United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1999
United States-Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Human Dignity Act - Amends Federal law to prohibit the affixation of the "Made in the USA" label to a textile fiber product from the Northern Mariana Islands unless: (1) each worker producing such product was paid a minimum wage equal to or greater than a specified amount; (2) the product was manufactured in compliance with all Federal labor laws, including, but not limited to, the National Labor Relations Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938; (3) the factory or other business producing the product has full-time employees in nonmanagerial positions who are U.S. citizens or nationals, aliens lawfully admitted into the United States for permanent residence, citizens of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Federated States of Micronesia, aliens admitted into the United States as refugees, or aliens granted asylum in the United States, in specified percentages; and (4) the factory or other business producing the product does not employ individuals under conditions of indentured servitude. (Sec. 3) Applies to the Northern Mariana Islands: (1) the minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as modified by this Act (requires a minimum wage through December 31, 1999, of $3.55 per hour, adjusted semiannually thereafter in $.50 increments until it equals the minimum wage required by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938); and (2) the Immigration and Nationality Act. Prohibits any product of the Northern Mariana Islands from entering the customs territory of the United States duty-free or not subject to quota as a product of an insular possession unless specified requirements relating to fair labor practices and country of origin are met. Requires the President, for a two-year period, to deny an exporter duty-free and quota-free treatment if it is determined that such exporter has willfully falsified information regarding the country of origin of a product of the Northern Mariana Islands for which such treatment is claimed. (Sec. 4) Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to authorize the inspection by the Customs Service of any vessel from a foreign port or from a place in any U.S. territory or possession arriving at a port or place in the Northern Mariana Islands (currently, the United States or the Virgin Islands) (Sec. 5) Requires a study of the extent of human and labor rights violations in the Northern Mariana Islands, including any efforts being taken by the united States or the Government of the Northern Mariana Islands to address or prohibit such violations. Requires a report on the results of the study to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 8) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1999
Bond Fairness and Protection Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to tax-exempt bond financing of certain electric facilities, to exclude a permitted open access transaction (as defined by this Act) from the definition of private business use. Permits, as specified, termination of tax-exempt bond financing for certain electric output facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1999
Income Equity Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny employers a deduction for payments of excessive compensation (more than 25 times the lowest compensation paid any other employee).
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1999
Emergency Medical Services Enhancement Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit the issuance of tax-exempt bonds by qualified volunteer emergency services organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1999
Expresses the sense of the Congress that by illegally revoking the autonomy of Kosova in 1989 and undertaking other unconstitutional actions, by officially and harshly discriminating against the majority ethnic Albanians in Kosova, and by committing numerous crimes against humanity, including ethnic cleansing, against the people of Kosova, Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), especially as ruled by Slobodan Milosevic, have forfeited any right to govern or to determine political status of the territory of Kosova. Urges the United States to support: (1) the right of self-determination for Kosova and its people; (2) an interim agreement on the status of Kosova that supports the principle of self-determination by taking specified steps; and (3) such representation for Kosova in international institutions as is consistent with Kosova's exercise of the legitimate right of self-determination.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Outer Continental Shelf Impact Assistance Title II: State, Local, and Urban Conservation and Recreation Title III: Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999 - Title I: Outer Continental Shelf Impact Assistance - Establishes the Outer Continental Shelf Impact Assistance Fund (OCSIAF) to provide impact assistance to coastal States from a portion (27 percent) of allocable new OCS revenues (payments received by the United States as royalties, net profit share payments, and related late-payment interest from natural gas and oil leases under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act). Prohibits placement in the Fund of OCS revenues from a leased tract (or portion) located in a geographic area subject to a leasing moratorium on January 1, 1999, unless the lease was issued before the moratorium and was in production on such date. (Sec. 103) Sets forth a formula for use by the Secretary of the Interior to determine the portion of the allocable share of new revenues attributable to each coastal State and county eligible to receive impact assistance payments. Mandates that such OCS funds be expended by the eligible coastal States and counties for certain environmental projects and activities. Requires: (1) the Governor of every OCSIAF recipient State to develop (and certify to the Secretary) a State plan for the use of such funds; (2) an eligible county to submit for the Governor's approval a plan setting forth the projects and activities for which it proposes to expend OCSIA funds; and (3) the Governor of each recipient State to account to the Congress for all OCSIAF monies received for the previous fiscal year. Title II: State, Local, and Urban Conservation and Recreation - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (LWCFA) to require an amount equal to 23 percent of specified Outer Continental Shelf revenues to be credited to a separate account in the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) in the Treasury in each fiscal year through September 30, 2015. (Sec. 202) Makes such funds available, without further appropriation, to carry out LWCFA in the next succeeding fiscal year. Provides that, if such revenues in a fiscal year exceed $900 million, such excess shall be available, without further appropriation, in the next succeeding fiscal year for obligation or expenditure as payments in lieu of taxes. Authorizes appropriations to maintain a certain minimum total annual income of the LWCF. Makes certain amounts covered into the LWCF available for expenditure without appropriation. Sets forth formulae for allocation of such funds for: (1) Federal acquisition of certain lands, waters, or interests; (2) financial assistance to the States for land acquisition, urban conservation, and recreation projects; and (3) local governments through the Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery Program of the Department of the Interior. Provides for an LWCFA allocation of funds to Indian tribes and Alaska Native Village Corporations. Requires States to make at least 50 percent of the annual State apportionment under LWCFA available as grants to local governments. Replaces, within a five-year period, LWCFA requirements for comprehensive State plans with requirements for State action agendas. Allows each State to define its own priorities and criteria for selection of outdoor recreation and conservation acquisition and development projects eligible for LWCFA grants so long as it provides for public involvement in this process and publishes an accurate and current State Action Agenda for Community Recreation and Conservation. Requires such Agendas to: (1) be strategic, originating in broad-based and long-term needs, but focused on actions that can be funded over the next four years, and be updated every four years; (2) consider all providers of recreation and conservation lands, and correlate with other State, regional and local plans for parks, recreation, open space, and wetlands conservation; (3) address wetlands as important outdoor recreation and conservation resources, and incorporate a State wetlands priority conservation plan consistent with the national plan developed under the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act; and (4) be guided in part by recovery action programs developed by urban localities under the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act. Revises LWCFA conditions for approval of conversions. (Sec. 203) Amends the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act (UPRRA) to provide (in addition to the current types of at-risk recreation grants and recovery action program grants) for matching capital grants to local governments in the form of: (1) development grants for development and construction on existing or new neighborhood recreation sites, including indoor and outdoor recreation facilities, support facilities, and landscaping, but excluding routine maintenance and upkeep activities; and (2) acquisition grants for purchasing new parkland to be permanently dedicated and made accessible for public recreation use. Revises UPRRA requirements for: (1) eligibility; (2) matching grants; (3) coordination; and (4) conversion approval. Repeals the limitation on the use of UPRRA funds for acquisition of land or interests in land. (Sec. 205) Establishes a Habitat Reserve Program (HRP) within the Department of the Interior to be administered by the Secretary of the Interior in association with the applicable State fish and wildlife department in the State where the affected land is located. Requires lands eligible for enrollment in the HRP to be privately owned and designated by the State agency as necessary to preserve the existence of one or more species listed under the Endangered Species Act, and their owners and operators to have voluntarily entered into partnership agreements with the Secretary and the State agency. Prescribes: (1) limitations on lands eligible for enrollment in the HRP; (2) HRP contract requirements; (3) HRP management plans; (4) HRP contract duration; and (5) payments to owners or operators of lands included in the HRP. Title III: Wildlife Conservation and Restoration - Amends the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (FAWRA) to require an amount equal to ten percent of specified Outer Continental Shelf revenues to be deposited in a new subaccount in the Federal aid to wildlife restoration fund (FAWRF), to be invested and to be made available without further appropriation, for apportionment in the next succeeding fiscal year for State wildlife conservation and restoration programs. Provides that all interest on such amounts shall be available without further appropriations, for obligation or expenditure for purposes of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act of 1989. (Sec. 305) Sets forth requirements for: (1) allocation of such subaccount receipts; (2) applications for approval of, and development grants for, State wildlife conservation and restoration programs; and (3) coordination. (Sec. 306) Allows certain subaccount funds for such a State wildlife conservation and restoration program to be used for law enforcement and education. (Sec. 307) Prohibits a State from receiving FAWRA matching funds if it diverts any funds from wildlife conservation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 1999
Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors Act of 1999 - Requires each participating manufacturer of a covered outpatient drug to make available for purchase by each pharmacy such covered outpatient drug in the described amount (an amount equal to the aggregate amount of the covered outpatient drug sold or distributed by the pharmacy to Medicare beneficiaries) and at the described price (the price equal to the lower of either the lowest price paid for the drug by the Federal Government or the manufacturer's best price for the drug). Sets forth special provisions with respect to hospice programs.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 1999
Post Office Community Partnership Act of 1999 - Modifies Federal postal law to revise requirements for the closing or consolidation of a post office and apply them, as well, to its relocation or construction. Requires a 60-day notice before an office's relocation, closing, consolidation, or construction. Requires such notice to be: (1) hand delivered or delivered by mail; and (2) published in one or more newspapers of general circulation within the zip codes served by such post office. Sets forth provisions which: (1) allow any person served by the post office to offer an alternative relocation, closing, consolidation, or construction proposal within such 60-day period; and (2) require the Postal Service to conduct a hearing, if requested by such person, to allow the individual to present oral or written testimony. Revises the factors to be considered in deciding whether or not to relocate, close, consolidate, or construct a post office to include: (1) the extent to which the post office is part of a core downtown business area; (2) the sentiment of the community; (3) the adequacy of the existing post office; and (4) whether all reasonable alternatives to relocation, closing, consolidation, or construction have been explored. Requires the Postal Service to respond in a consolidated report to all of the alternative proposals offered within the 60-day notification period by persons served by the post office in question. Requires the Postal Service to follow a community's public participation procedures to address the relocation, closing, consolidation, or construction of buildings in the community if such procedures are more stringent than those provided in this Act. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to apply to a temporary customer service facility used for less than 60 days. Allows for a one-time suspension of this Act with respect to a single emergency for any specific post office for a maximum 180-day period.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 1999
Requires the Capitol Police Board to: (1) designate or establish a flag pole upon which the U.S. flag shall be flown at half-staff for one day whenever a Federal, State, local, or territorial law enforcement officer is slain in the line of duty; (2) post, in close proximity to the flag, public notice of the name, tenure of service, and jurisdiction of the officer being honored; and (3) present such flag to the officer's family.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1999
Medicare Social Work Equity Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exclude clinical social worker services from coverage under the Medicare skilled nursing facility prospective payment system.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1999
Gifted and Talented Students Education Act of 1999 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to States for use by public schools to develop or expand gifted and talented education programs through one or more of the following activities: (1) professional development programs; (2) technical assistance; (3) innovative approaches and curricula; and (4) emerging technologies, including distance learning. Sets forth requirements for grant applications, allotment to States, and reporting. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1999
Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Amendments Act of 1999 - Modifies the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994 (the Act) to expand its purposes to include promotion of economic revitalization and community development through incentives to insured depository institutions that increase lending and other assistance and investment in both economically distressed communities and community development financial institutions. (Sec. 2) Places the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund in the Department of the Treasury and all Fund functions under the supervision of the Secretary of the Treasury. (Sec. 3) Authorizes the Fund to offer community development finance activity training programs through grants or cooperative agreements with other organizations (as well as directly or through contracts). (Sec. 4) Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2003. (Sec. 6) Requires the Fund to: (1) develop a scoring system which assigns a relative point value to each factor required in connection with applicant selection criteria; (2) convene multiperson review panels to review applications on the basis of such factors and the scoring system; and (3) include in its annual report specified contract and compliance information, as well as a complete description of the implementation of the scoring system and its methodology. Directs the Comptroller General to report to the Congress on Fund structure, governance, and performance.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1999
Health Care Research and Development and Taxpayer Protection Act - Requires a Federal agency or nonprofit entity undertaking federally funded health care research and development not to convey or provide to a person a patent or other exclusive right to use such research and development for a drug or other health care technology until: (1) the person enters a reasonable pricing agreement with the Secretary of Health and Human Services; or (2) the Secretary determines that the public interest is served by a waiver of such pricing agreement. Requires the Government, in conveying or licensing exclusive rights to federally funded research, to give consideration to mechanisms for determining reasonable prices based upon a competitive bidding process where bidders compete: (1) based on the lowest prices that will be charged to consumers; (2) based on the least sales revenues before prices are adjusted in accordance with a cost-based reasonable pricing formula; (3) based on the least period of time before prices are adjusted in accordance with such a formula; (4) based on the shortest period of exclusivity; or (5) under other competitive bidding systems. Permits such competitive bidding process to incorporate requirements for minimum levels of expenditures on research, marketing, maximum price, or other factors.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Protection Against Scams on Seniors Title II: Telemarketing Fraud Over the Internet Title I: Protection Against Scams on Seniors - Protection Against Scams on Seniors Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Aging, to publicly disseminate by specified means in each State certain information designed to educate senior citizens and raise awareness about the dangers of telemarketing fraud. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Telemarketing Fraud Over the Internet - Amends the Federal criminal code to include within its criminal fraud protections transmissions made over the Internet. Directs the Federal Trade Commission to initiate a rulemaking proceeding to set forth the application of the Federal Trade Commission Act to deceptive acts or practices in U.S. commerce in connection with the promotion, advertisement, sale offer, or sale of goods or services through the use of the Internet, including the initiation, transmission, and receipt of unsolicited commercial electronic mail.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1999
Cash Consumer Protection Act - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to prohibit any person, in the course of a sale or lease business transaction, from: (1) refusing to make the transaction because the lessee or purchaser does not possess a credit card; or (2) demanding an unreasonable deposit in cash. Provides for injunctions and orders to reimburse for money or property acquired in violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1999
Homeowners' Emergency Mortgage Assistance Act - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish a mortgage emergency assistance program for qualifying homeowners with National Housing Act-insured mortgages who are temporarily unable to meet their obligations due to financial hardship beyond their control. Requires homeowner repayment of such assistance and interest.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1999
Honoring American Military Women for Their Service in World War II Resolution - Honors the women who served the United States in military capacities during World War II. Recognizes that these women contributed vitally to the victory of the United States and the Allies in the war.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1999
Stand Down Authorization Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs: (1) to carry out Stand Down events (events to provide veterans who are without a home, unemployed, experiencing health or social adjustment challenges, or otherwise in need with one to three days of safety and security and access to food, shelter, clothing, benefits certification, health care, or any other appropriate form of assistance); and (2) in connection with such events, to provide outreach services, use Department of Veterans Affairs personal property, and provide any other appropriate benefit or service. Directs the Secretary to establish and implement a pilot program under which the Secretary shall carry out a single Stand Down event in each State in each calendar year, beginning in 2000. Requires an annual report to the Congress on pilot program implementation and recommendations for legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1999
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to revise remedies for and enforcement of prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages (such FLSA prohibitions are also known as the Equal Pay Act). (Sec. 3) Amends FLSA to provide for enhanced enforcement of equal pay requirements, adding a nonretaliation requirement. Increases penalties for such violations. Provides for the Secretary of Labor to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in such cases. (Sec. 4) Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public concerning the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women, including convening a national summit and carrying out other specified activities. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop guidelines for employer evaluations of job categories based on objective criteria, to be used voluntarily by employers to compare wages for different jobs to determine if pay scales adequately and fairly reflect each job's educational and skill requirements, independence, working conditions, and responsibility, in order to eliminate unfair pay disparities between occupations traditionally dominated by men or women; and (2) establish a program to recognize employers who use such guidelines to ensure that women are paid fairly in comparison to men without lowering men's wages. Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance for employers to carry out such evaluations. (Sec. 7) Establishes the Robert Reich National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace, which shall be evidenced by a medal. Sets forth criteria for specified types of entities to receive such an award. (Sec. 8) Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should: (1) take appropriate steps to increase the amount of information available with respect to wage disparities; and (2) consider ways to collect such information that maximize its utility, protect individual privacy, and minimize reporting burdens. (Sec. 9) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1999
Defense of the Environment Act of 1999 - Requires any report of a congressional committee or committee of conference accompanying a public bill or joint resolution that includes any provision that reduces environmental protection to contain: (1) an identification and description of the provision; (2) an assessment of the extent of such reduction; (3) a description of any actions to avoid such reduction; and (4) any statement received from the Comptroller General, upon request of the committee or a majority of either the minority or majority members of the committee, assessing the reduction. Deems a provision to reduce environmental protection if it may: (1) allow increased pollution; (2) adversely affect the environmental quality of public lands or diminish protection of species that may be endangered; (3) increase children's exposure to environmental contaminants and other environmental risks; or (4) have the effect of shielding environmental law violators or limiting judicial review of agency action under authority of any environmental law. Provides for consultation and assistance of the Comptroller General at the request of any committee. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to ensure that each Federal agency: (1) collects and catalogs available information that would assist in assessing whether any bill, joint resolution, amendment, or conference report provision would reduce environmental protection; (2) facilitates the availability of such information for Congress' use; and (3) makes such information readily available to the Comptroller General for purposes of fulfilling the assessment and consultation duties described above. Requires such information to be made publicly available. Makes out of order in the House of Representatives and the Senate the consideration of any reported bill or joint resolution, or conference report, unless the committee has complied with the identification and assessment provisions of this Act. Makes any rule waiving these provisions out of order in the House. Amends the Rules of the House of Representatives with respect to the striking of, and points of order against, provisions reducing environmental protection within the meaning of this Act. Provides Senate procedures for the striking of such provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1999
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for the non-preemption of State prescription drug coverage mandates in connection with Medicare+Choice plans under SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) in cases of approved State Medigap waivers under Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1999
Honors Cesar E. Chavez for his commitment to improve the plight of farm workers and the poor. Urges that a Federal holiday be recognized throughout the United States in his honor. Encourages all Americans to commit themselves to working for justice through nonviolence in their communities.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1999
Medicare+Choice Program Improvement Act of 1999 - Amends parts C (Medicare+Choice) and D (Miscellaneous Provisions) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act concerning the Medicare+Choice and Medigap programs to, among other things: (1) allow enrollment in alternative Medicare+Choice plans of Medicare beneficiaries whose Medicare+Choice organizations or group health plans under which they are enrolled have provided notice of intended coverage termination; (2) guarantee access for certain Medicare beneficiaries to Medigap policies in case of involuntary termination of coverage under a Medicare+Choice plan; (3) apply Medicare+Choice and Medigap consumer protections to disabled and end-stage renal disease Medicare beneficiaries; (4) prohibit attained-age rating of premiums for Medigap policies; (5) provide for non-preemption of State prescription drug coverage mandates in case of approved State Medigap waivers; (6) prohibit "cold-call" marketing of Medicare+Choice plans; (7) grant flexibility in the definition of the term "service area" under the Medicare+Choice program; (8) provide for a three-year phase-in of risk adjustment of Medicare+Choice plan payments; (9) allow delays in certain deadlines under the Medicare+Choice program, such as delay in the rate promulgation deadline; (10) account for costs of Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense military facility services to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in calculating Medicare+Choice plan payment rates; (11) increase civil monetary penalties for failure to meet Medigap open enrollment requirements; and (12) provide for National Association of Insurance Commissioners, at the request of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, review, and, along with the Secretary, update of benefit packages for Medigap policies.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Child Care and Development Services Title II: Strengthening the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act Title III: Crime Prevention Program America After School Act - Title I: Child Care and Development Services - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to authorize and to make appropriations for FY 2000 through 2004 for new and expanded programs for child care and development services, including direct services provided outside of normal school hours, to promote the health and academic achievement of school age children, and assist the children in avoiding high risk behaviors. (Sec. 104) Requires each State that receives a block grant under such Act to use certain reserved funds to make grants to elementary or secondary schools or community-based organizations to expand the availability and affordability of quality child care and development services, especially direct services provided outside of normal school hours (including before- and after-school care and weekend, holiday, and summer care) for school age children. Requires grant preference to entities that: (1) serve communities with a high rate of poverty and a high incidence of at-risk children; and (2) propose programs that make certain transportation services available to the children served. Requires the use of grant funds for direct services outside of normal school hours, related quality services, and indirect services. Title II: Strengthening the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act - Amends the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act to require that discretionary grants be awarded to local educational agencies (LEAs) for supporting certain programs of public elementary schools or secondary schools, including middle schools, that serve communities with substantial needs for expanded learning opportunities for children and youth. (Sec. 201) Increases the maximum duration of such a grant from three to five years. (Sec. 202) Requires the LEA to demonstrate that it will provide specified portions of the annual costs of project-assisted activities from sources other than such grant funds. (Sec. 203) Requires the use of grant funds to establish or expand community learning centers that provide activities that offer expanded learning opportunities for children and youth in the community (such as activities conducted before or after school), and which may include any of the currently authorized activities. (Sec. 204) Authorizes continuation awards of FY 1998 grants. (Sec. 205) Extends the authorization of appropriations for such Act. Title III: Crime Prevention Program - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to establish the After School Crime Prevention program. Directs the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to make grants to public and private agencies to fund effective after school juvenile crime prevention programs. Requires grantees to make available non-Federal matching funds in percentages determined by the Administrator. Requires grant priority to programs that: (1) are targeted to high crime neighborhoods or at-risk juveniles; (2) operate during the period immediately following normal school hours; (3) provide educational or recreational activities designed to encourage law-abiding conduct, reduce the incidence of criminal activity, and teach juveniles alternatives to crime; and (4) coordinate with State or local juvenile crime control and juvenile offender accountability programs. (Sec. 301) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1999
Amends Federal civil service law with respect to the Civil Service Retirement System, the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS), and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Program to: (1) repeal the limitations on individual TSP contributions, including those from judges and other specified personnel of the Federal judicial branch; (2) allow an employee or member under FERS to contribute to the Thrift Savings Fund an eligible rollover distribution from a qualified trust; and (3) eliminate certain waiting periods for purposes of making contributions to the Thrift Savings Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1999
Directs the President to impose quotas, tariff surcharges, or negotiate enforceable voluntary export restraint agreements in order to ensure that the volume of imported steel products (semifinished, plates, sheets and strips, wire rods, wire and wire products, rail type products, bars, structural shapes and units, pipes and tubes, iron ore, and coke products) during any month does not exceed the average volume of imported steel for the 36-month period preceding July 1997. Directs the Secretaries of the Treasury and of Commerce to implement a program for administering and enforcing the restraints on such imports. Authorizes the Customs Service to refuse entry into the U.S. customs territory for a three year period of any steel products that exceed the allowable levels of such products.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1999
Makes veterans who have been awarded the Purple Heart eligible for veterans' hospital care and medical services. Provides such veterans with a priority in the veterans' system of annual patient enrollment.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1999
Pet Safety and Protection Act of 1999 - Amends the Animal Welfare Act regarding permissible sources of research facility dogs and cats. Establishes monetary penalties for related violations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1999
Downed Animal Protection Act - Amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to make it unlawful for any stockyard owner, market agency, or dealer to buy, sell, give, receive, transfer, market, hold, or drag any nonambulatory livestock unless such livestock has been humanely euthanized. Imposes civil and criminal penalties for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Designation of Wilderness Areas Title II: Biological Connecting Corridors Title III: National Parks, Preserves, and Related Studies Title IV: Wild and Scenic Rivers Designations Title V: National Wildland Restoration and Recovery System Title VI: Implementation and Monitoring Title VII: Rules of Construction Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act of 1999 - Title I: Designation of Wilderness Areas - Designates the following lands in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System (System): (1) Greater Glacier-Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem; (2) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem; (3) Greater Salmon-Selway Ecosystem; (4) Greater Cabinet-Yaak-Selkirk Ecosystem; (5) Islands in the Sky Wilderness; and (6) Blackfeet Wilderness. (Sec. 109) Reserves, with respect to each wilderness area designated by this Act, a sufficient quantity of water to fulfill the area's designated purpose. Title II: Biological Connecting Corridors - Designates: (1) specified wild land areas as Biological Connecting Corridors (Corridors) to protect the life flow of the Northern Rockies Bioregion; (2) the inventoried roadless areas identified as part of the Corridors as components of the System; and (3) certain biological connecting corridors as special corridor management areas. Exempts specified roads and highways from provisions of this Act. Title III: National Parks, Preserves, and Related Studies - Establishes the Hells Canyon-Chief Joseph National Park and Preserve as a unit of the National Park System. (Sec. 301) Requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the National Park Service, to administer the Preserve. Requires the Secretary to implement a program to close all vacant livestock allotments and to negotiate the purchase of active livestock allotment grazing allocations from the permittees. Closes all vacant and vacated allotments upon purchase. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) motorized uses of the Preserve; and (2) participation of the Department of the Interior in the process by which the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reconsiders the relicensing of the Hells Canyons dams complex. Requires the Secretary to implement a program of ecosystem restoration in the Preserve. (Sec. 302) Requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the National Park Service, to study the feasibility of creating a Flathead National Park and Preserve in the area generally known as the Glacier View Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest, excepting those lands south of the Big Mountain Road. Title IV: Wild and Scenic Rivers Designations - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of specified rivers and creeks in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Title V: National Wildland Restoration and Recovery System - Establishes the National Wildland Restoration and Recovery System. (Sec. 502) Specifies component recovery areas. Requires the U.S. Forest Service, after recovery is achieved for a component area, to evaluate its suitability for inclusion in the System or for other consistent uses. Establishes the National Wildland Recovery Corps (as a special unit of the U.S. Forest Service) to carry out land recovery responsibilities. Requires the Corps to develop a wildland recovery plan for each area of the Recovery System, requiring each plan to take into account the specific conditions of the area. Authorizes appropriations. Title VI: Implementation and Monitoring - Requires the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to: (1) report to the Congress on implementation of this Act; (2) establish an interagency team to monitor, evaluate, and make recommendations to ensure long-term results required by this Act and to develop a geographic information system for monitoring the Northern Rockies Bioregion; and (3) establish a governmental review board to make recommendations to the Congress on legally restating and unifying the natural resource management mandates of Federal agencies. (Sec. 605) Requires the Secretaries to assure nonexclusive access to Wilderness areas, National Park and Preserve Study areas, Wildland Recovery areas, and Biological Corridors designated by this Act by Native Americans for traditional cultural and religious purposes. Requires the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to enter into cooperative management agreements with the appropriate Indian tribes to assure protection of religious, burial, and gathering sites, and to work cooperatively on the management of all uses in the protected areas that affect Indian lands and people. (Sec. 606) Requires the Secretaries to give particular emphasis to the preservation and protection of cultural resources located within the areas. Title VII: Rules of Construction - Provides that nothing in this Act may be construed as: (1) a relinquishment or reduction of any U.S.-secured water rights; (2) establishing a precedent with regard to any future designations, including wilderness designations; or (3) affecting any Indian treaty or right.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1999
Condemns: (1) the racism and bigotry espoused by the Council of Conservative Citizens; and (2) all manifestations and expressions of racism, bigotry, and religious intolerance wherever they occur. Urges all Members of the House of Representatives not to support or endorse the Council and its views.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1999
Recognizes the unique obstacles that women face in ensuring retirement security and survivor and disability stability and the essential role that social security plays in guaranteeing inflation-protected financial stability for women throughout their entire old age, and expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Congress and the President should take these factors into account when considering proposals to reform the social security system.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1999
Violence Against Women Act of 1999- Title I: Continuing the Commitment of the Violence Against Women Act - Subtitle A: Law Enforcement and Prosecution Grants to Combat Violence Against Women - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (the Act) to authorize appropriations for grants to combat violent crimes against women. (Sec. 102) Revises grant allocation guidelines governing prosecution grants, victims' services and State court systems. Expands grant purposes to include training that addresses sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking for State, local, and tribal judicial personnel, as well as training of sexual assault forensic nurse examiners, and supporting the development of sexual assault response teams. Directs the Attorney General to deny State grant applications that fail to provide documentation of collaborative efforts with other agencies or organizations. Redefines "victims' services" to include advocacy and assistance for victims seeking legal, social, and health care services. Includes as a prerequisite for Federal reimbursement of forensic medical exams of victims of sexual assault that the participating governmental entity notify all victims that such reimbursement is neither contingent upon the victim's report to law enforcement officials nor upon the victim's cooperation in the prosecution of the assault. (Sec. 103) Directs the Attorney General to make grants to State domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions for purposes of coordinating with: (1) victim services activities; and (2) Federal, State, and local entities engaged in violence-against-women activities. Subtitle B: National Domestic Violence Hotline - Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) to authorize increased appropriations for the national domestic violence hotline grant. Requires grantees to submit a grant evaluation report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the HHS Secretary) for publication and public comment as a prerequisite to a grant award or renewal. Subtitle C: Battered Women's Shelters and Services - Battered Women's Shelters and Services Act - Amends the FVPSA to authorize appropriations for State grants. Modifies guidelines governing: (1) allotment of appropriations; (2) grants for information and technical assistance centers; and (3) authorization of appropriations. (Sec. 123) Instructs the HHS Secretary to award grants for: (1) State domestic violence coalitions and local domestic violence programs providing shelter or related assistance, in order to develop model strategies to address domestic violence in underserved populations; (2) each State domestic violence coalition for an emergency assistance fund for domestic violence victims; (3) technical assistance and training for State and local domestic violence programs; and (4) private, nonprofit, tribal domestic violence coalitions with representatives from a majority of the programs for victims of domestic violence operating within Indian reservations, and programs whose primary focus is the populations of such Indian country. Subtitle D: Community Initiatives - Authorizes appropriations for demonstration grants for community initiatives. Subtitle E: Education and Training for Judges and Court Personnel - Amends the Equal Justice for Women in the Courts Act of 1994 to permit training grants for judges and court personnel to include: (1) child custody, visitation, and safety issues raised by domestic violence and child sexual assault; and (2) the extent to which addressing domestic violence and victim safety contributes to the efficient administration of justice. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle F: Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies - Amends the Act to reauthorize appropriations to implement the functions of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. (Sec. 153) Mandates that at least five percent of appropriated funds be used for grants to Indian tribal governments to treat domestic violence as a serious violation of criminal law. Subtitle G: Rural Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Enforcement - Amends the Safe Homes for Women Act of 1994 to authorize appropriations for rural domestic violence and child abuse enforcement. Mandates that five percent of such funds be used for grants to Indian tribal governments. Subtitle H: National Stalker and Domestic Violence Reduction - Amends the Safe Homes for Women Act of 1994 to authorize appropriations for grants to enter stalking and domestic violence data into crime information databases. Subtitle I: Federal Victims' Counselors - Amends the Safe Streets for Women Act of 1994 to authorize appropriations for the United States Attorneys to appoint Victim-Witness counselors for the prosecution of domestic violence and sexual assault crimes. Subtitle J: Education and Prevention Grants to Reduce Sexual Abuse of Runaway, Homeless, and Street Youth - Amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to authorize appropriations for street-based outreach and education to prevent sexual abuse and exploitation. Subtitle K: Victims of Child Abuse Programs - Amends the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 to authorize appropriations for: (1) the court-appointed special advocate program; and (2) child abuse training programs for judicial personnel and practitioners. (Sec. 195) Amends the Act to authorize appropriations for grants for closed-circuit televising of testimony of child abuse victims. Title II: Limiting the Effects of Violence on Children - Subtitle A: Safe Havens for Children - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to public or private nonprofit nongovernmental entities to establish and operate supervised visitation centers. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle B: Violence Against Women Prevention in Schools - Authorizes appropriations for the Secretary of Education to provide grants to State, local, or tribal school systems to implement programs for elementary, middle, and secondary schools which address domestic violence, assault and stalking. Subtitle C: Family Safety - Family Safety Act - Amends the Parental Kidnaping Prevention Act of 1980 to include among its purposes: (1) the promotion of cooperation between State and tribal courts to protect parents and children from domestic violence or sexual assault; (2) the promotion of realistic and protective standards for interstate relocation when parents dispute custody; (3) the avoidance of jurisdictional conflicts between State courts in matters of child custody and visitation consistent with not endangering or inappropriately punishing parents who are victims of domestic violence, or children who are victims of sexual assault. (Sec. 233) Amends the Federal criminal code (the code) to provide as a defense to prosecution of either a criminal custodial interference or parental abduction charge, or criminal contempt of court relating to an underlying child custody or visitation determination, that the defendant was fleeing an incident or pattern of domestic violence or sexual assault of the child, or would otherwise have a defense under the Parental Kidnaping Prevention Act. Directs the Attorney General to issue guidelines to assist U.S. Attorneys and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine whether to initiate or terminate an action due to the potential availability of such defense. (Sec. 234) Amends the Federal judicial code to: (1) provide that no State shall be required to enforce any order obtained in a proceeding which would violate the constitution of the enforcing State if the proceeding were conducted in the enforcing State; and (2) declare that the intent of full faith and credit doctrine in child custody determinations is to preempt inconsistent State law. Declares that a protection order regarding custody and visitation of a minor child that is consistent with this Act shall be given full faith and credit by the courts of any State where the party who sought the order seeks enforcement. Modifies State court jurisdiction guidelines governing: (1) relocation of the child due to domestic violence or sexual assault; and (2) court authority to decline to exercise jurisdiction on behalf of parents engaged in specified conduct. Subtitle D: Domestic Violence and Children - Expresses the sense of the Congress that for purposes of determining child custody: (1) it is in the best interest of children to have a presumption that their main physical residence should be with their primary caretaker parent unless such parent is unfit; (2) child abuse and sexual abuse allegations shall be fully investigated regardless of when raised, or whether the child has withdrawn the allegation; (3) States shall not order specified measures if they may endanger either parent or child; and (4) States shall provide training to all relevant professionals on how domestic violence and sexual assault affects determinations of custody, child support, and visitation. Subtitle E: Child Welfare Worker Training on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault - Directs the Attorney General to make grants in consultation with the HHS Secretary to enable child welfare service agencies to train their staffs and modify their policies, procedures, programs, and practices in order to make them consistent with specified principles and goals. Sets forth grantee eligibility criteria. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle F: Child Abuse Accountability - Child Abuse Accountability Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permit the assignment or alienation of any pension benefit payable to a participant pursuant to a qualified child abuse order. Exempts qualified child abuse orders from preemption by ERISA. Title III: Sexual Assault Prevention - Subtitle A: Rape Prevention Education - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the use of certain State funds exclusively for rape prevention and education programs conducted by rape crisis centers and private nonprofit nongovernmental State and tribal sexual assault coalitions for specified programs. Instructs the HHS Secretary to establish a National Resource Center on Sexual Assault when appropriations reach a specified minimum level. Mandates that State grantors ensure that at least 25 percent of the funds are devoted to educational programs targeted for middle school, junior high, and high school aged students. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle B: Standards, Practice, and Training for Sexual Assault Examinations - Standards, Practice, and Training for Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations Act - Directs the Attorney General, in conjunction with the HHS Secretary, to: (1) evaluate standards of training and practice for licensed health care professionals performing sexual assault forensic examinations, and develop a national recommended training standard; (2) recommend sexual assault examination training for health care students to improve recognition of injuries suggestive of rape and sexual assault; and (3) establish a mechanism for nationwide dissemination of a national protocol on sexual assault for forensic examinations. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle C: Violence Against Women Training for Health Professions - Violence Against Women Training for Health Professions Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the HHS Secretary, when making health care grants for rural areas, to give preference to a health professions entity that requires, as a condition of receiving a degree or certificate, each student to have had significant training in identification, examination, treatment, and referral of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Subtitle: D: Prevention of Custodial Sexual Assault by Correctional Staff - Prevention of Custodial Sexual Assault by Correctional Staff Act - Directs the Attorney General to establish and disseminate to the States certain guidelines regarding the prevention of custodial sexual misconduct by correctional staff. Requires withholding of specified correctional facilities funds from any State that fails to implement: (1) such guidelines; or (2) criminal penalties explicitly prohibiting custodial sexual misconduct by correctional staff against prisoners. (Sec. 345) Directs the Attorney General to create a national, confidential, toll-free telephone hotline to collect data, and to provide information and assistance to prisoners who have experienced custodial sexual misconduct by corrections staff. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle E: Hate Crimes Prevention - Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 1999 - Amends the code to establish criminal penalties for willfully causing bodily injury because of a person's race, color, religion, or national origin. (Sec. 355) Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to study the issue of adult recruitment of juveniles to commit hate crimes, and, where appropriate, to amend Federal sentencing guidelines to provide sentencing enhancements for adult defendants who do such recruiting. (Sec. 356) Directs the Administrator of the Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to make grants to State and local programs to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. (Sec. 357) Authorizes appropriations for the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Justice (including the Community Relations Service), to increase the number of personnel to prevent and respond to such hate crimes. Subtitle F: Rescheduling and Classification of Date-Rape Drugs - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) transfer flunitrazepam from schedule IV to schedule I; and (2) add ketamine hydrochloride to schedule III and, by order, add Gamma Hydroxy Butyric Acid to schedule I. Subtitle G: Access to Safety and Advocacy for Victims of Sexual Assault - Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to designated grantees and services to improve legal assistance to victims of sexual violence through access to the justice system, legal advocacy, and representation. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Domestic Violence Prevention - Subtitle A: Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victims' Housing - Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victims Housing Act - Authorizes increased appropriations under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act exclusively for qualified, nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations, and solely to provide supportive housing andtenant-based rental and financial assistance for persons leaving a residence due to victimization by domestic violence, stalking, or adult or child sexual assault. Subtitle B: Full Faith and Credit for Protection Orders - Amends the code to: (1) grant a tribal court civil and criminal jurisdiction over any person who violates a protection order within its jurisdiction, subject to Federal habeas corpus review, and after tribal court remedies are exhausted; and (2) require the Attorney General to reduce the amount of certain grants to any State that fails to comply with Federal full faith and credit requirements for protection orders. (Sec. 412) Authorizes the Attorney General to provide grants to assist governmental entities to develop and strengthen law enforcement and recordkeeping strategies to enforce protective orders issued by other governmental entities. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle C: Victims of Abuse Insurance Protection - Victims of Abuse Insurance Protection Act - Prohibits an insurer from denying or restricting insurance coverage on the basis that the applicant or insured (or any employee or associated person) is, has been, or may be the subject of abuse or has incurred or may incur abuse-related claims. Confers enforcement jurisdiction upon the Federal Trade Commission. Authorizes a private cause of action by an applicant or insured adversely affected by a violation of this Act. Subtitle D: National Summit on Sports and Violence - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) a national summit should be promptly convened to develop a multifaceted action plan to deter acts of violence, especially domestic violence and sexual assault; (2) the members of such summit should include sports, community, political, and media leaders, as well as Members of Congress and other governmental and community leaders with relevant expertise; and (3) summit members should assume leadership roles deterring acts of domestic violence and sexual assault. Subtitle E: Keeping Firearms from Intoxicated Persons - Amends the code to declare unlawful the transfer of a firearm or ammunition to any person reasonably believed to be intoxicated. Subtitle F: Access to Safety and Advocacy - Access to Safety and Advocacy Act - Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to designated grantees and services to improve legal assistance to victims of domestic violence through access to the justice system, legal advocacy, and representation. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle G: Strengthening Enforcement to Reduce Violence Against Women - Amends the code to revise guidelines governing persons who travel in interstate and foreign commerce and engage in domestic violence and stalking, or who violate protection orders. Subtitle H: Disclosure Protections - Amends the Social Security Act , Title IV part D, to modify disclosure protections in connection with the Federal Parent Locator Service and State plan requirements for child and spousal support. Title V: Violence Against Women in the Military System - Subtitle A: Civilian Jurisdiction for Crimes of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence - Amends the code to declare that domestic violence and sexual assault offenses committed by persons formerly serving with, or presently employed by or accompanying the armed forces outside of the United States shall be subject to prosecution in the Federal District Court of the jurisdiction of origin of the person arrested. Provides for concurrent jurisdiction with other military tribunals and foreign governments. (Sec. 502) Amends Federal law governing separation from the armed forces to mandate that: (1) a copy of records of any penal action taken against the departing member of the armed forces be transmitted to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and (2) any member convicted by court-martial of an offense of a sexual nature provide whatever specimen is necessary to conduct DNA analysis for inclusion in the Combined DNA Identification System of the FBI. Subtitle B: Transitional Compensation for Abused Dependents of Members of the Armed Forces - Revises Federal guidelines governing transitional compensation for abused dependents of former members of the armed forces. Subtitle C: Confidentiality of Records - Prescribes guidelines under which the Secretary of Defense is directed to: (1) study procedures of military departments for protecting the confidentiality of communications between military dependents involved in sexual or intrafamily abuse and the professionals from whom they seek services in connection with the effects of such abuse; and (2) issue regulations to provide the maximum protections for the confidentiality of such communications; and (3) report to the Congress on results of such study and implementation of the regulations. Title VI: Preventing Violence Against Women in Traditionally Underserved Communities - Subtitle A: Older Women's Protection From Violence - Older Women's Protection From Violence Act of 1999 - Chapter 1: Violence Against Women Act of 1994 - Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to direct the Attorney General to: (1) make grants to law school clinical programs to fund the inclusion of cases addressing issues of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including domestic violence, and sexual assault against older individuals; and (2) develop curricula and provide for training programs in those issues for law enforcement officers and prosecutors (including tribal authorities). Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 2: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act - Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to require federally-funded State domestic violence coalitions to include programs and providers of direct services targeted to older individuals. 606) Authorizes entities eligible for a community initiatives demonstration grant to include representatives of adult protective services entities. Chapter 3: Older Americans Act of 1965 - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to direct the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Aging to consider the importance of research about the sexual assault of older women when establishing research priorities for grants or contracts for research and demonstration projects on elder abuse. (Sec. 609) Authorizes appropriations without fiscal year limitation for grants to implement a State long-term care ombudsman program. (Sec. 610) Directs such Assistant Secretary to update and improve curricula and implement continuing education training programs to improve the ability of designated health care and social services providers to recognize and address instances of elder abuse, including domestic violence and sexual assault. (Sec.611) Directs the Assistant Secretary, when making grants and contracts, to give special consideration to projects designed to: (1) expand access to domestic violence shelters and programs for older individuals and encourage the use of certain facilities as emergency short-term shelters; and (2) promote research on legal, organizational, or training impediments to providing services to older individuals through shelters and programs. (Sec. 612) Authorizes appropriations for the ombudsman and the elder abuse prevention program. (Sec. 613) Directs the Assistant HHS Secretary to make grants to: (1) nonprofit private or tribal organizations to support projects in local communities to coordinate activities for intervention in and prevention of elder abuse, including domestic violence and sexual assault; and (2) develop outreach programs for assisting elder abuse victims, including some for assisting individuals in certain senior housing facilities. Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 4: Public Health Service Act - Elder Abuse Identification and Referral Act of 1999 - Amends the Health Service Act to instruct the HHS Secretary, when awarding grants or contracts, to give preferences to health professions schools or programs that condition the awarding of their degrees or certificates upon significant student training in specified areas of elder abuse identification and treatment. (Sec. 616) Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize: (1) area health education centers to include training in domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse screening and referral protocols; and (2) Federal grants to geriatric education centers for training and retraining of faculty to provide instruction regarding elder abuse situations. Subtitle B: Protections Against Violence and Abuse for Women with Disabilities - Protections Against Violence and Abuse for Women with Disabilities Act - Makes the protection of women with disabilities eligible for grants and research under the following Acts: (1) the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968; (2) Family Violence Prevention and Services Act; (3) Safe Homes for Women Act of 1994; and (4) Equal Justice for Women in the Courts Act of 1994. (Sec. 625) Authorizes the HHS Secretary to: (1) develop curricula and implement training programs to improve the ability of social service and health providers to recognize and address domestic violence directed against women with disabilities; and (2) make grants and enter into contracts for such training programs for health professionals. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 627) Directs the HHS Secretary to consider the importance of research about the sexual assault of, and violence against, women with disabilities in establishing certain research priorities. (Sec. 628 ) Directs the Attorney General to establish a grants program for States, nongovernmental private entities, and tribal organizations to provide education and technical assistance for information dissemination on abuse and violence against women with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle C: Battered Immigrant Women -. VAWA Restoration Act - 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. 638) Prescribes guidelines for: (1) discretionary first time offender waivers for aliens making child support payments; (2) misrepresentation waivers for battered spouses of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents; (3) waiver of deportability; (4) inapplicability of public charge determinations for designated aliens; and (5) access to naturalization for divorced victims of abuse. Authorizes the Attorney General to grant certain battered applicants documentation signifying authorization of employment during the pendency of certain application procedures.. 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. 639) 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. (Sec. 640) 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. Subtitle D: Conforming Amendments to the Violence Against Women Act - Amends the Act to make technical and conforming amendments to law enforcement and prosecution grants. Title VII: Violence Against Women and the Workplace - Subtitle A: National Clearinghouse on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and the Workplace Grant - Authorizes the Attorney General to award a grant to a private non-profit entity, including a tribal organization, to provide for establishment of a national clearinghouse and resource center to disseminate information and assistance to employers and labor organizations responding to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle B: Victims' Employment Rights - Victim s' Employment Rights Act - Prohibits an employer from taking any discriminatory employment action towards an individual for reasons pertaining to sexual or domestic violence, or stalking.. Prohibits any adverse job action for an employee's participation in related judicial proceedings requiring absence from work. Prescribes enforcement guidelines, including civil action by an affected employee for actual and treble punitive damages. (Sec. 726) Sets forth defenses to such an action, including extraordinary threats to workplace safety, and undue hardship. Subtitle C: Workplace Violence Against Women Prevention Tax Credit - Workplace Violence Against Women Prevention Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an employer a workplace safety program tax credit for 40 percent of the costs of implementing workplace safety and education programs to combat violence against women. Subtitle D: Battered Women's Employment Protection - Battered Women's Employment Protection Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for unemployment compensation for separation from employment as a direct result of an employee's experience of domestic violence. (Sec. 743) Amends the Social Security Act to provide for the training of claims reviewers and hearing personnel in the nature and dynamics of domestic violence, and in methods of ascertaining and keeping confidential information about domestic violence experiences so that employment separations stemming from such violence are identified and adjudicated while full confidentiality is provided for the employee's claim and submitted evidence. (Sec. 744) Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to establish an entitlement for leave resulting from certain domestic violence situations for both Federal and non-Federal employees. Prescribes confidentiality guidelines for an employee's situation of domestic violence. Requires that employees, under State law, be permitted to use existing leave for domestic violence situations. Empowers the Secretary of Labor to enforce the entitlement for leave due to an employee's domestic violence situation. Subtitle E: Education and Training Grants to Promote Responses to Violence Against Women - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to public and private nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations for the education and training of individuals who, as a result of their employment responsibilities, are likely to come into contact with victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle F: Workers' Compensation - Expresses the sense of the Congress that State workers' compensation laws should: (1) provide benefits to eligible female victims of workplace violence, including full compensation for physical and nonphysical injuries; and (2) permit the employee to pursue an action at law (other than statutory workers' compensation benefits) against an employer's role in the act of workplace violence. Title VIII : - Violence Against Women Intervention, Prevention, and Education Research - Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to direct the HHS Secretary and the Attorney General to establish a multi-agency task force coordinating research on violence against women. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 901) Directs the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants to entities to: (1) support research to further the understanding of the causes of violent behavior against women; and (2) evaluate education, prevention, and intervention programs. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Departments of Health and Human Services and of Justice to make grants to domestic violence and sexual assault organizations, research organizations and academic institutions to expand knowledge about violence against women, with a particular emphasis on exploring such issues as they affect underserved communities. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to study and report to the Congress on specified aspects of domestic violence. Directs the Secretary to award grants to designated entities to gather data on the experiences of women and girls who become pregnant as a result of sexual assault within State and tribal health care, judicial, and social services systems. Authorizes appropriations. Instructs the Attorney General to conduct a national study and report to the Congress on the status, implementation and efficacy of Federal, State, and tribal laws regarding rape and sexual assault offenses and their effectiveness in addressing those crimes and protecting the victims. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary and the Attorney General to establish three research centers to: (1) support the development of research and training programs that focus on violence against women; (2) provide collaboration mechanisms between researchers and practitioners; and (3) provide technical assistance for integrating research into the provision of services. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1999
Hmong Veterans' Naturalization Act of 1999 - Waives the English language requirement and provides special consideration for the civics requirement with respect to the naturalization of certain aliens (or their spouses or widows) who served with special guerilla units in Laos.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1999
National Oilheat Research Alliance Act of 1999 - Authorizes the oilheat industry to conduct a referendum through a qualified industry organization among retailers and wholesalers for the creation of a National Oilheat Research Alliance to develop programs concerning oilheat research and development, safety issues, consumer education, and training. Defines industry to include those persons involved in the production, transportation, and sale of oilheat, and in the manufacture and distribution of oilheat utilization equipment in the United States (but not the ultimate consumers of oilheat). Permits State industry trade association participation in such Alliance. Prescribes guidelines for Alliance membership and representation. Prescribes an assessment of two tenths of one cent per gallon to be collected on the sale of no. 1 and no. 2 dyed distillates by a wholesale distributor in a State participating in the Alliance and to be paid to the Alliance upon a quarterly basis. Requires the Alliance to establish a program coordinating its operation with that of any similar State, local, or regional program. Prescribes allocation guidelines governing Alliance funds made available to a qualified State association. Conditions fund availability upon the Alliance's determination that the funds will be used to directly benefit the oilheat industry. Empowers the Alliance to bring suit in Federal court to compel compliance with any assessments it levies. Mandates that Alliance-funded consumer education activities include a statement that they were supported by the Alliance. Prohibits such consumer education activities from including: (1) a reference to a private brand name; (2) a false or unwarranted claim on behalf of oilheat or related products; or (3) a reference regarding the attributes or use of any competing product. Prescribes procedural guidelines for the filing and transmittal of complaints, including judicial review in Federal court.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1999
Amends the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 to add to title I a new subtitle C, which may be cited as the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs Act of 1999. Directs the Administrator of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (Administrator) to establish a microenterprise technical assistance and capacity building program to provide Fund grants to qualified nonprofit organizations to: (1) provide training and technical assistance to disadvantaged entrepreneurs; (2) provide training and capacity building services to help microenterprise development organizations and programs develop microenterprise training and services; and (3) aid in researching and developing the best practices in the field of microenterprise and technical assistance programs for disadvantaged entrepreneurs. Sets forth an allocation formula for such assistance and for grants benefitting very low-income persons, including those residing on Indian reservations. Authorizes a qualified organization to provide subgrants to small and emerging microenterprise entities. Mandates matching funds from non-Federal sources. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Health Insurance Bill of Rights Subtitle A: Access to Care Subtitle B: Quality Assurance Subtitle C: Patient Information Subtitle D: Grievance and Appeals Procedures Subtitle E: Protecting the Doctor-Patient Relationship Subtitle F: Promoting Good Medical Practice Subtitle G: Definitions Title II: Application of Patient Protection Standards to Group Health Plans and Health Insurance Coverage Under Public Health Service Act Title III: Amendments to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 Title IV: Application to Group Health Plans Under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Title V: Effective Dates; Coordination in Implementation Patients' Bill of Rights Act of 1999 - Title I: Health Insurance Bill of Rights - Subtitle A: Access to Care - Requires any group health plan, or health insurance coverage offered by a health insurance issuer, providing emergency services benefits to cover emergency services furnished: (1) without the need for any prior authorization determination; (2) whether or not the health care provider furnishing such services is a participating health care provider; and (3) without regard to any other term or condition of such coverage (other than exclusion or coordination of benefits, or an affiliation or waiting period, permitted under the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), or the Internal Revenue Code, and other than applicable cost-sharing). Requires such coverage in a manner so that, if the emergency services are provided by a nonparticipating health care provider the participant, beneficiary, or enrollee is not liable for amounts exceeding the liability that would be incurred if the services were provided by a participating provider with prior authorization. Prescribes the same coverage for maintenance care or post-stabilization care (subject to certain guidelines) by nonparticipating health care providers. (Sec. 102) Requires a plan or coverage that provides benefits only through participating providers to offer a participant the option to purchase point-of-service coverage for benefits provided by a nonparticipating provider, unless the plan offers the participant: (1) a choice of health insurance coverage through more than one issuer; or (2) two or more coverage options that differ significantly regarding the use of participating providers or the networks of such providers that are used. (Sec. 103) Requires any plan and any health insurance issuer to permit each participant, beneficiary, and enrollee to receive: (1) primary care from any participating primary care provider available to accept such individual; and (2) (unless the plan or issuer clearly declares choice limitations) medically necessary or appropriate specialty care, pursuant to appropriate referral procedures, from any qualified participating provider available to accept such individual for such care. (Sec. 104) Requires any plan or issuer that requires or provides for designation of a participating primary care provider to permit: (1) a female participant, beneficiary, or enrollee to designate a participating physician who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology as the individual's primary care provider; and (2) designation of a pediatrician as a child's primary provider. Prohibits the plan or issuer, in the absence of such a designation, from requiring authorization or a referral by the individual's primary care provider or otherwise for coverage of routine gynecological care (such as preventive women's health examinations) and pregnancy-related services provided by a participating specialist in obstetrics and gynecology to the extent such care is otherwise covered. Permits a plan or issuer to treat the ordering of other gynecological care by such a participating health professional as the primary care provider's authorization of such care. Requires the plan or issuer to refer to an available and accessible specialist any participant, beneficiary, or enrollee with a condition or disease of sufficient seriousness and complexity to require treatment by a specialist, and benefits for such treatment are covered. Requires a plan or issuer to refer an individual to a nonparticipating specialist: (1) only if a participating specialist is not available and accessible; and (2) only at no additional cost to the individual. Requires a plan or issuer to have a procedure by which an individual with an ongoing special condition (life-threatening, degenerative, or disabling) may be referred to a specialist who shall be responsible for and capable of providing and coordinating the individual's primary and specialty care, without referral from the individual's primary care provider. Requires standing referrals to a specialist for any condition requiring ongoing specialist care. (Sec. 105) Prescribes requirements for continuity of care for participants, beneficiaries, or enrollees in the event of a termination of a health care provider or of the contract between a plan and an issuer. (Sec. 106) Prescribes requirements for participation in approved clinical trials of individuals with life-threatening or serious illnesses for which no standard treatment is effective. Prohibits denial of participation in such trials, or discrimination against participants. Limits plan or issuer payments to routine patient costs. (Sec. 107) Requires any plan or issuer that provides prescription drug benefits limited to drugs included in a formulary to: (1) ensure participation of participating physicians and pharmacists in the development of the formulary; (2) disclose to providers, and upon request to participants, beneficiaries, and enrollees, the nature of the formulary restrictions; and (3) consistent with the standards for a utilization review program, provide for exceptions from the formulary limitation when a non-formulary alternative is medically indicated. Prohibits a plan or issuer from denying coverage of such a drug or device on the basis that the use is investigational, if certain labeling requirements are met. (Sec. 108) Requires each plan and issuer to have (in relation to the coverage) a sufficient number, distribution, and variety of qualified participating providers to ensure that all covered health care services, including specialty services, will be available and accessible in a timely manner to all participants, beneficiaries, and enrollees. Permits inclusion among such providers of federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, migrant health centers, and other essential community providers located in the service area. Requires inclusion of such providers if necessary to meet such number, distribution, and variety requirements. (Sec. 109) Prescribes nondiscrimination requirements. Subtitle B: Quality Assurance - Directs each plan and issuer to establish an ongoing, internal quality assurance and continuous quality improvement program meeting specified requirements. (Sec. 112) Requires each plan and issuer to: (1) collect uniform quality data, including a minimum uniform data set specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services; (2) have a written process for the selection of participating health care professionals, including minimum professional requirements; and (3) establish and maintain, as part of any internal quality assurance and continuous quality improvement program including prescription drug benefits, a drug utilization program which encourages appropriate drug use and takes appropriate action to reduce the incidence of improper drug use and adverse drug reactions and interactions. (Sec. 115) Requires each plan and issuer to conduct (or arrange for qualified outside agents to conduct) benefit utilization review activities only in accordance with a utilization review program that meets certain requirements. Prohibits a program from permitting or providing contingent compensation arrangements with its employees, agents, or contractors in a manner that: (1) provides incentives, direct or indirect, for such persons to make inappropriate review decisions; or (2) is based, directly or indirectly, on the quantity or type of adverse determinations rendered. Requires a utilization review program to make determinations and notifications concerning: (1) prior authorization services within three business days after receiving any necessary information; (2) authorization for continued or extended health care services within one business day after receipt of such information; and (3) retrospective review of services previously provided, within 30 days of such receipt. (Sec. 116) Directs the President to establish an advisory board to provide information to Congress and the administration on issues relating to quality monitoring and improvement in the health care provided under group health plans and health insurance coverage. Subtitle C: Patient Information - Specifies benefits, access, emergency coverage, prior authorization, grievance and appeals, and other pertinent information which plans and issuers shall provide to participants and beneficiaries at the time of initial coverage, annually, within a reasonable period before or after the date of significant changes, and upon request. (Sec. 122) Requires plans and issuers to establish procedures to: (1) safeguard the privacy of any individually identifiable enrollee information; (2) maintain records and information in an accurate and timely manner; and (3) assure individuals timely access to such records and information. (Sec. 123) Provides for grants to States for creation and operation of a Health Insurance Ombudsman. Requires any State receiving such a grant to contract for such an Ombudsman with a not-for-profit organization that operates independent of group health plans and health insurance issuers. Requires the Secretary to provide through such a contract for an Ombudsman in any State that does not provide for one. Makes such an Ombudsman responsible to: (1) assist consumers in choosing among health insurance coverage or among coverage options offered within group health plans; and (2) provide counseling and assistance to enrollees dissatisfied with their treatment by issuers and plans, and with respect to grievances and appeals of coverage or plan determinations. Subtitle D: Grievances and Appeals Procedures - Requires each plan and issuer to establish a system for the presentation and resolution of oral and written grievances brought by participants, beneficiaries, or enrollees, or health care providers or other individuals acting on behalf of an individual and with the individual's consent. Requires the system to include grievances regarding access to and availability of services, quality of care, choice and accessibility of providers, network adequacy, and compliance with the requirements of this title. (Sec. 132) Requires each plan and issuer to establish an internal appeals process, and provide for an external appeals process, which meet certain requirements. Specifies the appeal rights of participants, beneficiaries, and their representatives, as well as the kinds of decisions which are appealable. Subtitle E: Protecting the Doctor-Patient Relationship - Prohibits any contract or agreement between a plan or issuer and a health care provider from: (1) prohibiting or restricting the provider from engaging in medical communications with the provider's patient; or (2) containing any provision purporting to transfer to the health care provider by indemnification or otherwise any liability relating to activities, actions, or omissions of the plan, issuer, or agent (as opposed to the provider). Declares null and void any such contract or agreement provisions. (Sec. 142) Prohibits any plan or issuer from operating any physician incentive plan that does not meet certain requirements under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. (Sec. 143) Requires any plan or issuer to establish reasonable procedures relating to the participation of health care professionals, including notice of participation rules, written notice of adverse participation decisions, and a process for appealing adverse decisions. (Sec. 144) Prohibits a plan or an issuer from retaliating against a participant, beneficiary, enrollee, or health care provider based on use of, or participation in, a utilization review or a grievance process. Prohibits a plan or an issuer from retaliating or discriminating against a protected health care professional because the professional in good faith: (1) discloses information relating to the care, services, or conditions affecting one or more participants, beneficiaries, or enrollees to an appropriate public regulatory agency, private accreditation body, or management personnel of the plan or issuer; or (2) initiates, cooperates, or otherwise participates in an investigation or proceeding by such an agency with respect to such care, services, or conditions. Defines good faith action. Subtitle F: Promoting Good Medical Practice - Prohibits a plan or issuer from arbitrarily interfering with or altering the decision of the treating physician regarding the manner or setting in which particular covered services are delivered (including the number of days in a hospital) if they are medically necessary or appropriate for treatment or diagnosis. Allows a plan or issuer to limit the delivery of services to one or more providers within a network. (Sec. 152) Prohibits a plan or issuer from restricting benefits for any hospital length of stay: (1) in connection with a mastectomy to less than 48 hours; or (2) in connection with a lymph node dissection for the treatment of breast cancer to less than 24 hours. Permits a discharge before expiration of the minimum length of stay otherwise required, if the decision is made by the attending provider in consultation with the woman involved, or in a case involving a partial mastectomy without lymph node dissection. Prohibits a plan or issuer from: (1) denying to a woman eligibility to enroll or renew coverage solely for the purpose of avoiding the requirements of this title; (2) providing monetary payments or rebates to encourage women to accept less than the minimum protections available under this title; (3) penalizing or otherwise reducing or limiting reimbursement because an attending provider gave care to a participant or beneficiary in accordance with this title; (4) providing incentives (monetary or otherwise) to induce an attending provider to provide care to a participant or beneficiary in a manner inconsistent with this title; or (5) restricting benefits (other than imposing deductibles, coinsurance, or other cost-sharing) for any portion of a period within a required hospital length of stay in a manner less favorable than the benefits provided for any preceding portion of such stay. Subtitle G: Definitions - Sets forth definitions. Title II: Application of Patient Protection Standards to Group Health Plans and Health Insurance Coverage Under Public Health Service Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require each plan and issuer to comply with the patient protection requirements of this Act. (Sec. 202) Requires each health insurance issuer to comply with such requirements with respect to individual health insurance coverage. Title III: Amendments to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 - Amends ERISA to require each plan and issuer to comply with the patient protection requirements of this Act. (Sec. 302) Provides that nothing in ERISA shall be construed to invalidate, impair, or supersede any cause of action under State law to recover damages resulting from personal injury or wrongful death against any person (except employers and other plan sponsors): (1) in connection with the provision of insurance, administrative services, or medical services by that person to or for a group health plan; or (2) that arises out of the arrangement by that person for the provision of insurance, administrative services, or medical services by other persons. Allows such an action against an employer or other plan sponsor (or against an employee of such an employer or sponsor acting within the scope of employment) only if it is based on the employer's or sponsor's exercise of discretionary authority to decide a claim for covered benefits, and such exercise resulted in personal injury or wrongful death. Title IV: Application to Group Health Plans Under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan to comply with this Act. Deems this Act to be incorporated into the Internal Revenue Code. Title V: Effective Dates; Coordination in Implementation - Sets forth effective dates for provisions of this Act. (Sec. 502) Amends the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 to provide for coordination in the implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1999
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 1999 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the Federal minimum wage (currently $5.15 per hour) to: (1) $5.65 an hour during the year beginning on September 1, 1999; and (2) $6.15 an hour beginning on September 1, 2000. Makes Federal minimum requirements applicable to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1999
Wire Transfer Fairness and Disclosure Act of 1999- Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to require a financial institution or money transmitting business initiating an international money transfer on behalf of a consumer to disclose prominently on its premises and on its forms and receipts: (1) the exchange rate used in the transaction; (2) the exchange rate prevailing at a major financial center of the pertinent foreign country as of close of business on the business day immediately preceding the transaction date; and (3) all commissions and fees charged in such transaction. Requires such information to be: (1) included in print, broadcast, and electronic advertisements; and (2) in English and in the same language as principally used by the institution or money transmitting business to advertise, solicit, or negotiate at that office if other than English.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1999
Abandoned Hardrock Mines Reclamation Act of 1999- Sets forth a fee schedule under which a producer of hardrock minerals from a mine that was within a mining claim that has subsequently been patented under the general mining laws must pay the Secretary of the Interior a reclamation fee computed as a specified percentage of net proceeds. Establishes the Abandoned Minerals Mine Reclamation Fund, composed of such fees for the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by past minerals activities (other than coal and fluid minerals activities).
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1999
Hardrock Mining Royalty Act of 1999 - Requires the payment of a royalty to the Federal Government of five percent of the net smelter return from the production of locatable minerals or mineral concentrates produced from any mining claim located under the general mining laws. Establishes the Abandoned Minerals Mine Reclamation Fund, into which all such royalty receipts shall be deposited for the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by past minerals activities (other than coal and fluid minerals activities). Identifies the kinds of land and waters eligible for reclamation expenditures. Authorizes appropriations for the Fund. Restricts the issuance of any patents for mining or mill site claims to those for which applications were filed, certain statutory requirements governing vein or lode claims, placer claims, and mill site claims were complied with, before September 30, 1994. Sets forth annual claim maintenance fee requirements (which shall not apply to oil shale claims subject to claim maintenance fees under the Energy Policy Act of 1992).
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1999
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Treatment and Assistance Act of 1999 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for a waiver of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage for individuals disabled by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to provide for Medicare coverage of any drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the treatment or alleviation of ALS-related symptoms.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1999
Elimination of Double Subsidies for the Hardrock Mining Industry Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow the percentage depletion allowance for hardrock mines located on land currently subject to the general mining laws, or on land patented under such laws.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1999
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) permanently extend the exclusion from gross income of employer-provided educational assistance; and (2) restore the exclusion for such assistance on the graduate level.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1999
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Serbia-Montenegro has failed to comply with the Holbrooke-Milosevic agreement of October 13, 1998, and other international obligations; and (2) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should implement its activation order of October 12, 1998, which authorizes and prepares alliance air forces to compel Serbia-Montenegro to comply with the Holbrooke-Milosevic agreement and other international obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1999
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance Act of 1999 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to prohibit a group health plan or a health insurance issuer offering group coverage from discriminating on the basis: (1) of genetic information; or (2) that the participant or beneficiary has requested or received genetic services. Regulates genetic information collection and disclosure by plans and issuers. Provides for compensatory, consequential, and punitive damages. Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a group health plan, a health insurance issuer offering group coverage, or a health issuer in the individual market from so discriminating. Regulates genetic information collection and disclosure by plans and issuers. Provides for compensatory, consequential, and punitive damages. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit an issuer of a Medicare supplemental policy from so discriminating. Provides for compensatory, consequential, and punitive damages. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a group health plan or a health insurance issuer offering group coverage from so discriminating. Regulates genetic information collection and disclosure by plans and issuers.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1999
Cruises-to-Nowhere Act of 1999 - Amends the Johnson Act to provide that the Federal prohibition on the use of gambling devices on U.S. documented or foreign-flagged vessels shall not preempt States from enacting laws governing cruises-to-nowhere.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1999
Autism Statistics, Surveillance, Research, and Epidemiology Act of 1999 (ASSURE) - Authorizes grants and contracts for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on autism and pervasive developmental disabilities. Mandates establishment of three to five regional centers of excellence in autism and pervasive developmental disabilities epidemiology to collect and analyze information, to be established and operated through grants or cooperative agreements. Requires that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention serve as the coordinating agency for autism and pervasive developmental disabilities surveillance through the establishment of a clearinghouse for data generated from the monitoring programs created by this Act. Mandates establishment of an Advisory Committee for Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disabilities Epidemiology Research. Authorizes appropriations.
![Official portrait of Rep. Olver, John W. [D-MA-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/o000085_200.jpg)