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United States · Official source
800 records where Rep. McIntosh, David M. [R-IN-2] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2000
Extends the comment periods on certain proposed rules related to: (1) clothes washers; and (2) residential central air conditioners and heat pumps.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2000
Hoosier Automobile & Truck National Heritage Trail Area Act of 2000 - Establishes in Indiana the Hoosier Automobile and Truck National Heritage Trail Area, to be managed by the Hoosier Automobile & Truck National Heritage Trail Area, Inc.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2000
Calls upon the President to: (1) take all appropriate action to provide relief from injury caused by steel imports; and (2) immediately request the U.S. Trade Commission to commence an expedited investigation for positive adjustment of such steel imports under section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2000
RU-486 Patient Health and Safety Protection Act - Restricts the prescribing of the drug mifepristone (commonly referred to as RU-486, to be marketed as Mifeprex) to physicians who meet specified requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2000
Expresses the sense of the Congress that a National Children's Memorial Day should be established.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2000
Taxpayers' Choice Debt Reduction Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an individual to designate three dollars on his or her income tax return (six dollars on a joint return) to be used to reduce the public debt of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2000
Scouts Honor Act - Prohibits the use of Federal funds: (1) to discriminate against, investigate, or deny or withdraw access to public property for, the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of beliefs promoted by that organization or that organization's constitutionally protected expression of beliefs or exercise of associational rights; or (2) to compel the Boy Scouts of America to employ, enroll, or accept as a member or volunteer an individual whose sexual orientation, sexual behavior, religious beliefs, or absence of religious beliefs is determined by the Boy Scouts of America to be inconsistent with the organization's policies, programs, morals, or mission.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2000
Calls on the Russian Federation to immediately release Edmond Pope and to ensure that proper and qualified medical attention is provided to him. Expresses the sense of Congress that if Pope is not released immediately, the President should continue efforts to secure his release, including consideration of: (1) terminating all assistance to the Government of the Russian Federation under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the annual Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for purposes of preparing the Russian Federation's entrance or accession to the World Trade Organization; and (2) opposing any further debt relief of obligations owed to the U.S. Government from the Government of the Russian Federation. Urges the President to increase efforts to secure appropriate medical attention for Pope.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2000
Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act - Revises the bloodborne pathogens standard, in effect under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA), to include safer medical devices, such as sharps with engineered sharps injury protections and needleless systems, as examples of engineering controls designed to eliminate or minimize occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens through needlestick and other percutaneous injuries. Requires certain employers to: (1) review and update exposure control plans to reflect changes in technology that eliminate or reduce such exposure, and document their consideration and implementation of appropriate commercially available and effective safer medical devices for such purpose; (2) maintain a sharps injury log, noting the type and brand of device used, where the injury occurred, and an explanation of the incident (exempting employers who are not required to maintain specified OSHA logs); and (3) seek input on such engineering and work practice controls from the affected health care workers (exempting employers who are not required to establish exposure control plans). Requires such modifications of the standard to: (1) be in force until superseded by regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Labor under OSHA; and (2) take effect without regard to specified procedural requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2000
Congratulates and honors home educators and home schooled students for their contributions to educational quality. Supports the goals of National Home Education Week.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2000
Home Health Refinement Amendments of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) eliminate the 15 percent reduction in payment rates under the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for home health services; (2) provide for additional payments for outliers; (3) provide for additional payments under the PPS for home health services furnished in a rural area; (4) provide for exclusion of nonroutine medical supplies under the PPS for home health services; and (5) set forth a rule of construction relating to telehomehealth services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to Congress on the feasibility and advisability of including home health services furnished by telecommunications systems as a home health service.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2000
Recognizes the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. Acknowledges the contributions of children with disabilities, their parents, teachers, related services personnel, and administrators. Reaffirms support for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act so that all children with disabilities have access to a free public education.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2000
Provides that, effective for discharges occurring between October 1, 2001, and October 1, 2003, for purposes of making disproportionate share payments with respect to the operating costs of inpatient hospital services to hospitals in Lake County, Indiana, such county is deemed to be located in the Chicago, Illinois, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2000
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Taiwan and its people deserve appropriate participation in the United Nations and other international organizations such as the World Health Organization; and (2) the United States should fulfill its commitment made in the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review to support more actively Taiwan's membership in appropriate international organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to allow a State to preempt the Federal minimum wage if the State: (1) sets a minimum wage rate of at least $5.15 per hour (the current Federal minimum wage); and (2) applies that rate to as many workers in the State as would otherwise be covered by the Federal minimum wage rate. Exempts employers in such a State from Federal minimum wage rate requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Recognizes the Boy Scouts of America for the public service it performs through its contributions to the lives of the nation's boys and young men.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2000
National Small Business Regulatory Assistance Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a pilot program to provide regulatory compliance assistance to small businesses through participating Small Business Development Centers (Centers), the Association for Small Business Development Centers (Association), and Federal compliance partnership programs. Requires the Administrator to enter into arrangements with participating Centers to provide: (1) access to regulatory information and resources; (2) training and education activities; (3) confidential counseling to owners and operators of small businesses regarding compliance with Federal regulations; and (4) technical assistance. Requires quarterly reports from participating Centers to the Association. Directs the Administrator to contract with the Association to: (1) act as the repository of and clearinghouse for data and information submitted by Centers; and (2) transmit annual assistance reports to the President, the Small Business and Agriculture Regulatory Enforcement Ombudsman, and the congressional small business committees. Requires the Administrator to select one Center from each of 20 States for participation in the pilot program.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2000
TMDL Regulatory Accountability Act of 2000 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) solicit public comment on revisions to regulations pertaining to the national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) program and the water quality planning and management program published in the Federal Register on July 13, 2000; (2) solicit State comments on the impact of such revisions on implementation and effectiveness of State programs; and (3) maintain a record of public comments and publish a response in the Federal Register. Directs the Administrator to transmit to Congress an analysis of the monitoring data needed for development and implementation of total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) which shall address data gaps identified by the Comptroller General in a March 2000 report entitled "Water Quality, Key EPA and State Decisions Limited By Inconsistent and Incomplete Data." Requires the Administrator to make arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to study and report on the scientific bases underlying the development of TDMLs. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Administrator, with respect to the economic analysis performed on regulatory changes identified by the Comptroller General in the June 2000 report entitled "Clean Water Act: Proposed Revisions to EPA Regulations to Clean Up Polluted Waters," to prepare certain statements and analyses required under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 with respect to: (1) significant regulatory actions that may result in expenditures by State, local, and tribal governments or the private sector of $100 million or more annually; and (2) selection of a least costly, most cost-effective, or least burdensome alternative. Requires the Administrator to conduct analyses of the effects of the revisions to the regulations pertaining to the NPDES and water quality planning and management on small entities. Directs the Administrator to review the information provided or developed under this Act and consider whether the revisions to such regulations should be changed. Requires an explanation to Congress of the decision to change or not to change such revisions.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2000
Truth in Regulating Act of 2000 - Provides that when a Federal agency (except an independent regulatory agency) publishes an economically significant rule, a chairman or ranking member of a committee of jurisdiction of either House of Congress may request the Comptroller General to review such rule. Defines "economically significant rule" to mean any proposed or final rule, including an interim or direct final rule, that may have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or adversely affect in a material way the economy, a sector of the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, or State, local, or tribal governments or communities, or for which an agency has prepared an initial or final regulatory flexibility analysis. Requires the Comptroller General to submit a report on each rule reviewed, including an independent evaluation of an agency's analysis of the costs and benefits, and alternative approaches in the notice of proposed rulemaking and in the rulemaking record, as well as of any regulatory impact analysis, federalism assessment, or other analysis or assessment prepared by the agency or required for the rule, and the results of the evaluation and the implication of those results. Grants the Comptroller General discretion to develop procedures for determining the priority and number of requests for review. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2003. Provides for the pilot project established under this Act to continue for a three-year period, if specified appropriations are provided. Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress on such project's effectiveness and on whether it should be authorized permanently.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2000
Innocent Children Protection Act of 2000 - Makes it unlawful for any U.S. authority to carry out a sentence of death on a woman while she carries a child in utero.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2000
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to increase the maximum amount of marketing loan gains and loan deficiency payments that an agricultural producer may receive for each of crop years 2000, 2001, and 2002.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2000
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to increase the maximum amount of marketing loan gains and loan deficiency payments that an agricultural producer may receive for crop year 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2000
Personal Lockbox Act of 2000 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part B (Personal Retirement Account Program), as well as the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), to structure a tax-exempt personalized retirement program for covered individuals through the designation of a personal retirement account for each such individual that is funded by deposits from amounts in the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund not otherwise required for immediate withdrawal, and by rollover and other contributions made by eligible individuals for investment in any of at least three specified portfolios approved by the Commissioner of Social Security. Provides for tax treatment of distributions. Directs the Securities and Exchange Commission to study and report to Congress on personal retirement account reinsurance. Amends SSA title II with regard to primary insurance amounts. Amends IRC to provide for: (1) annual $300 contributions (tax credits) by the Secretary of the Treasury on behalf of each eligible individual to a personal retirement account; and (2) an excise tax on excess contributions to such accounts. Amends SSA title XI with regard to information requirements for Social Security account statements. Amends SSA title II make appropriations annually to the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund to maintain a balance ratio of at least 20 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2000
Gas Tax Relief Act of 2000 - Suspends motor fuel taxes through a specified date.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2000
Ryan White CARE Act Amendments of 2000 - Title I: Emergency Relief for Areas with Substantial Need for Services - Subtitle A: HIV Health Services Planning Councils - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require that an HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) planning council reflect the demographics of the population of individuals with HIV disease (currently, the demographics of the epidemic) in the eligible area involved. Modifies requirements regarding council composition, including requiring representatives of former prisoners. Requires that at least 33 percent of the council be people who: (1) are receiving HIV-related services pursuant to a grant under provisions relating to emergency relief for areas with a substantial need for services (substantial need grant); and (2) are not officers, employees, consultants, or representatives of any entity that receives substantial need grant amounts. (Sec. 102) Modifies council duties, including regarding: (1) determining the size, demographics, and needs of the HIV disease population; (2) council establishment of fund allocation priorities; and (3) coordination with Federal grantees that provide HIV-related services in the area. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop epidemiologic measures for establishing the number of individuals with HIV disease who are not receiving HIV-related health services and for carrying out council duties; and (2) provide to the chief elected official receiving a substantial need grant guidelines and materials for training council members regarding council duties. (Sec. 103) Requires that council meetings and records be open to the public, subject to exception. Subtitle B: Type and Distribution of Grants - Makes permanent provisions requiring expedited disbursement of certain substantial need grant amounts. Requires, after fiscal year 2004, that the substantial need grant amount formula use the number of cases of HIV disease in the most recent year rather than the number of cases of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the most recent ten years, but until FY 2007 conditions that change on the Secretary's determination that there is sufficiently accurate and reliable data on HIV disease cases from all eligible areas, requiring the Secretary to consider: (1) the findings of a study mandated by title V of this Act; (2) the fiscal impact of using or of not using that data; and (3) the impact of the use of that data on the organization and delivery of HIV-related services. Modifies requirements regarding increases in the amount of a substantial need grant under expedited disbursement provisions. (Sec. 112) Requires that the amount of supplemental substantial need grants be determined by the Secretary based on a weighting of specified factors, with severe need counting one-third. Includes the current HIV disease prevalence, an increasing need for services, and unmet need for services as factors the Secretary must consider in determining severe need. Directs the Secretary, in determining the required factors, to develop a mechanism to use national, quantitative incidence data by 18 months after enactment of this Act (currently, by May 20, 1998). Requires mechanism modification based on the findings of a study mandated by title V of this Act. Removes provisions basing the amount of substantial need grants on substantial need grant applications. Subtitle C: Other Provisions - Requires that substantial need grant funds be used, among other purposes, for: (1) outreach to identify individuals with HIV disease who are not receiving HIV-related services; and (2) early intervention services. Requires that substantial need grants be used to provide health and support services to infants, children, youth, and women (currently, infants, children, and women) with HIV disease in the same ratio as those groups with HIV disease bear to those groups in the general population. Requires that the chief elected official of a substantial need grant-receiving area establish a quality management program to assess whether HIV health services under the substantial need grant are consistent with the most recent Public Health Service guidelines. (Sec. 123) Requires that official to ensure that the area's planning council: (1) reviews existing, available data on expenditures by substantial need grant recipient entities from their overall budget for administrative costs; and (2) makes a determination whether the financial compensation of any of those entity's officers or employees exceeds that of the official. Title II: Care Grant Program - Subtitle A: General Grant Provisions - Requires that grants to States to improve the quality, availability and organization of health care and support services for individuals with HIV disease (care grants) be used to provide health and support services to infants, children, youth, and women (currently, infants, children, and women) with HIV disease in the same ratio as those groups with HIV disease bear to those groups in the general population. (Sec. 202) Allows care grants to be used for support services, outreach activities, early intervention, and quality management. (Sec. 203) Modifies requirements regarding grants to establish HIV care consortia. (Sec. 204) Allows a State to meet a requirement to use a portion of its care grant to provide therapeutics to treat HIV disease or prevent related health deterioration (including prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections) by paying for health insurance or plans whose coverage includes a full range of such therapeutics and primary care. (Sec. 205) Requires care grant applications to contain determinations of the size, demographics, and needs of the population of individuals with HIV disease in the State. Modifies requirements regarding the comprehensive plan. Requires the public health agency that administers care grants for a State to engage in a public advisory planning process. (Sec. 206) Doubles, subject to appropriations, the minimum care grant allotment to each State and U.S. territory. Requires, after fiscal year 2004, that the care grant amount formula use the number of cases of HIV disease in the most recent year rather than the number of cases of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the most recent ten years, but until FY 2007 conditions that change on the Secretary's determination that there is sufficiently accurate and reliable data on HIV disease cases. Provides for increases in the formula amount. Requires, if an appropriations Act provides an amount exclusively for treatment drug grants, that two percent of that exclusive amount be reserved for supplemental grants to States whose HIV population's need is greater than the quantities available under treatment drug grants from the remaining unreserved 98 percent. Adds the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau to the list of U.S. territories. Adds the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to the list of territories for minimum allotment provisions but keeps it in the list of States for other care grant provisions. (Sec. 207) Replaces provisions mandating coordination by specified Federal agencies of Federal HIV programs with provisions directing the Secretary to make grants to States to supplement care grants for comprehensive services for communities that have a severe need for supplemental financial assistance to combat the HIV epidemic. Provides for funding for the supplemental grants. Subtitle B: Provisions Concerning Pregnancy and Perinatal Transmission of HIV - Removes provisions prohibiting (after testing of pregnant women and newborns has become a routine practice in U.S. health care) care grants to a State unless the State meets certain requirements regarding such testing. (Sec. 212) Adds HIV disease treatment services to the uses for which the Secretary may make a grant to a State that is following the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding HIV counseling and voluntary testing for pregnant women. Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits using care grant appropriations for grants under this section. (Sec. 213) Directs the Secretary to provide for a study and report to appropriate congressional committees regarding: (1) the number of newborns with HIV born in the United States in the most recent year for which the information is available; (2) barriers that prevent or discourage an obstetrician from routinely offering pregnant women an HIV test and routinely testing newborns when the mother's HIV status is unknown; and (3) recommendations for each State for reducing perinatal HIV transmission. Requires States to make reasonable progress toward meeting the recommendations. Subtitle C: Certain Partner Notification Programs - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States for partner counseling and referral services, provided the State meets certain requirements regarding: (1) partner notification and (for the partner and the infected individual) testing, counseling, and referral; (2) health entity reporting of positive test results to the State; (3) reporting to the CDC regarding partner notification; and (4) State cooperation with the CDC national partner notification. Prohibits grants to a State after fiscal year 2003 unless the State's reporting system for HIV cases produces sufficiently accurate and reliable data. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Early Intervention Services - Subtitle A: Formula Grants for States - Repeals provisions mandating formula grants to States for outpatient early intervention services regarding HIV disease. Subtitle B: Categorical Grants - Requires giving preference to rural or underserved areas in making currently-authorized categorical grants for outpatient early intervention services. Allows planning grants to be used, subject to limitation, to assist the recipients to expand their capacity to provide services, including early intervention services, in low income communities and affected subpopulations that are underserved. Subtitle C: General Provisions - Requires that the counseling that categorical grant recipients are required to provide to HIV-infected individuals emphasize that it is the duty of infected individuals to disclose their status to their sexual and needle-sharing partners, provide advice on how to make the disclosures and emphasize that it is the infected individual's continuing duty to avoid behaviors that expose others to HIV. (Sec. 322) Increases the percentage limit on administrative expenses. Requires recipients to establish a quality management program to assess the extent to which medical services are consistent with Public Health Service guidelines for treatment of HIV disease and related opportunistic infections. Title IV: Other Programs and Activities - Subtitle A: Certain Programs for Research, Demonstrations, or Training - Replaces a requirement that, with regard to grants for providing opportunities for women, infants, children, and youth to participate in HIV research and for providing to those groups outpatient health care and additional services, that a significant number of individuals in those groups be participating in research with a requirement that the grant applicant demonstrate linkages to research and how access to research is being offered to patients. Directs the Secretary to examine the distribution and availability of research regarding grantees to enhance and expand HIV-related research, especially in underrepresented communities. Requires grantees to implement a quality management program. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 402) Includes, as a use of currently-authorized grants and contracts for training health personnel: (1) training in prenatal and other gynecological care for women with HIV disease; and (2) developing protocols for the medical care of such women. Directs the Secretary to implement a strategy for the dissemination of HIV treatment information to care providers and patients. Adds accredited dental hygiene programs as possible recipients of currently-authorized grants with respect to oral health care to (sic) patients with HIV disease. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes grants to dental schools, post-doctoral dental education programs, and accredited dental hygiene programs that partner with community-based dentists to provide care to HIV patients in underserved areas. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations for grants and contracts to assist public and nonprofit private entities and schools and academic health science centers to train health personnel, train faculty, and develop and disseminate curricula and resource materials regarding the care of HIV patients and prevention of HIV infection among at risk individuals. Subtitle B: General Provisions in Title XXVI - Extends the authorization of appropriations for grants and contracts to evaluate programs carried out under title XXVI of the Public Health Service Act (HIV Health Care Services Program). (Sec. 412) Authorizes appropriations for collecting and providing data for program planning and evaluation under title XXVI. (Sec. 413) Adds the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Health Care Financing Administration to the list of agencies (currently, the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) charged with coordinating the planning, funding, and implementation (currently, coordinating the planning of the funding) of Federal HIV programs to enhance continuity of care and prevention services (currently, continuity of care). Requires that State, local, or private entities receiving title XXVI funds enhance continuity of care and prevention services (currently, continuity of care). (Sec. 414) Directs the Secretary to develop and submit to Congress a plan for the medical case management of and the provision of support services to individuals who had HIV disease on their date of release from the Federal or State penal system. (Sec. 415) Authorizes the Secretary to reduce title XXVI grants to a State or political subdivision if the State or subdivision fails to prepare audits. (Sec. 416) Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and submit to Congress a plan for coordinating the disbursement of appropriations for substantial need grants with the disbursement for care grants; (2) within two years after enactment of this Act, implement the disbursement plan, notwithstanding any title XXVI provision inconsistent with the plan; (3) determine whether administration of those grants by the Secretary and grantee compliance efficiency would be improved by requiring biennial rather than annual applications; (4) develop and submit to Congress a plan for simplifying the application process for those grants; and (5) within two years after enactment of this Act, implement the simplified application plan, notwithstanding any title XXVI provision inconsistent with the plan. (Sec. 417) Removes provisions directing the Secretary to develop and implement a method for adjusting the percentages allocated to substantial need grants and care grants to account for substantial need grants to new areas and other relevant factors. Authorizes appropriations for substantial need and care grants. Title V: General Provisions - Directs the Secretary to provide for studies, and report to the appropriate congressional committees, on: (1) whether the surveillance system of each State provides for the reporting of HIV infection cases in a way that provides information on the number and demographic characteristics of the cases that is sufficiently accurate for the formula grants under substantial need and care grant provisions and, if not, recommendations for improvements; and (2) the appropriate epidemiological measures and their relationship to the financing and delivery of primary care and health related support services for low income, uninsured, and underinsured individuals with HIV disease. (Sec. 502) Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand, intensify, and coordinate research and other NIH activities regarding development of reliable and affordable HIV tests that can be rapidly administered and whose results can be rapidly obtained (rapid HIV tests). Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary: (1) to report to appropriate congressional committees on the progress made toward, and barriers to, the premarket review and commercial distribution of rapid HIV tests; and (2) promptly after rapid HIV test commercial distribution begins, to establish or update guidelines for States, hospitals, and other entities regarding the availability of those tests for administration to pregnant women in labor or late stage pregnancy and whose HIV status is unknown. (Sec. 503) Directs the Secretary, of the amounts available to the Secretary for program management at the Health Resources and Services Administration, to spend amounts necessary to ensure at least a 20 percent increase in fiscal year 2001 over fiscal year 2000 of full- time-equivalent staff of the Bureau of HIV/AIDS who administer programs under title XXVI. Title VI: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective dates for this Act and its amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2000
Truth in Regulating Act of 2000 - Provides that when a Federal agency publishes an economically significant rule, a chairman or ranking member of a committee of jurisdiction of either House of Congress may request the Comptroller General to review such rule. Defines "economically significant rule" to mean any proposed or final rule, including an interim or direct final rule, that may have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or adversely affect in a material way the economy, a sector of the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, or State, local, or tribal governments or communities, or for which an agency has prepared an initial or final regulatory flexibility analysis. Requires the Comptroller General to submit a report on each rule reviewed, including an independent evaluation of: (1) the costs and benefits; (2) alternative approaches that could achieve the same goal more cost-effectively or that could provide greater net benefits, and if applicable, a brief explanation of any statutory reasons why such alternatives could not be adopted; (3) the regulatory impact analysis, federalism assessment, or other analysis or assessment prepared by the agency or required for the rule; and (4) the results of the evaluation and the implication of those results, including an evaluation of any changes from the proposed rule made by the agency in the final rule. Requires the Comptroller General to develop procedures for determining the priority and number of requests for review which give the highest priority to requests regarding a notice of proposed rulemaking and to requests regarding an interim final rulemaking. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2003. Provides that this Act shall not apply to rules published after three years after its effective date.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2000
Calls for the immediate release of Edmond Pope from prison in Russia on humanitarian reasons. Declares that no funds should be provided for: (1) assisting the Government of the Russian Federation to prepare for or adjoin or accede to the World Trade Organization; or (2) Overseas Private Investment Corporation programs for activities within Russia. Urges the President to oppose further loans to the Russian Government by any international funding institution of which the United States is a member.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2000
Milton Friedman Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to Milton Friedman in recognition of his contributions to individual freedom and opportunity in American society through his exhaustive research and teaching of economics and his extensive writings on economics and public policy.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2000
Recognizes that the Birmingham Pledge has made a significant contribution in fostering racial harmony and reconciliation in the United States and around the world. Commends the people involved with the Pledge's creation and signatories to it for the steps they are taking to make the Nation and the world a better place for all people. Expresses the sense of Congress that a National Birmingham Pledge Week should be established.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2000
Urges the President to direct U.S. delegations to worldwide conferences to: (1) adopt a negotiating policy that prostitution degrades human dignity and violates basic human rights; (2) oppose broad and vague "sexual rights" language for adults and children; (3) call upon the international community to end all forms of prostitution and aggressively pursue organizations and individuals exploiting women and children through prostitution; and (4) defend the fundamental human rights to family, conscience, and life.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2000
Consumer Freedom Protection Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem a dietary supplement to be misbranded if a claim is made in the labeling which characterizes the level of any nutrient or characterizes the relationship of any nutrient to a health-related condition. Includes under the latter claim claims to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent any disease or health-related condition. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, within 100 days of receiving such a claim, to promulgate regulations authorizing such claims in a form that accurately reflects the degree of scientific evidence supporting the claim, unless the Secretary determines that no scientific evidence supports such claim and that the claim is inherently misleading. Allows judicial review of claims denied by the Secretary. Allows on such labeling statements made by a scientific body of the U.S. Government about the relationship between a nutrient and a health-related condition. Prohibits the Secretary from denying claims based on such statements. Approves the health claims references in the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in Pearson v. Shalala. Directs the Secretary to publish a notice granting each of such claims with the following disclaimer: "The Food and Drug Administration has determined that the evidence supporting this claim is inconclusive." Makes null and void: (1) the interim final rules concerning health claims based on the authoritative statement published in the Federal Register of June 22, 1998; and (2) all orders issued by the FDA after April 20, 1999, and before this Act, that have denied health claims. Requires reevaluation of claims included under such orders.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2000
Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Services Quality Improvement Act of 2000 - Grants a temporary waiver of certain nurse aid training requirements for specially trained individuals who meet other specified requirements and perform a nursing or nursing-related service for a resident of a skilled nursing facility or a nursing facility covered under titles XVIII (Medicare) or XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2000
Water Pollution Program Improvement Act of 2000 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to make arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct a study on the: (1) scientific basis underlying the development and implementation of total maximum daily loads for pollutants in waters for which effluent limitations under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act are not stringent enough to implement applicable water quality standards; (2) costs of implementing measures to comply with such loads; and (3) availability of alternative programs or mechanisms to reduce the discharge of pollutants from point sources and nonpoint source pollution to achieve water quality standards. Requires the NAS to report on the study to the Administrator and specified congressional committees. Provides for Federal, State, and private sector comments on such report. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Administrator, before making a final determination with respect to the Proposed Revisions to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Program and Federal Antidegradation Policy and the Proposed Revisions to the Water Quality Planning and Management Regulations Concerning Total Maximum Daily Loads of August 1999, to: (1) review the NAS report and incorporate recommendations into the proposed revisions; and (2) publish in the Federal Register and receive public comment on incorporated recommendations and those that weren't incorporated, with an explanation why they were not incorporated. Bars the Administrator from making such final determination until the conclusion of the public notice and comment period. Prohibits the Administrator, for purposes of ensuring that States continue to have exclusive authority to regulate nonpoint sources of pollution, from: (1) taking any action to affect any definition of, or distinction made between, point and nonpoint sources of pollution contained in an EPA rule in effect on June 1, 2000; and (2) requiring approval of any measures set forth by a State to control nonpoint sources of pollution pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, except as authorized under specified provisions regarding nonpoint source management programs.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2000
Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) from taking any action to finalize, implement, or enforce the proposed rule entitled "Hours of Service of Drivers" published by FMCSA in the Federal Register on May 2, 2000. Requires the Administrator to extend by 90 days the period for public comment on such rule.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2000
Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to restore the authority of States to transfer up to ten percent of TANF funds to carry out State programs pursuant to SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services). Amends SSA title XX to restore funds to States and territories for FY 2001 and each fiscal year thereafter and to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to compile the information submitted by the States and report it annually to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2000
Authorizes the President to present on behalf of Congress: (1) a gold medal to the family of Andrew Jackson Higgins in recognition of his contributions to the Nation and to the Allied victory in World War II; (2) an identical medal to the D-Day Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, for public display; and (3) a gold medal to the Museum in honor of the World War II employees of Higgins Industries and in recognition of their contributions to the Nation and to the Allied victory in World War II. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2000
Expresses the sense of the Congress that a specified amount should be appropriated under the Public Health Service Act for FY 2001 to carry out infrastructure and delivery activities for preventive health service programs to immunize, without charge, children, adolescents, and adults against vaccine-preventable diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
Digital Divide Access to Technology Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that computers and Internet access provided by an employer to employees shall be treated as a "de minimis fringe" benefit (and thus excluded from gross income) provided specified requirements are met.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
MTBE Elimination Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should provide technical assistance, information, and matching funds to help local communities test drinking water supplies and remediate drinking water contaminated with methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to prohibit, three years after the enactment of the MTBE Elimination Act, the use of MTBE as a fuel additive. Requires persons selling oxygenated gasoline containing MTBE at retail to be required under regulations promulgated by the Administrator to label the fuel dispensing system with a notice that specifies that the gasoline contains MTBE and provides other information concerning MTBE as determined appropriate by the Administrator. Directs the Administrator to establish a schedule that provides for an annual phased reduction in the quantity of MTBE that may be used as a fuel additive during the three-year period beginning on this Act's enactment date. Requires the Administrator to establish an MTBE research grants program within EPA. Authorizes grants to eligible grantees to pay the Federal cost share of research on: (1) the development of more cost-effective and accurate MTBE groundwater testing methods; (2) the development of more efficient and cost-effective remediation procedures for water sources contaminated with MTBE; or (3) the potential effects of MTBE on human health. Makes eligible for such grants Federal research agencies, national laboratories, colleges or universities, certain private research organizations, and State environmental research facilities. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Administrator to promulgate rules requiring a .5 pounds per square inch Reid vapor pressure allowance for all reformulated gasoline containing 3.5 percent oxygen by weight. Provides that any additional volatile organic compound emissions resulting from the use of such gasoline should be deemed to be fully offset and not calculated in determining compliance with certain Clean Air Act provisions dealing with reasonable further progress plans or demonstrations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
Acknowledges and commends the charter school movement for its contribution to improving our Nation's public school system. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a National Charter Schools Week should be established; and (2) the President should issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to conduct appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities to demonstrate support for charter schools in communities throughout the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Federal Government, including government officials outside of the United States, should not purchase any goods made by forced labor; (2) the President should instruct the Secretary of the Treasury to enforce strictly the prohibition on the importation of such goods; and (3) the President should urge each international body to which the United States belongs to adopt a policy prohibiting the purchase by that body of such goods.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2000
Law Enforcement Quality Procurement Act - Prohibits: (1) the use of Federal funds to give or withhold a preference to a marketer or vendor of firearms or ammunition based on whether the manufacturer or vendor is a party to a covered agreement (an agreement requiring a person engaged in a business licensed under Federal firearms provisions to abide by a designated code of conduct, operating practice, or product design respecting importing, manufacturing, or dealing in firearms or ammunition); or (2) the provision of Federal funds to a State or local entity that gives or withholds such a preference or that receives firearms or ammunition purchased for that State or local entity subject to such a preference.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2000
Farm Income Fairness Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from net earnings from self-employment: (1) certain farm rental income; and (2) payments under the environmental conservation acreage reserve program.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2000
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the presence of brain activity and spontaneous cardiac activity should be considered conclusive evidence for all legal purposes of the presence of human life, without regard to age, health, defects, or condition of dependency; (2) the absence of such activity, other than an irreversible cessation of these activities, should not be considered conclusive evidence for legal purposes that a human life is not present; and (3) the Constitution protects all human life in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2000
Home Health Fairness Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate a specified 15 percent reduction in cost and per beneficiary limits with respect to payment rates for home health services under the Medicare prospective payment system. Makes this Act effective as if included in the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2000
Date Certain Tax Code Replacement Act - Prohibits the imposition of any tax by the Internal Revenue Code: (1) for any taxable year beginning after December 31, 2004; and (2) in the case of any tax not imposed on the basis of a taxable year, on any taxable event or for any period after December 31, 2004. Excepts the: (1) tax on self-employment income (chapter 2 of the Code); (2) Federal Insurance Contributions Act (chapter 21 of the Code); and (3) Railroad Retirement Tax Act (chapter 22 of the Code). Establishes the National Commission on Tax Reform and Simplification to review: (1) the present structure and provisions of the Code; (2) whether the tax systems of other countries could provide more efficient and fair methods of funding government revenue requirements; (3) whether the income tax should be replaced with a tax imposed in a different manner or on a different base; and (4) whether the Code can be simplified, absent wholesale restructuring or replacement. Requires a Commission report to Congress on review results, with recommendations for Code reform and simplification. Terminates the Commission 90 days after such report. Authorizes appropriations (with interim funding). Declares that any new Federal tax system should be approved by Congress in its final form before July 4, 2004.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2000
Constitutional Amendment - Requires any legislative measure changing the internal revenue laws to require the concurrence of two-thirds of the Members of each House voting and present, unless the legislative measure is determined not to increase the internal revenue by more than a de minimis amount. States that for the purposes of determining any increase in the internal revenue, there shall be excluded any increase resulting from the lowering of an effective rate of any tax. Permits Congress to waive such requirements 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 an adopted joint resolution. Prohibits any increase in the internal revenue enacted under such a waiver from being effective for longer than two years.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2000
Education Opportunities to Protect and Invest in Our Nation's Students (Education OPTIONS) Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to allow States and local educational agencies (LEAs) to transfer funds among various ESEA programs. Revises and reauthorizes ESEA provisions for: (1) drug and violence prevention and education; (2) education technology; (3) innovative education; and (4) programs of national significance, including the Fund for the Improvement of Education, arts education, public charter schools, and civic education. Title I: Transferability - State and Local Transferability Act - Revises ESEA title XIV part B (Flexibility in the Use of Administrative and Other Funds) to authorize State and LEA transfers of funds: (1) among specified ESEA formula grant programs; and (2) from such programs to their allocations for ESEA title I (Helping Disadvantaged Students Meet High Standards) but does not allow transfer of title I funds to other programs. (Sec. 103) Allows States to make such transfers of all the nonadministrative funds for State-level activities under specified programs to the allocation for other programs. Allows LEAs to transfer up to 30 percent of specified program funds without obtaining State permission, and all of such funds with State approval. Title II: Drug and Violence Prevention and Education - Supporting Drug and Violence Prevention and Education for Students and Communities Act of 2000 - Revises and renames ESEA title IV as Supporting Drug and Violence Prevention and Education for Students and Communities (currently Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities, or the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994). Includes under such new title IV: (1) certain before- and after-school services and continuing education programs as authorized activities under part A (currently under ESEA title X part I, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, or the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act); and (2) a new part C, Gun Possession (currently ESEA title XIV part F, or the Gun Free Schools Act of 1994). (Sec. 201) Extends through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for ESEA title IV: (1) part A, State Grants for Drug and Violence Prevention Programs; and (2) part B, National Programs. Revises provisions for reservations, allotments, and within-State distribution of part A funds. Allows Governors to reserve ten percent of State allotments for Governor's authorized activities. Requires States to: (1) distribute at least 96 percent of the remainder to LEAs; and (2) in awarding 30 percent of such funds to LEAs with greatest need, give special consideration to LEAs that pursue a comprehensive approach to drug and violence prevention by providing or incorporating mental health services in their programs. Requires part A programs and activities to be based on certain principles of effectiveness, including (1) assessment of objective data about local drug and violence problems, current prevention activities, and activities to increase student academic achievement; (2) performance measures established by the LEA; (3) scientifically based research that provides evidence that the program or activity will prevent or reduce drug abuse and violence, with a waiver for innovative programs with a likelihood of success; and (4) periodical evaluation results to improve the program or activity. Requires LEA part A programs to address before- and after-school activities and continuing education needs of youth and adults in the community. Revises authorized LEA program activities to include: (1) before- and after-school programs and continuing education in specified forms (some of which are in the current 21st Century Learning Centers program); (2) counseling, mentoring, and referral services, and other student assistance practices and programs, training of teachers by school-based mental health service providers in appropriate identification and intervention techniques for disciplining and teaching students at risk of violent behavior; (3) services and activities that reduce the need for suspension and expulsion in maintaining classroom order and school discipline; (4) a system for transferring suspension and expulsion records by an LEA to any public or private school; (5) allowing students at unsafe public schools to transfer to safe public schools, and paying reasonable transportation costs for such students; (6) character education and training; (7) testing students for illegal drug use or conducting student locker searches for illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia; (8) establishing school uniform policies; (9) emergency intervention services following traumatic crisis events; (10) school violence hotlines; (11) background checks of school personnel; (12) school-based mental health services, including early identification of drug use and violence, assessment, and direct individual or group counseling services provided to students, parents, and school personnel by qualified school based mental health services personnel; (13) hiring and training coordinators of drug and violence prevention programs serving students in grades six through nine; and (14) mentoring and tutoring services for students provided by senior citizen volunteers. Allows LEAs or consortia that receive part A subgrants and have reported expulsions under part C (Gun Possession) during the past three years to: (1) develop plans with local law enforcement agencies to protect students and employees of public schools against gun violence that may include, but not be limited to, promoting the benefits of child safety locks for firearms; and (2) if they have a high rate of such expulsions, use a portion of the subgrant to study the effectiveness of promoting the benefits of child safety locks for firearms with the purpose of reducing the danger of firearms harming public school students and employees. Eliminates special part A provisions for Native Hawaiians. Revises part B national programs to authorize the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to provide: (1) for demonstrations and scientifically-based evaluations of innovative approaches to drug and violence prevention based on State and LEA reported needs; (2) information on drug abuse education and prevention to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for dissemination by the clearinghouse for alcohol and drug abuse information; and (3) continuing technical assistance to Governors, State education agencies (SEAs), and LEAs to build capacity to develop and implement high-quality, effective programs consistent with the principles of effectiveness. Directs the Secretary to establish a clearinghouse for after-school program technical assistance and models. Requires the clearinghouse to: (1) be available to the public, including via Internet; and (2) serve as a resource for child care organizations, communities, and individuals seeking to improve the quality and availability of after-school programs. Eliminates part B provisions for grants for local hate crime prevention. Redesignates Gun Possession as part C of title IV (it is currently under title XIV part F, known as the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994). Revises requirements for States receiving ESEA funds to have laws requiring LEA agencies to: (1) expel from school for at least one year any student who brings a weapon to school, allowing for case-by-case modifications; and (2) have a policy requiring each school to refer to the criminal justice or juvenile delinquency system any student who brings a firearm to school. Prohibits use of title IV funds for activities or programs that discriminate against or denigrate the religious or moral beliefs of students who participate or of their parents or legal guardians. Revises provisions for program standards of quality to include violence prevention programs, as well as drug prevention programs. Authorizes the Secretary to continue to fund, until the award period terminates, multiyear grants awarded prior to enactment of this Act under: (1) the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program (the current ESEA title X part I); and (2) the Middle School Coordinator Initiative (under title III of the Department of Education Act, 2000). Requires that the General Accounting Office to a report to Congress: (1) for each State, descriptions of types of after-school programs for students in kindergarten through grade 12, significant areas of unmet needs in quality and availability of such programs, and barriers to participation in such programs; (2) for 15 varied communities, a detailed analysis of such available programs; and (3) a list of activities, other than after-school programs, in which such students participate when not in school, and an analysis of the value of the listed activities for their well-being and educational development. Authorizes, and sets forth guidelines for, States to provide title IV services through grants and contracts with charitable, religious, or private organizations. Title III: Tech for Success - Tech for Success Act of 2000 - Revises ESEA title III Education Technology to consolidate various programs into a part A Tech for Success Grant Program. Includes among such consolidated programs: (1) Challenge Fund; (2) Challenge Grants; (3) Star Schools; (4) Software Development; (5) Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers; (6) Community Technology Centers; (7) Secretary's Leadership Fund; and (8) Middle Schools Teacher Training. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2005 for such part A program. Allocates 95 percent of part A program funds to subpart 1 State and local technology initiatives, and five percent to subpart 2 national technology initiatives. Bases one-half of State allotment amounts on relative amounts of title I part A grants, and the other half on relative State populations aged five through 17. Requires, within each State, at least 95 percent of funds to be distributed to LEAs. Requires at least 80 percent of such LEA funds to be distributed through a State-developed formula targeting high-need districts, and the remainder through competitive grants. Requires LEAs receiving formula grants to use at least 20 percent for professional development of teachers in the integration of technology into the curriculum. Includes among allowable local activities: (1) using technology to increase academic achievement; (2) expanding access; and (3) developing performance measurements. Requires LEAs using such funds to purchase computers used to access the Internet, or to pay costs for such accessing, to have filters to block material deemed harmful to minors. Authorizes the Secretary to use funds for part A subpart 3 National Technology Initiatives to: (1) fund research-based educational technology programs; (2) provide technical assistance; and (3) update the national long-range educational technology plan. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the use of technology to improve academic achievement. Revises the Ready to Learn Television program as part B (currently part C) of title III, which authorizes contracts and grants for producing educational video and television programming and support materials to increase academic achievement for preschool and elementary school children and their parents. Includes under program development activities: (1) programming and digital content especially designed for nationwide distribution over digital broadcasting channels and the Internet, containing Ready to Learn-based children's programming and resources for parents and caregivers; and (2) training and support materials, including interactive programs and programs adaptable to distance-learning technologies, designed to promote school readiness and effective use of Ready to Learn programming by parents, caregivers, and education and library personnel. Extends through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for such part B program. Establishes a new part C Telecommunications Program to improve the teaching of all core academic subjects (replacing the Telecommunications Demonstration Project, or Mathline, under current part D of title III). Authorizes the Secretary to award: (1) grants for a national telecommunications-based program to improve the teaching of core academic subjects; and (2) grants and contracts for developing, producing and distributing digital, educational and instructional video programming designed for use by elementary and secondary school students. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2005 for such part C program. Eliminates the Elementary Mathematics and Science Equipment Program under current part E of title III. Title IV: Innovative Education Programs - Revises ESEA title VI Innovative Education Program Strategies to eliminate references to National Education Goals. Adds to authorized LEA uses of title VI funds: (1) professional development and hiring of teachers, including activities consistent with the Teacher Empowerment Act; (2) education reform projects that provide single gender schools and classrooms, as long as comparable educational opportunities are offered for students of both sexes; (3) community service programs; (4) curriculum-based youth entrepreneurship education; (5) consumer, economic, and personal finance education; (6) public school choice programs; and (7) school-based mental health services. Requires that all amounts for title VI grants to States in excess of the FY2000 level be allocated to LEAs. Extends through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for such title VI programs. Title V: Programs of National Significance - Revises ESEA title X, Programs of National Significance. Part A: Fund for the Improvement of Education - Revises ESEA title X part A provisions for the Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE), to prohibit use of part A funds to: (1) develop, test, implement, administer, or distribute any national test in any subject without specific and authorization by Federal law; or (2) federally endorse, approve, or sanction of any curriculum designed for use in elementary or secondary schools. Eliminates references to National Education Goals. Includes as authorized uses of part A funds: (1) performance rewards for States that agree to meet specific performance goals and that increase proportions of certain groups of students who meet State proficiency standards; and (2) an independent study to provide a strategy for effective professional development activities for mathematics and science teachers. Revises provisions for part A grants for: (1) elementary and secondary school counseling programs; and (2) character education programs. Makes the Smaller Learning Communities grants program apply only to those within high schools. Eliminates provisions for: (1) Promoting Scholar Athlete Competitions; (2) National Student and Parent Mock Election; and (3) Model Projects. Extends through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for FIE programs. Part B: Arts Education - Revises ESEA title X part D Arts Education to eliminate references to National Education Goals. Includes State and local arts agencies, organizations representing the arts, and arts educators among the entities for which support may be given for collaborative efforts with Federal agencies or institutions. Requires the Secretary to consult with such non-Federal, as well as Federal, entities in carrying out arts education programs. Extends through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for Arts Education programs. Requires that such Federal arts education funds be used only to supplement and not supplant non-Federal arts education funds. Eliminates provisions for Cultural Partnerships for At-Risk Children and Youth (current part D subpart 2). Part C: Public Charter Schools - Revises ESEA title X part C, Public Charter Schools, to require public charter schools, if more students apply for admission than can be accommodated, to either admit students by lottery (as in current law) or in any other nondiscriminatory manner consistent with State law. Extends through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for Public Charter Schools programs. Part D: Civic Education - Education for Democracy Act - Revises ESEA title X, part F, Civic Education to provide for grants or contracts for the Center for Civic Education (CCE) to carry out civic education activities under: (1) (as under current law) (the We the People...) The Citizen and the Constitution program; and (2) (the We the People...) The Project Citizen program. Includes among program requirements provision of: (1) instructional materials and methods, including teacher training, that use the latest advancements in educational technology; (2) civic education materials and services to address specific problems such as prevention of school violence and drug and alcohol abuse; and (3) optional simulated hearings of Congress (Citizen and Constitution) and State legislatures (Project Citizen). Extends through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations for such Civic Education programs. Title VI: General Provisions - Revises ESEA title XIV General Provisions to add definitions of: (1) a child with a disability; (2) family literacy services; and (3) scientifically based research. (Sec. 601) Allows SEAs, under specified conditions, to combine administrative funds under all ESEA programs and such other programs as the Secretary may designate. (Current law only allows combining administrative funds under specified ESEA and other programs.) Adds to authorized uses of such combined funds: (1) State level activities to carry out ESEA title XIV; (2) training personnel engaged in audit and other monitoring activities; and (3) implementation of the Cooperative Audit Resolution and Oversight Initiative of the Department of Education. Allows SEAs to submit to the Secretary consolidated plans and applications for all ESEA programs and such other programs as the Secretary may designate. Allows LEAs to submit to SEAs consolidated plans and applications for all ESEA programs. Revises provisions for waivers to: (1) make them inapplicable to certain prohibitions against use of ESEA funds; and (2) increase their maximum duration to five years (currently three years). Prohibits the Department of Education from making ESEA or other program funds available to any State or LEA which has a policy of denying, or which prevents participation in, constitutionally-protected voluntary prayer by individuals in public schools. Declares that: (1) ESEA funds may not be used for religious worship, instruction, or construction of any religious memorial; and (2) ESEA does not bar religious memorials and memorial services on public school campuses to honor persons slain on those campuses. Allows up to 20 percent of an LEA's administrative funds to be used for legal expenses in defending against legal actions claiming that an LEA, public school, or their agent violated the constitutional prohibition against the establishment of religion by permitting, facilitating, or accommodating: (1) a student's religious expression; or (2) the design or construction of any memorial which includes religious symbols, motifs, or saying as part of a memorial placed on a public school campus to honor the memory of a person slain on that campus. Prohibits use of ESEA funds for: (1) materials, programs, or courses directed at youth that are designed to promote or encourage sexual activity, whether homosexual or heterosexual; (2) distributing, or aiding distribution by any organization, of legally obscene materials to minors on school grounds; (3) sex education or HIV prevention education in schools, unless such programs are age appropriate and emphasize abstinence; or (4) programs of contraceptive distribution in schools. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on how audits of ESEA-assisted activities will comply with changes made by this Act, particularly with respect to permitting children with similar educational needs to be served in the same educational settings, where appropriate. Prohibits requiring any State to have content standards or student performance standards approved or certified by the Federal Government in order to receive assistance under ESEA, but provides that such prohibition shall not be construed to affect requirements under title I of ESEA. Prohibits the Department of Education from using any funds made available to it or to any applicable program to endorse, approve, or sanction any curriculum designed to be used in an elementary or secondary school. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding: (1) reducing the reading deficit; and (2) science assessment. (Sec. 602) Repeals provisions under the Goals 2000: Educate America Act for: (1) the National Education Goals Panel (parts A and C of title II); and (2) the International Education Program (title VI). Repeals ESEA provisions for: (1) Allen J. Ellender Fellowship Program (part G of title X); and (2) Coordinated Services (title XI).
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2000
Health Coverage, Access, Relief, and Equity (C.A.R.E.) Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow as a limited refundable credit the amount paid for qualified health insurance; and (2) provide for the payment, by the Secretary of the Treasury, to an individual's health insurer of an amount equal to an individual's qualified health insurance credit advance amount.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2000
IDEA Full Funding Act of 2000 - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to authorize funding to reach the Federal Government's goal of providing 40 percent of the national average per pupil expenditure to assist States and local educational agencies with the excess costs of educating children with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations for IDEA part B programs of assistance for education of all children with disabilities, in specified amounts for FY 2001 through 2010, and as necessary thereafter.