United States · United States Congress · 17 September 1997
Condemns the violence committed by paramilitary groups on both sides of the conflict in Northern Ireland and by agents of the British Government as illegal, unjust, and inhumane. Commends and supports those in the British and Irish Governments who are building on the accomplishments of the Anglo-Irish Agreement, the Joint Declaration, and the Framework Documents by bringing the various political parties into the current negotiations and creating an environment in which negotiations may be reached expeditiously through inclusive talks. Declares that: (1) respect for human rights must now be at the heart of the peace process; (2) all participants at the multiparty talks must rededicate themselves to restoring civil rights and respecting human rights in Northern Ireland if a peace agreement is to have lasting value; (3) any peace agreement in Northern Ireland must recognize the state's obligation to protect human rights in all circumstances; (4) the establishment of a bill of rights for the people of Northern Ireland may advance and strengthen the peace process; (5) the multiparty negotiations should consider the feasibility of establishing an independent "Truth Commission" to look into outstanding cases of human rights abuses, giving special consideration to those who have been unable to obtain full disclosure about how their loved ones met their deaths; (6) the British Government should initiate a new independent inquiry into the deaths of civilians on "Bloody Sunday," repeal emergency legislation that limits internationally recognized individual human rights, and establish an independent complaints mechanism for the review of citizen inquiries regarding alleged abuses of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and other security forces; (7) there should be a mechanism by which all defense solicitors will have a vigorous independent investigation of threats they receive; (8) those who report threats of violence should be accorded effective protection; and (9) plastic bullets should be withdrawn from use.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1997
Marriage Tax Elimination Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a husband and wife to file a combined income tax return on which each spouse is taxed separately at the unmarried return rate.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: FHA-Insured Multifamily Housing Mortgage and Housing Assistance Restructuring Subtitle A: Restructuring of Assistance Subtitle B: Office of Multifamily Housing Assistance Restructuring Subtitle C: Contracts Expiring After Termination of Program Title II: Miscellaneous Provisions Title III: Enforcement Provisions Subtitle A: FHA Single Family and Multifamily Housing Subtitle B: FHA Multifamily Provisions Multifamily Housing Restructuring and Affordability Act of 1997 - Title I: FHA-Insured Multifamily Housing Mortgage and Housing Assistance Restructuring - Subtitle A: Restructuring of Assistance - Requires the Director (Director) of the Office of Multifamily Housing Assistance Restructuring (established by this Act) to enter into mortgage and rental assistance portfolio restructuring agreements with participating multifamily housing administrative entities (entities) in order to: (1) reduce expiring section 8 contract costs; (2) address troubled projects; and (3) correct management and ownership problems. (Sec. 112) Requires the Director to develop mortgage restructuring and rental assistance sufficiency plans (plan) for the entities of eligible multifamily housing projects with expiring contracts. Sets forth plan components. (Sec. 113) Requires the Director to enter into contracts with entities under approved plans for section 8 contract renewals with long term owner affordability commitments. (Sec. 114) Exempts specified projects from restructuring requirements and permits contract renewals at existing or budget based rent levels. Prohibits restructuring for projects: (1) whose owners have engaged in patterns of managerial or financial mismanagement; or (2) that are in such poor condition as to be not cost effective to renew. (Sec. 115) Authorizes plans to provide for: (1) full or partial claim payment; (2) debt refinancing; (3) mortgage insurance; (4) credit enhancement; (5) third party compensation; (6) project account use; (7) rehabilitation needs; and (8) mortgage restructuring. (Sec. 116) Requires: (1) contracts to provide for long-term owner compliance; (2) entity compliance monitoring; and (3) specified reviews by the Director and the General Accounting Office (GAO). (Sec. 120) Amends the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 to terminate a specified multihousing demonstration program upon implementation of the restructuring program under this Act. Continues program funding until such termination. (Sec. 121) Amends the National Housing Act to authorize the Director to make a one time, nondefault partial payment of an existing multifamily housing mortgage. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to provide for the reuse of recaptured budget authority from contracts terminated under this Act. Subtitle B: Office of Multifamily Housing Assistance Restructuring - Establishes within the Department of Housing and Urban Development the Office (Office) of Multifamily Housing Assistance Restructuring. Authorizes appropriations. Terminates the Office as of a specified date. Subtitle C: Contracts Expiring After Termination of Program - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide tenant based section 8 assistance with respect to contracts expiring after the Office's termination. Title II: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the National Housing Act to authorize the Office to make rehabilitation grants for specified insured projects. (Sec. 202) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 with respect to the housing finance agency multifamily housing finance pilot program. (Sec. 203) Authorizes the Secretary to convert direct loan elderly projects to project rental assistance contracts. Provides for related cancellation of debt and section 8 contracts. (Sec. 204) Authorizes the Secretary, upon owner request, to provide rent limitations for qualified multifamily housing projects receiving section 8 project based assistance. (Sec. 205) Requires a GAO report on section 8 multifamily rental assistance. Title III: Enforcement Provisions - Subtitle A: FHA Single Family and Multifamily Housing - Amends the National Housing Act to authorize the Mortgage Review Board to immediately suspend a mortgage under specified conditions. (Sec. 312) Extends (and increases) equity skimming penalties to 1- to 4-family residences. (Sec. 313) Amends the National Housing Act to expand the scope of civil money penalties for mortgagees, lenders, and other Federal Housing Administration program participants. Subtitle B: FHA Multifamily Provisions - Amends the National Housing Act to extend certain multifamily mortgagor civil money penalties (and such penalties' scope) to general partners of a partnership mortgagor, or officers or directors of corporate mortgagors. (Sec. 322) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to establish civil money penalties for specified section 8 violations by owners or other liable parties. (Sec. 323) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 to extend the double damages remedy for recovery of assets to specified insured mortgage agreements under the Housing Act of 1959 and the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 1997
Joins the Hellenic and the Armenian American communities in honoring the memory of the victims of Smyrna in 1922 and the millions of Orthodox Christians who perished in the genocidal campaign in Asia Minor from 1894 to 1923. Calls for: (1) the United States to encourage the Republic of Turkey to take all appropriate steps to acknowledge these crimes against humanity and commemorate the victims at Smyrna; and (2) the restoration and preservation of an accurate history of such events so that such atrocities may never be repeated.
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 1997
Expresses: (1) outrage over the terrorist bombing in Jerusalem on September 4, 1997; (2) condolences to the families of the victims and to the people and Government of Israel; and (3) the commitment of the American people to remain dedicated to Israel's security. Demands that Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority eliminate the terrorist infrastructure and combat terrorist activities of all terror groups operating in areas under its control and fulfill PLO commitments made to Israel, the United States, and the world. Informs Arafat and the leaders of the Palestinian Authority that either they do what they pledged to do as part of the Oslo process to fight terror and the terrorist infrastructure or the entire peace process, relations with America, and the hopes of the Palestinian people for a better future will be seriously jeopardized. Urges Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to underscore to the Palestinians that the Palestinian Authority must fulfill its obligation of fighting terrorism with all the means at its disposal. Calls for suspension of all U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority until such time as substantive compliance with its commitments under the Oslo agreements is achieved.
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Public Housing and Section 8 Rental Assistance Title II: Federally Assisted Multifamily Rental Housing Temporary Extension of Public Housing Reform Provisions Act of 1997 - Title I: Public Housing and Section 8 Rental Assistance - Amends the Balanced Budget Downpayment Act, I to extend provisions regarding public housing ceiling rents, income adjustments, and (repeal of) Federal preferences for assisted housing. (Sec. 102) Amends the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Additional Disaster Assistance, for Antiterrorism Initiatives, for Assistance in the Recovery from the Tragedy that Occurred at Oklahoma City, and Rescissions Act, 1995 to extend the public housing demolition and disposition one-for-one replacement requirement. (Sec. 103) Amends the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 to extend provisions regarding use of public housing modernization funding for mixed income developments. (Sec. 104) Amends the Balanced Budget Downpayment Act, I to extend minimum rent provisions. (Sec. 105) Amends the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 to extend certain provisions regarding the section 8 rental assistance program. Amends the Balanced Budget Downpayment Act, I to extend fair market rental provisions. Title II: Federally Assisted Multifamily Rental Housing - Amends the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 to extend authority for: (1) section 8 contract renewals; and (2) the multifamily housing mortgage restructuring demonstration. (Sec. 203) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to increase the number of units and extend the risk-sharing and housing finance agency multifamily housing finance pilot programs. (Sec. 204) Amends the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 to state that the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) authority to manage and dispose of multifamily housing includes the provision of grants and loans from the General Insurance Fund. (Sec. 205) Amends the National Housing Act to: (1) extend multifamily mortgage auction authority; and (2) authorize the Secretary to continue to make interest reduction payments on transferred mortgage loans under the rental or cooperative housing for lower income families program. (Sec. 207) Amends the Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1978 to authorize the Secretary to provide for the assumption of all regulatory rights and responsibilities in connection with the sale of a HUD-held mortgage.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
Internet Protection Act of 1997 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to declare that it shall be U.S. policy to rely on private initiative and to avoid government restriction or supervision of Internet services. Provides that nothing in the Act shall be construed to grant authority to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to regulate Internet services. Bars States from taking any action with respect to such services that the FCC is prohibited from taking or that is inconsistent with FCC actions. Requires the FCC, when service provided by a nonaffiliated Internet service provider is a substitute for a comparable regulated service for a substantial portion of the geographic market for such regulated service, to forbear from applying any regulation or provision of the Act to such comparable service if: (1) enforcement is not necessary to ensure that charges, practices, classifications, or regulations by, for, or in connection with such service are just and reasonable and not unreasonably discriminatory; (2) enforcement is not necessary for consumer protection; and (3) forbearance is necessary to promote parity among service providers and consistent with the public interest. Authorizes petitions to the FCC for forbearance. Requires the FCC to: (1) keep the House Committee on Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation currently informed on developments in the provision of Internet services; and (2) report any recommendations for legislative changes to the Congress if any development requires that a limitation on the FCC under this Act be removed.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
Small Business Banking Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to authorize any depository institution to permit an owner to make withdrawals by negotiable or transferable instrument from any interest-bearing or dividend bearing account in order to make payments to third parties (currently such withdrawals are permissible only for specified deposits). Amends the Federal Reserve Act, the Home Owners' Loan Act, and the FDIA to repeal the proscription against the payment of interest on demand deposits. (Sec.3) Amends the Federal Reserve Act to mandate interest payments at least quarterly on balances maintained at a Federal Reserve Bank to satisfy the reserve requirements of a depository institution. Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to prescribe regulations for such interest payments.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
Speed Trafficking Life in Prison Act of 1997 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to: (1) repeal provisions prescribing penalties for violations involving specified quantities of methamphetamine; and (2) provide for a fine of up to $8 million (for an individual) or $20 million (if other than an individual) and a mandatory life penalty (unless the death penalty is imposed) for manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing (or possessing with intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense) methamphetamine, its salts, isomers, or salts of its isomers.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
Acid Deposition Control Act - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a Nitrogen Oxide Allowance Program under which the contiguous States and the District of Columbia will be allocated allowances, beginning in the year 2000, to emit limited monthly amounts of nitrogen oxides. Allocates such allowances in proportion to a State's share of total electric power generated in the contiguous States. Sets forth requirements for the intrastate distribution of allowances among affected facilities (facilities with combustion units that serve an electricity generator with a minimum capacity of 25 megawatts) by a State or the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations: (1) authorizing allowances to be transferred among affected facilities or persons; and (2) for issuing and tracking the use and transfer of allowances. Permits unused allowances to be carried forward for subsequent years. Requires the Administrator, for States for which the Administrator distributes allowances, to place ten percent of the total allowances in a new source reserve. Provides for the auctioning and sale of undistributed allowances in such reserve during 2003 through 2005. Distributes auction proceeds to affected sources in proportion to the number of allowances that would have been received but for the auction. Authorizes the Administrator to terminate or limit allowances. Makes it unlawful, after January 1, 2000, for: (1) the owner or operator of an affected facility to emit nitrogen oxides exceeding the amount permitted by allowances held by such facility; or (2) any person to hold, use, or transfer such allowances, except as provided under this Act. Repeals the nitrogen oxides emission reduction program under the Clean Air Act. Bars the use of an allowance before the calendar year for which the allowance is allocated. Amends the Clean Air Act to require owners or operators of industrial facilities with a minimum capacity of 100 million British thermal units (mmBtus) per hour to install and operate continuous emission monitoring systems on affected units and quality assure data for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, opacity, and volumetric flow. Imposes penalties for emissions in excess of allowances. Requires offsets of allowances in the calendar year following the one in which excess emissions occurred. Decreases the amount of sulfur dioxide authorized to be emitted under an existing allowance program for 2003 and subsequent years. Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress on objectives for scientifically credible environmental indicators, including acid neutralizing capacity, sufficient to protect sensitive ecosystems of the Adirondack, Mid-Appalachian, and Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, Long Island Sound, and the Chesapeake Bay. Directs the Administrator, by December 31, 2006, to determine whether emissions reductions under this Act are sufficient to achieve such objectives and, if not, to promulgate regulations necessary to protect such ecosystems. Requires the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on the practicality of monitoring mercury emissions from all combustion units with a minimum capacity of 250 mmBtus per hour. Provides for regulations to: (1) require reporting of mercury emissions from such units; and (2) control electric utility and industrial source mercury emissions. Directs the Administrator to establish a competitive grant program to fund research related to the effects of nitrogen deposition on sensitive watersheds and coastal estuaries in the eastern United States. Requires the Administrator to report to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the House Committee on Resources on the health and chemistry of certain Adirondack lakes and streams that were subjects of a specified report required under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Executive Branch Governance and Senior Management of the Internal Revenue Service Subtitle A: Executive Branch Governance and Senior Management Subtitle B: Personnel Flexibilities Title II: Electronic Filing Title III: Taxpayer Protection and Rights Title IV: Congressional Accountability for the Internal Revenue Service Subtitle A: Oversight Subtitle B: Budget Subtitle C: Tax Law Complexity Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1997 - Title I: Executive Branch Governance and Senior Management of the Internal Revenue Service - Subtitle A: Executive Branch Government and Senior Management - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to replace current provisions establishing the office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue with provisions establishing the Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board (the Board). Requires that seven of the nine members of the Board not be full-time Federal officers or employees. Requires that all Board members have expertise in, among other things: (1) management of large service organizations; (2) customer service; and (3) the needs and concerns of taxpayers. Requires the Board to: (1) review and approve strategic plans of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); (2) review the operational functions of the IRS; (3) select the Commissioner of Internal Revenue (Commissioner), as well as senior IRS managers, and review the Commissioner's reorganization plans; and (4) review and approve the IRS budget request, as well as ensure audits of the IRS. (Sec. 102) Replaces current provisions which authorize the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to employ such personnel as necessary for the proper administration and enforcement of the internal revenue laws with provisions requiring there to be in the Department of the Treasury a Commissioner who shall be appointed by the Board for a five-year term. Sets forth the duties of the Commissioner, including the: (1) administration and management of the internal revenue laws; and (2) Commissioner's responsibility to consult with the Board. Establishes and sets forth duties for: (1) a Chief Counsel for the IRS to be appointed by the President; (2) the Office of Employee Plans and Exempt Organizations; (3) an Office of the Taxpayer Advocate. (Sec. 103) Replaces current provisions concerning the effect of reorganization plans with provisions which authorize the Commissioner to employ such number of persons as proper to administer and enforce the internal revenue laws. Subtitle B: Personnel Flexibilities - Directs the Commissioner to establish a performance management system covering IRS employees which: (1) establishes retention standards; and (2) establishes performance goals or objectives. Provides for awards based on performance, but prohibits making an award solely on the basis of tax enforcement results. Sets forth other provisions concerning: (1) classification and pay; (2) staffing; and (3) demonstration projects. Title II: Electronic Filing - Provides for paperless filing and payment of taxes. Title III: Taxpayer Protection and Rights - Sets forth provisions concerning taxpayer protections and rights, including provisions concerning: (1) authority to issue taxpayer assistance orders; (2) authority to award costs and fees; (3) damages for negligence in collection actions; (4) criteria and procedures for selecting taxpayers for examination; (5) archival treatment of IRS records; (6) freedom of information; (7) offers-in-compromise; (8) jurisdiction of the Tax Court; (9) cataloging of complaints; and (10) procedures for taxpayer interviews. (Sec. 309) Eliminates the interest differential on overpayments and underpayments. (Sec. 310) Eliminates the failure to pay penalty as long as an installment payment agreement is in effect. (Sec. 311) Directs the Secretary to accept installment tax liability payments if: (1) such liability does not exceed $10,000; (2) the taxpayer has, during the past five years, paid on time; and (3) the taxpayer has not entered into a prior installment agreement. (Sec. 313) Directs the Secretary to make grants to provide matching funds for qualified low-income taxpayer clinics. (Sec. 319) Provides for studies concerning: (1) taxpayer confidentiality; (2) penalty administration; (3) treating all taxpayers as separate filing units; and (4) burden of proof. Title IV: Congressional Accountability for the Internal Revenue Service - Subtitle A: Oversight - Authorizes the Joint Committee on Taxation (Joint Committee) to procure the services of experts for investigations of the IRS by the General Accounting Office. (Sec. 402) Establishes additional reporting requirements for the Joint Committee. Subtitle B: Budget - Provides for additional budget authority for the IRS, but only on annual basis and only if specified improvements are made in taxpayer services. (Sec. 413) Directs the Commissioner to convene a financial advisory management group to advise the Commissioner. Subtitle C: Tax Law Complexity - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the IRS should provide the Congress with an independent view of tax administration. (Sec. 422) Requires a Senate or House of Representatives committee, when reporting legislation including any provision amending the IRC, to contain within the report a Tax Complexity Analysis. (Sec. 423) Declares it to be the policy of the Congress that employers should have a single point of filing tax and wage reporting information. (Sec. 424) Requires the Joint Committee to prepare a study of the feasibility of developing a baseline estimate of taxpayers' compliance burdens against which future legislative proposals could be measured.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1997
Authorizes the President to award the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously to Theodore Roosevelt for his actions in the attack of San Juan Heights, Cuba, during the Spanish-American War on July 1, 1898.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1997
Rural Housing Program Reauthorization Act of 1997 - Amends the Housing Act of 1949 to extend program authority or authorization of appropriations for: (1) targeted underserved areas; (2) insurance of housing and related facilities loans for elderly persons and families and other low-income persons and families; (3) nonprofit rural rental housing fund set-asides; and (4) loan guarantees for multifamily rural rental housing.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1997
Genetic Employment Protection Act of 1997 - Prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of genetic information with respect to an individual, including an inquiry by the individual regarding genetic services. Sets forth confidentiality and civil action provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1997
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to religious understanding and peace. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike duplicate medals in bronze. Authorizes appropriations from the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund, where sales proceeds shall be deposited.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1997
Calls for: (1) the President to demand that the Government of Russia take actions to stop governmental and nongovernmental entities in the Russian Federation from providing missile technology and technical advice to Iran in violation of the Missile Technology Control Regime; (2) the United States, if Russia's response is inadequate, to impose sanctions on the responsible Russian entities in accordance with Executive Order 12938 on the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and to reassess cooperative activities with Russia; (3) raising the threshold under current law allowing for the waiver of the prohibition on the release of foreign assistance to Russia; and (4) encouragement of our European allies to take steps to stop such proliferation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1997
Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to extend the national flood insurance program from FY 1997 through 1999. Authorizes appropriations for specified studies for FY 1998 and 1999.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1997
Genetic Privacy and Nondiscrimination Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to prohibit a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer offering group coverage, from discriminating in eligibility based on a request for, or receipt of, genetic information or a genetic test. Prohibits such entities from: (1) using genetic information to discriminate in issuance, renewal, premium rates, or benefits; or (2) disclosing or being compelled, by subpoena or any other means, subject to exception, to disclose genetic information about an individual unless authorized by the individual. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply these prohibitions to coverage in the individual market. Amends Federal law relating to veterans' benefits to mandate standards, consistent with the prohibitions in this Act, regarding genetic information use and disclosure in connection with medical care provided under those provisions. Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer to attempt to acquire, acquire, or use genetic information, or to require a genetic test, of an employee or applicant to discriminate or restrict any right or benefit. Regulates employer disclosure of and access to genetic information. Provides for enforcement through the powers, remedies, and procedures in specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Mandates a report by the National Bioethics Advisory Commission to the Congress regarding standards to provide increased protection for the collection, storage, and use of DNA samples and genetic information.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1997
Lower East Side Tenement National Historic Site Act of 1997 - Designates the Lower East Side Tenement at 97 Orchard Street, New York, New York, as a national historic site and an affiliated site of the National Park System. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to coordinate the operation and interpretation of the Site with that of the Lower East Side Tenement Historic Site, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Castle Clinton National Monument. Provides that the Lower East Side Tenement Museum shall continue to own, operate, and manage the Site. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Museum to ensure the marking, interpretation, and preservation of the Site. Requires the Secretary, working with the Museum, to develop a general management plan for the Site to: (1) define the National Park Service's roles and responsibilities with regard to the interpretation and the preservation of the Site; and (2) outline how interpretation and programming for the Lower East Side Tenement Historic Site, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Castle Clinton National Monuments will be integrated and coordinated so as to enhance the stories at each of the four Sites. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1997
Urges the British Government to prohibit any march by any group through any neighborhood in Northern Ireland in which residents have stated their opposition to such march.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1997
China Human Rights and Democracy Act of 1997 - Authorizes appropriations for International Broadcasting Activities only for broadcasting to China. Earmarks funds for: (1) capital expenditures for the purchase and construction of transmission facilities; and (2) Radio Free Asia. (Sec. 2) Expresses the sense of the Congress that U.S. international broadcasting through Radio Free Asia and Voice of America should be increased to provide continuous 24-hour broadcasting in multiple languages and dialects, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, and Uighur. (Sec. 3) Authorizes appropriations to the National Endowment for Democracy, and directs the Secretary of State to use funds available in the East Asia-Pacific Regional Democracy Fund, to promote democracy, civil society, and the development of the rule of law in China. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to report annually to specified congressional committees on human rights in China, including religious persecution, the development of democratic institutions, and the rule of law. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a Prisoner Information Registry for China; and (2) assign not less than six foreign service officers to the U.S. Embassy and consular offices in China to monitor and report on human rights matters in China. (Sec. 5) Requires specified reports to the Congress on Chinese intelligence activities against U.S. interests and on commercial enterprises affiliated with the Chinese military. (Sec. 6) Expresses the sense of the Congress that U.S. nationals conducting industrial cooperation projects in China should adhere to certain principles. Declares that such nationals should: (1) suspend the use of any merchandise that they have reason to believe was produced by convict or forced labor, and refuse to use forced labor in their projects; (2) seek to ensure that political or religious views, sex, ethnic or national background, or association with dissidents will not prohibit hiring, lead to harassment, demotion, or dismissal of an individual employed in the industrial cooperation project; (3) ensure that methods of production used in the projects do not pose unnecessary danger to workers and the surrounding neighborhoods and environment; (4) strive to establish a private business enterprise when involved in an industrial cooperation project with China or other state entity; (5) discourage any military presence on the premises of projects which involve dual-use technologies; (6) promote freedom of association and assembly among the U.S. national's employees; (7) provide the Department of State with information relevant to its efforts to collect information on prisoners for purposes of the Prisoner Information Registry; (8) discourage or prevent compulsory political indoctrination programs from taking place on project premises; (9) promote freedom of expression of all kinds; and (10) prevent harassment of workers who decide freely the number and spacing of their children, and prohibit compulsory population control activities on the premises of the project. Directs the Secretary to forward a copy of these principles to the member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and encourage them to promote similar principles. Directs each U.S. national conducting an industrial cooperation project in China to register with the Secretary and indicate whether they agree to implement such principles. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to give preference to U.S. nationals that have adopted such principles when selecting participants for trade missions in China. (Sec. 7) Requires the promotion of cultural, educational, scientific, agricultural, military, legal, political, and artistic exchanges between the United States and China. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader of the Senate should establish a legislative exchange program with China; and (2) a federally chartered not-for-profit organization should be established to fund exchanges between the United States and China through private donations. (Sec. 8) Prohibits the Secretary from issuing any visa to, and the Attorney General from admitting to the United States, any Chinese national that has been materially involved in: (1) the commission of human rights violations; or (2) the proliferation of conventional or nuclear weapons technology, or other sensitive or dual-use technologies, in contravention of U.S. interests. Provides for waiver of such requirements in the U.S. national interest. (Sec. 9) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Congress, the President, and the Secretary should work with the governments of other countries to establish a Commission on Security and Cooperation in Asia which would be modeled after the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1997
Wartime Violation of Italian American Civil Liberties Act - Requires the Inspector General of the Department of Justice to conduct a comprehensive review of the treatment by the Federal Government of Italian Americans during World War II (between September 1, 1939, and December 31, 1945) and to report to the Congress on the findings of such review. Requires the findings to include information regarding: (1) Italian Americans who were interned, taken into custody, ordered to move out of designated areas, or arrested for curfew, contraband, or other violations; (2) Federal Bureau of Investigations raids on Italian Americans homes; (3) restrictions on Italian American fishermen and railroad workers; and (4) civil liberties infringements suffered by Italian Americans during World War II. Requires the President, on behalf of the Government, to formally acknowledge that these events during World War II represented a fundamental injustice against Italian Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1997
Waives for contract periods through December 31, 1998, with respect to the Better Health Plan, Inc., operating in New York, the (75-25) requirement under the Social Security Act (SSA) that Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries under SSA titles XVIII and XIX, respectively, constitute less than 75 percent of the membership of a participating health maintenance organization.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1997
Amends Federal aviation law to declare that nothing in such law or in the Death on the High Seas Act shall affect any remedy existing at common law or under State law with respect to any injury or death arising out of any aviation incident occurring on or after January 1, 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1997
Urges the Federal Communications Commission to issue a notice of inquiry to seek comment and gather facts related to issues raised by the introduction of distilled spirits advertising on television and radio, with a particular focus on the effects of such advertisements on children and teenagers.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1997
Communications Satellite Competition and Privatization Act of 1997 - Amends the Communications Satellite Act of 1962 to prohibit the issuance or renewal of any licenses or construction permits to, or the authorization of use of space segments owned by, any separated entity unless the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) determines that such activities will not harm competition in the U.S. telecommunications market. Defines a "separated entity" as a privatized entity to whom a portion of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization's (INTELSAT) or the International Mobile Satellite Organization's (Inmarsat) assets are transferred prior to their full privatization. Requires the FCC to limit or revoke the authority to use space segments owned or operated by INTELSAT or Inmarsat to provide non-core services to, from, or within the United States unless after January 1, 2002, and January 1, 2001, INTELSAT and Inmarsat, respectively, and their successor entities, have been privatized in a manner that will not harm competition in the U.S. telecommunications markets. Limits expansion of INTELSAT and Inmarsat services pending privatization of such entities. Prohibits the FCC from assisting in the registration of new orbital slots for INTELSAT or Inmarsat after January 1, 2002, and January 1, 2001, respectively, unless such entities have been privatized in a manner that will not harm competition. Directs the President and the FCC to secure a pro-competitive privatization of INTELSAT and Inmarsat that meets specified criteria, including requirements that: (1) INTELSAT and Inmarsat are privatized by January 1, 2002, and January 1, 2001, respectively; (2) successor and separated entities are national, stock corporations independent of signatories that control access to telecommunications markets and of any intergovernmental organizations; (3) preferential treatment is terminated; (4) expansions are prohibited during transition; (5) successor or separated entities apply through national licensing authorities for international frequency assignments and orbital registrations; (6) such entities are domiciled in countries that have laws and regulations that secure competition in telecommunications services, are signatories of the World Trade Organization Basic Telecommunications Services Agreement, and have a schedule of commitments in the Agreement that includes non-discriminatory market access to satellite markets; (7) unused orbital slots are returned to the International Telecommunication Union; and (8) INTELSAT's and Inmarsat's assets are audited before transfer. Lists specific additional licensing criteria for INTELSAT, INTELSAT separated entities, and Inmarsat. Requires the FCC to permit providers or users of telecommunications services to obtain direct access to INTELSAT and Inmarsat telecommunications services by January 1, 2001, and January 1, 2000, respectively, and to treat the communications satellite corporation (COMSAT) as a nondominant carrier on the effective date of such actions. Permits multiple signatories to represent the United States in INTELSAT and Inmarsat on such dates. Authorizes the FCC to impose regulatory fees on the U.S. signatory. Prohibits the FCC from assigning orbital slots or spectrum used for international or global satellite communications services by competitive bidding.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1997
Calls upon: (1) the Clinton administration to investigate and report to the Congress on the Palestinian Authority's role in enforcing a policy that selling land to Jews is a crime punishable by death; and (2) the Authority to denounce this policy. Prohibits providing foreign assistance to the Authority until this policy is reversed.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1997
Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to conduct a demonstration project under which covered members and beneficiaries under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) who are or become entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act will be eligible to enroll in health benefits plans offered through the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program. Requires the demonstration project to be conducted in two geographic areas and to last at least two, but not more than three, contract years. Provides for: (1) management of participation in the project; (2) Government contributions for beneficiary coverage under the FEHB program; and (3) reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997
Congressional Office of Regulatory Analysis Creation Act - Establishes a Congressional Office of Regulatory Analysis. Authorizes appropriations. Transfers to the Director of such Office the functions of the Comptroller General with respect to congressional review of agency rulemaking. Requires the Office to conduct its own specified regulatory impact analysis of major rules. Extends the deadline by which the Director must report to appropriate congressional committees on each major rule from 15 to 45 calendar days after its submission to the Congress or publication in the Federal Register. Requires the Office to conduct a regulatory impact analyses of any nonmajor rule when requested to do so by a congressional committee or Member of Congress. Amends the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 to: (1) transfer functions of the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to the Director with respect to the comparison between agency and CBO mandate cost estimates; and (2) require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), at the request of the CBO Director or the Director, to cooperate in providing mandate cost estimates and related data. Directs the OMB Director to collect agency statements prepared under such Act for forwarding to the Director (currently CBO Director) after promulgation of the general notice of proposed rulemaking or of the final rule for which the statement was prepared.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997
Medical Device Regulatory Modernization Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to set forth the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mission and to mandate annual FDA and Comptroller General reports to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, when there is a scientific controversy between a regulated person and the Secretary, to establish a procedure under which the regulated person may request a review of the disputed subject matter. (Sec. 4) Revises or imposes requirements regarding: (1) investigational device exemptions; (2) premarket approval requirements (mandating a device review priority); (3) humanitarian device exceptions; (4) safety and effectiveness performance standards (allowing recognition of self-certifiable consensus standards); (5) effectiveness determinations (as used in classifying devices); (6) reliance on postmarket controls to expedite classification; (7) substantial equivalence; (8) labeling (as affecting premarket approval); (9) supplemental applications; (10) promotional material representations; (11) premarket notification; (12) initial classification; (13) classification panels; and (14) premarket approval application review (allowing review by accredited persons). (Sec. 12) Mandates accreditation of persons to review and initially classify devices. (Sec. 13) Mandates publication of a list of types of class III devices that are not subject to regulation under specified provisions and for which the Secretary has determined that premarket approval is unnecessary, requiring each to be regulated as class III subject to general and appropriate special controls. (Sec. 14) Modifies requirements regarding: (1) device tracking; (2) postmarket surveillance; and (3) good manufacturing practice regulations (including foreign harmonization) and inspections (including adding references to accredited entities and post-inspection procedural requirements). (Sec. 17) Removes distributors from recordkeeping and reporting requirements. Removes reporting requirements regarding certain certification and removals and corrections. Mandates new user reporting regulations limiting user reporting to a user subset to create a representative profile of user reports. (Sec. 18) Prohibits subjecting a person to penalties if the person acted in good faith and had no reason to believe the acts violated the law. (Sec. 19) Mandates an information system to track the status of each submission requesting FDA action. (Sec. 20) Prohibits actions by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under the FDCA from requiring the preparation of an environmental assessment or impact statement. (Sec. 22) Regulates communications to non-FDA persons regarding certain matters before completion of related investigations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997
Access to Women's Health Care Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to establish standards requiring that group and individual health insurance coverage and group health plans provide adequate access to services provided by obstetrician-gynecologists.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997
Campaigns in the Sunshine Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to make applicable reporting requirements under FECA to any amount (soft money) expended by a political party for the purpose of influencing an election for Federal office. Requires that, in addition to any reports required to be filed by a principal campaign committee in accordance with FECA requirements, any person who first makes independent expenditures with respect to an election in an aggregate amount or value in excess of $1,000 after the deadline for filing a pre-election report shall file a report containing the information described under FECA at the time the person makes independent expenditures in such aggregate amount or value. Defines the term "independent expenditure" for the purposes of the reports requirement. Redefines the requirement for every person (other than a political committee) to report any independent expenditure aggregating $1,000 or more during a specified period before any election to require that the report include the identification of each person who made a contribution to the person filing such report which was in excess of $200 and was made for the purpose of furthering an independent expenditure.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1997
Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act of 1997 - Amends the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to proscribe bringing a private class action based upon State or municipal law in State or Federal court by any private party alleging: (1) an untrue statement or omission in connection with the purchase or sale of a covered security; or (2) that the defendant used any manipulative or deceptive device in connection with such a transaction. Declares that any class action brought in any State court involving a covered security shall be removable to the Federal district court for the district in which the action is pending.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1997
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal to Mother Teresa of Calcutta in recognition of her contributions to humanitarian and charitable activities. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike a suitable gold medal. Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Declares these medals to be national medals. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates deposit of sale proceeds in the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1997
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1997 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to establish in the National Park Service (NPS) a program to be known as the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom under which the Secretary shall: (1) produce and disseminate educational materials about the Railroad; (2) provide technical assistance to other government agencies, private entities, or the Governments of Canada, Mexico, or any appropriate Caribbean country to ensure coordination of Federal and non-Federal elements of the Network; and (3) regulate use of an official symbol for the Network. Includes within the Network: (1) NPS units or programs pertaining to the Railroad; (2) Federal, State, local, or privately-owned properties pertaining to the Railroad that have a verifiable connection to it and that are included or eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places; and (3) governmental or nongovernmental facilities or programs of educational, research, or interpretive natures that are directly related to such Railroad. Prohibits amounts from being appropriated for the purposes of this Act except to the Secretary for carrying out his or her responsibilities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Highway Programs Title II: Transit Programs ISTEA Reauthorization Act of 1997 - Title I: Highway Programs - Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY 1998 through 2003 for: (1) the National Highway System (NHS); (2) the surface transportation program; (3) the bridge program; (4) congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program; (5) the minimum allocation program; (6) apportionment adjustments; (7) the Interstate System reimbursement program; (8) level of effort bonus; (9) certain projects under the Federal lands highways program; (10) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) highway safety programs; (11) FHWA highway safety research and development; and (12) the Appalachian development highway program. (Sec. 103) Amends Federal-aid highway law to revise the formula for determining the State apportionment of funds for the NHS and the surface transportation program. Extends through FY 2003 the set aside of Federal highway funds for discretionary projects for the resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, and reconstructing of routes on the Interstate System. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to conduct, and submit to specified congressional committees, a study of the impact of the movement of goods on transportation infrastructure as a measure of need for apportioning funds for the NHS. (Sec. 104) Earmarks 50 percent of NHS funds apportioned to States for Interstate maintenance projects. Repeals the State apportionment of Federal highway funds (nondiscretionary) for resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, and reconstructing the Interstate System. (Sec.105) Revises the formula for the apportionment of funds to States under the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program. Authorizes States that are apportioned more than 15 percent of the total amount of such apportioned funds to transfer, with the approval of the metropolitan planning organization, all or a portion of the amount that exceeds such percentage to the State's apportionment of funds under the surface transportation program. Prohibits the use of transferred funds for a project which will result in the construction of new capacity available to single occupant vehicles unless the project consists of a high occupancy vehicle facility available to single occupant vehicles only at other than peak travel times. . (Sec. 106) Extends for an additional six-fiscal year period the obligation of a State to allocate surface transportation program funds for Federal-aid highways and highway safety construction in urbanized areas with a population over 200,000. (Sec.107) Increases the minimum amount of apportioned highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program funds that a State shall receive in any fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2003 for the discretionary bridge and off-system bridges programs. Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to authorize appropriations for FY 1998 through 2003 for the highway timber bridge research and demonstration program. (Sec.108) Revises for FY 1998 and each fiscal year thereafter the formula for determining the amount of highway funds that would be required to ensure a State's percentage of the total apportionments in each fiscal year and allocations for the prior fiscal year for specified transportation programs is not less than 90 percent of the percentage that the population of the State is of the population of the United States (as determined by the Secretary based on the most recent revised estimate of State populations prepared by the Bureau of Census). (Sec. 110) Provides for the adjustment of funds apportioned to States for the surface transportation program. (Sec. 111) Directs the Secretary to allocate Federal highway funds to eligible States in a ratio that the financial level of effort of each State exceeds the financial level of effort of all States in a fiscal year, except that no State may receive more than ten percent of the total amount made available for such fiscal year. Earmarks a specified amount of such funds to certain States that have a high level of effort as measured by equivalent motor fuel taxes collected. Directs the Secretary to transfer amounts allocated to a State under this section to the State's apportionment of funds for the surface transportation program. (Sec. 112) Extends through FY 2003: (1) the strategic highway research program; (2) the applied research and technology program; (3) the seismic research program; (4) intelligent transportation systems; (5) the scenic byways program; and (6) construction of ferry boats and ferry terminal facilities (discretionary). (Sec. 115) Amends Federal-aid highway law to authorize the Secretary to make grants to Mexican and Canadian border States that demonstrate the need due to increased traffic resulting from implementation of the North American Free Trade Act for assistance in carrying out transportation projects that are necessary to relieve traffic congestion in the border region, in particular to connect the NHS with Federal border crossing facilities, or to improve enforcement of motor carrier safety laws there. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 116) Sets forth highway transportation program streamlining provisions including: (1) authorizing States to give priority for high priority segments of corridors of national significance for inclusion in transportation improvement projects; (2) Federal and State environmental reviews for surface transportation projects; (3) State credit for non-Federal share of the cost of projects for toll revenues that are generated and used by public, quasi-public, and private agencies to build or improve highways, bridges, or tunnels that serve interstate commerce; (4) encouragement of alternative transportation purposes, including bikeway and walkway projects, of historic bridges; and (5) simplifying the administration of enhancement projects and congestion mitigation and air quality projects with costs of less than $500,000. Title II: Transit Programs - Federal Transit Act of 1997 - Amends Federal mass transportation law to authorize urbanized areas with a population of less than 200,000 to use block grant mass transportation assistance for either operating or capital purposes. (Sec. 205) Authorizes appropriations through FY 2003 for discretionary grants and loans for: (1) fixed guideway modernization; (2) capital projects for new fixed guideway systems and extensions to existing fixed guideway systems; and (3) replacement of buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities. (Sec. 206) Authorizes appropriations through FY 2003 for certain apportionments to urbanized areas for fixed guideway modernization (nondiscretionary). Authorizes appropriations through FY 2003 for specified mass transportation programs. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2002 for: (1) the national mass transportation institute; and (2) university research institutes. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2003 for transportation centers (including set-asides). (Sec. 208) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal a certain limitation on the transfer of amounts from the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1997
Waives, with respect to Better Health Plan, Inc., Health First, Inc., and Genesis Health Plans, Inc., operating in New York, for contract periods through December 31, 1998, the (75-25) requirement under the Social Security Act that Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries under titles XVIII and XIX of that Act constitute less than 75 percent of the membership of a participating health maintenance organization.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1997
Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to: (1) consider a veteran unable to defray the expenses of necessary medical care if such costs for the previous year are in excess of seven and one-half percent of the veteran's adjusted gross income for such year; (2) increase the income threshold used to determine a veteran's ability to defray such expenses with respect to those veterans residing in a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area; (3) include within the membership of the Committee on Care of Severely Chronically Mentally Ill Veterans members of the general public with expertise in the care of the chronically mentally ill; (4) require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate at least one Center for Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Activities in each service network region of the Veterans Health Administration; and (5) direct the Secretary, in applying the veterans' health care resources allocation system, to exclude from consideration programs of readjustment counseling and treatment, counseling and treatment for the mentally ill, drug and alcohol abuse and dependence, homelessness, post-traumatic stress disorder, spinal cord dysfunctions, AIDS, and geriatric and extended care.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1997
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the Members of the House of Representatives and Habitat for Humanity, with support from the National Partners in Homeownership, should sponsor and construct, commencing on June 5, 1997, two homes in the Anacostia neighborhood of the District of Columbia, each to be known as a "House That Congress Built"; (2) each house should be constructed primarily by Members and their families and staffs with the participation of the family that will own the home, involving and symbolizing the partnership of the public, private, and nonprofit sectors of society; (3) upon completion and initial occupancy of the homes in the fall of 1997, the Members, their families and staffs, each family that will own each house, and local and national leaders from the public and private nonprofit sectors of society should participate in an event to celebrate the occasion; (4) the Members and their families and staff should participate in similar house building activities of Habitat for Humanity in their own districts as part of National Homeownership Week; and (5) these occasions should be used to emphasize the importance of providing decent homes for all of the people in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1997
Lewis and Clark Expedition Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one-dollar and half-dollar coins emblematic of the expedition of Lewis and Clark. Allocates surcharges from coin sales between the National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Council and the National Park Service for activities associated with the bicentennial commemoration of the expedition.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1997
Harold Hughes-Bill Emerson Commission on Alcoholism Act - Establishes the Harold Hughes-Bill Emerson Commission on Alcoholism. Includes among the duties of the Commission: (1) promoting the development of a national consensus on policy issues related to alcoholism; (2) evaluating the interest of the provider and medical communities in new medications related to alcoholism and the barriers to the communities in obtaining such medications; (3) in conjunction with the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, conducting a study to identify the current state-of-the-art alcohol research, unmet alcohol research needs, and appropriate research funding in view of the size and scope of the alcoholism problem; (4) evaluating and making recommendations regarding the education of physicians in American medical schools concerning alcoholism and the certification of other individuals trained to provide alcoholism prevention and treatment services; and (5) making recommendations designed to reduce and prevent alcoholism, including recommendations concerning appropriate roles for the Federal, State, and local governments and the private sector and changes needed to Federal laws and programs. Requires the Commission to report to the President and the Congress on its findings. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1997
Expresses support for: (1) the work of the National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Council and all the Federal, State, and local entities and other interested groups that are preparing bicentennial activities to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition; and (2) the events to be held in observance of the Expedition at Council Bluff near present-day Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, at St. Louis, Missouri, and at Bismarck, North Dakota, and many other cities during such observance. Calls upon the President, the Secretary of the Interior, the Director of the National Park Service, American Indian tribes, other public officials, and U.S. citizens to support, promote, and participate in the many bicentennial activities being planned to commemorate the Expedition.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1997
Extends congressional gratitude to Leslie Townes (Bob) Hope for his accomplishments and service on behalf of U.S. military service members. Confers upon Mr. Hope the status of an honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Multifamily Restructuring Subtitle A: Housing Provisions Subtitle B: Extension of Time for Payment of Tax Attributable to FHA Portfolio Restructuring Title II: Housing Enforcement Subtitle A: Single Family and Multifamily Housing Subtitle B: Multifamily Housing Subtitle C: FHA Single Family Housing Title III: Exemption of HUD and USDA Multifamily Loan Foreclosures and Related Actions from the Bankruptcy Stay Title IV: FHA Multifamily Housing Consolidation and Reform Subtitle A: FHA Multifamily Housing Subtitle B: Extensions of Existing Authority and Other Provisions Title V: Rehabilitation Grants Housing 2020: Multifamily Management Reform Act - Title I: Multifamily Restructuring - Housing Opportunity Act of 1997 - Subtitle A: Housing Provisions - Directs the Secretary (Secretary) of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to carry out a program of multifamily housing debt restructuring and subsidy reduction that takes into account the goals of: (1) maintaining existing affordable and safe housing; (2) minimizing adverse effects on tenants and neighborhoods; (3) supporting fair housing strategies; and (4) encouraging ownership and property management. Authorizes the Secretary (or specified designee) to take the following actions to make qualifying multifamily projects financially viable at market rates: (1) pay mortgage claims; (2) remove or modify project restrictions; (3) purchase reinsurance or otherwise transfer insurance interests; (4) take actions to induce owner or lender participation; (5)restructure mortgages; and (6) make insurance payments. Authorizes the Secretary to provide for the renewal of section 8 contracts. Authorizes the Secretary to provide: (1) tenant-based assistance to certain assisted and very-low-income families affected by such restructuring; and (2) project-based assistance in areas with tight housing markets or with high concentrations of elderly or disabled families. Prohibits owner discrimination with respect to section 8 certificate or voucher holders. Directs the Secretary to facilitate the sale of multifamily projects to tenant and nonprofit organizations. (Sec. 111) Amends the Balanced Budget Downpayment Act, I to authorize renewal of expiring section 8 contracts in excess of certain fair market standards at specified rental levels. (Sec. 112) Provides for the reuse and rescission of recaptured budget authority resulting from project restructuring. Subtitle B: Extension of Time for Payment of Tax Attributable to FHA Multifamily Restructuring - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize specified tax payment extensions on debt reduction or gain from a sale attributable to section 8 housing restructuring. Title II: Housing Enforcement - Housing Enforcement Act of 1997 - Directs the Secretary to issue implementing regulations. Subtitle A: Single Family and Multifamily Housing - Amends the National Housing Act (Act) to exempt the Mortgage Review Board from certain bankruptcy stay provisions. (Sec. 211) Authorizes the Board to immediately suspend a mortgage under specified conditions. (Sec. 212) Extends (and increases) equity skimming penalties to one- to -four family residences. (Sec. 213) Amends Federal criminal law to include equity skimming as a money laundering offense. (Sec. 214) Authorizes the Secretary to recover mortgage insurance claims against a person convicted of equity skimming. (Sec. 215) Expands the scope of penalties for mortgagees, lenders, and other Federal Housing Administration (FHA) program participants. Subtitle B: Multifamily Housing - Amends the Act to extend certain multifamily mortgagor civil penalties (and the scope of such penalties) to general partners of a partnership mortgagor, or officers or directors of corporate mortgagors. (Sec. 221) Establishes civil money penalties for specified section 8 violations by owners or other liable parties. (Sec. 222) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 to extend the double damages remedy for recovery of assets to specified insured mortgage agreements under the Housing Act of 1959 and the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992. (Sec. 223) Amends the Social Security Act to eliminate the 1994 termination date for HUD access to certain State employment information. (Sec. 224) Authorizes the Secretary to prohibit renewal or extension of certain expiring section 8 contracts unless the owner agrees to comply with any additional HUD conditions. Subtitle C: FHA Single Family Housing - Amends the Act to terminate mortgagee origination approval authority. Title III: Exemption of HUD and USDA Multifamily Loan Foreclosures and Related Actions from the Bankruptcy Stay - Amends Federal law to exempt HUD or Department of Agriculture appointment of receivership or loan foreclosures and related actions from the bankruptcy stay. Title IV: FHA Multifamily Housing Consolidation and Reform - FHA Multifamily Housing Reform Act of 1997 - Subtitle A: FHA Multifamily Housing - Amends the Act to authorize the Secretary (or approved mortgagee) to insure first or second mortgages and engage in related credit enhancement for certain multifamily housing projects and health care facilities. (Sec. 404) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into risk-sharing agreements with qualified participating mortgage entities and housing finance agencies in order to provide projects and facilities with first mortgage loans. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) mortgage insurance and reinsurance; (2) risk apportionment and risk-sharing alternatives; (3) reimbursement capacity; (4) underwriting standards; and (5) non-Federal participation. (Sec. 406) Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) premiums and fees; (2) contracts; (3) default and contract claims; (4) prepayment charges; (5)environmental review; (6) lead-based paint poisoning prevention; (7) subsidy layering; (8)labor standards; and (9) disclosure of records. Subtitle B: Extensions of Existing Authority and Other Provisions - Amends the Act to extend authorities for: (1) mortgage auctions; and (2) transfer of certain excess receipts to the flexible subsidy program. (Sec. 422) Authorizes the Secretary to regulate rents, sales, charges, and operations with respect to certain multifamily housing projects in order to provide reasonable rentals and a reasonable rate of return. (Sec. 423) Includes health care facilities within the partial payment of claims authority. (Sec. 424) Amends the Housing Act of 1959 and the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to provide environmental protection under the supportive housing for the elderly program and the supportive housing for persons with disabilities program. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 425) Amends the Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1978 to authorize the Secretary to assign regulatory agreements in connection with the sale of HUD mortgages. Title V: Rehabilitation Grants - Amends the Act to authorize the Secretary to make rehabilitation grants to owners of formerly insured or assisted qualifying projects.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Public Housing and Rent Reforms Title II: Section 8 Streamlining and Other Program Improvements Title III: "One Strike And You're Out" Occupancy Provisions Public Housing Management Reform Act of 1997 - Title I: Public Housing And Rent Reforms - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to establish public housing Operating and Capital Funds. (Sec. 101) Revises specified public housing and section 8 rent provisions. (Sec. 104) Exempts (for 18 months with a subsequent three-year phase-in) earned income from a previously unemployed family member from public housing and section 8 rent and family contribution determinations. (Sec. 105) Authorizes a public housing agency (PHA) project sale to an organization acting as a tenant conduit under specified conditions. (Sec. 106) Sets forth PHA plan contents. (Sec. 107) Sets forth performance indicators for PHAs with fewer than 250 units (small PHAs). (Sec. 109) Revises provisions regarding defaulting and troubled PHAs. (Sec. 111) Establishes community service requirements for public and section 8 housing. (Sec. 112) Revises small PHA modernization plan requirements. Eliminates specified preference provisions. Increases PHA set-asides for disaster and emergency assistance. (Sec. 113) Increases permitted PHA fund uses. Authorizes mixed-finance development (public and non-public housing units). (Sec. 114) Revises public housing demolition and disposition provisions, including operating fund and comprehensive grant amounts. Eliminates the one-for-one replacement requirement. (Sec. 116) Revises the severely distressed public housing assistance program. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 117) Establishes a PHA performance evaluation board. (Sec. 118) Directs the Secretary to make grants for public housing tenant economic development and supportive services. (Sec. 120) Provides that a PHA not providing acceptable basic housing conditions shall be designated as a troubled PHA. (Sec. 121) Revises volunteer provisions to exempt from contract wage requirements volunteers performing services in accordance with the Community Improvement Volunteer Act of 1994. (Makes related amendments to such Act.) (Sec. 122) Authorizes specified appropriations for the Operation Safe Home program. Title II: Section 8 Streamlining And Other Program Improvements - Makes certain public housing preferences under The Balanced Budget Downpayment Act, I, permanent. Amends the Act, as amended by such Act, to base specified public and section 8 housing tenant selection criteria upon local conditions rather than upon the comprehensive housing affordability strategy under the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act. (Sec. 202) Amends the Act to revise public and section 8 housing income-based eligibility and occupancy provisions. (Sec. 203) Provides for section 8 rental payment standards which shall neither exceed nor be less than 80 percent of the "fair market rent-exception rent limit" (as defined by this Act). (Sec. 204) Amends the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 to increase specified section 8 administrative fees. (Sec. 205) Amends the section 8 home ownership option, including provision for cooperative eligibility. Eliminates the family self-sufficiency escrow. (Sec. 206) Authorizes a welfare to work (housing) certificate demonstration program to assist families in welfare to work transition. (Sec. 207) Prohibits a family in public or section 8 housing from receiving a rental reduction based upon lowered income resulting from failure to comply with certain public assistance self-sufficiency or work requirements. (Sec. 209) Amends the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code with respect to certain income verification provisions. (Sec. 210) Provides for: (1) nondiscrimination against section 8 voucher and certificate holders; and (2) recapture of certain PHA excess reserve funds. (Sec. 212) Amends the Public and Assisted Housing Drug Elimination Act of 1990 to: (1) expand coverage to include other than drug-related crimes; (2) establish formula funding; and (3) authorize appropriations and revise set-aside provisions. Title III: "One Strike And You're Out" Occupancy Provisions - Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) public housing ineligibility, or tenancy or assistance termination, based upon prior drug activity or serious lease violations, or current drug or alcohol abuse; (2) related lease requirements; and (3) availability of criminal records for tenant screening and eviction.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1997
Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend the transition period for redetermination of food stamp and supplemental security income eligibility for aliens currently receiving such benefits.
![Official portrait of Rep. Lazio, Rick [R-NY-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000155_200.jpg)