United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1997
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit performing a partial birth abortion in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, unless it is necessary to save the life of the mother and no other medical procedure would suffice. Defines "partial-birth abortion" as an abortion in which the person performing the procedure partially vaginally delivers a living fetus before killing the infant and completing the delivery. Prescribes penalties. Authorizes the father and, if the mother is under 18 years of age, the maternal grandparents of the fetus to obtain specified relief in a civil action, even if the mother consented to the abortion, unless the pregnancy resulted from the plaintiff's criminal conduct or the plaintiff consented to the abortion. Prohibits the prosecution of a woman upon whom a partial-birth abortion is performed for conspiracy to violate this Act or under provisions regarding punishment as a principal or an accessory or for concealment of a felony.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1997
Victim Allocution Clarification Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit a United States district court from ordering any victim of an offense excluded from the trial of a defendant accused of that offense because such victim may or will: (1) exercise the right to make a statement or present any information in relation to the sentence at the imposition of sentence; or (2) testify as to the effect of the offense on the victim and the victim's family. Makes this Act applicable in cases pending on the date of this Act's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1997
Prisoner Service Opportunity Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize the chief executive officer of a Federal penal or correctional facility, as part of an inmate work program, to provide products or services to private, nonprofit organizations or to State or local governments free of charge or at minimal cost. Requires such products to be constructed through the use of scrap or waste materials that constitute excess property and such services to be used only for the benefit of the recipient. Prohibits such products from being resold or such services from displacing or resulting in a reduction in hours, wages, or employment benefits of any employee of the recipient. Prohibits the provision of goods or services by a Federal penal or correctional facility if such provision would reduce the number of inmates employed at any Federal Prison Industries operations at that facility.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1997
Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 - Provides limited tort claim liability protection for nonprofit or governmental volunteers acting in good faith and within the scope of their duties. Sets forth discretionary State conditions and exceptions to such liability protection. Increases Social Services Block Grant Program allotments under title XX of the Social Security Act to a State that has adopted a similar measure within a specified time and conditions such increase upon an annual certification that the State law remains in effect.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1997
Disapproves the President's determination contained in the foreign assistance certification submitted to the Congress on February 28, 1997, that Mexico has cooperated fully with the United States to achieve full compliance with the goals and objectives established by the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
American Land Sovereignty Protection Act - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act Amendments of 1980 to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from nominating any Federal lands for inclusion on the World Heritage List pursuant to the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage unless: (1) the Secretary finds that commercially viable uses of nominated lands (including lands located within ten miles of them) will not be adversely affected by such inclusion, and publishes that finding; (2) the Secretary has reported to the Congress on the lands' natural resources and the impact that the inclusion would have on existing and future uses of such lands; and (3) such nomination is specifically authorized by a law. (Sec. 3) Authorizes the President to submit proposals for legislation authorizing such a nomination. Requires the Secretary to object to the inclusion of any property in the United States on the list of World Heritage in Danger (established under the Convention) unless the Secretary: (1) has reported to the Congress on the necessity for such inclusion, including the natural resources associated with the property, and the impact that such inclusion would have on existing and future uses of such property; and (2) is specifically authorized to assent to the inclusion by a joint resolution of the Congress enacted after the report is submitted. Directs the Secretary to report annually to specified congressional committees certain information on each World Heritage Site within the United States. (Sec. 4) Prohibits Federal officials from nominating lands in the United States for designation as a Biosphere Reserve under the Man and Biosphere Program of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Provides that any such designation shall not have, and shall not be given, any force or effect, unless the Biosphere Reserve: (1) is specifically authorized by a law enacted before December 31, 2000; (2) consists solely of federally-owned lands; and (3) is subject to a management plan that specifically ensures that the use of intermixed or adjacent non-Federal property is not limited or restricted as a result of that designation. Directs the Secretary of State to report annually to specified congressional committees information on each Biosphere Reserve within the United States. (Sec. 5) Prohibits, under any international agreement (with exceptions under certain wetlands agreements and conventions), the nomination, classification, or designation of: (1) federally-owned lands located within the United States for a special or restricted use unless specifically authorized by law; (2) State or local government lands unless specifically authorized by State or local law; or (3) privately owned lands without the owner's consent.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Continues existing average fuel economy standards for passenger and non-passenger automobiles until such standards are specifically amended or changed by law.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Biomaterials Access Assurance Act of 1997 - Provides that, in any civil action, a biomaterials supplier (one who supplies components or raw materials used to manufacture implants) may raise any defense provided under this Act. Exempts a biomaterials supplier from liability for harm to a claimant caused by an implant, with exceptions in the case of a supplier who: (1) is a registered manufacturer of the implant; (2) is a seller of the implant and who held title to the implant at the time of sale (or is related by common ownership or control to such a seller); or (3) furnishes raw materials or components that fail to meet applicable contractual requirements or specifications. States that a supplier may be considered a manufacturer of an implant, for purposes of such civil actions, only if the supplier has registered with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and included the implant on a list of devices filed pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Requires claimant payment of attorney's fees if the court finds the claim to be without merit and frivolous.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
United States-Puerto Rico Political Status Act - Declares it is the policy of the Congress that: (1) English shall be the common language of mutual understanding in the United States, and this policy shall apply in all of the States freely admitted to the Union; and (2) if the referenda under this Act result in approval of sovereignty leading to Statehood for Puerto Rico, it is anticipated that English would become the official language of the Federal Government in Puerto Rico. Declares that Congress has the authority to expand existing English language requirements in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Requires a referendum to be held by December 31, 1998, on Puerto Rico's political status, for either: (1) retention of its present Commonwealth status; (2) full self-government through separate sovereignty leading to independence or free association; or (3) full self-government through U.S. sovereignty leading to statehood. Requires the President to develop and submit to the Congress for approval legislation for: (1) a transition plan of at least ten years which leads to full self-government for Puerto Rico; and (2) a recommendation for the implementation of such self-government consistent with Puerto Rico's approval. Requires the transition plan, if the vote favors statehood, to include proposals and incentives to increase the opportunities of the people of Puerto Rico to learn English, including the teaching of English in public schools, fellowships, and scholarships. Requires another referendum within four years, and every four years thereafter (but not in a general election year), if the referendum conducted under this Act, and any subsequent referendum, does not result in a majority vote for separate sovereignty or statehood. Sets forth specified requirements with respect to the referendum and congressional procedures for consideration of legislation. Makes funds available for the referendum, including those derived from the Federal excise tax on foreign rum. Requires the Government of Puerto Rico to make grants to the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico for referenda held under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide that any period during which a student was called or ordered to active duty in a reserve component of the armed forces shall not be included in determining the six-month grace period (after the student ceases to carry at least a half-time academic load) before repayment of a student loan must begin.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1992 to repeal restrictions on certain plumbing products and appliances, including showerheads, faucets, water closets, and urinals.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Increases the salaries of the Chief Justice and associate Supreme Court justices of the United States and the judges of the United States courts of appeals, the United States district courts, and the United States Court of International Trade by 9.6 percent. Requires future adjustments in judicial salaries to equal the percentage by which General Schedule pay rates are adjusted (currently, the percentage change in the Employment Cost Index).
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1997
Fairness in Medicaid Funding Act of 1997 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to revise the State percentage factor and related factors in the Federal medical assistance percentage used under the Medicaid program. Bases payments to the States for administration costs on the Federal medical assistance percentage.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1997
Bankruptcy Amendments of 1997 - Makes technical corrections to Federal bankruptcy, criminal, and judiciary law. Redefines single asset real estate to exclude family farms and remove the $4 million ceiling on the amount of noncontingent, liquidated secured debts on such property. (Sec. 3) Requires triennial adjustment of the $5,000 value of certain implements, professional books, tools of the trade, farm animals, and crops which a debtor may exempt from the property of the estate (protecting it from creditors' liens). (Sec. 4) Allows a bankruptcy court to award reasonable compensation out of the debtor's estate in chapter 7 (Liquidation) cases to a debtor's attorney. (Sec. 6) Modifies guidelines governing assumption by the bankruptcy trustee of certain executory contracts and unexpired leases with specified defaults. Repeals: (1) the prohibition against trustee assumption or assignment of unexpired leases of aircraft facilities unless all such leases are assumed or assigned; and (2) the deemed rejection of such a lease if the trustee does not assume or reject it. (Sec. 9) Revises the prohibition against debtor avoidance of certain judicial liens in connection with a liability designated as, and actually in the nature of, alimony, maintenance, or support. (Sec. 10) Declares nondischargeable in bankruptcy a debt for death or personal injury caused by the debtor's operation of a watercraft or aircraft while intoxicated from alcohol, a drug, or other substance. (Sec. 14) Prohibits the trustee in bankruptcy from avoiding a transfer made between 90 days and one year before the filing of the relief petition, if the transfer at the time was made for the benefit of a non-insider transferee. (Sec. 15) Revises set-off recovery rules to exclude from recovery by a trustee setoffs by swap participants. (Sec. 20) Requires the U.S. trustee in a chapter 11 (Reorganization) case to file a report certifying the election of an eligible, disinterested trustee at a meeting of creditors. Declares that upon such filing: (1) the trustee elected shall be considered to have been selected and appointed; and (2) the service shall terminate of any trustee previously appointed to fill the term of specified ineligible or incapacitated trustees. (Sec. 23) States that the filing of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition does not operate as an automatic stay of: (1) the criminal enforcement of a judicial order requiring the payment of child support; and (2) any act to perfect, maintain, or continue certain security interests in real property whose transfer may not be avoided by a bankruptcy trustee.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1997
Truth in Employment Act of 1997 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that nothing in specified prohibitions against unfair labor practices shall be construed as requiring an employer to employ any person who seeks or has sought employment with the employer in furtherance of other employment or agency status.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1997
Witness Relocation Notification Act of 1997 - Requires: (1) each State or local law enforcement agency that relocates a witness who has been arrested or convicted of a crime of violence, or is otherwise considered by the agency to be a threat to public safety, to provide notice to the chief law enforcement official in the jurisdiction to which the relocation has been made; and (2) the Attorney General to establish guidelines for such notice. Requires: (1) the Director of the National Institute of Justice to survey State and local witness protection and relocation programs to determine the extent, nature, and training needs of such programs and report the results to the Congress; and (2) the Attorney General, based on the survey results, to make available to State and local law enforcement agencies a training program to assist in developing and managing effective, safe witness protection and relocation programs. Makes any agency that fails to comply with the notification requirement ineligible to participate in the training program. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1997
Prohibition on Financial Transactions With Countries Supporting Terrorism Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal criminal code to: (1) repeal provisions providing for exceptions, pursuant to regulations issued by Secretary of the Treasury in consultation with the Secretary of State, to the prohibition against engaging in a financial transaction with the government of a country designated as a country supporting international terrorism; and (2) exclude from the definition of "financial transaction" any transaction incident to routine diplomatic relations among countries.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1997
Prohibits, if a State has a law prohibiting the sale of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products to individuals under the age of 18 or 19, the Food and Drug Administration from taking enforcement action against a cigarette and smokeless tobacco products retailer for the sale of such items in that State if the sale is a face-to-face transaction conducted in accordance with State law.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1997
Accuracy in Campus Crime Reporting Act of 1997 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise campus security policy reporting and crime statistics disclosure requirements. Includes other campus officials (as well as campus security or law enforcement, or local law enforcement) among those officials that must report, for statistical disclosure purposes, if specified types of criminal offenses are reported to them. Specifies additions to the list of such offenses. Makes annual submission of campus crime statistics mandatory for all institutions participating in any student aid program under HEA title IV (participating institutions). (Currently such submissions are only required upon the request of the Secretary of Education). Directs the Secretary to report each set of such statistics, clearly identifying each institution and campus, not only to specified congressional committees but also to each participating institution and to the public via printed and electronic means. Requires each official charged with compiling such statistics to certify their accuracy. Repeals a disclaimer that nothing in certain provisions relating to institutional policy on prevention of sexual assaults and procedures after such an assault may be construed to confer a private right of action upon any person to enforce such provisions. Requires any participating institution which maintains a police or security department to keep a daily log of specified crime information open to public inspection. Requires any participating institution to develop and distribute a statement of its disciplinary practices and procedures with respect to crimes, including specified information and policies. Amends the General Education Provisions Act to exclude allegations of criminal activities from the education records subject to family access. Sets forth methods of enforcement of HEA campus security provisions. Directs the Secretary to terminate all assistance to an institution under an applicable program, or issue other specified orders the Secretary deems appropriate to achieve compliance, if any participating institution fails or refuses to comply with requirements for disclosure of campus security policy and campus crime statistics. Prohibits institutional retaliation against individuals for exercising rights or participating in proceedings under such campus security provisions. Requires, under student aid program agreements, that the campus security policies and crime statistics disclosed be comprehensive and accurate.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1997
Judicial Disciplinary Proceedings Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal judicial code to direct that proceedings on complaints filed with respect to the conduct of a judge or magistrate judge be held by a circuit other than the circuit within which the judge serves. Directs the Judicial Conference to prescribe rules, consistent with this Act, establishing: (1) procedures for the filing of complaints regarding the conduct of any judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims, the Court of International Trade, or the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and for the investigation and resolution of such complaints; and (2) a system for referring complaints filed regarding the conduct of a judge of any such court to any of the first 11 judicial circuits or to another court for investigation and resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1997
Equine Tax Fairness Act of 1997 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions limiting passive activity losses and credits to modify the definition of material participation with respect to the treatment of equine activities (breeding, racing, or showing horses).
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1997
Senior Citizens' Tax Fairness Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the phaseout and repeal of the tax increase on social security benefits made under the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1997
Constitutional Amendment - Requires the President to transmit to the Congress, before each fiscal year, a proposed statement of receipts and outlays for such fiscal year in which outlays (except those for repayment of debt principal) are not greater than receipts (except those derived from borrowing)(a proposed balanced budget). Requires the Congress to adopt, by law, a statement of receipts and outlays for such fiscal year in which outlays are not greater than receipts (a balanced budget). Authorizes the Congress to amend, by law, that balanced budget, provided revised outlays are not greater than revised receipts. Authorizes the Congress to provide in balanced budget for a specific excess of outlays over receipts by a vote directed solely to that subject in which two-thirds of the whole number of each House agree to such excess. Requires the Congress and the President to ensure that actual outlays do not exceed the outlays set forth in such balanced budget. Prohibits any increase in the limit on the debt of the United States, unless two-thirds roll call vote of each House provides by law for such an increase. Requires any bill that increases the internal revenue (except by a de minimis amount) to receive for final adoption the concurrence of two-thirds of each House. Permits the Congress to waive the requirements of this article when: (1) a declaration of war is in effect; or (2) the United States is engaged in military conflict which causes an imminent and serious threat to national security and is so declared by a joint resolution, adopted by a majority of each House, which becomes law. Makes any increase in the internal revenue enacted under such a waiver effective for only two years. Makes the internal revenue provisions of this Article effective upon ratification, and the remaining provisions effective on the later of FY 2002 or the second fiscal year beginning after ratification.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Commemorative Coins Title II: Circulating Coins Thomas Alva Edison Sesquicentennial Commemorative Coin Act - Title I: Commemorative Coins - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint one-dollar silver coins emblematic of the inventions of Thomas Alva Edison in commemoration of the sesquicentennial of his birth. Directs the Secretary to conduct an open design competition for the design of the obverse and reverse of the coins. Terminates the authority to mint such coins after December 31, 1997. Requires that certain surcharges received from coin sales be distributed to specified entities. Title II: Circulating Coins - Amends Federal law to declare that half-dollar coins minted between specified dates shall have the same design as the commemorative coins minted under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1997
ISTEA Integrity Restoration Act - Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) for the: (1) National Highway System (NHS); (2) Surface Transportation Program (STP); and (3) Federal Lands Highway Program, including Indian reservation roads, public lands highways, and parkways and park highways. (Sec. 4) Defines "highway funds" as funds apportioned and allocations authorized under this Act for the fiscal year and funds allocated to a State for the preceding fiscal year for Federal-aid highways and highway safety construction. Revises the apportionment of NHS funds to allocate 0.4 percent (previously, one percent) to U.S. territories and possessions, and the remaining 99.6 among the States according to a formula based on population density. Includes bridge construction and related activities among eligible NHS projects. (Sec. 5) Repeals provisions regarding: (1) apportionments for resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, and reconstructing the Interstate System (IS); and (2) the transfer of interstate construction apportionments, the transfer of funds for STP projects, and limits on new capacity. (Sec. 6) Includes bridge construction and related activities as an eligible activity within the streamlined STP. Makes eligible under the STP an area of a State that is a nonattainment area for ozone or carbon monoxide, or for particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than or equal to ten micrometers resulting from transportation activities, or for any combination thereof, for congestion mitigation and air quality improvement projects without regard to any Department of Transportation limitation relating to the type of ambient air quality standard addressed by such project. Revises: (1) State certification procedures; and (2) procedures for payments to States for eligible STP activities. (Sec. 7) Directs that, for purposes of STP and IS provisions, population shall be determined based on the most recent estimate prepared by the Secretary of Commerce. (Sec. 8) Repeals provisions regarding: (1) the highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program; and (2) the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program. (Sec. 10) Replaces provisions regarding minimum allocations to States with an apportionment adjustment program under which the Secretary shall apportion among the States amounts sufficient to ensure that the ratio of the highway funds of a State to highway funds of all States for the fiscal year is not less than the adjustment percentage specified for that State under this Act. Requires each State to receive additional apportionments so that its percentage of highway funds is not less than 95 percent of the percentage of estimated tax payments attributable to highway users in the State paid into the Highway Trust Fund. Repeals: (1) existing apportionment adjustment programs; and (2) set-asides for interstate discretionary projects. (Sec. 12) Reduces from 3.75 to 2.35 the percentage of program funds authorized to be set aside for administrative costs. (Sec. 13) Sets forth provisions regarding permissible transfers of unobligated balances of funds apportioned to a State for: (1) congestion mitigation and air quality improvement; (2) interstate construction and maintenance; (3) bridge replacement and rehabilitation; and (4) the STP.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Creation and Control of Depository Institution Holding Companies Title II: Supervisory Improvements Title III: Effective Date Depository Institution Affiliation Act - Title I: Creation and Control of Depository Institution Holding Companies - Sets forth the terms and conditions under which a depository institution holding company (DIHC) can be established and must be operated. (Sec. 101) Requires any DIHC seeking to acquire control of an insured bank, an insured institution, a bank holding company, a savings and loan holding company, or another DIHC to comply with certain requirements of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. Establishes penalties and additional procedures for failing to comply with such requirements. Permits the appropriate Federal regulatory agency (the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or the Federal Home Loan Bank Board) to adopt rules and regulations to prevent an insured depository institution controlled by a DIHC from engaging in unsafe or unsound practices. Subjects DIHCs to the same restrictions on affiliate transactions that are imposed upon members of a Federal Reserve bank (member banks) under the Federal Reserve Act. Establishes additional restrictions on inter-affiliate transactions, including prohibiting an insured bank or institution that is an affiliate of a DIHC from: (1) extending credit to a securities affiliate or subsidiary; (2) purchasing for its own account the assets of a securities affiliate or subsidiary; or (3) extending credit to an issuer of securities underwritten by a securities affiliate for the purpose of paying the principal of those securities or interest for dividends on those securities. Requires that each DIHC-controlled insured depository institution be well capitalized. Requires any DIHC in control of an undercapitalized insured depository institution to: (1) enter into an agreement with the appropriate Federal regulatory agency to return the institution to being well capitalized; or (2) divest control of such bank or institution. Prohibits Federal regulatory agencies from imposing requirements pertaining to the capital of a DIHC. Subjects interstate acquisitions: (1) of an insured bank by an DIHC to the same restrictions that apply to bank holding companies under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956; and (2) of savings associations by a DIHC to the same restrictions that apply to savings and loan companies. Prohibits Federal and State governments from enacting laws that discriminate against DIHCs or their affiliates. Preempts any Federal or State provision inconsistent with the purposes of this Act. Prohibits insured banks and institutions associated with an DIHC from: (1) dealing in or underwriting securities; (2) underwriting insurance; or (3) investing in or developing real estate. Provides certain limitations on DIHC entry into the business of insurance agency or real estate brokerage. Subjects DIHCs to the tying provisions of the Bank Holding Company Act Amendments of 1970 and to the insider lending prohibitions of the Federal Reserve Act. Reaffirms that the purpose of this Act is to prevent use of the resources of Federal deposit insurance funds to protect the shareholders or business interests of a DIHC, except through the authorized fulfillment of their obligations to protect the insured deposits of a DIHC-controlled insured depository institution. Sets forth criminal and civil penalties for violations of this Act. (Sec. 102) Makes conforming amendments to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956. (Sec. 103) Amends the Federal Reserve Act to provide that, for the purpose of restricting loans or extending credit to affiliates, a loan or extension of credit shall not be deemed to be made to an affiliate if: (1) the approval of such loan or extension of credit was in accordance with the same standards and procedures and on substantially the same terms that apply to similar loans or extensions of credit; and (2) such loan or extension of credit was not made for the purpose of evading any requirement of such Act. (Sec. 104) Amends the Banking Act of 1933 to make certain provisions inapplicable to member banks which are controlled by DIHCs. (Sec. 105) Makes conforming amendments to the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. (Sec. 106) Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to provide for the registration and regulation of broker dealers. (Sec. 107) Makes conforming amendments to the Home Owners' Loan Act and the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977. Title II: Supervisory Improvements - Establishes a National Financial Services Oversight Committee to: (1) establish uniform principles and standards for the examination and supervision of financial institutions and other providers of financial services; and (2) recommend additional measures to the Congress to strengthen the separation of insured banks and institutions controlled by DIHCs from the activities of their affiliates. Title III: Effective Date - Makes this Act effective upon enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1997
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that studies are needed to further determine the benefits of screening women between the ages of 40 and 49 for breast cancer through mammograms and other emerging technologies and that the House urges the Advisory Panel for the National Cancer Institute to: (1) consider reissuing a specified guideline rescinded in 1993; or (2) direct the public to consider guidelines issued by other organizations until there is more definitive data.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 1997
Amends the Clean Air Act to delete from the glycol ether category in the list of hazardous air pollutants ethylene glycol monobutyl ether as used or emitted by metal or composite can manufacturing. Amends the toxic chemical release forms provisions of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to delete from the lists of toxic chemicals and extremely hazardous substances employed under such Act any substance that has been deleted or removed from the hazardous air pollutants list unless the Administrator demonstrates on the basis of convincing evidence significant human health or environmental threats posed by the substance's storage, use, or release.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise provisions concerning distributions from State tuition programs to: (1) provide for the exclusion from income of distributions used exclusively for qualified higher education expenses; and (2) include the expenses of room and board in the definition of qualified higher education expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the taxes excluded from a requirement to transfer taxes to the Highway Trust Fund. Increases the rate of transfer to the Mass Transit Account. Requires transfer to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund of aviation fuel taxes (currently, aviation fuel taxes to the extent attributable to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund financing rate).
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1997
Teamwork for Employees and Managers Act of 1997 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to declare that, where no labor organization is the representative of an employer's employees, it shall not be an unfair labor practice for the employer to establish, assist, maintain, or participate in an organization or entity: (1) in which employees participate to at least the same extent as management representatives to address matters of mutual interest (including issues of quality, productivity, and efficiency); and (2) which cannot negotiate, enter into, or amend collective bargaining agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from 50 percent to 100 percent the deduction for business meal and entertainment expenses. Repeals the limitation on the deduction of travel expenses of a spouse, dependent, or others accompanying the taxpayer on business.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1997
Patient Right to Know Act - Prohibits any contract or agreement, or the operation of any contract or agreement, between an entity operating a health plan (including any partnership, association, or other organization that enters into or administers such a contract or agreement) and a health care provider (or group of health care providers) from prohibiting or restricting the provider from engaging in medical communications with his or her patient. Requires that each State shall enforce this Act with respect to health insurance issuers that sell, renew, or offer health plans in the State. Provides for enforcement of this Act by the Secretary of Health and Human Services if the Secretary, after consultation with the chief executive officer of a State and the insurance commissioner or chief insurance regulatory official of the State, determines that the State has failed to substantially enforce the requirements. Mandates a civil money penalty. Allows State requirements equal to or more protective of medical communications than the requirements of this Act. Defines "medical communication" as a communication between a provider and a patient (or the patient's guardian or legal representative) regarding the patient's health status, medical care, or treatment options.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1997
Copyright Term Extension Act of 1997 - Amends Federal copyright provisions regarding preemption of laws concerning duration of copyrights. Prohibits the annulment or limitation of rights or remedies under State laws with respect to sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, until February 15, 2067 (currently, 2047). Extends the duration of copyright in a work created on or after January 1, 1978, to the life of the author and 70 (currently, 50) years after the author's death. Makes the same extension with regard to joint works created on or after such date. Extends the duration of copyright in anonymous or pseudonymous works or works made for hire on or after such date to 95 (currently, 75) years from the year of the first publication, or 120 (currently, 100) years from the year of creation, whichever expires first. Makes conforming extensions with respect to provisions regarding the presumption of an author's death. Extends from December 31, 2027, to December 31, 2047, the duration of copyright in works published on or before December 31, 2012. Extends the duration of certain subsisting copyright renewals by a period of 20 years. Allows, during the last 20 years of any term of copyright of a published work, a library or archives to reproduce, distribute, display, or perform in facsimile or digital form a copy or phonorecord of such work for purposes of preservation, scholarship, or research after determining that none of the following conditions apply: (1) the work is subject to normal commercial exploitation; (2) a copy or phonorecord of the work can be obtained at a reasonable price; or (3) the copyright owner or its agent provides notice that either condition above applies. Provides that such exemption does not apply to any subsequent uses by users other than such library or archives.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1997
Pet Safety and Protection Act of 1997 - Amends the Animal Welfare Act regarding permissible sources of research facility dogs and cats. Establishes monetary penalties for related violations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1997
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) Al-Faran, a militant organization that seeks to merge Kashmir with Pakistan, immediately release Donald Hutchings and four Western Europeans from captivity; and (2) Al-Faran and its supporters cease all acts of hostage-taking and other violent acts within the State of Jammu and Kashmir, India.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1997
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to exempt from certain annual compliance audit requirements of the guaranteed student loan program those lenders with guaranteed student loan portfolios that do not exceed $10 million.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit, if an individual receives a frequent flier benefit as a result of the purchase in a trade or business of property or services: (1) including any amount in such individual's gross income as a result of receiving such benefit; (2) any deduction otherwise allowable for the purchase of such property or services from being reduced by reason of such benefit; and (3) any deduction allowable for the portion of any transportation purchase using such a benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1997
Expresses the sense of the Congress that cost-of-living adjustments for Federal retirees should be paid beginning in January of each year, as current law prescribes, and should not be delayed, whether as part of a budget agreement or otherwise.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1997
Illegal Alien Employment Disincentive Act of 1997 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to not count work experience as an unauthorized alien for purposes of admission as an employment-based immigrant or an H-1B nonimmigrant.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1997
Telemarketing Fraud Prevention Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide for civil and criminal forfeiture of the proceeds of telemarketing fraud. Directs that any property forfeited, or the proceeds of such property, be used to the extent needed, as determined by the Attorney General, for the national information hotline established under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and other telemarketing fraud enforcement. Grants the payment of mandatory restitution for telemarketing fraud priority over the payment of restitution in connection with the commission of a Federal health care offense. Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to amend the sentencing guidelines to increase: (1) by two levels the vulnerable victim adjustment; and (2) the offense level for any fraud offense by two levels if the defendant conducted activities to further the fraud from a foreign country in order to impede prosecution for the offense. Requires any presentence report required under the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to include information about the age of each victim of each fraud offense for which a defendant is convicted.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1997
Marine Resources Revitalization Act of 1997 - Amends the National Sea Grant College Program Act to add or modify various definitions. Modifies the duties of the Program's Director. Sets forth the duties of sea grant institutions (defined as sea grant colleges, sea grant regional consortia, and certain types of entities conducting a sea grant program with amounts under the Act), including merit-reviewing grant and contract applications. Repeals provisions relating to the sea grant international program. Revises requirements for designating sea grant colleges and consortia. Repeals provisions mandating postdoctoral fellowships. Authorizes appropriations for grants, contracts, and fellowships. Removes the separate authorization of appropriations for administration, limiting administration expenditures to a percentage of funds appropriated for grants, contracts, and fellowships. Repeals provisions authorizing appropriations for priority oyster disease research. Modifies the maximum pay for the Program's Director and for voting members of the sea grant review panel.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1997
Uniformed Services Medicare Subvention Program Act - Directs the Secretaries of Defense and of Health and Human Services (HHS) to jointly establish a subvention program to provide the Department of Defense (DOD) with reimbursement from the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act for health services provided to Medicare-eligible covered military beneficiaries who agree to receive such services through the managed care option of the TRICARE program (a DOD-managed health care program). Makes program enrollment voluntary. Requires the Secretary of Defense to waive the TRICARE enrollment fee for program participants for whom Medicare reimbursement may be made. Directs the HHS Secretary to make monthly payments to DOD from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund representing appropriate reimbursement amounts. Provides for the determination of such amounts. Directs the Secretary of Defense to: (1) maintain DOD health care efforts for Medicare-eligible covered military beneficiaries; (2) estimate, for the first fiscal year of the subvention program, the amount expended by DOD for FY 1997 for providing health care items and services to such beneficiaries; and (3) establish monthly targets of the number of such beneficiaries for whom reimbursement will not be provided to DOD. Requires the Comptroller General, for each program year, to report to the Secretaries and the Congress on the extent to which costs under the TRICARE program and the Medicare program have increased as a result of the subvention program. Requires the Secretaries to take necessary steps to offset any excess costs and prevent future excess costs, including: (1) suspension or termination of the subvention program; (2) adjustment of the payment rate; or (3) adjustment of DOD maintenance of effort requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1997
Antitrust Health Care Advancement Act of 1997 - Provides that the following activities shall not be deemed illegal per se in any action under the Federal antitrust laws or similar State law, but shall be judged based on reasonableness: (1) the exchange among health care providers of information relating to costs, sales, profitability, marketing, prices, or fees of any health care service soley for, and reasonably required for, establishing a health care provider network (HCPN); (2) the conduct of an HCPN in negotiating, making, or performing a contract for providing health care services to individuals under the terms of a health benefit plan; and (3) the conduct of any HCPN member for the purpose of providing such services under such contract. Directs the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission to jointly issue guidelines specifying the enforcement policies and analytical principles that will be applied by the Department of Justice and the Commission with respect to the operation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1997
Constitutional Amendment - Requires the election of Representatives in Congress every four years on the same day as the presidential election. Limits Representatives to three terms and Senators to two. Deems Representatives who have served two years of a term and Senators who have served three to have served a full term.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1997
Homeowners' Insurance Availability Act of 1997 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to carry out a program under this Act to make reinsurance coverage available to eligible State insurance programs. Requires that such program shall be designed to improve the availability of homeowners' insurance for the purpose of facilitating the pooling, and spreading the risk, of catastrophic financial losses from natural disasters and to improve the solvency of homeowners' insurance markets. Directs the Secretary to offer reinsurance coverage through contracts with eligible purchasers which shall: (1) provide coverage based solely on insurance industry losses within the State of the eligible purchaser purchasing the contract; (2) not interfere in private markets; and (3) minimize the administrative costs of the Federal Government. (Sec. 4) Makes the following entities qualified to purchase contracts for reinsurance coverage made available under this Act: (1) State insurance programs; and (2) State reinsurance programs. (Sec. 5) Sets forth: (1) qualified lines of coverage; (2) covered perils; and (3) terms and conditions of the reinsurance contracts. (Sec. 9) Establishes, within the Treasury, the Disaster Reinsurance Fund. Specifies: (1) the amounts with which the Fund shall be credited; and (2) the uses of the amounts in the Fund. (Sec. 10) Directs the Secretary to establish the National Commission on Catastrophe Risks and Insurance Loss Costs. Requires the Commission to meet for the sole purpose of advising the Secretary regarding the estimated loss costs associated with the reinsurance contracts. Authorizes appropriations. Provides for an offset amount to be obtained from purchasers of reinsurance coverage and deposited in the Fund. (Sec. 11) Mandates a specified report by the Secretary to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1997
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize four-year nonimmigrant visitor visas for an alien who: (1) is at least 55 years old; (2) is a citizen of Canada or a citizen of certain (visa) pilot program countries; (3) owns, or whose spouse owns, a U.S. residence; and (4) has health coverage. Prohibits such an alien from working in the United States or receiving public benefits.
![Official portrait of Rep. McCollum, Bill [R-FL-8]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m000350_200.jpg)