United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1998
States that in the case of a taxable year beginning before January 1, 1980, the determination of whether a tax deduction as a trade or business expense is allowable under the Internal Revenue Code for flight training expenses shall be made without regard to whether the taxpayer was reimbursed for any portion of such expenses through certain veterans educational assistance programs. Sets forth statute of limitations provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Price Increase to Discourage Child Tobacco Use Title II: FDA Jurisdiction Over Tobacco Products Title III: Performance Objectives to Reduce Child Tobacco Use Title IV: Smoke-Free Environments Title V: Tobacco Prevention Initiatives Title VI: International Tobacco Control Title VII: Tobacco Accountability Board Title VIII: Payments to States Subtitle A: Resolution of State Actions Subtitle B: State Grants Title IX: Definitions Bipartisan NO Tobacco for Kids Act of 1998 - Title I: Price Increase to Discourage Child Tobacco Use - Requires that the funds raised by this title be used to reduce the public debt, except as provided in titles V and VIII. (Sec. 102) Requires each tobacco manufacturer (defining manufacturer, for this Act, to include importers) to make initial ($10 billion allocated by the manufacturer's share of units manufactured or imported) and annual (50 cents per unit manufactured or imported) payments. Excludes exports. (Sec. 103) Provides for injunctions and civil monetary penalties for failure to comply with regulations under this title. Title II: FDA Jurisdiction Over Tobacco Products - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to add nicotine in tobacco products to the definition of "drug" and add tobacco products to the definition of "device." (Sec. 203) Declares a tobacco product misbranded if it does not comply with section 205 requirements. Amends restricted device provisions to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, if the Secretary determines that there cannot otherwise be reasonable assurances of safety and effectiveness, to require tobacco advertising and promotion restrictions. Prohibits State and local requirements of warnings on labels and in advertising if this Act requires a warning. (Sec. 204) Requires that all provisions of specified existing tobacco regulations be considered lawful and lawfully promulgated under the FDCA. (Sec. 205) Deems, for tobacco products, an action providing appropriate protection of public health to provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness. Mandates regulations, conforming to specified provisions of the Proposed Resolution between manufacturers and State attorneys general on June 20, 1997: (1) restricting tobacco marketing, advertising, and access (but prohibits restrictions on marketing or advertising that would violate the First Amendment to the Constitution); (2) requiring warnings on cigarette and smokeless tobacco labeling and advertisements; and (3) regarding tobacco product ingredients. Makes it unlawful to advertise tobacco on any electronic medium subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission. Prohibits considering the Secretary of Health and Human Services' failure to approve or disapprove an ingredient's safety within the review period to be approval. Prohibits a manufacturer from stating or implying in labeling or advertising that a product has a reduced health risk unless the Secretary has so determined. Prohibits a State from receiving a grant under subtitle B of title VIII of this Act unless the State has put into law a tobacco control program conforming to the model State program established by the Secretary. Mandates establishment of that model program, including in its requirements State retail licensure, a prohibition of tobacco purchase for resale or distribution to individuals under 18, compliance inspection conduct and frequency, State performance objectives, and violations penalties. Requires, if a State fails to implement a conforming program or fails to achieve the performance objectives, that the Secretary withhold up to 20 percent of the grant to the State under subtitle B of title VIII of this Act. Mandates a Federal retail licensing program for retailers on Federal property, retailers in a State without an effective program conforming to the model program, and others as specified by the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary to order a State-licensed retailer in violation of this Act to suspend or cease tobacco sales. Treats Indian tribes and tribal organizations as a State regarding retailers operating on Indian reservations. (Sec. 206) Adds violation of any FDCA tobacco requirement to the list of FDCA prohibited acts. Authorizes the Secretary to disclose tobacco information to the public if the Secretary determines it appropriate to protect public health. (Sec. 207) Repeals the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act and the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986. Title III: Performance Objectives to Reduce Child Tobacco Use - Mandates an annual survey regarding the percentage of children using each manufacturer's tobacco product. (Sec. 302) Requires each manufacturer to have a performance objective of reducing its child tobacco use by specified percentages. Requires, if the reductions are not met, price increases and, for subsequent consecutive year failures, sales by carton minimum and packaging in black on a white background. (Sec. 306) Makes failure to comply with this title's requirements an FDCA prohibited act. (Sec. 307) Requires that the annual survey determine the use level for children of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Mandates, if use is increasing (or not decreasing at a proportionate rate) among children of a racial or ethnic background, recommendations to the Congress regarding reducing the level for those children. Title IV: Smoke-Free Environments - Requires the responsible entity for each public facility (any building in which activities substantially affecting interstate commerce occur, subject to exceptions for locations such as residential buildings, on-sale alcoholic beverage establishments, and prisons) to implement a smoke-free environment policy meeting specified requirements. Allows smoking areas meeting certain requirements. (Sec. 402) Authorizes an action to enforce this title (by injunction or civil monetary penalty) by any aggrieved person, State or local governmental agency, or the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, allowing the award of litigation costs (including attorney's and expert fees) to any prevailing party. Authorizes the court to order that the civil penalties be used for projects furthering this title. Prohibits compensatory and punitive damages. (Sec 403) Authorizes the Administrator to extend the smoke-free policy requirement to certain otherwise-exempt facilities if the Administrator determines that the extension is appropriate to protect the public health. (Sec. 405) Declares that this title does not preempt or affect any other Federal, State, or local law providing protection from environmental tobacco health hazards. Title V: Tobacco Prevention Initiatives - Requires that funds be made available (from annual manufacturer payments under section 102) to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, without fiscal year limitation, for: (1) a national public awareness campaign to discourage tobacco use; (2) the implementation of FDCA tobacco provisions, title III of this Act, and Tobacco Accountability Board provisions of this Act; (3) tobacco use cessation programs (mandating grants); (4) research on nicotine addiction, cessation, and prevention; and (5) tobacco surveillance and epidemiology research. Requires that certain programs under this title: (1) take into account the needs of minority populations; and (2) be age, culturally, and linguistically appropriate for those populations. Title VI: International Tobacco Control - Mandates regulations to prohibit domestic concerns from directly or indirectly: (1) selling or distributing tobacco in a foreign country without warning labels appropriate to protect public health; or (2) selling or distributing tobacco in a foreign country to children or advertising or promoting it in a way that appeals to children. Adds violations to the list of FDCA prohibited acts. (Sec. 602) Prohibits any U.S. officer, employee, department, or agency from: (1) promoting tobacco export or foreign sale, manufacture, promotion, distribution, or use; or (2) subject to exception, seeking the removal or reduction of foreign restrictions on tobacco importation, exportation, sale, manufacture, promotion, distribution, tariffs, or taxes. (Sec. 603) Establishes in the Treasury the International Tobacco Control Trust Fund, to be funded by payments under section 605. Provides for the use of Fund amounts for: (1) the American Center on Global Health and Tobacco; (2) grants and other assistance to foreign governments, nongovernmental organizations, and international organizations for foreign tobacco control; and (3) enforcement of any requirement regarding foreign tobacco sale, distribution, or promotion. (Sec. 604) Establishes the American Center on Global Health and Tobacco (ACT) as a private, nonprofit corporation, requiring it to assist foreign organizations to reduce and prevent tobacco use, including through public awareness campaigns and youth-oriented and community-based programs. (Sec. 605) Requires each domestic concern that manufactures tobacco in a foreign country (or controls a person who does so) to annually pay to the Fund a specified amount per unit manufactured. (Sec. 606) Mandates regulations to reduce tobacco smuggling in interstate and foreign commerce. (Sec. 607) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Government should support implementation of the International Framework Convention on Tobacco Control through all available resources. Title VII: Tobacco Accountability Board - Establishes the Tobacco Accountability Board as an independent board. Requires each tobacco manufacturer to submit to the Board all documents in the manufacturer's possession: (1) relating to tobacco health effects (including addiction), the manipulation of nicotine, or tobacco sale or marketing to children; or (2) produced or ordered to be produced in a named civil action. Requires the Board to make the documents available to the public. Exempts trade secrets from public disclosure unless the Board determines that disclosure is appropriate to protect the public health. (Sec. 703) Requires the Board to investigate all matters relating to tobacco and public health and report to the Congress annually. (Sec. 705) Empowers the Board to bring an action to enjoin a failure to comply with this title or to impose a civil monetary penalty. (Sec 707) Prohibits discrimination against an individual as a reprisal for disclosing information regarding a violation of tobacco-related law. Applies to whistleblowers existing provisions of Federal law allowing whistleblowers to receive a portion of any false claims amounts recovered. Title VIII: Payments to States - Subtitle A: Resolution of State Actions - Allows a State to elect to receive payments under section 802 instead of seeking recovery from manufacturers for health care costs attributable to tobacco use. Prohibits a State that so elects from seeking recovery from manufacturers, except for actions after enactment of this Act or for criminal prosecutions. (Sec. 802) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to pay to any State so electing the amount the State would have received under the Proposed Resolution between manufacturers and State attorneys general. Requires a State to pass payments through to local governments in proportion to the local government's tobacco use health care costs. Makes a State that fails to pass through payments ineligible for this section's future payments. (Sec. 803) Exempts a manufacturer from the portion of the section 102 payments that will be provided to States under this title if the manufacturer: (1) resolved tobacco-related civil actions with more than 25 States before 1998; (2) provided to all other States the opportunity to enter into substantially similar settlements; and (3) manufactures less than three percent of all cigarettes manufactured or imported in the United States. Subtitle B: State Grants - Requires that funds be made available annually from amounts paid under section 102, without fiscal year limitation, for grants to States with approved child-oriented or community-based programs to discourage tobacco use. (Sec. 812) Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to authorize payment to States for a specified percentage of the State's Medicaid expenditures for tobacco use cessation programs. Title IX: Definitions - Sets forth definitions for this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Designation and Evaluation of Renewal Communities Title II: Tax Incentives for Renewal Communities Title III: Additional Provisions American Community Renewal Act of 1998 - Title I: Designation and Evaluation of Renewal Communities - Renewing American Communities Act of 1998 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to designate (upon local or State nomination) up to 100 renewal communities, of which at least 20 percent shall be in rural areas. Requires for nomination purposes that: (1) the area be experiencing high rates of poverty and unemployment and general distress; and (2) State and local governments enter into written contracts with neighborhood organizations to promote specified economic growth and employment activities. Treats renewal communities as labor surplus areas for all Federal law purposes. Title II: Tax Incentives for Renewal Communities - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income capital gains on the sale or exchange of a qualified community asset (stock, business property, or partnership interest) held for more than five years. Allows a specified deduction for amounts paid into a family development account on behalf of an individual or another qualified individual who is a renewal community resident. Excludes from gross income account distributions used for qualified family development expenses (postsecondary education, first-home purchase, business capitalization, medical, and rollovers). Provides a penalty (with exceptions) in addition to inclusion as gross income for nonqualifying distributions. Provides for designation of up to 25 percent of qualifying renewal communities as matching demonstration areas eligible to receive family development account matching contributions. Authorizes: (1) designation of earned income tax credit payments for family development account deposit; (2) a commercial building revitalization tax credit; (3) increased first year expensing for renewal community businesses; (4) extension of environmental remediation cost expensing and the work opportunity credit for renewal communities; and (5) similar tax treatment of renewal communities and enterprise zones for specified youth residence requirements. (Sec. 205) Makes conforming amendments to provisions respecting: (1) tax on excess contributions and prohibited transactions; (2) trust and annuity information; (3) tax exemption applications; and (4) the commercial revitalization credit. Title III: Additional Provisions - Provides for local government transfer of unoccupied and substandard Department of Housing and Urban Development multifamily and single family housing in renewal communities, with subsequent disposition priority to be given to community development corporations. (Sec. 302) Amends the Public Health Service Act to make religious organizations eligible to administer specified substance prevention and abuse programs. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 303) Amends the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 to provide that a financial institution's investments in community development organizations located in renewal communities may be considered in evaluations under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1998
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President and the Congress should act to ensure that no technology that can be used to develop strategic nuclear missiles is transferred to the People's Republic of China unless: (1) the People's Republic of China joins the Missile Technology Control Regime; (2) the People's Republic of China guarantees that it does not and will not transfer strategic nuclear or other missile technology to Iran, Pakistan, or other nations that have not joined the Regime; and (3) the President certifies to the Congress that no such transfer is occurring or is likely to occur.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1998
American Economy Protection Act - Prohibits the use of Federal funds to implement the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, unless or until the Senate has given its advice and consent to ratification of the Protocol. Prohibits Federal agencies from having authority to promulgate regulations to limit the emissions of carbon dioxide, unless a law is enacted specifically granting such authority.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1998
Declares the commitment of the House of Representatives to create a drug-free America. Urges House Members to work personally to mobilize kids, parents, faith-based and community organizations, educators, local officials, law enforcement officers, coaches, and athletes to wage a winning war on drugs. Pledges to pass legislation that provides the weapons and tools necessary to protect children and communities from the dangers of drug addiction and violence. Declares that the United States will fight this war on three major battlefronts: deterring demand; stopping supply; and increasing accountability.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1998
Library of Congress Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act of 1998 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue five-dollar gold coins and one-dollar silver coins emblematic of the Library of Congress. Authorizes the Secretary to mint and issue $10 bimetallic coins of gold and platinum in lieu of the gold coins. Requires payment of coin sale surcharges to the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board to support Library activities.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1998
Congratulates the Diocese of the Armenian Church in America on the occasion of its 100th anniversary in the United States. Welcomes His Holiness Karekin I, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, upon his visit to the United States. Commends Armenian-Americans for their contributions to U.S. society and culture.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1998
Stalking Prevention and Victim Protection of 1998 - Rewrites stalking provisions of the Federal criminal code. Prohibits and sets penalties for stalking an individual, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, or within Indian country. Provides that a person stalks an individual if the person, on two or more occasions: (1) engages in any conduct that results in the individual's reasonable fear of death or bodily injury to that individual or to a member of that individual's immediate family; and (2) knows or has reasonable cause to believe that such conduct results in that fear. Directs the court, at the time of sentencing for such offense, to issue an appropriate protection order designed to protect the victim from further stalking by the convicted person, which shall continue in effect until the victim communicates to the court that the order is no longer needed. Requires the judicial officer, where a stalking violation is charged and the person has a prior conviction for a crime of violence under Federal or State law, to order the detention of the person before trial, if that conviction was for an offense against the same victim as in the current charge or a member of that victim's family, or if that conviction became final less than five years before the conduct constituting the alleged stalking violation took place. Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to amend the sentencing guidelines to provide an appropriate sentence enhancement for a defendant convicted of stalking where the defendant has a prior conviction under Federal or State law of a crime of violence against the same victim as in the current offense or against a member of that victim's family.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1998
Child Custody Protection Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit and set penalties for transporting an individual under age 18 across a State line to obtain an abortion if the requirements of a law in the State where the individual resides, requiring parental involvement in a minor's abortion decision, are not met before obtaining the abortion. Makes an exception if the abortion was necessary to save the life of the minor. Authorizes any parent or guardian who suffers legal harm from a violation to obtain appropriate relief in a civil action.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1998
Safer Seniors Medical Care Act of 1998 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from promulgating any regulation, rule, or other order if its effect is to eliminate or modify any requirement under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for physician supervision of anesthesia services, as such requirement was in effect on December 31, 1997.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1998
Military Health Care Fairness Act - Amends the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) to allow certain eligible covered beneficiaries to enroll in any health benefits plan under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHB) offering medical care comparable to that offered under CHAMPUS. Includes as an eligible beneficiary a military retiree (with an exception) or dependent who: (1) is not guaranteed access under TRICARE (a Department of Defense (DOD) managed care program) to health care comparable to health care provided under the FEHB; (2) is eligible to enroll in the TRICARE Program but is not so enrolled because of location, total enrollment limitations, or any other reason; or (3) is entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Limits eligible beneficiaries during the first two years of enrollment to military retirees who are: (1) 65 years of age or older; or (2) retired or separated due to physical disability. States that any eligible beneficiary shall not be required to satisfy any FEHB eligibility criteria as a condition for enrollment. Provides for: (1) an enrollment period and a three-year minimum enrollment term; (2) authorized treatment in a military medical treatment facility; (3) enrollment contributions; (4) participation management by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM); and (5) annual reports from the Secretary of Defense and the OPM Director concerning the provision of such care. Directs the Secretary, within four years after the date of enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999, to report to the Congress on whether such health care option should be made permanent and on the estimated costs of such option. Directs the Secretary to: (1) begin to offer such option no later than six months after enactment of this Act; and (2) continue to offer such option through 2003, and to provide care to eligible beneficiaries through 2005. Provides program funding for FY 1999 through 2005 from amounts authorized for appropriation to DOD for military personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 1998
Urges the Congress and the President to give programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) the highest priority among Federal education programs by working to fund the maximum State grant allocation for educating children with disabilities under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1998
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal to Gerald and Betty Ford in recognition of their dedicated public service and outstanding humanitarian contributions to the people of the United States. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicate medals in bronze. Declares such medals to be national medals.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1998
Tuition Reduction and Information Act of 1998 - Provides for implementing certain recommendations of the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education. (Sec. 2) Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) convene a series of forums to develop a nationally uniform methodology for reporting costs incurred by postsecondary institutions in providing undergraduate and graduate education; (2) redesign relevant parts of the integrated postsecondary education data system to improve usefulness and timeliness; and (3) establish a system for the publication, in printed and electronic form, of such postsecondary educational cost data, in a form that permits parents and students to review and compare the data submissions of individual institutions of higher education on the basis of certain factors. (Sec. 3) Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to require the Secretary to: (1) review biennially any student assistance regulations that apply to the operations or activities of any participant in those programs; (2) modify any such regulation determined to be no longer necessary in the public interest; and (3) report to the Congress any legislative changes necessary to permit such regulatory simplification. (Sec. 4) Directs the Comptroller General to study, and report to the Congress on, the extent to which unnecessary costs are imposed on postsecondary education as a consequence of the applicability to postsecondary facilities and equipment of regulations prescribed for regulating industrial and commercial enterprises. (Sec. 5) Directs the Comptroller General to conduct an on-going analysis of, and report annually to the Congress on, specified trends and other factors relating to the cost of higher education. (Sec. 6) Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to declare that the retirement plan of an institution of higher education shall not violate certain age discrimination prohibitions solely because it offers employees with unlimited tenure additional benefits upon voluntary retirement that are reduced or eliminated on the basis of age, if specified conditions are met. (Sec. 7) Amends HEA to revise requirements for special projects in areas of national need, for which the Director of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education is authorized to make grants to higher education institutions. Modifies the list of such projects and eliminates a separate authorization of appropriations for such projects. Extends through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations for the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. (Sec. 8) Establishes a performance-based organization (PBO) in the Department of Education as a discrete management unit responsible for managing the information systems supporting the student financial assistance programs authorized under HEA title IV. Authorizes appropriations. Vests management of the PBO in a Chief Operating Officer (COO) appointed by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary and the COO to develop a performance plan for the PBO establishing measurable goals and objectives for the organization. Requires the COO to report annually to the Secretary and specified congressional committees. Requires the PBO to establish an annual performance management system which: (1) maintains individual accountability; and (2) strengthens its organizational effectiveness by providing for establishing goals or objectives for individual, group, or organizational performance, and using performance assessments as a basis for granting employee awards, pay adjustments, and other appropriate personnel actions. Grants the PBO certain procurement flexibility. Authorizes the COO to establish focus groups composed of students, institutions, and other participants in title IV student assistance programs to provide advice on student aid delivery matters. Directs the Secretary and the COO to encourage and participate in establishing voluntary consensus standards and requirements for the electronic transmission of information necessary for the administration of title IV student assistance programs. Directs the Secretary, except with respect to a common financial reporting form, to adopt voluntary consensus standards for transactions required under title IV, and common data elements for such transactions, to enable the electronic exchange of information between systems administered by the Department and among participants in the Federal student aid delivery system. Requires any such standard to: (1) have been developed by an organization open to the various entities engaged in such delivery system; and (2) be consistent with the objective of reducing administrative costs. Directs the COO to: (1) participate in the activities of such standard setting organizations; and (2) to encourage higher education groups seeking to develop common forms, standards, and procedures to do so within such an organization. Requires the Secretary to adopt initial standards for: (1) a single electronic personal identifier number for students receiving title IV assistance; (2) procedures for the electronic transmission and authentication of signatures with respect to transactions requiring a signature; and (3) a single identifier for eligible institutions. Requires such voluntary consensus standards to be compatible with the integrated postsecondary education data system. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1998
Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to declare that the retirement plan of an institution of higher education shall not violate certain age discrimination prohibitions solely because it offers employees with unlimited tenure additional benefits upon voluntary retirement that are reduced or eliminated on the basis of age, if specified conditions are met.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Ethical Standards for Federal Prosecutors Title II: Punishable Conduct Citizens Protection Act of 1998 - Title I: Ethical Standards for Federal Prosecutors - Subjects a Government attorney to State laws and rules, and local Federal court rules, governing attorneys in each State where such attorney engages in duties to the same extent and in the same manner as other attorneys in that State. Directs the Attorney General to make and amend rules of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to assure compliance with this title. Title II: Punishable Conduct - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish by rule that it shall be punishable conduct for any DOJ employee to seek an indictment in the absence of probable cause, to fail promptly to release information that would exonerate a person under indictment, to intentionally or knowingly misstate or alter evidence, to attempt to influence or color a witness's testimony, to act to frustrate or impede a defendant's right to discovery, to offer or provide sexual activities to any government witness or potential witness, to leak or otherwise improperly disseminate information to any person during an investigation, or to engage in conduct that discredits DOJ; and (2) establish penalties for engaging in such conduct, including probation, demotion, dismissal, referral of ethical charges to the bar, loss of pension or other retirement benefits, suspension from employment, and referral of the allegations (if appropriate) to a grand jury for possible criminal prosecution. (Sec. 202) Sets forth procedures regarding written complaints of such conduct by a DOJ employee, investigation of such complaints by the Attorney General, and imposition of appropriate penalties. (Sec. 203) Establishes an independent Misconduct Review Board to review all determinations by the Attorney General with respect to such complaints and to investigate allegations made in statements that may be submitted to it with respect to complaints for which the Attorney General has made no determination or imposed no penalty. Authorizes the Board to impose penalties established above.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1998
Affordable Housing Improvement Act of 1998 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase, and link to the cost-of-living adjustment, the State low-income housing credit ceiling. Modifies provisions concerning: (1) the criteria for allocating housing credits among projects; (2) the responsibilities of housing credit agencies; and (3) the basis of a credit-eligible building.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1998
Constitutional Amendment - Requires that a bill to increase the internal revenue shall laws shall require for final adoption in each House the concurrence of two-thirds of the whole of the number of that House, unless the bill does not increase the internal revenue by more than a de minimis amount. Permits the waiver of such requirement, for up to two years, if there is a declaration of war or if the United States is engaged in a military conflict which causes an imminent and serious threat to national security and is so declared by a joint resolution which becomes law.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1998
Calls for the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring the U.S. Submarine Force on its 100th anniversary.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1998
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should not take military action against Iraq unless that action is specifically authorized by a law enacted after the date of the adoption of this resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Salton Sea Reclamation Project Title II: Emergency Action to Stabilize Salton Sea Salinity Sonny Bono Memorial Salton Sea Reclamation Act - Title I: Salton Sea Reclamation Project - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to undertake a project to reclaim the Salton Sea, located in Imperial and Riverside Counties, California. Outlines project requirements, including salinity reduction and stabilization, stabilizing surface elevation, restoring fish and wildlife resources, and enhancing recreational use and economic development. Directs the Secretary to initiate a feasibility study of various options for meeting such requirements and to develop a plan that implements the selected options. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on the chosen reclamation plan and required construction activities and to complete all necessary environmental compliance and permit requirements. Requires the feasibility study to be completed under a memorandum of understanding between the Secretary, the Salton Sea Authority, and the Governor of California. Requires initiation of project construction within 60 days after feasibility study submission, provided that the Secretary, the Governor, and the Authority have adopted a cost-sharing formula. Directs the Secretary to initiate a process to determine a disposal method for water pumped out under the project. Preserves all current rights and obligations concerning Colorado River water use. Limits administrative and judicial review of the project. Authorizes appropriations for the feasibility study and project construction. Directs the Secretary to conduct, concurrently with the feasibility study, studies of hydrology, wildlife pathology, and toxicology relating to wildlife resources of the Salton Sea by Federal and non-Federal sources. Directs the Secretary to establish the Salton Sea Research Management Committee to select and manage such studies. Authorizes appropriations. Renames the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge as the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. Directs the Secretary to conduct research and implement actions, including river reclamation, to treat irrigation drainage water that flows into the Alamo and New Rivers in Imperial County, California. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Emergency Action to Stabilize Salton Sea Salinity - Directs the Secretary to immediately initiate action, including salt expulsion and infusion of other water, to reduce Salton sea salinity levels.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1998
Credit Union Membership Protection Act - Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to permit any person who is a Federal credit union member as of February 25, 1998, to retain member status if such status would be lost as a result of Supreme Court decisions construing membership criteria in the cases of National Credit Union Administration v. First National Bank and Trust Company, et alia, and AT&T Family Federal Credit Union v. First National Bank and Trust Company, et alia.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1998
Credit Union Membership Protection Act - Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to permit any person who is a Federal credit union member as of February 25, 1998, to retain member status if such status would be lost as a result of a certain Supreme Court decision construing membership criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1998
IDEA Technical Amendments Act of 1998 - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to revise the requirements relating to reducing or withholding payments to States. Limits the corrective actions that the Secretary of Education may take, with respect to certain instances of noncompliance, to specified kinds of reduction or withholding of payments, according to a formula based on numbers of eligible children with disabilities in adult prisons under the supervision of another public agency, and of eligible individuals with disabilities under the supervision of the State educational agency.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Truth in Employment Title II: Fair Hearing Title III: Justice on Time Title IV: Attorneys Fees Fairness for Small Business and Employees Act of 1998 - Title I: Truth in Employment - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that nothing in specified prohibitions against unfair labor practices by employers shall be construed as requiring an employer to employ any person who is not a bona fide employee applicant, in that such person seeks or has sought employment with the employer with the primary purpose of furthering another employment or agency status. Title II: Fair Hearing - Directs the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to provide for a hearing upon due notice to determine the appropriateness of the bargaining unit, if a petition for an election requests to certify a unit which includes the employees employed at one or more facilities of a multi-facility employer, and in the absence of an agreement by the parties regarding the appropriateness of the bargaining unit at issue. Requires the NLRB, in making such determination, to consider functional integration, centralized control, common skills, functions and working conditions, permanent and temporary employee interchange, geographical separation, local autonomy, the number of employees, bargaining history, and other factors it considers appropriate. Title III: Justice on Time - Requires the NLRB to state its findings of fact and to issue and serve corrective orders, including reinstatement of an employee with or without backpay, or issue an order dismissing the complaint, within 365 days after the filing of a charge of unfair labor practice involving an unlawful discharge, except in cases of extreme complexity. Directs the NLRB to report annually to specified congressional committees on any cases pending for more than one year, including an explanation of the factors contributing to such a delay, and recommendations for prompt resolution of such cases. Title IV: Attorneys Fees - Provides for awards of attorneys' fees and costs in administrative or court proceedings involving the NLRB, without regard to whether the NLRB's position was substantially justified or special circumstances make an award unjust, if the prevailing parties are employers or labor organizations with no more than 100 employees and a net worth of no more than $1.4 million at the time the adversary adjudication was initiated.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Science Integrity Act - Requires each Federal agency that issues or may issue regulations supported by scientific data, not later than January 1999, to issue regulations establishing procedures to ensure that the acquisition, interpretation, incorporation, and application of all such scientific data is subject to peer review by at least two but not more than five individuals from a list of peer reviewers created pursuant to this Act. Directs the head of each such agency to: (1) create, using the Federal Register, scientific and commercial journals, the National Academy of Sciences, and other similar resources, a list of specified individuals who are qualified and willing to perform peer review functions for the agency; and (2) select individuals from the list to peer review each proposed regulation of the agency that is supported by scientific data. Requires the head of an agency, upon receipt of all peer review reports for a proposed regulation, to publish in the Federal Register a notice of availability of those reports, and the scientific data reviewed therein, for public comment. Requires the head of an agency, within 30 days after the completion of the public comment period, to transmit to the Office of Regulations Integrity established under this Act: (1) each peer review report; (2) all scientific data used in support of the proposed regulation or requested by a peer reviewer; (3) the response of the head of the agency to points of disagreement among the peer reviewers; and (4) all public comments received. Prohibits the proposed regulation from being issued in final form until 30 days after transmittal. Requires any recommendations of the Office in response to a transmittal to be provided to the agency, the President, and the Congress. Requires regulations issued establishing peer review procedures to include emergency exception provisions. Establishes an Office of Regulations Integrity to: (1) review regulations issued by each Federal agency establishing peer review procedures, and if the Office determines that such regulations do not represent the expert opinions of a majority of the scientists who will be carrying out peer reviews, or that such regulations are inadequate or inappropriate, to notify the agency, the President, and the Congress; (2) transmit to the President and the Congress an annual report on each agency's performance in complying with its peer review regulations; and (3) review regulations issued by an agency with supporting scientific data, if the Office has reason to believe such regulations were issued, or the scientific data were acquired, interpreted, incorporated, or applied in a manner significantly inconsistent with the peer review regulations issued by the agency, and if the Office finds these procedures to be inconsistent with such regulations, to notify the agency, the President, and the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize a levy on wages or property for failure to pay taxes only if the levy is approved by the appropriate internal revenue district's levy review panel. Exempts a levy from such review if there is a finding that the collection of the tax is in jeopardy. Directs a levy review panel to approve a levy unless a majority of panel members determine that: (1) other means of collecting the unpaid taxes are more appropriate; or (2) the Internal Revenue Service has not complied with applicable levy requirements. Provides for the appointment, for each internal revenue district, of an unpaid three-person levy review panel consisting of at least one attorney with an expertise in Federal taxation and one certified public accountant.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1998
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal to Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela in recognition of his life-long dedication to the abolition of apartheid and the promotion of reconciliation among the people of the Republic of South Africa. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike a gold medal and sell duplicates in bronze at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals. Declares such medals to be national medals. Authorizes a maximum charge against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund to pay for the costs of the medals. Mandates that proceeds from sales of duplicate bronze medals be deposited in such Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1998
Expresses the sense of the Congress that national goals should include providing access to affordable housing and expanding home ownership opportunities pursued through policies of tax incentives and private and public sector activities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1998
Tax Code Termination Act - Prohibits the imposition of any tax by the Internal Revenue Code: (1) for any taxable year beginning after December 31, 2001; 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, 2001. 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). Declares that any new Federal tax system should be a simple and fair system.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1998
Requests that the U.S. Postal Service issue a commemorative postage stamp in 1999 in honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1998
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) child care assistance, when provided to families, should be provided regardless of whether a child is cared for by an at-home parent, family member, neighbor, or child care center; and (2) a key component to any quality child care proposal should include financial relief for those families where there is an at-home parent. Calls for no bias against at-home parents, and recognizes and applauds their sacrifices and efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1997
Parents and Teachers Know Best Act of 1997 - Repeals the Goals 2000: Educate America Act and the National Skill Standards Act of 1994. Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to requesting State educational agencies, which shall distribute grant funds to local educational agencies according to a specified formula, for: (1) technology related to the implementation of school-based reform programs, including professional development to assist teachers to use such equipment and software; (2) acquisition and use of instructional and educational materials related to such reform programs; (3) education reform projects, including effective schools and magnet schools; (4) programs to improve the higher order thinking skills of disadvantaged elementary and secondary school students and to prevent students from dropping out of school; (5) literacy programs for student and adults, including parents; (6) gifted and talented programs; and (7) school improvement programs or specified activities under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the low-income State housing credit ceiling amount; and (2) provide for a cost-of-living adjustment for such amount.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1997
Sales Incentive Compensation Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to exempt from minimum wage recordkeeping and overtime compensation requirements any employee in a sales position, if: (1) such position requires specialized or technical knowledge related to products or services being sold; (2) the employee's sales are predominantly to persons or entities to whom the employee has made previous sales or the employee's position does not involve initiating sales contacts; and (3) the employee receives a base compensation at a specified minimum rate and additional compensation based on sales attributable to the employee;(4) the employee's aggregate compensation based upon sales reaches a specified minimum level; and (5) the rate of annual compensation or base compensation for an employee who did not work for an employer for an entire calendar year is prorated to reflect annual compensation which would have been earned if the employee had been compensated at the same rate for the entire calendar year.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1997
Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to revise requirements for issuance of citations to employers for violations of certain standards, rules, orders, or regulations. Exempts from citation for such a violation any employer who: (1) has no employees exposed to the violation; and (2) has not created the condition that caused the violation or assumed responsibility for ensuring compliance by other employers on the work site.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1997
Citizen Campaign Control Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit candidates from accepting contributions from persons other than local individual residents totaling in excess of the aggregate amount of contributions accepted from local residents.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1997
Recognizes the historic significance of the fiftieth anniversary of the reestablishment of the State of Israel. Commends the Israeli people for their achievements in building a new state and a pluralistic democratic society in the Middle East. Reaffirms the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the United States and Israel. Extends congratulations and best wishes to the State of Israel and her people for a peaceful, prosperous, and successful future.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 1997
Amends the General Education Provisions Act to prohibit the use of funds provided to the Department of Education, or to an applicable program, to develop, plan, implement, or administer any national testing program. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a similar prohibition against use of certain funds (from the Fund for the Improvement Education) for any national testing program. Exempts from such funding prohibitions the Third International Mathematics and Science Study.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 1997
Printed Circuit Investment Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify as three-year depreciable property any printed wiring board or printed wiring assembly equipment.
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.
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