United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1999
Medicare Early Access Act of 1999 - Title I: Access to Medicare Benefits for Individuals 62-to-65 Years of Age - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals Age 62-to-65 Years of Age). Makes eligible to enroll in Medicare during a specified period individuals between the ages of 62 and 65 who: (1) are not eligible for coverage under group health plans or Federal health insurance; but (2) would be Medicare-eligible if age 65. Requires prior notification of each individual seeking to enroll of the deferred monthly premium amount for which the individual will be liable upon attaining age 65. (Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to determine rates for: (1) the base monthly premium; (2) the base annual premium for individuals age 62 or older, adjusted appropriately for each premium area; as well as the maximum amount of such premium; and (3) the deferred premium for such individuals. Directs the Secretary to provide for payment and collection of the base monthly premium. Makes the enrollee liable for the deferred monthly premium payment. Requires collection of both premiums in the same manner as for the payment of monthly premiums under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Creates in the Treasury the Medicare Early Access Trust Fund (Trust Fund) to hold collected premiums. Directs: (1) the Trust Fund's Board of Trustees to report annually to Congress on the need for adjustments in the new program in order to maintain its financial solvency; and (2) the Comptroller General to report periodically to Congress on the adequacy of program financing along with appropriate recommendations to accomplish such end. Requires: (1) individuals enrolled under the new part D program to be treated for Medicare purposes as though they were entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and enrolled under Medicare part B; and (2) new part D program benefits to be payable under Medicare to such individuals in the same manner as if they were so entitled and enrolled. Provides that the new part D program shall not be treated as Medicare for purposes of the Medicaid program (SSA title XIX), including the provision of Medicare cost-sharing assistance, nor for purposes of COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) continuation requirements of the Public Health Service Act. Title II: Access to Medicare Benefits for Displaced Workers 55-to-62 Years of Age - Amends SSA title XVIII part D to rename the newly established part D program the Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals Age 55-to-65 Years of Age. Provides for part D coverage for certain displaced workers and spouses between the ages of 55 and 62 under arrangements similar to those in title I. Directs the Secretary to provide for continued enrollment of displaced workers who attain 62 years of age. Title III: COBRA Protection for Early Retirees - Subtitle A: Amendments to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to extend specified group health plan insurance continuation coverage under COBRA to qualified retirees and their dependents, in cases of substantial reduction or termination of a retiree group health plan. Sets forth a special rule for certain dependents in case of termination or substantial reduction of retiree health coverage. Permits an increased level of premiums in the case of an individual provided continuation coverage by reason of the qualifying event. Subtitle B: Amendments to the Public Health Service Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend specified group health plan insurance continuation coverage under COBRA to qualified retirees and their dependents, in cases of substantial reduction or termination of a retiree group health plan. Sets forth a special rule for certain dependents in case of termination or substantial reduction of retiree health coverage. Permits an increased level of premiums in the case of an individual provided continuation coverage by reason of the qualifying event. Subtitle C: Amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend specified group health plan insurance continuation coverage under COBRA to qualified retirees and their dependents, in cases of substantial reduction or termination of a retiree group health plan. Sets forth a special rule for certain dependents in case of termination or substantial reduction of retiree health coverage. Permits an increased level of premiums in the case of an individual provided continuation coverage by reason of the qualifying event. Title IV: Financing - Provides that any increase in payments under SSA title XVIII resulting from enactment of this Act shall be offset by reductions in payments under such program pursuant to the anti-fraud and anti-abuse provisions enacted as part of the Medicare Fraud and Reimbursement Reform Act of 1999.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Bear Protection Act of 1999 - Prohibits any person from: (1) importing bear viscera into, or exporting it from, the United States; or (2) selling bear viscera, bartering, offering it for sale or barter, or purchasing, possessing, transporting, delivering, or receiving it in interstate or foreign commerce. Subjects persons who violate such prohibitions to specified penalties. Waives such prohibition for wildlife law enforcement purposes where a valid permit has been issued. Requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of State to discuss issues involving such trade with the appropriate representatives of countries that are the leading importers, exporters, or consumers of such products. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to report to Congress on the progress of efforts to end illegal trade in bear viscera.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1999
Declares that the House of Representatives recognizes the importance of: (1) families pledging to each other to share their lives as organ and tissue donors; and (2) discussing organ and tissue donation as a family.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1999
Twenty-First Amendment Enforcement Act - Amends the Webb-Kenyon Act to authorize a State attorney general (State AG) who has reasonable cause to believe that a person is engaging in any act that would constitute a violation of State law regulating the importation or transportation of any intoxicating liquor, to bring a civil action for injunctive relief to: (1) restrain the person from engaging in the violation; and (2) enforce compliance with State law. Grants U.S. district courts jurisdiction over any action brought by a State AG against any person, except one licensed or otherwise authorized to produce, sell, or store intoxicating liquor in such State. Permits such an action to be brought only in accordance with Federal judicial code provisions regarding venue, or in the district in which the recipient of such liquor resides or is found. Directs the court, in such action and upon a proper showing by the State AG, to issue a preliminary or permanent injunction or other order without requiring the posting of a bond. Prohibits such issuance without notice to the adverse party. Sets forth provisions regarding the form and scope of the order. Authorizes the court to order the trial of the action on the merits to be advanced and consolidated with the hearing on the application. Specifies that such an action shall be tried before the court.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Harold Hughes-Bill Emerson Substance Abuse Treatment Parity Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code to provide for parity in the application of treatment limitations and financial requirements to substance abuse treatment benefits under group health plans and individual health insurance coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1999
NAFTA Impact Relief Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to, among other things: (1) provide for the designation of NAFTA-impacted communities; (2) establish an employment credit for such communities; and (3) provide for job training grants to such communities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1999
Calls for the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring the U.S. Submarine Force on its 100th anniversary.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Father Theodore M. Hesburgh Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a congressional gold medal to Father Theodore M. Hesburgh in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to civil rights, higher education, the Catholic Church, the Nation, and the global community. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Bring Them Home Alive Act of 1999 - Directs the Attorney General to grant refugee status in the United States to any alien (and the parent, spouse, and child of such) who: (1) is a national of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, China, or any of the independent states of the former Soviet Union; and (2) personally delivers into U.S. custody a living American Vietnam War POW or MIA. Requires the granting of the same status to any alien (and parent, spouse, and child) who is a national of North Korea, China, or any of the independent states of the former Soviet Union and who personally delivers a living American Korean War POW or MIA. Directs the International Broadcasting Bureau to broadcast to such foreign countries information that promotes such refugee programs. Requires: (1) a minimum level of such broadcasting; and (2) the Bureau to ensure that such information is made available on the Internet. Expresses the sense of the Congress that RFE-RL, Inc., Radio Free Asia, and any other recipient of Federal grants that broadcasts to such countries should also broadcast such information.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a commemorative postage stamp in honor of the S.S. LANE VICTORY.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1999
Iran Nonproliferation Act of 1999 - Directs the President to report periodically to specified congressional committees on foreign persons who, on or after January 22, 1998, have transferred to Iran: (1) controlled goods, services, or technology; or (2) non-controlled goods, services, or technology that would nevertheless would be, if they were U.S. goods, services, or technology, prohibited for export to Iran because of their potential contribution to the development of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, or ballistic missile systems. Excludes from identification in such reports any such persons who were previously identified, or who have acted on behalf of, or in concert with, the U.S. Government. Authorizes the President, with specified exceptions, to apply to such foreign person certain measures: (1) set forth in Executive Order 12938 prohibitions; (2) prohibiting the sale to such persons of defense items on the United States Munitions List and defense articles and defense services, or design and construction services under the Arms Export Control Act; and (3) prohibiting the export to such persons of controlled goods and technology under the Export Administration Act of 1979. Prohibits any U.S. agency from making extraordinary payments to the Russian Space Agency in connection with the International Space Station, or any other organization or entity of the Government of the Russian Federation, unless the President has determined, and reported to specified congressional committees, that: (1) it is the policy of the Government of the Russian Federation to oppose the proliferation to Iran of weapons of mass destruction and missile systems capable of delivering such weapons; (2) such government is taking the necessary steps to prevent the transfer from Russia to Iran of goods, services, and technology useful in the development of such weapons and systems; and (3) neither the Russian Space Agency, nor any organization under its control, has, during the one-year period prior to the determination, made transfers to Iran of controlled goods, services, or technology or non-controlled goods, services, or technology that has potential to contribute to Iran's development of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, or of ballistic missile systems.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1999
Health Care Worker Needlestick Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), to amend the bloodborne pathogens standard to require that: (1) employers utilize needleless systems and sharps with engineered sharps injury protections in their work sites to prevent the spread of bloodborne pathogens; and (2) non-managerial direct care health care workers of employers participate in the identification and evaluation of such systems and sharps. Provides an exemption where an employer demonstrates that needleless systems and sharps: (1) do not promote employee safety, interfere with patient safety, or interfere with the success of a medical procedure under certain circumstances in the employer's work facility; or (2) are not commercially available to the employer. (Sec. 2) Includes under such revised standard requirements relating to: (1) exposure control plans; (2) sharps injury logs; and (3) worker training in the use of such systems and sharps. (Sec. 3) Requires the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to establish and maintain a national database on existing needleless systems and sharps with engineered sharps injury protections. Requires the Director to: (1) develop a set of evaluation criteria for use by employers, employees, and other persons in evaluating and selecting such systems and sharps; (2) develop a model training curriculum to train employers, employees, and other persons in such evaluation process, and provide requested technical assistance to the extent feasible; and (3) establish a national system to collect comprehensive data on needlestick injuries to health care workers, including data on mechanisms to analyze and evaluate prevention. Authorizes NIOSH access to information recorded by employers in sharps injury logs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require hospitals, as a condition of their Medicare program participation, to comply with the bloodborne pathogen standard as amended under this Act with respect to hospital employees, even if they are not otherwise subject to such standard because they are exempt from OSHA regulation.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1999
Taiwan Security Enhancement Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense and the Secretaries of the military departments should make every effort to reserve additional positions for Taiwan military officers at the National Defense University and specified other professional military education schools, and at the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the Air Force Academy. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should, when considering foreign military sales to Taiwan, to take into account Taiwan's special status and make every effort to ensure it has full and timely access to price and availability data for defense articles and defense services. Directs the President, upon the request of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, to use Department of Defense (DOD) funds for the assignment of additional technical staff to the American Institute in Taiwan. Directs the President to report annually to Congress with respect to Taiwan's defense needs. Directs the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan for the enhancement of programs for operational training and exchanges of personnel between U.S. armed forces and Taiwanese armed forces for work in threat analysis, doctrine, force planning, operational methods, and other areas. Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish secure direct communications between the U.S. Pacific military command and the Taiwan military command. Authorizes the President, subject to the Arms Export Control Act, to make available for sale to Taiwan, at reasonable cost, theater missile defense equipment and related items, satellite early warning data, modern air-defense equipment, and naval defense systems.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1999
Living Organ Donation Incentives Act of 1999 - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 and Federal civil service law to allow unpaid leave for living organ donations for civilian and Federal employees. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants or contracts to States, transplant centers, qualified organ procurement organizations, or other public and private entities to provide for payment of travel and related organ donation expenses. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary to increase by 2.9 percent each composite rate payment for Medical renal dialysis services. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1999
Unemployment Compensation Amendments of 1999 - Amends the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 to: (1) repeal certain State law requirements under the extended unemployment compensation benefit program; (2) establish certain mandatory triggers based on total unemployment; (3) revise requirements for supplemental benefits during high unemployment periods; and (4) modify provisions for alternative triggers that States may establish. Amends title IX (Employment Security Administrative Financing) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to modify the ceiling on the Federal Unemployment Account. Provides for special distributions of funds to the States under SSA title IX. Directs the Secretary of Labor to reserve specified amounts for grants to States to assist in implementing alternative base periods for determining the eligibility of claimants for unemployment compensation. Requires States to achieve or make substantial progress toward achieving certain solvency targets for their unemployment compensation accounts. Directs the Secretary to transfer to other States' accounts the amount that would otherwise be transferred to the account of a State that violates such requirement under SSA title IX. Revises SSA title IX requirements for distribution to States of certain excess amounts in the Employment Security Administration Account as of the close of FY 2002. Amends the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act to extend the self-employment assistance program. Amends the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) under the Internal Revenue Code to set forth requirements for treatment of short-time compensation programs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1999
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering Establishment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for the establishment of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering. Requires the Director of the Institute to establish a National Biomedical Imaging and Engineering Program which shall include research and related technology assessments and development in biomedical imaging and engineering. Requires the Director, with respect to such Program, to prepare and transmit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) a plan to initiate, expand, intensify, and coordinate Institute biomedical imaging and engineering activities. Requires: (1) the consolidation and coordination of Institute biomedical imaging and engineering research and related activities with those of the NIH and other Federal agencies; and (2) the establishment of an Institute advisory council. Authorizes: (1) appropriations for the Institute for FY 2000 through 2002; and (2) the transfer of appropriate NIH personnel and research facilities for Institute activities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1999
Emergency Ambulance Services Access Assurance Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require a group health plan, or coverage offered in connection with a health insurance issuer, if it provides emergency services coverage, to cover emergency services (and, if it provides coverage for emergency ambulance services, to cover emergency ambulance services): (1) without a prior authorization requirement; (2) whether or not the provider is a participating provider; (3) in a manner so that, if the services are provided by a nonparticipating provider without prior authorization, the participant, beneficiary, or enrollee is not liable for amounts exceeding the amount that would be incurred with a participating provider with authorization; and (4) without regard to most other conditions of coverage. Defines "emergency medical condition" by a prudent layperson standard. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to apply the same requirements and standard to a group health plan. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply the same requirements to an issuer in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1999
Medicare Rehabilitation Benefit Equity Act of 1999 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) exempt certain beneficiaries from the financial limitations on physical, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy services under Medicare part B; and (2) establish a system of variable durational limitations for such beneficiaries based on their classification according to diagnostic category and severity of diagnosis.
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
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 · 4 May 1999
Public School Modernization Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide: (1) a limited credit for qualified public school modernization bonds; (2) for qualified school construction bonds and qualified zone academy bonds and establish limits and allocation formulas for such bonds; and (3) corporations, a limited specialized training center credit. Amends the General Education Provisions Act to provide for the application of certain labor standards to projects financed under this Act. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish provisions concerning employment and training activities related to the construction or reconstruction of public school facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Children's Environmental Protection Subtitle A: Disclosure of Industrial Releases That Present a Significant Risk to Children Subtitle B: Disclosure of High Health Risk Chemicals in Children's Consumer Products Title II: Public Right to Know About Toxic Chemical Use Children's Environmental Protection and Right to Know Act of 1999 - Title I: Children's Environmental Protection - Subtitle A: Disclosure of Industrial Releases That Present a Significant Risk to Children - Amends the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish thresholds for toxic chemicals which may present significant risks to children's health or the environment. Includes lead, mercury, dioxin, cadmium, chromium, and other specified bioaccumulative chemicals as substances subject to such thresholds. Makes dioxin and specified bioaccumulative chemicals subject to toxic chemical release form reporting requirements under such Act. Authorizes citizen suits against the Administrator for failures to establish thresholds under this Act. Subtitle B: Disclosure of High Health Risk Chemicals in Children's Consumer Products - Amends the Federal Hazardous Substances Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the National Toxicology Program, to publish a list of substances which are toxic due to carcinogenic, neurotoxic, or reproductive toxic effects. Directs the Secretary to identify those substances to which infants and young children are exposed. Requires manufacturers or importers of eligible products (defined as toys or other articles intended for use by children) which contain such substances to report specified information to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, including information supporting that a substance is not a misbranded or banned hazardous substance. Authorizes exemptions from such reporting requirements if a substance would not cause substantial personal injury or illness as a result of foreseeable handling, including ingestion by children. Permits citizen suits with respect to certain violations under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act and against the Commission for failure to perform duties under this Act. Title II: Public Right to Know About Toxic Chemical Use - Expands information to be included in toxic chemical release forms, including the number of employees and occupational exposures at reporting facilities as well as materials accounting information. Requires the Administrator to take certain actions to: (1) standardize data and obtain and integrate information regarding toxic chemicals; (2) consolidate all annual reporting requirements of Federal environmental laws for small businesses and entities subject to toxic chemical release reporting; and (3) provide the public with one point of contact for access to information gathered by EPA. Requires disclosures on the uses of toxic chemicals by reporting facilities. Permits the withholding of portions of materials accounting information reported by covered facilities for purposes of protecting trade secrets.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Human Rights Information Act - Requires certain Federal agencies to identify and organize all human rights records regarding activities occurring in Guatemala and Honduras after 1944 for declassification and disclosure purposes, and to make them available to the public. Instructs the President to report to Congress regarding agency compliance. Prescribes guidelines under which the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel shall review agency determinations to postpone public disclosure of any human rights record. Authorizes postponement of such public disclosures on specified grounds. Requires any U.S. agency, upon request by an entity created by the United Nations, the Organization of American States (or similar entity), a national truth commission (or similar entity), or from the principal justice or human rights official of a country that is investigating a pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, to review, declassify, and publicly disclose any human pertinent rights records. Directs the Information Security Policy Advisory Council to report to Congress on declassification of human rights records relating to other countries and to make such report available to the public. Creates two additional positions in the Panel in order to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Cuban Food and Medicine Security Act of 1999 - Exempts from the embargo on trade with Cuba the export of food and other agricultural products (including fertilizer), medicines, medical supplies, instruments, or equipment, or any travel incident to the delivery of such items. Declares that such exemption shall not apply to certain restrictions imposed under the Export Administration Act of 1979 or the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report to specified congressional committees on existing U.S. agricultural export promotion and credit programs to determine how such programs can be carried out to promote the consumption of U.S. agricultural commodities in Cuba. Directs the President to report to Congress on: (1) the extent (expressed in volume and dollar amounts) of sales to Cuba of food and other agricultural products (including fertilizer), medicines, medical supplies, instruments, and equipment; (2) the types and end users of such items; and (3) whether there has been any indication that any medicines, medical supplies, instruments, or equipment exported to Cuba since enactment of this Act have been used for torture or other human rights abuses, were reexported, or were used in the production of any bio-technological product.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Dog and Cat Protection Act of 1999 - Prohibits: (1) the importation of dog or cat fur into the United States; and (2) any person in the United States from introducing into commerce, manufacturing, selling or offering to sell, trading, advertising, or transporting or distributing in commerce, any dog or cat fur product. Subjects a person to both civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Made in USA Label Defense Act of 1999 - Amends Federal law to prohibit the affixation of the "Made in the USA" label to a product of the Northern Mariana Islands. Prohibits such products from being imported into the United States free of duty or quotas.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
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
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
Former Insurance Agents Tax Equity Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Social Security Act with respect to the exemption from the self-employment tax for certain termination payments received by former insurance salesmen. Repeals the requirement that the amount of such a payment not depend to any extent on length of service or overall earnings from services performed for the former insurance company.
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
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 · 22 April 1999
Independent Contractor Clarification Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to employment taxes, to replace the current 20 point test for determining an independent contractor (for whom an employer need not pay or withhold the appropriate employment taxes) with a three-point test, including: (1) the employer's lack of control of the manner in which the individual service provider completes his or her assigned tasks; (2) the individual service provider is not precluded by the employer from soliciting and undertaking other business opportunities involving substantially similar services for others; and (3) the individual service provider encounters entrepreneurial risk, including the ability to generate a profit or bear the risk of financial loss. Sets forth restrictions on retroactive employment tax reclassifications, including safe harbor requirements. Provides that the statute of limitations on assessment of employment taxes shall run beginning on the date certain information returns (specifying payments to an individual for services performed where the payments are not taken into account in determining such taxes) are filed.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1999
Requires each Member and employing authority of the House of Representatives to comply with the Office Waste Recycling Program of the Office of the Architect of the Capitol (AOC). Directs the AOC to: (1) ensure that all House employees with custodial duties are adequately trained in Program implementation; and (2) require any House contractor carrying out the Program to ensure that all personnel are trained in Program implementation; and (3) report semiannually to the Committee on House Oversight on Program compliance.
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
Medicare Nursing and Paramedical Education Act of 1999 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exclude nursing and paramedical education costs from the calculation of payment adjustments to the annual area-specific Medicare+Choice capitation rate for each Medicare+Choice payment area. Provides that, in determining the payment of reasonable costs for approved nursing and paramedical education programs to a hospital for portions of cost reporting periods occurring on or after January 1, 2000, individuals who are enrolled with a Medicare+Choice organization shall be treated as if they were not so enrolled.
United States · United States Congress · 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
Personal Information Privacy Act of 1999 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to redefine the term "consumer report" to exclude identifying information listed in a local telephone directory (thereby ensuring that the personal identification information in the credit headers accompanying credit reports of unlisted individuals remains confidential). (Sec. 3) Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to prohibit the commercial acquisition or distribution of an individual's social security number (or any derivative of it), as well as its use as a personal identification number, without the individual's written consent. Provides for: (1) civil money penalties and civil action in U.S. District Court by an aggrieved individual; and (2) coordination with criminal enforcement of identification document fraud. (Sec.4) Amends the Federal criminal code to require State motor vehicle department uses of social security numbers to be consistent with uses authorized by the Social Security Act, the Privacy Act, and by any other appropriate statutes. Prohibits marketing company use of social security numbers. (Sec. 5) Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit, with an exception for specified law enforcement requests, State motor vehicle department release or disclosure of an individual's photograph without the individual's written consent. (Sec. 6) Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a consumer reporting agency from providing a report in connection with a credit or insurance transaction not initiated by the consumer without the consumer's written consent. Requires full consumer disclosure before such consent shall be effective. (Sec. 7) Prohibits, with specified exceptions, a person doing business with a consumer from selling or transferring for marketing purposes any transaction or experience information (as defined by this Act) without the consumer's written consent.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1999
Stamp Out Diabetes Act of 1999 - Amends Federal law to require the Postal Service to establish a special rate of postage for first class mail that is up to 25 percent higher than the regular rate as a voluntary alternative that the public may use to contribute to funding for diabetes research. Requires collected amounts to be paid to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Expresses the sense of the Congress that nothing in this Act should: (1) cause a net decrease in total funds received by NIH below the level that would have otherwise been received but for this Act's enactment; or (2) affect first-class or other regular postage rates. Requires special postage stamps to be made available to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1999
National Forest Protection and Restoration Act of 1999 - Prohibits commercial logging and timber sales (with specified exceptions) on Federal public lands, with a two-year phase-out for existing contracts. Provides for payment of relinquished contracts. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to each establish a National Heritage Restoration Corps to restore such lands to their natural pre-logging condition. Provides for worker retraining of eligible persons whose jobs have been lost due to terminated timber and logging contracts. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to make training grants, including grants for job search and relocation. Sets forth fund allocation provisions, including amounts for an Environmental Protection Agency investigation of non-wood paper and construction alternatives.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1999
Extends the tax benefits available under the Internal Revenue Code for services performed in a combat zone to members of the Armed Forces of the United States for services performed in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia-Montenegro), Albania, the Adriatic Sea, and the northern Ionian Sea.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1999
Amends the Clean Air Act to require certain regulations regarding motor vehicle fuels to prohibit the use of methyl tertiary butyl ether as a fuel additive.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Internet Access Charge Prohibition Act of 1999 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from imposing on any interactive computer service or other information service provider any access charge for the support of universal service that is based on a measure of the time that telecommunications services are used in the provision of such interactive computer or information service.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Justice for Atomic Veterans Act of 1999 - Includes in the list of diseases presumed to be service-connected, in the case of radiation-exposed veterans, and therefore compensable for purposes of veterans' disability compensation and medical care, the following: lung, bone, skin, colon, ovarian, and rectal cancer, posterior subcapsular cataracts, non-malignant thyroid nodular disease, parathyroid adenoma, and tumors of the brain and central nervous system.
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
Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act to eliminate the mandate, under provisions for statutorily prescribed procedures to improve the effectiveness of child support enforcement, that States require the provision of social security numbers on applications for recreational licenses.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Fuel Tax Equalization Credit for Substantial Power Takeoff Vehicles Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a $250 gasoline and special fuels credit for each qualified commercial power takeoff vehicle (certain highway vehicles designed to deliver ready mixed concrete or collect refuse or recyclables) owned by a taxpayer at the end of the year. Stipulates that such credit shall not be available for a vehicle used during the year by a governmental entity or a tax-exempt organization.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Public Benefit Collaborative Research Tax Credit Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax credit for increasing research activities to 20 percent of expenses attributable during the taxable year (including as contributions) to a qualified collaborative research consortium. Defines such a consortium as a tax-exempt, non-private organization operated primarily to conduct scientific research, contributions to which during the taxable year by at least 15 unrelated persons meet specified limits. Repeals the contract research expense limitation applicable to such consortia.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kleczka, Gerald D. [D-WI-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000259_200.jpg)