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United States · Official source
2,986 records where Rep. LoBiondo, Frank A. [R-NJ-2] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that Federal participation in the funding of Corps of Engineers projects for shore protection and beach replenishment should not be reduced.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2001
Korea Defense Service Medal Act - Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned to issue a campaign medal, to be known as the Korea Defense Service Medal, to each member who served in the Republic of Korea or its adjacent waters after July 27, 1954.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2001
Congratulates the Republic of Armenia on the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the acceptance of Christianity in Armenia. Welcomes His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, on his visit to the United States. Joins with the people of Armenia, the Armenian Church in America, and His Holiness Karekin II in celebrating the ideals and values they share with the people of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2001
Veterans Medicare Reimbursement Demonstration Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize the Secretaries of Health and Human Services (HHS) and of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a Medicare subvention demonstration project under which the HHS Secretary, acting under a coordinated care health plan model, shall reimburse the VA Secretary from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund for Medicare health care services furnished to targeted Medicare-eligible veterans who volunteer for such project. Requires the demonstration project to be conducted at up to ten sites jointly designated by the Secretaries. Directs the VA Secretary to establish and operate coordinated care health plans to provide benefits to the targeted veterans enrolled in the project.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2001
Small Business Liability Protection Act - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to provide (with exceptions) that persons shall be liable for response costs at a National Priorities List (NPL) facility as non-owners or operators only if the total of material containing a hazardous substance that the business arranged for disposal, transport, or treatment of, or accepted for transport, was greater than 110 gallons of liquid material or 200 pounds of solid material. Applies this exemption only to activities taking place before April 1, 2001. Exempts a person from liability for response costs (with exceptions) at a NPL facility for municipal solid waste (MSW) as a non-owner or operator if the person is an owner, operator, or lessee of residential property from which all of the person's MSW was generated, or a certain small business or small charitable tax-exempt organization that generated all its MSW, with respect to the facility concerned. Makes nongovernmental entities that commence a contribution action liable to the defendant for all reasonable costs of defending the action if the defendant is not liable based on the above-described exemptions. Adds to the list of parties eligible for de minimis final settlements certain persons and businesses that demonstrate an inability or limited ability to pay response costs. Revises conditions of eligibility for such settlements for de minimis parties.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2001
Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act - Redefines the term "law enforcement officer" under provisions of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to include: (1) Federal employees not otherwise covered by such term whose duties include the investigation or apprehension of suspected or convicted individuals and who are authorized to carry a firearm; and (2) such employees of the Internal Revenue Service whose duties are primarily the collection of delinquent taxes and the securing of delinquent returns. Requires that such service which is performed by an incumbent law enforcement officer be treated: (1) on or after the enactment date of this Act, for all purposes, as service performed as a law enforcement officer, irrespective of how such service is treated under the following; and (2) before, on, or after such date, for purposes of CSRS and FERS, as service performed as such an officer, but only if an appropriate written election is submitted to the Office of Personnel Management five years after such date or before separation from Government service, whichever is earlier. Provides that nothing under current law respecting mandatory separation from Government service under CSRS or FERS shall cause the involuntary separation of an officer before the end of the three-year period beginning on such date.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2001
Dairy Consumers and Producers Protection Act of 2001 - Amends the Agricultural Market Transition Act to include Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania within the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact. Eliminates: (1) the Compact's termination date; and (2) certain restrictive authority respecting non-Compact milk. States that only Ohio may join such Compact. Eliminates and revises specified provisions regarding Compact implementation, duration, restricting authority, and Commodity Credit Corporation compensation. States that Congress consents to the Southern Dairy Compact entered into by Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. States that only Florida, Nebraska, and Texas may join such Compact. Limits price regulatory authority to Class I fluid milk unless otherwise consented to by the Congress. Provides for Commodity Credit Corporation compensation. Sets forth the Southern Dairy Compact. States that Congress consents to: (1) the Pacific Northwest Dairy Compact proposed for California, Oregon, and Washington; and (2) the Intermountain Dairy Compact proposed for Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. Limits price regulatory authority to Class I fluid milk. Provides for Corporation compensation. States that such Compacts shall be the same as the Southern Dairy Compact with specified differences.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2001
Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2001 - Imposes specified sanctions with respect to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) or the Palestinian Authority if the President determines that such entities have not complied with certain commitments made with Israel. Authorizes the President to waive such sanctions in the U.S. national security interest.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2001
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to impose tariff-rate quotas (quantitative import limits) and provide various duty rates on certain casein, caseinates, milk protein concentrate, and other casein derivatives and glues imported into the United States (except imports from Mexico). Authorizes the President to: (1) enter into a trade agreement with a foreign country to grant new concessions as compensation in order to maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions; and (2) proclaim any necessary modification or continuance of any existing duty, or continuance of existing duty-free or excise treatment. Sets forth certain limits on the reduction of duties on such products.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2001
Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2001 - Authorizes appropriations for the Coast Guard for FY 2002 as specified. Sets active duty strength levels and military training student loads for the Coast Guard.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2001
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2001 - Designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin wilderness areas; (2) Zion and Mojave Desert wilderness areas; (3) Grand Staircase-Escalante wilderness areas; (4) Moab-LaSal Canyons wilderness areas; (5) Henry Mountains wilderness areas; (6) Glen Canyon wilderness areas; (7) San Juan-Anasazi wilderness areas; (8) Canyonlands Basin wilderness areas; (9) San Rafael Swell wilderness areas; and (10) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin wilderness areas. Sets forth administrative provisions regarding: (1) filing by the Secretary of the Interior of a map and a legal description of each designated wilderness area with appropriate congressional committees; (2) the exchange of State-owned lands within such areas; (3) Federal reservation of water rights; (4) measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness; (5) authorized livestock grazing; and (6) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2001
Access to Cancer Therapies Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to extend Medicare coverage to all oral drugs prescribed for use as an anticancer agent for a medically accepted indication.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2001
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) mandate a single national average standardized payment amount for inpatient hospital services furnished, regardless of whether in an urban or non-urban area, under the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for discharges occurring in FY 2002 and thereafter; and (2) establish a minimum factor of .925 as a floor for area wage adjustment factors used under the PPS for inpatient and outpatient hospital services.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to suspend, for purposes of determining exclusion of gain from the sale of a principal residence, the five-year determination period for: (1) members of the uniformed services or the Foreign Service serving on qualified extended duty (at least 50 miles from such residence or residing in Government quarters); or (2) an employee serving for more than 90 days on assignment abroad.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2001
Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal criminal code to replace provisions regarding the purchase of prison-made products by Federal departments with provisions establishing a Government-wide procurement policy relating to purchases from Federal Prison Industries (FPI) which shall generally require the use of competitive procedures. Requires FPI to comply with Federal occupational, health, and safety standards regarding its industrial operations. Requires that an analysis of the probable impact of a proposed expansion of inmate-work activities by FPI on private sector firms and their non-inmate workers be made whenever FPI proposes to authorize the sale of a new specific product or service or to expand production of a current product or service. Provides for inmate wages and deductions. Amends the Federal judicial code regarding the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund to authorize payments to the Bureau of Prisons exclusively for the purpose of providing additional vocational and remedial educational training for inmates. Amends the Federal criminal code to require that not less than 20 percent of the gross profits of the corporation at the end of each fiscal year be allocated to fund vocational training for inmates. Requires the Director of the Bureau to afford to inmates opportunities to participate in programs and activities designed to help prepare such inmates to obtain employment upon release. Authorizes FPI to: (1) locate more than one workshop at a Federal correctional facility; and (2) operate a workshop outside of a correctional facility if all of participating inmates are minimum security inmates.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2001
American Hospital Preservation Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), as amended by Federal law commonly referred to as the (Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP) Benefits Improvement and Protection Act, to: (1) increase (restore the full) market basket update for inpatient prospective payment services hospitals; and (2) maintain the indirect medical education adjustment percentage at 6.5 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Eliminate Colorectal Cancer Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to require coverage of colorectal cancer screening according to certain guidelines by a group health plan, a health insurance issuer offering group health insurance coverage, and a health insurance issuer in the individual market. Directs the Secretaries of Labor and of Health and Human Services to ensure coordination in the implementation and enforcement of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Amends Federal aviation law to authorize an air carrier to file with the Secretary of Transportation a request for: (1) authority to discuss with one or more other air carriers or foreign air carriers agreements or cooperative arrangements limiting flights at an airport during a time period when scheduled air transportation exceeds airport capacity; and (2) approval of such agreements or cooperative arrangements with respect to such limits on interstate air transportation. Directs the Secretary to approve such requests if: (1) such discussions and resulting agreements are not adverse to the public interest; (2) they will facilitate voluntary adjustments in air carrier schedules that could lead to a substantial reduction in travel delays and improvement of air transportation service to the public; and (3) such reduction in delays cannot be achieved by any other immediately available means. Prohibits participants in approved discussions from: (1) discussing or entering into agreements regarding rates, fares, charges, or in-flight services; or (2) discussing particular city pairs, or submitting to other air carriers or foreign air carriers information on their proposed service or schedules in a fashion that indicates the involvement of city pairs. Exempts such agreements from U.S. antitrust laws.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Women's Cancer Recovery Act of 2001 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to require certain group health plans, and health insurance issuers providing coverage under a group plan, to ensure specified minimum coverage regarding: (1) the surgical treatment of breast cancer, including mastectomies, lumpectomies, and lymph node dissections; and (2) secondary consultations by specialists. Prohibits: (1) changing coverage terms and conditions based on a participant's or beneficiary's decision to request less than the minimum coverage; and (2) certain penalties or incentives for providers or specialists. Amends: (1) PHSA to apply similar requirements to health insurance issuers in the individual market; and (2) the Internal Revenue Code to apply those requirements to group health plans. Exempts from the requirements of this Act health insurance coverage in certain States. Provides for coordination of the administration of this Act among the Secretaries of Labor, the Treasury, and Health and Human Services.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2001 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or local governments. Directs the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to determine whether State law provides specified rights and responsibilities for public safety officers, including: (1) granting public safety employees the right to form and join a labor organization which excludes management and supervisory employees, and which is, or seeks to be, recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for such employees; and (2) requiring public safety employers to recognize and agree to bargain with the employees' labor organization. Requires the FLRA to issue regulations establishing collective bargaining procedures for public safety employers and employees in States that do not substantially provide for such public safety employee rights and responsibilities. Directs the FLRA, in such cases, to: (1) determine the appropriateness of units for labor organization representation; (2) supervise or conduct elections to determine whether a labor organization has been selected as an exclusive representative by a majority of the employees in an appropriate unit; (3) resolve issues relating to the duty to bargain in good faith; (4) conduct hearings and resolve complaints of unfair labor practices; and (5) resolve exceptions to arbitrator's awards. Grants a public safety employer, employee, or labor organization the right to seek enforcement of such FLRA regulations and authority through appropriate State courts. Prohibits public safety employers, employees, and labor organizations from engaging in lockouts or strikes. Provides that existing collective bargaining units and agreements shall not be invalidated by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Nurse Reinvestment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop and issue public service announcements that advertise and promote the nursing profession, highlight the advantages and rewards of nursing, and encourage individuals from diverse communities and backgrounds to enter the nursing profession; and (2) award grants to designated eligible entities in order to increase the number of nurses. Establishes a fast-track nursing school faculty training program. Establishes a National Nurse Service Corps Scholarship program that provides scholarships to individuals seeking nursing education in exchange for service by such individuals in areas with nursing shortages. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the exclusion from gross income of accounts received under the National Nursing Service Corps Scholarship Program. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for nurse education training payments to qualified entities. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to temporarily increase the matching rate for Medicaid nurse aide training and competency evaluation programs.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to increase from 4.25 percent to ten percent the amount of TANF funds a State may transfer to carry out State programs under SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) for FY 2002. Amends SSA title XX to: (1) increase the authorization of appropriations for States and territories for FY 2001, 2002, and succeeding fiscal years; and (2) require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to compile information on State activities carried out under SSA title XX and report it annually to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Downed Animal Protection Act - Amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to make it unlawful for any stockyard owner, market agency, or dealer to buy, sell, give, receive, transfer, market, hold, or drag any nonambulatory livestock unless such livestock has been humanely euthanized. Imposes civil and criminal penalties for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Homebound Clarification Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to provisions regarding conditions on payments for services and payments of claims of service providers, as amended by Federal law commonly referred to as the (Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP) Benefits Improvement and Protection Act (BIPA). Declares that no individual shall be disqualified from being considered confined to the home for any non-medical absence (including, as currently, any absence to attend a religious service), without regard to whether the absence is infrequent or of relatively short duration. Makes this Act effective as if included in the enactment of BIPA.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the water boundaries established in the 1923 Lausanne Treaty of Peace, the 1932 Convention and Protocol Between Italy and Turkey, and the 1947 Paris Treaty of Peace, under which the Dodecanese islands and adjacent islets were ceded by Italy to Greece, are the borders between Greece and Turkey in the Aegean Sea; and (2) any party, including Turkey, objecting to such boundaries should seek redress in the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2001
Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2001 - Authorizes the Attorney General to provide technical, forensic, prosecutorial, or other assistance in the criminal investigation or prosecution of any crime that: (1) constitutes a crime of violence under Federal law or a felony under State or Indian tribal law; and (2) is motivated by prejudice based on the race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability of the victim or is a violation of the hate crime laws of the State or tribe. Directs the Attorney General to give priority for assistance to crimes committed by offenders who have committed crimes in more than one State and to rural jurisdictions that have difficulty covering the extraordinary investigation or prosecution expenses. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to assist State, local, and Indian law enforcement officials with such extraordinary expenses. Directs the Office of Justice Programs to: (1) work closely with funded jurisdictions to ensure that the concerns and needs of all affected parties are addressed; and (2) award grants to State and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. Prohibits specified offenses involving actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to study and provide sentencing enhancements for adult recruitment of juveniles to commit hate crimes. Amends the Hate Crimes Statistics Act to require the crime data to be collected and published by the Attorney General to include data about crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on gender.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2001
Allows Federal construction services contractors or recipients of Federal financial assistance for a construction project to require every contractor or subcontractor on the construction project to agree to negotiate or become a party to a project labor agreement with one or more labor organizations, for a specific project only and under certain conditions. Defines a project labor agreement as a prehire collective bargaining agreement in the construction industry that: (1) establishes the basic terms and conditions of employment for the duration of the project; and (2) is binding upon all construction employers operating on the project site.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2001
Helping Children Succeed by Fully Funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to authorize and make appropriations for FY 2002 through 2007 for IDEA part B programs of assistance for education of all children with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
21st Century Montgomery GI Bill Enhancement Act - Increases, for FY 2002 through 2004, the rates of veterans' basic educational assistance. Prohibits any rate increase during such period based on adjustments to the Consumer Price Index.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Motor Vehicle Franchise Contract Arbitration Fairness Act of 2001 - Provides that whenever a motor vehicle franchise contract provides for the use of arbitration to resolve a controversy arising out of or relating to the contract, arbitration may be used to settle the controversy only if both parties consent in writing after such controversy arises. Requires the arbitrator to provide the parties with a written explanation of the factual and legal basis for the award.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce from $18 to $9 (its pre-1991 level) the per-barrel tax on beer.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Requires the American flags on all Federal office buildings to be lowered to half-staff each year in honor of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service in Emittsburg, Maryland.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Lyme Disease Initiative of 2001 - Directs the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, of Agriculture, of the Interior, and of Defense to: (1) establish specified detection test, improved surveillance and reporting system, and prevention goals to provide for a reduction in the incidence and prevalence of Lyme disease and related tick borne infectious diseases; and (2) establish a five-year plan of activities toward achieving those goals, and carry them out. Establishes the Lyme Disease Taskforce to advise the Secretaries with respect to achieving such goals.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Clean Smokestacks Act of 2001 - Amends the Clean Air Act (CAA) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations to achieve specified reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, and mercury from powerplants (electric generation facilities with a nameplate capacity of 15 megawatts or more that use a combustion device to generate electricity for sale) by January 1, 2007. Requires powerplants, on the later of the date 30 years after the powerplant commenced operation or five years after this Act's enactment, to comply with the most recent new source performance standards under CAA provisions regarding air quality and emissions limitations and with specified requirements for modified sources.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Justice for United States Prisoners of War Act of 2001 - Requires any Federal court in which an action is brought against a Japanese national by a member of the U.S. armed forces seeking compensation for mistreatment or failure to pay wages in connection with labor performed in Japan for such national as a prisoner of war during World War II to: (1) apply the applicable statute of limitations of the State in which the action is pending; and (2) not construe a specified provision of the Treaty of Peace With Japan as a waiver by the United States of such claims. States that it is U.S. policy to ensure that any war claims settlement terms between Japan and any other country that are more beneficial than terms extended to the United States under the above Treaty are extended to the United States with respect to claims under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to secure information relating to chemical or biological tests conducted by Japan on members of the U.S. armed forces held as prisoners of war during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Harold Hughes-Bill Emerson Substance Abuse Treatment Parity Act of 2001 - 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 · 22 March 2001
Health Insurance Affordability and Equity Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a limited credit for qualified health insurance costs paid for by an individual during a period when the individual was not covered by qualified health insurance and was not eligible to participate in any employer provided group health plan. Provides for the deduction of the qualified health insurance costs of employees and the self-employed.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2001
Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to increase benefits to railroad employees and their beneficiaries and to revise financing of the pension part (tier II) of the railroad retirement system. Establishes a Railroad Retirement Trust Fund and a Railroad Retirement Investment Trust to manage and invest Fund assets. Abolishes the Railroad Retirement Supplemental Annuity Account and provides for transfer of its funds to the Fund. Provides for transfer to the Fund of certain portions of the Railroad Retirement Account and of Social Security Equivalent Benefit account funds. Transfers to the disbursing agent from the Dual Benefits Payments Account the amount necessary to make dual benefit payments. Requires the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) to calculate the ratio of assets to benefits to determine annual tier II tax rates for employers, employee representatives, and employees. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt the Fund from taxation. Repeals a supplemental annuity tax that railroad employers pay to finance a benefit for long-time rail employees. Provides for adjustments to railroad employers, employee representatives, and employee tier II tax rates.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2001
Amends the Animal Welfare Act to eliminate the provision permitting interstate movement of live fighting birds if the fighting venture is to take place in a State allowing such fights.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2001
Maritime Policy Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1996 to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to issue a certificate of documentation with appropriate endorsement for employment in the coastwise trade to a specified vessel. (Sec. 4) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants to the American Merchant Marine Veterans Memorial Committee, Inc., to construct an addition to the American Merchant Marine Memorial Wall of Honor located at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum in San Pedro, California. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 5) States that the discharge from a vessel of any agricultural cargo residue material in the form of hold washings shall be governed exclusively by the provisions of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships that implement Annex V to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. (Sec. 6) Revises the method for recording and discharging certain maritime liens. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary of Transportation to prescribe a tonnage measurement as a small passenger vessel for a named vessel for purposes of applying the optional regulatory measurement. (Sec. 8) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to issue a certificate of documentation with appropriate endorsement for employment in the coastwise trade to twenty specified vessels. (Sec. 9) Authorizes exempting two specified vessels from certain inspection requirements for passenger vessels so long as the vessels are owned by nonprofit organizations and operated as nonprofit memorials to merchant mariners. (Sec. 10) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to issue a certificate of documentation with appropriate endorsement for employment in the coastwise trade to three specified vessels. (Sec. 11) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to issue a certificate of documentation with appropriate endorsement for employment in the coastwise trade to a specified vessel, under specified circumstances. (Sec. 12) Permits, for a limited period of time, the 10 sailboats participating in the New World Challenge Race to transport guests, who have not contributed consideration for their passage, from and around the ports of San Francisco and San Diego, California, before and during stops of that race. (Sec. 13) Permits a specified vessel to be transferred to or placed under a foreign registry or sold to a person that is not a U.S. citizen and transferred to or placed under a foreign registry.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2001
Coast Guard Personnel and Maritime Safety Act of 2001 - Title I: Personnel Management - Limits the director of the Coast Guard band to the rank of captain (currently, commander). (Sec. 102) Authorizes compensatory absence from duty for Coast Guard military personnel serving at isolated duty stations (currently, at isolated aids to navigation) in certain circumstances. (Sec. 103) Allows a promotion selection board to recommend officers of particular merit for placement at the top of the list of selectees and requires, if approved by the President, placement of those officers (in seniority order) at the top of the list. Requires a survey and report to determine if such placements will improve Coast guard officer retention. Title II: Marine Safety - Amends the Vessel Bridge-to-Bridge Radiotelephone Act to revise requirements regarding the waters on which vessels, dredges, and floating plants must carry a radiotelephone. (Sec. 202) Prohibits the application of the Federal Reports Elimination and Sunset Act of 1995 with respect to specified reports concerning Coast Guard operations and expenditures, summary of marine casualties, user fee activities and amounts, public port conditions, activities of the Federal Maritime Commission, and activities of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research. (Sec. 203) Allows the Coast Guard to borrow a limited amount from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund when the limit of $50 million in unappropriated funds is inadequate to deal with a discharge or threatened discharge. Mandates repayment to the Fund when, and to the extent that, removal costs are recovered from responsible parties. (Sec. 204) Amends Federal law relating to vessels and seamen to: (1) authorize, in certain circumstances, issuance of interim merchant mariner's documents valid for a period not over 120 days; and (2) exempt, with regard to those employed as entertainment personnel with no duties, including emergency duties, related to navigation or safety of the vessel, crew, cargo, or passengers, a passenger vessel that is not engaged in a foreign voyage from a requirement that a vessel employee have a merchant mariner's document. (Sec. 205) Increases fine limits for negligent vessel operation or interfering with safe vessel operation. Title III: Renewal of Advisory Groups - Renames the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Advisory Committee as the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Advisory Committee. Extends the Committee's termination date. (Sec. 302) Extends the termination dates of the Houston-Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee, the Lower Mississippi River Waterway Advisory Committee, the Navigation Safety Advisory Council, the National Boating Safety Advisory Council, and the Towing Safety Advisory Committee. Title IV: Miscellaneous - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation, notwithstanding any other provision of law, to accept, by direct transfer without cost, for use by the Coast Guard primarily for expanded drug interdiction activities required to meet national supply reduction goals, up to seven PC-170 patrol craft from the Department of Defense if it offers to transfer such craft. (Sec. 402) Amends the Ports and Waterways Safety Act to require a commercial vessel to give notification at least 24 hours before entering into U.S. waters. Sets forth information to be contained in such notification. Authorizes denial of entry of a vessel into U.S. waters if: (1) the Secretary has not received notification from the vessel; or (2) the vessel is not in compliance with any other applicable law relating to marine safety, security, or environmental protection. Authorizes the Secretary to direct the operation of any vessel in navigable U.S. waters during hazardous circumstances, including the absence of a pilot required by Federal or State law, weather, casualty, vessel traffic, or the poor condition of the vessel. (Sec. 403) Authorizes the Coast Guard to operate and maintain a Caribbean Support Tender (or similar vessel) to provide technical assistance, including law enforcement training, for foreign coast guards, navies, and other maritime services. (Sec. 404) Amends Federal law to extend the expiration date on the prohibition against new maritime user fees. (Sec. 405) Requires the Coast Guard to: (1) continue to offer assistance to organizations dedicated to Great Lakes lighthouse stewardship; and (2) promptly release information regarding the timing of designations of Coast Guard lighthouses on the Great Lakes as surplus property. (Sec. 406) Directs the Commandant of the Coast Guard to report to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate within 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act on what actions the Coast Guard has taken to implement the recommendations of the National Transportation Safety Board in its Report No. MAR-99-01. (Sec. 407) Authorizes conveyance, without consideration, to the Gulf of Maine Aquarium Development Corporation the Naval Reserve Pier property (exclusive of floating docks) in Portland, Maine. Imposes specified requirements. (Sec. 408) Requires the Coast Guard to: (1) study existing local harbor safety coordinating committees in the United States regarding cooperation with interested groups, organizational models, technological assistance, and recurring resources; and (2) test the feasibility of expanding the harbor safety committee concept to small and medium-sized ports not generally served by such a committee by establishing one or more prototype committees. Makes the Federal Advisory Committee Act inapplicable to harbor safety committees established under any provision of law. (Sec. 409) Authorizes the conveyance of all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to each of the following properties: (1) Coast Guard Slip Point Light Station, located in Clallam County, Washington, to Clallam County, Washington; and (2) the parcel of land on which is situated the Point Pin.AE6os Light, located in Monterey County, California, to the city of Pacific Grove, California. Sets forth terms and conditions. (Sec. 410) Authorizes the Commandant of the Coast Guard to enter into agreements and other arrangements with public and private foreign and domestic entities, to establish partnerships for the performance of work at the Coast Guard Yard, located in Baltimore, Maryland. (Sec. 411) Revises provisions concerning boat safety funding.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
America's Better Classroom Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a limited credit for qualified public school modernization bonds (qualified school construction bonds and qualified zone academy bonds). Amends the General Education Provisions Act to provide for the application of certain labor standards to projects financed under this Act. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish provisions concerning employment and training activities related to the construction or reconstruction of public school facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to: (1) restrict the application of the windfall elimination provision to individuals whose combined monthly income from the individual's primary insurance amount under such title and the portion of the monthly periodic payment attributable to noncovered service performed after 1956 exceeds $2,000; and (2) provide for a graduated implementation of such provision by specified percentages with respect to incremental amounts above such threshold, up to 100 percent for combined amounts over $3,000.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Marriage Tax Elimination Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to provide that the basic standard deduction on a joint return shall be equal to 200 percent of the dollar amount of an individual who is not married. Provides a schedule for making, by 2005, the maximum taxable income in the lowest married bracket equal to double the maximum taxable income in the lowest single filer bracket. Increases the earned income credit phaseout amount on a joint return by $2,000. Revises IRC provisions relating to limitation based on tax liability and the definition of such liability to provide that the aggregate amount of credits allowed as nonrefundable personal credits shall not exceed the sum of: (1) the taxpayer's regular tax liability for the taxable year reduced by the foreign tax credit; and (2) the tax imposed by the alternative minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Railroad Track Modernization Act of 2001 - Amends Federal rail transportation law to direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a program of capital grants to Class II and Class III railroads to rehabilitate, preserve, or improve railroad track (including roadbed, bridges, and related track structures) used primarily for freight transportation to a standard to accommodate 286,000 pound rail cars in a safe and efficient manner. Authorizes the Secretary to also make grants to supplement direct loans or loan guarantees (including for paying credit risk premiums, lowering rates of interest, or providing for a holiday on principal payments) for projects primarily benefitting non-Class I freight railroad carriers. Sets forth certain prevailing wage requirements with respect to projects financed by such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Comprehensive Retirement Security and Pension Reform Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) with respect to pensions. (All the following are amendments to the Code, except where the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, ERISA, is mentioned.) Increases: (1) annual dollar Individual Retirement Account (IRA) contribution limits; and (2) benefit and contribution limits, with indexes for inflation. Revises requirements relating to: (1) plan loans for subchapter S owners, partners, and sole proprietors; and (2) specified top-heavy rules. Provides that elective deferrals shall not be taken into account for purposes of limits on certain plan contributions. Repeals specified coordination requirements for deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations. Revises certain deduction limits for stock bonus and profit sharing trusts and for defined contribution plans. Provides for optional treatment of elective deferrals as after-tax contributions. Allows individuals age 50 or older to make additional contributions to an applicable employer plan (section 401(k) or similar plan). Sets forth requirements relating to equitable treatment for contributions of employees to defined contribution plans. Provides for faster vesting of certain employer matching contributions under the Code and ERISA. Revises: (1) minimum distribution rules; (2) requirements relating to tax treatment of division of section 457 plan benefits upon divorce; and (3) provisions for safe harbor relief for hardship withdrawals from 401(k) plans. Permits, under certain conditions, rollovers: (1) from and to various types of plans; (2) of IRAs into workplace retirement plans; and (3) of after-tax contributions in an exempt trust. Sets forth a hardship exception to the 60-day rule. Sets forth requirements for treatment of forms of distribution available under transferor and transferee plans under the Code and ERISA. Revises restrictions on distributions, including the same desk exception. Allows trustee-to-trustee transfers to purchase permissive service credit with respect to governmental defined benefit plans. Allows employers to disregard rollovers for purposes of cash-out amounts, under retirement plan provisions of the Code. Revises minimum distribution and inclusion requirements for section 457 plans. Repeals, for plan years beginning in 2004 and following years, the current liability full funding limit under the Code and ERISA. Revises maximum contribution deduction rules, and applies them to all defined benefit plans. Allows an employer, in determining the amount of nondeductible contributions for any taxable year, to elect not to take into account any contributions to a defined benefit plan except to the extent they exceed the full-funding limitation. Establishes an excise tax for the failure of a defined benefit plan or an individual account plan (except governmental, church, and other specified plans) subject to minimum funding standards to meet specified notice requirements, under the Code and ERISA, for plan amendments which significantly reduce benefit accruals. Makes certain compensation limitations for defined benefit plans inapplicable to governmental and multiemployer plans. Prohibits combining or aggregating a multiemployer plan with any other plan maintained by the employer for the purpose of applying such limitations. Amends the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 to protect the investment of employee contributions to 401(k) plans by providing that specified requirements apply to elective deferrals for plan years beginning after December 31, 1998. Requires that pension benefit statements be furnished annually (once every three years for defined benefit plans) or on request. Establishes an excise tax for certain prohibited allocations of stock in an S corporation ESOP. Revises Code and ERISA requirements relating to timing of plan valuations. Allows applicable dividends of ESOPs to be reinvested without loss of dividend deduction. Repeals a transition rule relating to certain highly compensated employees under the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Directs the Secretary to modify specified regulations with respect to certain plan participation by employees of tax-exempt entities. Treats the provision of certain retirement planning services by an employer for an employee as a de minimis fringe benefit to the extent it is not treated as a working condition fringe. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide simplified annual filing requirements for retirement plans with assets below a specified amount, if they cover: (1) one participant (an owner and spouse); or (2) fewer than 25 employees. Directs the Secretary to continue to update and improve the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System, or any successor program. Repeals a multiple use test. Allows certain alternative ways of satisfying nondiscrimination, coverage, and line of business rules. Exempts plans maintained by any governmental entity from certain nondiscrimination rules. Directs the Secretary to modify specified regulations relating to the notice and consent period regarding distributions. Revises ERISA provisions relating to: (1) annual report dissemination; (2) the National Summit on Retirement Savings; (3) missing participants; (4) Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) reduction of premiums for new plans of small employers and of additional premiums for new and small plans; (5) PBGC authority to pay interest on premium overpayment refunds; (6) substantial owner benefits in terminated plans; (7) civil penalties for breach of fiduciary responsibility; and (8) benefit suspension notices. Prescribes time requirements for plan amendments or annuity contract amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Death Tax Elimination Act - Repeals the estate tax, gift tax, and the tax on generation-skipping transfers, effective January 1, 2011. Provides for annual reductions of the tax until such date. Increases the unified estate and gift tax credit to $1.3 million. Repeals the estate and gift tax provisions applicable to family-owned businesses. Amends provisions concerning the special rules for allocation of the generation-skipping tax (GST) exemption to provide, as a general rule, that: (1) if any individual makes an indirect skip during such individual's lifetime, any unused portion of such individual's GST exemption shall be allocated to the property transferred to the extent necessary to make the inclusion ratio for such property zero; and (2) if the amount of the indirect skip exceeds such unused portion, the entire unused portion shall be allocated to the property transferred. Declares that, if a trust is severed in a qualified severance, the trusts resulting from such severance shall be treated as separate trusts thereafter. Revises valuation rules for gifts for which a gift tax return was filed or deemed allocation made. Provides that, if an allocation of the GST exemption to any transfers of property is deemed to have been made at the close of an estate tax inclusion period, the value of the property shall be its value at such time. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe circumstances and procedures under which extensions of time will be granted to make an allocation of GST exemption or an election not to apply specified allocation requirements to certain lifetime direct skips, indirect skips, or transfers to a particular trust. Increases the permissible number of partners or shareholders in a closely held business for purposes of eligibility for an extension of estate tax payments.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Budget Responsibility and Efficiency Act of 2001 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to revise the Federal and congressional budget processes by establishing a two-year budgeting and appropriations cycle and timetable. Defines the budget biennium as the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year. Conforms provisions of the Rules of the House of Representatives, provisions governing the President's budget, and requirements for certain strategic and performance plans and reports to the biennial framework. Provides a point of order against any measure that contains a specific authorization of appropriations unless such authorization is for each fiscal year in a biennium. Requires the President's budget submission for FY 2004 to identify budget accounts for which an appropriation should be made for each fiscal year of the FY 2004-2005 biennium. Directs congressional committees, during the 108th Congress, to work with the Comptroller General to develop plans to transition program authorizations to a multi-year schedule. Sets forth additional transition requirements. Makes this Act applicable to budget resolutions and appropriations for the biennium beginning with FY 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Constitutional Amendment - Grants Congress power to prohibit the physical desecration of the U.S. flag.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to restore the authority of States to transfer up to ten percent of TANF funds to carry out State programs pursuant to SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) for FY 2002. Amends SSA title XX to: (1) restore funds to States and territories for FY 2001 and 2002; and (2) require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to compile information on State activities carried out under SSA title XX and report it annually to Congress.