Pension Benefits Under Certain Government and Government-Sponsored Retirement Programs Subtitle C: Modifications of Joint and Survivor Annuity Requirements Subtitle D: Spousal Consent Required for Distributions From Section 401(k) Plans Subtitle E: Women's Pension Toll-Free Phone Number Title V: Date for Adoption of Plan Amendments Retirement Security Act of 1997 - Title I: Pension Access and Coverage - Subtitle A: Improved Access to Individual Retirement Savings - Chapter 1: Contributions To Individual Retirement Plans Through Payroll Deductions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to require a private contractor with the Secretary of Labor to establish a system under which: (1) eligible employees, through employer payroll deductions, may make contributions to individual retirement plans; and (2) amounts in the individual retirement plans are invested according to certain requirements. (Sec. 103) Provides for: (1) contributions to individual retirement plans; (2) investment options; (3) accounting and information; (4) administrative costs; (5) fiduciary responsibilities, liability and penalties, bonding, and investigative authority; and (6) selection of contractor. (Sec. 108) Authorizes appropriations for: (1) the Secretary of Labor to design and award the contract for such system; and (2) the contractor to begin operations. Chapter 2: Nonrefundable Tax Credit for Contributions to Individual Retirement Accounts - Amends IRC to allow a nonrefundable tax credit for a portion of contributions to individual retirement plans, calculated according to a specified scale. Chapter 3: Expanded Individual Retirement Accounts to Increase Coverage and Portability - Subchapter A: IRA Deduction - Raises the income limitations for the individual retirement account (IRA) tax deduction, with a corresponding adjustment to the formula for the phaseout of such limitations. (Sec. 122) Prescribes an inflation adjustment for the IRA deductible amount and income limitations. Subchapter B: Distributions and Investments - Allows the use of distributions from individual retirement plans, without additional tax, to: (1) purchase first homes; (2) pay higher education expenses; or (3) pay financially devastating medical expenses. (Sec. 132) Allows the use without penalty of distributions from certain plans during periods of unemployment. (Sec. 133) Requires that contributions to individual retirement plans (other than special individual retirement accounts) be held for at least five years in certain cases before they may be distributed without specified tax consequences. Chapter 4: Periodic Pension Benefits Statements - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) with respect to periodic pension benefits statements in cases of defined benefit plans, defined contribution plans, and multiemployer plans. Subtitle B: Improved Fairness in Retirement Plan Benefits - Amends 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 ERISA with respect to fiduciary duties in the case of such accounts. (Sec. 152) Amends IRC to set forth various nondiscrimination rules for qualified cash or deferred arrangements and matching contributions. (Sec. 153) 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. Subtitle C: Improving Retirement Plan Coverage - Allows a tax credit for up to a maximum $500 of the qualified start-up costs of eligible small employers in establishing a qualified pension plan or qualified employer payroll deduction system. (Sec. 162) Limits annual benefits under governmental and multiemployer plans to $90,000, eliminating the alternative 100 percent of high three-year average compensation limitation. Exempts from the $7,500 or one third of includible compensation limit for annual benefits certain excess benefit arrangements under deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations. Prohibits such arrangements from being taken into account in determining whether any other plan is an eligible deferred compensation plan. (Sec. 163) 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. 164) Sets forth special rules to treat contributions by self-employed individuals as matching contributions. (Sec. 165) 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. 166) Amends the IRC to revise the limits on contributions excluded from the calculation of non-deductible contributions for purposes of the tax on non-deductible contributions to a qualified employer plan. (Sec. 167) Excludes from gross income any workers' compensation received by former police officers or fire fighters for heart disease or hypertension. Subtitle D: Simplifying Plan Requirements - Amends IRC and ERISA to set a full funding limitation for multiemployer plans. (Sec. 172) Eliminates IRC partial termination rules for multiemployer plans. (Sec. 173) Revises IRC nondiscrimination and minimum participation rules with respect to governmental plans. (Sec. 174) Eliminates specified ERISA requirements for plan descriptions and for filing of summary plan descriptions and descriptions of material modifications to a plan. (Sec. 175) 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. (Sec. 176) Directs the Secretaries of the Treasury and of Labor to expand their efforts to examine existing guidance regarding notice, recordkeeping, and operational requirements for retirement plans, in order to permit the use of new technologies by plan sponsors and administrators in ways which maintain the protection of the rights of participants and beneficiaries. Title II: Security - Subtitle A: General Provisions - Amends ERISA to provide investment protection for specified plans that include qualified cash or deferred arrangements under IRC ("401(k) plans") by setting limitations on investment in employer securities and employer real property by cash or deferred arrangements. Provides a transition rule for plans holding excess securities or property. (Sec. 202) Applies an ERISA requirement for annual, detailed investment reports to certain IRC 401(k) plans. Directs the Secretary of Labor, in prescribing regulations for required information in such reports, to consider including specified types of information. (Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary of Labor 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. 204) Amends IRC to prohibit qualified employer plans from making loans through credit cards and other intermediaries. (Sec. 205) Increases the amounts of multiemployer plan benefits guaranteed under ERISA. (Sec. 206) Increases the maximum amount of the civil penalty which may be assessed administratively for certain prohibited transactions. (Sec. 207) Amends ERISA with respect to substantial owner benefits to revise the phase-in of guarantee and the allocation of assets. (Sec. 208) Directs the Secretary of Labor to report annually to the President and the Congress on plans from which residual assets were distributed to employers (reversion report). (Sec. 209) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary of the Treasury should: (1) review existing correction mechanisms to determine whether modifications might facilitate additional utilization by sponsors, improve voluntary compliance, and hasten the correction of pension plans; (2) consider whether additional means of addressing nonegregious violations should be explored; and (3) make appropriate legislative recommendations. Subtitle B: ERISA Enforcement - Amends ERISA enforcement provisions to repeal a limited scope audit requirement for employee pension benefit plans. Requires an accountant, in offering an opinion in the case of an employee pension benefit plan, to rely, to the extent consistent with generally accepted auditing standards, on the work of any independent public accountant of any bank or similar institution or insurance carrier that holds assets or processes transactions of the employee pension benefit plan, provided that such bank, institution, or insurance carrier is regulated, supervised, and subject to periodic examination by a State or Federal agency. (Sec. 212) Sets forth additional ERISA requirements for qualified public accountants. (Sec. 213) Amends ERISA and the IRC to exempt from the prohibition against assignment or alienation of an accrued pension benefit offsets for certain civil and criminal judgments against fiduciaries. Changes from mandatory to discretionary the imposition and amount of civil penalties for breach of fiduciary responsibilities. 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 401(k) plans. (Sec. 303) Amends ERISA and 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. Title IV: Comprehensive Women's Pension Protection - Subtitle A: Pension Reform - Makes certain new rules for pension integration under the Tax Reform Act of 1986 applicable to all existing accrued benefits. (Sec. 401) Amends IRC to: (1) disallow integration for simplified employee pensions; and (2) provide for eventual repeal of certain pension integration rules. (Sec. 402) Sets forth rules regarding the application of minimum coverage requirements with respect to separate lines of business. (Sec. 403) Amends 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. 404) 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 law relating to the armed forces to terminate a two-tier annuity computation and social security offset under the military survivor benefit plan. (Sec. 414) 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. Subtitle D: Spousal Consent Required for Distributions From Section 401(k) Plans - Amends IRC to require spousal consent for distributions from section 401(k) plans. Subtitle E: Women's Pension Toll-Free Phone Number - 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. Title V: Date for Adoption of Plan Amendments - Sets forth dates for adoption of plan amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1997
Historic Homeownership Assistance Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for 20 percent of the qualified rehabilitation expenditures made by a taxpayer with respect to a certified 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 shall 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 · 19 March 1997
Merchant Mariners Fairness Act of 1997 - Provides that certain qualified service of a member of the U.S. merchant marine, including a vessel crewmember of the U.S. Army or Naval Transport Service, during World War II constituted active military service for purposes of eligibility for various veterans' benefits under the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977. Requires the Secretary of Defense to issue an honorable discharge under such Act to each merchant marine member whose qualified service warrants such a discharge. Prohibits the payment of any retroactive benefits under this Act. Mandates a processing fee for any benefit application of a member possessing such qualified service.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1997
Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish birth defects prevention and research programs. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to provide for collection, analysis, and reporting of birth defects statistics from birth certificates, infant death certificates, hospital records, or other sources and to collect and disaggregate such statistics by gender and racial and ethnic group. Directs the Secretary to establish at least five regional birth defects monitoring and research programs to collect and analyze information on the number, incidence, correlation, and causes of birth defects. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC, to award grants or enter into cooperative agreements with specified entities to serve as Centers of Excellence for Birth Defects Prevention Research. Requires one of the Centers to focus on birth defects among ethnic minorities. Requires the CDC to establish a clearinghouse for the collection and storage of data generated from birth defects monitoring programs developed under this Act. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to provide for the evaluation, and implementation of prevention strategies designed to reduce the incidence and effects of birth defects. Requires the Secretary, acting through the CDC, to consult with State and local governmental agencies, managed care organizations, nonprofit organizations, physicians, and other health professionals and organizations. Directs the Secretary to establish an Advisory Committee for Birth Defects Prevention. Requires the Secretary to report biennially to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources regarding birth defects. Subjects the provisions of this Act to requirements of the Privacy Act. Applies all Federal laws relating to the privacy of information to the data and information that is collected under this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: School Construction Assistance Program Title II: General Provisions Partnership to Rebuild America's Schools Act of 1997 - Title I: School Construction Assistance Program - Part 1: Program Authorized - Establishes a program to provide Federal funds to help States and local school districts finance the repair, renovation, modernization, and construction of their school facilities. (Sec. 104) Makes appropriations and specifies their allocation. Part 2: Grants to States - Provides for allocation of funds for formula grants to States by the Secretary of Education, on a proportional basis similar to that for Basic Grants for disadvantaged students under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Sets forth requirements relating to: (1) eligible State agencies; (2) allowable uses of funds; (3) eligible construction projects; (4) period for project initiation; (5) selection of localities and projects; (6) State applications; (7) amount of Federal subsidy; (8) separate funds or accounts; (9) prudent investment; and (10) State reports. Part 3: Direct Grants to Local Educational Agencies - Provides for direct grants both formula and competitive) to local educational agencies (LEAs) by the Secretary of Education. (Sec. 121) Makes eligible for grants the LEAs with the largest numbers of children aged five through 17 from families living below the poverty level. Makes LEAs for Hawaii and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ineligible for such grants. Sets forth requirements relating to: (1) grantees; (2) allowable uses of funds; (3) eligible construction projects; (4) redistribution of funds; (5) local applications; (6) formula grants; (7) competitive grants; (8) amount of Federal subsidy; (9) separate funds or accounts; (10) prudent investment; and (11) local reports. Title II: General Provisions - Sets forth requirements relating to: (1) technical employees; (2) wage rates; (3) no liability of the Federal Government; and (4) consultation with Secretary of the Treasury by the Secretary of Education.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1997
Delays implementation of the plan for allocation of health care resources of the Department of Veterans Affairs, as submitted to the Congress under the Department of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997, until after the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has certified to the Congress that he has taken into account certain specified medical and nonmedical factors of veterans residing within each region to be served by a Veterans Integrated Services Network (a Department- developed network for veterans' health care).
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1997
Domestic Violence Legal Services Eligibility Act - Amends the Legal Services Corporation Act to require the Legal Services Corporation, in establishing income levels to determine if a client who is the victim of domestic violence is eligible for assistance, to prescribe that only that client's income will be considered in making such determination.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Brownfield Grants Programs Title II: Department of Housing and Urban Development Brownfield Grants Title III: Expensing of Environmental Remediation Costs Brownfield Economic Revitalization Act of 1997 - Title I: Brownfield Grants Programs - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a program to provide grants to States, local governments, or Indian tribes to inventory and conduct site assessments of, and other pre-cleanup activities at, brownfield sites. Defines a "brownfield site" as an abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial or commercial facility where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. (Sec. 103) Directs the Administrator to: (1) establish a program of grants to States, local governments, or Indian tribes for capitalization of loan programs for brownfield site cleanup by the State, locality, tribe, or owner or prospective purchaser; (2) carry out programs of assistance for partnership agreements between EPA and State and local governments, Federal agencies, or private entities and for brownfields workforce training in affected communities; and (3) establish a program of voluntary cleanup grants to States or tribes. (Sec. 107) Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Department of Housing and Urban Development Brownfield Grants - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants, in connection with the authority to guarantee obligations to finance certain community development activities, to eligible public entities for projects and activities for economic redevelopment of brownfield sites. Title III: Expensing of Environmental Remediation Costs - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a taxpayer to elect to treat certain hazardous substance remediation expenditures as expenses not chargeable to capital account and therefore deductible in the year in which paid or incurred. Requires that such expenditures be made at non-National Priorities List contaminated sites in areas that meet specified poverty, zoning, enterprise or empowerment zone, or brownfields pilot project criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1997
Late Term Abortion Restriction Act - Makes it unlawful, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, to knowingly perform an abortion after the fetus has become viable, unless, in the medical judgment of the attending physician, it is necessary to preserve the life of the woman or to avert serious adverse health consequences to her. Subjects a physician who violates this Act to a civil penalty of up to $10,000.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1997
Defense Jobs and Trade Promotion Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the limitation on the amount of receipts attributable to military property which may be treated as exempt foreign trade income.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1997
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the full realization of the rights of women is vital to the development and well-being of people of all nations; and (2) the Senate should give its advice and consent to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Hemophilia Relief Fund Title II: Treatment of Certain Private Settlement Payments in Hemophilia-Clotting-Factor Suit under the Medicaid and SSI Programs Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1997 - Title I: Hemophilia Relief Fund - Establishes in the Treasury the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 103) Specifies that any individual who has a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection shall receive $125,000 from amounts available in the Fund if the individual meets one of the following conditions: (1) has a blood-clotting disorder and was treated with blood-clotting agents between July 1, 1982, and December 31, 1987; (2) is the lawful spouse of such individual or the former lawful spouse and was the lawful spouse of the individual at any time after a date within such period on which the individual was treated; or (3) acquired the HIV infection through perinatal transmission from a parent who is such an individual. Requires that the following conditions be met with respect to such individual: (1) the individual submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services written medical documentation that the individual has an HIV infection; (2) a petition for payment be filed with the Secretary by or on behalf of such individual; and (3) that the Secretary determine that the claim meets the requirements of this Act. (Sec. 105) Specifies that any right under this Act shall not be assignable or transferable. Sets limits regarding the number of claims per victim. (Sec. 106) Prohibits the Secretary from making any payment with respect to any petition filed under this Act unless the petition is filed within three years after the enactment of this Act. Title II: Treatment of Certain Private Settlement Payments in Hemophilia-Clotting-Factor Suit under the Medicaid and SSI Programs - Prohibits a settlement payment from being considered income or resources in determining a class member's eligibility for, or the amount of: (1) medical assistance under the Medicaid program; or (2) benefits under the Supplemental Security Income program. Defines the terms: (1) "class member"; and (2) "settlement payment."
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1997
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 should be preserved and not radically overhauled; (2) the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program and the Bridge Program are important national programs that should not be substantially changed; (3) mass transportation programs should remain a national priority supported by Federal funds; (4) a dedicated source of funding for Amtrak, and legislation to reform it, should be included in any law to reauthorize the Intermodal Surface Transportation Act of 1991; and (5) transportation safety programs should not be diminished.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1997
Medicare Bone Mass Measurement Coverage Standardization Coverage Act of 1997 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for standard national Medicare coverage of bone mass measurements (for early detection of potential osteoporosis).
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1997
Safe and Sober Streets Act of 1997 - Amends Federal transportation law to require the Secretary of Transportation to withhold five percent of the funds authorized for Federal aid highway programs for FY 2001, and ten percent of such amounts for subsequent fiscal years, from any State that has not enacted and is not enforcing a law that considers as intoxicated an individual who has an alcohol concentration level of 0.08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle in such State. Allows funds withheld from a State during FY 2001 to be available for up to three fiscal years after such date (to allow a State to meet such requirement within such period), but allows no grace period with respect to funds withheld during the subsequent fiscal years.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1997
Northern Forest Stewardship Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture, at the request of the Governor of Maine, New Hampshire, New York, or Vermont, to: (1) provide technical assistance for sustainable forest management; (2) assist in coordinating ecological and economic research and implementation of interstate and Northern Forest Lands Council policies; (3) provide technical and financial assistance for State conservation land planning and acquisition (authorizes appropriations), and rural community assistance. Expresses the sense of the Congress regarding: (1) the need to address certain tax policies that work against Northern Forest conservation; (2) liability exemption for private landowners who permit public use of their land; and (3) nongame conservation funding. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, at the request of the Governor of Maine, New Hampshire, New York, or Vermont, to provide technical and financial assistance for Northern Forest water quality assessment. Authorizes specified appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the post-1987 reduction in the State ceiling on private activity bonds. Provides, beginning in 1999, for cost-of-living adjustments in the State ceiling on such bonds.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1997
Reaffirms the universal nature of human rights and the principle that women's rights are human rights. Supports: (1) the inter-agency council on women; and (2) action on the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Considers that dedication to enacting U.S. commitments to promote the following would benefit citizens around the world: (1) economic security; (2) the human rights of women; (3) the health of women and children; (4) the empowerment of women and the strengthening of families; and (5) women's legal status and political participation. Encourages the U.S. Government to build on the strong partnership of nongovernmental organizations and governments that developed during the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. Urges governmental actions that uphold and enact the tenets of the platform for action and the commitments of the United States made at the Conference.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the credit for increasing research activities. Removes a restriction on electing the alternative incremental credit.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1997
Payoffs-for-Layoffs Corporate Welfare Elimination Act of 1997 - Prohibits any funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the Department of Defense (DOD) from being obligated or expended for payment of any restructuring cost associated with a merger or acquisition incurred by a DOD contractor. Provides for the handling of contractor claims for such costs with respect to a merger or acquisition occurring before the enactment of this Act. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 to: (1) repeal a provision made inconsistent by this Act; (2) extend through FY 2000 a requirement of a report from the Secretary of Defense to the Congress concerning DOD savings achieved under a corporate restructuring; (3) require in such report certain additional information concerning DOD's past experience with contractors for which DOD agreed to allow such costs; and (4) require a current report from the Comptroller General to the Congress to include an estimate and description of the net effect on the Federal budget of reimbursing defense contractors for such costs.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1997
Aviation Safety Protection Act of 1997 - Amends Federal transportation law to establish a whistleblower protection program for airline employees providing air safety information. Prohibits air carriers, contractors, and subcontractors from discharging or otherwise discriminating against an employee as to pay, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because the employee: (1) is about to provide or has provided to the Federal Government information relating to air safety; or (2) is about to file or has filed a proceeding, or testified, or otherwise participated in a proceeding relating to air safety. Sets forth a Department of Labor complaint procedure for persons who believe they have been discharged or discriminated against in violation of this Act. Provides for award of attorney's fees of up to $5,000 to a prevailing employer for any such complaint found frivolous or brought in bad faith. Specifies civil penalties for violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1997
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the transport of nuclear waste to and its storage on any U.S. territory or possession, including Wake Island and Palmyra Atoll, should continue to be prohibited.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Morris K. Udall Wilderness Act of 1997 - Designates specified lands in Alaska as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Adoption Promotion Act of 1997 - Amends the Social Security Act with respect to State plans for foster care and adoption assistance to: (1) revise the requirements, as applied to cases of child abuse, for mandatory reasonable efforts under the plan to eliminate the need to remove a child from the child's home; and (2) make it possible for the child to return home, as a prerequisite to placing a child in foster care. (Sec. 3) Provides for earlier status reviews and permanency hearings, notice of reviews and hearings, and opportunity to be heard. (Sec. 5) Requires a State to initiate proceedings to terminate parental rights for children under age ten who have been in foster care under State responsibility for 18 months. (Sec. 6) Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) report and make recommendations to specified congressional committees on the extent to which children in foster care are placed in the care of a relative (kinship care); and (2) establish an advisory panel to review such report. (Sec. 7) Authorizes use of the parent locator service in termination of parental rights proceedings. (Sec. 8) Instructs the Secretary to: (1) develop a set of outcome measures to assess the performance of States in operating child protection programs; and (2) report annually to the Congress on the performance of each State on each outcome measure. (Sec. 9) Increases from 10 to 15 the authorized number of State child protection demonstration projects. (Sec. 10) Prescribes technical assistance guidelines for the Secretary to help States and local communities to reach their targets for increased numbers of adoptions and alternative permanent placements for children in foster care. (Sec. 11) Directs the Secretary to make bonus grants to States for the number of foster child adoptions and special needs adoptions that exceed the base number of such adoptions for the fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Primary Care Health Practitioner Incentive Act of 1997 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to payments for medical and other health services, to cover services which would be physicians' services if furnished by a physician but: (1) which are performed by a clinical nurse specialist; and (2) which the clinical nurse specialist is legally authorized to perform by the State. Eliminates the requirement, with respect to such services performed by a nurse practitioner, that they be performed in a skilled nursing facility or other specified nursing facility. Covers, in addition, other services and supplies incidental to such services. Revises the formula for payment from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund for such services (thereby increasing such payment). Repeals the rural area restriction on services performed by nurse practitioners or clinical nurse specialists for which direct payment may be made. Requires a ten percent bonus payment from the Fund for services of a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist furnished in a health professional shortage area.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Commemorative Coins Title II: Circulating Coins Marian Anderson Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Title I: Commemorative Coins - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) mint and issue one-dollar and half-dollar coins in commemoration of the centennial of the birth of Marian Anderson; and (2) allocate sales surcharges to the Smithsonian Institution, the Public Broadcasting Fund, and the National Museum of American History for the support of the National Numismatic Collection. Title II: Circulating Coins - Amends Federal currency law to provide that at the Secretary's discretion, half-dollar coins minted after specified dates may bear the same design as the commemorative coins minted under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Increases the salaries of the Chief Justice and associate Supreme Court justices of the United States and the judges of the United States courts of appeals, the United States district courts, and the United States Court of International Trade by 9.6 percent. Requires future adjustments in judicial salaries to equal the percentage by which General Schedule pay rates are adjusted (currently, the percentage change in the Employment Cost Index).
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1997
Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 1995 (sic) - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to include certain service in the organized military forces of the Philippines and service as Philippine Scouts within the definition of active U.S. military service for purposes of eligibility for various veterans' benefits for former active-duty military personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1997
False Bomb Threat Penalty Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide a one-year mandatory minimum term of imprisonment for conveying false bomb threats through instrumentalities of interstate and foreign commerce.
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