United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Federal Firefighters Retirement Age Fairness Act - Amends Federal civil service law relating to the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees' Retirement System to provide that the mandatory separation age for Federal firefighters (currently, 55) be made the same as the age that applies with respect to Federal law enforcement officers (currently, 57).
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
National Science Education Act - Amends the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (NSFA) to establish and expand programs relating to science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education. Establishes in NSF a working group to review and coordinate regular and supplemental curricula in kindergarten through the 12th grade for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. Requires the NSF Director to: (1) make grants to State or local educational agencies (SEAs or LEAs) or private elementary or middle schools to hire master teachers to provide support for teachers of mathematics, science, engineering, or technology programs, and in-classroom assistance and oversight of hands-on inquiry materials, equipment, and supplies; (2) subject to appropriations, make demonstration project grants to eligible LEAs; (3) with the Secretary of Education, compile and disseminate information on standard prerequisites for middle school and high school students who seek to enter a course of study at an institution of higher education in science, mathematics, engineering, or technology education to teach in an elementary or secondary school, and State licensing requirements for such teachers; (4) make an agreement for National Academy of Sciences compilation and evaluation of studies on the effectiveness of technology in the classroom on learning and student performance; (5) establish a program under which grants may be made for instruction of teachers for grades kindergarten through the 12th grade in the use of technology in the classroom; (6) convene a National Science Education Forum; and (7) make available through the Internet a complete field-test version of any curricular program developed with NSF funds. Authorizes the Director to award grants to: (1) secondary school and college students working with university faculty, software developers, and experts in educational technology, or to such faculty, developers, and experts working with such students, to develop high-quality educational software and Internet web sites, with priority given to mathematics, science, engineering, and technology software and sites; (2) States for assisting middle school teacher training in technology, to help reach the goal of making all middle school graduates technology-literate; and (3) SEAs or LEAs or private elementary, middle, or secondary schools, under any NSF education and human resources grant program, for distance learning integration into the education process in kindergarten through the 12th grade. Directs the President, acting through the NSF, to provide scholarships to teachers at public and private schools in kindergarten through the 12th grade to participate in Federal, State, or private research programs. Requires the Director to establish an Internet web site for use by students and teachers participating in such program.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Military Retirement Equity Act of 2001 - Permits retired members of the armed forces to be paid retirement pay concurrently with compensation for any service-connected disability, with an exception for members retired with less than 20 years of creditable service. Reduces the retirement pay of individuals receiving both types of pay by a specified percentage of the disability compensation which decreases as the disability rating increases. Prohibits any reduction in the retirement pay of a disabled person when the disability rating is total. Provides retired pay amounts for members who retired with 20 years or more of service due to a physical disability.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Amendments of 2001 - 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 · 3 January 2001
Retirement Account Portability Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit rollovers from State and tax-exempt instrumentalities and from and to public school retirement plans. (Sec. 3) Permits individual retirement plan (IRA) rollovers only if the entire amount is deposited into another defined contribution retirement plan and certain other conditions are met. (Sec. 4) Provides for faster vesting of employer matching contributions. (Sec. 5) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to extend single employer missing participant provisions to multiemployer plans. Authorizes transfer of a missing participant's benefits to a corporation upon termination of certain pension plans. (Sec. 6) Removes certain restrictions on the rollover of after-tax contributions. Provides a hardship exception to the 60-day transfer requirement. (Sec. 7) Permits distributions upon severance from employment (currently upon separation from employment). (Sec. 8) Authorizes employers to disregard rollovers for purposes of employee cash-out amounts under the Code and ERISA. (Sec. 9) Authorizes trustee-to-trustee transfers to purchase permissive service credit with respect to Federal or public school and State and tax-exempt instrumentality pension plans.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
National Science Education Enhancement Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), with respect to teacher professional development activities, to include support for mentoring activities for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology teachers. Includes information on model science, mathematics, engineering, and technology teacher mentoring programs among the information which the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education (Clearinghouse) is required to disseminate. Includes such mentoring programs under teacher professional development program requirements for State plans, accountability reports, and local activities. Revises ESEA provisions for the allocation and use of funds for the Clearinghouse. Requires such funds to be used to: (1) solicit and gather qualitative and evaluative materials and programs, review their evaluation, rank their effectiveness, and distribute results of reviews, as well as excerpts of materials and links to Internet sites and information on-line communities of users to teachers; and (2) establish an Internet site offering a search mechanism to assist site visitors in identifying information on science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education instructional materials and programs, including electronic links to information on classroom demonstrations and experiments, teachers who have used materials or participated in programs, vendors, curricula, and textbooks. Directs the Clearinghouse to give particular attention to the effective use of materials and technology in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education. Directs the National Academy of Sciences to study and report on the Clearinghouse. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants for summer professional development institutes for teachers. Includes providing technology training software and instructional materials to teachers among local uses of ESEA school technology resource grants. Requires a portion of each ESEA 21st Century Community Learning Centers program grant to be used to provide after-school day care services that focus on science activities. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to treat technology training, tutoring teachers in the uses of classroom technology, as community service by college students under the work-study program. Increases funding for such program and reserves the amount of such increase to compensate students employed in technology training or tutoring teachers in the uses of classroom technology. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to study and report to Congress on specified aspects of a comprehensive approach to providing technologically competent teachers for U.S. schools.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Open Competition and Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to prohibit discrimination against any bidder on a prime contract for a federally funded project on the basis of a requirement that such person enter into or adhere to a collective bargaining agreement or any similar agreement as a condition of performing work on such contract.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Enumerated Powers Act - Requires each Act of Congress to contain a concise and definite statement of the constitutional authority relied upon for the enactment of each portion of that Act. Declares that failure to comply with this requirement shall give rise to a point of order in either House of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations to the Department of Labor through FY 2006 for: (1) trade adjustment assistance to displaced workers and for firms; and (2) the North American Free Trade Agreement Transitional Adjustment Assistance Program. Provides that a certification of eligibility to apply for trade adjustment assistance shall not cover a worker whose last total or partial separation from a firm occurred more than two years (currently, one year) before the date of a petition on which such certification was granted (effectively extending the time for filing the petition for worker assistance).
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Surviving Spouse Fairness Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a $500,000 exclusion of gain on certain sales of a principal residence by a surviving spouse.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude, subject to a $3,000 maximum exclusion (double for a joint return), from gross income a capital gain dividend which is: (1) distributed by a regulated investment company; and (2) automatically reinvested by the company in the stock of such company with respect to which the dividend is distributed.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Firearms Heritage Protection Act of 2001 - Prohibits civil actions from being brought against a manufacturer or seller of a firearm or ammunition, or a component thereof, that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce (a firearm), or a trade association of such manufacturers or sellers, for damages resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm. Requires dismissal of any such action that is pending on the date of this Act's enactment. Specifies exceptions with respect to actions against persons who transfer a firearm knowing that it will be used to commit a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime, or actions brought against a seller for negligent entrustment or negligence per se.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
National Science Education Incentive Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) permit an eligible science, engineering, math, or technology teacher a limited credit for undergraduate tuition; and (2) permit an elementary and secondary science, mathematics, engineering, and technology credit (SMET) credit for qualified contributions of property or service to qualified elementary and secondary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
IRA Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the annual limitation on deductible individual retirement account contributions to $5000.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2000
Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for FY 2001 for the Treasury Department, the U.S. Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President, and certain independent agencies. Title I: Department of the Treasury - Treasury Department Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for the Department of the Treasury for: (1) departmental offices; (2) department-wide systems and capital investments programs for development and acquisition of automatic data processing equipment, software, and services; (3) the Office of Inspector General; (4) the Inspector General for Tax Administration; (5) repair and restoration of the Treasury building and annex; (6) programs to expand access to financial services for low- and moderate-income individuals; (7) the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network; (8) counterterrorism activities; (9) the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, including amounts for maintenance and facility improvements; (10) interagency crime and drug enforcement; (11) the Financial Management Service; (12) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; (13) the U.S. Customs Service, including amounts for operations and maintenance of marine vessels and aircraft, collection of the Harbor Maintenance Fee, and automation modernization; (14) the Bureau of the Public Debt; (15) the Internal Revenue Service, including amounts for tax law enforcement, earned income tax credit compliance and error reduction initiatives, and information systems and telecommunications support; and (16) the Secret Service, including an amount for construction and improvement of facilities. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. (Sec. 120) Amends Federal law to extend the Treasury Franchise Fund until October 1, 2002. Title II: Postal Service - Postal Service Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for payments to the Postal Service Fund for revenue foregone on free and reduced rate mail. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. Title III: Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President - Executive Office Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for: (1) compensation of the President and the White House office; (2) operating, maintenance, and reimbursable expenses of the Executive Residence at the White House; (3) White House repair and restoration; (4) special assistance to the President and the official residence of the Vice President; (5) the Council of Economic Advisers; (6) the Office of Policy Development; (7) the National Security Council; (8) the Office of Administration; (9) the Office of Management and Budget (OMB); (10) the Office of National Drug Control Policy; (11) the Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center; and (12) Federal drug control programs, including amounts for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program and for a national anti-drug campaign for youth. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. Title IV: Independent Agencies - Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for the: (1) Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled; (2) Federal Election Commission; (3) Federal Labor Relations Authority; (4) General Services Administration (GSA), including amounts for the Federal Buildings Fund, Government-wide policy and operations, Office of Inspector General, and allowances and office staff for former Presidents; and (5) carrying out the Presidential Transition Act of 1963. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. (Sec. 408) Amends the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2000 to extend to April 30, 2002, the date through which the GSA Administrator is authorized to offer voluntary separation incentives to specified employees to provide for the closing of the Federal Supply Service distribution centers, forward supply points, and associated programs. (Sec. 409) Designates the Federal building and courthouse located at 102 North 4th Street in Grand Forks, North Dakota, as the Ronald N. Davies Federal Building and United States Courthouse. (Sec. 411) Designates the U.S. bankruptcy courthouse at 1100 Laurel Street in Columbia, South Carolina, as the J. Bratton Davis United States Bankruptcy Courthouse. (Sec. 412) Designates the U.S. Courthouse Annex located at 901 19th Street in Denver, Colorado, as the Alfred A. Arraj United States Courthouse Annex. (Sec. 413) Designates the dormitory building currently being constructed on the Core Campus of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia, as the Paul Coverdell Dormitory. Makes appropriations for: (1) the Merit Systems Protection Board; (2) the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation; (3) the Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund to carry out activities authorized in the Environmental Policy and Conflict Resolution Act of 1998; (4) the National Archives and Records Administration, including amounts for repairs and restoration of archives; (5) the National Historical Publications and Records Commission; (6) the Office of Government Ethics; (7) the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), including an amount for the Office of Inspector General; (8) Government contributions for health and life insurance benefits for annuitants; (9) the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund; (8) the Office of Special Counsel; and (9) the U.S. Tax Court. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. Title V: General Provisions - Sets forth authorized and prohibited uses of funds made available under this Act. (Sec. 506) Sets forth Buy American provisions. (Sec. 509) Prohibits funds appropriated by this Act from being available for an abortion or the administrative expenses of any Federal employee health plan which provides benefits for abortions. Makes such prohibition inapplicable if the mother's life would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term or in cases of rape or incest. (Sec. 514) Directs the Archivist of the United States to transfer certain Federal land located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to the Gerald R. Ford Foundation in trust for the purpose of supporting the facilities and programs of the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids and the Gerald R. Ford Library in Ann Arbor. (Sec. 515) Requires the Director of OMB to issue guidelines under the Paperwork Reduction Act that provide policy and procedural guidance to Federal agencies for ensuring and maximizing the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information disseminated by agencies in fulfillment of such Act. (Sec. 517) Prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to propose or issue rules or orders for implementing the Kyoto Protocol. (Sec. 518) Requires the Director of OMB to submit a report to specified congressional committees that: (1) evaluates, for each agency, the extent to which Federal accounting and collection provisions, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, have reduced burdens imposed by rules issued by the agency; and (2) includes a determination of the need for additional procedures to ensure achievement of such provisions' purposes, evaluates the burden imposed by each major rule that imposes more than 10 million hours of burden, and identifies specific reductions expected to be achieved in FY 2001 and 2002 in the burden imposed by all rules issued by each agency that issued such a major rule. Title VI: General Provisions - Sets forth authorized and prohibited uses of funds appropriated for Federal departments, agencies, and corporations. (Sec. 619) Bars the use of funds made available for the Customs Service in this Act to allow the importation of any good produced or manufactured by forced or indentured child labor. (Sec. 624) Requires the OMB Director to report to Congress: (1) estimates of annual costs and benefits of Federal rules and paperwork; (2) impacts of Federal regulation on State, local, and tribal government, small business, wages, and economic growth; and (3) recommendations for reform. Requires the Director to issue guidelines to agencies to standardize measures of costs and benefits and the format of accounting statements. (Sec. 630) Bars the use of funds appropriated by this Act to enter into or renew a contract which includes a provision providing prescription drug coverage, except where the contract also includes a provision for contraceptive coverage. Makes exceptions to such prohibition for religious health plans. (Sec. 633) Authorizes the use of appropriated funds by executive agencies to provide child care services for Federal civilian employees. (Sec. 634) Authorizes a woman to breastfeed her child on Federal property if the woman and child are otherwise authorized to be present at the location. (Sec. 636) Authorizes qualified Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) police officers, upon written election, to be treated as law enforcement officers for purposes of Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) provisions and to have prior service similarly treated. Defines a "qualified MWAA police officer" as any individual who is currently so employed and is subject to CSRS or FERS by virtue of Federal transportation provisions governing certain Federal employees who transferred to the MWAA. Describes prior service as service as an MWAA or Federal Aviation Administration police officer prior to the effective date of such election. (Sec. 637) Authorizes the President's pay agent, for purposes of determining appropriate pay localities and making comparability payment recommendations, to make comparisons of General Schedule (GS) and non-Federal pay within metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) within the continental United States that have a high level of nonfarm employment and at least 2,500 GS employees using data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) surveys and salary data sets from any entity that regularly compiles similar data for businesses in the private sector. Permits the pay agent to make further determinations or recommendations based on such comparisons for purposes of payments becoming payable between January 1, 2002, and 2007, respectively. Requires the pay agent, based on such comparisons, to determine whether any of the five MSAs with the highest levels of nonfarm employment that have not been previously surveyed by the BLS as discrete pay localities for purposes of provisions governing locality-based comparability payments for Federal employees warrants designation as a discrete pay locality and if so, make recommendations as to the level of payments appropriate during 2002. Requires any MSA that warrants such designation to be designated as a discrete pay locality in time for 2002 comparability payments. Directs the pay agent to report to specified congressional committees on the ongoing efforts of OPM, OMB, and the BLS to revise the methodology currently used by the BLS in performing surveys related to comparability payments. (Sec. 639) Amends Federal civil service provisions to require the removal from employment of Federal law enforcement officers convicted of felonies. (Sec. 643) Amends the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1988 to require all existing and newly hired workers in any child care center located in an executive facility to undergo a criminal history background check. Defines an "executive facility" as a facility owned or leased by an office or entity within the executive branch (including one owned or leased by the GSA on behalf of an office or entity within the judicial branch). (Sec. 645) Amends Federal civil service provisions to set forth provisions regarding pay for certain administrative appeals judges. (Sec. 646) Requires the Inspector General of each agency to report to Congress any agency activity related to: (1) the collection or review of singular data, or the creation of aggregate lists that include personally identifiable information about individuals who access any Internet site of the agency; and (2) entering into agreements with third parties to collect, review, or obtain such lists or data relating to any individual's access or viewing habits for governmental and nongovernmental Internet sites.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2000
Armed Services Vote Rescue Act - Prohibits a State from refusing to count a ballot submitted in a Federal election by an absent uniformed services voter on the grounds that the ballot was improperly or fraudulently cast, unless the State finds clear and convincing evidence of fraud in the preparation or casting of the ballot by the voter.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2000
Arizona Water Settlements Act of 2000 - Title I: Central Arizona Project Adjustment Act of 2000 - Central Arizona Project Adjustment Act of 2000 - Sets forth requirements for the reallocation of Central Arizona Project (CAP) non-Indian agricultural and uncontracted municipal and industrial priority water. Provides for the remaining CAP water to be allocated to Arizona Indian tribes or to the Secretary of the Interior for use in future Indian water rights settlements. Ratifies and confirms the Escrow Agreement for the Acquisition and Allocation of Central Arizona Water. Title II: Gila River Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act of 2000 - Gila River Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act of 2000 - Approves the Gila River Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Agreement. Describes reallocated water rights. Sets forth requirements regarding after-acquired trust lands. Title III: Southern Arizona Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2000 - Amends the Southern Arizona Water Rights Settlement Act of 1982 to set forth the Southern Arizona Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2000. Sets forth water delivery requirements and construction obligations with respect to the San Xavier Indian Reservation and the Schuk Toak District as well as permissible water uses. Approves the Settlement Agreement with respect to claims under United States v. Tucson, Adams v. United States, and Alvarez v. Tucson. Title IV: San Carlos Apache Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2000 - San Carlos Apache Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2000 (stet) Title V: Enforcement and Effective Date - Makes certain authorizations of appropriations under this Act effective pursuant to a statement of findings by the Secretary regarding actions related to this Act. Voids this Act if such statement is not made by December 31, 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2000
Requires the Secretary of Defense to revise Department of Defense policy regarding the euthanization of military working dogs to: (1) terminate the practice of euthanizing such dogs at the end of their useful life; and (2) limit such euthanization to when medically necessary or necessary for the public safety. Requires the Secretary to make such a dog available for adoption by law enforcement agencies, former handlers, and other persons capable of humanely caring for such dogs. Requires the commander of the last unit to which the dog is assigned to make the decision whether a particular dog is suitable or unsuitable for adoption. Directs the Secretary to require that any dog recipient hold harmless the United States from any damages or injury caused by a dog after such transfer. Requires an annual report from the Secretary to Congress concerning dogs adopted, waiting for adoption, or euthanized during the preceding year (with an explanation in the case of euthanization).
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2000
Medicare+Choice Rescue Act of 2000 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), with respect to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations, to: (1) increase the national per capita Medicare+Choice growth percentage in 2001 and 2002; (2) eliminate the reduction in Medicare+Choice payment rates by budget neutrality adjustments; (3) establish a payment floor for Medicare+Choice plans, as well as an additional floor for an annual increase in Medicare+Choice capitation rates; and (4) apply a budget neutrality principle to the new Medicare+Choice risk adjustment methodology. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to correct for misestimates in the national per capita Medicare+Choice growth rate by providing for an increase by 3.6 percent in the amount of payment otherwise applicable to Medicare+Choice organizations offering Medicare+Choice plans in 2001. Limits retroactive adjustments. Amends Medicare part C to provide for: (1) continuous open enrollment and disenrollment under Medicare+Choice and Medicare supplemental policy (Medigap) provisions on coverage election periods; and (2) variations in premiums and benefits under Medicare+Choice within counties. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide that risk-adjustment methodology under Medicare+Choice, insofar as it makes adjustments to capitation rates for health status, shall not only apply to ten percent of 1/12 of the annual Medicare+Choice capitation rate in the case of an eligible individual who is institutionalized until the first year in which the Secretary implements a modification of such methodology based on health status so that such methodology includes medical diagnostic factors from all provider settings (including hospital and nursing facility settings).
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2000
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education Act - Authorizes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc., to construct a temporary education center for educating people about the Memorial. Requires the center to remain for ten years, after which Congress may reevaluate the continuing need for the center. Requires the Fund, in designing the center, to consult with the Commission on Fine Arts.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2000
Benign Brain Tumor Cancer Registries Amendment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to add the collection of data on benign brain-related tumors to provisions authorizing grants to States for the operation of statewide registries (currently, statewide cancer registries).
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2000
Mandatory IDEA Full Funding Act of 2000 - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to require specified minimum levels of Federal grant payments to States for assistance for education of all children with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2000
Recognizes the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. Acknowledges the contributions of children with disabilities, their parents, teachers, related services personnel, and administrators. Reaffirms support for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act so that all children with disabilities have access to a free public education.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000
Medicare Beneficiary Prescription Drug Assistance and Stop-Loss Protection Act of 2000 - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new title XXII (Outpatient Prescription Drug Assistance Program) to provide funds to enable States to establish a program of assistance (separate from Medicaid under SSA title XIX) to low-income Medicare (SSA title XVIII) beneficiaries and, at State option, Medicare beneficiaries with high drug costs to obtain coverage for outpatient prescription drugs. Makes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for a Medicare outpatient prescription drug benefit program that provides medication therapy management benefits. Allows low-income Medicare beneficiaries and Medicare beneficiaries with high drug costs to elect to suspend Medicare supplemental (Medigap) insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000
Provides that the certification of cooperation of Mexico with U.S. counterdrug efforts shall not be required in FY 2001 in order that certain limitations on bilateral and multilateral development assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 shall not apply to Mexico in FY 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Medicare Fairness in Reimbursement Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations concerning the calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promptly conduct a new survey of levels of wages and wage-related costs for different occupational categories of hospital employees and to use the survey data in computing a certain hospital wage index for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2001. Provides that, in applying any wage-related geographic area adjustment to a portion of a payment amount or rate under Medicare, the portion to which the adjustment is applied shall be 75 percent of the portion otherwise computed, and 25 percent of such portion shall not be subject to any such geographic area adjustment. Applies such provision to geographic adjustments made under specified Medicare provisions, including those with regard to home health and clinical laboratory services. Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII to permanently remove application of the budget neutrality factor under the Medicare+Choice program beginning in 2002. Allows a Medicare+Choice organization to elect to apply an area-specific percentage of 50 percent and a national percentage of 50 percent for 2002 rather than the rate currently applicable for that year in determining the blended capitation rate used in determining the calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates. Amends SSA title XVIII to require the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to review the extent to which the adjustments made in payment rates on a geographical basis for variations in costs accurately reflect the actual costs of items and services in low reimbursement areas and the impact of such adjustments on the health infrastructure in such areas.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Medicare Community Nursing Organization Demonstration Project Revision and Extension Act of 2000 - Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 with respect to the extension of Medicare community nursing organization demonstration projects. Repeals the requirement for a reduction in payments for such projects in the extension period so that total Federal expenditures do not exceed what they would have been had the projects not been extended. Adds specified terms and conditions for the conduct of any such demonstration project for the period of October 2000 through December 2001, with specified reduced basic capitation rates for certain project services. Declares that a targeted case management fee shall be paid only for enrollees classified as moderate or at risk through a baseline health assessment. Requires greater uniformity in clinical features among project sites. Requires enrollee satisfaction surveys and reporting on specified quality indicators for the enrolled population. Makes this Act effective as if its amendments were included in the enactment of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
National Advisory Commission on Tax Reform and Simplification Act of 2000 - Establishes within the legislative branch a National Advisory Commission on Tax Reform and Simplification which shall review and, when applicable, issue proposals on: (1) the present structure and provisions of the Internal Revenue Code; (2) whether tax systems imposed under the laws of other countries could provide more efficient, simple, and fair methods of funding the revenue requirements of the Government; (3) whether the income tax should be replaced with a tax imposed in a different manner or on a different base; and (4) whether the Internal Revenue Code can be simplified, absent wholesale restructuring or replacement. Authorizes appropriations for the Commission. Terminates the Commission after the submission of a report.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Straight Talk on Social Security Act - Amends the Social Security Act to require social security account statements to contain: (1) a comparison of the annual social security tax inflows to the amount paid in benefits annually and a statement of whether the ratio will result in a cash flow deficit and what year such deficit will commence as well as the first year in which funds in the Federal Old-Age and Survivors and Disability Insurance Trust Funds will cease to be sufficient to cover the deficit and the percentage of benefits due at that time that could be paid from annual tax inflows; and (2) an explanation of the average rate of return that a taxpayer can expect to receive on old-age insurance benefits as compared to the total amount of social security taxes a taxpayer expects to pay.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2000
Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for FY 2001 for the Treasury Department, the U.S. Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President, and certain independent agencies. Title I: Department of the Treasury - Treasury Department Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for the Department of the Treasury for: (1) departmental offices; (2) department-wide systems and capital investments programs for development and acquisition of automatic data processing equipment, software, and services; (3) the Office of Inspector General; (4) the Inspector General for Tax Administration; (5) repair and restoration of the Treasury building and annex; (6) programs to expand access to financial services for low- and moderate-income individuals; (7) the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network; (8) reimbursement of Treasury Department organizations for costs of providing support to counter, investigate, or prosecute terrorism; (9) the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, including an amount for maintenance and facility improvements; (10) interagency crime and drug enforcement; (11) the Financial Management Service; (12) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; (13) the U.S. Customs Service, including amounts for collection of the Harbor Maintenance Fee, operation and maintenance of marine vessels and aircraft, and automation modernization; (14) the Bureau of the Public Debt; (15) the Internal Revenue Service, including amounts for tax law enforcement, earned income tax credit compliance and error reduction initiatives, and information systems and telecommunications support; and (15) the Secret Service, including an amount for construction and improvement of facilities. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. (Sec. 120) Amends Federal law to extend the Treasury Franchise Fund until October 1, 2002. Title II: Postal Service - Postal Service Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for payment to the Postal Service Fund for revenue foregone on free and reduced rate mail. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. Title III: Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President - Executive Office Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for: (1) compensation of the President and the White House office; (2) operating, maintenance, and reimbursable expenses of the Executive Residence at the White House; (3) White House repair and restoration; (4) special assistance to the President and the official residence of the Vice President; (5) the Council of Economic Advisers; (6) the Office of Policy Development; (7) the National Security Council; (8) the Office of Administration; (9) the Office of Management and Budget (OMB); (10) the Office of National Drug Control Policy; (11) the Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center; and (12) Federal drug control programs, including amounts for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program and for a national anti-drug campaign for youth. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. Title IV: Independent Agencies - Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for: (1) the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled; (2) the Federal Election Commission; (3) the Federal Labor Relations Authority; (4) the General Services Administration (GSA), including amounts for the Federal Buildings Fund, Government-wide policy and operations, Office of Inspector General, and allowances and office staff for former Presidents; and (5) carrying out the Presidential Transition Act of 1963. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. (Sec. 408) Amends the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2000 to extend to April 30, 2002, the date through which the GSA Administrator is authorized to offer voluntary separation incentives to specified employees to provide for the closing of the Federal Supply Service distribution centers, forward supply points, and associated programs. (Sec. 409) Designates the Federal building and courthouse located at 102 North 4th Street in Grand Forks, North Dakota, as the Ronald N. Davies Federal Building and United States Courthouse. (Sec. 411) Designates the U.S. bankruptcy courthouse at 1100 Laurel Street in Columbia, South Carolina, as the J. Bratton Davis United States Bankruptcy Courthouse. (Sec. 412) Designates the U.S. Courthouse Annex located at 901 19th Street in Denver, Colorado, as the Alfred A. Arraj United States Courthouse Annex. (Sec. 413) Designates the dormitory building currently being constructed on the Core Campus of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia, as the Paul Coverdell Dormitory. Makes appropriations for: (1) the Merit Systems Protection Board; (2) the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation; (3) the Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund to carry out activities authorized in the Environmental Policy and Conflict Resolution Act of 1998; (4) the National Archives and Records Administration, including amounts for repairs and restoration of archives; (5) the National Historical Publications and Records Commission; (6) the Office of Government Ethics; (7) the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), including an amount for the Office of Inspector General; (8) Government contributions for health and life insurance benefits for annuitants; (9) the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund; (8) the Office of Special Counsel; and (9) the U.S. Tax Court. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. Title V: General Provisions - Sets forth authorized and prohibited uses of funds made available under this Act. (Sec. 506) Sets forth Buy American provisions. (Sec. 509) Prohibits funds appropriated by this Act from being available for an abortion or the administrative expenses of any Federal employee health plan which provides benefits for abortions. Makes such prohibition inapplicable if the mother's life would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term or in cases of rape or incest. (Sec. 514) Directs the Archivist of the United States to transfer certain Federal land located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to the Gerald R. Ford Foundation in trust for the purpose of supporting the facilities and programs of the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids and the Gerald R. Ford Library in Ann Arbor. (Sec. 515) Requires the Director of OMB to issue guidelines under the Paperwork Reduction Act that provide policy and procedural guidance to Federal agencies for ensuring and maximizing the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information disseminated by agencies in fulfillment of such Act. (Sec. 517) Prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to propose or issue rules or orders for implementing the Kyoto Protocol. (Sec. 518) Requires the Director of OMB to submit a report to specified congressional committees that: (1) evaluates, for each agency, the extent to which Federal accounting and collection provisions, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, have reduced burdens imposed by rules issued by the agency; and (2) includes a determination of the need for additional procedures to ensure achievement of such provisions' purposes, evaluates the burden imposed by each major rule that imposes more than 10 million hours of burden, and identifies specific reductions expected to be achieved in FY 2001 and 2002 in the burden imposed by all rules issued by each agency that issued such a major rule. Title VI: General Provisions - Sets forth authorized and prohibited uses of funds appropriated for Federal departments, agencies, and corporations. (Sec. 619) Bars the use of funds made available for the Customs Service in this Act to allow the importation of any good produced or manufactured by forced or indentured child labor. (Sec. 624) Requires the OMB Director to report to Congress: (1) estimates of annual costs and benefits of Federal rules and paperwork; (2) impacts of Federal regulation on State, local, and tribal government, small business, wages, and economic growth; and (3) recommendations for reform. Requires the Director to issue guidelines to agencies to standardize measures of costs and benefits and the format of accounting statements. (Sec. 630) Bars the use of funds appropriated by this Act to enter into or renew a contract which includes a provision providing prescription drug coverage, except where the contract also includes a provision for contraceptive coverage. Makes exceptions to such prohibition for religious health plans. (Sec. 633) Authorizes the use of appropriated funds by executive agencies to provide child care services for Federal civilian employees. (Sec. 634) Authorizes a woman to breastfeed her child on Federal property if the woman and child are otherwise authorized to be present at the location. (Sec. 636) Authorizes qualified Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) police officers, upon written election, to be treated as law enforcement officers for purposes of Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) provisions and to have prior service similarly treated. Defines a "qualified MWAA police officer" as any individual who is currently so employed and is subject to CSRS or FERS by virtue of Federal transportation provisions governing certain Federal employees who transferred to the MWAA. Describes prior service as service as an MWAA or Federal Aviation Administration police officer prior to the effective date of such election. (Sec. 637) Authorizes the President's pay agent, for purposes of determining appropriate pay localities and making comparability payment recommendations, to make comparisons of General Schedule (GS) and non-Federal pay within metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) within the continental United States that have a high level of nonfarm employment and at least 2,500 GS employees using data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) surveys and salary data sets from any entity that regularly compiles similar data for businesses in the private sector. Permits the pay agent to make further determinations or recommendations based on such comparisons for purposes of payments becoming payable between January 1, 2002, and 2007, respectively. Requires the pay agent, based on such comparisons, to determine whether any of the five MSAs with the highest levels of nonfarm employment that have not been previously surveyed by the BLS as discrete pay localities for purposes of provisions governing locality-based comparability payments for Federal employees warrants designation as a discrete pay locality and if so, make recommendations as to the level of payments appropriate during 2002. Requires any MSA that warrants such designation to be designated as a discrete pay locality in time for 2002 comparability payments. Directs the pay agent to report to specified congressional committees on the ongoing efforts of OPM, OMB, and the BLS to revise the methodology currently used by the BLS in performing surveys related to comparability payments. (Sec. 639) Amends Federal civil service provisions to require the removal from employment of Federal law enforcement officers convicted of felonies. (Sec. 640) Amends Federal retirement provisions to reduce to seven percent after December 31, 2000, the required retirement contribution by Federal employees participating under CSRS (such contribution currently is scheduled to be 7.5 percent for calendar years 2001 and 2002 and 7 percent after 2002). Reduces similarly the required percentage contribution under CSRS for Members of Congress and congressional employees, law enforcement and firefighting personnel, certain judges and magistrates, the Capitol police, and nuclear materials couriers. Makes similar reductions for participants in FERS. Makes conforming reductions with respect to military and volunteer service under FERS. Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement Act, and the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to make similar employee retirement contribution reductions under the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System, and the Foreign Service Pension System. Prescribes agency contributions for October 1 through December 31, 2002, in lieu of those required under current law, under CSRS, the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, and the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System. (Sec. 643) Amends the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1988 to require all existing and newly hired workers in any child care center located in an executive facility to undergo a criminal history background check. Defines an "executive facility" as a facility owned or leased by an office or entity within the executive branch (including one owned or leased by the GSA on behalf of an office or entity within the judicial branch). (Sec. 644) Prohibits the use of funds made available in this Act by any Federal agency to: (1) collect, review, or create aggregate lists that include personally identifiable information about an individual's access to or use of any Internet site of the agency; or (2) enter into an agreement with a third party to collect, review, or obtain any such list that includes personally identifiable information relating to an individual's access to or use of any nongovernmental Internet site. (Sec. 645) Amends Federal civil service provisions to set forth provisions regarding pay for certain administrative appeals judges. (Sec. 646) Requires the Inspector General of each agency to report to Congress any agency activity related to: (1) the collection or review of singular data, or the creation of aggregate lists that include personally identifiable information about individuals who access any Internet site of the agency; and (2) entering into agreements with third parties to collect, review, or obtain such lists or data relating to any individual's access or viewing habits for governmental and nongovernmental Internet sites.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2000
Border Hospital Relief Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to eligible border hospitals to assist the hospitals with the costs of providing emergency medical services to qualifying undocumented aliens. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2000
Middle East Peace Process Support Act - Prohibits U.S. assistance to any unilaterally-declared Palestinian state. Directs the President to instruct the U.S. Representative to the United Nations to oppose admission to the United Nations of a unilaterally-declared Palestinian state or formal recognition by the United Nations of such a state.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2000
Medicare Beneficiaries' Choice Stabilization Act of 2000 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to provide for: (1) establishment of a floor for Medicare+Choice payment rates after applying risk-adjustment methodology; (2) elimination of budget neutrality adjustment for 2001 and 2002; (3) an increase in national per capita Medicare+Choice growth percentage in 2001 and 2002: (4) election by a Medicare+Choice organization to apply an area- specific percentage of 50 percent and a national percentage of 50 percent for 2001 and 2002 rather than the rate currently applicable for 2002 in determining the blended capitation rate used in determining the calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates; (5) an increased update for payment areas with only one or no Medicare+Choice contracts; (6) higher negotiated rates in certain Medicare+Choice payment areas below national average; and (7) a ten year phased-in risk adjustment based on data from all settings. Delays from July to November 2000 the deadline for withdrawing the offer, or rescinding the withdrawal, of Medicare+Choice plans for 2001. Amends SSA title XVIII part C to Medicare+Choice program data collection requirements with regard to: (1) issuance of encounter data submission requirements; (2) post- stabilization guidelines; and (3) on-line enrollment. Prohibits the Secretary from making any changes in the enrollment and disenrollment instructions and related materials (including operational policy letters and evidence of coverage) under Medicare+Choice between enactment of this Act and January 1, 2002, except as may be specifically and only required to comply with a change in statute.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2000
Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for FY 2001 for the Treasury Department, the U.S. Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President, and certain independent agencies. Title I: Department of the Treasury - Treasury Department Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for the Department of the Treasury for: (1) departmental offices; (2) department-wide systems and capital investments programs for development and acquisition of automatic data processing equipment, software, and services; (3) the Office of Inspector General; (4) the Inspector General for Tax Administration; (5) repair and restoration of the Treasury building and annex; (6) a demonstration project to expand access to financial services for low-income individuals; (7) the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network; (8) the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, including amounts for maintenance and facility improvements; (9) interagency crime and drug enforcement; (10) the Financial Management Service; (11) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; (12) the U.S. Customs Service, including amounts for operations and maintenance of marine vessels and aircraft, collection of the Harbor Maintenance Fee, and automation modernization; (13) the Bureau of the Public Debt; (14) the Internal Revenue Service, including amounts for tax law enforcement, earned income tax credit compliance and error reduction initiatives, and information systems and telecommunications support; and (15) the Secret Service, including an amount for construction and improvement of facilities. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. (Sec. 122) Bars the obligation or expenditure of funds appropriated to the Department of the Treasury in any Act for establishment of a new law enforcement training facility until an assessment of the need for, and cost-effectiveness of, such facility has been carried out by the Comptroller General and approved by the Appropriations Committees. Title II: Postal Service - Postal Service Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for payments to the Postal Service Fund for revenue foregone on free and reduced rate mail. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. Title III: Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President - Executive Office Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for: (1) compensation of the President and the White House office; (2) operating, maintenance, and reimbursable expenses of the Executive Residence at the White House; (3) White House repair and restoration; (4) special assistance to the President and the official residence of the Vice President; (5) the Council of Economic Advisers; (6) the Office of Policy Development; (7) the National Security Council; (8) the Office of Administration; (9) the Office of Management and Budget (OMB); (10) the Office of National Drug Control Policy; (11) the Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center; and (12) Federal drug control programs, including amounts for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program and for a national anti-drug campaign for youth. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. Title IV: Independent Agencies - Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes appropriations for the: (1) Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled; (2) Federal Election Commission; (3) Federal Labor Relations Authority; and (4) General Services Administration (GSA), including amounts for the Federal Buildings Fund, Government-wide policy and operations, Office of Inspector General, and allowances and office staff for former Presidents. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. (Sec. 408) Amends the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2000 to extend to April 30, 2002, the date through which the GSA Administrator is authorized to offer voluntary separation incentives to specified employees to provide for the closing of the Federal Supply Service distribution centers, forward supply points, and associated programs. Makes appropriations for: (1) the Merit Systems Protection Board; (2) the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation; (3) the Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund to carry out activities authorized in the Environmental Policy and Conflict Resolution Act of 1998; (4) the National Archives and Records Administration, including amounts for repairs and restoration of archives; (5) the National Historical Publications and Records Commission; (6) the Office of Government Ethics; (7) the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), including an amount for the Office of Inspector General; (8) Government contributions for health and life insurance benefits for annuitants; (9) the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund; (8) the Office of Special Counsel; and (9) the U.S. Tax Court. Sets forth authorized uses of, and limitations on, such funds. Title V: General Provisions - Sets forth authorized and prohibited uses of funds made available under this Act. (Sec. 506) Sets forth Buy American provisions. (Sec. 509) Prohibits funds appropriated by this Act from being available for an abortion or the administrative expenses of any Federal employee health plan which provides benefits for abortions. Makes such prohibition inapplicable if the mother's life would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term or in cases of rape or incest. (Sec. 514) Directs the Archivist of the United States to transfer certain Federal land located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to the Gerald R. Ford Foundation in trust for the purpose of supporting the facilities and programs of the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids and the Gerald R. Ford Library in Ann Arbor. (Sec. 515) Requires the Director of OMB to issue guidelines under the Paperwork Reduction Act that provide policy and procedural guidance to Federal agencies for ensuring and maximizing the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information disseminated by agencies in fulfillment of such Act. (Sec. 516) Prohibits the use of funds made available in this Act to implement a preference for the acquisition of a firearm or ammunition based on whether the manufacturer or vendor of the firearm or ammunition is a party to an agreement with a Federal agency regarding codes of conduct, operating practices, or product design specifically related to the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing in firearms or ammunition under the Federal criminal code. (Sec. 517) Bars the use of funds made available in this Act to allow the placement in interstate or foreign commerce of diamonds that have been mined in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or Angola, except for diamonds the country of origin of which has been certified as the Republic of Sierra Leone by government officials of that country who are recognized by the General Assembly of the United Nations. (Sec. 518) Prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to propose or issue rules or orders for implementing the Kyoto Protocol. (Sec. 520) Bars the use of funds made available in this Act to pay the salary of any OMB employee who makes apportionments under Federal provisions regarding appropriation accounting that prevent the expenditure or obligation by December 31, 2000, of at least 75 percent of the appropriations made for FY 2001 to carry out the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954, the Food for Progress Act of 1985, and a specified agricultural assistance provision of the Agricultural Act of 1949. Title VI: General Provisions - Sets forth authorized and prohibited uses of funds appropriated for Federal departments, agencies, and corporations. (Sec. 619) Bars the use of funds made available for the Customs Service in this Act to allow the importation of any good produced or manufactured by forced or indentured child labor. (Sec. 624) Requires the OMB Director to report to Congress: (1) estimates of annual costs and benefits of Federal rules and paperwork; (2) impacts of Federal regulation on State, local, and tribal government, small business, wages, and economic growth; and (3) recommendations for reform. Requires the Director to issue guidelines to agencies to standardize measures of costs and benefits and the format of accounting statements. (Sec. 631) Bars the use of funds appropriated by this Act to enter into or renew a contract which includes a provision providing prescription drug coverage, except where the contract also includes a provision for contraceptive coverage. Makes exceptions to such prohibition for religious health plans. (Sec. 634) Authorizes the use of appropriated funds by executive agencies to provide child care services for Federal civilian employees. Permits amounts paid to licensed or regulated child care providers to be paid in advance of services rendered, covering agreed upon periods. (Sec. 635) Authorizes a woman to breastfeed her child on Federal property if the woman and child are otherwise authorized to be present at the location. (Sec. 637) Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to provide for election cycle reporting of certain expenditures. Adds provisions to such Act authorizing the use of facsimile devices or electronic mail for reporting certain contributions or expenditures. Excludes from the definition of "contribution" under such Act any loan of money derived from an advance on a line of credit available to a candidate if such loan is made in accordance with applicable law under commercially reasonable terms and if the person making such loan makes loans in the normal course of business. Changes the deadline for reporting contributions exceeding $1,000 received after the 20th day before an election to require notification of such contribution within 24 (currently, 48) hours of receipt. Requires filing (currently, reporting) of independent expenditure statements for certain expenditures aggregating $1,000 within 24 hours of the expenditure being made. Considers the receipt date (in lieu of the postmark date) to be the date of filing. Applies this section's amendments to elections occurring after January 2001. (Sec. 638) Authorizes qualified Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) police officers, upon written election, to be treated as law enforcement officers for purposes of Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) provisions and to have prior service similarly treated. Defines a "qualified MWAA police officer" as any individual who is currently so employed and is subject to CSRS or FERS by virtue of Federal transportation provisions governing certain Federal employees who transferred to the MWAA. Describes prior service as service as an MWAA or Federal Aviation Administration police officer prior to the effective date of such election. (Sec. 639) Authorizes the President's pay agent, for purposes of determining appropriate pay localities and making comparability payment recommendations, to make comparisons of General Schedule (GS) and non-Federal pay within metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) within the continental United States that have a high level of nonfarm employment and at least 2,500 GS employees using data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) surveys and salary data sets from any entity that regularly compiles similar data for businesses in the private sector. Permits the pay agent to make further determinations or recommendations based on such comparisons for purposes of payments becoming payable between January 1, 2002, and 2007, respectively. Requires the pay agent, based on such comparisons, to determine whether any of the five MSAs with the highest levels of nonfarm employment that have not been previously surveyed by the BLS as discrete pay localities for purposes of provisions governing locality-based comparability payments for Federal employees warrants designation as a discrete pay locality and if so, make recommendations as to the level of payments appropriate during 2002. Requires any MSA that warrants such designation to be designated as a discrete pay locality in time for 2002 comparability payments. Directs the pay agent to report to specified congressional committees on the ongoing efforts of OPM, OMB, and the BLS to revise the methodology currently used by the BLS in performing surveys related to comparability payments. (Sec. 640) Amends Federal retirement provisions to reduce to seven percent after December 31, 2000, the required retirement contribution by Federal employees participating under CSRS (such contribution currently is scheduled to be 7.5 percent for calendar years 2001 and 2002 and 7 percent after 2002). Reduces similarly the required percentage contribution under CSRS for Members of Congress and congressional employees, law enforcement and firefighting personnel, certain judges and magistrates, the Capitol police, and nuclear materials couriers. Makes similar reductions for participants in FERS. Makes conforming reductions with respect to military and volunteer service under FERS. Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement Act, and the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to make similar employee retirement contribution reductions under the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System, and the Foreign Service Pension System. Prescribes agency contributions for October 1 through December 31, 2002, in lieu of those required under current law, under CSRS, the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, and the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System. (Sec. 641) Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require certain information to be filed with the Federal Election Commission in cases where the principal campaign committee of a candidate for the House of Representatives or the Senate uses any Federal Government aircraft for purposes that include carrying out the candidate's election campaign. Makes this section applicable to elections occurring after December 31, 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2000
Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 - Amends Federal veterans benefits provisions to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to take specified steps to assist claimants. Requires the Secretary: (1) to notify a claimant whose application is incomplete of the evidence necessary to complete the application (existing law), including the information and medical and lay evidence necessary to substantiate the claim and, as part of such notice, to indicate which portion of such evidence is to be provided by the claimant and which portion the Secretary will attempt to obtain on behalf of the claimant; (2) to make reasonable efforts to assist in obtaining evidence necessary to establish a claimant's eligibility for a benefit (but allows the Secretary to decide a claim without providing such assistance when no reasonable possibility exists that such assistance will aid in the establishment of eligibility) and to obtain relevant records that the claimant adequately identifies to the Secretary and authorizes the Secretary to obtain; and (3) to inform the claimant whenever the Secretary is unable to obtain such records and to request the claimant to notify the Secretary if the claimant intends to obtain such records independently. Requires, in the case of a veteran's claim for disability compensation, the Secretary to: (1) obtain the claimant's existing service medical records and, if the claimant has furnished sufficient information, other relevant service records, existing records of relevant medical treatment or examination of the veteran at Department of Veterans Affairs health care facilities or at the expense of the Department, and specified information to be furnished by other agencies; and (2) provide a medical examination or obtain a medical opinion when the evidence of record before the Secretary establishes that the claimant has a current disability or has current symptoms and that there was an event, injury, or disease (or combination thereof) during the claimant's active military, naval, or air service capable of causing or aggravating the claimant's current disability or symptoms, but is insufficient to establish service-connection. (Sec. 4) Places on the claimant the burden of proving entitlement to benefits (currently, of submitting evidence sufficient to justify a belief by a fair and impartial individual that the claim is well grounded). (Sec. 5) Prohibits any Federal department or agency from imposing any charge for providing to the Secretary information for purposes of determining benefit eligibility. (Sec. 6) Provides for: (1) the applicability of provisions of this Act concerning the burden of proof to claims filed before, and not final as of, the date of enactment of this Act; and (2) the readjudication of claims for benefits that were denied, because the claims were not well grounded, during the period between July 14, 1999, and this Act's enactment date.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2000
Privacy and Identity Protection Act of 2000 - Title I: Provisions Relating to the Social Security Account Number - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with regard to: (1) governmental use and treatment of social security account numbers, including restrictions on the sale of such account numbers by governmental agencies; and (2) prohibitions against public access to such account numbers in governmental agency possession, and against use of such account numbers on checks issued for payment by such agencies. (Sec. 101) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the current usage by governmental agencies of the Social Security account numbers of individuals, and derivatives of such numbers, for identification purposes; and (2) the most effective means by which any such usage extending beyond the original purposes of the Social Security account number may be minimized. Amends SSA title II to provide for independent verification of birth records provided in support of applications for Social Security account numbers. Directs the Commissioner of Social Security and the Attorney General to report jointly to Congress on the progress of the Social Security Administration and the Immigration and Naturalization Service in implementing a process for enumeration at entry for aliens entering the United States. Amends SSA title II to prohibit: (1) the appearance of Social Security account numbers on driver's licenses or motor vehicle registrations; and (2) the display of such account numbers, or any derivative, on any card or tag provided by governmental agencies to their employees for identification purposes. (Sec. 102) Provides for the regulation and restriction of the sale and purchase of the Social Security account number in the private sector. (Sec. 103) Amends SSA title II to subject criminal penalties the sale and purchase of Social Security account numbers. (Sec. 104) Amends SSA title XI with regard to civil monetary penalty authority concerning treatment of withholding of material facts, and application of civil money penalties to elements of criminal violations. (Sec. 105) Amends SSA titles II and XVI (Supplementary Security Income) (SSI) to provide authority for judicial orders of restitution in cases of Social Security payments obtained by fraud. Amends SSA title VII (Administration) to provide for the establishment of a special fund in the Treasury for receipt of restitution payments. (Sec. 106) Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to provide for confidential treatment of credit report header information including the Social Security account number of the consumer or any derivative thereof. (Sec. 107) Amends SSA title VII to provide for law enforcement authority by special agents of the Office of the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration. Title II: Provisions Relating to Representative Payees - Amends SSA titles II and XVI to authorize reissue to beneficiaries or alternative representative payees of OASDI and SSI benefits misused by organizational representative payees. (Sec. 202) Amends SSA titles II and XVI to provide for: (1) oversight of nongovernmental organizational representative payees and disqualification from service as a representative payee upon a felony conviction; (2) fee forfeiture in case of benefit misuse by such a representative payees; (3) liability of representative payees for misused benefits; and (4) extension of civil monetary penalty authority with respect to representative payees.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2000
Congratulates: (1) the people and Government of the United Mexican States for the successful completion of the democratic multiparty elections for president and the legislature; and (2) President-elect Vincente Fox for his election victory and his commitment to democracy and a free-market oriented economy. Commends all Mexican citizens and political parties for their participation in the democratic process and their support for the strengthening of their democracy. Reaffirms the United States friendship with Mexico and our unequivocal commitment to encouraging democracy throughout Latin America.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2000
Ryan White CARE Act Amendments of 2000 - Title I: Emergency Relief for Areas with Substantial Need for Services - Subtitle A: HIV Health Services Planning Councils - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require that an HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) planning council reflect the demographics of the population of individuals with HIV disease (currently, the demographics of the epidemic) in the eligible area involved. Modifies requirements regarding council composition, including requiring representatives of former prisoners. Requires that at least 33 percent of the council be people who: (1) are receiving HIV-related services pursuant to a grant under provisions relating to emergency relief for areas with a substantial need for services (substantial need grant); and (2) are not officers, employees, consultants, or representatives of any entity that receives substantial need grant amounts. (Sec. 102) Modifies council duties, including regarding: (1) determining the size, demographics, and needs of the HIV disease population; (2) council establishment of fund allocation priorities; and (3) coordination with Federal grantees that provide HIV-related services in the area. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop epidemiologic measures for establishing the number of individuals with HIV disease who are not receiving HIV-related health services and for carrying out council duties; and (2) provide to the chief elected official receiving a substantial need grant guidelines and materials for training council members regarding council duties. (Sec. 103) Requires that council meetings and records be open to the public, subject to exception. Subtitle B: Type and Distribution of Grants - Makes permanent provisions requiring expedited disbursement of certain substantial need grant amounts. Requires, after fiscal year 2004, that the substantial need grant amount formula use the number of cases of HIV disease in the most recent year rather than the number of cases of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the most recent ten years, but until FY 2007 conditions that change on the Secretary's determination that there is sufficiently accurate and reliable data on HIV disease cases from all eligible areas, requiring the Secretary to consider: (1) the findings of a study mandated by title V of this Act; (2) the fiscal impact of using or of not using that data; and (3) the impact of the use of that data on the organization and delivery of HIV-related services. Modifies requirements regarding increases in the amount of a substantial need grant under expedited disbursement provisions. (Sec. 112) Requires that the amount of supplemental substantial need grants be determined by the Secretary based on a weighting of specified factors, with severe need counting one-third. Includes the current HIV disease prevalence, an increasing need for services, and unmet need for services as factors the Secretary must consider in determining severe need. Directs the Secretary, in determining the required factors, to develop a mechanism to use national, quantitative incidence data by 18 months after enactment of this Act (currently, by May 20, 1998). Requires mechanism modification based on the findings of a study mandated by title V of this Act. Removes provisions basing the amount of substantial need grants on substantial need grant applications. Subtitle C: Other Provisions - Requires that substantial need grant funds be used, among other purposes, for: (1) outreach to identify individuals with HIV disease who are not receiving HIV-related services; and (2) early intervention services. Requires that substantial need grants be used to provide health and support services to infants, children, youth, and women (currently, infants, children, and women) with HIV disease in the same ratio as those groups with HIV disease bear to those groups in the general population. Requires that the chief elected official of a substantial need grant-receiving area establish a quality management program to assess whether HIV health services under the substantial need grant are consistent with the most recent Public Health Service guidelines. (Sec. 123) Requires that official to ensure that the area's planning council: (1) reviews existing, available data on expenditures by substantial need grant recipient entities from their overall budget for administrative costs; and (2) makes a determination whether the financial compensation of any of those entity's officers or employees exceeds that of the official. Title II: Care Grant Program - Subtitle A: General Grant Provisions - Requires that grants to States to improve the quality, availability and organization of health care and support services for individuals with HIV disease (care grants) be used to provide health and support services to infants, children, youth, and women (currently, infants, children, and women) with HIV disease in the same ratio as those groups with HIV disease bear to those groups in the general population. (Sec. 202) Allows care grants to be used for support services, outreach activities, early intervention, and quality management. (Sec. 203) Modifies requirements regarding grants to establish HIV care consortia. (Sec. 204) Allows a State to meet a requirement to use a portion of its care grant to provide therapeutics to treat HIV disease or prevent related health deterioration (including prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections) by paying for health insurance or plans whose coverage includes a full range of such therapeutics and primary care. (Sec. 205) Requires care grant applications to contain determinations of the size, demographics, and needs of the population of individuals with HIV disease in the State. Modifies requirements regarding the comprehensive plan. Requires the public health agency that administers care grants for a State to engage in a public advisory planning process. (Sec. 206) Doubles, subject to appropriations, the minimum care grant allotment to each State and U.S. territory. Requires, after fiscal year 2004, that the care grant amount formula use the number of cases of HIV disease in the most recent year rather than the number of cases of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the most recent ten years, but until FY 2007 conditions that change on the Secretary's determination that there is sufficiently accurate and reliable data on HIV disease cases. Provides for increases in the formula amount. Requires, if an appropriations Act provides an amount exclusively for treatment drug grants, that two percent of that exclusive amount be reserved for supplemental grants to States whose HIV population's need is greater than the quantities available under treatment drug grants from the remaining unreserved 98 percent. Adds the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau to the list of U.S. territories. Adds the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to the list of territories for minimum allotment provisions but keeps it in the list of States for other care grant provisions. (Sec. 207) Replaces provisions mandating coordination by specified Federal agencies of Federal HIV programs with provisions directing the Secretary to make grants to States to supplement care grants for comprehensive services for communities that have a severe need for supplemental financial assistance to combat the HIV epidemic. Provides for funding for the supplemental grants. Subtitle B: Provisions Concerning Pregnancy and Perinatal Transmission of HIV - Removes provisions prohibiting (after testing of pregnant women and newborns has become a routine practice in U.S. health care) care grants to a State unless the State meets certain requirements regarding such testing. (Sec. 212) Adds HIV disease treatment services to the uses for which the Secretary may make a grant to a State that is following the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding HIV counseling and voluntary testing for pregnant women. Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits using care grant appropriations for grants under this section. (Sec. 213) Directs the Secretary to provide for a study and report to appropriate congressional committees regarding: (1) the number of newborns with HIV born in the United States in the most recent year for which the information is available; (2) barriers that prevent or discourage an obstetrician from routinely offering pregnant women an HIV test and routinely testing newborns when the mother's HIV status is unknown; and (3) recommendations for each State for reducing perinatal HIV transmission. Requires States to make reasonable progress toward meeting the recommendations. Subtitle C: Certain Partner Notification Programs - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States for partner counseling and referral services, provided the State meets certain requirements regarding: (1) partner notification and (for the partner and the infected individual) testing, counseling, and referral; (2) health entity reporting of positive test results to the State; (3) reporting to the CDC regarding partner notification; and (4) State cooperation with the CDC national partner notification. Prohibits grants to a State after fiscal year 2003 unless the State's reporting system for HIV cases produces sufficiently accurate and reliable data. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Early Intervention Services - Subtitle A: Formula Grants for States - Repeals provisions mandating formula grants to States for outpatient early intervention services regarding HIV disease. Subtitle B: Categorical Grants - Requires giving preference to rural or underserved areas in making currently-authorized categorical grants for outpatient early intervention services. Allows planning grants to be used, subject to limitation, to assist the recipients to expand their capacity to provide services, including early intervention services, in low income communities and affected subpopulations that are underserved. Subtitle C: General Provisions - Requires that the counseling that categorical grant recipients are required to provide to HIV-infected individuals emphasize that it is the duty of infected individuals to disclose their status to their sexual and needle-sharing partners, provide advice on how to make the disclosures and emphasize that it is the infected individual's continuing duty to avoid behaviors that expose others to HIV. (Sec. 322) Increases the percentage limit on administrative expenses. Requires recipients to establish a quality management program to assess the extent to which medical services are consistent with Public Health Service guidelines for treatment of HIV disease and related opportunistic infections. Title IV: Other Programs and Activities - Subtitle A: Certain Programs for Research, Demonstrations, or Training - Replaces a requirement that, with regard to grants for providing opportunities for women, infants, children, and youth to participate in HIV research and for providing to those groups outpatient health care and additional services, that a significant number of individuals in those groups be participating in research with a requirement that the grant applicant demonstrate linkages to research and how access to research is being offered to patients. Directs the Secretary to examine the distribution and availability of research regarding grantees to enhance and expand HIV-related research, especially in underrepresented communities. Requires grantees to implement a quality management program. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 402) Includes, as a use of currently-authorized grants and contracts for training health personnel: (1) training in prenatal and other gynecological care for women with HIV disease; and (2) developing protocols for the medical care of such women. Directs the Secretary to implement a strategy for the dissemination of HIV treatment information to care providers and patients. Adds accredited dental hygiene programs as possible recipients of currently-authorized grants with respect to oral health care to (sic) patients with HIV disease. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes grants to dental schools, post-doctoral dental education programs, and accredited dental hygiene programs that partner with community-based dentists to provide care to HIV patients in underserved areas. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations for grants and contracts to assist public and nonprofit private entities and schools and academic health science centers to train health personnel, train faculty, and develop and disseminate curricula and resource materials regarding the care of HIV patients and prevention of HIV infection among at risk individuals. Subtitle B: General Provisions in Title XXVI - Extends the authorization of appropriations for grants and contracts to evaluate programs carried out under title XXVI of the Public Health Service Act (HIV Health Care Services Program). (Sec. 412) Authorizes appropriations for collecting and providing data for program planning and evaluation under title XXVI. (Sec. 413) Adds the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Health Care Financing Administration to the list of agencies (currently, the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) charged with coordinating the planning, funding, and implementation (currently, coordinating the planning of the funding) of Federal HIV programs to enhance continuity of care and prevention services (currently, continuity of care). Requires that State, local, or private entities receiving title XXVI funds enhance continuity of care and prevention services (currently, continuity of care). (Sec. 414) Directs the Secretary to develop and submit to Congress a plan for the medical case management of and the provision of support services to individuals who had HIV disease on their date of release from the Federal or State penal system. (Sec. 415) Authorizes the Secretary to reduce title XXVI grants to a State or political subdivision if the State or subdivision fails to prepare audits. (Sec. 416) Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and submit to Congress a plan for coordinating the disbursement of appropriations for substantial need grants with the disbursement for care grants; (2) within two years after enactment of this Act, implement the disbursement plan, notwithstanding any title XXVI provision inconsistent with the plan; (3) determine whether administration of those grants by the Secretary and grantee compliance efficiency would be improved by requiring biennial rather than annual applications; (4) develop and submit to Congress a plan for simplifying the application process for those grants; and (5) within two years after enactment of this Act, implement the simplified application plan, notwithstanding any title XXVI provision inconsistent with the plan. (Sec. 417) Removes provisions directing the Secretary to develop and implement a method for adjusting the percentages allocated to substantial need grants and care grants to account for substantial need grants to new areas and other relevant factors. Authorizes appropriations for substantial need and care grants. Title V: General Provisions - Directs the Secretary to provide for studies, and report to the appropriate congressional committees, on: (1) whether the surveillance system of each State provides for the reporting of HIV infection cases in a way that provides information on the number and demographic characteristics of the cases that is sufficiently accurate for the formula grants under substantial need and care grant provisions and, if not, recommendations for improvements; and (2) the appropriate epidemiological measures and their relationship to the financing and delivery of primary care and health related support services for low income, uninsured, and underinsured individuals with HIV disease. (Sec. 502) Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand, intensify, and coordinate research and other NIH activities regarding development of reliable and affordable HIV tests that can be rapidly administered and whose results can be rapidly obtained (rapid HIV tests). Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary: (1) to report to appropriate congressional committees on the progress made toward, and barriers to, the premarket review and commercial distribution of rapid HIV tests; and (2) promptly after rapid HIV test commercial distribution begins, to establish or update guidelines for States, hospitals, and other entities regarding the availability of those tests for administration to pregnant women in labor or late stage pregnancy and whose HIV status is unknown. (Sec. 503) Directs the Secretary, of the amounts available to the Secretary for program management at the Health Resources and Services Administration, to spend amounts necessary to ensure at least a 20 percent increase in fiscal year 2001 over fiscal year 2000 of full- time-equivalent staff of the Bureau of HIV/AIDS who administer programs under title XXVI. Title VI: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective dates for this Act and its amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2000
Recognizes the 60th anniversary of the U.S. nonrecognition policy of the Soviet takeover of the Baltic states and the contribution that policy made in supporting the aspirations of the people of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to reassert their freedom and independence. Commends Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania for the reestablishment of their independence and the role they played in the disintegration of the former Soviet Union in 1990 and 1991, and for their success in implementing political and economic reforms. Expresses support for regional cooperation in Northern Europe among the Baltic and Nordic states and the Russian Federation. Calls for further cooperation in addressing common environmental, law enforcement, and public health problems, and in promoting civil society and business and trade development, and similar efforts that promote a peaceful, democratic, prosperous, and secure future for Europe, Russia and the Nordic-Baltic region.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2000
Apprenticeship Enhancement Act of 2000 - Amends the National Apprenticeship Act to direct the Secretary of Labor to ensure that applications relating to apprenticeship programs are processed in a fair and timely manner. Allows affected applicants to file petitions for judicial review of final determinations by the Secretary or applicable designee.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2000
Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel Act of 2000 - Title I: Personnel Matters - Revises pay adjustment authority for nurses employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs to require the director of such Department health-care facility to use third-party industry wage surveys in making such adjustments. Prohibits any adjustment from reducing the rate of basic pay applicable to any nurse grade. Prohibits a director, in determining whether to carry out an adjustment, from considering the absence of a current recruitment or retention problem for personnel in that position. Authorizes the Department's Under Secretary for Health to modify any adjustment determination made by a facility director. Makes annual (currently terminated in 1993) a reporting requirement from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to the congressional veterans' committees regarding such pay adjustments. Requires the Under Secretary to ensure that: (1) the director of a geographic service area, in formulating policy for the provision of patient care, consult regularly with a senior nurse executive(s); and (2) the director of a health-care facility include a registered nurse on any committee providing recommendations or decisions on medical center operations or policies affecting clinical services, clinical outcomes, budget, or resources. (Sec. 102) Increases the special pay for dentists for: (1) full-time status; (2) completing a post-graduate year of accredited hospital-based training; (3) length-of-service pay; (4) scarce specialty pay; (5) service in a geographic location in which there exists extraordinary difficulties in the recruitment and retention of qualified dentists; and (6) service in certain executive positions. Credits toward civil service retirement calculations 25 percent of the special pay for length-of-service pay for each two years that the dentist completes as a dentist in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). (Sec. 103) Exempts VHA pharmacists from a required ceiling on special salary rates for certain VHA health professionals. (Sec. 104) Requires a physician assistant with appropriate experience to advise the Under Secretary on all matters relating to the utilization and employment of VHA physician assistants. (Sec. 105) Revises generally provisions regarding the temporary appointment of graduates of physician assistant training programs. Title II: Construction Authorization - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out major medical facility projects at Department medical centers in Palo Alto, California, Miami, Florida, and Long Beach, California. (Sec. 202) Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 and 2002 for the Construction, Major Projects, account for such projects. Title III: Military Service Issues - Directs the Secretary to ensure that: (1) a protocol is used in any clinical evaluation of a patient to identify pertinent military experiences and exposures that may contribute to the health of the patient; and (2) such information is included in the patient's medical records. Requires a report from the Secretary to the veterans' committees on the feasibility and desirability of using a computer-based system in conducting such evaluations. (Sec. 302) Directs the Secretary to contract with an appropriate entity to conduct a follow-up study on post-traumatic stress disorder in Vietnam veterans. Requires a report to the veterans' committees. Title IV: Medical Administration Matters - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a program in not more than four geographically dispersed areas to improve access to and coordination of inpatient care of eligible veterans. Authorizes the Secretary, under such program to pay the cost of hospital care and medical services furnished on an inpatient basis in a non-Department hospital to a veteran participant. Makes eligible for the program a veteran who: (1) is enrolled to receive medical services from a nearby Department outpatient clinic; (2) requires such care and services for a non-service-connected condition and could not receive such care and services from a Department clinic; and (3) elects to receive such care and services under an entitled health plan. Requires two report from the Secretary to the veterans' committees on program implementation and operation. (Sec. 402) Authorizes the payment of veterans' disability compensation for veterans who are disabled during participation in a compensated work therapy program. (Sec. 403) Extends through December 31, 2005, the authority of the Secretary to establish nonprofit research and education corporations. (Sec. 404) Authorizes the Secretary to furnish temporary lodging in Fisher houses (guest houses) or other appropriate facilities, in connection with the examination, care, and treatment of a veteran, to: (1) a veteran who must travel a significant distance to receive such care and treatment; and (2) a family member and others who accompany such veteran and provide familial support. Authorizes the Secretary to establish charges for such lodging. (Sec. 405) Extends through 2004 an annual reporting requirement describing activities of the Committee on Care of Severely Chronically Mentally Ill Veterans. (Sec. 406) Excludes from the right of the Department to recover certain costs from a State for veterans' care facilities not so used for at least 20 years the establishment and operation of an outpatient clinic at such a facility. (Sec. 407) Prohibits the Secretary from entering into an enhanced-use lease of Department property until 90 days after notifying the veterans' committees of the intention to designate property for such use. (Sec. 409) Designates the outpatient clinic in Rome, New York, as the Donald J. Mitchell Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic. (Sec. 410) Directs the Secretary to release a reversionary interest in certain real property in Johnson City, Tennessee, previously transferred to the State of Tennessee.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2000
Immigrant Labor Policy Review Act - Establishes the High Level Commission on Immigrant Labor Policy. Directs the Commission to study the interactions between Federal immigration policy and the labor markets for aliens in the United States. Terminates the Commission six months after submission of its final report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2000
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude, subject to a $3,000 maximum exclusion (double for a joint return), from gross income a capital gain dividend: (1) which is distributed by a regulated investment company; and (2) which is automatically reinvested by the company in the stock of such company with respect to which the dividend is distributed.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2000
International Anti-Corruption and Good Governance Act of 2000 - Revises U.S. policy with respect to the provision of development assistance to foreign countries to require the President in assessing the commitment and progress of a country to use such assistance to help satisfy basic human needs of its poor to utilize certain criteria, including but not limited to, progress in combating corruption and improving transparency and accountability in the public and private sector. Requires technical assistance provided by a certain program to foreign governments and foreign central banks of developing or transitional countries also to include elements designed to combat anti-competitive, unethical, and corrupt activities, including protection against actions that may distort or inhibit transparency in market mechanisms and, to the extent applicable, privatization procedures. Authorizes the President to establish programs that combat corruption, improve transparency and accountability, and promote other forms of good governance in developing countries or countries eligible to receive assistance under the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989. Requires the President to give priority to establishing programs in countries that received a significant amount of U.S. foreign assistance for the prior fiscal year, or in which the United States has a significant economic interest, and that continue to have the most persistent problems with public and private corruption. Requires the President to report to specified congressional committees with respect to such programs. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2000
Milton Friedman Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to Milton Friedman in recognition of his contributions to individual freedom and opportunity in American society through his exhaustive research and teaching of economics and his extensive writings on economics and public policy.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2000
American Servicemembers' Protection Act of 2000 - Prohibits U.S. cooperation with the International Criminal Court (including restrictions on U.S. military participation in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations and the transfer of U.S. classified national security information, and the provision of U.S. military assistance, to the Court and its members). Authorizes the President to use all means necessary to bring about the release of U.S. military personnel and certain other persons held captive by or on behalf of the Court. Directs the President to report to the appropriate congressional committees on the degree to which each existing status of forces agreement with a foreign government, or other similar international agreement, protects U.S. military and other personnel from extradition to the Court Authorizes funds withheld from the U.S. share of assessments to the UN or other international organizations pursuant to the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001 to be transferred to the Embassy Security, Construction and Maintenance Account of the Department of State. Terminates the requirements of this Act upon the United States becoming a party to the Court.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2000
Recognizes that the Birmingham Pledge has made a significant contribution in fostering racial harmony and reconciliation in the United States and around the world. Commends the people involved with the Pledge's creation and signatories to it for the steps they are taking to make the Nation and the world a better place for all people. Expresses the sense of Congress that a National Birmingham Pledge Week should be established.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2000
Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy Act of 2000 - Establishes at the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy to promote leadership and management training and policy analysis for Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and others involved in tribal leadership and management. Directs the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation to award grants to the Center to provide startup funding for the Institute (conditioned on a 25 percent match from other sources). Requires the Foundation's Board of Trustees to approve the annual budget of the Institute. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2000
Agricultural Opportunities Act - Title I: Agricultural Worker Registries - Directs the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to establish a database system of U.S. worker and eligible alien agricultural worker registries to provide temporary and seasonal agricultural job opportunity and referral information. States that such registries may be established as part of the "America's Job Bank" and "America's Talent Bank" databases. Bases registry coverage on job opportunities in a single State, except for the New England States which may be represented by a single registry. Requires prospective employers of H-2C visa agricultural workers to first apply for registry workers before a petition to import H-2C workers may be approved. Sets forth individual registrant requirements. States that an agricultural worker may apply for registry inclusion in the State of his or her residency. Grants referral preference to U.S. workers. Directs the Attorney General to establish an employment eligibility verification system. Title II: H-2C Program - Sets forth registry application requirements for H-2C employers and employer associations, including assurances: (1) that the job opportunity is not the result of a labor dispute, and is temporary or seasonal; (2) respecting required wages and benefits, and compliance with labor laws; (3) respecting advertising in the registry and other labor market sources, and contact of former employees; and (4) respecting provision of workers compensation. Provides that: (1) the Secretary, upon application approval, shall complete a registry search and notify an employer of available registered workers within seven days of the beginning work date; (2) if insufficient workers are available, the Secretary shall so notify an employer, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of State; (3) an employer shall pay a user fee for each admitted alien worker; (4) an employer may apply directly to the Secretary of State for alien worker admissions if such worker referral has not been received within the seven-day period; and (5) an employer may file a request for redetermination of need. (Sec. 204) Sets forth employment requirements with respect to: (1) wages; (2) housing; (3) transportation reimbursement; and (4) obligation to employ U.S. workers. (Sec. 205) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish an alternative agricultural temporary worker program (H-2C visa) for admission of aliens who are outside the United States. Sets forth program provisions. States that nothing in this title shall preclude the Secretary and the Attorney General from continuing to apply special procedures to alien employment in the range production of livestock. Directs the Attorney General to establish an H-2C departure verification program. . Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Directs the Secretary to establish a process to receive and enforce complaints against employers by aggrieved persons or third party organizations (including bargaining representatives). Sets forth related provisions respecting: (1) expedited investigation of housing, wage, and child labor violations; (2) written notice of findings and opportunity for appeal; (3) ability of alien workers to change employers; and (4) remedies. Establishes the Commission on Housing Migrant Agricultural Workers which shall study the problem of in-season housing for migrant agricultural workers. Directs the Secretaries of Labor, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services to conduct a study of migrant worker child care, including the relationship between such child care and child labor violations in agriculture. Directs the Secretaries of Labor and Agriculture to conduct a study of agricultural field sanitation conditions. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of persistent and serious agricultural labor standards violations. (Sec. 302) Authorizes and requests the Attorney General to establish bilateral commissions between the United States and each country having specified numbers of H-2C workers in the United States. (Sec. 304) Directs the Secretary to establish registry user and alien employment user fee schedules and related collection processes. (Sec. 305) States that additional funds for agricultural worker registry startup costs may be taken from amounts available to Federal or State entities under the Wagner-Peyser Act. (Sec. 308) Sets forth the termination date for the this Act.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kolbe, Jim [R-AZ-8]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000306_200.jpg)