United States · United States Congress · 5 November 1997
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 1997 - Authorizes the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to: (1) make grants to States or units of local government to purchase armor vests for use by law enforcement officers; and (2) give preferential consideration to applications from jurisdictions that have the greatest need, a mandatory wear policy, and a violent crime rate at or above the national average. Sets forth provisions regarding matching funds and allocation of funds, State and local applications, and grant application renewal. Prohibits any State or unit of local government that receives financial assistance made available by this Act from purchasing equipment or products manufactured using prison inmate labor. Authorizes appropriations. Expresses the sense of the Congress that entities receiving assistance under this Act should, in expending such assistance, purchase only American-made equipment and products.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 1997
Army Reserve-National Guard Equity Reimbursement Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to reimburse Army personnel deployed to or from Europe during the period beginning on October 1, 1996, and ending on May 31, 1997, in support of operations in Bosnia for expenses incurred in the shipment of personal property if such shipment, if made on June 1, 1997, would otherwise have been covered by a temporary change of station weight allowance authorized by the Department of the Army.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 1997
Iran Missile Protection Act of 1997 - Authorizes supplemental appropriations for FY 1998 for the Department of Defense for cooperative activities with Russia for determining: (1) the extent of Russian cooperation and assistance in the development by Iran of a ballistic missile capability; and (2) the technical nature of the Iranian missile threat. Requires a certification by the President to the Congress with respect to the information to be released by Russia before such funds may be appropriated. Prohibits the obligation of $3 million in FY 1998 cooperative ballistic missile defense projects with Russia until the President certifies to the Congress that the Russian Government is providing full cooperation with respect to the release of such information. Authorizes appropriations for the Navy theater-wide missile defense system to be used to accelerate the development of such system through additional testing and risk reduction. Authorizes additional appropriations for defense-wide research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) of specified missile defense sytems, radars, networks, and related activities. Authorizes appropriations for defense-wide RDT&E for support of the Israeli Arrow tactical ballistic missile defense system to be used to protect a U.S. ally in imminent peril. Directs the Secretary of Defense to report to the Congress on the Iranian ballistic missile threat in the Middle East and Persian Gulf regions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 1997
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania, as the H. John Heinz III Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 1997
Campaign Finance Reform Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to: (1) set a limitation on the amount of non-Federal money that may be contributed by any person to any political committee of a national political party; (2) redefine the term "independent expenditure"; (3) restrict the solicitation of contributions by candidates and Federal officeholders to or on behalf of certain nonprofit organizations; (4) prohibit solicitations for or donations to nonprofit organizations by political parties and specified entities; and (5) revise reporting requirements to require certain principal campaign committees to file additional monthly reports electronically and make such reports available on the Internet.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1997
Limits attorney's fees paid in connection with the settlement of a State action against one or more tobacco companies to recover tobacco-related Medicaid expenditures or for other causes of action involved in the settlement agreement dated June 20, 1997, to $150 per hour plus out-of-pocket expenses approved by the court. Prohibits the award of attorney's fees under any national tobacco settlement until the attorneys have: (1) provided to the Congress a detailed time accounting regarding the work performed; and (2) made public disclosure of such time accounting and fee arrangements. Requires each attorney whose fees are subject to this Act to submit to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees a comprehensive record of the time and expenses for which the fees are to be paid.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1997
Osteoporosis and Related Bone Disorders Resource Center Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations to establish and operate the information clearinghouse (mandated under current law) on osteoporosis and related bone disorders.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 1997
Asthma Inhalers Regulatory Relief Act of 1997 - Bars the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, under title VI of the Clean Air Act, from prohibiting the manufacture, distribution, or sale of metered-dose inhalers that use chlorofluorocarbons unless the Administrator and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs jointly certify to the Congress that alternatives are available for all populations of inhaler users that are comparable in terms of safety, effectiveness, costs, and retail availability.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1997
Authorizes the President to present gold medals, on behalf of the Congress, to named individuals referred to collectively as the "Little Rock Nine," in recognition of the selfless heroism they exhibited and the pain they suffered in the cause of civil rights by integrating Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates of such medals in bronze. States that these medals are national medals.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1997
Requires the U.S. Postal Service to establish a special rate of postage for first-class mail that is equal to the regular rate plus a differential of not to exceed 25 percent to be offered as an alternative that patrons may use voluntarily to contribute to funding for prostate cancer research. Requires the Service to pay amounts attributable (additional revenues minus costs) to such differential to the National Institutes of Health under arrangements as mutually agreed, provided payments are made at least twice a year. Requires the Postmaster General to include in each annual report to the Board of Governors information concerning the operation of this Act. Terminates the provisions of this Act at the end of the two-year period beginning on the date on which such postage stamps are first made available to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1997
Calls for the House of Representatives to proceed to the consideration of comprehensive campaign finance reform that reduces spending on political campaigns and curtails the influence of special interest money in Federal elections by no later than October 9, 1997, and to adopt as a goal the final enactment of such legislation by no later than October 31, 1997.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1997
Common Sense Superfund Liability Relief Act of 1997 - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to absolve of liability for response actions a person who does not impede a response action or natural resource restoration to the extent liability is based solely on arrangement, transportation, or acceptance provisions relating to disposal or treatment of hazardous substances and such activities only involved municipal solid waste or sewage sludge possessed by the person and the person is: (1) the owner, operator, or lessee of residential property; (2) a small business; or (3) a small nonprofit organization. Adds provisions related to defenses to liability of an owner of after-acquired property, to deem a person to have made (under current law, "undertaken") appropriate inquiry into the property's previous ownership and uses if the person establishes that an environmental site assessment was conducted which meets specified requirements (compliance with an American Society for Testing and Materials standard or with standards issued by the President) and the person fulfills certain responsibilities concerning information compilation, exercise of appropriate care with respect to hazardous substances at the facility, and cooperation with those conducting response actions. Absolves from liability for response actions bona fide prospective purchasers to the extent liability at a facility for a release or threat thereof is based solely on ownership or operation of a facility. Gives a lien upon a facility to the United States for unrecovered response costs in any case in which there are such unrecovered costs for which the owner is not liable by reason of this section and the facility's fair market value has increased above that which existed 180 days before the action was taken.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Improving the Regulation and Labeling of Food Title II: Effective Date Food and Nutrition Information Reform Act - Title I: Improving the Regulation and Labeling of Food - Amends Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act provisions relating to food nutrition levels and health-related claims to allow certain regulations to be effective on publication at the discretion of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. (Sec. 102) Modifies requirements regarding petitions to issue a regulation on health-related claims. (Sec. 103) Allows a health or nutrient content claim not authorized by the Secretary if: (1) a U.S. governmental scientific body with public health protection or research responsibility directly relating to human nutrition has published an authoritative statement, currently in effect, about the relationship to which the health claim refers or setting forth a basis for the nutrient claim; (2) a person has notified the Secretary; (3) the claim and food are in compliance with certain requirements; and (4) the claim is stated in a way that it is an accurate representation of the authoritative statement and in a way that it enables the public to understand the information and its significance. (Sec. 105) Requires, if a nutrient claim is made and the food contains a nutrient at a level that increases to persons in the general population the risk of a disease or health-related condition that is diet-related, that the label contain, close to the claim, a statement referring to the nutrition information elsewhere on the label. (Sec. 107) Revises oleomargarine sale and labeling requirements. Repeals provisions relating to: (1) a congressional declaration of policy regarding oleomargarine sales; and (2) noncontravention of State oleomargarine laws. Title II: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 1997
Children's Environmental Protection Act - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to state U.S. policy regarding protection of vulnerable subpopulations from exposure to environmental pollutants. Defines "vulnerable subpopulations" as children, pregnant women, the elderly, individuals with a history of serious illness, and other subpopulations identified by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as likely to experience elevated health risks from environmental pollutants. Directs the Administrator to: (1) consistently and explicitly evaluate environmental health risks to vulnerable subpopulations in all risk assessments and characterizations, environmental and public health standards, and general regulatory decisions; (2) ensure that all EPA standards protect such subpopulations with an adequate margin of safety; (3) develop and use a separate assessment with respect to such subpopulations; and (4) issue revised standards, after reevaluation, that meet the criteria of this Act. Requires the Administrator to: (1) identify pollutants commonly used or found in areas reasonably accessible to children; (2) create and review at least annually a list of substances with known, likely, or suspected health risks to children and a list of safer-for-children substances and products for use in such areas; (3) establish guidelines to reduce and eliminate exposure to pollutants in such areas, including advice on integrated pest management; (4) create a family right-to-know information kit; and (5) make all information described above publicly available. Directs the Administrator and the Secretaries of Agriculture and of Health and Human Services to: (1) coordinate and support the development and implementation of research initiatives to examine the health effects and toxicity of pesticides and other pollutants on vulnerable subpopulations; and (2) report to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 1997
Franked Mail Savings Act - Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1991 to establish an Official Mass Mailing Allowance for Members of the House of Representatives. Requires the Official Mass Mailing Allowance to be: (1) available only for postage for any mass mailing sent by a Member as franked mail; (2) the sole source of funding for any such postage; and (3) available in a session of Congress in an amount that does not exceed the total amount allocated to the Official Mail Allowance of a Member in such session. Treats the Official Mass Mailing Allowance and mass mailings separately from the Official Mail Allowance. Continues the applicability of current provisions of law relating to mass mailings sent by a Member or Member-elect, except with respect to a prohibition on any mass mailing during an election year: (1) until after the election; or (2) unless it relates to an emergency or disaster declared by the President, under specified conditions. Sets forth requirements for the submission of samples of mass mailings to the House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards. Revises the formula for determining the Official Mail Allowance (thereby reducing the maximum allocation allowed). Prohibits the transfer of any amount (except for amounts from the Official Mass Mailing Allowance) to or from the Official Mail Allowance of a Member. (Currently, transfers up to a specified amount are allowed from the Official Expenses and Clerk Hire Allowances.)
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 1997
Freedom From Religious Persecution Act of 1997 - Establishes in the Executive Office of the President the Office of Religious Persecution Monitoring, whose Director, appointed by the President, with Senate consent, shall: (1) consider the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom presented in certain annual reports on human rights by the Department of State and by independent human rights groups and nongovernmental organizations; (2) make policy recommendations to the President regarding U.S. policies toward governments engaged in religious persecution; and (3) maintain lists of religious persecution facilitating goods and services, and the responsible entities within countries engaged in religious persecution. (Sec. 3) Distinguishes between category 1 religious persecution (conducted by government officials or agents) and category 2 religious persecution (conducted by non-government entities or persons, but which the government fails to undertake serious and sustained efforts to eliminate). (Sec. 5) Requires the Director to report to specified congressional committees on countries and entities engaged in religious persecution, identifying the category of persecution and listing persecution facilitating products, good, and services. (Sec. 7) Prohibits: (1) Federal agencies and U.S. persons from exporting goods, including religious persecution facilitating goods and services, to countries and responsible entities engaged in religious persecution; and (2) U.S. and multilateral assistance to such countries. Declares that no consular officer shall issue a visa to, and the Attorney General shall exclude from the United States, any alien responsible for carrying out acts of religious persecution. (Sec. 8) Provides for the waiver of such sanctions. (Sec. 9) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (as amended by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996), with respect to eligibility for asylum in the United States, to include under the term "credible fear of persecution" aliens who can claim membership in a community found to be subject to religious persecution. Directs the Attorney General to establish a program to provide training on religious persecution to immigration officers who inspect aliens for admission into the United States. Sets forth procedures for the denial of admission based on religious persecution claims. (Sec. 10) Sets forth requirements with respect to certain State Department human rights reports. Directs the Secretary of State to provide training on the right to religious freedom to chiefs of missions as well as certain Department officials. (Sec. 11) Provides for the termination of sanctions. (Sec. 12) Extends certain existing trade and economic sanctions against Sudan for supporting acts of international terrorism until the Director determines that Sudan has substantially eliminated religious persecution, or no longer supports acts of international terrorism, whichever occurs later. Imposes additional trade, economic, and cultural sanctions against Sudan. Sets forth penalties for violations of certain sanctions. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President, or, at his discretion, the Secretary of State should convene an international conference of the other industrialized democracies to reach an international agreement to bring about an end to religious persecution in Sudan. Prescribes congressional procedures for implementing such an agreement. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should instruct the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations (UN) to propose that the UN Security Council impose measures against Sudan. Makes it U.S. policy to impose additional measures against Sudan if its policy of religious persecution has not ended on or before December 25, 1997.
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 1997
Amends title XI of the Social Security Act to repeal the criminal penalty for counseling or assisting an individual regarding disposition of assets in order to become eligible for Medicaid benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 1997
Makes veterans who have been awarded the Purple Heart eligible for veterans' hospital care and medical services. Provides such veterans with a priority in the veterans' system of annual patient enrollment.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 1997
Internet Gambling Prohibition Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide penalties against any person who, while engaged in the business of betting or wagering, knowingly uses a communication facility for the transmission or receipt in interstate or foreign commerce of bets or wagers, information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers, or a communication that entitles the transmitter or receiver to receive money or credit as a result of bets or wagers. Provides a smaller penalty for those engaging in such activities who are not in the business of betting or wagering. Provides prohibition exceptions. Authorizes the Federal Communications Commission to enforce against interstate computer service providers regulations prohibiting the interstate or foreign transmission of gambling information. Authorizes injunctive relief against such carriers or providers. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Federal Government should have extraterritorial jurisdiction over the transmission to or receipt from the United States of gambling information as well as any communication that entitles the transmitter or recipient to receive money or credit as a result of bets or wagers. Requires a report from the Attorney General to the Congress concerning the enforcement of such gambling regulations and related recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 1997
Secret Tobacco Giveaway Repeal Act - Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, as amended by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, to repeal the provision crediting the increase in excise taxes on certain tobacco products against payments made pursuant to specified tobacco industry settlement legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
Consumer Debit Card Protection Act - Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act with respect to a financial institution which issues electronic fund transfer cards for consumer accounts without a means of unique individual identification. Requires such an institution to include on the card a prominent and conspicuous consumer protection warning that the card can be used without a code or unique identifier. Provides that, if a consumer applies for a card requiring a code or other unique identifier, the institution issues a card without such an identifier, and the consumer refuses to accept it, the institution shall promptly issue the consumer a card which does require such a code or identifier to access a consumer account. Declares that a signature shall not be treated as a unique identifier. Repeals guidelines governing consumer reimbursement and maximum liability for losses caused by the consumer's failure to timely report unauthorized electronic fund transfers. Limits consumer liability to a $50 maximum in all circumstances. Excepts a consumer from liability for unauthorized electronic fund transfers if the only required form of identification is a signature. Reduces from ten to three business days the period within which a financial institution may provide a provisional recredit of a consumer's account upon timely notice of error. Mandates provisional recredit of a consumer's account, including interest, upon receipt of notice of an error involving an electronic fund transfer initiated by the use of a card without a means of access which uniquely identifies the consumer. Modifies the loss or theft of card notification information required on monthly account statements as a precondition for consumer liability for unauthorized transfers. Precludes consumer liability for fees for insufficient funds due to an unauthorized electronic fund transfer executed by the use of a card lacking a protective device to serve as a unique identifier of the rightful consumer. Requires prompt recrediting of the consumer's account for any fee imposed before receipt of the consumer's notice of an unauthorized electronic fund transfer.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1997
Prohibits construction of any monument, memorial, or other structure on the parcel of Federal land located south of Rosslyn, Virginia, and north of the Arlington National Cemetery that is bounded on the west by Meade Street, on the north by Arlington Boulevard (U.S. Route 50), on the east by Jefferson Davis Highway (Virginia Route 110), and on the south by Marshall Drive (site of the Iwo Jima Memorial). Exempts the United States Marine Corps (Iwo Jima) Memorial and the Netherlands Carillon from this Act. Allows an individual to bring a civil action in the appropriate U.S. district court against any person (including the United States) to enforce this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1997
Authorizes the President to award the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously to Theodore Roosevelt for his actions in the attack of San Juan Heights, Cuba, during the Spanish-American War on July 1, 1898.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1997
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to modify the formula for determining the amount of reduced monthly OASDI benefits payable to a spouse, surviving spouse, or parent receiving monthly payments from a Federal or State pension plan.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1997
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to religious understanding and peace. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike duplicate medals in bronze. Authorizes appropriations from the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund, where sales proceeds shall be deposited.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1997
Calls for: (1) the President to demand that the Government of Russia take actions to stop governmental and nongovernmental entities in the Russian Federation from providing missile technology and technical advice to Iran in violation of the Missile Technology Control Regime; (2) the United States, if Russia's response is inadequate, to impose sanctions on the responsible Russian entities in accordance with Executive Order 12938 on the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and to reassess cooperative activities with Russia; (3) raising the threshold under current law allowing for the waiver of the prohibition on the release of foreign assistance to Russia; and (4) encouragement of our European allies to take steps to stop such proliferation.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1997
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) trafficking in persons violates the fundamental principles of human dignity and that forced prostitution involving coercion or debt bondage constitutes a form of forced labor and a slavery-like practice; (2) the State Department or other appropriate Government agencies should investigate, combat, and report to the Congress annually on trafficking of women and girls and forced prostitution; (3) the international working group formed as a result of the World Congress on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children should continue its efforts; (4) the executive branch should take steps to assure that weapons and equipment provided or sold to the Thai police do not become available to members of forces involved in trafficking, forced prostitution, or abuse of women and girls who are apprehended; (5) the United States Agency for International Development should target a portion of its assistance to Thailand for AIDS prevention and control to the foreign population in Thailand, particularly Burmese women and girls in the Thai sex industry; and (6) the State Department should take specified steps, such as urging the Thai Government to strictly enforce the law criminalizing brothel operators, procurers, Thai police complicity in forced prostitution, and customers of women and children trafficked for the purpose of forced prostitution.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1997
China Human Rights and Democracy Act of 1997 - Authorizes appropriations for International Broadcasting Activities only for broadcasting to China. Earmarks funds for: (1) capital expenditures for the purchase and construction of transmission facilities; and (2) Radio Free Asia. (Sec. 2) Expresses the sense of the Congress that U.S. international broadcasting through Radio Free Asia and Voice of America should be increased to provide continuous 24-hour broadcasting in multiple languages and dialects, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, and Uighur. (Sec. 3) Authorizes appropriations to the National Endowment for Democracy, and directs the Secretary of State to use funds available in the East Asia-Pacific Regional Democracy Fund, to promote democracy, civil society, and the development of the rule of law in China. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to report annually to specified congressional committees on human rights in China, including religious persecution, the development of democratic institutions, and the rule of law. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a Prisoner Information Registry for China; and (2) assign not less than six foreign service officers to the U.S. Embassy and consular offices in China to monitor and report on human rights matters in China. (Sec. 5) Requires specified reports to the Congress on Chinese intelligence activities against U.S. interests and on commercial enterprises affiliated with the Chinese military. (Sec. 6) Expresses the sense of the Congress that U.S. nationals conducting industrial cooperation projects in China should adhere to certain principles. Declares that such nationals should: (1) suspend the use of any merchandise that they have reason to believe was produced by convict or forced labor, and refuse to use forced labor in their projects; (2) seek to ensure that political or religious views, sex, ethnic or national background, or association with dissidents will not prohibit hiring, lead to harassment, demotion, or dismissal of an individual employed in the industrial cooperation project; (3) ensure that methods of production used in the projects do not pose unnecessary danger to workers and the surrounding neighborhoods and environment; (4) strive to establish a private business enterprise when involved in an industrial cooperation project with China or other state entity; (5) discourage any military presence on the premises of projects which involve dual-use technologies; (6) promote freedom of association and assembly among the U.S. national's employees; (7) provide the Department of State with information relevant to its efforts to collect information on prisoners for purposes of the Prisoner Information Registry; (8) discourage or prevent compulsory political indoctrination programs from taking place on project premises; (9) promote freedom of expression of all kinds; and (10) prevent harassment of workers who decide freely the number and spacing of their children, and prohibit compulsory population control activities on the premises of the project. Directs the Secretary to forward a copy of these principles to the member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and encourage them to promote similar principles. Directs each U.S. national conducting an industrial cooperation project in China to register with the Secretary and indicate whether they agree to implement such principles. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to give preference to U.S. nationals that have adopted such principles when selecting participants for trade missions in China. (Sec. 7) Requires the promotion of cultural, educational, scientific, agricultural, military, legal, political, and artistic exchanges between the United States and China. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader of the Senate should establish a legislative exchange program with China; and (2) a federally chartered not-for-profit organization should be established to fund exchanges between the United States and China through private donations. (Sec. 8) Prohibits the Secretary from issuing any visa to, and the Attorney General from admitting to the United States, any Chinese national that has been materially involved in: (1) the commission of human rights violations; or (2) the proliferation of conventional or nuclear weapons technology, or other sensitive or dual-use technologies, in contravention of U.S. interests. Provides for waiver of such requirements in the U.S. national interest. (Sec. 9) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Congress, the President, and the Secretary should work with the governments of other countries to establish a Commission on Security and Cooperation in Asia which would be modeled after the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1997
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Research, Treatment, and Assistance Act of 1997 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for a waiver of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage for individuals disabled by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to provide for Medicare coverage of any drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the treatment or alleviation of ALS-related symptoms. Authorizes appropriations, in addition to any already available, for ALS research through the National Institutes of Health.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1997
Amends Federal aviation law to declare that nothing in such law or in the Death on the High Seas Act shall affect any remedy existing at common law or under State law with respect to any injury or death arising out of any aviation incident occurring on or after January 1, 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Ensure that the Bipartisan Balanced Budget Agreement of 1997 Achieves Its Goal Title II: Enforcement Provisions Budget Enforcement Act of 1997 - Title I: Ensure that the Bipartisan Balanced Budget Agreement of 1997 Achieves Its Goal - Sets forth a timetable for completion of certain budget actions by the President, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). (Sec. 102) Directs the President to submit a special message with the OMB Analysis of Actual Spending Levels and Projections for the Upcoming Year if such Analysis indicates that: (1) deficits or outlays in the most recent fiscal or budget year exceeded or are projected to exceed deficit targets or caps, as appropriate; or (2) revenues in such years were less than or projected to be less than revenue targets. Requires such message to include proposed legislative changes to: (1) offset the net deficit, outlay excess, or revenue shortfall; or (2) revise the deficit or revenue targets or outlay caps contained in this Act. Sets forth congressional procedures for the consideration of legislation to address excess deficits or outlays and revenue shortfalls. (Sec. 103) Requires presidential budgets to be consistent with the spending, revenue, and deficit levels established in this Act or to recommend changes to such levels. Makes it out of order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any concurrent budget resolution unless it is consistent with the levels set forth in this Act. (Sec. 104) Sets forth consolidated deficit (or surplus) and revenue targets for FY 1998 through 2002. (Sec. 105) Requires OMB to submit a report containing account numbers and spending limits for specific entitlement categories to the President and the Congress. Applies direct spending caps, effective upon submission of such report, to all entitlement authority except for undistributed offsetting receipts and net interest outlays. Sets forth entitlement categories subject to caps. (Sec. 106) Requires determinations of direct spending caps (as well as any breaches of such caps and actions necessary to remedy such breaches) to be based on certain economic assumptions set forth in the joint explanatory statement of managers accompanying the concurrent resolution on the budget for FY 1998 (House Concurrent Resolution 84) and subject to periodic reestimation based on changed economic conditions or changes in eligible population. (Sec. 107) Provides for automatic adjustments to deficit and revenue targets and caps for entitlements and other mandatory spending to reflect changes in specified economic and other conditions. Title II: Enforcement Provisions - Directs OMB: (1) to compile a statement of actual deficits, revenues, and direct spending for a fiscal year, following the end of that year, identifying such deficits, revenues, and spending by categories of entitlements and other mandatory spending; and (2) in any year in which actual or projected deficits, revenues, or spending in violation of revenue targets or caps by more than one percent of the applicable total revenues or direct spending for the year concerned occurs, to issue a report to the President and the Congress, estimating necessary spending reductions. (Sec. 202) Provides for enforcement of the direct spending caps on categories of spending established under title I of this Act. Applies specified enforcement rules and procedures for any fiscal year in which direct spending exceeds the applicable direct spending cap. (Sec. 203) Sets forth: (1) general rules triggering sequestration to reduce spending for programs subject to direct spending caps; (2) special rules for direct spending programs with certain characteristics; and (3) rules for insurance and loan programs and State grant program formulas. Requires a within session sequester under certain conditions. (Sec. 204) Sets forth procedures for enforcing revenue targets, including delays in implementing tax credits, deductions, exclusions, or cuts under the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1997. (Sec. 205) Exempts certain budget accounts, activities within accounts, or income from sequestration. Authorizes the President to exempt any military personnel account from sequestration or provide for a lower uniform percentage reduction that would otherwise apply, subject to specified congressional notification requirements. (Sec. 206) Sets forth special rules for sequestration orders for: (1) the child support enforcement program under the Social Security Act; (2) the Commodity Credit Corporation; (3) the earned income tax credit; (4) regular and extended unemployment compensation; (5) the Federal Employees Health Benefits Fund; (6) the Federal Housing Finance Board; (7) Federal pay; (8) Medicare; (9) the Postal Service Fund; (10) Department of Energy power marketing administration funds or the Tennessee Valley Authority fund; and (11) programs which provide a businesslike service in exchange for a fee. (Sec. 207) Directs CBO and OMB to report to the President and the Congress the budget baselines for the budget year and the next nine fiscal years. Specifies requirements for the budget baseline. (Sec. 208) Requires amounts to be withheld from allocation to the appropriate congressional committees (within the discretionary caps for each fiscal year) and reserved for natural disasters and other emergency purposes. Provides that such amounts shall be at least one percent of total budget authority and outlays available within those caps for the fiscal year concerned. Sets forth conditions under which reserved amounts shall be made available for allocation to such committees. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make it out of order in the House or the Senate to consider legislation containing an emergency designation if it also provides an appropriation or direct spending for any other item or contains other matter. Permits such legislation to contain rescissions or spending reductions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1997
Point Reyes National Seashore Farmland Protection Act of 1997 - Amends Federal law to include the Farmland Protection Area in the Point Reyes National Seashore, California, with the primary objective being to protect private agricultural land from nonagricultural development by conservation easements. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make farmland acquisitions within the Area. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1997
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to grant duty-free treatment to educational and scientific instruments and apparatus that are imported for assembly into the United States. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce, upon receipt of a petition by an affected institution, to hold a single expedited hearing to determine whether or not to grant such duty treatment to all of the components of the particular scientific instrument or apparatus for which the application is made, in order to provide for expedited consideration of each component of a scientific instrument or apparatus for which duty treatment is requested.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1997
Amends the Agricultural Market Transition Act to: (1) reduce the loan rate for quota peanuts by specified amounts through crop year 2001; and (2) eliminate peanut price supports as of crop year 2002. Amends: (1) the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to eliminate peanut marketing quota provisions as of crop year 2002; and (2) the Agricultural Act of 1949 to make conforming amendments. Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) from providing any subsequent peanut price supports. Directs the Secretary to make nonrecourse loans and loan deficiency payments available to peanut producers beginning with crop year 2002. Sets forth: (1) loan rate, term, and repayment provisions; and (2) deficiency computation provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1997
Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 1997 - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by covered entities, including an employing authority or office to which specified provisions of the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991 or the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 apply. Prohibits related retaliation and coercion. Declares that: (1) this Act does not apply to the provision of employee benefits for the benefit of an employee's partner; and (2) a disparate impact does not establish a prima facie violation of this Act. Prohibits: (1) quotas and preferential treatment; and (2) the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from entering into a consent decree that includes a quota or preferential treatment. Declares that this Act does not apply to: (1) religious organizations (except regarding employment in a position the duties of which pertain solely to activities of the organization that generate unrelated business income subject to taxation under specified Internal Revenue Code provisions); (2) the armed forces; or (3) laws creating special rights or preferences for veterans. Provides for enforcement. Disallows State immunity. Makes the United States or a State liable for all remedies (except punitive damages, with compensatory damages available to the extent specified in certain existing provisions of law) to the same extent as under specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Allows recovery of attorney's fees. Requires posting notices for employees and applicants.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: House of Representatives Election spending Limits and Benefits Title II: Reduction of Special Interest Influence Subtitle A: Limitations on Political Action Committees and Large Contributions of Individuals Subtitle B: Contributions Subtitle C: Additional Prohibitions on Contributions Subtitle D: Coordinated and Independent Expenditures Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions Campaign Independence Restoration Act-Part II - Title I: House of Representatives Election Spending Limits and Benefits - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to make candidates for election to the House of Representatives eligible to receive benefits under this Act if they declare that they will not exceed expenditure or contribution limits. Sets forth expenditure limits of $600,000 by a candidate and authorized committees, allowing additional expenditures for: (1) runoffs and contested primaries; and (2) complying candidates running against noncomplying candidates. Entitles eligible candidates to receive certain broadcast media rates and reduced postage rates. Directs the Federal Election Commission to certify a candidate who has met the requirements of this title as eligible for benefits under such title. Requires repayment of benefits by a candidate whose certification has been revoked. Sets forth laddered civil penalties for excess expenditures. (Sec. 102) Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to: (1) provide for preemption only in situations beyond a station's control; and (2) extend the license revocation provision for failure to provide cable access. (Sec. 104) Amends FECA to set contribution limits for eligible House candidates. (Sec. 105) Sets forth expenditure reporting requirements. Title II: Reduction of Special Interest Influence - Subtitle A: Limitations on Political Action Committees and Large Contributions of Individuals - Amends FECA to modify political action committee contribution limits. Prohibits leadership committees. (Sec. 202) Limits the aggregate amount of large contributions to congressional campaigns. Subtitle B: Contributions - Revises requirements regarding contributions made through an intermediary or conduit. Subtitle C: Additional Prohibitions on Contributions - Prohibits: (1) a person not eligible to register to vote in a Federal election from contributing or promising to contribute in such an election; and (2) a person from accepting or soliciting such a contribution. Subtitle D: Coordinated and Independent Expenditures - Revises the definition of "independent expenditure." (Sec. 232) Treats: (1) payments coordinated with a candidate, agent, or committee as contributions; and (2) certain payments and communications containing express advocacy as expenditures. (Sec. 234) Sets forth related reporting requirements. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Provides for expedited and mandatory Supreme Court review of any appeal of any interlocutory order or final court action on the constitutionality of any provision of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Soft Money Subtitle A: Provisions Relating to Soft Money of Political Parties Subtitle B: Soft Money of Persons Other Than Political Parties Title II: Enforcement and Disclosure Subtitle A: Improving Enforcement Subtitle B: Increasing Disclosure Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions Campaign Independence Restoration Act, Part I - Title I: Soft Money - Subtitle A: Provisions Relating to Soft Money of Political Parties - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to "soft money" to: (1) prohibit a national committee of a political party (including specified related entities) from soliciting or receiving contributions or making expenditures not subject to such Act; (2) require a State, district, or local committee of a political party to make Federal election year expenditures (with exceptions) from funds subject to such Act; (3) prohibit a national, State, district, or local committee from soliciting or donating funds to a nonprofit organization; and (4) prohibit an incumbent or candidate for Federal office from soliciting or receiving funds not subject to such Act, or solicit or receive funds for a non-Federal election in excess of certain limits or from prohibited sources (with exceptions for State or local candidates in compliance with State law). (Sec. 102) Increases limits on individual contributions to national political parties. (Sec. 103) Imposes or modifies political committee reporting requirements. (Sec. 104) Removes the exclusion of office facility construction or purchase contributions from the definition of "contribution." Subtitle B: Soft Money of Persons Other Than Political Parties - Imposes reporting requirements regarding disbursements over $2,000 by a person other than a political party committee or a candidate. Title II: Enforcement and Disclosure - Subtitle A: Improving Enforcement - Amends FECA to provide for: (1) random compliance audits; (2) injunction and litigation authority for the Commission; (3) Commission member term limits; and (4) expedited Commission procedures and increased penalties for violations of such Act. Subtitle B - Increasing Disclosure - Amends FECA to provide for: (1) certain reporting on an election cycle rather than a calendar year basis; (2) consulting service disclosure; and (3) mandatory (with exceptions) electronic filing of Commission reports. (Sec. 214) Sets forth political advertising provisions for print and broadcast or cablecast communications. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Directs the Commission to promulgate regulations concerning the use of non-Federal money. (Sec. 303) Provides for expedited and mandatory Supreme Court review of any appeal of any interlocutory order or final court action on the constitutionality of any provision of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1997
Congressional Pension Reform Act of 1997 - Provides for the deduction and withholding of seven percent (currently, eight and seven and one-half percent, respectively) of the basic pay of a Member of Congress or congressional employee under the Civil Service Retirement System, thus making such deduction and withholding equivalent to that of a Federal employee. Makes provisions regarding immediate retirement, entitlement to annuities, and deferred retirement for Federal employees applicable to Members. Removes specified provisions regarding annuities, reduced annuities, and deferred retirement for Members. Removes a provision that entitles a Member to an annuity if he or she serves in nine Congresses. Continues the applicability of existing provisions regarding immediate Member annuities and deferred retirement with respect to Members serving on or after this Act's effective date who, as of the day before such effective date, satisfy the existing age and service requirements for entitlement to immediate annuities or deferred retirement. Revises the formula for computing annuities of Members and congressional employees with at least five years of service to restrict creditable service to service performed before this Act's enactment date. Makes similar amendments with respect to the computation of Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) annuities for Members and congressional employees. Makes the reduction in annuity for Federal employees retiring before age 55 applicable to Members as well. Repeals provisions that provide for a different reduction formula for Members. Repeals provisions concerning: (1) annuities for surviving spouses of Members entitled to deferred annuities; (2) the treatment of annuities during periods of reemployment; and (3) eligibility for annuities of Members or survivors. Makes deductions and withholding and the formula for Government contributions under FERS for Members and congressional employees conform to those of Federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997
Medical Device Regulatory Modernization Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to set forth the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mission and to mandate annual FDA and Comptroller General reports to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, when there is a scientific controversy between a regulated person and the Secretary, to establish a procedure under which the regulated person may request a review of the disputed subject matter. (Sec. 4) Revises or imposes requirements regarding: (1) investigational device exemptions; (2) premarket approval requirements (mandating a device review priority); (3) humanitarian device exceptions; (4) safety and effectiveness performance standards (allowing recognition of self-certifiable consensus standards); (5) effectiveness determinations (as used in classifying devices); (6) reliance on postmarket controls to expedite classification; (7) substantial equivalence; (8) labeling (as affecting premarket approval); (9) supplemental applications; (10) promotional material representations; (11) premarket notification; (12) initial classification; (13) classification panels; and (14) premarket approval application review (allowing review by accredited persons). (Sec. 12) Mandates accreditation of persons to review and initially classify devices. (Sec. 13) Mandates publication of a list of types of class III devices that are not subject to regulation under specified provisions and for which the Secretary has determined that premarket approval is unnecessary, requiring each to be regulated as class III subject to general and appropriate special controls. (Sec. 14) Modifies requirements regarding: (1) device tracking; (2) postmarket surveillance; and (3) good manufacturing practice regulations (including foreign harmonization) and inspections (including adding references to accredited entities and post-inspection procedural requirements). (Sec. 17) Removes distributors from recordkeeping and reporting requirements. Removes reporting requirements regarding certain certification and removals and corrections. Mandates new user reporting regulations limiting user reporting to a user subset to create a representative profile of user reports. (Sec. 18) Prohibits subjecting a person to penalties if the person acted in good faith and had no reason to believe the acts violated the law. (Sec. 19) Mandates an information system to track the status of each submission requesting FDA action. (Sec. 20) Prohibits actions by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under the FDCA from requiring the preparation of an environmental assessment or impact statement. (Sec. 22) Regulates communications to non-FDA persons regarding certain matters before completion of related investigations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1997
Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act of 1997 - Amends the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to proscribe bringing a private class action based upon State or municipal law in State or Federal court by any private party alleging: (1) an untrue statement or omission in connection with the purchase or sale of a covered security; or (2) that the defendant used any manipulative or deceptive device in connection with such a transaction. Declares that any class action brought in any State court involving a covered security shall be removable to the Federal district court for the district in which the action is pending.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1997
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal to Mother Teresa of Calcutta in recognition of her contributions to humanitarian and charitable activities. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike a suitable gold medal. Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Declares these medals to be national medals. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates deposit of sale proceeds in the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Children's Environmental Protection Subtitle A: Disclosure of Industrial Releases That Present a Significant Risk to Children Subtitle B: Disclosure of High Health Risk Chemicals in Children's Consumer Products Title II: Public Right to Know About Toxic Chemical Use Children's Environmental Protection and Right to Know Act of 1997 - Title I: Children's Environmental Protection - Subtitle A: Disclosure of Industrial Releases That Present a Significant Risk to Children -Amends the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish thresholds for toxic chemicals which may present significant risks to children's health or the environment. Includes lead, mercury, dioxin, cadmium, chromium and other specified bioaccumulative chemicals as substances subject to such thresholds. Makes dioxin and specified bioaccumulative chemicals subject to toxic chemical release form reporting requirements under such Act. Authorizes citizen suits against the Administrator for failures to establish thresholds under this Act. Subtitle B: Disclosure of High Health Risk Chemicals in Children's Consumer Products - Amends the Federal Hazardous Substances Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the National Toxicology Program, to publish a list of substances which are toxic due to carcinogenic, neurotoxic, or reproductive toxic effects. Directs the Secretary to identify those substances to which infants and young children are exposed. Requires manufacturers or importers of eligible products (defined as toys or other articles intended for use by children) which contain such substances to report specified information to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, including information supporting that a substance is not a misbranded or banned hazardous substance. Authorizes exemptions from such reporting requirements if a substance would not cause substantial personal injury or illness as a result of foreseeable handling, including ingestion by children. Permits citizen suits with respect to certain violations under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act and against the Commission for failure to perform duties under this Act. Title II: Public Right to Know About Toxic Chemical Use - Expands information to be included in toxic chemical release forms, including the number of employees and occupational exposures at reporting facilities as well as materials accounting information. Requires the Administrator to take certain actions to: (1) standardize data and obtain and integrate information regarding toxic chemicals; (2) consolidate all annual reporting requirements of Federal environmental laws for small businesses and entities subject to toxic chemical release reporting; and (3) provide the public with one point of contact for access to information gathered by EPA. Requires disclosures on the uses of toxic chemicals by reporting facilities. Permits the withholding of portions of materials accounting information reported by covered facilities for purposes of protecting trade secrets.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1997
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1997 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to establish in the National Park Service (NPS) a program to be known as the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom under which the Secretary shall: (1) produce and disseminate educational materials about the Railroad; (2) provide technical assistance to other government agencies, private entities, or the Governments of Canada, Mexico, or any appropriate Caribbean country to ensure coordination of Federal and non-Federal elements of the Network; and (3) regulate use of an official symbol for the Network. Includes within the Network: (1) NPS units or programs pertaining to the Railroad; (2) Federal, State, local, or privately-owned properties pertaining to the Railroad that have a verifiable connection to it and that are included or eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places; and (3) governmental or nongovernmental facilities or programs of educational, research, or interpretive natures that are directly related to such Railroad. Prohibits amounts from being appropriated for the purposes of this Act except to the Secretary for carrying out his or her responsibilities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1997
Declares that the Congress: (1) maintains that the standard for the "Made in USA" label should continue to be that a product was all or virtually all made in the United States; and (2) urges the Federal Trade Commission to refrain from lowering the standard at the expense of consumers and jobs in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Highway Programs Title II: Transit Programs ISTEA Reauthorization Act of 1997 - Title I: Highway Programs - Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY 1998 through 2003 for: (1) the National Highway System (NHS); (2) the surface transportation program; (3) the bridge program; (4) congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program; (5) the minimum allocation program; (6) apportionment adjustments; (7) the Interstate System reimbursement program; (8) level of effort bonus; (9) certain projects under the Federal lands highways program; (10) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) highway safety programs; (11) FHWA highway safety research and development; and (12) the Appalachian development highway program. (Sec. 103) Amends Federal-aid highway law to revise the formula for determining the State apportionment of funds for the NHS and the surface transportation program. Extends through FY 2003 the set aside of Federal highway funds for discretionary projects for the resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, and reconstructing of routes on the Interstate System. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to conduct, and submit to specified congressional committees, a study of the impact of the movement of goods on transportation infrastructure as a measure of need for apportioning funds for the NHS. (Sec. 104) Earmarks 50 percent of NHS funds apportioned to States for Interstate maintenance projects. Repeals the State apportionment of Federal highway funds (nondiscretionary) for resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, and reconstructing the Interstate System. (Sec.105) Revises the formula for the apportionment of funds to States under the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program. Authorizes States that are apportioned more than 15 percent of the total amount of such apportioned funds to transfer, with the approval of the metropolitan planning organization, all or a portion of the amount that exceeds such percentage to the State's apportionment of funds under the surface transportation program. Prohibits the use of transferred funds for a project which will result in the construction of new capacity available to single occupant vehicles unless the project consists of a high occupancy vehicle facility available to single occupant vehicles only at other than peak travel times. . (Sec. 106) Extends for an additional six-fiscal year period the obligation of a State to allocate surface transportation program funds for Federal-aid highways and highway safety construction in urbanized areas with a population over 200,000. (Sec.107) Increases the minimum amount of apportioned highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program funds that a State shall receive in any fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2003 for the discretionary bridge and off-system bridges programs. Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to authorize appropriations for FY 1998 through 2003 for the highway timber bridge research and demonstration program. (Sec.108) Revises for FY 1998 and each fiscal year thereafter the formula for determining the amount of highway funds that would be required to ensure a State's percentage of the total apportionments in each fiscal year and allocations for the prior fiscal year for specified transportation programs is not less than 90 percent of the percentage that the population of the State is of the population of the United States (as determined by the Secretary based on the most recent revised estimate of State populations prepared by the Bureau of Census). (Sec. 110) Provides for the adjustment of funds apportioned to States for the surface transportation program. (Sec. 111) Directs the Secretary to allocate Federal highway funds to eligible States in a ratio that the financial level of effort of each State exceeds the financial level of effort of all States in a fiscal year, except that no State may receive more than ten percent of the total amount made available for such fiscal year. Earmarks a specified amount of such funds to certain States that have a high level of effort as measured by equivalent motor fuel taxes collected. Directs the Secretary to transfer amounts allocated to a State under this section to the State's apportionment of funds for the surface transportation program. (Sec. 112) Extends through FY 2003: (1) the strategic highway research program; (2) the applied research and technology program; (3) the seismic research program; (4) intelligent transportation systems; (5) the scenic byways program; and (6) construction of ferry boats and ferry terminal facilities (discretionary). (Sec. 115) Amends Federal-aid highway law to authorize the Secretary to make grants to Mexican and Canadian border States that demonstrate the need due to increased traffic resulting from implementation of the North American Free Trade Act for assistance in carrying out transportation projects that are necessary to relieve traffic congestion in the border region, in particular to connect the NHS with Federal border crossing facilities, or to improve enforcement of motor carrier safety laws there. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 116) Sets forth highway transportation program streamlining provisions including: (1) authorizing States to give priority for high priority segments of corridors of national significance for inclusion in transportation improvement projects; (2) Federal and State environmental reviews for surface transportation projects; (3) State credit for non-Federal share of the cost of projects for toll revenues that are generated and used by public, quasi-public, and private agencies to build or improve highways, bridges, or tunnels that serve interstate commerce; (4) encouragement of alternative transportation purposes, including bikeway and walkway projects, of historic bridges; and (5) simplifying the administration of enhancement projects and congestion mitigation and air quality projects with costs of less than $500,000. Title II: Transit Programs - Federal Transit Act of 1997 - Amends Federal mass transportation law to authorize urbanized areas with a population of less than 200,000 to use block grant mass transportation assistance for either operating or capital purposes. (Sec. 205) Authorizes appropriations through FY 2003 for discretionary grants and loans for: (1) fixed guideway modernization; (2) capital projects for new fixed guideway systems and extensions to existing fixed guideway systems; and (3) replacement of buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities. (Sec. 206) Authorizes appropriations through FY 2003 for certain apportionments to urbanized areas for fixed guideway modernization (nondiscretionary). Authorizes appropriations through FY 2003 for specified mass transportation programs. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2002 for: (1) the national mass transportation institute; and (2) university research institutes. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2003 for transportation centers (including set-asides). (Sec. 208) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal a certain limitation on the transfer of amounts from the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1997
Congressional Pension Forfeiture Act of 1997 - Amends Federal law to provide that any service as a Member of Congress of an individual convicted of one of specified offenses committed while a Member and directly related to the individual's service during the 106th Congress or later shall not be taken into account as creditable service for purposes of annuity or retirement provisions. Includes among such offenses: (1) bribery of public officials; (2) conspiracy to defraud the Government with respect to claims; (3) making or receiving expenditures to influence voting; (4) acting as an agent of a foreign principal; (5) frauds and swindles; and (6) tax evasion. Entitles such individual (or his or her beneficiary or estate, if applicable) to be paid so much of such individual's lump-sum credit as is attributable to such service. Prohibits: (1) the individual, while serving as a Member after the date of the conviction, from being eligible to participate in the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees Retirement System; and (2) interest from being computed on such lump-sum payment for the period after the conviction or commission of the violation, or after September 26, 1961, whichever is later.
![Official portrait of Rep. McHale, Paul [D-PA-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m000466_200.jpg)