United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1999
National Discovery Trails Act of 1999 - Amends the National Trails System Act to provide for the establishment, as components of the National Trails System, of national discovery trails which shall be extended, continuous interstate trails located so as to provide for outdoor recreation and travel and to connect representative examples of America's trails and communities. Requires the appropriate Secretary for each national discovery trail to administer the trail in cooperation with a competent trailwide nonprofit organization. Prohibits a trail from being considered feasible and desirable for designation as a national discovery trail unless it: (1) links to one or more areas within the boundaries of a metropolitan area and joins with other trails, tying the National Trails System to significant recreation and resources areas; (2) is supported by a competent trailwide volunteer-based organization and has extensive local and trailwide support by the public, user groups, and affected State and local governments; and (3) extends and passes through more than one State and, at a minimum, is a continuous, walkable route. Requires the responsible Secretary, within three complete fiscal years after enactment of legislation designating a national discovery trail, to submit to specified congressional committees a comprehensive plan: (1) for the protection, management, development, and use of the Federal portions of the trail; and (2) for technical assistance to States, local governments, and private landowners, as requested, for non-Federal portions of the trail. Designates as a national discovery trail the 6,000-mile American Discovery Trail which shall extend from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware to Point Reyes National Seashore in California, traveling northern and southern routes from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Denver, Colorado.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1999
Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 1999 - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by covered entities. Declares that a disparate impact does not establish a prima facie violation of this Act. Prohibits related retaliation and coercion. Declares that this Act does not apply to the provision of employee benefits for the benefit of an employee's domestic partner. Prohibits the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from: (1) collecting statistics on sexual orientation from covered entities; and (2) compelling covered entities to collect such statistics. Prohibits: (1) quotas and preferential treatment; and (2) an order or consent decree for a violation of this Act that includes a quota or preferential treatment. Declares that this Act does not apply to: (1) religious organizations (except regarding employment in a position the duties of which pertain solely to activities of the organization that generate unrelated business income subject to taxation under specified Internal Revenue Code provisions); (2) the relationship between the United States and members of the armed forces; or (3) laws creating special rights or preferences for veterans. Provides for enforcement. Prohibits the imposition of affirmative action for a violation of this Act. Disallows State immunity. Makes the United States or a State liable for all remedies (except punitive damages, with compensatory damages available to the extent specified in certain existing provisions of law) to the same extent as under specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Allows recovery of attorney's fees. Requires posting notices for employees, applicants, and members.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1999
Safety Net Preservation Act of 1999 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish a new prospective payment system for federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1999
National Forensic Sciences Improvement Act of 1999 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (the Act) to: (1) include among permissible uses of drug control and system improvement (Byrne) grants improving the quality, timeliness, and credibility of forensic science services for criminal justice purposes; and (2) require State certification that it has established a forensic science laboratory or laboratory system or a medical examiner's office that meets specified requirements, with respect to any such grant for such purpose. Amends the Act to require a State to submit to the Attorney General: (1) a certification that the State has developed a consolidated State plan that meets specified requirements and a specific description of the manner in which the grant will be used to carry out that plan; (2) a certification that any forensic science laboratory system, medical examiner's office, or coroner's office in the State that will receive any portion of the grant amount uses generally accepted laboratory practices and procedures, established by accrediting organizations; and (3) a specific description of any new facility to be constructed as part of the program, estimated costs of that facility, and a certification that the grant will not be used to fund more than 40 percent of such facility's total costs. Prohibits the use of grant funds for any general law enforcement or non-forensic investigatory function. Limits facilities and administrative costs. Sets forth provisions regarding record-keeping (and access to records and documents) and reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1999
Prohibits any contract from being made or any plan approved under the health benefits program for Federal employees which does not include coverage for hearing aids and examinations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1999
Resolves that the House of Representatives: (1) condemns the attacks against three Jewish places of worship in the Sacramento, California, area on June 18, 1999; (2) commends the citizens from California and across the country who have provided moral support to Sacramento's Jewish community and who have offered money, labor, books, and other materials to help rebuild the three synagogues; (3) supports all Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies' efforts to bring the perpetrators of these attacks to justice; and (4) reaffirms its commitment to a society that fully respects and protects all places of worship and reaffirms the right of individuals of all religious convictions freely to practice their religion.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1999
History of the House Awareness and Preservation Act - Directs the Librarian of Congress to: (1) prepare a new and complete written history of the U.S. House of Representatives; (2) in preparing the history, consult, commission, or engage the services or participation of eminent historians and Members or former Members of the House; (3) arrange for the printing of the history and the dissemination of excerpts of the history over the Internet; (4) make the history available for sale to the public; and (5) make available, free of charge, a limited number of copies to each Member of the House of Representatives and to the Senate. Sets forth guidelines for the history. Authorizes the Librarian to solicit and accept private funding for the publication, marketing, and public distribution of the history. Directs the Librarian to accept for deposit, preserve, maintain, and make accessible, an oral history of the House as told by its Members and former Members, compiled and updated (on a voluntary or contract basis) by the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress or other outside organization. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) orientation programs for freshman Members of the House should contain a seminar on the history of the House; and (2) the Speaker of the House should conduct a series of forums on the topic of such history.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1999
Acknowledges that the Government of Haiti has made progress toward democratization. Urges such Government to engage in dialog with all elements of Haitian society to further a self-sustainable democracy. Encourages the Government and all political parties in Haiti to proceed toward conducting free, fair, transparent, and peaceful elections as scheduled, in the presence of domestic and international observers, without pressure or interference. Urges the Clinton Administration and the international community to continue to play a positive role in Haiti's economic and political development. Commends: (1) the United Nations and other countries and international organizations for their support of health, education, nutrition, and environmental programs in Haiti; and (2) the U.S. military's efforts on the ground in Haiti for providing civil support and medical assistance. Encourages: (1) the Clinton Administration and the international community to provide substantial assistance for the coming elections; and (2) the Government of Haiti to adopt adequate security measures in preparation for such elections. Urges: (1) all elements of Haitian civil society to promote a climate of security; and (2) the United States and other members of the international community to continue support towards a lasting and committed transition to democracy in Haiti.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1999
Expresses the sense of Congress that all Americans should recognize their responsibility to become trained in the life-saving technique of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and seek the opportunity to halt the devastation of cardiac arrest. Supports the efforts of the National CPR Task Force in its development of mass CPR training programs in ten States by the end of 1999, and in every State by the end of 2001. Commends the goals and ideas of the National CPR Weekend initiated by the Task Force in order to facilitate awareness of its program and the need for individuals to receive training in administering CPR.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1999
Fairness to Immigrant Veterans Act of 1999 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (transitional rules) to make certain aliens who are on active armed forces duty or honorably discharged veterans eligible for: (1) release from (criminal alien) detention; (2) cancellation of removal; and (3) judicial review of certain orders of removal.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1999
Code of Conduct on Arms Transfers Act of 1999 - Prohibits U.S. military assistance and arms transfers to a foreign government unless the President certifies to Congress that such government: (1) meets specified conditions regarding democracy, including that it was chosen by free and fair elections and promotes civilian control of the military, the rule of law, and respect for individual rights; (2) does not engage in human rights violations, investigates and prosecutes those responsible for human rights violations, permits access to political prisoners by international organizations, and provides access to such organizations in situations of conflict or famine; (3) is not engaged in acts of armed aggression in violation of international law; and (4) is participating in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms. Authorizes the President to request from Congress an exemption from such prohibition, stating that: (1) it is in the national security interest to provide military assistance and arms transfers to a government; or (2) an emergency exists under which it is vital to the U.S. interest to do so. Makes the exemption effective upon such request, unless disapproved by Congress. Directs the President to: (1) compile a list of countries that do not meet the requirements of this Act; (2) notify the governments participating in the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual Use Goods and Technologies, done at Vienna, July 11 and 12, 1996, that the listed countries are ineligible to receive U.S. arms sales and military assistance; and (3) request that the notified countries also declare the listed countries as ineligible for arms sales and military assistance. Requires the President to continue efforts through the United Nations and other international fora, such as the Wassenaar Arrangement, to limit arms transfers worldwide, particularly transfers to the listed countries, for the purpose of establishing a permanent multilateral regime to govern the transfer of conventional arms. Directs the President, in conjunction with the submission of the annual congressional presentation documents for foreign assistance programs, to report to Congress on progress made toward establishing such regime.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1999
Hospital Outpatient Preservation Act of 1999 - Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA '97) to limit temporarily the reductions in Federal payments under the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department services under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Provides for the retroactive effectiveness of this Act as if included in BBA '97.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1999
COBRA Extension Act for 55 to 65 Year Olds - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to extend health plan insurance continuation coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) for individuals age 55 or older.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1999
Medicare Early Access Act of 1999 - Title I: Access to Medicare Benefits for Individuals 62-to-65 Years of Age - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals Age 62-to-65 Years of Age). Makes eligible to enroll in Medicare during a specified period individuals between the ages of 62 and 65 who: (1) are not eligible for coverage under group health plans or Federal health insurance; but (2) would be Medicare-eligible if age 65. Requires prior notification of each individual seeking to enroll of the deferred monthly premium amount for which the individual will be liable upon attaining age 65. (Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to determine rates for: (1) the base monthly premium; (2) the base annual premium for individuals age 62 or older, adjusted appropriately for each premium area; as well as the maximum amount of such premium; and (3) the deferred premium for such individuals. Directs the Secretary to provide for payment and collection of the base monthly premium. Makes the enrollee liable for the deferred monthly premium payment. Requires collection of both premiums in the same manner as for the payment of monthly premiums under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Creates in the Treasury the Medicare Early Access Trust Fund (Trust Fund) to hold collected premiums. Directs: (1) the Trust Fund's Board of Trustees to report annually to Congress on the need for adjustments in the new program in order to maintain its financial solvency; and (2) the Comptroller General to report periodically to Congress on the adequacy of program financing along with appropriate recommendations to accomplish such end. Requires: (1) individuals enrolled under the new part D program to be treated for Medicare purposes as though they were entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and enrolled under Medicare part B; and (2) new part D program benefits to be payable under Medicare to such individuals in the same manner as if they were so entitled and enrolled. Provides that the new part D program shall not be treated as Medicare for purposes of the Medicaid program (SSA title XIX), including the provision of Medicare cost-sharing assistance, nor for purposes of COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) continuation requirements of the Public Health Service Act. Title II: Access to Medicare Benefits for Displaced Workers 55-to-62 Years of Age - Amends SSA title XVIII part D to rename the newly established part D program the Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals Age 55-to-65 Years of Age. Provides for part D coverage for certain displaced workers and spouses between the ages of 55 and 62 under arrangements similar to those in title I. Directs the Secretary to provide for continued enrollment of displaced workers who attain 62 years of age. Title III: COBRA Protection for Early Retirees - Subtitle A: Amendments to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to extend specified group health plan insurance continuation coverage under COBRA to qualified retirees and their dependents, in cases of substantial reduction or termination of a retiree group health plan. Sets forth a special rule for certain dependents in case of termination or substantial reduction of retiree health coverage. Permits an increased level of premiums in the case of an individual provided continuation coverage by reason of the qualifying event. Subtitle B: Amendments to the Public Health Service Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend specified group health plan insurance continuation coverage under COBRA to qualified retirees and their dependents, in cases of substantial reduction or termination of a retiree group health plan. Sets forth a special rule for certain dependents in case of termination or substantial reduction of retiree health coverage. Permits an increased level of premiums in the case of an individual provided continuation coverage by reason of the qualifying event. Subtitle C: Amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend specified group health plan insurance continuation coverage under COBRA to qualified retirees and their dependents, in cases of substantial reduction or termination of a retiree group health plan. Sets forth a special rule for certain dependents in case of termination or substantial reduction of retiree health coverage. Permits an increased level of premiums in the case of an individual provided continuation coverage by reason of the qualifying event. Title IV: Financing - Provides that any increase in payments under SSA title XVIII resulting from enactment of this Act shall be offset by reductions in payments under such program pursuant to the anti-fraud and anti-abuse provisions enacted as part of the Medicare Fraud and Reimbursement Reform Act of 1999.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1999
Point Reyes Farmland Protection Act of 1999 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to make grants to eligible entities to provide the Federal share of the cost of purchasing permanent conservation easements on eligible lands (specified parcels of land in Marin and Sonoma Counties in California) from willing sellers for the purpose of preserving agricultural lands. Defines "eligible entity" to mean a State or local government agency or a nonprofit organization having substantial experience in the holding, monitoring, and managing of conservation easements on eligible lands, including the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, and the Sonoma Land Trust. Vests an eligible entity's rights and obligations under an easement acquired using funds provided by the Secretary under this Act in the United States if the entity ceases to exist or ceases to be a nonprofit organization. Prohibits: (1) any interest in eligible lands from being acquired with such funds without the owner's consent; and (2) the use of such funds to acquire land in fee title. Limits the Federal cost share for acquiring a conservation easement in eligible lands to one half of the total costs of such acquisition. Waives such matching requirement for an eligible entity who currently holds conservation easements on eligible lands until such time as grant funds are provided to that entity in an amount equal to the fair market value of such easements. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1999
Declares that Congress recognizes: (1) the severity of the issue of colorectal cancer; (2) such disease's preventable nature; and (3) the importance of the Screen for Life Campaign. Calls on health educators, elected officials, and the people of the United States to: (1) broaden the message of the Screen for Life Campaign to reach all individuals; and (2) learn about colorectal cancer and its preventable nature and learn to recognize the risk factors and symptoms which enable early detection and treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1999
Omnibus Airline Passenger Fair Treatment Act of 1999 - Amends Federal aviation law to revise provisions prohibiting an air carrier, foreign air carrier, or ticket agent from engaging in unfair or deceptive practices or unfair methods of competition in air transportation. Extends such prohibition to any action of an air carrier or foreign air carrier that: (1) fails to provide a consumer full access to all fares for air transportation provided by them, regardless of the technology or other method the consumer uses to access the fares; (2) fails to provide an air carrier passenger with an accurate explanation of the reasons for a flight delay, cancellation, or diversion from a ticketed itinerary; and (3) prohibits a person (including a governmental entity) that purchases air transportation from only using a portion of the air transportation purchased (including using air transportation purchased only for one-way travel instead of round-trip travel), or assesses an additional fee on or charge to such person or ticket agent that sold the air transportation to such person. (Sec. 2) Prohibits an air carrier or foreign air carrier, in the case of a termination, cancellation, nonrenewal, or substantial change in the competitive circumstances of a ticket agent's appointment, from failing to provide the ticket agent with: (1) written notice, and a full statement of reasons for the action, on or before the 90th day preceding the action; and (2) at least 60 days to correct any deficiency claimed in such notice. Exempts a carrier from this requirement only in cases of insolvency, an assignment for the benefit of creditors, bankruptcy, or nonpayment of sums due under the appointment. (Sec. 3) Revises the preemption of State, local, and regional law or regulation related to a price, route, or level of service for air transportation provided by an air carrier. Limits the preemption to any such law or regulation that would directly prescribe a price, route, or level of service. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations to establish minimum Federal standards for resuscitation, emergency medical, and first-aid equipment and supplies to be carried on board an aircraft operated by an air carrier that is capable of carrying at least 30 passengers. Bars an air carrier or foreign air carrier from preventing or hindering (including by failing to assist) a passenger from exiting an aircraft if: (1) the aircraft is parked at an airport terminal gate with access to ramp or other facilities through which passengers are customarily boarded and deplaned; (2) such aircraft has remained at the gate more than one hour past its scheduled departure time; and (3) the captain of the aircraft has not been informed by air traffic control authorities that such aircraft can be cleared for departure within 15 minutes. (Sec. 5) Establishes the National Commission to Ensure Consumer Information and Choice in the Airline Industry. Requires the Commission, among other things, to study and make policy recommendations to the President and Congress on consumer access to information about the products and services of the airline industry, especially airline fares and routes.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Bear Protection Act of 1999 - Prohibits any person from: (1) importing bear viscera into, or exporting it from, the United States; or (2) selling bear viscera, bartering, offering it for sale or barter, or purchasing, possessing, transporting, delivering, or receiving it in interstate or foreign commerce. Subjects persons who violate such prohibitions to specified penalties. Waives such prohibition for wildlife law enforcement purposes where a valid permit has been issued. Requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of State to discuss issues involving such trade with the appropriate representatives of countries that are the leading importers, exporters, or consumers of such products. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to report to Congress on the progress of efforts to end illegal trade in bear viscera.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Young American Workers' Bill of Rights - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to revise and increase requirements relating to child labor standards, including: (1) reporting, recordkeeping, and certification; (2) orders and regulations; (3) penalties; (4) coverage regardless of sales volume; (5) civil actions; and (6) migrant or seasonal agricultural labor. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) compile (jointly with the Census Bureau) annual child labor data with respect to individuals under age 18; (2) provide for coordination among enforcement personnel for Federal and State labor standards, occupational health and safety laws, and Federal immigration laws; (3) establish an Advisory Committee for Child Labor; and (4) publicize violators of child labor laws. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act of 1999 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer providing group coverage, from: (1) excluding or restricting benefits for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services; (2) denying eligibility based on use or potential use of such items or services; (3) providing monetary payments or rebates to a covered individual to encourage acceptance of less than the minimum protections available; (4) penalizing, reducing, or limiting a professional's reimbursement because the professional prescribed such drugs or devices or provided such services; or (5) providing incentives to a professional to induce the professional to withhold drugs, devices, or services. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply those prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Alcohol Shipment to Minors Prohibition Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to require that any package placed for shipment in interstate commerce that contains any alcoholic beverage: (1) bear a conspicuous label, in accordance with such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe, stating that the package contains an alcoholic beverage and that the signature of a person of legal drinking age is required for delivery; and (2) be accompanied by documentation showing the full legal name and address of the person placing the package for such shipment. Requires any person who: (1) places for shipment in interstate commerce a package containing any alcoholic beverage, prior to shipment, to verify that the recipient is of legal drinking age; and (2) delivers a package shipped in interstate commerce that contains any alcoholic beverage and is labeled pursuant to this Act to obtain, upon delivery, the signature of a person of legal drinking age and to verify such person's age. Sets penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Condemns: (1) Palestinian efforts to circumvent United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, as well as violate the Oslo peace process, by attempting to revive UN General Assembly Resolution 181 and thereby placing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process at risk; and (2) the UN Commission on Human Rights for voting to formally endorse such Resolution as the basis for the future of Palestinian self-determination. Reiterates: (1) that any just and final peace agreement regarding the final status of the territory controlled by the Palestinians can only be determined through direct negotiations and agreement between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization; and (2) Congress' continued unequivocal support for the security and well-being of the State of Israel and of the Oslo peace process based on UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. Calls for the President to declare that: (1) it is U.S. policy that UN General Assembly Resolution 181 is null and void; (2) all negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians must be based on UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338; and (3) the United States regards any attempt by the Palestinians, the UN, or any entity to resurrect UN General Assembly Resolution 181 as a basis for negotiations, or for any international decision, as an attempt to sabotage the prospects for a successful peace agreement in the Middle East.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1999
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend the retroactive eligibility dates for financial assistance for higher education for spouses and dependent children of law enforcement officers who are killed in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1999
Sequoia Ecosystem and Recreation Preserve Act of 1999 - Designates specified California lands within the Sequoia National Forest and the Inyo National Forest as wilderness areas to be administered as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. (Sec. 5) Establishes the Giant Sequoia National Forest Preserve as a unit of the National Forest System for the: (1) protection and maintenance of giant sequoia groves, their supporting ecosystems, and associated forests; and (2) preservation of the natural state and processes that have created and maintained such forests. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to appoint a Scientific Advisory Team for the Preserve. (Sec. 8) Directs the Secretary to publish a final management plan for the Preserve for the protection, restoration, and enhancement of natural, scientific, and recreational values. Provides for interim Preserve management by the Secretary. (Sec. 9) Directs the Secretary, as part of the management plan, to designate and map the ancient forest reserves within the Preserve. (Sec. 10) Requires the management plan to include a comprehensive transportation plan that protects natural Preserve features while ensuring visitor safety and that includes a trail plan identifying which trails will allow motorized access. (Sec. 11) Allows all current campgrounds within the Preserve to remain in place, subject to evaluation by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to provide new camping opportunities. (Sec. 12) Authorizes the continued use of Preserve areas for hunting and fishing, firewood collection, and grazing, but prohibits new patents from being issued under the mining or geothermal laws. (Sec. 16) Directs the Secretary to establish a Community Assistance Task Force to oversee the provision of assistance to communities and workers in political subdivisions whose boundaries include Federal lands in the Preserve or contain facilities that milled timber from lands in the Preserve during any portion of the five-year period ending on the date of enactment of this Act. (Sec. 17) Prohibits the Secretary, in preparing the Preserve budget proposal for each fiscal year, from targeting any of the budget to any commodity production in the Preserve. (Sec. 18) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1999
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Clinton administration should: (1) be commended for supporting United Nations Commission on Human Rights Resolution 1999-13 (concerning continued discrimination against religious minorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran), and should continue to work through the United Nations to assure that Iran implements that resolution's recommendations; (2) condemn the recent arrest of members of Iran's Jewish minority and urge their immediate release; (3) urge all nations having relations with Iran to condemn the treatment of religious minorities in Iran and call for the release of all prisoners held on the basis of their religious beliefs; and (4) maintain the current U.S. policy toward Iran unless and until that country moderates its treatment of religious minorities.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1999
Bone Marrow Blood Testing Coverage Act of 1999 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act to provide coverage of human (leukocyte) antigen (bone marrow blood) testing under specified conditions. Gives the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Health and Human Services oversight authority under the respective Acts with regard to the administration and enforcement of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Export Enhancement Act of 1999 - Sets forth policy recommendations for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and the International Trade Administration (ITA). Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to extend through FY 2003 OPIC's authority to issue investment insurance and guarantees. Revises the purposes of the Trade and Development Agency to include, with respect to the promotion of U.S. private sector participation in development projects in developing and middle-income countries, special emphasis on economic sectors with significant U.S. export potential, such as energy, transportation, telecommunications, and environment. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations to the ITA for its Market Access and Compliance program, Trade Development program, and Commercial Service program. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to take steps to ensure the appointment of United States and Foreign Commercial Service employees in no fewer than ten sub-Saharan African countries, including the adequate appointment of personnel for South and Central America and the Caribbean, in order that U.S. businesses are made aware of existing market opportunities for goods and services. Directs the ITA to undertake the Global Diversity and Urban Export Initiative in order to increase exports from minority-owned businesses, focusing on businesses in under-served areas, including inner-city urban enterprise zones. Authorizes the ITA to advertise in newspapers, business journals, and other relevant publications and related media to inform businesses about ITA services. Revises the composition of the OPIC Board of Directors. Amends the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 to require the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC) to develop a Federal trade promotion plan that, among other things, shall: (1) ensure that all export promotion activities of the U.S. Agency for International Development are fully coordinated and consistent with those of other agencies; (2) identify the means for providing more coordinated export promotion services to small and medium-sized businesses; and (3) establish a set of priorities to promote U.S. exports to, and free market reforms in, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and other emerging markets, that are designed to stimulate job growth both in the United States and those regions and emerging markets. Requires the TPCC to: (1) report on actions taken to eliminate the areas of overlap and duplication identified among Federal export promotion activities; (2) coordinate efforts to sponsor or promote any trade show or trade fair; (3) work with all relevant State and national organizations, including the National Governors' Association, that have established trade promotion offices; and (4) report to Congress on actions taken to promote better coordination among State, Federal, and private sector export promotion activities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Harold Hughes-Bill Emerson Substance Abuse Treatment Parity Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code to provide for parity in the application of treatment limitations and financial requirements to substance abuse treatment benefits under group health plans and individual health insurance coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Directs the President to develop a strategy to bring the United States back into full membership in the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Directs the Department of State to report annually to Congress on actions taken to rejoin UNESCO until the United States again becomes a member.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 1999 - Amends Federal provisions concerning the military Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) to adjust the basic SBP annuity amount for surviving spouses age 62 or over of former military personnel to: (1) 35 percent of the retired pay of the decedent, for months beginning on or before the enactment of this Act (current law); (2) 40 percent of such pay, for months beginning after the date of enactment of this Act until October 2004; and (3) 45 percent of such pay, for months beginning on or after October 2004. Adjusts similarly the percentage amounts of SBP supplemental annuity authorized to be provided for such surviving spouses. Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure appropriate adjustments in the computation of retired pay reductions for such supplemental annuities made necessary by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
States that in the case of a taxable year beginning before January 1, 1980, the determination of whether a tax deduction as a trade or business expense is allowable under the Internal Revenue Code for flight training expenses shall be made without regard to whether the taxpayer was reimbursed for any portion of such expenses through certain veterans educational assistance programs. Sets forth statute of limitations provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Declares that: (1) no Member of Congress or any other American should generalize or stereotype the actions of an individual to an entire group of people; (2) Americans of Asian ancestry are entitled to all rights and privileges afforded to all Americans; and (3) the Attorney General, the Secretary of Energy, and the Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission should, within their respective jurisdictions, vigorously enforce the security of the national laboratories and investigate all allegations of discrimination in public or private workplaces.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Commends the bravery and honor of the citizens of Remy, France, for their actions with respect to the American fighter pilot Lieutenant Houston Braly during and after August 1944. Recognizes the efforts of the surviving members of the U.S. 364th Fighter Group to raise funds to restore the stained glass windows of Remy's 13th century church.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1999
Asthma Awareness, Education and Treatment Act of 1999 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public and nonprofit private entities for carrying out projects to provide for individuals in low-income communities: (1) screenings and referrals regarding asthma, allergies, and related respiratory problems; (2) information and education regarding such conditions; and (3) workshops regarding such conditions for specified individuals who serve in supervisory roles of children in such communities. Outlines requirements for such projects. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2004. Authorizes the Secretary to award contracts for a national media campaign to provide to the public and health care providers information on such conditions, with priority given to the occurrence of such conditions in children. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a tax credit, effective as of January 1, 2000, to providers of pest control or climate control services who donate such services in any public housing or low-income multifamily residential rental property. Directs the Secretary to conduct research to determine whether and to what extent there is a causal relationship between air pollutants and the occurrence of such conditions, requiring priority to be given to clinical evaluations of low-income individuals. Requires the Director of the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute to: (1) identify all Federal programs that carry out asthma-related activities; (2) develop a Federal plan for responding to asthma; and (3) submit recommendations to Congress on strengthening the coordination of Federal asthma-related activities. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to: (1) conduct local asthma surveillance activities in order to collect asthma prevalence, severity, and management data; and (2) compile and annually publish data on the prevalence of children suffering from asthma in each State, as well as the childhood asthma mortality rate nationally and in each State.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards Part A: Basic Grants Part B: Even Start Part C: Education of Migratory Children Part D: Neglected and Delinquent Children Part E: Federal Evaluations, Demonstrations, and Transition Projects Part F: General Provisions Part G: Reading Excellence Title II: High Standards in the Classroom Part A: Teaching to High Standards Title III: Technology for Education Part A: Federal Leadership and National Activities Part B: Special Projects Part C: Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology Part D: Regional, State, and Local Educational Technology Resources Title IV: Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Title V: Promoting Equity, Excellence, and Public School Choice Title VI: Class-Size Reduction Title VII: Bilingual Education Act Title VIII: Impact Aid Title IX: Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education Part A: Indian Education Part B: Native Hawaiian Education Act Part C: Alaska Native Education Title X: Programs of National Significance Title XI: General Provisions, Definitions, and Accountability Title XII: Amendments to Other Laws; Repeals Part A: Amendments to Other Laws Part B: Repeals Educational Excellence for All Children Act of 1999 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise and reauthorize ESEA programs through FY 2005. (Sec. 3) Renames the National Education Goals (currently in title I of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act), as America's Education Goals, revises such Goals, and includes them under ESEA. Title I: Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards - Extends the authorization of appropriations for the following ESEA title I programs: (1) part A basic grants to States for improving programs of local educational agencies (LEAs); (2) part B Even Start program; (3) part C education of migratory children; (4) part D State agency programs for neglected or delinquent children; (5) part E Reading Excellence program (transferred from title II); and (6) part F Federal activities. (Sec. 103) Requires each State educational agency (SEA) to: (1) reserve a portion (2.5 percent in FY 2001 and 2002, 3.5 percent in subsequent fiscal years) of its annual basic grant under part A of title I to carry out certain LEA assistance and school improvement activities; and (2) allocate at least 70 percent of such reserved amount directly to LEAs in accordance with specified priorities, or use at least that portion of the reserved amount to carry out an alternative system of school and LEA improvement and corrective action described in the State plan and approved by the Secretary of Education. Part A: Basic Grants - Revises requirements for State plans. (Sec. 111) Requires State plan coordination with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 (VTEA). Revises provisions relating to assessments of limited English proficient (LEP) children. Requires submission of accountability plans and establishment of accountability systems that are based on challenging standards, include all students, promote continuous improvement, and include rigorous criteria for identifying and intervening in schools and districts in need of improvement. Eliminates a requirement that States identify languages other than English that are present in the participating school population, indicate the languages for which assessments are not available, and make every effort to develop those assessments. Directs the Secretary to include experts on educational standards, assessments, accountability, and the diverse educational needs of students in the peer-review process used to review State plans. (Sec. 112) Revises requirements for LEA plans. Requires LEA plan coordination with IDEA and VTEA. Requires LEA plans to describe any assessments that they will use to determine the literacy levels of first graders and their need for interventions and how they will ensure that those assessments: (1) are developmentally appropriate; (2) use multiple measures to provide information about the variety of relevant skills; and (3) are administered to students in the language most likely to yield valid results. Requires LEA professional development strategies under title I part A to be components of their professional development plans under the new title II, if they receive title II funds. Includes Indian children served under title IX of ESEA among those for whom LEA plans must describe coordination of title I services with other educational services. Requires LEA plans to include descriptions of: (1) the actions an LEA will take to assist its low-performing schools, if any, in making the changes needed to educate all children to the State standards; and (2) how the LEA will promote the use of extended learning time, such as an extended school year, before- and after-school programs, and summer programs. Requires LEA assurances regarding: (1) annual assessment of the English proficiency of all LEP children participating in part A programs, using assessment results to help guide and modify instruction in the content areas, and providing those results to the children's parents; and (2) compliance with specified requirements regarding teacher qualifications and the use of paraprofessionals. Requires States to use a peer-review process in reviewing LEA plans. (Sec. 113) Revises provisions relating to eligible school attendance areas. Authorizes an LEA to: (1) continue serving an attendance area for one year after it loses its eligibility; and (2) allocate greater per-child amounts of title I funds to higher-poverty areas and schools than it provides to lower-poverty areas and schools. Requires LEAs to reserve sufficient funds to serve homeless children who do not attend participating schools. (Sec. 114) Revises provisions for schoolwide programs. Allows use of IDEA funds for such programs under certain conditions. Requires peer review and LEA approval of a schoolwide plan before implementation. (Sec. 115) Revises provisions for targeted assistance schools. Allows preschool children of any age to be served under part A if they can benefit from an organized instructional program. Provides that children who, within the prior two years, had received title I preschool services are eligible for services under part A (as are children who participated in a Head Start or Even Start program in such period). (Sec. 116) Revises provisions relating to assessment and LEA and school improvement. Sets forth examples of criteria to be used by SEAs in designating Distinguished Schools. Requires each participating school identified by an LEA as being in need of improvement, to develop or revise a school plan, in consultation with parents, school staff, the LEA, and a State school support team or other outside experts. Requires an LEA to take at least one of a number of specified corrective actions in the case of a school that fails to make progress within three years of its identification as being in need of improvement. Requires an LEA that has been identified by the SEA as needing improvement to submit a revised part A plan to the SEA for peer review and approval. Requires an SEA to take certain corrective actions in the case of an LEA that fails to make sufficient progress within three years of being identified as in need of improvement. (Sec. 117) Revises provisions for State assistance for school support and improvement. Requires SEAs to provide such assistance according to the following order of priorities: first, to LEAs identified for corrective action and to individual schools for which an LEA has failed to carry out certain responsibilities; next, to other LEAs identified as in need of improvement, but not identified as in need of corrective action; and finally, to other LEAs and schools that need those services in order to achieve the purpose of part A. Directs SEAs to use for such State assistance certain funds available for technical assistance and support. Authorizes SEAs also to use for such State assistance certain State administrative funds. (Sec. 118) Applies to all part A activities the requirement to provide full opportunities for participation by parents with limited English proficiency and parents with disabilities. (Sec. 119) Requires each participating LEA to: (1) hire qualified instructional staff; (2) provide high-quality professional development to staff members; and (3) use for such professional development at least five percent of its part A grant for FY 2001 and 2002, and ten percent of such grant for subsequent fiscal years. Sets forth minimum qualifications for teachers and paraprofessionals in programs supported with part A funds. Revises a list of professional development activities. Includes child-care providers among those with whom an LEA could choose to conduct joint professional development activities. (Sec. 120) Revises provisions for program participation of children enrolled in private schools. Allows LEAs to determine the number of poor children in private schools every year or every two years. Revises provisions relating to consultation with private school officials regarding provision of program services to children. (Sec. 120A) Revises criteria for determining the required comparability of services that a participating LEA provides in title I schools, from State and local sources, with those it provides in its other schools. Requires LEAs to update their records documenting compliance with such comparability requirement annually. (Sec. 120B) Sets forth additional requirements for quality assurance by preschool programs carried out with part A funds. (Sec. 120C) Revises formulas and other requirements for allocations of part A basic grant funds to territories, States, and LEAs. (Sec. 120D) Requires States to report annually to the Secretary on specified program indicators relating to schools participating in the part A program. Part B: Even Start - Revises the ESEA title I part B Even Start program. (Sec. 121) Requires Even Start programs to be based on the best available research on language development, reading instruction, and prevention of reading difficulties. (Sec. 122) Directs the Secretary to reserve five percent of program funds to support national demonstration and model projects for isolated and especially hard-to-reach populations, including projects for: (1) children of migratory workers; (2) the outlying areas; (3) Indian tribes and tribal organizations; and (4) other populations, such as families that are homeless, that have children with severe disabilities, or that include incarcerated mothers of young children. Limits to not more than one percent of program funds the amount which may be reserved to provide technical assistance, program improvement, and replication activities. Makes discretionary, rather than mandatory, the Secretary's making of competitive grants for interagency coordination of statewide family literacy initiatives. Allows for-profit, as well as nonprofit, organizations to qualify as providers of technical assistance. (Sec. 123) Requires States applying for Even Start grants to submit State plans, including State indicators of program quality. (Sec. 124) Includes family literacy services among permissible uses of Even Start program funds. (Sec. 125) Revises required elements of Even Start programs. Allows career counseling and job placement services to be offered to accommodate participants' work schedules and other responsibilities. Requires instructional programs to integrate all elements of family literacy services. Sets forth requirements relating to: (1) qualifications of instructional staff and paraprofessionals; and (2) staff training to obtain certification in relevant instructional areas, as well as necessary skills. Includes individuals with disabilities among those who may be most in need of program services. Revises various provisions relating to retention of families in Even Start programs. (Sec. 126) Includes as eligible for Even Start program participation teenage parents who are attending school, but who are above the State's age for compulsory school attendance. (Sec. 127) Revises application provisions relating to local Even Start plans to require: (1) program improvement emphasis; (2) outcome goals for participating children and families that are consistent with the State's program indicators; (3) addressing of specified program elements; and (4) evaluation plans. (Sec. 128) Revises subgrant award provisions to require a State's review panel to include an individual with expertise in family literacy programs. Makes optional, rather than mandatory, the inclusion of one or more of other specified types of individuals on such panels. Authorizes each State to continue Even Start funding, for up to two years beyond the eight-year limit, for up to two exemplary projects in the State that have been highly successful and that show substantial potential to serve as models for other projects throughout the Nation and as mentor sites for other family literacy projects in the State. (Sec. 130) Sets the end of FY 2000 as the deadline for States to develop certain required indicators of program quality. Adds to such required indicators others relating to the levels of intensity of services and the duration of participating children and adults needed to reach the outcomes the State specifies. (Sec. 130A) Repeals specified provisions relating to research. Part C: Education of Migratory Children - Revises part C title I ESEA provisions for education of migratory children. (Sec. 131) Revises formulas and other requirements for allocation of funds to the States and Puerto Rico. Establishes minimum and maximum annual State allocation amounts. (Sec. 132) Revises State application requirements to include certain elements of the separate comprehensive service-delivery plan requirements removed by this Act. (Sec. 133) Revises authorized activities. Removes requirements that a State develop a comprehensive service-delivery plan that is separate from its application for funds. (Sec. 134) Makes for-profit entities (as well as nonprofit entities) eligible for awards of funds to carry out various activities to support the interstate and intrastate coordination of migrant-education activities. Increases the maximum amount that may be reserved each year from the appropriation for the Migrant Education program to support coordination activities. Authorizes awarding of incentive grants to States that form consortia to improve the delivery of services to migratory children whose education is interrupted. (Current law makes such grant awards mandatory and competitive.) Increases the maximum amount that may be reserved for such grant awards. Part D: Neglected and Delinquent Children - Revises and renames part D title I ESEA as State Agency Programs for Children and Youth Who Are Neglected or Delinquent. (Sec. 143) Revises requirements for payments for part D programs. (Sec. 144) Revises requirements for allocation of part D funds to the States and Puerto Rico. (Sec. 145) Requires State plans to provide that participating children will be held to the same challenging academic standards, as well as given the same opportunity to learn, as they would if they were attending local public schools. (Sec. 147) Repeals provisions for Local Agency Programs. (Sec. 148) Revises program evaluation provisions to require that an SEA to use multiple measures of student progress that are: (1) appropriate for the students and feasible for the SEA; and (2) consistent with the requirement to provide participating children the same opportunities to learn, and to hold them to the same standards that would apply if they were attending local public schools. Part E: Federal Evaluations, Demonstrations, and Transition Projects - Revises provisions relating to evaluations, management information, demonstrations of innovative practices and other Federal activities. Part F: General Provisions - Repeals certain requirements relating to rulemaking and issuance of a program assistance manual. Part G: Reading Excellence - Transfers the Reading Excellence Act program (currently part C of title II of ESEA) to a new part E of title I of ESEA. (Sec. 171) Revises provisions for reading and literacy activities grants to allow an SEA to apply for and receive a subsequent grant. Requires SEA grant applications to include the process and criteria to be used to review and approve LEA applications for local reading improvement subgrants and tutorial assistance subgrants, including a peer-review process with individuals with relevant expertise. (Sec. 172) Requires SEAs receiving part G grants to use such funds as follows: (1) not more than five percent for State administrative costs, including a specified two percent maximum for such costs with respect to a specified program; and (2) award up to 15 percent through at least one tutorial assistance subgrant. (Sec. 173) Limits eligibility for local reading improvement subgrants to LEAs that operate schools for grades one through three. Requires that the schools in which such reading instruction activities are provided serve children in the third grade or below. (Sec. 174) Limits eligibility for tutorial assistance subgrants to LEAs that serve children for grades one through three. Requires that such grant funds serve children in the third grade or below. (Sec. 176) Authorizes the National Institute for Literacy to use a specified amount to pay for the costs of administering information dissemination activities. Authorizes the Secretary to reserve a specified amount for the Reading Excellence program for technical assistance, program improvement, and replication activities. (Sec. 177) Repeals an authorization of appropriations (but transfers the authorization of appropriations for the Reading Excellence program to another part of ESEA). (Sec. 178) Transfers the authority for the Reading Excellence program (currently in part C of title II of ESEA) to part E of title I of ESEA. Title II: High Standards in the Classroom - Revises and renames title II of ESEA as High Standards in the Classroom. Part A: Teaching to High Standards - Authorizes a new program by consolidating the Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program (current title II ESEA) and Innovative Education Program Strategies (current title VI ESEA) and the current title III of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. (Sec. 201) Authorizes appropriations for the following part A programs: (1) State and local activities (subpart 2); and (2) national activities for the improvement of teaching and school leadership (subpart 3). Sets forth subpart 2 provisions for State and Local Activities. Sets forth formulas for allocations to the States, the outlying areas, and schools operated or funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Requires priority use of part A funds for professional development in mathematics and science. Increases the amount of the current Eisenhower program's set-aside amount for professional development in mathematics and science. Allows such professional development in mathematics and science to include interdisciplinary activities, as long as these activities include a strong focus on mathematics and science. Requires funds in excess of the set-aside amount to be used in one or more of the core academic subjects, including mathematics and science. Sets forth State application requirements. Requires States to submit annual reports to the Secretary on their own program activities and on the progress of subgrant recipients against program performance indicators. Sets forth requirements relating to funds for: (1) State-level activities, program evaluations, and administration, including certain amounts for the State higher education agency (SHEA); and (2) within-State allocations for formula and competitive grants to LEAs. Sets forth authorized State-level activities to promote high-quality instruction. Allows SHEAs to reserve a portion of their allocation for administrative activities and program evaluations and require them, in cooperation with SEAs, to award competitive subgrants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, institutions of higher education (IHEs) or nonprofit organizations to provide professional development in the core academic subjects. Requires priority to be given to projects that focus on teacher induction programs. Requires awards to be made only to projects that include an LEA, are coordinated with related activities under title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), and involve the IHE's school or department of education and the school or departments in the specific disciplines in which the professional development will be provided. Sets forth program activities and reporting requirements. Requires SEAs to award competitive subgrants to LEAs, using a peer-review process that includes reviewers knowledgeable in the academic content areas. Requires SEAs to adopt strategies to ensure that LEAs with the greatest need are provided a reasonable opportunity to receive an award. Sets a three-year subgrant period, allowing extension for an additional two years if the SEA determines that the LEA is making substantial progress toward meeting the goals in the LEA's district-wide plan for raising student achievement against State standards and against the performance indicators identified by the Secretary. Sets forth requirements for LEA applications to SEAs for formula or competitive subgrants. Requires a district-wide plan that describes how the LEA will raise student achievement against State standards by: (1) supporting the alignment of curricula, assessments, and professional development to challenging State and local content standards; (2) providing professional development in the core academic content areas; (3) carrying out activities to assist new teachers during their first three years in the classroom; and (4) ensuring that teachers employed by the LEA are proficient in teaching skills and content knowledge. Requires the LEA application also to identify specific goals for achieving program purposes, assure collection of data that measures progress toward program performance indicators, and describe how it will: (1) address the needs of high-poverty, low-performing schools, and of teachers of students with limited English proficiency and other students with special needs; (2) coordinate program funds with professional development activities funded through other State and Federal programs, use its formula subgrant funds to address the items in the district-wide plan, and use any additional funds from a competitive subgrant to implement that plan. Sets forth authorized uses of program funds by LEAs to implement their district-wide plans. Requires LEAs to submit program reports to SEAs. Sets forth formulas for Federal and local shares of program costs. Prohibits subgrantees from using program funds for equipment, computer hardware, textbooks, telecommunications fees, or other items, that would otherwise be provided by the LEA or State, or by a private school whose students receive services under the program. Directs the Secretary to identify indicators of program performance against which recipients would report their progress. Sets forth subpart 3 provisions for National Activities for the Improvement of Teaching and School Leadership. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to, and contracts with LEAs, SEAs, SHEAs, IHEs, educational service agencies, and other public and private nonprofit entities to support: (1) activities of national significance that are not supported through other sources and that will contribute to the improvement of teaching and school leadership in the Nation's schools; (2) activities of national significance that will contribute to the recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers and principals in high-poverty LEAs; and (3) a national evaluation of the part A program. Directs the Secretary to support: (1) the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; and (2) the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education (Clearinghouse). Authorizes the Secretary to make a grant or contract to continue the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education. Sets forth part B provisions for the Transition-to-Teaching program, and the Troops-to-Teachers program, to address the need of high-poverty school districts for highly qualified teachers in subject areas such as mathematics, science, foreign languages, bilingual education, and special education needed by those school districts. Authorizes the Secretary to use part B funds to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to IHEs and public and private nonprofit entities to carry out part B Transition-to-Teaching programs. Requires the Secretary, before making such awards, to: (1) consult with the Secretaries of Defense and Transportation with respect to the appropriate amount of funding necessary to continue and enhance the Troops-to-Teachers program; and (2) transfer such amount to the Department of Defense to carry out such program. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a written agreement with the Departments of Defense and of Transportation, or take other appropriate steps to ensure effective continuation of such program. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth part B requirements for applications. Authorizes use of part B funds for: (1) recruitment of program participants; (2) training stipends and other financial incentives for program participants; (3) assistance to IHEs or other teacher training providers to meet particular needs of professionals changing their careers to teaching; (4) placement activities, including identifying high-poverty LEAs with needs for particular skills and characteristics of the newly trained program participants and assisting those participants to obtain employment in those LEAs; and (5) post-placement induction or support activities for program participants. Requires program participants who complete training to teach in a high-poverty LEA for at least three years, or else repay all or a portion of their training stipend or other incentive. Sets forth part C provisions for Early Childhood Educator Professional Development. Directs the Secretary to make competitive grants to eligible partnerships consisting of: (1) at least one IHE (or another public or private, nonprofit entity) that provides professional development for early childhood educators who work with children from low-income families in high-need communities; and (2) one or more public agencies (including LEAs, SEAs, State human services agencies, and State and local agencies administering programs under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990), Head Start agencies, or private nonprofit entities. Gives priority to applications from partnerships that include one or more LEAs that operate early childhood programs for children from low-income families in high-need communities. Sets forth requirements for applications, selection of grantees, uses of funds, allowable activities, technologies, and data collection, evaluation, and reporting activities necessary to meet program accountability requirements, performance indicators, reports, and cost-sharing. Directs the Secretary (of Education) and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to coordinate activities of this program and other early childhood programs that they administer. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth part D provisions for technical assistance programs, including the following subparts: (1) strengthening the capacity of SEAs and LEAs to become effective, informed consumers of technical assistance; (2) technical assistance centers serving special needs; (3) technology-based technical assistance information dissemination; and (4) national evaluation activities. Sets forth requirements for allocation of subpart 1 funds, formula grants to SEAs, State applications and uses of funds, direct formula grants to large LEAs, local applications and uses of funds, and equitable services for private schools. Directs the Secretary to establish, through one or more contracts, an independent source of consumer information regarding the quality and effectiveness of technical assistance activities and providers available to States, LEAs, and other recipients of funds under ESEA, in selecting technical assistance activities and providers for their use. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth subpart 2 provisions for technical assistance centers serving special needs. Sets forth general requirements applicable to all technical assistance providers that receive funds under this subpart 2, all consortia that receive funds under subpart 2 part B title III ESEA, and the educational laboratories, and clearinghouses of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), supported under the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to public or private nonprofit entities (or consortia of those entities) to operate two centers for technical assistance on the needs of special populations. Requires such centers to provide training and technical assistance to SEAs, LEAs, schools, tribes, community-based organizations, and other recipients of funds under ESEA on: (1) addressing specific linguistic, cultural, or other needs of limited English proficient, migratory, Indian, and Alaska Native students; and (2) educational strategies to enable those students to meet challenging State academic content and performance standards. Requires each center to give priority to providing services to schools, including BIA-funded schools, that educate such students and have the highest percentages or numbers of children in poverty and the lowest student achievement levels. Sets forth accountability requirements. Authorizes appropriations for such centers. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements for Parental Information and Resource Centers (PIRCs) (currently authorized under Title IV of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act). Provides for such awards to nonprofit organizations that serve parents, particularly those organizations that make substantial efforts to reach low-income, minority, or limited English proficient parents. Requires PIRCs to: (1) coordinate the efforts of Federal, State, and local parent education and family involvement initiatives; and (2) provide training, information, and support to SEAs, LEAs, schools, and organizations that support family-school partnerships. Sets forth requirements for applications, matching funds, and uses of funds. Increases from 50 percent to 75 percent the minimum portion of its award which each recipient of such funds must use to support activities that serve areas with large numbers or concentrations of low-income families. Authorizes the Secretary to reserve a portion of program funds for technical assistance to the PIRCs and evaluations of program activities. Sets forth reporting and general program provisions. Authorizes appropriations for the PIRC program. Revises and authorizes provisions for the Eisenhower Regional Mathematics and Science Education Consortia (currently authorized under part C title XIII ESEA). Authorizes appropriations for the Eisenhower Consortia. Sets forth subpart 3 provisions for technology-based technical assistance information dissemination. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out, through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements, a national system, through the Worldwide Web and other advanced telecommunications technologies, that supports interactive information sharing and dissemination about ways to improve educational practices throughout the Nation. Directs the Secretary, in designing and implementing such system, to create opportunities for the continuing input of students, teachers, administrators, and other individuals who participate in, or may be affected by, the Nation's educational system. Requires such system to include information on: (1) stimulating instructional materials that are aligned with challenging content standards; and (2) successful and innovative practices in instruction, professional development, challenging academic content and student performance standards, assessments, effective school management, and other appropriate areas. Authorizes the Secretary to require certain technical assistance providers funded under ESEA or the ERIC educational laboratories and clearinghouses to participate in such information dissemination system in specified ways. Directs the Secretary to ensure that such system's dissemination activities are integrated with those of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), and that the public has access, through this system, to the latest research, statistics, and other information supported by, or available from, OERI. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out additional activities to assist LEAs, SEAs, tribes, and other ESEA recipients in meeting the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. Authorizes appropriations for subpart 3. Sets forth subpart 4 provisions for national evaluation activities. Directs the Secretary to conduct, directly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements, activities necessary to: (1) determine what constitutes effective technical assistance; (2) evaluate the effectiveness of the technical assistance and dissemination programs authorized by, or assisted under, part E title II ESEA, and the ERIC educational laboratories, and clearinghouses; and (3) increase the effectiveness of those programs. Title III: Technology for Education - Technology for Education Act - Revises and reorganizes title III of ESEA to change its short title to the Technology for Education Act. (Sec. 304) Requires recipients to use title III funds only to supplement, and not to supplant, those non-Federal funds or resources. Part A: Federal Leadership and National Activities - Revises and renames part A title III ESEA as Federal Leadership and National Activities. (Sec. 311) Repeals authority for the Product Development program. (Sec. 312) Directs the Secretary to update the national long-range technology plan and to broadly disseminate the updated plan. Includes among requirements for such plan descriptions of how the Secretary will promote or encourage: (1) full integration of technology into learning, including the creation of new instructional opportunities through access to challenging courses and information that would otherwise not have been available, and independent learning opportunities for students through technology; (2) creation of opportunities for teachers to develop, through the use of technology, their own networks and resources for sustained and intensive, high-quality professional development; and (3) commercial development of effective, high-quality, cost-competitive educational technology and software. (Sec. 313) Replaces the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Systems with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on the list of agencies with which the Secretary consults under the program for Federal leadership in promoting the use of technology in education. Authorizes the Secretary to develop a national repository of information on the effective uses of educational technology, including its use for sustained and intensive, high-quality professional development, and the dissemination of that information nationwide. (Sec. 314) Eliminates a requirement that funds be used for a discretionary grant program when appropriations for part A of title III of the ESEA are less than a specified amount, and for a State formula grant program when the appropriation exceeds that amount. Directs the Secretary to develop and carry out a strategy for an ongoing National Evaluation of Education Technology. Authorizes appropriations for the national evaluation strategy, national plan, and Federal leadership activities. Part B: Special Projects - Repeals the following ESEA title III provisions: (1) part B, the Star Schools Program; and (2) part E, the Elementary Mathematics and Science Equipment Program. (Sec. 321) Redesignates and renames the following ESEA title III provisions: (1) part C, Ready-To-Learn Television, as subpart 2 part B title III ESEA, Ready-to-Learn-Digital-Television; and (2) part D, Telecommunications Demonstration Project for Mathematics, as subpart 3 part B title III ESEA. Establishes a program of Next-Generation Technology Innovation Awards, as subpart 1 part B title III ESEA. Authorizes the Secretary, through the Office of Educational Technology (OET), to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements on a competitive basis to eligible applicants, which are consortia that include: (1) at least one SEA or LEA; and (2) at least one IHE, for-profit business, museum, library, other public or private entity with appropriate expertise. Sets forth requirements for applications, plans, priorities, uses of funds, and evaluation. Authorizes appropriations for subpart 1, Next-Generation Technology Innovation Awards. (Sec. 322) Authorizes appropriations for the revised subpart 2, Ready-to-Learn-Digital-Television. (Sec. 323) Authorizes appropriations for the Telecommunications Program for Professional Development in the Core Content Areas. (Sec. 324) Establishes a program for Community Technology Centers, as subpart 4 part B title III ESEA. Authorizes the Secretary, through OET, to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible applicants to create or expand community technology centers that expand access to information technology and related training for disadvantaged residents of distressed urban or rural communities or to provide technical assistance and support to such centers. Sets forth requirements for eligibility, applications, required and permissible uses of funds, and cost-sharing. Authorizes appropriations for subpart 4, Community Technology Centers. Part C: Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology - Establishes a part C title III ESEA program, Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology. (Sec. 331) Authorizes the Secretary, through OET, to award competitive grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to develop or redesign teacher preparation programs to enable prospective teachers to use technology effectively in their classrooms. Requires applicants to be consortia that include at least one IHE that offers a baccalaureate degree and prepares teachers for their initial entry into teaching, at least one SEA or LEA, and at least one other of specified types of entities with the capacity to contribute to the technology-related reform of teacher preparation programs. Sets forth requirements for applications, matching funds, required and permissible uses of funds. Authorizes appropriations. Part D: Regional, State, and Local Educational Technology Resources - Establishes a part D title III ESEA program, Regional, State, and Local Educational Technology Resources, including: (1) subpart 1, the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund (TLCF); and (2) subpart 2, Regional Technology in Education Consortia (RTEC). (Sec. 342) Revises provisions for allotment and reallotment of TLCF funds to include the BIA as a State educational agency for such purposes. Revises provisions for minimum TLCF grant amounts for States and outlying areas. (Sec. 343) Revises requirements under the subpart 1 TLCF, including: (1) State use of grant funds to make subgrants to LEAs; (2) State and local applications; and (3) local uses of funds. (Sec. 347) Repeals a current part D program for National Challenge Grants for Technology in Education (but establishes a similar program, the Next-Generation Technology Innovation Awards program, as the new subpart 1 part C title III ESEA). (Sec. 348) Adds certain definitions to target subpart 1 funds to low-performing schools in needy areas. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 349) Revises requirements under the subpart 2 RTEC. Directs the Secretary to make subpart 2 grants to, or enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, consortia that meet specified requirements. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act - Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act - Revises ESEA title IV to change the short title (currently, Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994). Revises Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) programs to require: (1) emphasis on environments in and around schools; (2) competitive, as well as non-competitive, awarding funds to LEAs under certain conditions; and (3) increased coordination among related programs. (Sec. 401) Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth title IV part A provisions for State grants for drug and violence prevention programs. Revises requirements for reservations and allotments. Prohibits outlying areas from consolidating SDFSC funds with other Federal education funds. Requires State applications to be jointly submitted by the SEA and Governor and to include descriptions of: (1) procedures the SEA will use for reviewing applications and awarding funds to LEAs competitively, based on need and quality of the ESEA, those the SEA will use for reviewing applications and awarding funds to LEAs non-competitively, based on need and quality; (2) procedures the Governor will use for reviewing applications and awarding funds to eligible applicants competitively, based on need and quality; (3) SEA's and Governor's proposed use of funds reserved for coordinated capacity-building, technical assistance, and program accountability services and activities at the State and local levels; and (4) proposed SEA technical assistance for LEAs not receiving SDFSC State grant funds to improve their programs. Requires part A funds to be used for SEA and LEA programs and activities designed to create and maintain drug-free, safe, and orderly learning environments for learning in and around schools. Requires SEAs to reserve between ten percent and 20 percent of their part A allocations for State-level activities. Authorizes SEAs to use such reserved funds to plan, develop, and implement, jointly with the Governor, capacity building and technical assistance and accountability services to support the effective implementation of local drug and violence prevention activities throughout the State and promote program accountability and improvement. Revises provisions for State administrative costs. Authorizes SEAs and Governors to provide emergency intervention services to schools and communities following a traumatic crisis, such as a shooting or major accident that has disrupted the learning environment. Requires SEAs to: (1) use at least 80 percent of part A funds for local-level activities; (2) use at least 70 percent of their total SDFSC State grant funding for competitive awards to LEAs that the SEA determines have need for assistance; (3) base their competition on the quality of an LEA's proposed program and how closely it is aligned with specified principles of effectiveness; (4) make competitive awards to no more than 50 percent of the LEAs in the State, with certain exceptions; and (5) make their competitive awards to LEAs of sufficient size to support high-quality, effective programs and activities that are designed to create safe, disciplined, and drug- free learning environments in schools, and that are consistent with the needs, goals, and objectives identified in the State's plan. Allows SEAs to use up to ten percent of their total SDFSC State grant funding for non-competitive awards to LEAs with the greatest need for assistance that did not receive a competitive award. Requires, in order for an SEA to make a non-competitive award to an LEA, the SEA must assist the LEA in meeting the information requirements pertaining to LEA needs assessment, results-based performance measures, comprehensive safe and drug-free schools plan, evaluation plan, and assurances, and provide continuing technical assistance to the LEA to build its capacity to develop and implement high-quality, effective programs. Sets forth authorized services and activities of local drug and violence prevention programs. Requires each LEA receiving SDFSC funding to use such funds to support research-based drug and violence prevention services and activities consistent with specified principles of effectiveness. Allows an LEA to use such funds for additional activities other than research-based programming, under specified conditions. Authorizes SEAs to waive, under certain conditions, a 20 percent cap on SDFSC subgrant funds that LEAs may spend for the acquisition or use of metal detectors and security personnel. Requires Governors to: (1) use Governor's Programs funds (20 percent of the State allocation) to support community efforts that directly complement the efforts of LEAs to foster drug-free, safe, and orderly learning environments for learning in and around schools; (2) reserve between ten percent and 20 percent of their allocations for State-level activities to plan, develop, and implement, jointly with the SEA, capacity building, technical assistance, and accountability services to support the effective implementation of local drug and violence prevention activities throughout the State and promote program accountability and improvement; (3) use at least 80 percent of SDFSC State grant funding to make competitive subgrants to community-based organizations, LEAs, and other public entities and private non-profit organizations to support community efforts that directly complement the efforts of LEAs to foster drug-free, safe, and orderly learning environments in and around schools; and (4) base competition for subgrants on the quality of the applicant's proposed program and how closely it is aligned with the principles of effectiveness, and on objective criteria, determined by the Governor, on the needs of the schools or LEAs to be served. Allows subgrants made by Governors to support community efforts on a Statewide, regional, or local basis and the efforts of LEAs and schools that do not receive subgrants. Allows use of such funds to support research-based drug and violence prevention services and activities consistent with the principles of effectiveness, and for additional activities other than research-based programming, under specified conditions. Revises local application requirements to emphasize the applicant's need for assistance and the quality of its proposed programming. Requires each applicant LEA for SEA competitive and formula grants to include assurances that it: (1) has a policy, consistent with State law, that requires the expulsion of students who possess a firearm at school consistent with the Gun-Free Schools Act; (2) has, or will have, a full- or part-time program coordinator whose primary responsibility is planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating the applicant's programs (unless the applicant demonstrates in its application, to the satisfaction of the SEA, that such a program coordinator is not needed); (3) will evaluate its program every two years to assess its progress toward meeting its goals and objectives, and will use the results of its evaluation to improve its program and refine its goals and objectives, as needed; and (4) has, or the schools to be served have, a comprehensive Safe and Drug-Free Schools plan that includes specified elements. Requires any eligible entity that applies to the Governor for a subgrant to include in its application: (1) a description of how the services and activities to be supported will be coordinated with relevant SDFSC State grant programs that are supported by SEAs, including how recipients will share resources, services, and data; (2) a description of how the applicant will coordinate its activities under this part with those implemented under the Drug-Free Communities Act, if any; and (3) an assurance that it will evaluate its program every two years to assess its progress toward meeting its goals and objectives, and will use the results of its evaluation to improve its program and refine its goals and objectives as needed (if the applicant is not an LEA, or other specified assurances if the applicant is an LEA). Requires SEAs to use a peer review process, but allows Governors to use other methods, for reviewing local applications to ensure that SDFSC subgrants are made on the basis of need and quality. Revises national evaluation and data collection requirements under title IV. Directs the Secretary and the Attorney General to publish an annual report on school safety. Revises the State and local report requirements to focus on progress toward attaining performance indicators for achieving drug-free, safe, and orderly learning environments in schools. Requires States to report to the Secretary all school-related suicides and homicides within the State within 30 days of the incident. Requires LEAs to report to SEAs any problems in SDFSC program implementation that warrant provision of SEA technical assistance. Requires SEAs to: (1) review annual LEA reports; and (2) terminate funding for the second or third year of an LEA's program unless the LEA is making reasonable progress toward meeting its objectives. Sets forth annual progress report and program funding review requirements for Governor's award recipients. Sets forth title IV part B provisions for National Programs. Revises the list of authorized national program activities. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out programs for students that promote lifelong physical activity. Establishes a title IV part C program, School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV), to provide education-related services to LEAs in which the learning environment has been disrupted due to a violent or traumatic crisis, such as a shooting or major accident. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out Project SERV directly, through contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements with public and private organizations, agencies, and individuals, or through agreements with other Federal agencies. Sets forth authorized activities under Project SERV. Directs the Secretary to establish criteria and application requirements as may be needed to select which LEAs are assisted under Project SERV. Authorizes the Secretary to establish reporting requirements for uniform data and other information from all LEAs assisted under Project SERV. Requires the establishment of a Federal Coordinating Committee on school crises, to coordinate the Federal responses to crises that occur in schools or directly affect the learning environment in schools. Requires the Committee to be composed of the Secretary (who shall serve as Chair), the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and such other members as the Secretary shall determine. Gun-Free Schools Act - Revises and transfers to ESEA title IV part D the provisions of the Gun-Free Schools Act (currently under ESEA title XIV part F). Requires each State receiving Federal funds under ESEA to have in effect a State law that: (1) requires LEAs to expel from school, for a period of not less than one year, a student who is determined to have possessed a firearm at school under the jurisdiction of the LEA in that State; and (2) allows the chief administering officer of that LEA to modify the expulsion requirement for a student on a case-by-case basis. Sets forth local and State reporting requirements. Prohibits awarding ESEA funds to any LEA unless it has a policy ensuring that: (1) any student who possesses a firearm at a school served by such agency is referred to the criminal justice or juvenile delinquency system; (2) students who possess a firearm at school are referred to mental health professionals for assessment as to whether they pose an imminent threat of harm to themselves or others and need appropriate mental health services before readmission to school; and (2) any student determined to pose such a threat receives appropriate mental health services, in addition to other services, before being permitted to return to school. Requires drug prevention programs supported under title IV ESEA convey a clear and consistent message that the illegal use of alcohol and other drugs is wrong and harmful. Prohibits the Secretary from prescribing the use of particular curricula for programs under title IV ESEA, but allows the Secretary to evaluate and disseminate information about the effectiveness of such curricula and programs. Prohibits use of title IV ESEA funds for: (1) construction (except for minor remodeling needed to accomplish the purposes of this part); and (2) medical services, drug treatment or rehabilitation, except for pupil services or referral to treatment for students who are victims of, or witnesses to, crime or who use alcohol, tobacco, or drugs. Sets forth a requirement for Drug-Free, Alcohol-Free, and Tobacco-Free Schools. Requires each SEA and LEA that receives title IV ESEA funds to have a policy that prohibits possession or use of tobacco, and the illegal use of drugs or alcohol, in any form, at any time, and by any person, in school buildings, on school grounds, or at any school-sponsored event. Requires LEA applications to include an assurance of compliance with such requirement. Requires annual SEA reports to the Secretary if any LEAs are not in compliance with such requirement. Requires that title IV funds supplement, not supplant, State, local, and other non-Federal funds. Title V: Promoting Equity, Excellence, and Public School Choice - Revises and renames ESEA title V as Promoting Equity, Excellence, and Public School Choice (currently Promoting Equity). (Sec. 502) Revises the Magnet Schools Assistance program under part A to emphasize projects that consider the diversity of the student populations and that have the capacity to continue after the Federal grant has run out. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 503) Revises the Women's Educational Equity program. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 504) Repeals the Assistance to Address School Dropout Problems program (currently in part C). (Sec. 505) Transfers Public Charter Schools provisions to part B (currently in title X part C). (Sec. 506) Establishes a part C program of Options: Opportunities to Improve Our Nation's Schools. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to SEAs and LEAs to support programs that promote innovative approaches to high-quality public school choice, including worksite and college-based schools. Authorizes appropriations. Title VI: Class-Size Reduction - Establishes a new title VI of ESEA, Class-Size Reduction. (Replaces the current title VI, Innovative Education Program Strategies.) (Sec. 601) Establishes a grants program to help States and LEAs recruit, train, and hire 100,000 additional teachers over a seven-year period in order to: (1) reduce class sizes nationally, in grades one through three, to an average of 18 students per classroom; and (2) improve teaching in the early grades so that all students can learn to read independently and well by the end of the third grade. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth program requirements for: (1) allotments to States; (2) within-State allocations; (3) local uses of funds; (4) cost-sharing; and (5) participation of teachers from private schools in professional development activities. Title VII: Bilingual Education Act - Revises the Bilingual Education Act, which is ESEA title VII (Bilingual Education, Language Enhancement, and Language Acquisition Programs). (Sec. 701) Makes it policy that limited English proficient students be tested in English after three consecutive years in U.S. schools. (Sec. 702) Authorizes appropriations for part A, Bilingual Education, including the following subparts: (1) bilingual education capacity and demonstration grants; (2) research, evaluation, and dissemination; (3) professional development; and (4) transition. (Sec. 703) Establishes a Program Development and Enhancement Grants program (which consolidates activities of the current Program Development and Implementation Grants program and Enhancement Grants program). Requires such grants to be used to: (1) develop and implement comprehensive, preschool, elementary, or secondary education programs for children and youth with limited English proficiency, that are aligned with standards-based State and local school reform efforts and coordinated with other relevant programs and services; (2) provide high-quality professional development; and (3) require annual assessment of student progress in learning English. Revises allowable activities to emphasize effective instructional practice and the use of technology in the classroom. Authorizes the Secretary to give priority to applicants that enroll fewer than 10,000 students and that have limited or no experience in serving limited English proficient students. (Sec. 704) Revises provisions for Comprehensive School Grants for school-wide instructional programs (in coordination with title I ESEA) for children and youth with limited English proficiency, to assist such children and youth to learn English and achieve to challenging State content and performance standards, and to improve, reform, and upgrade relevant programs and operations in schools with significant concentrations of such students or that serve significant numbers of them. Revises conditions for termination or continuation of grant awards. Limits to 90 days the period during which grant funds may be used for planning. Limit to two the number of schools that may be included in the grant. (Sec. 705) Revises provisions for Systemwide Improvement Grants for projects within an entire school district. Revises conditions for termination or continuation of grant awards. Sets forth required activities, including building school district capacity to continue to operate similar instructional programs once Federal funding is no longer available, aligning programs for limited English proficient students with school, district, and State reform efforts and coordinating with other relevant programs, and annually assessing student progress in learning English. Revises allowable activities to emphasize effective instructional practice, developing student proficiency in two languages, and the use of technology in the classroom. (Sec. 706) Revises application requirements with respect to program accountability and related matters. Adds priorities for applicants that experience a dramatic increase in the number of limited English proficient students enrolled and demonstrate that they have a proven record of success in helping children and youth with limited English proficiency learn English and achieve to high academic standards. (Sec. 707) Requires subpart 1 grantee evaluations to: (1) be conducted annually, rather than biennially; (2) use application data as the baseline against which to report academic achievement and gains in English proficiency for students; (2) report on the validity and reliability of all instruments used to measure student progress; (3) enable results to be disaggregated by such relevant factors as a student's grade, gender, and language group, and whether the student has a disability; and (4) include specified types of data, program implementation indicators, and coordination descriptions. Requires the Secretary to establish performance indicators to determine if comprehensive school grant and systemwide improvement grant programs are making continuous and substantial progress. Authorizes establishing such indicators to determine if program development and enhancement grant programs are making such progress. (Sec. 708) Eliminates the requirement that Bilingual Education Program research be conducted through the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in collaboration with the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs. Includes among allowable research activities: (1) data collection needed for compliance with the Government Performance and Results Act; and (2) identifying technology-based approaches that show effectiveness in helping limited English proficient students reach challenging State standards. (Sec. 709) Establishes a program of discretionary grants to States to make Academic Excellence Awards (which replaces current Academic Excellence provisions for grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements to promote the adoption of promising instructional and professional development programs). Authorizes the Secretary to make such grants to SEAs to assist them in recognizing LEAs and other public and non-profit entities whose programs have demonstrated significant progress in assisting limited English proficient students to learn English and to meet the same challenging State content standards expected of all children and youth, within three years. (Sec. 710) Revises the State Grant Program to require States to use such funds to: (1) assist LEAs with program design, capacity building, assessment of student performance, program evaluation, and development of data collection and accountability systems for limited English proficient students that are aligned with State reform efforts; and (2) collect data on limited English proficient populations in the State and the educational programs and services available to such populations. (Sec. 711) Renames the National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education as the National Clearinghouse on the Education of Children and Youth with Limited English Proficiency. Eliminates requirements that the Clearinghouse: (1) be administered as an adjunct to the Educational Resources Information Center Clearinghouse system; (2) develop a database management and monitoring system; and (3) develop, maintain, and disseminate a listing of bilingual education professionals. (Sec. 712) Revises provisions for grants to develop, publish, and disseminate instructional materials to include materials: (1) in other low-incidence languages in the United States for which instructional materials are not readily available; and (2) on State content standards and assessments for dissemination to parents of limited English proficient students. Requires the Secretary to give priority to applications for developing instructional materials in languages indigenous to the United States or to the outlying territories and for developing and evaluating instructional materials that reflect challenging State and local content standards, in collaboration with specified assisted activities. (Sec. 713) Revises subpart 3 Professional Development provisions to eliminate a reference to dissemination of information. (Sec. 714) Revises the Training for all Teachers Program to limit grants to ongoing professional development. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to LEAs or consortia of LEAs and IHEs, SEAs, or nonprofit organizations. Reduces the grant period from five to three years. Requires professional development activities to be of high-quality and long-term. Revises allowable activities to include induction programs, coaching by experienced teachers, and teacher use of education technologies. (Sec. 715) Revises the Bilingual Education Teachers and Personnel Grants program. Limits grants to IHEs for preservice professional development. Requires use of grant funds to put in place a course of study that prepares teachers to serve limited English proficient students, integrate course content relating to meeting the needs of limited English proficient students into all programs for prospective teachers, assign tenured faculty to train teachers to serve limited English proficient students, incorporate State content and performance standards into the institution's coursework, and expand clinical experiences for participants. Authorizes grantees to use funds for activities such as supporting partnerships with LEAs, restructuring higher education course content, assisting other institutions of higher education to improve the quality of relevant professional development programs, and expanding recruitment efforts for students who will participate in relevant professional development programs. (Sec. 716) Revises the Bilingual Education Career Ladder Program to authorize grants to consortia of one or more IHEs and one or more SEAs or LEAs to develop and implement bilingual education career ladder programs. Requires such programs to be designed to provide high-quality, pre-baccalaureate coursework and teacher training to educational personnel who do not have a baccalaureate degree, and to lead to timely receipt of a baccalaureate degree and certification or licensure of program participants as bilingual education teachers or other educational personnel who serve limited English proficient students. Requires grantees to coordinate with programs under title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965, and other relevant programs, for the recruitment and retention of bilingual students in postsecondary programs to train them to become bilingual educators, and make use of all existing sources of student financial aid before using grant funds to pay tuition and stipends for participating students. Eliminates certain special considerations. Requires the Secretary to give special consideration to applications that provide training in English as a second language, including developing proficiency in the instructional use of English and, as appropriate, a second language in classroom contexts. (Sec. 717) Revises the Graduate Fellowships in Bilingual Education Program to eliminate: (1) the authorization for fellowships at the post-doctoral level; and (2) the requirement that the Secretary make a specific number of fellowship awards in any given year. (Sec. 718) Requires SEAs to review and submit written comments on all applications for professional development grants, with the exception of those for fellowships, to the Secretary. (Sec. 719) Revises program evaluation requirements. Requires an annual evaluation. (Sec. 721) Continues the part C Emergency Immigrant Education Program. (Sec. 722) Authorizes States to use up to two percent of their grant for administrative costs if they distribute funds to LEAs within the State on a competitive basis. (Sec. 723) Revises provisions for competitive State grants to LEAs. Eliminates an appropriations trigger on, and a cap for, allowing States each year to reserve funds from their program allotments and award grants, on a competitive basis, to LEAs. (Sec. 724) Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 725) Defines reclassification rate, for purposes of Bilingual Education Program applications and evaluations under subpart 1 of part A, as the annual percentage of limited English proficient students who have met the State criteria for no longer being considered limited English proficient. (Sec. 726) Adds requirements for projects funded under subpart 1 Part A relating to: (1) parental notification of right to withdraw from programs at any time; and (2) the use of paraprofessionals or other instructional staff who are not certified in the field in which they teach. (Sec. 728) Repeals specified provisions under title VII, including a requirement that all professional development grants assist educational personnel in meeting State and local certification requirements. Title VIII: Impact Aid - Revises title VIII of ESEA, Impact Aid, to provide assistance to certain LEAs that are financially burdened as a result of activities of the Federal Government carried out in their jurisdictions, in order to help those LEAs provide educational services to their children, including federally connected children, so that they can meet challenging State standards. (Sec. 802) Revises the program of payments relating to Federal acquisition of real property, which authorizes the Secretary to partially compensate certain LEAs for revenue lost due to the presence of non-taxable Federal property in their jurisdictions. Requires that the Federal property claimed as the basis of eligibility have a current aggregate assessed value that is at least ten percent of the total assessed value of all real property in the LEA. Provides for a three-year phase-out of payments to LEAs that received such payments for FY 1999, but that would no longer be eligible because of the new requirement that Federal property constitute at least ten percent of the current assessed value of all real property in the LEA. (Sec. 803) Revises the program of payments for eligible federally connected children. Eliminates the various "(b)" categories of students. Continues payments with respect to "(a)" categories of students: (1) children of Federal employees who both live and work on Federal property; (2) children of military personnel (and other members of the uniformed services) living on Federal property; (3) children living on Indian lands; and (4) children of foreign military officers living on Federal property. Eliminates the requirement that an LEA have at least 400 eligible students (or that those students constitute at least three percent of its average daily attendance) in order to receive a basic support payment. Revises options for determining an LEA's local contribution rate (LCR), which is used to compute its maximum payment, to include a measure of the amount or proportion of funds that are provided at the local level. Provides that LCRs' local contribution rates are to be determined using data from the third preceding fiscal year. Revises the formula for computing each LEA's "learning opportunity threshold" (LOT), a factor used in determining actual payment amounts when sufficient funds are not available to pay the maximum amounts, to give priority to LEAs with high concentrations of federally connected students. Revises provisions for additional payments to LEAs on behalf of children with disabilities. Eliminates hold-harmless provisions relating to basic support payments. Revises provisions for additional payments to LEAs that are heavily impacted by the presence of federally connected children in their schools. Requires an LEA to meet the following criteria to qualify for a payment: (1) having federally connected children as at least 40 percent of its enrollment, and a tax rate for general-fund purposes of at least 100 percent of the average tax rate of comparable LEAs in the State (or being an LEA whose boundaries are the same as those of a military installation); (2) exercising due diligence to obtain financial assistance from the State and from other sources; and (3) having State aid made available to it on a basis at least as favorable as that for other LEAs. Sets forth a formula that, for each eligible LEA, factors in per-pupil expenditures, number of federally connected children, amount available to it from other sources for current expenditures, and amounts of basic support payments and supplemental payments for children with disabilities it receives. Directs the Secretary, in determining eligibility and payment amounts for heavily impacted LEAs, to use data from the second preceding fiscal year, if that data is provided by the affected LEA (or the SEA) within 60 days of being requested by the Secretary to do so. Prohibits an LEA from receiving a payment on behalf of federally connected children if Federal funds (other than Impact Aid funds) provide a substantial portion of their educational program. Eliminates the requirement that LEAs maintain their fiscal effort for education from year to year as a condition of receiving an impact aid payment. (Sec. 804) Revises requirements concerning LEAs that receive related Impact Aid payments carrying out specified activities to ensure: (1) equitable participation of children residing on Indian lands in LEA programs and activities; and (2) the participation of parents of Indian children and Indian tribes in determining the education of their children. (Sec. 805) Revises requirements for applications for Impact Aid payments. (Sec. 806) Repeals provisions for payments for sudden and substantial increases in attendance of military dependents. (Sec. 807) Revises provisions for grants to certain categories of LEAs to support the construction or renovation of schools. Limits such assistance to LEAs that receive basic support payments and in which children residing on Indian lands make up at least half of the average daily attendance. Requires applicants to include an assessment of their school-construction needs. Allocates grant funds to qualifying LEAs in proportion to their respective numbers of children residing on Indian lands. Sets the maximum Federal portion of the cost of an assisted project at 50 percent. Gives an LEA three years after its proposal is approved to demonstrate that it can provide its share of the project's cost. Allows an LEA to use such a grant only for the minimum initial equipment necessary for the operation of the new or renovated school, as well as for construction. (Sec. 808) Revises provisions relating to certain federally-owned school facilities used by LEAs to serve dependents of military personnel. (Sec. 809) Adds to preconditions for State consideration of Impact Aid payments a requirement that the average per-pupil expenditure in the State be at least 80 percent of that in the 50 States and the District of Columbia. (Sec. 813) Revises the definition of Federal property, as a basis of eligibility for Impact Aid payments, to eliminate special references to certain property not usually regarded as Federal property. (Sec. 814) Authorizes appropriations for Impact Aid programs. Title IX: Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education - Part A: Indian Education - Revises ESEA title IX part A (Indian Education) with respect to: (1) grants to LEAs; (2) amount of grants to schools operated or supported by the BIA; (3) applications, plans, local assessments, parent committees, and schoolwide programs; (4) authorized services and activities relating to curriculum development, creation and implementation of standards, improvement of student achievement, and gifted and talented education; (5) student eligibility forms and timing of child counts; (6) payments; (7) SEA review; (8) project applications for support for services and activities to improve educational opportunities for Indian children; and (9) professional development and training to perform related work that benefits Indian people, adding grants to consortia to provide in-service training to teachers in LEAs with substantial numbers of Indian children in their schools. (Sec. 911) Repeals specified provisions for fellowships for Indian students, gifted and talented education, tribal administrative planning and development, and adult education. (Sec. 913) Authorizes appropriations. Part B: Native Hawaiian Education Act - Revises ESEA title IX part B (Native Hawaiian Education) to replace a series of categorical programs serving Native Hawaiian children and adults with a single, more flexible authority for the Secretary to assist such program activities. (Sec. 921) Authorizes appropriations. Part C: Alaska Native Education - Revises ESEA title IX part C (Alaska Native Education) to replace a series of categorical programs serving Alaska Native children and adults with a single, more flexible authority for the Secretary to assist such program activities. (Sec. 921) Authorizes appropriations. Title X: Programs of National Significance - Revises ESEA title X Programs of National significance. (Sec. 1001) Revises part A (Fund for the Improvement of Education) with respect to: (1) authorized uses of funds; (2) application goals and objectives; (3) reports; (4) matching funds; and (5) limitation of competitions to particular types of entities, such as SEAs or LEAs. Requires each part A grant recipient to submit to the Secretary, by the mid-point of the program, and no later than one year after program completion, a comprehensive evaluation on the effectiveness of its program in achieving its goals and objectives, including the impact of the program on students, teachers, administrators, and parents. Revises provisions for character education. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out programs of: (1) grants for State and local character education; and (2) grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements for character education research, dissemination, and evaluation. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1002) Revises part B (Gifted and Talented Children) with respect to peer review, dissemination, and evaluation. Requires the National Center for Research and Development in the Education of Gifted and Talented Children to focus the dissemination of the results of its activities on schools with high percentages of economically disadvantaged students. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1003) Transfers and redesignates the International Education Exchange program (currently title VI of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act) as part C of title X of ESEA. Makes eligible for such program the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and any other emerging democracy in a developing country. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1004) Revises part D (Arts in Education) to include among authorized activities model arts and cultural programs in the arts for at-risk children and youth, particularly programs that use arts and culture to promote students' academic progress. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1005) Authorizes appropriations for part E (Inexpensive Book Distribution Program). (Sec. 1006) Revises part F (Civic Education) to repeal the civics, government, and law instruction program. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1007) Repeals the (current part G) Allen J. Ellender Program. (Sec. 1008) Revises and redesignates as part G the (current part I) 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to LEAs and community based organizations (CBOs) (with up to ten percent of the funds appropriated to carry out this part for any fiscal year) on behalf of public elementary or secondary schools in inner-cities, rural areas, and small cities. Limits such awards to schools or CBOs that serve communities with a substantial need for expanded learning opportunities due to: (1) high proportion of low-achieving students; (2) lack of resources to establish or expand community learning centers; or (3) other needs. Retains the current requirement for equitable distribution among the States and urban and rural areas of the United States, but eliminates the requirement for equitable distribution among urban and rural areas of a State. Lengthens the duration of such program grants from three years to five years. Changes the eligible applicant for such a grant from a school to an LEA (which would apply on behalf of one or more schools) or a CBO. Adds requirements relating to matching funds and maintenance of effort. Gives priority to applications that offer a broad selection of services that address community needs. Requires community learning centers to provide expanded learning opportunities, and allows them to also provide services that address health, social service, cultural, and recreational needs of the community. Requires a community learning center operated by an LEA (but not a CBO) to be located within a public elementary or secondary school building. Authorizes appropriations. Allows the Secretary to use part G funds to make continuation awards for projects that were funded with FY 1999 and 2000 funds, under the terms and conditions that applied to the original awards. (Sec. 1009) Repeals part J, Urban and Rural Education Assistance. (Sec. 1010) Establishes a new part H, High School Reform. Authorizes the Secretary to make competitive grants to LEAs to support: (1) planning and implementation of educational reforms in high schools, particularly in urban and rural high schools that educate concentrations of students from low-income families; (2) further development of educational reforms, designed specifically for high schools, that help students meet challenging State standards, and that increase connections between students and adults and provide safe learning environments; (3) positive incentives for serious change in high schools, by offering rewards to participating schools that achieve significant improvements in student achievement; (4) identification of the most effective approaches to high school reform and disseminating information on those approaches so that they can be adopted nationally; and (5) implementation of reforms in at least 5,000 U.S. high schools by the year 2007. Provides for equitable participation of personnel from private schools in any professional development carried out with part H funds. Requires grantees that use part H funds to develop curricular materials to make information about those materials available to private schools at their request. Directs the Secretary to reserve certain part H funds for certain activities relating to the program's purpose, including testing the effect of offering financial rewards to teachers and administrators in high schools if their students demonstrate significant gains in educational outcomes. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1011) Revises and redesignates the (current part B title VII ESEA) Elementary School Foreign Language Assistance Program to part I title X ESEA. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to SEAs and to LEAs for the Federal share of the cost of specified activities. Allows an SEA to receive a grant if it: (1) has established, or is establishing, State standards for foreign language instruction; or (2) requires the public elementary schools of the State to provide foreign language instruction. Allows an LEA to receive a grant if the program in its application: (1) shows promise of being continued beyond the grant period; (2) would demonstrate approaches that can be disseminated to, and duplicated by, other LEAs; (3) would include performance measurements and assessment systems that measure students' proficiency in a foreign language; and (4) would use a curriculum that is aligned with State standards, if the State has such standards. Requires grants to SEAs to be used to support programs that promote the implementation of high-quality foreign language programs in the elementary schools of the State, which may include specified activities. Requires that grants to LEAs to be used for activities to develop and implement high-quality, standards-based elementary school foreign language programs, which may include specified activities, including support for the expansion of secondary school instruction, so long as that instruction is part of an articulated elementary-through-secondary school foreign language program that is designed to result in student fluency in a foreign language. Authorizes the Secretary, in awarding such grants, to establish priorities, including ones for projects carried out by LEAs that include immersion programs in which instruction is in the foreign language for a major portion of the day or that promote the sequential study of a foreign language for students, beginning in elementary schools. Sets forth application, reporting, cost-sharing, and evaluation requirements. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1012) Revises and redesignates as part J the (current part K) National Writing Project. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct an independent evaluation of the Project. Authorizes appropriations. Title XI: General Provisions, Definitions, and Accountability - Revises ESEA title XIV (to be redesignated as title XI) (General Provisions) with respect to: (1) definitions; (2) administrative funds; (3) coordination of programs, including optional consolidated State plans and consolidated local plans; (4) waivers; and (5) uniform provisions. (Sec. 1106) Repeals ESEA title XIV part F (Gun Possession), which as the revised Gun-Free Schools Act is transferred to title IV of ESEA. (Sec. 1107) Revises and renames part G of title XIV ESEA as Evaluation and Indicators. Revises evaluation requirements to provide for: (1) national evaluation; (2) an independent review panel; (3) reports; and (4) technical assistance partnerships for performance information. Authorizes the Secretary to establish performance indicators, benchmarks, and targets for each program under ESEA (and under subtitle B of title VII-B of the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act) to assist in measuring program performance. Requires such indicators, benchmarks, and targets to be consistent with the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, strategic plans adopted by the Secretary under such Act, and specified ESEA provisions. (Sec. 1108) Revises and transfers ESEA title XI (Coordinated Services) to part I of title XI ESEA. Revises provisions for project development and implementation. Provides that an SEA need not require eligible entities to submit an application in order to permit them to carry out coordinated services projects. (Sec. 1109) Redesignates title XIV of ESEA as title XI of ESEA. (Sec. 1110) Revises and redesignates the Education Flexibility Partnership Act of 1999 (P.L. 106-25) Partnerships) as part G of title XI of ESEA. Revises provisions for: (1) State eligibility and accountability; (2) the Federal education programs that are subject to ED-Flex authority; (3) certain waivers. Allows the Secretary to grant an extension of ED-Flex authority, beyond five years, only upon determination that the State has made significant statewide gains in student achievement and is closing the achievement gap between low- and high-performing students. (Sec. 1111) Education Accountability Act of 1999 - Establishes a new part B, Improving Education Through Accountability, of title XI of ESEA. Requires States that receive ESEA assistance to develop and implement a statewide system for holding its LEAs and schools accountable for student performance, including a procedure for identifying LEAs and schools in need of improvement, intervention, and corrective actions. Requires such States to have in effect, at the time they submit accountability plans, State policies with certain required elements to ensure that: (1) students progress through school on a timely basis and master challenging material to reach high standards of performance, and the practices of social promotion and retention are ended; (2) there are qualified teachers in every classroom in the State; (3) its LEAs and schools have in place and implement sound and equitable discipline policies to ensure a safe, and orderly, and drug-free learning environment in every school; (4) requires the development and dissemination of annual report cards regarding the status of education and educational progress in the State and in its LEAs and schools. Requires such States to have on file with the Secretary an approved accountability plan on or after July 1, 2000, and to submit annual progress reports. Authorizes the Secretary to ensure accountability, upon determination that a State has failed substantially to carry out a requirement of this part or its approved accountability plan, or that its performance has failed substantially to meet a performance indicator in its accountability plan. Includes among authorized steps to ensure prompt compliance: (1) providing, or arranging for, technical assistance to the SEA; (2) requiring a corrective action plan; (3) suspending or terminating authority to grant waivers under applicable ED-Flex authority; (4) suspending or terminating eligibility to participate in competitive programs under the ESEA; (5) withholding, in whole or in part, State administrative funds or program funds under the ESEA; (6) imposing one or more conditions upon the Secretary's approval of a State plan or application under the ESEA; (7) taking other actions under part D of the General Education Priorities Act; and (8) taking other appropriate steps, including referral to the Department of Justice for enforcement. Requires the Secretary to take one or more additional steps to bring the State into compliance upon determination that previous steps have failed to correct the State's non-compliance. Directs the Secretary to establish a system to recognize and reward States that have demonstrated significant, statewide achievement gains in core subjects as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress for three consecutive years, are closing the achievement gap between low- and high-performing students, and have in place strategies for continuous improvement in reducing the practices of social promotion and retention. Allows rewards to include conferring a priority in competitive programs under the ESEA, increased flexibility in administering programs under the ESEA (consistent with maintaining accountability), and supplementary grants or administrative funds to carry out ESEA purposes. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to disseminate information regarding best practices, models, and other forms of technical assistance. (Sec. 1112) Renames the National Education Goals Panel as America's Education Goals Panel. Transfers provisions for the Panel from title II of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act to a new part C of title XI of ESEA. Eliminates certain provisions relating to voluntary national content standards, voluntary national student performance standards, and the resource and technical planning groups on school readiness. Authorizes appropriations for the Panel. (Sec. 1113) Repeals ESEA title XII (School Facilities Infrastructure Improvement, also known as the Education Infrastructure Act of 1994). Title XII: Amendments to Other Laws; Repeals - Part A: Amendments to Other Laws -Amends the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act with respect to: (1) providing that homelessness alone is not sufficient reason to separate students from the mainstream school environment; (2) grants for State and local activities for the education of homeless children and youth; (3) coordination at the State and local levels; (4) State plans; (5) parental involvement; (6) competitive subgrants to LEAs; and (7) national data collection, dissemination, and reports. (Sec. 1201) Authorizes appropriations for the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. (Sec. 1202) Amends various other Federal laws to reflect the revised ESEA, including specified provisions under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act, the higher Education Act of 1965, and the Pro-Children Act of 1994. Part B: Repeals - Repeals ESEA title XIII (Support and Assistance Programs to Improve Education) (new part D title II ESEA contains new technical assistance and information dissemination programs). (Sec. 1211) Repeals the following titles and parts of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act: I, National Education Goals; II, National Education Reform Leadership, Standards, and Assessments; III, State and Local Education Systemic Improvement; IV, Parental Assistance; VII, Safe Schools; VIII, Minority-focused Civics Education; and X-part B, Gun-free Schools. Repeals the following parts of the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994 (title IX of P.L. 103-227): F, Star Schools; G, Office of Comprehensive School Health Education; H, Field Readers; and I, Amendments to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act. Repeals title III, Partnerships in Education for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, of the Education for Economic Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Health Information Privacy Act - Title I: Protection of Health Information - Provides that use of protected health information by health information custodians (HICs) shall protect the reasonable expectation of privacy of protected individuals and shall be in accordance with fair information practices. Sets restrictions on such use and on disclosure. Requires an HIC to limit use of protected health information to the minimum amount and duration necessary to accomplish the use. Establishes the following: (1) standards for authorizations for use and disclosure; and (2) safeguards against misuse and prohibited disclosures, requiring an HIC to consider providing additional protections for mental health and other especially sensitive protected health information, as appropriate. Title II: Rights of Protected Individuals - Grants protected individuals the right to the following: (1) a reasonable opportunity to inspect and copy protected health information maintained by an HIC; (2) a reasonable opportunity to correct or amend protected health information maintained by an HIC; (3) a reasonable opportunity to review a history of the disclosures of protected health information about the individual made by an HIC: and (4) notice of the information practices of HICs and a reasonable opportunity to seek limitations on the use and disclosure of protected health information in addition to the limitations provided in such practices. Title III: Permissible Disclosures of Protected Health Information - Allows an HIC to disclose protected health information, without obtaining an authorization under title I of this Act, for the purpose of providing health care to an individual or paying for health care so provided. Prohibits HIC disclosure without such authorization to a health care payer, however, of protected health information created or received in the course of providing such care to an individual who pays for it himself or herself. (Sec. 302) Permits an HIC to disclose protected health information for the purpose of health oversight, without obtaining such an authorization. Requires the Secretary to permit an HIC to disclose protected health information to Federal, State, and local agencies (or affiliated persons) authorized by law to investigate, regulate, enforce laws relating to, or license, certify, or accredit persons engaged in, the provision of, or payment for, health care. (Sec. 303) Authorizes an HIC to disclose protected health information without obtaining such an authorization: (1) to a public health authority for public health purposes in disease or injury reporting, surveillance, or investigation or intervention; and (2) for health research. (Sec. 304) Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations that, among other things, and at a minimum require a person conducting health research to remove or destroy personal identifiers at the earliest opportunity consistent with the purpose of the research, unless it is determined otherwise that there is a health or research justification for retention of such identifiers and that they will be protected from improper use and disclosure. (Sec. 305) Authorizes an HIC to disclose protected health information to a law enforcement official for an appropriate inquiry if such official complies with the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. (Sec. 306) Sets forth provisions on judicial or administrative proceedings and disclosure of protected health information. (Sec. 307) Authorizes other specified disclosures without authorization, such as where it is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to an individual's health or safety. (Sec. 308) Authorizes an HIC who receives protected health information through a disclosure under this title to redisclose it to carry out the purposes for which the information was disclosed to the HIC. Prohibits protected health information received by an HIC through a disclosure under this title from being disclosed to any person for use in any administrative, civil, or criminal action or investigation directed against the protected individual who is the subject of the information, except under specified conditions. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Outlines various provisions pertaining to: (1) minors; (2) individuals exercising power of attorney to act for protected individuals; (3) deceased individuals; (4) obtaining or disclosing protected health information from an HIC or an affiliated person under false pretenses; (5) prohibiting on-the-job retaliation against an individual for reporting to a governmental agency conditions that may constitute a violation of this Act; and (6) mental health and other especially sensitive information (allowing the Secretary to limit an individual's access to his or her mental health information under certain conditions). (Sec. 405) Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to preempt, supersede, or modify the operation of the recent legally recognized psychotherapist-patient privilege. (Sec. 406) Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations to ensure the reasonable expectation of privacy of protected individuals in protected health information is maintained when HICs cease operations. (Sec. 407) Amends the Federal Privacy Act of 1974 to generally conform with the amendments made by this Act. Title V: General Provisions - Directs the Secretary to promulgate implementing regulations for this Act, including, at the Secretary's discretion, any necessary to protect the privacy of individually identifiable health information that is not protected health information. (Sec. 501) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) sponsor or carry out research and development activities related to the protection of the privacy of individually identifiable health information; (2) sponsor or carry out activities to inform protected individuals of their rights, or other persons of their rights or responsibilities, under this Act; and (3) hold hearings, administer oaths, and perform a variety of other specified tasks to ensure compliance with this Act or otherwise further its purposes. (Sec. 502) Outlines enforcement provisions, from allowing the Secretary to bring an action in an appropriate court to enjoin a violation of this Act, to providing for civil money and criminal penalties as well as civil actions. (Sec. 503) Provides that this Act shall not preempt, supersede, or modify the operation of: (1) any Federal, State, or local law that provides greater protection of protected health information or more rights to protected individuals regarding such information; or (2) any law that provides for the reporting of vital statistics such as birth or death information, that requires the reporting of abuse or neglect information or other information relating to violence against an individual, and other specified laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Father Theodore M. Hesburgh Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a congressional gold medal to Father Theodore M. Hesburgh in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to civil rights, higher education, the Catholic Church, the Nation, and the global community. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Home Health Access Preservation Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, subject to certain restrictions, to pay an additional amount, determined in accordance with specified guidelines, to home health agencies furnishing qualified home health services during a cost reporting period beginning on or after October 1, 1997, under the Medicare program (title XVIII of the Social Security Act). Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits the Secretary from making additional payments under this Act for all or portions of cost reporting periods beginning on or after the date of the implementation of the prospective payment system (PPS) for home health services under Medicare. Bars judicial review with regard to any action of the Secretary with respect to the determination of an additional payment under this Act. Addresses overpayments to home health agencies, giving them a repayment option over a 36-month period, and prohibiting interest accrual on the outstanding balance of the overpayment amount during such period. Prohibits home health agencies from electing to make such a repayment for all or portions of cost reporting periods beginning on or after the date of the implementation of the PPS for home health services under Medicare. Makes the repayment option effective retroactively to the enactment of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Directs the Secretary to meet periodically with the staff of the appropriate congressional committees to provide an informal update regarding the Secretary's progress in implementing such PPS.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Jennifer's Law - Authorizes the Attorney General to provide grant awards to enable States to improve the reporting of unidentified and missing persons. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Amends Federal law to require the Postal Service to establish a special rate of postage for first class mail that is up to 25 percent higher than the regular rate as a voluntary alternative that the public may use to contribute to funding for Alzheimer's disease research. Requires payment of collected amounts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Expresses the sense of Congress that nothing in this Act should: (1) cause a net decrease in total funds received by NIH below the level that would have otherwise been received but for this Act's enactment; or (2) affect first-class or other regular postage rates.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Commends the Department of State for the vote of the United States against United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution ES-10-6, Illegal Israeli Actions In Occupied East Jerusalem And The Rest Of The Occupied Palestinian Territory, to convene a conference of the participants of the Fourth Geneva Convention for the Protection of Civilians in Time of War. Urges: (1) the Department of State to continue its efforts against convening and participating in the conference; (2) the member states of the UN to vigorously oppose any and all efforts to manipulate the Fourth Geneva Convention for the purpose of attacking Israel; and (3) UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Switzerland, which serves as the depository of the Fourth Geneva Convention, to refrain from assisting in the convening of the conference.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1999
American Inventors Protection Act of 1999 - Title I: Inventors' Rights - Inventors' Rights Act - Amends Federal patent law to oblige any invention promoter, when entering into a contract for invention promotion services, to disclose to a customer in writing: (1) whether the promoter's usual business practice is to seek more than one contract in connection with an invention, or seek to perform promotion services in one or more phases, with the performance of each phase covered in one or more subsequent contracts; and (2) a summary of the promoter's usual business practices, including the usual business terms of contracts, and the approximate amount of the usual fees or other consideration for each of the services provided. (Sec. 102) Prescribes a standard cover notice for every invention promotion services contract, including: (1) the procedure for contract cancellation; (2) the total number of inventions evaluated by the promoter for commercial potential in the past five years, including the number of positive and of negative evaluations; (3) the total number of customers who have contracted with the promoter in the past five years; (4) the total number of customers known by the promoter to have received a net financial profit as a direct result of the invention promotion services provided; (5) the total number of customers known by the invention promoter to have received license agreements for their inventions as a direct result of such services; and (6) the names and addresses of all previous invention promotion companies with which the promoter or its officers have collectively or individually been affiliated in the previous ten years. Sets forth mandatory contract terms and remedies for certain prohibited contract practices. Establishes a Federal cause of action for inventors injured by material false or fraudulent statements or representations, or any omission of material fact, by an invention promoter, or by the promoter's failure to make the required written disclosures. Sets minimum damages at $5,000, leaving the court discretion to treble actual damages, taking into account past complaints against the same invention promoter. Makes it a misdemeanor for an invention promoter to make fraudulent representations to a customer. Title II: First Inventor Defense - First Inventor Defense Act - Amends Federal patent law to declare that it shall be a defense to an infringement action with respect to any subject matter that would otherwise infringe one or more claims asserting a process or method in the patent being asserted against a person, if such person had, acting in good faith, actually reduced the subject matter to practice at least one year before the effective filing date of such patent, and commercially used the subject matter before the effective filing date of such patent. (Sec. 202) Deems a commercial use, in the case of activities performed by a nonprofit research laboratory, or nonprofit entity such as a university, research center, or hospital, any use for which the public is the intended beneficiary, except that such use: (1) may be asserted as a defense only for continued use by and in the laboratory or nonprofit entity; and (2) may not be asserted as a defense with respect to any subsequent commercialization or use outside such laboratory or nonprofit entity. States that the sale or other disposition of a useful end product produced by a patented method, by a person entitled to assert such a defense with respect to that useful end result, shall exhaust the patent owner's rights under the patent to the extent such rights would have been exhausted had such sale or other disposition been made by the patent owner. Limits the defense to inventions for processes or methods. Prohibits the defense if the subject matter on which the defense is based was derived from the patentee or persons in privity with the patentee. Declares that this defense is not a general license under all claims of the patent at issue, but extends only to the specific subject matter claimed in the patent with respect to which the person can assert a defense. Extends the defense, however, to variations in the quantity or volume of use of the claimed subject matter, and to improvements that do not infringe additional specifically claimed subject matter of the patent. Requires a person asserting the defense to establish it by clear and convincing evidence. Prohibits any person who has abandoned commercial use of subject matter from relying on activities performed before the date of abandonment in establishing a defense with respect to actions taken after such date. Limits assertion of the defense to the person who performed the acts necessary to establish it. Prohibits licensing, assignment, or transfer to any person but the patent owner of the right to assert the defense, except as an ancillary and subordinate part of a good faith assignment or transfer for other reasons of the entire enterprise or line of business to which the defense relates. Restricts the site of use of a subject matter for which the defense may be asserted if the defense has been acquired as part of such a good faith assignment or transfer. Title III: Patent Term Guarantee - Patent Term Guarantee Act of 1999 - Amends Federal patent law to extend the term of a patent one day for each day lost as a result of delay created by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) when the agency fails to: (1) make notifications within 14 months after filing of a non-provisional application about the rejection of any patent claim, or objections to or requirements for it, or of allowance of the application; (2) respond within four months to a reply to a rejection, objection, or requirement, or to an appeal of a twice-rejected claim; (3) act on an application within four months after the date of a decision by the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, or a decision by a Federal court in a case in which allowable claims remain in the application; or (4) issue a patent within four months after the date on which the issue fee was paid and all outstanding requirements were satisfied. (Sec. 302) Requires a day-for-day extension of a patent term if: (1) a patent is not issued within three years after the filing of the application; or (2) issue is delayed by interferences, secrecy orders, or appeals. Specifies limitations to such an extension, as well as grounds for its reduction. Requires the USPTO Director to prescribe regulations establishing procedures for the application for and determination of patent term extensions and adjustments. (Sec. 303) Authorizes the Commissioner of Patents to: (1) prescribe regulations for the continued examination, at the applicant's request, of a patent application notwithstanding a final rejection; and (2) establish appropriate fees for continued examination proceedings, with a mandatory 50% fee reduction for qualifying small entities. Title IV: United States Publication of Patent Applications Published Abroad - Publication of Foreign Filed Applications Act - Requires the USPTO Director to publish each patent application 18 months after the earliest filing date for which a benefit is sought, unless the applicant requests earlier publication. Makes final and unreviewable the Director's determination to release or not to release information concerning a published patent application. Prohibits publication of any application: (1) no longer pending; (2) subject to a secrecy order; (3) which is provisional; (4) for a design patent; or (5) for an invention the applicant certifies has not and will not be the subject of an application filed in another country, or under a multilateral international agreement, that requires publication of applications 18 months after filing. Requires any applicant, in the latter instance, who subsequently files, in a foreign country or under a multilateral international agreement, an application directed to the invention disclosed in the application filed in the PTO, to notify the Director. (Sec. 402) Allows an applicant to submit a redacted copy of the PTO-filed application, eliminating any part or description of the invention that is not also contained in any of the corresponding applications the applicant has filed in one or more foreign countries whose applications require a less extensive description of the invention than the application or description of the invention in the application filed in the PTO. Requires the USPTO Director to publish only the redacted copy of the application, unless it is not received within 16 months after the earliest effective filing date. Requires the USPTO Director to establish appropriate procedures to ensure that no protest or other form of pre-issuance opposition to the grant of a patent on an application may be initiated after publication of the application without the express written consent of the applicant. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on applicants who file only in the United States on or after the effective date of this subtitle. (Sec. 403) Amends Federal patent law with respect to the option of an applicant seeking patent protection in the United States to claim the filing date of an application for the same invention filed in another Convention country, provided the subsequent application is filed in the United States within 12 months of the earlier filing in the foreign country. Revises requirements for claiming such priority. Authorizes the Director to: (1) consider an applicant's failure to file a timely claim for priority to be a waiver of any such priority claim; and (2) establish procedures (including the payment of a surcharge) to accept an unintentionally delayed priority claim. (Sec. 404) Amends Federal patent law to state that a patent shall contain a (provisional) right to obtain a reasonable royalty for applicants whose applications are published under this title, or international applications designating the United States filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Entitles the applicant to obtain a reasonable royalty from any person who between publication of the application and issuance of the patent: (1) makes, uses, offers for sale, or sells the invention in, or imports it into, the United States; or (2) if the invention claimed is a process, makes, uses, offers for sale, sells, or imports a product made by that process in the United States; and (3) had actual notice of the published application, including a translation into English if it was filed in a non-English language under the PCT designating the United States. Denies availability of such right unless the invention as claimed in the patent is substantially identical to the invention as claimed in the published application. Sets a six-year statute of limitations from the date of patent issuance in which an action for reasonable royalties must be brought. Authorizes an applicant to request issuance of a patent incorporating one or more claims the USPTO Director has indicated allowable. Permits incorporation into the patent, or issuance of a separate patent, of any subsequently allowed claims. (Sec. 405) Grants a published application prior art effect as of its earliest effective U.S. filing date against any subsequently filed U.S. applications. States that any foreign filing date to which the published application is entitled will not be the effective filing date of the U.S. published application for prior art purposes, unless it is an international application designating the United States published in English under the PCT. (Sec. 406) Requires the USPTO Director to recover the cost of early publication required by this title by charging a separate publication fee after a notice of allowance is given. Title V: Patent Litigation Reduction Act - Patent Litigation Reduction Act - Revises requirements with respect to prior art citations. Repeals the authority to exclude, on request, the prior art citator's identity from the patent file, and keep it confidential. (Sec. 503) Revises the procedure for the conduct of reexamination proceedings, adding specified procedures for a third-party requester. Transfers authority to conduct such proceedings and issue orders from the Commissioner of Patents to the USPTO Director. Requires reexamination proceedings and appeals to the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences to be conducted with special dispatch within the USPTO. Authorizes a third-party requester to: (1) appeal any final decision favorable to the patentability of any original or proposed amended or new claim of the patent; or (2) be a party to any appeal taken by the patent owner. Declares that any third-party requester whose request for a reexamination results in a reexamination order is estopped from asserting at a later time, in any civil action, the invalidity of any claim finally determined to be valid and patentable on any ground which the third-party requester raised or could have raised during the reexamination proceedings, except newly discovered prior art unavailable at the time of such proceedings. Sets forth prohibitions with respect to subsequent requests for reexamination of a patent and final decisions in civil actions. Authorizes a patent owner to obtain a stay of any pending litigation involving an issue of patentability once an order for reexamination has been issued, unless the court determines a stay would not serve the interests of justice. Requires the USPTO Director to report to Congress on whether the reexamination proceedings established under this title are inequitable to any of the parties in interest, as well as any related legislative recommendations. Title VI: Patent and Trademark Office - Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act - Subtitle A: United States Patent and Trademark Office - Amends Federal patent law to reorganize the Patent and Trademark Office in the Department of Commerce into a U.S. agency within the Department, called the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), subject to the general policy direction of the Secretary of Commerce but exercising independent control of its budget, personnel, procurements, and other administrative and management functions. (Sec. 613) Vests the enumerated powers and duties of the USPTO in an Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the USPTO (currently, the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks). Requires the Director to appoint a Commissioner of Patents and a Commissioner of Trademarks. (Sec. 614) Prescribes personnel requirements, including mandatory written agreements with labor organizations. Requires the USPTO Director to establish a performance management system according to specified guidelines. Authorizes the Director to establish one or more broad-banded systems covering all or any portion of the USPTO workforce. (Sec. 615) Establishes a Patent Public Advisory Committee and a Trademark Public Advisory Committee. (Sec. 618) Revises the composition of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences to reflect the changes of this Act. Repeals the current authority (of the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks) to designate any patent examiner of the primary examiner grade or higher to serve as examiner-in-chief for a six-month period, and act as a member of the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. Subtitle B: Effective Date; Technical Amendments - Sets forth the effective date of this title, as well as specified technical amendments to Federal patent law. Subtitle C: Miscellaneous Provisions - Sets forth specified administrative requirements with respect to the USPTO and transfers of functions under this title. Title VII: Miscellaneous Patent Provisions - Amends Federal patent law to permit the conversion, upon applicant request, of a provisional application into a non-provisional application. Repeals the requirement that a provisional application be pending on the filing date of a non-provisional application in order for the provisional application to be relied upon in any proceeding in the USPTO. (Sec. 702) Permits persons who filed an application for patent first in a World Trade Organization (WTO) member country to claim the right of priority in a subsequent patent application filed in the United States, even if such country does not yet afford similar privileges on the basis of applications filed in the United States. Provides for the right of priority in the United States on the basis of an application for a plant breeder's right first filed in a WTO member country or in a foreign member of the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV Contracting Party). (Sec. 703) Makes certain limitations on remedies for patent infringement applicable only to applications filed on or after September 30, 1996. (Sec. 704) Declares that papers filed in the USPTO may be required to be on an electronic medium. (Sec. 705) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the potential risks to the U.S. biotechnological industry relating to biological deposits in support of biotechnology patents. Requires the USPTO to consider the Comptroller General's recommendations when drafting regulations affecting biological deposits. (Sec. 706) Specifies that an inventor involved in a USPTO interference proceeding who establishes a date of invention is subject to certain requirements, including the one that the invention was not abandoned, suppressed, or concealed. (Sec. 707) Revises the condition of patentability that subject matter developed by another person which qualifies as prior art only in certain circumstances shall not preclude the granting of a patent on an invention with only obvious differences where the subject matter and claimed invention were, at the time the invention was made, owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person. Adds to such qualifying prior art circumstances that the invention was described in another patent granted on an application filed before the applicant's date of invention. (Thus allows an applicant to receive a patent when an invention with only obvious differences from the applicant's invention was described in a patent granted on an application filed before the applicant's invention, provided the inventions are commonly owned or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person.)
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1999
Condemns prejudice against Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. Supports Asian and Pacific Islander American participation in the political, public, and civic affairs of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1999
Iran Nonproliferation Act of 1999 - Directs the President to report periodically to specified congressional committees on foreign persons who, on or after January 22, 1998, have transferred to Iran: (1) controlled goods, services, or technology; or (2) non-controlled goods, services, or technology that would nevertheless would be, if they were U.S. goods, services, or technology, prohibited for export to Iran because of their potential contribution to the development of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, or ballistic missile systems. Excludes from identification in such reports any such persons who were previously identified, or who have acted on behalf of, or in concert with, the U.S. Government. Authorizes the President, with specified exceptions, to apply to such foreign person certain measures: (1) set forth in Executive Order 12938 prohibitions; (2) prohibiting the sale to such persons of defense items on the United States Munitions List and defense articles and defense services, or design and construction services under the Arms Export Control Act; and (3) prohibiting the export to such persons of controlled goods and technology under the Export Administration Act of 1979. Prohibits any U.S. agency from making extraordinary payments to the Russian Space Agency in connection with the International Space Station, or any other organization or entity of the Government of the Russian Federation, unless the President has determined, and reported to specified congressional committees, that: (1) it is the policy of the Government of the Russian Federation to oppose the proliferation to Iran of weapons of mass destruction and missile systems capable of delivering such weapons; (2) such government is taking the necessary steps to prevent the transfer from Russia to Iran of goods, services, and technology useful in the development of such weapons and systems; and (3) neither the Russian Space Agency, nor any organization under its control, has, during the one-year period prior to the determination, made transfers to Iran of controlled goods, services, or technology or non-controlled goods, services, or technology that has potential to contribute to Iran's development of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, or of ballistic missile systems.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1999
Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit, and set penalties for, knowingly creating, selling, or possessing a depiction of animal cruelty with the intention of placing that depiction in interstate or foreign commerce for commercial gain.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1999
Health Care Worker Needlestick Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), to amend the bloodborne pathogens standard to require that: (1) employers utilize needleless systems and sharps with engineered sharps injury protections in their work sites to prevent the spread of bloodborne pathogens; and (2) non-managerial direct care health care workers of employers participate in the identification and evaluation of such systems and sharps. Provides an exemption where an employer demonstrates that needleless systems and sharps: (1) do not promote employee safety, interfere with patient safety, or interfere with the success of a medical procedure under certain circumstances in the employer's work facility; or (2) are not commercially available to the employer. (Sec. 2) Includes under such revised standard requirements relating to: (1) exposure control plans; (2) sharps injury logs; and (3) worker training in the use of such systems and sharps. (Sec. 3) Requires the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to establish and maintain a national database on existing needleless systems and sharps with engineered sharps injury protections. Requires the Director to: (1) develop a set of evaluation criteria for use by employers, employees, and other persons in evaluating and selecting such systems and sharps; (2) develop a model training curriculum to train employers, employees, and other persons in such evaluation process, and provide requested technical assistance to the extent feasible; and (3) establish a national system to collect comprehensive data on needlestick injuries to health care workers, including data on mechanisms to analyze and evaluate prevention. Authorizes NIOSH access to information recorded by employers in sharps injury logs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require hospitals, as a condition of their Medicare program participation, to comply with the bloodborne pathogen standard as amended under this Act with respect to hospital employees, even if they are not otherwise subject to such standard because they are exempt from OSHA regulation.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1999
Entitles to military retired pay certain persons who were members of the U.S. merchant marine during and immediately after World War II. Directs the Secretary concerned, within 60 days after the enactment of this Act, to make lump-sum payments of accrued pay to such persons.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1999
Mother Teresa Religious Worker Act of 1999 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide permanent authority for U.S. special immigrant entry by certain religious workers.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Strategies for Preventing Crimes Against Seniors Title II: Combating Crimes Against Seniors Title III: Preventing Telemarketing Fraud Title IV: Preventing Health Care Fraud Title V: Protecting Residents of Nursing Homes Title VI: Protecting the Rights of Elderly Crime Victims Seniors Safety Act of 1999 - Title I: Strategies for Preventing Crimes Against Seniors - Directs the Attorney General (AG) to study and report to the congressional judiciary committees on crimes against seniors (over 55 years of age) in order to prevent and otherwise reduce the incidence of those crimes, which include telemarketing fraud, elder abuse, and health care fraud. (Sec. 102) Requires certain statistics concerning crimes against seniors to be included by the AG within each annual National Crime Victimization Survey. Title II: Combating Crimes Against Seniors - Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to review and, if appropriate, amend Federal sentencing guidelines to include the age of a crime victim as one of the criteria for determining whether a sentencing enhancement is appropriate. Requires a Commission report to Congress on issues relating to the age of crime victims. (Sec. 202) Directs the Commission to review and, if appropriate, amend sentencing guidelines and Commission policy statements to include persons convicted of offenses involving fraud in connection with a health care benefit program. (Sec. 203) Amends the Federal criminal code to provide increased penalties for fraud which results in serious injury or death. (Sec. 204) Provides civil and criminal penalties for any person who executes, or attempts to execute, a scheme or artifice to: (1) defraud any retirement arrangement or any person in connection with the establishment or maintenance of such an arrangement; or (2) falsely or fraudulently obtain any of the money or property owned by, or under the custody or control of, any retirement arrangement or other person in connection with such an arrangement. (Sec. 205) Authorizes the AG to bring a civil action to enforce penalties for defrauding pension plans. (Sec. 206) Revises criminal code provisions concerning the illegal influencing of operations of employee benefit plans to: (1) add certain definitions; and (2) include under such provisions bribery and graft committed by an applicable person (an employee benefit plan administrator, officer, counsel, agent, employee, or other person having influence with respect to such plan). Title III: Preventing Telemarketing Fraud - Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish procedures to: (1) log and acknowledge the receipt of complaints by individuals who reasonably believe that they have been the victim of fraud in connection with telemarketing; (2) provide to such individuals and any others information on telemarketing fraud; and (3) refer such complaints to appropriate entities, including State consumer protection and law enforcement agencies, for potential law enforcement action. Requires the AG to establish and maintain a computer database containing information on corporations and companies convicted of Federal or State telemarketing fraud. Requires such database to be made available to the FTC. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 302) Includes a wire communications facility (facility) utilizing a telephone service within the scope of telemarketing fraud subject to enhanced criminal penalties under the criminal code. Provides that if a common carrier is notified by the AG that a facility furnished by such carrier is being or will be used by a subscriber to transmit or receive a wire communication in interstate or foreign commerce to execute any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent representations, in connection with telemarketing, then the carrier shall discontinue or refuse to lease, furnish, or maintain the facility to such subscriber after reasonable notice to the subscriber. Title IV: Preventing Health Care Fraud - Includes within Federal injunctive authority against fraudulent actions certain offenses under the Social Security Act relating to false claims and illegal kickback schemes involving Federal health care programs. Amends the Social Security Act to authorize the AG to bring an action to enforce such authority. (Sec. 402) Includes within the AG's authority to subpoena information involving a Federal health care offense any allegation of fraud or false claims (whether criminal or civil) in connection with a Federal health care program as defined under the Social Security Act. Prohibits, during the production of such information, any record that contains personally identifiable information from being disclosed to any person, with exceptions for certain attorneys and government personnel as part of their official functions. Requires court ordered disclosures to be undertaken so as to preserve the confidentiality and privacy of individuals, unless such disclosure is required by the nature of such proceedings. Requires such records to be destroyed within 90 days after their production. (Sec. 403) Amends the Social Security Act to extend certain antifraud safeguards to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. (Sec. 404) Authorizes grand jury disclosure of matters occurring during an investigation of a Federal health care offense for use in any investigation or civil proceeding relating to fraud or false claims in connection with a Federal health care program. (Sec. 405) Delegates to the Deputy or an Assistant Attorney General the AG authority to issue civil investigative demands for the production of information relevant to a false claims law investigation. Allows disclosure of such information only upon a showing that such disclosure would assist the Department of Justice in carrying out its statutory responsibilities. Title V: Protecting Residents of Nursing Homes - Nursing Home Resident Protection Act of 1999 - Provides civil penalties against anyone who knowingly and willfully engages in a pattern of violations that affects the health, safety, or care of individuals in a residential health care facility, and results in significant physical or mental harm to one or more of such individuals, except that any organization shall be fined not more than $2 million per facility. Authorizes the AG to bring an enforcement action. Lists maximum penalty amounts. Authorizes other relief, including equitable and declaratory relief to eliminate a pattern of violations. Prohibits retaliation against any person reporting a condition that may constitute grounds for civil action. Includes information as to such violations within Federal investigative demand procedures. Title VI: Protecting the Rights of Elderly Crime Victims - Amends Federal civil forfeiture provisions to authorize the AG to retain or transfer forfeited property as restoration to any victim of the offense giving rise to the forfeiture, including a money laundering offense or any offense constituting the underlying specified unlawful activity. (Sec. 602) Amends provisions of the Controlled Substances Act relating to criminal forfeitures to state that a defendant may not use property subject to forfeiture to satisfy an order of restitution, except when the defendant has no assets other than the property subject to forfeiture. Directs the Government to restore the forfeited property to the victims. (Sec. 603) Prohibits the use of bankruptcy proceedings to shield illegal gains from false claims brought against the Government. Prohibits the debt arising from such illegal gains from being discharged in bankruptcy proceedings. (Sec. 604) Authorizes a criminal or civil court, in imposing a sentence on a person convicted of a retirement offense (an offense involving fraudulent gains from another's retirement arrangement), to order such person to forfeit property that constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to the commission of such offense.
![Official portrait of Rep. Lantos, Tom [D-CA-12]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000090_200.jpg)