United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1999
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations to the Department of Labor for FY 1999 through 2003 for: (1) trade adjustment assistance to displaced workers and for firms; and (2) the North American Free Trade Agreement Transitional Adjustment Assistance Program. Increases the total amount of payments for job training of displaced workers due to import competition to $30 million for the period October 1, 1998 through June 30, 1999. Provides that a certification of eligibility to apply for trade adjustment assistance shall not cover a worker whose last total or partial separation from a firm occurred more than two years (currently, one year) before the date of a petition on which such certification was granted (effectively extending the time for filing the petition for worker assistance).
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1999
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives regarding postpartum depression, including recommending that: (1) all hospitals and clinics provide departing new mothers, fathers, and family members with complete information about its symptoms, methods of coping, and treatment resources; and (2) the National Institutes of Health undertake additional research on postpartum psychiatric illnesses.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1999
Commends President Glafcos Clerides of Cyprus for his decision to cancel the deployment of the S-300 antiaircraft missiles in Cyprus. Urges the President of the United States to use the influence of the U.S. Government to persuade Turkey to comply with United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1217 and 1218 and to cooperate for a solution to the Cyprus problem.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1999
Internet Growth and Development Act of 1999 - Title I: Authorization of Electronic Signatures in Commerce - Requires all electronic signatures that have been electronically authenticated under provisions of this Act to have standing equal to paper-based, written signatures for purposes of any record, rule, or law that requires a valid signature. Considers an electronic signature authenticated if it: (1) reliably establishes the identity of the maker, sender, or originator of a document or communication in electronic commerce; and (2) reliably establishes that such document or communication has not been altered. Provides methods of proof of such authentication. Title II: Electronic Mail Advertisements - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit a registered user of an electronic mail (e-mail) service provider to use such provider's equipment in violation of provider policy prohibiting or restricting the use of its service or equipment for the initiation of unsolicited e-mail advertisements. Requires compliance by senders with any such policy. States that a provider shall not be required to create such a policy. Provides a right of civil action by providers whose stated policy has been violated. Title III: Online Privacy Protection - Requires any person operating a commercial Internet website to clearly and conspicuously provide notice of its collection, use, and disclosure policies concerning personally identifiable information. Provides for enforcement of such requirement under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Title IV: Broadband Deployment - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to state that the term "interLATA service" shall not include services that consist of or include the transmission of any data or information by means of the Internet or any other network that employs Internet protocol-based or other packet-switched technology. Prohibits any Bell operating company or affiliate from providing through any such technology two-way voice-only interLATA telecommunications services originating in any of its in-region States until the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approves the application of such company for such State. Requires each local (telephone) exchange carrier to submit to the State commission in each State in which it does business a plan to provide broadband telecommunications service in all local exchange areas in which such carrier has telephone exchange service customers as soon as such service is economically reasonable and technically feasible. Requires such plan to include all terms and conditions under which broadband services will be provided. Provides for State commission certification of such plan, followed by plan implementation. Provides conditions under which a local exchange carrier shall no longer be obligated by the terms of such plan, such as the presence of another broadband service or Internet access provider in that local exchange area. Prohibits a State commission from modifying any submitted plan, and prohibits the FCC from approving or rejecting a plan. States that a local exchange carrier's provision of broadband local telecommunications services shall not be subject to FCC unbundled access and resale requirements when such carrier makes certain certifications to the appropriate State commissions with respect to the provision of broadband transmission loops to other carriers. Title V: Antitrust and Criminal Provisions - States that, in any civil action based on Federal antitrust law, evidence that an incumbent local exchange carrier that has market power in the broadband service provider market has willfully and knowingly failed to provide conditioned unbundled local loops when economically reasonable and technically feasible, or restrains the ability of a carrier to compete in such services, shall be sufficient to establish a presumption of an antitrust violation. Makes an identical presumption with respect to a broadband access transport provider's contracts for access to a service provider on terms less favorable than those offered to itself, an affiliate service provider, or another service provider. Makes it unlawful for such a provider to engage in unfair or deceptive acts or practices which discriminate in favor of an affiliated service provider, or to restrain the ability of another service provider from competing in the provision of such services. Amends the Federal criminal code to make it unlawful for any person or entity to: (1) initiate the transmission of a bulk unsolicited e-mail message to a protected computer with knowledge that such message falsifies information concerning the identity of such person or entity; or (2) intentionally sell or distribute any computer program the primary purpose of which is to conceal the source of transmitted information. Provides fines for such violations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Antitrust and Criminal Provisions Title II: Additional Provisions Internet Freedom Act - Title I: Antitrust and Criminal Provisions - Provides that in any civil action based on antitrust violations, evidence that an incumbent local exchange carrier that has market power in the broadband service provider market area has willfully and knowingly failed to provide conditioned unbundled local loops when economically reasonable and technically feasible, or restrains the ability of another carrier to compete in the provision of such services, shall establish a presumption of an antitrust violation. Establishes an identical presumption in the case of a broadband access transport provider that has market power in the broadband service provider market who has offered access to a service provider on terms and conditions less favorable than those otherwise offered, or restrains unreasonably the ability of another provider from competing in the provision of such services. Defines: (1) broadband as a transmission capability in excess of 200 kilobits per second in at least one direction; and (2) a broadband access transport provider as one who engages in the broadband transmission of data between a user and his service provider's point of interconnection with the broadband access transport provider's facilities. Makes it unlawful for a broadband access transport provider to engage in unfair methods of competition or unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the provision of such services. Amends the Federal criminal code to provide criminal penalties against anyone who intentionally: (1) and without authorization initiates the transmission of a bulk unsolicited electronic mail message to a protected computer with knowledge that such message falsifies an Internet domain, header information, or other identifier; or (2) sells or distributes any computer program designed primarily to conceal the source or routing information on such mail, has only limited commercially significant purpose or use, or is marketed by the violator or another person acting in concert with the violator with the violator's knowledge of such use. Title II: Additional Provisions - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require each local exchange carrier to submit to the State communications commission in each State in which such carrier does business a plan to provide broadband telecommunications service in all local exchange areas in which such carrier has telephone exchange service customers, as soon as such service is economically reasonable and technically feasible. Considers such plan certified unless rejected within 45 days. Requires plan implementation within 180 days (if reasonable and feasible). Prohibits State or Federal Communications Commission (FCC) modification of such plans. Provides that interLATA services shall not include services that consist of or include the transmission of any data or information by means of the Internet or any other network that employs Internet Protocol-based or other packet-switched technology. Prohibits a Bell operating company or its affiliate from providing, by the Internet or similar network employing such technology, two-way voice only interLATA telecommunications services originating in any of its in-region States until the FCC approves the application of such company for such State.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1999
Payday Borrower Protection Act of 1999 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to require persons under their jurisdiction engaged in the business of making payday loans to operate under State licensing and regulatory procedures which meet the criteria imposed by this Act for such transactions. Expresses the sense of Congress that deferred deposit loans should only be lawful in States in which laws and regulations are in effect that meet the requirements of this Act, as determined by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Enumerates State licensing criteria, including the provision of civil and criminal penalties for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1999
East Timer Paramilitary Accountability Resolution - Declares that the United States will no longer accept, condone, finance, or supply the Indonesian military occupiers or their proxies, the paramilitary civilian militia units, in East Timor. Urges the Secretaries of State and Defense to take an active and visible role in urging the Government of Indonesia and the Indonesian military to: (1) permit an international investigation of the massacre at Liquica; and (2) bring to justice those individuals responsible for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights in East Timor. Expresses the sense of the Congress that U.S. military assistance and arms transfers should not be provided to the Government of Indonesia unless the President certifies to the Congress that the Government of Indonesia: (1) is no longer arming, financing, or supporting paramilitary units in East Timor, and ceases its own military attacks on civilians, separate from and together with these paramilitary units; (2) has assisted in the disarming and disbanding of such paramilitary units; (3) allows free and open access to East Timor to a continuing United Nations (UN) presence, international human rights and relief and development organizations, and the press; and (4) has reduced substantially the Indonesian military (ABRI) troop presence in East Timor as the beginning of a UN-monitored withdrawal.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1999
Public School Modernization Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide: (1) a limited credit for qualified public school modernization bonds; (2) for qualified school construction bonds and qualified zone academy bonds and establish limits and allocation formulas for such bonds; and (3) corporations, a limited specialized training center credit. Amends the General Education Provisions Act to provide for the application of certain labor standards to projects financed under this Act. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish provisions concerning employment and training activities related to the construction or reconstruction of public school facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Children's Environmental Protection Subtitle A: Disclosure of Industrial Releases That Present a Significant Risk to Children Subtitle B: Disclosure of High Health Risk Chemicals in Children's Consumer Products Title II: Public Right to Know About Toxic Chemical Use Children's Environmental Protection and Right to Know Act of 1999 - Title I: Children's Environmental Protection - Subtitle A: Disclosure of Industrial Releases That Present a Significant Risk to Children - Amends the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish thresholds for toxic chemicals which may present significant risks to children's health or the environment. Includes lead, mercury, dioxin, cadmium, chromium, and other specified bioaccumulative chemicals as substances subject to such thresholds. Makes dioxin and specified bioaccumulative chemicals subject to toxic chemical release form reporting requirements under such Act. Authorizes citizen suits against the Administrator for failures to establish thresholds under this Act. Subtitle B: Disclosure of High Health Risk Chemicals in Children's Consumer Products - Amends the Federal Hazardous Substances Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the National Toxicology Program, to publish a list of substances which are toxic due to carcinogenic, neurotoxic, or reproductive toxic effects. Directs the Secretary to identify those substances to which infants and young children are exposed. Requires manufacturers or importers of eligible products (defined as toys or other articles intended for use by children) which contain such substances to report specified information to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, including information supporting that a substance is not a misbranded or banned hazardous substance. Authorizes exemptions from such reporting requirements if a substance would not cause substantial personal injury or illness as a result of foreseeable handling, including ingestion by children. Permits citizen suits with respect to certain violations under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act and against the Commission for failure to perform duties under this Act. Title II: Public Right to Know About Toxic Chemical Use - Expands information to be included in toxic chemical release forms, including the number of employees and occupational exposures at reporting facilities as well as materials accounting information. Requires the Administrator to take certain actions to: (1) standardize data and obtain and integrate information regarding toxic chemicals; (2) consolidate all annual reporting requirements of Federal environmental laws for small businesses and entities subject to toxic chemical release reporting; and (3) provide the public with one point of contact for access to information gathered by EPA. Requires disclosures on the uses of toxic chemicals by reporting facilities. Permits the withholding of portions of materials accounting information reported by covered facilities for purposes of protecting trade secrets.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Human Rights Information Act - Requires certain Federal agencies to identify and organize all human rights records regarding activities occurring in Guatemala and Honduras after 1944 for declassification and disclosure purposes, and to make them available to the public. Instructs the President to report to Congress regarding agency compliance. Prescribes guidelines under which the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel shall review agency determinations to postpone public disclosure of any human rights record. Authorizes postponement of such public disclosures on specified grounds. Requires any U.S. agency, upon request by an entity created by the United Nations, the Organization of American States (or similar entity), a national truth commission (or similar entity), or from the principal justice or human rights official of a country that is investigating a pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, to review, declassify, and publicly disclose any human pertinent rights records. Directs the Information Security Policy Advisory Council to report to Congress on declassification of human rights records relating to other countries and to make such report available to the public. Creates two additional positions in the Panel in order to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Cuban Food and Medicine Security Act of 1999 - Exempts from the embargo on trade with Cuba the export of food and other agricultural products (including fertilizer), medicines, medical supplies, instruments, or equipment, or any travel incident to the delivery of such items. Declares that such exemption shall not apply to certain restrictions imposed under the Export Administration Act of 1979 or the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report to specified congressional committees on existing U.S. agricultural export promotion and credit programs to determine how such programs can be carried out to promote the consumption of U.S. agricultural commodities in Cuba. Directs the President to report to Congress on: (1) the extent (expressed in volume and dollar amounts) of sales to Cuba of food and other agricultural products (including fertilizer), medicines, medical supplies, instruments, and equipment; (2) the types and end users of such items; and (3) whether there has been any indication that any medicines, medical supplies, instruments, or equipment exported to Cuba since enactment of this Act have been used for torture or other human rights abuses, were reexported, or were used in the production of any bio-technological product.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Dog and Cat Protection Act of 1999 - Prohibits: (1) the importation of dog or cat fur into the United States; and (2) any person in the United States from introducing into commerce, manufacturing, selling or offering to sell, trading, advertising, or transporting or distributing in commerce, any dog or cat fur product. Subjects a person to both civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Elderly Housing Quality Improvement Act - Amends the Housing Act of 1959 to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants to eligible housing owners for elderly housing capital repair and conversion to assisted living facilities. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 3) Authorizes, and sets forth the conditions under which, the Secretary shall approve sponsor prepayment and refinancing of principal and interest for elderly or handicapped project loans under the Housing Act of 1959. Amends the National Housing Act to permit multifamily project rehabilitation loans to be made from recaptured interest reduction contracts. Revises capital grant project eligibility. (Sec. 4) Authorizes appropriations, with respect to specified elderly and disabled housing, for: (1) service coordinator grants under the National Housing Act; (2) congregate services contacts under the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act.; (3) additional renewals and contracts not renewed in FY 1998 (directs the Secretary to use specified FY 1999 appropriations to renew all FY 1998 grants for service coordinators and congregate services); and (4) service coordinator and congregate services grants under the United States Housing Act of 1937. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to permit service coordinator services to be provided to low-income or elderly persons living in the vicinity of specified federally assisted housing. (Sec. 5) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to permit section 8 voucher and project-based assistance to be used for the rental costs of principal residence assisted living facilities. (Sec. 6) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a demonstration program of incremental section 8 vouchers for assisted living facilities for low-income elderly families. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 7) Amends the Housing Act of 1959 to: (1) authorize appropriations for new construction of elderly affordable housing; and (2) authorize additional appropriations to encourage leveraging of funds from other sources or development of additional affordable moderate-income elderly housing.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Made in USA Label Defense Act of 1999 - Amends Federal law to prohibit the affixation of the "Made in the USA" label to a product of the Northern Mariana Islands. Prohibits such products from being imported into the United States free of duty or quotas.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to restore and make permanent the exclusion from gross income for amounts received under qualified group legal services plans.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact Title II: Southern Dairy Compact Dairy Consumers and Producers Protection Act - Title I: Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact - Amends the Agricultural Market Transition Act to include Maryland, New Jersey, and New York within the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact. Includes Ohio among the additional States that may join such Compact, and eliminates Virginia from such group. Eliminates and revises specified provisions regarding Compact implementation, duration, restricting authority, and Commodity Credit Corporation compensation. Title II: Southern Dairy Compact - States that Congress consents to the Southern Dairy Compact entered into by Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Includes Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas as additional States that may join such Compact. Limits price regulatory authority to Class I fluid milk unless otherwise consented to by Congress. Provides for Commodity Credit Corporation compensation. Sets forth the Southern Dairy Compact.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
Retirement Accessibility, Security, and Portability Act of 1999 - Title I: Pension Access and Coverage - Subtitle A: Improved Access to Individual Retirement Savings - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow a tax credit for qualified start-up costs of eligible small employers in establishing a qualified pension plan or qualified employer payroll deduction system. Limits the amount of such credit to: (1) $1,000 for the first credit year; (2) $500 for each of the two taxable years immediately following the first credit year; and (3) zero for any other taxable year. (Sec. 102) Provides for an exclusion from an employee's gross income of payroll deduction contributions to individual retirement accounts (IRAs). (Sec. 103) Provides for a nonrefundable tax credit for contributions to individual retirement plans. (Sec. 104) Allows the use, without penalty, of distributions from certain plans during periods of unemployment. Subtitle B: Secure Money Annuity or Retirement (SMART) Trusts - Establishes a defined benefit plan option for small businesses, to be known as secure money annuity or retirement (SMART) trusts. Subtitle C: Improved Fairness in Retirement Plan Benefits - Amends the IRC to require a specified minimum employer contribution to simple retirement accounts. Provides for an employer option to suspend contributions with 30-days' notice. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) with respect to fiduciary duties in the case of such accounts. (Sec. 122) Amends the IRC to set forth various nondiscrimination rules for qualified cash or deferred arrangements and matching contributions. (Sec. 123) Increases from $75,000 to $80,000 per year specified compensation criteria for a highly compensated employee. Excludes specified categories of employees with respect to age, short length of service, and part-time service from the meaning of highly compensated employee. (Sec. 124) Includes multiemployer plans, as well as governmental plans, under specified provisions of IRC for: (1) special limitation rules relating to compensation limits; and (2) exemptions for survivor and disability benefits. (Sec. 125) Declares that compensation deferred under a mirror plan shall not be taken into account in applying certain limits (with respect to deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations) to compensation deferred under any other deferred compensation plan. (Sec. 126) Amends specified Federal law relating to Federal employees to allow immediate participation in the Thrift Savings Plan for Federal employees by eliminating certain waiting periods. (Sec. 127) Amends IRC and ERISA to set a full funding limitation for multiemployer plans. (Sec. 128) Eliminates IRC partial termination rules for multiemployer plans. (Sec. 129) Replaces the 150 percent of current liability factor in the calculation of the full-funding limit with an incremental scale from 155 percent in 1998 to 170 percent in 2001, followed by zero in 2002 and succeeding years. Title II: Security - Subtitle A: General Provisions - Amends ERISA to revise requirements for periodic pension benefits statements. (Sec. 202) Applies an ERISA requirement for annual, detailed investment reports to certain IRC section 401(k) plans. (Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary of Labor, in prescribing regulations for required information in such reports, to consider including specified types of information. (Sec. 204) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the extent to which pension plans invest in collectibles; and (2) whether such investments present a risk to the pension security of the participants and beneficiaries of such plans. (Sec. 205) Amends IRC to prohibit qualified employer plans from making loans through credit cards and other intermediaries. (Sec. 206) Increases the amounts of multiemployer plan benefits guaranteed under ERISA. (Sec. 207) Increases the maximum amount of the civil penalty which may be assessed administratively for certain prohibited transactions. (Sec. 208) Amends ERISA with respect to substantial owner benefits to revise the phase-in of guarantee and the allocation of assets. (Sec. 209) Directs the Secretary to report annually to the President and the Congress on plans from which residual assets were distributed to employers (reversion report). Subtitle B: ERISA Enforcement - Amends ERISA enforcement provisions to change from mandatory to discretionary the Secretary's authority to impose certain civil penalties for breach of fiduciary responsibilities. (Sec. 212) Revises reporting and enforcement requirements for employee benefit plans. Requires plan administrators and accountants to notify the Secretary: (1) of specified irregularities; and (2) upon termination of the accountant. Authorizes the Secretary to impose civil penalties for failure to make such notifications. (Sec. 213) Sets forth additional ERISA requirements for qualified public accountants. (Sec. 214) Directs the Inspector General of the Department of Labor to study, and report to Congress and the Secretary on, the need for regulatory standards and procedures to authorize the Secretary, in appropriate cases, to prohibit persons from serving as qualified accountants for purposes of specified annual reports. Subtitle C: Increase in Excise Tax on Employer Reversions - Amends the IRC to increase the excise tax on reversions of qualified employee benefit plan assets to employers. Title III: Portability - Amends ERISA and the IRC to provide for faster vesting of employer matching contributions. (Sec. 302) Revises certain restrictions on distributions from IRC section 401(k) plans. (Sec. 303) Amends ERISA and the IRC with respect to an accrued benefit not to be decreased by plan amendment to revise the treatment of transfers between defined contribution plans. (Sec. 304) Amends ERISA rules requiring transfer of benefits of missing participants to direct the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to prescribe similar rules for multiemployer plans that terminate. Requires transfer of missing participants' plan benefits to the PBGC by certain plans not otherwise subject to ERISA enforcement provisions. (Sec. 305) Allows rollovers from and to the IRC section 403(b) plans (annuities purchased for employees by a tax-exempt organization or public school). (Sec. 306) Amends the IRC to set forth requirements relating to rollover contributions from deferred compensation plans of State and local governments. (Sec. 307) Extends the IRC 60-day rollover period in the case of presidentially declared disasters and service in combat zones. (Sec. 308) Excludes from gross income, for certain IRC purposes, amounts involved in a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer to a defined benefit governmental plan, if such transfer is for: (1) purchase of service credit under such plan; or (2) a specified type of repayment. Title IV: Comprehensive Women's Pension Protection - Subtitle A: Pension Reform - Amends the IRC and ERISA to provide for the spouse's right to know specified distribution information relating to survivor annuities. Provides for the employee's right to know of the opportunity for elective contributions under IRC section 401(k) plans. (Sec. 402) Directs the Secretary of Labor to contract with an independent organization to create a women's pension toll-free phone number and contact. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 403) Amends the Social Security Act to modify the government pension offset with respect to certain insurance benefits for wives, husbands, widows, widowers, and mothers and fathers. (Sec. 404) Amends the IRC and ERISA to treat periods of family and medical leave, under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, as hours of service for purposes of pension participation and vesting. (Sec. 405) Amends the IRC to: (1) disallow integration for simplified employee pensions; and (2) provide for eventual repeal of certain pension integration rules. (Sec. 406) Amends the IRC and ERISA with respect to division of pension benefits upon divorce, at the former spouse's election, to deem any State divorce decree to be a domestic relations order specifying that half of the marital share of the participant's accrued benefit is to be provided to such former spouse. (Sec. 407) Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 (RRA) to entitle divorced spouses to railroad retirement annuities independent of the employee's actual entitlement. Subtitle B: Protection of Rights of Former Spouses to Pension Benefits Under Certain Government and Government-Sponsored Retirement Programs - Amends RRA to extend Tier II railroad retirement benefits to surviving former spouses pursuant to divorce agreements. (Sec. 412) Amends Federal civil service law with respect to survivor annuities for widows, widowers, and former spouses of Federal employees who die before attaining the age for deferred annuity under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). (Sec. 413) Amends Federal civil service law with respect to payment of lump-sum benefits to former spouses of Federal employees under CSRS and the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS). Subtitle C: Modifications of Joint and Survivor Annuity Requirements - Modifies ERISA and IRC requirements for joint and survivor annuities to provide for an alternative joint and two-thirds survivor annuity payable while both the participant and the spouse are alive. (Sec. 422) Requires spousal consent for distributions from the IRC section 401(k) plans. Title V: Date for Adoption of Plan Amendments - Sets forth dates for adoption of plan amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
Filipino Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act of 1999 - Authorizes payment of compensation for the service-connected disability of members of the Philippine Commonwealth Army who served with U.S. armed forces during World War II in the amount of one dollar for each dollar authorized, as long as each such individual resides in the United States and is a U.S. citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish hospital and nursing home care and medical services to such veterans and new Philippine Scouts in the same manner as furnished to U.S. veterans. Directs the Secretary to furnish care and services to veterans, Commonwealth Army veterans, and new Philippine Scouts for the treatment of service-connected disabilities and non-service-connected disabilities of such veterans and scouts residing in the Republic of the Philippines on an outpatient basis at the Manila VA Outpatient Clinic. Limits to $500,000 the amount to be expended during a fiscal year for such services.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
Consumer Food Safety Act of 1999 - Title I: National Food Safety Program - Declares that persons who produce or process food for human consumption are responsible for preventing or minimizing food safety hazards. Mandates a national program to protect human health by ensuring that the food industry has effective safety programs for food consumed in the United States. Includes in required program elements: (1) oversight procedures; and (2) health-based standards for possible food contaminants and safety and sanitation in food processing and handling. (Sec. 102) Requires that any food processing facility and importer register. (Sec. 103) Mandates regulations: (1) setting standards for sanitation and tolerances for biological, chemical, and physical hazards; (2) requiring process controls, recordkeeping, and sampling; and (3) providing for agency records access. (Sec. 104) Mandates unannounced inspections at least quarterly of processing and importing facilities. (Sec. 105) Mandates tolerances (including indicators) for contaminants, except for pesticide residues regulated under specified provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). (Sec. 106) Authorizes assistance to a State in planning and implementing a food safety program (including advice, technical and laboratory assistance and training, and financial aid). Authorizes, under agreements with Federal, State, or local agencies, on a reimbursable basis or otherwise, use of the personnel, services, and facilities of such agencies. (Sec. 107) Mandates a comprehensive and efficient system to ensure imported food safety, including routine inspections of processing facilities in exporting nations and of imports at ports of entry. Prohibits importing, or withdrawing from a warehouse for U.S. consumption, of a food that appears unsafe, adulterated, or misbranded, is not marked or labeled as required, or does not comply with this section. Deems foods not so prohibited to be, and requires that they be treated (except for origin labeling) as, domestic. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter into an agreement with any nation desiring to export food to the United States. Sets forth requirements for the agreement, including that the exporting nation agree to reciprocity regarding the treatment of food imports and exports between the United States and the exporting nation.. Title II: Research and Education - Mandates: (1) inclusion of food in an active surveillance system and more accurate assessment of the frequency and sources of U.S. human illness associated with food; (2) establishment of guidelines for a sampling system; and (3) ranking of food categories based on their hazard to human health and identification of industry and regulatory approaches to minimize hazards. (Sec. 202) Requires: (1) a national food safety public education program; (2) regional and national food safety advisories; (3) standardized written and broadcast advisory formats; and (4) incorporation of State and local advisories into the national program. (Sec. 203) Mandates research to assist in the implementation of this Act. Title III: Enforcement - Amends the FDCA to require any person (other than an intended consumer) with a reasonable basis for believing that any food in interstate commerce (or held for sale after interstate shipment) may be in violation of this Act to notify the Secretary of the food's identity and location. Provides, if the Secretary finds that there is a reasonable probability that the food, if consumed, would present a public health threat, for voluntary and mandatory recalls. Authorizes civil monetary penalties for violations of this Act. Prohibits retaliation against employee or other whistleblowers or against a person who refuses to violate a law, rule, or regulation. Applies specified FDCA provisions to this Act for this Act's administration and enforcement. Authorizes the Secretary to impose traceability requirements on a type or class of food when necessary to assure the protection of public health. Allows any person to commence a civil action against: (1) any person who violated any rule, tolerance, order, or other action of the Secretary to ensure food safety; or (2) the Secretary for alleged failure to perform any nondiscretionary act or duty. Title IV: Authorization - Authorizes appropriations to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to restore the link ended by the Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act of 1995 between the rules relating to substantial gainful activity for blind individuals and the rules relating to excess earnings under the social security earnings test for individuals who have attained retirement age (thus allowing blind individuals, once again, to earn up to the social security excess earnings threshold without being regarded as having demonstrated an ability to engage in substantial gainful activity and without losing entitlement to OASDI benefits). Makes this Act effective with respect to taxable years ending after 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
FERS Buyback Act of 1999 - Amends Federal law concerning Government organization and employees to make certain temporary Federal service creditable for retirement purposes. Sets forth provisions relating to persons who have separated from Government service.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution - Calls upon the President to: (1) provide in a collection all U.S. records related to the Armenian genocide and the consequences of the failure to enforce the judgments of the Turkish courts against the responsible officials; and (2) provide such collection to the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum library for incorporation into its holdings of official documentation on genocide and for purposes of public awareness and education, and the Armenian Genocide Museum in Yerevan, Armenia, in order to document and affirm the U.S. record of protest and recognition of this crime against humanity.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1999
Prohibits the import, export, or shipment in interstate commerce of conventional steel jawed leghold traps and of articles of fur derived from animals trapped in such traps. Prescribes criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to reward informers (other than Government employees performing official duties) for information leading to a conviction under this Act. Empowers enforcement officials to detain, search, and seize suspected merchandise or documents and to make arrests with and without warrants. Subjects seized merchandise to forfeiture.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1999
Children's Hospitals Education and Research Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payment as specified to each children's hospital for each hospital cost reporting period under Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA)) for FY 2000 and 2001 for the direct and indirect expenses associated with operating approved medical residency training programs. Provides that such payments are in lieu of certain Medicare payments to hospitals for inpatient hospital services, but shall not affect the amounts otherwise payable to such hospitals under a State Medicaid (SSA title XIX) plan. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1999
Smokeless Tobacco Warning Label Act - Amends the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986 to revise smokeless tobacco product warning label requirements. Includes among alternative warning statements: (1) "Smokeless Tobacco Is Addictive"; and (2) "This Product Contains Cancer Causing Chemicals." States that the Secretary of Health and Human Services may revise by a rulemaking such required statements.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1999
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Amendments of 1999 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code, and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit group and individual health plans from imposing treatment limitations or financial requirements on the coverage of mental health benefits, or substance abuse and chemical dependency benefits, if similar limitations or requirements are not imposed on medical and surgical benefits. Amends the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1986 to provide for coordination in implementation of such amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1999
Medicaid Nursing Incentive Act of 1999 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicaid coverage of State-authorized services by certified nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists, regardless of whether or not such services are performed under the supervision of a physician or other health care provider. Defines "clinical nurse specialist" as an individual who: (1) is a registered nurse licensed to practice nursing in the State in which the individual furnishes services; and (2) has a master's degree in a clinical area of nursing from an accredited institution.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1999
Access to Prescription Medications in Medicare Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of certain covered outpatient prescription drugs (including insulin) and biological products, including those that are also prescribable but are available over-the-counter, under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) for enrolled part B beneficiaries. (Sec. 3) Establishes and outlines the administrative structure for implementing such new Medicare part B coverage, including requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish: (1) competitive bidding procedures for contracting with appropriate private sector service providers meeting specified requirements (including requirements to use cost-containment mechanisms such as formularies) to furnish such new Medicare part B benefits, which consist of a basic benefit package and a stop-loss benefit; and (2) a process for providing payments to eligible group health plans on behalf of such enrolled beneficiaries. Imposes certain cost-sharing requirements, with the stop-loss benefit limiting an enrollee's out-of-pocket expenses, and provides for appropriate outreach activities as well as protection of patient confidentiality. (Sec. 4) Permits the Secretary to make payments, subject to specified requirements, to enrollee group health insurance retiree plans providing drug coverage that is equivalent to or greater than the new Medicare part B coverage provided for by this Act while also permitting such enrollees receiving group coverage to continue to receive such coverage under the plan. (Sec. 5) Revises Medicare supplemental health insurance (Medigap) policy requirements with regard to this Act's mandated coverage of certain covered outpatient prescription drugs and biological products to require that an appropriate number of Medigap policies provide complementary, non-duplicative coverage in line with such mandated coverage. (Sec. 6) Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) with regard to Medicaid assistance for low-income individuals to modify State Medicaid plan requirements to: (1) increase (from 120 percent to 135 percent of the poverty level) the income eligibility level to qualify for certain Medicare cost-sharing with regard to monthly Medicare part B premiums; and (2) provide for Medicaid prescription drug benefits for qualified Medicare beneficiaries and others as a wrap- around benefit. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary to provide for waiver of the additional portion of the Medicare part B premium attributable to the prescription drug coverage mandate of this Act for certain Medicare beneficiaries already having actuarially equivalent drug coverage. Excludes from such waiver a group health plan enrollee if the plan receives payments for such enrollee under this Act. (Sec. 8) Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) eliminate the time limitation on Medicare benefits for immunosuppressive drugs; (2) require Medicare secondary payer provisions with regard to individuals with end stage renal disease be applied without regard to any time limitation with regard to immunosuppressive drugs furnished on or after this Act's enactment; and (3) increase the membership of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission by two members, with their initial terms staggered, as well as add to the qualifications for membership. (Sec. 10) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress with regard to the competitive bidding process for selecting service providers under this Act to furnish certain covered outpatient prescription drugs and biological products, including an analysis of any savings to Medicare as a result of this new Medicare part B benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1999
Trade Adjustment Assistance Reform Act of 1999 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations to the Department of Labor for FY 1999 through 2004 for trade adjustment assistance (TAA) for workers. (Sec. 2) Repeals the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Transitional Adjustment Assistance Program (effectively eliminating TAA for workers under such program). (Sec. 3) Revises requirements for the filing of petitions for TAA for a group of workers adversely affected by imports. Authorizes employers of such workers, one-stop career centers, or State employment agencies to file on their behalf with the Governor of the State (currently, with the Secretary of Labor) a petition for certification of eligibility for such assistance. Requires the Governor to: (1) transmit the petition to the Secretary immediately; (2) ensure that rapid response assistance and basic readjustment services are made available to the workers; and (3) assist the Secretary in the review of the petition. Requires the Secretary to review such a petition for certification of eligibility within 40 days (currently, 60 days) of its filing. (Sec. 4) Adds as a factor in the Secretary's determination of the eligibility of a group of workers for TAA any shift in production by such workers' firm to a foreign country of articles like or directly competitive with articles produced by such firm. (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary to collect and maintain certain information with respect to certifications of TAA. (Sec. 6) Revises enrollment in training requirements with respect to the payment of TAA to adversely affected workers to set forth certain time periods during which such enrollment must occur. Authorizes the Secretary to issue a statement to a worker waiving the enrollment in training requirements if it is determined that such training requirement is not feasible or appropriate for the worker, based on specified factors. (Sec. 8) Increases from 14 to 30 the number of days an adversely affected worker may have a scheduled break in a training program and still be treated as participating in the program for purposes of TAA eligibility. (Sec. 9) Increases the total annual amount of payments for worker training from $80 million to $150 million for any fiscal year. (Sec. 11) Authorizes the Secretary to secure for adversely affected workers certain employment services, including services provided through one-stop career centers. Provides for the coordination of employment services for adversely affected workers under the Job Training Partnership Act and the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. (Sec. 12) Authorizes an adversely affected worker to file an application with the Secretary for the provision of supportive services, including transportation, child and dependent care, and other similar services. Sets forth specified conditions with respect to such services. (Sec. 14) Makes unappropriated Treasury funds available in any fiscal year that TAA funds become exhausted. (Sec. 15) Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Labor for FY 1999 through 2004 for TAA for firms. (Sec. 16) Establishes the Presidential Commission on Workers and Economic Change in the New Economy to study and report to the President and the Congress on matters relating to economic dislocation and worker adjustment to such dislocations. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1999
Family Reunification Act of 1999 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the conditions under which the Attorney General may cancel the removal of certain aliens from the United States, including cancellation of removal for humanitarian or public benefit reasons for certain aliens convicted of aggravated felonies. Subjects such judgments to judicial review. Directs the Attorney General to establish processes for discretionary waiver of inadmissibility or deportation for certain aliens who would otherwise be subject to exclusion or deportation. Subjects such judgments to judicial review.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1999
National Cemetery Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a national cemetery in each of the three areas of the United States determined to be in most need of such a cemetery to serve needs of veterans and their families. Requires an initial and annual reports to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1999
Fragile X Research Breakthrough Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to: (1) expand, intensify, and coordinate the Institute's activities respecting research on the disease known as fragile X; (2) make grants to, and enter into contracts with, public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of at least three centers to conduct research for improving the diagnosis and treatment of, and finding the cure for, fragile X. Requires each such center assisted to conduct basic and clinical research, which may include clinical trials of new or improved diagnostic methods and drugs or other treatment approaches. Allows such centers to use grant funds provided under this Act to provide fees to individuals serving as subjects in clinical trials. Requires the Director to provide for the coordination of the centers' activities, including the exchange of information. Requires each center to use the facilities of a single institution, or be formed from a consortium of cooperating institutions. Allows support to be provided to a center for a period not exceeding five years with authorized extensions. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program under which the Federal Government enters into contracts with qualified health professionals who agree to conduct research on fragile X in consideration of the Government's agreement to repay, for each year of such service, no more than $35,000 of the principal and interest of the educational loans owed by such health professionals. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement the Class I milk price structure known as Option A as part of the final rule to consolidate Federal milk marketing orders.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
Increases the number of authorized sites for the Medicare subvention demonstration project for certain Medicare-eligible military retirees and their dependents (a project established by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act). Provides for the future repeal of the limitation on the number of such sites (thus allowing the project to be conducted at any site designed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Defense acting jointly). Makes the project permanent, with its cap on the aggregate amount of calendar year reimbursement that may be made under the project to end after calendar year 2000. Makes further changes regarding the project, permitting payment under it to be made on a fee-for-service basis for certain project enrollees, and eliminating certain restrictive project participation policy. Applies to certain Medigap (Medicare supplemental health insurance policy) enrollees the same protections (prohibitions against issuer discrimination) as apply to enrollment (and termination of enrollment) with a Medicare+Choice organization in a Medicare+Choice plan under Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice).
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
Fairness for Legal Immigrants Act of 1999 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 with respect to lawful resident aliens and their eligibility for Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) (titles XIX and XVI of the Social Security Act (SSA)) and other Federal assistance. Provides States with the option of extending Medicaid-eligibility to certain lawful resident alien pregnant women and children, as well as the option of extending CHIP-eligibility (SSA title XXI (Children's Health Insurance (CHIP)) to such children. Provides States with the option of extending Medicaid-eligibility to certain blind or disabled or other specified medically needy aliens, such as those who are residents of a nursing facility. Mandates SSI eligibility for certain lawful resident aliens who are aged, blind, or disabled. Exempts certain blind or disabled aliens from the five-year general limitation on the eligibility for qualified aliens for Federal means-tested public benefits that was imposed by such Act. Mandates food stamp program eligibility under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 for certain aliens lawfully residing in the United State on August 22, 1996, who would otherwise be subject to the same five-year general limitation. Exempts certain battered aliens (which under such Act are treated as lawful resident aliens) from disqualification (thereby making them SSI- and food stamp program-eligible). Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for waiver of affidavit of support requirements for benefits provided through such State elections to extend such optional Medicaid and other described optional public program eligibility to certain lawful resident aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act - Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor to prepare and publish a monthly Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI) that indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are typical for individuals aged 62 years of age or older. Authorizes appropriations. Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVIII (Medicare) to provide for the use of such new CPI in the computation of cost-of-living increases for social security and Medicare benefits under such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
Health Care Access Promotion Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of an individual certain amounts received under the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program and the F. Edward Hebert Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship and Financial Assistance Program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
Kosova Self-Defense Act of 1999 - Declares it is U.S. policy to provide the interim government of Kosova with the capability to defend and protect the Kosovar population against armed aggression. Authorizes appropriations for grants to such government to be used for training and support for the established self-defense forces to carry out such policy.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1999
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish one appropriate Government headstone or marker, other than for replacement, to mark the graves of veterans. (Currently, such a headstone or marker is required only for unmarked graves of veterans.) Makes such provision effective with respect to applications received by the Secretary for individuals dying on or after November 1, 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1999
Reinstatement of the Medicare Rehabilitation Benefit Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the financial limitation on rehabilitation services under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Medicare program. Provides that for outpatient physical therapy services, outpatient occupational therapy services, and outpatient speech-language pathology services covered under Medicare and furnished on or after January 1, 2001, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall implement a new payment methodology based on the classification of individuals by diagnostic category, functional status, and prior use of services in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Requires that such payment methodology be designed so that, taking into account the increased expenditures resulting from this Act, it does not result in any increase or decrease in the expenditures under Medicare on a fiscal year basis.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1999
Medicare Cancer Clinical Trial Coverage Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a demonstration project which provides for payment under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act of routine patient care costs for Medicare beneficiaries with cancer who are enrolled in an approved clinical trial program, while still applying the beneficiary cost sharing provisions of such program to project participants. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the impact on Medicare of covering such costs as well as the cost of extending routine patient care coverage to Medicare beneficiaries with a diagnosis other than cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1999
National Forest Protection and Restoration Act of 1999 - Prohibits commercial logging and timber sales (with specified exceptions) on Federal public lands, with a two-year phase-out for existing contracts. Provides for payment of relinquished contracts. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to each establish a National Heritage Restoration Corps to restore such lands to their natural pre-logging condition. Provides for worker retraining of eligible persons whose jobs have been lost due to terminated timber and logging contracts. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to make training grants, including grants for job search and relocation. Sets forth fund allocation provisions, including amounts for an Environmental Protection Agency investigation of non-wood paper and construction alternatives.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Freedom of Choice for Women in the Uniformed Services Act - Repeals a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 which prohibits any medical treatment facility of the Department of Defense from being used to perform an abortion except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to full term or in the case of rape or incest.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Justice for Atomic Veterans Act of 1999 - Includes in the list of diseases presumed to be service-connected, in the case of radiation-exposed veterans, and therefore compensable for purposes of veterans' disability compensation and medical care, the following: lung, bone, skin, colon, ovarian, and rectal cancer, posterior subcapsular cataracts, non-malignant thyroid nodular disease, parathyroid adenoma, and tumors of the brain and central nervous system.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
United Nations Arrears Payment Act - Makes available funds appropriated for the U.S. contribution for payment of United Nations arrearages for international organizations and international peacekeeping activities for FY 1998 and 1999.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Triple-A Health Improvement Act of 1999 - Title I: Promoting Access to Health Care Services in Rural Areas Under the Medicare Program - Subtitle A: Hospital-Related Payment Provisions - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise hospital-related payment provisions concerned with: (1) the prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department services; (2) repeal of a certain restriction on Medicare payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services with regard to certain hospital discharges to post-acute care; (3) geographic reclassification of sole community hospitals and the conversion of certain hospitals to critical access hospitals; (4) graduate medical education (GME); (5) Medicare- dependent small rural hospitals with regard to rebasing for discharges during the most current audited fiscal year; (6) geographic reclassification for purposes of disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments; (7) guidelines for such reclassification by wage index; and (8) hospital geographic reclassification for labor costs for all items and services reimbursed under prospective payment systems. Subtitle B: Medicare+Choice - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of SSA title XVIII to make certain adjustments to the calculation of annual capitation rates used in determining payments to Medicare+Choice organizations. (Sec. 112) Repeals the phase-out of certain Medicare reasonable cost reimbursement contracts with respect to health maintenance organizations and competitive medical plans. (Sec. 113) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct demonstration projects to establish provider-sponsored organizations and other managed care entities based in rural and frontier areas. Subtitle C: General Payment Provisions - Outlines general payment provisions, including those for: (1) direct Medicare payment for physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists practicing in underserved rural areas; (2) coverage of and payment rules for qualified mental health professional services; and (3) creation of a safe harbor under anti-kickback provisions of SSA title XI part A (General Provisions) for any remuneration from a hospital to an ambulance provider under specified conditions. (Sec. 123) Directs the Secretary to establish a waiver process under which Medicare program entities and individuals treated for reimbursement purposes as located in an urban or large urban area may apply to be considered as located in a rural area if such entity or individual is in fact located in a rural area (according to a specified definition), outside of an urbanized area, or in an area designated by a State as a rural area. Title II: Promoting Access to Health Care Services in Rural Areas under the Medicaid Program - Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to provide for continuation of certain Medicaid reimbursement rules (in existence before the Balanced Budget Act of 1997) for Federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics, and to cover services of physicians' assistants and nurse practitioners under certain circumstances. Title III: Promoting Access to Health Care Services in Rural Areas under the Internal Revenue Code - Amends the Internal Revenue Code: (1) to exclude from an individual's gross income certain amounts received under the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program; (2) to revise certain requirements with respect to tax-exempt bonds of certain volunteer fire departments; and (3) allow banks to elect to apply the limitation on the amount of obligations which may be designated deductible small, tax-exempt debts by treating each borrower as the issuer of a separate item. Title IV: Additional Provisions to Address Shortages of Health Professionals in Rural Areas - Requires that, whenever the Secretary promulgates a regulation relating to a health care program, there must be included with the promulgation an analysis of its likely impact on rural areas. (Sec. 402) Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to include among health professional shortage areas frontier areas with six or fewer residents per square mile. Requires the Secretary to consider any pending retirements or resignations of available physicians when determining whether to designate an area as a health professional shortage area. (Sec. 403) Requires the heads of the National Health Service Corps, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, and the Bureau of the Census to negotiate and enter into interagency agreements with HHS agencies and offices under which they will be provided access to data sets for the intramural and extramural research they conduct or support. (Sec. 404) Amends Federal civil service law to provide for the designation of underserved areas under health care contracts administered by the Office of Personnel Management. (Sec. 405) Mandates and outlines the process for revision of standards for designation of health professional shortage areas under PHSA. Directs the Secretary to develop a definition for the term "frontier" for certain PHSA- and Medicare-related purposes. (Sec. 406) Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary should establish within the Public Health Service an Office of Reserve Corps Coordination for the Commissioned Corps to oversee Reserve Corps management and provide for its effective utilization in improving rural health care. Title V: Telemedicine - Subtitle A: Improvements to the Medicare Program - Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 with regard to telehealth services, among other changes to: (1) extend Medicare reimbursement for such services to all Medicare services in all rural areas, including services by physical, occupational, and speech therapists; (2) revise related payment methodology; and (3) add congressional reporting requirements pertaining to the telehealth services program. (Sec. 502) Redesignates the Joint Working Group on Telemedicine as the Joint Working Group on Telehealth, with the chairperson being designated by the Office for the Advancement on Telehealth. Directs the Joint Working Group to ensure that individuals representing the interests of rural areas are members of the Group. Establishes the mission of the Joint Working Group, among other things, as identifying, monitoring, and coordinating Federal telehealth projects and programs. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle B: Development of Telehealth Networks - Directs the Secretary to provide specified financial assistance for the purpose of expanding access to health care services for individuals in rural frontier areas through the use of telehealth. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victims' Housing Act - Increases a specified authorization of appropriations under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act to be used to provide housing assistance for individuals or families victimized by domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Food Banks Relief Act of 1999 - Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to authorize appropriations for the purchase of additional commodities for emergency feeding organizations. Limits the amount of funds that such organizations may use for distribution expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Patient Safety Act of 1999 - Requires providers under the Medicare program, as a condition for continued participation in the program, to make publicly available certain minimum information, in addition to information specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, regarding nurse staffing and patient outcomes. Requires the following to be made public along with its source and currency status: (1) data regarding complaints filed with the State agency with oversight over health care services, the Health Care Financing Administration, or a provider accrediting agency; (2) compliance with the standards deemed to demonstrate compliance with conditions of Medicare participation; and (3) data regarding investigations and findings as a result of those complaints and the findings of scheduled inspection visits. Allows the Secretary to waive or reduce reporting requirements in the case of a small provider for whom their imposition would be unduly burdensome. Prohibits Medicare providers from terminating or taking any other adverse action against any employee or groups of employees for certain actions, including those taken for the purpose of notifying the provider of conditions potentially dangerous or injurious to patients receiving services from the provider or to employees of the provider. Requires provider suspension from participation in Medicare for taking such an adverse action. Requires any provider under Medicare that files with the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission notification of a transaction required to be reported under the Clayton Act to provide to the Secretary with a report that includes: (1) the overall impact of such transaction on the health services available and readily accessible to the community; and (2) the impact of such transaction on each of various specified subjects, including the availability and accessibility of services to the poor, the uninsured, ethnic minorities, women, the disabled, and the lesbian and gay communities. Requires public availability of such reports, public hearings on their elements and any other factors related to the health, safety, and welfare of patients and the community involved, secretarial review of each such proposed transaction based on the report, hearing testimony, and any other relevant factors. Deems any provider that executes a transaction found to have a negative impact on health and safety (or that fails to file a required report) not to be in compliance with the conditions of Medicare participation. Mandates the provider's immediate suspension from program participation if it completes a transaction that poses immediate jeopardy or irreparable harm to patient health, safety, or welfare.
![Official portrait of Rep. Olver, John W. [D-MA-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/o000085_200.jpg)