United States · United States Congress · 2 November 1999
Requires the Postal Service to take measures to ensure that all individuals residing in senior communities receive their mail through door delivery service.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 1999
Education for Democracy Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise provisions for Civic Education, under part F of title X (Programs of National Significance). (Sec. 2) Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to or contracts with: (1) the Center for Civic Education (CCE) to carry out civic education activities under the We the People... The Citizen and the Constitution program and The Project Citizen program, and under Cooperative Educational Exchange programs; and (2) the National Council on Economic Education (NCEE) to carry out economic education activities under Cooperative Educational Exchange programs. Revises requirements for CCE implementation of the We the People... The Citizen and the Constitution program and The Project Citizen program. Sets forth requirements for the Cooperative Educational Exchange programs of civic education by CCE and economic education by NCEE. Makes eligible for such programs Central European countries, an Eastern European country, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and the independent states of the former Soviet Union. Allows such program eligibility also for the Republic of Ireland, the province of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, and any developing country as defined under the Education for the Deaf Act. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2004 for: (1) the We the People... The Citizen and the Constitution program and The Project Citizen program; and (2) the Cooperative Educational Exchange programs. (Sec. 3) Repeals title VI (International Education Program) of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth special rules concerning the contribution for charitable purposes of drugs to be administered outside the United States and drugs with short lives.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 1999
Hunger Relief Act of 1999 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to remove specified restrictions on qualified aliens' eligibility for food stamp and supplemental security income benefits. Exempts food stamp provisions respecting aliens from: (1) the five-year waiting period for Federal means-tested public benefits eligibility; (2) inclusion of sponsor income and resources to an alien for State benefits eligibility; and (3) sponsor reimbursement requirements in cases of hardship. Sets forth effective dates for: (1) aliens; and (2) refugees and asylees. (Sec. 3) Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to authorize a State to use an alternative State auto valuation rather than the Federal one in order to provide a lower household resource attribution for food stamp program purposes. (Sec. 4) Increases, and indexes for inflation, the food stamp excess shelter deduction. (Sec. 5) Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to authorize additional appropriations for commodity purchases under the emergency food assistance program.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 1999
Consumer Access to a Responsible Accounting of Trade Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue regulations requiring gem-quality diamonds (including products made in whole or in part from gem-quality diamonds) and which are sold in the United States to be accompanied by a certificate stating the English name (or unmistakable abbreviation) of the country in which the diamonds were mined. Sets forth both civil and criminal penalties for violations of the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1999
Telemarketing Victims Protection Act - Amends the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act to require the Federal Trade Commission to include in rules respecting abusive telemarketing acts or practices requirements that telemarketers: (1) notify consumers who are called that they have the right to be placed on either the Direct Marketing Association's or the appropriate State's do-not-call list; (2) notify the Association or State if a consumer elects to be placed on such a list; (3) obtain and reconcile such lists on a regular basis; (4) not make any calls during the hours of 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM; and (5) not block the identity of the telephone from which they are making a telemarketing call. Directs the Commission to study and report to Congress on the violations of the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act, especially of repeated violations by a single telemarketer and of the provisions for penalizing telemarketers for such violations, including new provisions which would allow appropriate Federal action against telemarketers.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1999
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that "Family Hour," between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., should be set aside by the television industry for family-oriented programming.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1999
Declares that Congress: (1) deplores the slaying of the Prime Minister of Armenia, Vazgen Sargsian, the Chairman of the Armenian Parliament, Karen Demirchian, the Deputy Chairman of the Armenian Parliament, Yuri Bakhshian, the Minister of Operative Issues, Leonard Petrossian, and other members of the Armenian Government; (2) strongly shares the determination of the Armenian people that the perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice so that Armenia may demonstrate its resolute opposition to acts of terror; (3) commends the efforts of the late Prime Minister and the Armenian Government for their commitment to democracy and the rule of law and for supporting free market movements internationally; and (4) continues to cherish the strong alliance between Armenia and the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 1999
Comprehensive Antitrafficking in Persons Act of 1999 - Directs the President to establish an Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, chaired by the Secretary of State (the Secretary). Authorizes the Secretary to establish within the Department of State an Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, which shall provide assistance to the Task Force and be administered by a Director. Directs the Task Force to carry out the following activities: (1) coordinate implementation of this Act; (2) measure and evaluate the progress of the United States and countries around the world in the areas of trafficking prevention, protection and assistance to trafficking victims, and prosecution and enforcement against traffickers; (3) expand interagency procedures to collect and organize data; and (4) engage in efforts to facilitate cooperation among countries of origin, transit, and destination. (Sec. 5) Requires the President, acting through: (1) the United States Agency for International Development (AID) and the heads of other appropriate agencies, to establish and carry out initiatives to enhance economic opportunity for potential victims of trafficking as a method to deter trafficking; and (2) the Attorney General and the Secretaries of State, Labor, and Health and Human Services (HHS), to establish and carry out programs to increase public awareness, particularly among potential victims, of the dangers of trafficking and the protections that are available for its victims. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary and the Administrator of AID to: (1) establish and carry out programs and initiatives in foreign countries to assist in the safe reintegration of victims of trafficking and their children; and (2) take all appropriate steps to enhance cooperative efforts among foreign countries to assist in the appropriate reintegration of stateless victims of trafficking with respect to the establishment and conduct of programs and initiatives. Requires the Attorney General, the Secretaries of HHS and Labor, and the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation to expand existing services to provide assistance to victims of trafficking within the United States, without regard to their immigration status. Makes victims of trafficking in the United States eligible, without regard to their immigration status, for any benefits that are otherwise available under the Crime Victims Fund. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to States, U.S. territories and possessions, Indian tribes, local governments, and nonprofit, nongovernmental victims' service organizations to develop, expand, or strengthen victim service programs for trafficking victims. Requires an eligible governmental unit or organization, to receive a grant, to certify that its laws, policies, and practices do not punish or deny services to trafficking victims on account of the nature of their employment or services performed in connection with such trafficking. Sets forth provisions regarding fund allocation and the Federal share. Authorizes individuals who are victims of Federal criminal code (the code) violations regarding trafficking and criminal exploitation of workers to bring a civil action in U.S. district court. Directs the Attorney General and the Secretary to promulgate regulations for law enforcement personnel, immigration officials, and Department of State officials to implement the following: (1) trafficking victims, while in Federal custody, shall be housed in appropriate shelter as quickly as possible; receive prompt medical care, food, and other assistance; and be provided protection if a victim's safety is at risk or if there is danger of additional harm by recapture of the victim by a trafficker; (2) Federal law enforcement officials should act, to ensure an alien individual's continued presence in the United States, if after an assessment it is determined that such individual is a trafficking victim or a material witness, in order to effectuate prosecution of those responsible and to further U.S. humanitarian interests; and (3) appropriate Department of State and Department of Justice personnel shall be trained in identifying victims of trafficking and in providing for their protection. Makes funding available. (Sec. 7) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to establish a new non-immigrant classification for an alien (and the alien's spouse, children, and parents if accompanying or following to join the alien) who the Attorney General determines: (1) possesses material information concerning criminal or other unlawful activity; (2) is willing to supply or has supplied such information to Federal or State law enforcement officials; (3) would be helpful, were the alien to remain in the United States, to a properly authorized Federal or State investigation or prosecution of the criminal or other unlawful activity; and (4) has suffered significant physical or mental abuse as a result of the criminal or other unlawful activity. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to provide that: (1) the number of aliens admitted in a fiscal year under such classification may not exceed 1,000; (2) no alien may be admitted into the United States as such a non-immigrant more than five years after the date of the enactment of such provision; (3) the period of authorized admission of an alien as such a non-immigrant may not exceed three years (which can not be extended by the Attorney General); and (4) as a condition for admission and continued stay in lawful status the non-immigrant may not be convicted of a criminal offense punishable by a term of imprisonment of one year or more after the date of admission, the non-immigrant must have executed a form that waives the right to contest (other than on the basis of an application for withholding removal) any action for removal of the alien instituted before the alien obtains lawful permanent resident status, and the non-immigrant shall abide by any other condition or restriction imposed by the Attorney General. Prohibits a change of non-immigrant classification for such aliens. Amends the INA to authorize the Attorney General to adjust the status of such an alien to one lawfully admitted for permanent residence if, in the Attorney General's opinion, the alien's continued presence in the United States is justified on humanitarian grounds or is otherwise in the national interest, and the alien meets other specified conditions. (Sec. 8) Allows the President to impose specified measures against any foreign country that has made little or no progress on reducing trafficking, implementing any necessary anti-trafficking laws, enforcing anti-trafficking laws, or protecting and assisting trafficking victims. Authorizes the President to: (1) deny U.S. Government assistance, with exceptions; (2) instruct the U.S. Executive Director to specified international financial institutions to use the voice and vote of the United States to oppose any loan or financial or technical assistance to the country by such institution; (3) prohibit the transfer of defense articles, services, or design and construction services under the Arms Export Control Act to the country or any national; (4) prohibit or substantially restrict exports to the country of goods, technology and services, and suspend existing licenses for the transfer to that person of items the export of which is controlled under the Export Administration Act of 1979 or the Export Administration Regulations; and (5) exercise certain authorities under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Authorizes the Secretary to make a determination of those persons who are trafficking in the United States or its territories and possessions and, if such a determination is made, publish the list in the Federal Register. Directs the President to report to Congress on measures applied under this section and the reasons for their application. (Sec. 9) Amends the code to double the term of imprisonment for specified slavery-related offenses. Provides for enhanced penalties where death results if the violation includes kidnaping (or an attempt to kidnap), aggravated sexual abuse (or an attempt to commit such abuse), or an attempt to kill. Prohibits, and sets penalties for: (1) specified actions with respect to the trafficking and criminal exploitation of workers, including knowingly benefitting from the labor or services of a person held to a condition of involuntary servitude or peonage; and (2) destruction, concealment, and unlawful possession of documents in furtherance of trafficking, criminal worker exploitation, involuntary servitude, or peonage. Directs the court to order restitution for offenses under this section. Sets forth provisions regarding proof of a condition of involuntary servitude or peonage, punishment of attempts to violate specified provisions of this Act, and forfeiture to the United States. Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to review and, if appropriate, amend the sentencing guidelines and policy statements applicable to persons convicted of offenses involving the trafficking of persons. (Sec. 10) Directs the Secretary, as part of the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, to include specified information to address the status of international trafficking in persons. (Sec. 11) Authorizes appropriations for the Interagency Task Force, and to the Secretary of HHS, the Secretary, the Attorney General, the President, and the Secretary of Labor, for FY 2001-2002 to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 1999
Condemns the use of children as soldiers by governmental and nongovernmental armed forces worldwide. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should not oppose efforts to negotiate an optional international agreement to raise the international minimum age for military service to age 18; (2) the Secretary of State should address this issue in the next session of the United Nations working group relating to child soldiers before this process is abandoned by the international community; and (3) the President and the Congress should work together to enact a law that establishes a fund for the rehabilitation and reintegration into society of child soldiers.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1999
Food and Medicine for the World Act - Prohibits the President from imposing a unilateral agricultural sanction or unilateral medical sanction against a foreign country, except in specified circumstances, unless: (1) not less than 60 days before the sanction is proposed to be imposed, the President makes a specified report to Congress; and (2) Congress enacts a joint resolution approving the report.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1999
Children's Gasoline Burn Prevention Act - Authorizes the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish a standard for special packaging of portable gasoline containers under specified provisions of the Poison Prevention Packaging Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1999
Providing Reliable Officers, Technology, Education, Community Prosecutors, and Training In Our Neighborhoods Act of 1999 or PROTECTION Act - Modifies provisions of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (the Act) regarding public safety and community policing ("cops on the beat" program, COPS) to authorize the Attorney General to use funding under COPS grants to: (1) increase prosecutor presence and to enhance law enforcement access to new technologies; (2) pay overtime to existing career law enforcement officers to the extent that such overtime is devoted to community policing efforts; and (3) promote higher education among in-service State and local law enforcement officers by reimbursing them for the costs associated with seeking a college or graduate school education. Includes among permitted additional grant projects: (1) specialized integrity and ethics training; (2) innovative proactive crime control and prevention programs involving school officials and religiously-affiliated organizations; (3) school-based partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and local school systems by using school resource officers who operate in and around elementary and secondary schools (current law) to serve as a law enforcement liaison with other Federal, State, and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies and to combat gang membership and criminal activity, firearms and explosives-related incidents, illegal use and possession of alcohol, and the illegal possession, use, and distribution of drugs; and (4) innovative programs that bring together a community's sheriff, police chief, and elderly residents to address the public safety concerns of older citizens. Authorizes the Attorney General to use up to five percent of appropriated funds for technical assistance and training to States, local governments, Indian tribal governments, and other public and private entities. Requires the technical assistance provided by the Attorney General to include the establishment and operation of regional community policing institutes training centers or facilities. Permits the functions of the centers or facilities to include instruction and seminars for specified individuals, including representatives of police labor and management organizations and community residents. Repeals provisions of the Act regarding: (1) termination of grants for hiring officers; and (2) preferential consideration of applications for certain grants. Allows grants to be used to assist: (1) police departments in employing specified professional, scientific, and technological advancements; and (2) State, local, or tribal prosecutors' offices in implementation of community-based prosecution programs that build on local community policing efforts. Reserves specified funds for units of local government with a population of less than 50,000. Authorizes the Attorney General to use no more than 50 percent of grant renewal funds to award grants targeted specifically for retention of police officers to grantees in good standing, with preference to those that demonstrate financial hardship or severe budget constraint that impacts the entire local budget and may result in the termination of employment for officers. Redefines: (1) "career law enforcement officer" to include sheriffs' deputies charged with supervising offenders who are released into the community but also engaged in local community policing efforts; and (2) "school resource officer" to mean a career law enforcement officer deployed in community-oriented policing and assigned to work in collaboration with schools and community-based organizations (as under current law) to engage in specified activities, including serving as a law enforcement liaison with other Federal, State, and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies to address and document crime and disorder problems, training students in conflict resolution and crime awareness, and assisting school administrators with the preparation of an annual report on the number of students expelled per year for bringing a weapon, firearm, or explosive to school. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1999
High Performance Schools Act of 1999 - Establishes the High Performance Schools Program, in the Department of Education, to assist school districts in the production of high performance elementary and secondary school buildings that are healthful, productive, energy efficient, and environmentally sound. (Sec. 3) Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants, through the Program, for: (1) assisting school districts to implement this Act's purpose; (2) administering the program of assistance to school districts under this Act; and (3) promoting participation by school districts in the Program. Requires grants to assist school districts to be used to achieve energy efficiency performance not less than 30 percent beyond the levels prescribed in the 1998 International Energy Conservation Code as it is in effect for new construction and existing buildings. Requires such grants to be made to school districts that: (1) need to respond appropriately to increasing elementary and secondary school enrollments or to make major investments in renovation of school facilities; (2) do not have adequate funds to do so without such assistance; and (3) are committed to using grant funds to develop high performance school buildings in accordance with an approved plan. Requires grants for administration to be used to evaluate compliance by school districts with requirements of this Act. Allows such grants also to be used to: (1) distribute information and materials to define and promote development of high performance school buildings for new and existing facilities; (2) organize and conduct programs for school board members, school district personnel, architects, engineers, and others to advance the concepts of such buildings; (3) obtain technical services and assistance in planning and designing such buildings; and (4) collect and monitor data and information pertaining to such building projects. Allows grants to promote participation to be used for promotional and marketing activities, including facilitating private and public financing, promoting the use of energy service companies, working with school administrations, students, and communities, and coordinating public benefit programs. Allows grants under this Act to be provided only to school districts that have developed plans that the State agency designated by the Governor of the State determines to be feasible and appropriate. Requires such State agency to encourage qualifying school districts to supplement their grant funds with funds from other sources in the implementation of their plans. (Sec. 4) Requires funds appropriated for the implementation of this Act, with the exception of certain reserved funds, to be provided to the Governors of the States. Directs each Governor to determine the appropriate State agency to administer the program of assistance to school districts. Allocates such funds as follows: (1) 70 percent for grants to assist school districts; (2) 15 percent for grants for administration; and (3) 15 percent for grants to promote participation. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to retain, through the Program, a limited annual amount to assist State agencies designated by the Governor in coordinating and implementing such Program. Allows funds to be used to develop reference materials to further define the principles and criteria to achieve high performance school buildings. (Sec. 5) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1999
Urges the Government of the Russian Federation to: (1) cease the indiscriminate use of force against the civilian population in Chechnya, in accordance with commitments of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); (2) enter into negotiations on the North Caucasus conflict with legitimate political representatives of the region and avail itself of the conflict prevention and crisis management capabilities of the OSCE which helped broker an end to the 1994-1996 war; and (3) seek and accept international humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of the internally displaced persons from Chechnya, to reduce the risk of civilian casualties. Urges the Government of Chechnya to use every appropriate means to deny extremist forces located in its territory a base of operations for the mounting of armed incursions that threaten peace and stability in the North Caucasus region. Calls on the U.S. Government to express to all parties the necessity of resolving the conflict peacefully, with full respect to the human rights of all the citizens of the Russian Federation, and to support the provision of appropriate international humanitarian assistance. Cautions that forcible resettlement of internationally displaced persons would evoke outrage from the international community.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 1999
Young Witness Assistance Act of 1999 - Authorizes the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to make grants to State and local prosecutors and law enforcement agencies in support of juvenile (17 years of age or younger) and young adult (between 18 and 21 years of age) witness assistance programs. Authorizes grant funds to be used, among other things, for: (1) counseling services to young witnesses of a violent crime; and (2) protective services for young witnesses and their families when a serious threat of harm is made from perpetrators or their associates. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 1999
Declares that Congress: (1) expresses concern about the tendency of Central Asian leaders to seek to remain in power indefinitely and their willingness to manipulate constitutions, elections, and legislative and judicial systems to do so; and (2) reminds the leaders of Central Asian states that elections cannot be free and fair unless all citizens can take part in the political process on an equal basis, without intimidation or fear of reprisal, and with confidence that their human rights and fundamental freedoms will be fully respected. Urges: (1) Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to come into compliance with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) commitments on human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, specifically the holding of free and fair elections that do not exclude genuine challengers, to permit independent and opposition parties and candidates to participate on an equal basis with representation in election commissions at all levels, and to allow domestic non-governmental and political party observers, as well as international observers; (2) Central Asian leaders to establish conditions for independent and opposition media to function without constraint, limitation, or fear of harassment, to repeal criminal laws which impose prison sentences for alleged defamation of the state or public officials, and to provide access to state media on an equal basis during election campaigns to independent and opposition parties and candidates; (3) the leaders of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to condemn and take effective steps to cease the systematic use of torture and other inhuman treatment by authorities against political opponents and others and to permit the registration of independent and opposition parties and candidates; and (4) Voice of America and Radio Liberty to expand broadcasting to Central Asia. Encourages the Administration to: (1) raise with the governments of other OSCE participating states the possible implications for OSCE participation of any participating state in the region that engages in clear, gross, and uncorrected violations of its OSCE commitments; and (2) seek formation of an OSCE Human Dimension Mission to Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to investigate the human rights situation.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1999
Know Your Caller Act of 1999 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to make it unlawful for any person making a telephone solicitation to interfere with or circumvent a caller identification service from accessing or providing the call recipient with identifying information about the call. Directs the Federal Communications Commission to prescribe regulations implementing such prohibition. Provides a cause of action for a person or entity, or a State attorney general on behalf of its residents, for violations of such prohibition or regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1999
Condemns: (1) the overthrow of the democratically-elected Government of Pakistan by the armed forces of Pakistan on October 12, 1999, in violation of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan; and (2) the subsequent declaration by General Musharraf of a state of emergency, the suspension of Pakistan's Constitution, the dismissal of the national government and the legislature, and the declaration of himself as Pakistan's supreme leader. Expresses grave concern about the implications for security and stability in the South Asia region in light of the history of tensions between India and Pakistan and the fact that both nations have recently tested nuclear devices. Urges both countries to exercise restraint. Calls for the immediate restoration of a civilian, democratically-elected government in Pakistan and the restoration of democracy and the rule of law. Urges the armed forces of Pakistan to respect the human rights of all Pakistani citizens, including those members of the national government who are currently being illegally detained in violation of their constitutional and human rights. Calls on the President not to consider exercising the waiver authority which would be granted to him by the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2000 (presented by Congress on October 14, 1999, for the President's approval), to allow the sale of any military equipment or services to Pakistan, or reinstatement of Pakistan's eligibility for international military education and training, until a civilian, democratically-elected government is returned to power.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 1999
Amends Federal rail transportation law to prohibit a railroad carrier (including its officers and agents) from requiring a train employee who has been on duty or available for it for any portion of each of seven consecutive days to go on duty or be available for it until at least 72 consecutive hours have passed after the employee is released from duty or availability.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 1999
Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 1999 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to modify procedures and provide special rules for battered spouses and children with respect to: (1) adjustment of status; (2) removal and deportation; (3) implementation of immigration provisions in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA); (4) waivers and exceptions to inadmissibility for otherwise qualified battered immigrants; (5) calculation of physical presence in VAWA cancellation of removal proceedings and suspension of deportation proceedings; (6) VAWA immigration protections; (7) VAWA cancellation of removal and adjustment of status for certain nonpermanent residents; and (8) good moral character determinations for self- petitioning immediate relatives. (Sec. 10) Prescribes guidelines for inapplicability of public charge determinations for designated aliens. Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to redefine "qualified alien" to include certain battered aliens for purposes of welfare and public benefits eligibility. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980 to declare restrictions on the use of assisted housing inapplicable to certain battered aliens. (Sec. 11) Amends the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 to provide that requirements and restrictions placed upon Legal Services Corporation funding shall not be construed to prohibit a recipient from providing related legal assistance to certain aliens who have been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty. Directs the Violence Against Women Grants Office in the Department of Justice to report on services for underserved populations. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (Act) to include legal advocacy for domestic violence in immigration cases under the program of grants to encourage arrest policies. Includes alienage status within the definition of "underserved populations." Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to include immigration-related matters under the program of rural domestic violence and child abuse enforcement grants. Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to include alienage status within the scope of underserved populations. Amends the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 1999 to obligate funds for grants to combat violence against women, which shall include immigration-related matters. Amends the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 to include immigration-related matters under the program of campus domestic violence grants. (Sec. 12) Amends the Act to require each branch of the U.S. military to train its supervisory military officers in domestic violence dynamics in military families, and the protections available for battered immigrant women and children. Expands the purposes of training grants to combat violent crimes against women to include: (1) training immigration and asylum officers and judges; and (2) training justice system personnel on the judicial ramifications of the Violence Against Women Act, and the potential immigration consequences for perpetrators of domestic violence. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to express the intent of the Congress that statutory constraints upon the powers of immigration personnel not be construed as discouraging crime and domestic violence victims from reporting crimes to the police, from cooperating in criminal prosecutions, or from obtaining the legal relief needed for protection from ongoing violence. (Sec. 13) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a humanitarian-material witness nonimmigrant classification. (Sec. 14) Extends access for battered spouses and children under the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act, the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998, and Federal law relating to Cuban adjustment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1999
Anti-Atrocity Alien Deportation Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for the inadmissibility and removability of aliens who have committed acts of torture abroad. Directs the Attorney General to establish within the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice an Office of Special Investigations to investigate and remove, denaturalize, or prosecute alien participants of Nazi persecutions, genocide, or torture abroad. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 1999
Debt Emancipation to Enable Democracies (DEED) Act of 1999 - Directs the President to cancel all amounts owed to the United States by an eligible heavily indebted poor country (HIPC) and Haiti as a result of concessional and nonconcessional loans made, guarantees issued, or credits extended under any provision of law. Sets forth eligibility requirements for cancellation of debt for a HIPC. (Sec. 4) Provides that cancellation of debt shall not be considered assistance for purposes of any law limiting assistance to a country. (Sec. 5) Prohibits funds appropriated in this Act from being made available to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) until it: (1) has canceled all debts owed to the IMF by an eligible HIPC and Haiti; (2) has terminated the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility; and (3) the Secretary of the Treasury has certified to specified congressional committees that such debts have been canceled, and the IMF has ceased linking loans to an eligible HIPC and Haiti to implementation of structural adjustment policies. (Sec. 6) Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) to issue insurance, guaranties, or reinsurance, make loans, acquire securities, or enter into risk sharing arrangements for an eligible HIPC and Haiti with respect to which the United States and the IMF have provided debt cancellation under this Act, only if the President certifies to Congress that the government of such country is using funds available because of such debt cancellation for poverty reduction in the country. (Sec. 7) Sets forth certain notification requirements with respect to each eligible HIPC and Haiti. (Sec. 8) Authorizes a U.S. citizen to bring an action in any U.S. district court seeking compliance by the United States with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 1999
Smaller Schools, Stronger Communities Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to authorize the Secretary of Education to provide flexible challenge grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to implement and administer plans to create smaller schools. (Sets forth such Smaller Schools program as a new part L of title X, Programs of National Significance, of ESEA.) Requires the Secretary, in awarding such grants, to: (1) consider the number of students served and the number, location, and size of the schools; (2) assure an equitable distribution of assistance among urban and rural areas of the Nation and of a State; and (3) give priority to LEAs that establish a target number of not more than 600 students for attendance at (or in a self-operating academic unit within) each high school, and not more than 400 for each elementary school or middle school. Allows use of grant funds for: (1) hiring additional staff; (2) planning, feasibility studies, and architectural fees to design or remodel school facilities; and (3) other reasonable expenses. Prohibits use of grant funds to cover costs directly associated with the renovation of existing facilities or the purchase or construction of new facilities. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 1999
National Amusement Park Ride Safety Act of 1999 - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act to include amusement rides that are permanently fixed to a site in the definition of "consumer product" (thereby giving the Consumer Product Safety Commission jurisdiction over such amusement rides). Authorizes appropriations to carry out the Act as amended by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 1999
Redesignates the Federal building located at 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in Washington, DC, commonly known as the J. Edgar Hoover Federal Building, as the Frank M. Johnson Federal Building.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1999
Restraint Safety Act of 1999 - Amends part D (Miscellaneous) of title XVIII (Medicare) and of title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to specify Medicare and Medicaid program beneficiaries' rights to freedom from restraint and other abuse while in a psychiatric hospital or other care facility or treatment center. Requires a service provider to report sentinel events (when a program beneficiary under psychiatric care dies unexpectedly or suffers serious injury unrelated to his or her illness or underlying condition) to the appropriate agencies or entities with oversight authority. Allows the imposition of restraints only for the following: (1) to ensure the physical safety of the individual or others in the provider's care or custody; and (2) upon the written order of a physician specifying the duration and circumstances of restraint use (except in emergency circumstances specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services until such an order could reasonably be obtained). Requires the service provider to investigate the sentinel event reported and the appropriate agencies or entities to review and approve the provider's root cause analysis before reporting on the matter to the Secretary for use in the Sentinel Events Database. Directs the Secretary to establish such Database for use on the Internet, with appropriate privacy safeguards for individuals whose treatment is the subject of a report under this Act. Requires additional reporting in certain cases, including to the following: (1) the Secretary about a provider identified as having a pattern of poor performance; and (2) the State Attorney General or the appropriate State law enforcement agency in sentinel events involving death. Mandates sanctions for failure to report. Bars disclosure or discovery of a root cause analysis in a civil action.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1999
Elementary and Secondary School Library Media Resources, Training, and Advanced Technology Assistance Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to establish a program to provide for elementary and secondary school library media resources, including mandatory State allotments for library media resources and discretionary grants for school library access during non-school hours. Directs the Secretary of Education to make such allotments to applicant State educational agencies (SEAs) according to a specified formula. Allows the SEA and the Secretary to reserve specified amounts for certain statewide and national activities, including information dissemination. Requires SEAs to make allocations to applicant local educational agencies (LEAs) that have: (1) the greatest need for school library media improvement; and (2) the highest percentages of poverty. Sets forth authorized uses of such funds by LEAs, including: (1) acquisition of resources, including books; (2) acquisition of advanced technology; (3) resource-sharing among schools and their library media centers and public and academic libraries; (4) professional development for school library media specialists; and (5) collaboration between such specialists and teachers and administrators. Sets forth accountability requirements for continuation of funding. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to applicant LEAs to provide students with access to libraries in elementary schools and secondary schools during non-school hours, including the hours before and after school, weekends, and summer vacation periods. Requires that priority be given to LEAs that: (1) seek to provide activities that will increase reading skills and student achievement; (2) have effectively coordinated services and funding with entities involved in other Federal, State, and local efforts to provide programs and activities for students during non-school hours; and (3) have a high level of community support. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1999
Josephine Butler United States Health Service Act - Title I: Establishment and Operation of the United States Health Service - Subtitle A: Initial Organization - Establishes the United States Health Service (Service) as an independent executive branch entity. Vests the appropriate National Health Board of the Service (National Board) with the authority through which the authority of the Service shall be exercised. Provides that the authority of the Service shall also be exercised by area health boards in accordance with this Act and National Board guidelines. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle B: Organization of Area Health Boards - Sets forth procedures regarding election and appointment of interim national, interim regional, and initial and subsequent National, regional, district, and community health boards. Provides for the appropriate Boards to establish health care delivery regions, districts, and communities. Subtitle C: General Provisions Regarding Health Boards - Sets forth the membership and terms of office of health boards and certain public accountability and financial disclosure requirements with regard to serving on such boards. Establishes an Office of the Inspector General for the Service. Title II: Delivery of Health Care and Supplemental Services - Subtitle A: Patients' Rights in Health Care Delivery - Affords every user the right to receive high quality care and supplemental services from any facility within the Service capable of providing such services without charge and without discrimination. Sets forth a list of other basic health rights. (Sec. 202) Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to entitle certain employees to health leave compensation. Subtitle B: Eligibility for, Nature of, and Scope of Services Provided by the Service - Declares all individuals in the United States eligible to receive health care and supplemental services under this Act. Requires the Service to provide specified services. Provides for Service reimbursement of emergency health services costs. Subtitle C: Health Care Facilities and Delivery of Health Care Services - Requires each community board to maintain health care facilities as necessary for the delivery of primary, specialized, and community-oriented services. (Sec. 221) Requires each district board, where appropriate, to maintain a general hospital and other health care facilities and to provide specialized health care services. Requires each regional board to maintain the following: (1) a regional medical facility for highly specialized care; and (2) services that cannot be provided by community or district boards. Requires each area health board to hire health workers, purchase or lease necessary premises, minimize care delivery fragmentation and duplication, assist community and district boards in operating services, and ensure that all required health services under this title are available and accessible. Requires the National Board to authorize the National Institute of Evaluative Clinical Research to establish evidence-based clinical decision criteria that, where feasible, shall apply nationwide. (Sec. 222) Requires each health board to establish policies and organizational plans for the operation of a facility. Authorizes a health board that has established more than one health care facility to provide for a health care facility board or boards to manage any facility the health board cannot effectively manage. Prohibits a health board from permitting its facilities to be used for private service delivery. Prohibits health board employees from engaging in private service delivery. Requires regular facilities inspections. (Sec. 223) Requires area health boards to provide specified services, including abortion services counseling. Requires an individual to give written voluntary consent before any treatment or procedure which could affect the individual's capacity to reproduce children. Title III: Health Labor Force - Subtitle A: Job Categories and Certification - Declares that, notwithstanding State laws to the contrary, the Service shall be the sole judge of the qualifications of its employees. (Sec. 303) Requires the National Board to establish guidelines for the classification, certification, and employment of health workers. Requires that the guidelines permit alternative approaches to healing. Requires that each regional board establish advanced specialty training certification standards. Prohibits individual health facility administrators from downgrading the level of skill, license, or certification required to perform the duties delineated by the National Board. Directs the National Board to convene a national level task force to review the impact on the safety and health of patients and workers of downgrading and deskilling of health care job categories by replacing licensed with unlicensed workers during the 1990's, particularly in the nursing area, and to recommend remedies as appropriate. Prohibits health care workers who report compromises in the quality of care from being subjected to recriminations. Subtitle B: Education of Health Workers - Requires each regional board to establish a health team school to provide initial and continuing basic care delivery education and initial and continuing advanced specialty education. Requires that the schools be funded exclusively by the Service, prohibits them from charging or accepting tuition or fees, and requires them to provide each student with an allowance for living expenses, educational supplies, and any child care. (Sec. 312) Requires that enrollees agree to perform health care services as Service employees. (Sec. 313) Requires the National Board to make educational loan payments. Subtitle C: Employment and Labor-Management Relations Within the Service - Requires the National Board to ensure that all individuals employed as health workers before enactment of this Act and desiring employment in the Service find appropriate employment in the Service. (Sec. 321) Imposes certain remuneration-related restrictions on health workers and Service employees. (Sec. 323) Amends the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 to include the Service in the term "employer." (Sec. 324) Makes the remedies provided by stated Federal laws regarding jurisdiction and tort claims exclusive of any other civil action or proceeding. Title IV: Other Functions of Health Boards - Subtitle A: Advocacy, Grievance Procedures, and Trusteeships - Requires each area health board to establish a health advocacy program. (Sec. 401) Requires the National Board to establish a health rights legal services program for users and health workers. Subtitle B: Occupational Safety and Health Programs - Requires the National Board to oversee regional occupational safety and health programs and to participate in the establishment and administration of standards under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA). (Sec. 411) Amends OSHA to substitute references to the National Board for references to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). (Sec. 412) Requires each: (1) community board to provide for the operation of a community occupational safety and health action council; (2) regional board to establish a regional occupational health and safety program; and (3) Community Health Board to establish employer maintained worksite facilities to meet occupational and emergency health care needs of employees, with the cost borne by the employer. (Sec. 415) Grants employees in workplaces having 25 or more employees the right to establish workplace occupational safety and health committees. Authorizes such employees to monitor conditions and to remove themselves from the site of any hazard without loss of pay or other job rights. Subtitle C: Health and Health Care Delivery Research, Quality Assurance, and Health Equity - Requires the Service to conduct a program of health and health care delivery research. (Sec. 422) Transfers the National Institutes of Health from HHS to the National Health Board. Requires the National Board to establish the following five new national institutes of: Epidemiology, Evaluative Clinical Research, Health Care Services, Pharmacy and Medical Supply, and Sociology of Health and Health Care. Subtitle D: Health Planning, Distribution of Drugs and Other Medical Supplies, and Miscellaneous Functions - Requires the following: (1) each area board to collect data on supply and demand regarding health workers and care delivery; (2) publication of a National Pharmacy and Medical Supply Formulary; and (3) each regional board to establish a program for the purchase and distribution of drugs and other medical supplies. Authorizes the National Board to operate drug and medical supply manufacturing facilities. Title V: Financing of the Service - Subtitle A: Health Service Taxes - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to impose on individuals and on corporations additional taxes of specified percentages of the total taxes otherwise imposed on individuals and on corporations under IRC. (Sec. 502) Ends the exclusion from gross income of amounts paid by third parties for medical care. Excludes from gross income employer contributions to accident or health plans to the extent that such contributions do not provide for health care available to such employees under this Act. Prohibits income tax deductions for: (1) health care expenses as a trade or a business expense; and (2) contributions to certain medical and hospital facilities. Repeals IRC provisions regarding medical and dental expenses, hospital insurance tax imposed on employment and self-employment income, and receipts for railroad employees. (Sec. 503) Declares that no contractual or other nonstatutory obligation of any employer to pay or provide for health care for present or former employees and their dependents and survivors shall apply on or after the effective date of health services under this Act to the extent such individuals are eligible to receive such services under this Act. (Sec. 504) Prohibits Federal, State, or private workers' compensation programs from paying for or providing any health care on or after the effective date of health services under this Act to the extent such care is available under this Act. Subtitle B: Health Service Trust Fund - Creates in the Treasury the Health Service Trust Fund (Fund). (Sec. 511) Appropriates to the Fund: (1) amounts equal to 100 percent of the expected net receipts from taxes imposed by subtitle A as well as Federal Hospital Insurance employment taxes; and (2) a Government contribution equal to 40 percent of the amount so appropriated. (Sec. 512) Transfers to the Fund all assets and liabilities of the Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA))trust funds. Subtitle C: Preparation of Plans and Budgets - Requires the National Board to annually fix the maximum amount of funds which may be expended from the Fund during the fiscal year. Subtitle D: Allocation and Distribution of Funds - Requires the National Board to transmit annually a national budget to regional boards. Declares the budget adopted on approval by a majority of the regional boards. (Sec. 532) Sets forth similar requirements for preparation and adoption of regional and district budgets. (Sec. 534) Requires each National Board budget to incorporate a fund for special operating expenses. (Sec. 535) Requires funds allocated under the national health budget to be distributed by the National Board from the Fund. Prohibits health boards from requesting or receiving funds from any other source. Subtitle E: General Provisions - Authorizes the National Board to borrow money, issue and sell obligations, and pledge Fund assets. Empowers the National Board to require the Secretary of the Treasury to purchase the Service's obligations, to a specified maximum. (Sec. 541) Makes obligations issued by the Service obligations of the Government under certain circumstances. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, for the purchase of Service obligations, to use as a public debt transaction the proceeds from the sale of any securities issued under the Second Liberty Bond Act. Title VI: Miscellaneous Provisions - Repeals, on the effective date of health services under this Act, the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), except for specified provisions regarding: (1) its short title and definitions; (2) licensing, quarantine, and inspections authority; and (3) safety of public water systems. Delays, until four years after the effective date of health services, repeal of portions of PHSA regarding provision of assistance to educational institutions and their students in areas that have not established health team schools. (Sec. 602) Repeals SSA provisions relating to maternal and child health (title V of SSA), Medicare, Medicaid (title XIX of SSA), professional standards review (part B of title XI of SSA), plus additional various specified SSA provisions relating to entitlement to hospital insurance benefits, uniform health reporting systems, limitation on Federal participation for capital expenditures, the program for determining qualification for certain health care personnel, disclosure of ownership and related information, disclosure of certain convictions, and payments to States for health care and supplemental services. Repeals the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), specified provisions on medical benefits and on programs relating to veterans, and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). Repeals the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act of 1970; the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1974; and specified provisions of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 relating to medical treatment of narcotic addiction. Repeals specified Federal law regarding hospitals, community hospitals, and other health facilities for Indians. Repeals the District of Columbia Medical Facilities Construction Act of 1968 and the District of Columbia Medical and Dental Manpower Act of 1970. Repeals specified provisions of the National Housing Act regarding mortgage insurance for nursing homes, hospitals, and group practice facilities. Repeals the Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act of 1963; the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act of 1970; the National Arthritis Act of 1974; and the National Diabetes Mellitus Research and Education Act. Repeals specified provisions of the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act regarding grant, demonstration, and research programs for lead-based paint poisoning prevention. Repeals specified OSHA provisions regarding the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Requires the President to prepare and submit to Congress legislation to repeal or amend provisions of laws that are inconsistent with this Act. (Sec. 603) Transfers to the Fund amounts appropriated to carry out the purposes of any law repealed by this Act. (Sec. 604) Amends Federal money and finance law to require the President's annual budget submitted to Congress to account for expenditures from, and appropriations to, the Fund separately from such items with respect to expenditures and appropriations relating to other operations of the Government.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1999
Ecosystem and Indigenous Peoples Protection Act - Expresses congressional pleasure that the institutions of the World Bank Group have adopted environmental assessment and information access procedures, but states the sense of Congress that the World Bank Group has not made significant progress in complying with environmental and social mandates. Amends the International Financial Institutions Act to provide that no U.S. funds may be made available to the World Bank Group: (1) if a determination is made that the use of any part of the funds will have a significant adverse environmental impact, or will violate an environmental or social policy of the World Bank Group; (2) if there is significant involuntary resettlement (with an exception); or (3) if a 'pay-for-performance policy' (requiring pay reduction or termination of employees involved in projects violating environmental or social policies) has not been implemented. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct U.S. executive directors in the World Bank Group to use their influence to achieve funding conditions. Provides for enforcement through payment reductions. Calls for public release of information on non- complying projects. Describes the scope of World Bank Group environmental and social policies to include, among other matters, environmental assessment, pest management, safety of dams, cultural property and indigenous peoples.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1999
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Amends Federal employee provisions to include the following as an employee, for purposes of authorized enrollment under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: (1) a member of the armed forces who began service before June 7, 1956, and retired after a minimum of 20 years of such service or by reason of a service-connected disability; and (2) the surviving widow or widower of such member. Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide FEHB coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay who is also entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member who is entitled to Medicare hospital insurance benefits; and (5) a family member of such member. Repeals a provision prohibiting coverage under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services for persons entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1999
Children's Protection and Community Cleanup Act of 1999 - Title I: Remedy - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to revise general rules for the selection of remedial cleanup actions. Removes a provision requiring the President to specifically address the long-term effectiveness of various alternative treatment or resource recovery technologies. Requires remedial actions to: (1) make contaminated property available for beneficial use to the maximum extent practicable; and (2) protect uncontaminated groundwater and surface water, wherever technically feasible, and restore such water to beneficial uses in a reasonable time period given the circumstances of the release of the hazardous substance concerned. Lists minimum factors to be taken into account by the President in assessing alternative remedial actions and selecting remedial actions. Requires selected remedial actions, unless the President determines that a risk-based standard for a contaminant is based on data and assumptions adequate to assure protection of children's health, to reduce contamination to background levels (where more stringent) with respect to such contaminant, to the maximum extent technically feasible. Prohibits the selection of an action that allows hazardous substances to remain on site above levels that would be protective for unrestricted use unless institutional controls are incorporated into the action to achieve protection of human health and the environment during and after completion of the action. Requires remedial actions for hazardous substances that remain on site to comply with any more stringent and legally applicable tribal standard. Directs the President to ensure that a remedial action attains standards of control protective of human health and the environment in cases where: (1) no Federal, State, or tribal standard has been established for the specific hazardous substance present at the facility where the action is being undertaken; or (2) there are multiple hazardous substances present and the remedial action is not protective even though applicable requirements would be attained. Removes a provision which requires the President to conform a remedial action to a State standard in cases where a State has initiated a law suit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prior to May 1, 1986. Eliminates a provision which allows the President to select a remedial action that does not attain a standard equivalent to a legally applicable standard if compliance with requirements is technically impracticable from an engineering perspective. Sets forth minimum requirements for remedies for contaminated groundwater or surface water in cases where a legally applicable standard for a hazardous substance is waived. Authorizes the President to use institutional controls as a supplement to, but not as a substitute for, other response measures under CERCLA. Lists requirements for actions that rely on institutional controls. Provides for funds to be established for facilities for which the selected remedy is containment or at which hazardous substances remain on site above levels that would allow for unrestricted use of the facility. Requires such funds to be sufficient to guarantee successful performance of a remedy and, to the extent technically feasible, future beneficial reuse. Directs the EPA Administrator (Administrator) to report annually to Congress, for each record of decision signed during the previous fiscal year, on the type of institutional controls and media affected and the institution designated to monitor, enforce, and ensure compliance with such controls. Makes procedural requirements of State laws inapplicable to the portion of any removal or remedial action conducted entirely on site, except for recordkeeping and reporting. (Sec. 102) Sets forth criteria for institutional control instruments. Requires the President, if such an instrument is adopted, to record a notice of property use restriction in the public land records for the jurisdiction in which the affected property is located. Makes such instruments enforceable in perpetuity (unless terminated and released) against holders of interest in an affected property and all persons who subsequently acquire such interest. Directs the President to maintain a registry of all property at which institutional controls have been established in connection with response actions. Describes types of institutional control instruments, including easements. Authorizes the President, in order to respond to a release or threatened release of a hazardous substance, to acquire an easement to limit or control the use of land or other natural resources. Permits easements to be used wherever institutional controls have been selected as a component of a response action. Sets forth provisions regarding the President's authority to assign easements to other parties, issue orders imposing restrictions on land or natural resources, and include State institutional controls in response actions. (Sec. 103) Requires the President to ensure that a removal action is not undertaken in lieu of a long-term remedial action. Title II: Community Participation and Human Health - Subtitle A: Community Participation - Revises provisions regarding grants for technical assistance to make such grants available to Community Advisory Groups or affected communities (defined as two or more individuals affected by the release or threatened release of a hazardous substance at a covered facility). Defines a "covered facility" as a facility: (1) that has been listed or proposed for listing on the National Priorities List (NPL); (2) at which the Administrator is undertaking an action anticipated to exceed one year or a specified funding limit; or (3) with respect to which the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Administrator has accepted a petition requesting a health assessment or related health activity. Expands the list of authorized grant activities and increases the maximum amount of such grants. Requires the President to take specified actions to provide for meaningful public participation in every significant phase of response activities under CERCLA. Permits Community Advisory Groups, affected Indian tribes and communities, and local government and health officials to propose remedial alternatives to the President. Requires the President to make records relating to response actions at a covered facility available to the public throughout all phases of an action. Sets forth additional requirements with respect to public notice of certain removal actions. (Sec. 203) Requires States or Indian tribes with covered facilities to establish Community Information and Access Offices. Provides funding for such Offices. Directs the Administrator to establish Offices for States or tribes that fail to do so. (Sec. 204) Requires the President to provide the opportunity for the establishment of a Community Advisory Group, a representative public forum, to achieve direct, regular, and meaningful consultation with all interested parties throughout all stages of a response action whenever: (1) the President determines such a group will be helpful; or (2) ten individuals residing in the area in which the covered facility is located, or ten percent of the population of a locality in which the covered facility is located, whichever is fewer, petition for a Group to be established. Directs the President to adopt any consensus recommendation of a Group on land use as part of the remedy selected for the facility, with exceptions. Authorizes the President to provide administrative support for such groups. Directs the Administrator to submit to Congress a community study that includes an analysis of: (1) the speed of listing; (2) the speed and nature of response actions; (3) the degree to which public views are reflected in response actions; (3) use of institutional controls; and (4) the population, race, ethnicity, and income characteristics of communities affected by facilities listed or proposed for listing on the NPL. Requires periodic updates of such study. Directs the Administrator to institute necessary improvements or modifications to address any deficiencies identified by the study. (Sec. 206) Requires the Administrator to conduct a program to assist in the recruitment and training of individuals in affected communities for employment in response activities. Subtitle B: Human Health - Directs the President to notify State and local public health authorities and tribal health officials whenever there is reason to believe that a release (or threat of release) of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant has occurred, is occurring, or is about to occur. Requires the ATSDR Administrator to perform a health assessment for each facility listed, or proposed for listing, on the NPL, including Federal facilities. Permits related health activities to be performed in lieu of assessments for facilities that are so listed or proposed for ecological reasons only. Requires the ATSDR Administrator to develop and distribute educational materials on human health effects of hazardous substances to the public. (Sec. 213) Provides for research on exposure or tolerance limits for hazardous substances found commonly at NPL facilities in cases where adequate information on health effects of a substance is not available. Expands the duties of the ATSDR Administrator to require the Administrator to establish an inventory of exposure or tolerance limits for such substances. (Sec. 215) Directs the President, in any case in which a person is relocated in order to reduce exposure and eliminate health risks from hazardous substances, to provide to the individual the replacement value of the individual's residence. (Sec. 216) Authorizes and directs the ATSDR Administrator, pursuant to specified grants and contracts, to provide health services to communities affected by the release of hazardous substances. Makes funds available for such services for FY 2002 through 2006. (Sec. 217) Provides for cooperation with Indian tribes with respect to certain ATSDR activities. Requires the ATSDR Administrator to include in a biennial report on ATSDR activities the health impacts on Indian tribes of hazardous substances from covered facilities. Subtitle C: General Provisions - Sets forth effective dates for provisions of this title. Title III: Right to Know - Requires the annual disclosure of certain information by potentially responsible parties at NPL facilities and owners or operators of facilities subject to toxic chemical release reporting requirements under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA). Includes within such required disclosures information on quantities of certain hazardous substances and potential exposure of facility employees. Directs the Administrator to consolidate all annual reporting pursuant to title I of CERCLA and other Federal environmental laws to the extent not prohibited by such laws. Prescribes penalties for noncompliance with disclosure requirements. Amends EPCRA to permit the withholding of portions of information required to be disclosed under CERCLA for purposes of protecting trade secrets. (Sec. 302) Requires owners or operators of facilities subject to EPCRA reporting requirements to submit to the Administrator and State officials annual unstudied chemical release forms for each chemical subject to this section that was manufactured, processed, or used in quantities exceeding thresholds during the preceding year at the facility. Permits the Administrator to: (1) apply such requirements to other facilities that use unstudied chemicals, as appropriate; and (2) exclude a class of facilities in a Standard Industrial Classification Code that is required to report under EPCRA if unstudied chemicals will not cause certain adverse human health or environmental effects. Makes subject to the requirements of this section an unstudied chemical: (1) for which the information needed to complete a preliminary assessment of potential toxicity is not available; and (2) that is a compound containing at least carbon, hydrogen, and one or more of the elements chlorine, fluorine, or bromine or is a compound included on the 1990 High Production Volume List issued pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act. Authorizes the addition of chemicals subject to such requirements based on health or environmental effects or presence in human tissues, food stuffs, or drinking water. Excludes from reporting requirements chemicals: (1) that are listed under EPCRA; (2) that are high molecular weight polymers; or (3) for which information is publicly available. Sets forth provisions regarding information needed for preliminary assessment of potential toxicity of unstudied chemicals. Establishes threshold amounts of unstudied chemicals which trigger reporting requirements. Makes release form information publicly available. Authorizes petitions to the Administrator to compel certain actions under this title, including the exemption from reporting, addition of chemicals subject to reporting, and revision of thresholds. Requires the Administrator to establish a national unstudied chemicals inventory based on submitted data. Makes violations of this title subject to civil and administrative penalties under EPCRA. Provides trade secret protection for information disclosed under this title in the same manner as provided under EPCRA. Title IV: Environmental Justice - Directs the President, acting through the Secretary of Commerce, to publish a list of special priority areas which shall be geographic areas in which residents face a high degree of economic distress or social disenfranchisement. Provides for updates to such list no later than two years after each official census count on social and economic characteristics. Describes areas to be included on such list. Requires the President to advertise the right of petition for assessment of a hazardous substance release in such areas. Directs the President to publish a list of special priority facilities which shall be those facilities located in special priority areas that are: (1) listed in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System; (2) the subject of a petition; or (3) those the President considers appropriate. Establishes deadlines for completing preliminary assessments, site inspections, and hazard ranking of such facilities and for listing them on the NPL. Requires the President to ensure that a remedial action for any such facility on the NPL is completed within three years of placement on the NPL. Provides exceptions from placing such facilities on the NPL. Title V: Children's Environmental Health - Requires the ATSDR Administrator and the Administrator to create a scientifically peer-reviewed list of environmental pollutants commonly found at facilities listed or proposed for listing on the NPL with known or suspected health risks to which fetuses and children are especially susceptible. Provides for a toxicological profile for each listed substance. Directs the Administrator or the Secretary of Health and Human Services, as appropriate, to review and revise, where necessary, environmental and public health regulations, risk assessment policies and procedures, and guidance documents issued under CERCLA to determine whether they consider and fully protect fetal and children's health. Incorporates fetal and children's health concerns into all health research initiatives under CERCLA. Requires the ATSDR Administrator to develop: (1) guidelines for addressing fetal and children's health issues in health studies and research programs; and (2) criteria for determining when and what type of child-specific health study shall be conducted based on the results of a health assessment. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the costs of such research programs should be borne by the manufacturers and processors of the hazardous substance in question. Directs the ATSDR Administrator to: (1) establish an exposure registry for all children exposed to hazardous substances as the result of a release at an NPL facility where levels of exposure are significant for children's health; and (2) implement specified children's environmental health education and training programs. Requires all lists, profiles, studies, and research results conducted under this title to be reported or adopted only after appropriate peer review. Sets forth requirements for peer reviews. Title VI: Brownfield Remediation and Environmental Cleanup - Subtitle A: Brownfields - Directs the Administrator to establish a program to award grants to local governments to inventory and conduct site assessments of brownfield sites and provide training in the cleanup of such sites. Defines a "brownfield site" as land that contains or contained abandoned or under-used commercial or industrial facilities, the expansion or redevelopment of which may be complicated by the presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. Sets forth grant application requirements and grant conditions. Requires States to submit information to the Administrator on brownfield sites. Directs the Administrator to compile a National Brownfields Registry. Directs the Administrator to establish a program to award grants to be used by local governments to capitalize revolving loan funds for the cleanup of brownfield sites, including associated rivers and streams. Authorizes local governments to provide such loans to finance cleanups by such governments or by owners or prospective purchasers of affected brownfield sites. Sets forth grant application and agreement requirements. Requires grant recipients to report to the Administrator on the extent of local citizen involvement in funded projects. Authorizes the Administrator to award a grant to a State if necessary to facilitate the receipt of funds by local governments that do not have the capabilities to manage grants. Makes certain facilities ineligible for the grant program, including facilities that are the subject of response actions and Federal facilities. Authorizes the President to make exceptions for excluded facilities and allow grants on a facility-by-facility basis. Makes amounts available from the Hazardous Substance Superfund (Superfund) to carry out the grant programs. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2005. (Sec. 602) Authorizes the Administrator to award grants to, and enter into cooperative agreements with, States, Indian tribes, municipalities, and other specified agencies and organizations for training, technology transfer, and information dissemination programs to strengthen environmental response activities. (Sec. 603) Requires the Administrator to provide grants and other forms of assistance for brownfields workforce training programs in communities that contain brownfield sites. Subtitle B: Innocent Landowners and Prospective Purchaser Liability - Amends CERCLA, with respect to defenses to liability of an owner of after-acquired property, to deem a person to have made (under current law, "undertaken") appropriate inquiry into the property's previous ownership and uses if the person establishes that an environmental site assessment was conducted which meets specified requirements (compliance with an American Society for Testing and Materials standard or with standards issued by the President) and the person fulfills certain responsibilities concerning information compilation, exercise of appropriate care with respect to hazardous substances at the facility, and cooperation with those conducting response actions. (Sec. 622) Absolves from liability for response actions bona fide prospective purchasers to the extent liability at a facility for a release or threat thereof is based solely on ownership or operation of a facility. Gives a lien upon a facility to the United States for unrecovered response costs in any case in which there are such unrecovered costs for which the owner is not liable by reason of this section and the facility's fair market value has increased above that which existed 180 days before the action was taken. (Sec. 623) Exempts certain contiguous property owners from liability. Subtitle C: Department of Housing and Urban Development Brownfield Grants - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants, in connection with the authority to guarantee obligations to finance certain community development activities, to eligible public entities for projects and activities for economic redevelopment of brownfield sites. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for FY 2001 through 2005. Title VII: Natural Resource Damages - Adds the reasonable costs of recovering natural resource damages to the list of recoverable damages for which liable parties are responsible under CERCLA. (Sec. 703) Eliminates the damage assessment rebuttable presumption and prescribes revised procedures for natural resource damage assessments. (Sec. 704) Authorizes a trustee for natural resources to establish an administrative record on which the trustee will base the selection of a plan for restoration of the resource. Provides for participation of interested persons in the development of an administrative record. (Sec. 705) Provides that the presence of hazardous substances in sediments of U.S. waters above background or reference levels shall be sufficient to establish injury to natural resources for purposes of determining liability. Directs the Administrator and the appropriate natural resource trustees to report to Congress on how response, remedial, and restoration actions are restoring and protecting natural resources affected by the facilities of: (1) Hudson River, New York; (2) Newark and New York Bays, New York and New Jersey; (3) Housatonic River, Connecticut and Massachusetts; (4) New Bedford Harbor, Massachusetts; (5) Clark Fork River, Montana; (6) Lavaca Bay, Texas; (7) Palos Verdes, California; (8) Fox River, Wisconsin; (9) Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; and (10) Hanford, Washington. (Sec. 706) Requires natural resource trustees to conduct a program to assist in the recruitment and training of individuals in affected communities for employment in restoration activities. (Sec. 707) Revises provisions regarding the statute of limitations on natural resource damage actions. (Sec. 708) Adds archaeological resources to the definition of "natural resources" under CERCLA. (Sec. 709) Authorizes citizen suits to recover natural resources damages. Title VIII: Federal Facilities - Revises provisions regarding the applicability of CERCLA to the U.S. Government. Makes Federal agencies subject to all Federal, State, interstate, and local requirements regarding response actions and damages related to, or management of, hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants in the same manner as any nongovernmental entity. Waives immunity of the United States with respect to the enforcement of injunctive relief. Makes Federal employees subject to criminal sanctions under State or Federal response laws. Authorizes the Administrator to issue an abatement order to a Federal agency and requires initiation of an administrative enforcement action in the same manner as action would be initiated against any other person. Requires all funds collected by a State from the Federal Government from penalties imposed under this section to be used only for projects to improve or protect the environment or to defray costs of environmental protection or enforcement unless a State law requires such funds to be used differently. Requires Federal agencies to notify States and the Administrator of removal actions. Sets forth additional conditions under which a Federal property may be transferred to any other person without a covenant warranting that all remedial action has been taken on the property. Establishes additional assurances to be contained in deeds governing such transfers with regard to hazardous substances releases for which a Federal agency is potentially responsible. Title IX: Liability - Provides exemptions to liability (including liability for contribution) for response costs for pre-July 1997 acts if liability is based solely on arranging for disposal, treatment, or transport of, or accepting, a specified limited amount of hazardous substances. Absolves certain small parties of liability based on arrangement or acceptance provisions if the substance involved was municipal solid waste or sewage sludge. Removes a provision which excludes petroleum from the definition of "hazardous substance" under CERCLA. Provides that persons liable for willful releases of hazardous substances or threats thereof may be liable to the United States for punitive damages in an amount of up to two times the costs incurred by Superfund as a result of such a release. Title X: Funding - Extends the authorization of appropriations to carry out specified Superfund authorities through FY 2005. (Sec. 1007) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the environmental income tax to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2000, and before January 1, 2006. Extends specified provisions regarding: (1) Superfund's financing rate; (2) limits on tax if the unobligated balance in Superfund exceeds a specified amount; and (3) the repayment deadline for advances made to Superfund. Title XI: Miscellaneous - Increases the ceiling on certain penalties under CERCLA. Prescribes penalties for specified additional violations. (Sec. 1103) Considers a remedial action that attains applicable requirements to be protective of human health and the environment unless the President determines otherwise. Directs the President to establish additional requirements to ensure such protection, as necessary. Provides that the decontamination regulations for site termination issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on July 21, 1997, shall not be considered sufficiently protective. Revises the definition of "federally permitted release" under CERCLA with respect to releases of source, special nuclear, or byproduct material in compliance with licenses, permits, regulations, or orders pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to apply such definition only if such licenses, permits, regulations, or orders adequately protect groundwater. Applies requirements of this Act pertaining to Federal facilities to facilities subject to licenses or decontamination regulations for license termination issued by the NRC. Amends environmental excise tax provisions to treat uranium dioxide as a taxable chemical only if it is used as a fuel in a nuclear reactor.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1999
National Youth Technology Corps Act - Amends the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 to establish a National Youth Technology Corps (NYTC) as part of the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program, using VISTA volunteers who are highly proficient in computer technologies. Includes under NYTC functions: (1) recruiting and organizing youth to implement and maintain computer systems for public schools, community centers, public senior centers, and libraries, and to teach students, teachers, senior citizens, and others how to use computer and other information technologies and systems; (2) promoting such youth's involvement in community services involving the use of technology; (3) promoting entrepreneurship among, and employment opportunities for, such youth in technology-related fields; and (4) providing recognition to affiliated youth and organizations for outstanding efforts and achievements. Requires assignment of such volunteers to projects and programs that meet the antipoverty criteria and provide assistance to persons who are unserved or underserved by computer education programs, according to specified priorities. Allows such programs and projects to be administered by various specified types of entities. Requires equitable distribution of such volunteers. Requires NYTC to consist of all VISTA volunteers who are working on the described projects and programs. Provides for proportionate reduction of NYTC funds for any fiscal year for which VISTA funding is reduced.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1999
Captive Elephant Accident Prevention Act of 1999 - Prohibits, and sets penalties for, knowingly making available an elephant for use in a traveling show or circus, or for the purpose of allowing individuals to ride that elephant.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1999
Debt Relief and IMF Reform Act of 1999 - Amends the Bretton Woods Agreements Act to prohibit the U.S. director to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from voting for any proposal to sell gold, unless: (1) Congress has enacted a joint resolution authorizing its sale; (2) the IMF has canceled all debts owed to it by countries eligible for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative and Haiti; (3) the Secretary of the Treasury demonstrates to Congress that there is no other feasible way to finance the cancellation of such debts; (4) the most recent operational IMF budget has been published, with any information that could disrupt financial markets or affect adversely the national security of any country redacted, and other specified requirements met; (5) Congress has enacted a joint resolution certifying that the IMF is in full compliance with specified conditions imposed by title VI of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1999; (6) the proposal to sell meets certain conditions; (7) the interest accruing to the IMF on any investment of the residual sale proceeds will be used for the provision of debt relief for such countries without conditions; and (8) the U.S. Government budget displays costs of U.S. participation in the IMF, in accordance with the guidelines provided in the President's Commission on Budget Concepts. Prohibits U.S. officers, employees or agents from providing any thing of value to the IMF for the purpose of providing resources to the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) or other concessional lending facility of the IMF. Amends the Bretton Woods Agreements Act to require the U.S. director of the IMF to use every effort to terminate the ESAF. Prohibits appropriations for payments to the IMF until it has canceled all debts owed to it by HIPCs and Haiti. Prohibits the U.S. governor to the IMF from voting for any proposal for any quota increase for the IMF, unless, before the proposal was made, Congress received notice of the proposal and the position of the Executive Branch on it, and Congress has enacted a joint resolution of approval.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1999
Calls upon the President: (1) not to participate in any international negotiation in which antidumping or antisubsidy rules are part of the negotiating agenda; (2) to refrain from submitting for congressional approval agreements that require changes to the current antidumping and countervailing duty laws and enforcement policies of the United States; and (3) to enforce the antidumping and countervailing duty laws vigorously in all pending and future cases.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1999
Amends the National School Lunch Act, with respect to the child and adult care food program, to revise eligibility requirements for private organizations providing nonresidential day care services. Requires only that at least 25 percent of the children served by it meet the income eligibility criteria for free or reduced price meals. (Current law limits institutional eligibility to an organization receiving compensation under title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) of the Social Security Act for at least 25 percent of its enrolled children or 25 percent of its licensed capacity, whichever is less.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1999
East Timor Self-Determination Act of 1999 - Declares that: (1) Congress recognizes that the Government of Indonesia took a positive step by agreeing on September 12, 1999, to the deployment of an international peacekeeping force to East Timor; and (2) the purpose of this Act is to encourage such Government to take such additional steps as are necessary to create a peaceful environment in which the United Nations Assistance Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) can fulfill its mandate and implement the results of the August 30, 1999, vote on East Timor's political status. Prohibits the provision of multilateral and bilateral economic assistance (except humanitarian assistance), or military assistance, or the licensing or delivery of exports of defense articles or defense services (except in connection with the international peacekeeping force) to the Government of Indonesia or East Timor. Urges the President to continue to coordinate with other countries, particularly member states of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, to develop a comprehensive, multilateral strategy to further the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1999
Clean Smokestacks Act of 1999 - Amends the Clean Air Act (CAA) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations to achieve specified reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, and mercury from powerplants (electric generation facilities with a nameplate capacity of 15 megawatts or greater that use a combustion device to generate electricity for sale) by January 1, 2005. Requires outdated powerplants, on the later of the date 30 years after the powerplant commenced operation or five years after this Act's enactment, to comply with the most recent new source performance standards under CAA provisions regarding air quality and emissions limitations and with specified requirements for modified sources. Defines an "outdated powerplant" as a powerplant that has been in operation for 30 years or more.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1999
Pension Benefits Protection and Preservation Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require the plan administrator of any large (100 or more participants) defined employee benefit plan (applicable plan) to notify each applicable individual of any adoption of plan amendments that may reduce future benefit accruals of one or more participants to a specified significant extent (plan amendments), with details on the change's possible effect on the individual's pension, at least 45 days before such a plan change becomes effective. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to enforce specified age discrimination provisions relating to pensions under the Code, without regard to the portion of the preamble to a specified Treasury Decision which relates to allocation of interest adjustments through normal retirement age under a cash balance plan. Declares that such preamble is, and has been since its adoption, without the force of law. Requires applicable plans to offer, in addition to the notice and written statement of benefit change, opportunity for applicable individual participants to elect to continue benefit accruals, without regard to such plan amendments, under the former defined benefit plan instead of under a cash benefit plan. Imposes an excise tax for the failure of any applicable pension plan to offer an opportunity to applicable participants to continue benefit accruals under the former defined benefit plan in the event of significant reductions in future plan accruals. Sets the amount of such tax at 50 percent of the excess pension assets in the plan. Makes the plan liable for such tax in the case of a multiemployer plan, and the employer liable in any other case. Prohibits pension plan amendments that reduce future accrued benefits for years of service for any participants in applicable plans (large defined benefit plans with 100 or more members). Sets forth criteria, under both the Code and ERISA, for determining when a pension plan amendment by an applicable plan shall be treated as reducing the accrued benefit of a participant.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1999
Requires the Secretary of the Interior to insert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in the District of Columbia a suitable plaque to commemorate the speech of Martin Luther King, Jr., known as the "I Have A Dream" speech.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1999
Internet Consumer Information Protection Act - Prohibits, with limited exceptions, an interactive computer service from disclosing to a third party any personally identifiable information provided by a subscriber without such subscriber's consent. Prohibits such service or its employee from knowingly disclosing to a third party any personally identifiable information provided by a subscriber that such service has knowingly falsified. Requires, at a subscriber's request, such service to: (1) provide the subscriber's personally identifiable information maintained by the service; and (2) permit the subscriber to verify and correct such information. Prohibits the service from charging a fee for such information. Grants the Federal Trade Commission the authority to: (1) investigate whether a service has been or is engaged in any act or practice prohibited by this Act; and (2) if so, issue a cease and desist order if such service were in violation of specified provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Allows a subscriber aggrieved by a violation of this Act to obtain appropriate relief in a civil action.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1999
Medicare Vision Rehabilitation Coverage Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of vision rehabilitation services under the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1999
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide a guaranteed annual forest receipts payment (of not less than the FY 1998 payment) to each eligible State, territory, or county. Sets forth payment determination provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1999
Universal Pre-Kindergarten and Early Childhood Education Act of 1999 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include, among authorized uses of grant funds for community learning center programs, the planning, implementing, or expanding of pre-kindergarten curricula and classes for students four years of age or younger. Requires such pre-kindergarten programs to be taught by teachers who possess qualifications equivalent or similar to those of teachers of other grades in the school involved.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1999
Same Day Voter Registration Act of 1999 - Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require States to permit individuals to register to vote in an election for Federal office on the date of the election.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 1999
Federal Employees Health Benefits Children's Equity Act of 1999 - Amends Federal law concerning the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program to direct the agency of an unenrolled employee who is required by a court or administrative order to provide health insurance coverage for a child who meets FEHB requirements to enroll the employee in a self and family enrollment option which provides the lower level of coverage under the Service Benefit Plan, if such employee fails to enroll for self and family coverage in a health benefits plan that provides full benefits and services in the location in which the child resides and does not provide documentation showing that such coverage has been provided through other health insurance.