United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
2002 Winter Olympic Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue five dollar gold coins and one dollar silver coins emblematic of the participation of American athletes in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Mandates that coin design be selected by the Secretary after consultation with: (1) the Commission of Fine Arts; (2) the United States Olympic Committee; and (3) Olympic Properties of the United States-Salt Lake 2002 (created and owned by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee). States that all surcharges from the coin sales ($35 for a $5 coin and $10 for a $1 coin) shall be distributed by the Secretary to: (1) Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games of 2002; and (2) the United States Olympic Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
Campaign Integrity Act of 2000 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions regarding tax-exempt organizations to expand the definition of "political organization" to require such an organization, in order to be defined as such, to file an annual statement certifying compliance with reporting requirements under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) added by this Act. Excepts from such filing requirement: (1) organizations which exist for the exclusive purpose of influencing the appointment of any individual to a State, local, or Federal public office or office in a political organization; (2) a group of persons (other than a separate segregated fund established under FECA) which accepts contributions or makes expenditures during a calendar year of less than $5,000; or (3) political committees as defined under FECA. Prohibits an organization from being treated as one described under (1) above if it makes payments for certain communications which mention a clearly identified candidate for election for Federal office or contain the likeness of such candidate during an election cycle. Amends FECA to provide that, for purposes of Internal Revenue Code provisions regarding tax-exempt political organizations, a political organization is in compliance if it files with the Federal Election Commission: (1) a statement of organization no later than ten days after receiving or spending an aggregate amount equal to or greater than $5,000 during the year for an exempt function described under the Code; and (2) reports of its receipts and disbursements at the same time and in the same manner as reports are filed by political committees under existing FECA requirements. Describes contents of such statement and report.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2000
Improved Medical Care for Troops and Retirees Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, Federal armed forces law, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998, and the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to provide, among other things, for: (1) making permanent the current Medicare subvention demonstration project for military retirees and dependents; (2) extending the Federal Employees Health Benefits Optional Demonstration Project; (3) entitling family members of members of the armed forces assigned to certain duty locations far from sources of care to the medical and dental care otherwise available to such member in any facility of any uniformed service; (4) requiring the pharmacy benefits provided under the redesigned pharmacy system under the TRICARE program (a managed health care program of the armed forces) to be at least equivalent to those provided under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993; and (5) eliminating copayments under TRICARE Prime, and imposing a reduction in the catastrophic cap under TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra. Authorizes appropriations for the redesigned pharmacy system under the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Authorizes the President, on behalf of Congress, to present a gold medal to Charles M. Schulz, in recognition of his lasting artistic contributions to the Nation and the world. Authorizes a specified amount to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund to pay for the costs of such medals. Mandates that sales proceeds from duplicate bronze medals be deposited into such Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2000
Authorizes presentation of a gold medal on behalf of Congress to former President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy Reagan. Authorizes specified sums to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund for medal costs. Mandates that sale proceeds from duplicate bronze medals be deposited into such Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2000
Requires the metal content of the Medal of Honor, awarded by the President to members of the armed forces and Coast Guard, to be 90 percent gold and ten percent alloy.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2000
Hospital Preservation and Equity Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 with regard to the one year sole community hospital payment increase, to reset the applicable percentage increase for FY 2001 and each subsequent fiscal year to the market basket percentage increase for hospitals in all areas for purposes of updating payments to prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals for inpatient hospital services.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2000
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Includes as an employee, for purposes of Federal provisions authorizing enrollment under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: (1) a member of the armed forces who began service before June 7, 1956, and retired after a minimum of 20 years of such service or by reason of a service-connected disability; and (2) the surviving widow or widower of such member. Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide FEHB coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member of such member. Repeals a provision prohibiting coverage under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services for persons entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2000
Recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Korean War, and expresses the gratitude of the American people for the service of members of the armed forces during such War.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1999
Permits State of Louisiana lessees, for a specified period of time, to withhold payment of specified Federal offshore royalties owed to the United States under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act if they make certain payments to the State of Louisiana. Requires such State lessees to present a quarterly report to the Director of the Minerals Management Service listing the Federal leases for which such royalty payments are withheld.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 1999
Honors the service and sacrifice of the members of the armed forces and Federal civilian employees who, during the Vietnam era, served in the Republic of Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia or otherwise served in support of U.S. operations in Vietnam and in support of U.S. national security interests throughout the world. Recognizes and honors the sacrifice of the families of those individuals who lost their lives or remain unaccounted for or were injured during that era in Southeast Asia or elsewhere in the world in defense of U.S. national security interests.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 1999
Hunger Relief Act of 1999 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to remove specified restrictions on qualified aliens' eligibility for food stamp and supplemental security income benefits. Exempts food stamp provisions respecting aliens from: (1) the five-year waiting period for Federal means-tested public benefits eligibility; (2) inclusion of sponsor income and resources to an alien for State benefits eligibility; and (3) sponsor reimbursement requirements in cases of hardship. Sets forth effective dates for: (1) aliens; and (2) refugees and asylees. (Sec. 3) Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to authorize a State to use an alternative State auto valuation rather than the Federal one in order to provide a lower household resource attribution for food stamp program purposes. (Sec. 4) Increases, and indexes for inflation, the food stamp excess shelter deduction. (Sec. 5) Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to authorize additional appropriations for commodity purchases under the emergency food assistance program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 1999
Legal Amnesty Restoration Act of 1999 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to repeal the judicial review limitation on denial of status adjustment to permanent resident with respect to certain aliens (effective as if enacted in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986). Extends the admission registry date for permanent residence, including a further extension in a case involving an unlawful act by an Immigration and Naturalization Service employee or officer, for certain aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1999
Providing Reliable Officers, Technology, Education, Community Prosecutors, and Training In Our Neighborhoods Act of 1999 or PROTECTION Act - Modifies provisions of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (the Act) regarding public safety and community policing ("cops on the beat" program, COPS) to authorize the Attorney General to use funding under COPS grants to: (1) increase prosecutor presence and to enhance law enforcement access to new technologies; (2) pay overtime to existing career law enforcement officers to the extent that such overtime is devoted to community policing efforts; and (3) promote higher education among in-service State and local law enforcement officers by reimbursing them for the costs associated with seeking a college or graduate school education. Includes among permitted additional grant projects: (1) specialized integrity and ethics training; (2) innovative proactive crime control and prevention programs involving school officials and religiously-affiliated organizations; (3) school-based partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and local school systems by using school resource officers who operate in and around elementary and secondary schools (current law) to serve as a law enforcement liaison with other Federal, State, and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies and to combat gang membership and criminal activity, firearms and explosives-related incidents, illegal use and possession of alcohol, and the illegal possession, use, and distribution of drugs; and (4) innovative programs that bring together a community's sheriff, police chief, and elderly residents to address the public safety concerns of older citizens. Authorizes the Attorney General to use up to five percent of appropriated funds for technical assistance and training to States, local governments, Indian tribal governments, and other public and private entities. Requires the technical assistance provided by the Attorney General to include the establishment and operation of regional community policing institutes training centers or facilities. Permits the functions of the centers or facilities to include instruction and seminars for specified individuals, including representatives of police labor and management organizations and community residents. Repeals provisions of the Act regarding: (1) termination of grants for hiring officers; and (2) preferential consideration of applications for certain grants. Allows grants to be used to assist: (1) police departments in employing specified professional, scientific, and technological advancements; and (2) State, local, or tribal prosecutors' offices in implementation of community-based prosecution programs that build on local community policing efforts. Reserves specified funds for units of local government with a population of less than 50,000. Authorizes the Attorney General to use no more than 50 percent of grant renewal funds to award grants targeted specifically for retention of police officers to grantees in good standing, with preference to those that demonstrate financial hardship or severe budget constraint that impacts the entire local budget and may result in the termination of employment for officers. Redefines: (1) "career law enforcement officer" to include sheriffs' deputies charged with supervising offenders who are released into the community but also engaged in local community policing efforts; and (2) "school resource officer" to mean a career law enforcement officer deployed in community-oriented policing and assigned to work in collaboration with schools and community-based organizations (as under current law) to engage in specified activities, including serving as a law enforcement liaison with other Federal, State, and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies to address and document crime and disorder problems, training students in conflict resolution and crime awareness, and assisting school administrators with the preparation of an annual report on the number of students expelled per year for bringing a weapon, firearm, or explosive to school. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1999
Express the sense of Congress that: (1) prayers and invocations at public school sporting events are constitutional under the First Amendment; and (2) the Supreme Court should uphold the constitutionality of such practices.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 1999
Amends Federal rail transportation law to prohibit a railroad carrier (including its officers and agents) from requiring a train employee who has been on duty or available for it for any portion of each of seven consecutive days to go on duty or be available for it until at least 72 consecutive hours have passed after the employee is released from duty or availability.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 1999
Declares that Congress: (1) recognizes the importance of achieving a successful decennial census; (2) encourages State and local governments, community leaders, and all other parties involved to work to ensure a successful census; (3) reaffirms the spirit of cooperation that exists between Congress and the Bureau of the Census; and (4) asserts this public partnership between Congress and the Bureau to promote the decennial census.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 1999
Russian Economic Restoration and Justice Act of 1999 - Amends the Bretton Woods Agreements Act to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to use the U.S. vote to urge the IMF to: (1) not provide any assistance to the Russian Federation government until there is in effect a Russian federal law that implements specified economic reforms; and (2) provide assistance to the Russian Federation only to aid in implementation of such reforms. Establishes a Russian-American financial oversight commission to monitor the use of Western resources in Russia. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) there should be established joint United States-Russian business, economics, and agricultural education programs in which Russian Federation students on completion of their studies in the United States be required to return to the Russian Federation and work for the federal or regional government in Russia; and (2) the United States and the government of the Russian Federation should create a program which would link successful U.S. business leaders with their Russian Federation counterparts so that Russian Federation companies will be better able to access a pool of resources and knowledge to assist them in their transition to successfully competing in a market-based economy. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director at the IMF to use the U.S. vote to urge the IMF to create a commission, composed of prominent international financial experts, to draw up recommendations for reforming the IMF, with a view to achieving more transparency in the structures of the IMF and increasing the effectiveness of its programs while decreasing financial risk. Establishes a pilot housing loan program (to be administered through a nonprofit corporation) in which the average Russian citizen may attain affordable home ownership.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1999
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to provide that if the United States initiates a retaliation list (list of products of a foreign country that has failed to comply with the report of the panel or Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO)), or the United States Trade Representative (USTR) takes specified trade action against the goods of a foreign country because of its failure to implement the recommendation made pursuant to a dispute settlement proceeding under the WTO, the USTR shall periodically revise the list or action to affect the other goods of the country. Declares that the USTR is not required to revise the retaliation list or the action with respect to a country, if: (1) the USTR determines that implementation of the recommendation by the country is imminent; or (2) the USTR together with the petitioner involved in the initial unfair trade investigation (or if no petition was filed, the affected U.S. industry) agree that it is unnecessary to revise the retaliation list.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1999
Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Resources Conservation and Improvement Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation and in cooperation with the Secretary of Agriculture, to undertake a program for improving the supply of water for the Texas counties of Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Willacy, Jim Hogg, Zapata, Webb, Maverick, Val Verde, Kinney, Terrell, Brewster, Presidio, Jeff Davis, Hudspeth, and El Paso through specified water transportation, conservation, and education activities. Makes a project ineligible for implementation unless: (1) the project plan shows an estimate of the amount of water that will be conserved; and (2) the design for the project includes a cost-of-project-to- water-developed ratio statement. Limits: (1) the non-Federal share of the costs of any such activity to 40 percent; and (2) payments by the State of Texas to 30 percent of such costs. Permits provision of the remainder of the non-Federal share to include in-kind contributions of goods and services. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Commissioner and in cooperation with the Secretary of Agriculture, the counties, and other non-Federal entities, to: (1) assess alternative water supply options for the counties of Maverick, Kinney, Edwards, Val Verde, Terrell, Brewster, Presidio, Jeff Davis, Hudspeth, and El Paso for alleviating water supply shortages and project water demands; and (2) submit recommendations to Congress regarding such alternatives which shall emphasize water management actions that encourage the incorporation of prudent, responsible, and economically feasible water conservation measures. Requires the Secretary to assess the feasibility of wastewater reuse for irrigation and groundwater recharge and other nonpotable purposes. Limits the Federal share of the cost of any such activity to 50 percent. Prohibits the Secretary from carrying out any activity except under an agreement with a non- Federal entity that has legal authority under the laws of the State to obligate funds or provide in- kind services for such activity, under which the non-Federal entity is obligated to provide the non-Federal share of the cost of the activity. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1999
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Amends Federal employee provisions to include the following as an employee, for purposes of authorized enrollment under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: (1) a member of the armed forces who began service before June 7, 1956, and retired after a minimum of 20 years of such service or by reason of a service-connected disability; and (2) the surviving widow or widower of such member. Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide FEHB coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay who is also entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member who is entitled to Medicare hospital insurance benefits; and (5) a family member of such member. Repeals a provision prohibiting coverage under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services for persons entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1999
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) expresses its sympathies to the citizens of Nantou and Taichung and all of Taiwan for the tragic losses suffered as a result of the September 21, 1999, earthquake; (2) expresses its support for the people of Taiwan and for disaster assistance being provided by the United States Agency for International Development and other relief agencies; and (3) recognizes and encourages the important assistance that could be provided by other nations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Access to Excellence in Education for the 21st Century Act - Title I: Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards - Subtitle A: Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to extend through FY 2005 the authorization of appropriations under ESEA title I (Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards) for: (1) local educational agency (LEA) grants under part A; (2) education of migratory children under part C; and (3) certain Federal activities under provisions for coordination of Federal, State, and local administration. (Sec. 104) Revises ESEA title I provisions for State and Federal reservations of funds for accountability and evaluation (currently reservation and allocation for school improvement). (Sec. 105) Revises ESEA title I part A (Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies) requirements for: (1) State plans; (2) LEA plans; (3) eligible school attendance areas; (4) schoolwide programs; (5) targeted assistance schools; (6) school choice; (7) assessment and LEA and school improvement; (8) State assistance for school support and improvement; (9) parental involvement; (10) parent training and information centers (currently parental information and resource centers); and (11) participation of children enrolled in private schools. (Sec. 115) Revises requirements for professional development activities under part A. Adds teacher qualification requirements. Requires each LEA receiving assistance under part A to: (1) hire qualified instructional staff; (2) provide high-quality professional development that will improve teaching and learning in core content areas; and (3) use at least five percent of its allocation under part A for FY 2001 and 2002, and ten percent of that allocation for subsequent fiscal years, for that professional development. Requires each LEA to ensure, in programs supported with part A funds, that: (1) all new teachers either are certified in the field in which they will teach or have a bachelors degree and are enrolled in a program through which they will obtain such certification within three years; and (2) all paraprofessionals meet specified educational requirements and perform only certain duties. (Sec. 117) Authorizes an LEA to use part A funds to provide certain preschool services: (1) directly to eligible preschool children in all or part of its jurisdiction; (2) through any school participating in the LEA's part A program; or (3) through a contract with a local Head Start agency, a partnership operating an Even Start program, a State-funded preschool program, or a comparable public early-childhood development program. Allows such preschool programs to be operated and funded jointly with Even Start programs (under ESEA title I part B), Head Start programs, or State-funded preschool programs. Requires all preschool programs funded under part A to: (1) focus on developmental needs of participating children and use research-based approaches that build on competencies, particularly in language, literacy development, and reading; and (2) ensure that participating children, at a minimum, understand and use language and an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary, and develop an appreciation of books and phonemic, print, and numeracy awareness. (Sec. 118) Revises the formula for determining minimum and maximum amounts of basic grants to LEAs and to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (Sec. 119) Requires each State receiving part A assistance to report annually to the Secretary of Education with respect to its progress in meeting specified program indicators for participating schools and LEAs, and to use such indicators to improve its program performance. Subtitle B: Education of Migratory Children - Amends ESEA title I part C (Education of Migratory Children) to repeal provisions for consortium arrangement grants. (Sec. 132) Revises provisions for shared student incentive grants to improve interstate coordination among programs for migratory children who attend school in more than one State. (Sec. 133) Revises part C provisions relating to: (1) parental involvement; (2) consolidated plans; (3) schoolwide programs; and (4) data collection. (Sec. 137) Establishes a National Parent Advisory Council to advise the Secretary on the implementation of part C programs and coordination with other programs serving migratory children and families. (Sec. 138) Sets forth part C requirements for regulations and negotiated rulemaking. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 139) Directs the Secretary to spend a specified minimum amount annually, from ESEA title I appropriations, to establish and maintain a technical assistance center to provide assistance to ESEA title I part C programs and to special programs for students whose families are engaged in migrant and seasonal farmwork under the Higher Education Act of 1965. Subtitle C: Federal Evaluations - Revises provisions for evaluations of ESEA title I programs. Sets forth requirements relating to a national assessment of such programs, studies and data collection, and an ongoing national longitudinal study of schools. Title II: Bilingual Education - Revises part A (Bilingual Education) of title VII (Bilingual Education, Language Enhancement, and Language Acquisition Programs) of ESEA. (Sec. 202) Adds to the declaration of U.S. policy with respect to bilingual education programs: (1) ensuring limited English proficient children also meet challenging State standards in the core content areas, including the ability to understand, speak, read and write English at the same level as native English speakers; (2) developing fully bilingual-biliterate skills; and (3) developing the English and native language skills of such children and youth. (Sec. 203) Authorizes appropriations for part A. (Sec. 204) Establishes accountability requirements for programs funded under part A subpart 1 (Bilingual Education Capacity and Demonstration Grants). Requires such programs to assess annually the English proficiency of all limited English proficient students they serve. Requires such students to be: (1) included in State assessments of academic performance; and (2) assessed, to the extent practicable, in the language and form most likely to yield accurate and reliable information on what those students know, and can do, in content areas other than English. Provides that tests written in Spanish shall be deemed practicable when administered to Spanish-speaking students with limited English proficiency if such tests are more likely than tests written in English to yield accurate and reliable information on what those students know and can do in content areas other than English. Requires such students who have been in U.S. schools (not including Puerto Rico) for five consecutive years or more to be tested in reading and language arts using tests written in English. Authorizes a State or school district, based upon the scores of a student on the tests, to determine that a student is sufficiently proficient to be tested in reading and language arts using tests written in English, prior to the completion of five years in U.S. schools. Prohibits removal of any student from a program of bilingual education or English as a second language based upon performance on the test. (Sec. 205) Provides for multilingual education by requiring promotion of proficiency both in English and in their native language for limited English proficient students served under various grant programs of financial assistance for bilingual education, including program development and implementation grants. Revises application and evaluation provisions to reflect such requirement. Includes among criteria for priority funding the establishment of programs for dual language proficiency in English and students' native languages. (Sec. 206) Provides for three-year grants for program development and enhancement. (Replaces current provisions for two-year grants for program enhancement projects with a required activity involving inservice training for educational personnel, as well as other specified authorized activities.) Requires such program development and enhancement grants to be used for: (1) developing and implementing comprehensive, preschool, elementary, or secondary education programs for children and youth with limited English proficiency, that are aligned with standards-based State and local school reform efforts and coordinated with other relevant programs and services to meet the full range of educational needs of such children and youth; (2) providing high-quality professional development to classroom teachers, administrators, and other school or community-based organization personnel to improve the instruction and assessment of limited English proficient students; and (3) annually assessing the English proficiency of all limited English proficient students served by the program. Sets forth authorized uses of such grants. (Sec. 207) Revises provisions for comprehensive school grants to establish certain required uses of funds and to revise additional authorized uses. Prohibits a grant recipient from: (1) using funds for planning purposes for more than 90 days; or (2) carrying out a program for more than two schools for each such grant it receives. (Sec. 208) Revises provisions for systemwide improvement grants to establish certain required uses of funds and to revise additional authorized uses. Makes any entity not receiving a satisfactory evaluation of a grant ineligible to apply for another such grant for at least three years. (Sec. 209) Revises requirements for documentation, content, and other aspects of applications for awards under subpart 1. Limits to a maximum of 25 percent that portion of a grant or total funding under subpart 1 which may be used for programs that do not use students' native language. Transfers and retains certain provisions authorizing grant recipients to intensify instruction for limited English proficient students by expanding education services. (Sec. 210) Revises evaluation components under subpart 1. Requires such evaluations to be annual. Directs the Secretary to establish certain performance measures. (Sec. 211) Revises provisions for research under subpart 2 (Research, Evaluation, and Dissemination). (Sec. 212) Revises subpart 2 provisions for the State grant program to add to required uses of funds SEA assistance to LEAs in developing data collection and accountability systems for limited English proficient students that are aligned with State reform efforts. (Sec. 213) Directs the Secretary to establish and support a National Clearinghouse on Education of Children and Youth with Limited English proficiency. (Replaces provisions for the National Clearinghouse on Bilingual Education.) (Sec. 214) Revises subpart 2 provisions for instructional materials development to authorize grants for development, publication, and dissemination of instructional materials: (1) in other low-incidence languages (as well as in Native American, Hawaiian, Pacific islanders and other natives of outlying areas, as in current grant provisions) in the United States for which instruction materials are not readily available; and (2) on standards and assessments, and instructional programs related to the education of children and youth with limited English proficiency, for dissemination to parents of such children and youth. (Sec. 215) Revises subpart 3 (Professional Development) to eliminate a reference to dissemination of information on appropriate instructional practices. (Sec. 216) Revises the subpart 3 training for all teachers program to direct its professional development services to those educational personnel with baccalaureate degrees to improve their provision of services to limited English proficient students or to become certified as a bilingual or English as a second language teacher. Authorizes such program grants to LEAs or to LEAs in consortium with SEAs, higher education institutions, or nonprofit organizations. Limits grant duration to three years (currently five). Sets forth specified required and authorized uses of funds. (Sec. 217) Revises provisions for grants for preservice professional development of bilingual education teachers and personnel. Authorizes such grants to higher education institutions. Requires recipients to coordinate their grant programs with other appropriate programs. Sets forth specified required and authorized uses of funds. (Sec. 218) Revises the bilingual education career ladder program to require grant recipient consortia to coordinate with other relevant programs and use all existing sources of student financial aid before using grant funds to pay tuition and stipends for participating students. Requires special consideration for grant applications of programs that provide training in English as a second language, including developing proficiency in the instructional use of English and, as appropriate, a second language in classroom contexts. (Sec. 219) Revises provisions for graduate fellowships in bilingual education program to eliminate post-doctoral fellowships. (Sec. 220) Revises requirements for applications for awards under subpart 3. (Sec. 221) Revises provisions for program evaluations under subpart 3. (Sec. 222) Establishes a new subpart 4, Model Programs for Parent Involvement Applications. Directs the Secretary to make competitive grants to LEAs for model programs to: (1) assist parents of limited English proficient students in making informed educational decisions for their children; and (2) assist such parents in meeting their own educational needs. Includes as eligible to apply for such grants consortia consisting of at least one LEA and one community-based organization, and other entities. Sets forth separate requirements for such grant programs that provide information to such parents in making decisions about their children's education and those that assist such parents with their own educational needs. Requires that total funds for such grants be divided equally between those two purposes. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 223) Sets forth new subpart 5 transition provisions for part A of title VII of ESEA. (Sec. 224) Adds certain findings with respect to the Emergency Immigrant Education Program (EIEP) under part C of title VII of ESEA. (Sec. 225) Revises provisions for State administrative costs under EIEP. (Sec. 226) Defines reclassification rate as the annual percentage of limited English proficient students who have met the State criteria for no longer being considered limited English proficient. (Sec. 227) Revises title VII provisions for regulations, parental notification, and use of paraprofessionals. (Sec. 229) Repeals ESEA title VII part A current provisions for: (1) program development and implementation grants; (2) intensified instruction; (3) funding priorities; and (4) coordination with other programs. Repeals the Foreign Language Assistance Program (the entire current part B of title VII of ESEA). Title III: High School Reform - Revises ESEA title X (Programs of National Significance) to establish a new part H, High School Reform. (Sec. 302) Authorizes the Secretary to make competitive grants to LEAs for high school reform activities. Limits each such grant to a maximum of three years. Prohibits assistance to any high school under more than one such grant. Sets forth required principles and components of educational reforms by grantees. Requires each grantee to: (1) provide for equitable participation of private school personnel in professional development activities it carries out with grant funds; and (2) make available to private schools, at their request, information about curricular materials developed using grant funds. Directs the Secretary to reserve some part H funds for: (1) incentive awards; (2) recognition, dissemination, networks, and peer review; and (3) evaluation. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Dropout Prevention and State Responsibilities - Revises ESEA title V part C Assistance to Address School Dropout Problems. (Replaces current part C provisions known as the School Dropout Assistance Act). (Sec. 402) Establishes: (1) a subpart 1 coordinated national strategy; and (2) a national school dropout prevention initiative. Sets forth the subpart 1 coordinated national strategy. Makes it a national priority, for the five-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, to lower the school dropout rate, and increase school completion, for middle school and secondary school students in accordance with Federal law. Requires all Federal agencies that carry out activities that serve students at risk of dropping out of school or that are intended to help address the school dropout problem to make school dropout prevention a top priority in the agencies' funding priorities during such five-year period. Directs the Secretary to collect systematic data on the participation of different racial and ethnic groups (including migrant and limited English proficient students) in all Federal programs. Requires, as part of the national school dropout prevention strategy, the Director of the Office of Dropout Prevention and Program Completion to develop, implement, and monitor an interagency plan to assess the coordination, use of resources, and availability of funding under Federal law that can be used to address school dropout prevention, or middle school or secondary school reentry. Requires the plan to address: (1) program coordination, targeting of existing Federal services, and cost-effectiveness of various programs and approaches; (2) ways in which State and local agencies can implement effective school dropout prevention programs using funds from a variety of Federal programs; and (3) all Federal programs with school dropout prevention or school reentry elements or objectives. Requires the Director to establish, through a competitive grant or contract, a national clearinghouse on effective school dropout prevention, intervention and reentry programs. Requires the clearinghouse to: (1) disseminate such data by an electronically accessible database, a Worldwide Web site, and a national journal; and (2) provide technical assistance regarding securing resources for programs. Requires the Director to carry out a national recognition program that recognizes schools that have made extraordinary progress in lowering school dropout rates, under which a public middle school or secondary school from each State will be recognized, using uniform national guidelines and school nominations submitted by SEAs. Authorizes monetary awards to recognized schools, for dissemination activities within the school district or nationally. Sets forth the subpart 2 National School Dropout Prevention Initiative. Directs the Secretary to make State allotments for such program based on relative amounts received under ESEA title I. Authorizes SEAs to use allotments to award grants to public middle schools or secondary schools that have school dropout rates which are in the highest one-third of all school dropout rates in the State, for only the startup and implementation costs of effective, sustainable, coordinated, and whole school dropout prevention programs. Includes among authorized program activities: (1) professional development; (2) obtaining curricular materials; (3) release time for professional staff; (4) planning and research; (5) remedial education; (6) reduction in pupil-to-teacher ratios; (7) efforts to meet State student achievement standards; and (8) counseling for at-risk students. Expresses the intent of Congress that such activities shall be continued with funding provided under part A of title I of ESEA. Sets forth determining factors and limits relating to grant amounts and duration. Requires the Director to increase the amount awarded to a school under the initiative grant program by ten percent if the school creates smaller learning communities within the school and the creation is certified by the SEA. Requires each school receiving such a grant to implement research based, sustainable, and widely replicated, strategies for school dropout prevention and reentry that address the needs of an entire school population rather than a subset of students. Allows such strategies to include: (1) specific strategies for targeted purposes; and (2) approaches such as breaking larger schools down into smaller learning communities, and other comprehensive reform approaches, developing clear linkages to career skills and employment, and addressing specific gatekeeper hurdles that often limit student retention and academic success. Requires the Director to: (1) annually establish and publish the principles, criteria, models, and other parameters regarding the types of effective, proven program models that are allowed to be used under the initiative program, based on existing research; (2) conduct a capacity building and design initiative in order to increase the types of proven strategies for dropout prevention on a schoolwide level (through a limited contract with a non-Federal entity); (3) support eligible entities to provide training, materials, development, and staff assistance to schools assisted under the initiative program. Sets forth initiative program requirements relating to: (1) selection of schools; (2) dissemination activities; (3) progress incentives; (4) school dropout rate calculation; (5) reporting and accountability; and (6) a prohibition on tracking. Authorizes appropriations for the ESEA part C: (1) subpart 1 coordinated national strategy; and (2) subpart 2 national school dropout prevention initiative. (Sec. 403) Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish in the Department of Education an Office of Dropout Prevention and Program Completion, to be administered by the Director. Requires the Director, through the Office, to: (1) help coordinate Federal, State, and local efforts to lower school dropout rates and increase program completion by middle school, secondary school, and college students; (2) recommend Federal policies, objectives, and priorities to lower school dropout rates and increase program completion; (3) oversee the implementation of subpart 2 of part C of title V of ESEA; (4) develop and implement the National School Dropout Prevention Strategy under ESEA; (5) submit to Congress and the Secretary annual national reports describing efforts and recommended actions regarding school dropout prevention and program completion; (6) recommend action to the Secretary and the President, as appropriate, regarding school dropout prevention and program completion; and (7) consult with and assist State and local governments regarding school dropout prevention and program completion. Includes under the scope of the Director's duties examination of all Federal and non-Federal efforts related to: (1) promotion of program completion for children attending middle school or secondary school; (2) programs to obtain a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent (including general equivalency diploma (GED) programs), or college degree programs; and (3) reentry programs for individuals aged 12 to 24 who are out of school. (Sec. 404) Revises ESEA title XIV (General Provisions) to add a new part I, Dropout Prevention. Requires SEAs, in order to receive any assistance under ESEA, to comply with specified provisions regarding school dropouts, including requirements relating to: (1) uniform data collection; (2) attendance neutral funding policies; and (3) suspension and expulsion policies.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
America's Private Investment Companies Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to license America's Private Investment Companies (APICs) (for-profit investment companies formed to make equity and credit investments for large-scale business development in low-income communities). Authorizes the Secretary to impose fees and charges for administrative costs and to collect fees for loan guarantee commitments and loans made under this Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2004 for loan guarantee commitments and for administrative expenses. (Sec. 105) Directs the Secretary to select APICs for licensing on the basis of competitions announced through the Federal Register. Outlines application and licensee selection requirements and criteria, including that each such entity have available at least $25 million in equity capital. (Sec. 106) Requires substantially all investments made by selected APICs to be qualified low-income community investments if such investments are financed by the Secretary under this Act. Outlines investment limits and borrowing and repayment conditions. (Sec. 107) Authorizes the Secretary, consistent with the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990, to make commitments to guarantee the timely payment of principal and interest on debentures issued by APICs, to issue trust certificates representing ownership of all or a fractional part of such debentures, and to guarantee the payment of principal and interest on such certificates. (Sec. 108) Authorizes an APIC to request that the Secretary guarantee a debenture that the APIC intends to issue under this Act. Outlines special requirements for: (1) requests which would include funding for initial expenditures for a project or activity; and (2) certification by a State or unit of general local government of responsibility for environmental reviews in connection with authorized projects or activities. (Sec. 109) Directs the Secretary to examine and monitor the operations and activities of APICs for compliance with sound financial management practices and satisfaction of the program and procedural goals of this and related Acts. (Sec. 110) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) increase the credit subsidy allocated to an APIC as an award for high performance in carrying out its investment strategy and public purpose goals; and (2) penalize APICs for fraud, mismanagement, or noncompliance (allowing for notice and opportunity to respond prior to such penalties).
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Small Business Remediation Act of 1999 - Provides that the maximum level of remediation for a dry cleaning solvent in the soil, surface water, groundwater, and other environmental media (other than for water used as a drinking water source) that may be required of a dry cleaner shall be equal to: (1) the soil screening level for inhalation for such solvent determined in accordance with the Soil Screening Guidance Document (Guidance Document) developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); or (2) the generic soil screening level for inhalation for such solvent as set forth in the Guidance Document until such maximum level is determined for a facility. Requires the applicable requirements for dry cleaning solvents under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to be the remediation standards set forth in this Act. Authorizes the EPA Administrator to change such standards in accordance with any revised Guidance Document if necessary to protect health or the environment.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Central American and Haitian Adjustment Act of 1999 - Amends the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (Act) to: (1) extend permanent resident status adjustment provisions to qualifying Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Honduran, and Haitian nationals; and (2) extend the application filing deadline. Permits certain pending applications filed by Salvadoran or Guatemalan nationals under the Act or Haitian nationals under the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 to be converted to an application for status adjustment under the Act. Amends such Acts to: (1) authorize the Attorney General to waive certain grounds of inadmissibility; and (2) provide for issuance of immigrant visas to certain spouses and children. Provides for the limited reopening of certain orders of deportation, exclusion, or removal by certain Haitian, Cuban, or Nicaraguan nationals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
New Markets Tax Credit Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a limited credit to a taxpayer making a qualified low-income community investment (as defined).
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1999
Immigration Reorganization and Improvement Act of 1999 - Establishes in the Department of Justice: (1) the Bureau of Immigration Services; and (2) the Bureau of Immigration Enforcement. Sets forth provisions respecting the transfer of functions, personnel, and appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1999
Folic Acid Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to carry out a program, directly or through grants or contracts, for professional and public education and training, research, and epidemiological activities regarding folic acid and birth defects. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1999
Amends the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program Act of 1994 to extend the authorization of appropriations for the administration of the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program through FY 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1999
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal to General Wesley Clark in recognition of his exemplary performance as a military leader in coordinating the planning, strategy, and execution of the United States and NATO combat action and his invaluable contributions to the United States and to the successful return to peace in the Balkans as Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and Commander-in-Chief, United States European Command. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1999
Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act of 1999 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to define "high speed data service" as a service capable of transmitting electronic information at a rate generally not less than 384 kilobits per second in at least one direction. Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and each State, except as expressly provided in this Act, from regulating the rates, charges, terms or conditions for, or entry into the provision of, any high speed data service or Internet access service, or to regulate the facilities used in the provision of such service. Prohibits the FCC from requiring an incumbent (established) local exchange carrier to: (1) provide unbundled access to any network elements used in the provision of any high speed data service, other than those elements described in FCC regulations; or (2) offer for resale at wholesale rates any high speed data service. States that nothing in this Act shall: (1) limit or affect the authority of any State to regulate voice telephone exchange services; (2) affect the ability of the FCC to retain or modify the exemption from interstate access charges for enhanced service providers; or (3) prohibit the FCC from modifying the regulation concerning the number of networks subject to its unbundling requirement. Requires each incumbent local exchange carrier to provide: (1) Internet users with the ability to subscribe to and have access to any Internet service provider that interconnects with such carrier's high speed data service; (2) any Internet service provider with the right to acquire necessary facilities and services to facilitate such interconnection; and (3) any Internet service provider with the ability to collocate equipment in order to achieve such interconnection. Includes high speed data service or Internet access service within the definition of "incidental interLATA services" permitted for a Bell operating company (BOC). States that, until the date a BOC is authorized to offer interLATA services originating in an in-region State, such BOC offering any high speed data service or Internet access service may not, in such State, bill or collect for interLATA voice telecommunications service obtained by means of such high speed data or Internet access service provided by such company.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1999
Oceans Act of 1999 - Directs the President: (1) to develop and maintain a coordinated, comprehensive, and long-range national policy, consistent with U.S. international obligations, on ocean and coastal activities; (2) with regard to Federal agencies and departments, to review ocean and coastal activities, plan and implement an integrated and cost-effective program of ocean and coastal activities, designate responsibility for funding and conducting ocean and coastal activities, and ensure cooperation and resolve differences arising from laws and regulations applicable to ocean and coastal activities; and (3) transmit to Congress biennially a report that includes a detailed listing of all existing Federal programs relating to ocean and coastal activities, including a description of each program, the current funding for the program, and a projection of the funding level for the program for the following five fiscal years. Requires each agency or department involved in ocean and coastal activities to include with its annual request for appropriations a report identifying significant elements of the proposed agency or department budget relating to ocean and coastal activities. (Sec. 4) Directs the President to establish the National Ocean Council to assist the Commission on Ocean Policy in completing its report, to serve as the forum for developing an implementation plan for a national ocean and coastal policy and program, and to improve coordination and cooperation among Federal agencies on ocean and coastal activities. Terminates the Council one year after the Commission submits its final report. (Sec. 5) Establishes the Commission on Ocean Policy which shall report to the President and the Congress on U.S. ocean policy, including: (1) recommendations for the responsible use and stewardship of ocean and coastal resources; and (2) comments from the Governor of any coastal State to which such recommendations apply. Requires the Commission, before submitting its final report, to: (1) publish a notice in the Federal Register that a draft report is available for public review; and (2) provide a copy of the draft report to the Governor of each coastal State and to specified congressional committees. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1999
National Center for Research on Domestic Health Disparities Act - Amends title IV (National Research Institutes) of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), as amended by the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999, to establish, as another agency of the National Institutes of Health, a National Center for Research on Domestic Health Disparities to conduct and support basic and clinical research, training, and dissemination of health information, and other programs with respect to minority health. Directs the Director of the Center to assist in the administration of certain PHSA clinical research requirements with respect to the inclusion of minority groups as clinical research subjects. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an advisory council to assist the Director. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1999
Private Property Rights Implementation Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal judicial code to provide that whenever a district court exercises jurisdiction under civil rights provisions in an action in which the operative facts concern the uses of real property, it shall not abstain from exercising or relinquish its jurisdiction to a State court in an action in which no claim of a violation of a State law, right, or privilege is alleged, if a parallel proceeding in State court arising out of the same operative facts as the district court proceeding is not pending. Specifies that: (1) if the district court has jurisdiction over such an action in which the operative facts concern the uses of real property and which cannot be decided without resolution of an unsettled question of State law, it may certify the State law question to the highest appellate court of that State; and (2) after the State appellate court resolves the question certified to it, the district court shall proceed with resolving the merits. Prohibits the district court from certifying a question of State law unless such question will significantly affect the merits of the injured party's Federal claim and such question is patently unclear. Declares that any claim or action brought under provisions regarding civil actions for deprivation of rights to redress the deprivation of a property right or privilege secured by the Constitution shall be ripe for adjudication by the district courts upon a final decision rendered by any person acting under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage of any State or territory of the United States that causes actual and concrete injury to the party seeking redress. Sets forth provisions regarding what constitutes a "final decision." Specifies that: (1) the party seeking redress shall not be required to apply for an appeal or waiver if no such appeal or waiver is available, if it cannot provide the relief requested, or if the application or re-application would be futile; and (2) a final decision shall not require the party seeking redress to exhaust judicial remedies provided by any State or territory of the United States. (Sec. 3) Declares that any claim brought under provisions regarding the United States as a defendant, or under provisions regarding jurisdiction of the Court of Federal Claims, that is founded upon a property right or privilege secured by the Constitution but allegedly infringed or taken by the United States, shall be ripe for adjudication upon a final decision rendered by the United States that causes actual and concrete injury to the party seeking redress. (Sec. 5) Requires a Federal agency, whenever it takes action limiting the use of private property that may be affected by the amendments made by this Act, to give notice to the owners of that property explaining their rights and the procedures for obtaining any compensation that may be due to them under such amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1999
Safety Net Preservation Act of 1999 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish a new prospective payment system for federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1999
Access to Contract Equity Act - States that, with respect to a contract goal by the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for the award of five percent of their procurement contracts to small disadvantaged businesses and certain minority institutions, no suspension of price modifications (allowing an item's contract price to exceed fair market value) shall be issued in an industry category if the President determines that contracts for a price exceeding fair market value are necessary to remedy demonstrated discrimination in such category. Requires such determination to be published in the Federal Register, and allows any person affected by the application of such determination to seek appropriate judicial review. Amends provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991 relating to the Mentor-Protege Pilot Program to: (1) make the program term three years, or five years in unusual circumstances as determined by the Secretary of Defense; (2) authorize (currently, requires) the Secretary to reimburse a mentor firm for the full cost of certain payments and assistance made under the program; (3) allow the Secretary to provide such reimbursement using a separate contract; (4) make determinations made in the annual performance reviews of a mentor firm's agreement a major factor in determining reimbursement amounts; and (5) limit to $1 million per fiscal year the total amount reimbursed for assistance to a protege firm, except when the Secretary determines that unusual circumstances justify reimbursement of a higher amount.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1999
History of the House Awareness and Preservation Act - Directs the Librarian of Congress to: (1) prepare a new and complete written history of the U.S. House of Representatives; (2) in preparing the history, consult, commission, or engage the services or participation of eminent historians and Members or former Members of the House; (3) arrange for the printing of the history and the dissemination of excerpts of the history over the Internet; (4) make the history available for sale to the public; and (5) make available, free of charge, a limited number of copies to each Member of the House of Representatives and to the Senate. Sets forth guidelines for the history. Authorizes the Librarian to solicit and accept private funding for the publication, marketing, and public distribution of the history. Directs the Librarian to accept for deposit, preserve, maintain, and make accessible, an oral history of the House as told by its Members and former Members, compiled and updated (on a voluntary or contract basis) by the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress or other outside organization. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) orientation programs for freshman Members of the House should contain a seminar on the history of the House; and (2) the Speaker of the House should conduct a series of forums on the topic of such history.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1999
Prohibits any individual who is serving as the chairman or co-chairman chairman of, or in any other senior-level management position with, a political committee for a Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate or a national committee of a political party from being appointed or from serving as a member or staff member of the Census Monitoring Board or from entering into any contract with the Board.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1999
New Millennium Classrooms Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) expand the tax deduction for computer donations by corporations to tax-exempt schools to include donations to public libraries; (2) increase from two to three years the age of computers that can be contributed for such deduction; and (3) allow a business tax credit of 30 percent of the value of computers donated to tax-exempt schools and public libraries. Increases the amount of such credit to 50 percent for contributions to schools or public libraries in empowerment zones, enterprise communities, and Indian reservations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1999
Spaceport Investment Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide the same treatment for spaceports as is provided for airports under the exempt facility bond rules.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1999
Expresses the sense of the Congress relating to the timely distribution of payments to local educational agencies (LEAs) under the Impact Aid (IA) program of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Declares such IA program should be funded at a level that allows its funds to be made available on the currently-required, forward-funded basis. Urges the Secretary of Education, upon completion of the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for each fiscal year, to distribute such IA program payments to eligible LEAs within 45 days after the enactment of each such Act, if other congressional action has not caused a delay and State education agencies have supplied all the necessary information to the Department of Education for such distribution.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1999
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the governments of the United States and Egypt should immediately locate Saif Ahmed, who was abducted by his father Sayed Ahmed, and deliver him safely to his mother Melanie Al Mufti.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Abolishment of Obsolete Agencies and Federal Sunset Act of 1999 - Establishes the Federal Agency Sunset Commission to: (1) submit to Congress a schedule for review by the Commission, at least once every 12 years, of the abolishment or reorganization of each agency; (2) review and evaluate the efficiency and public need for each agency; and (3) recommend whether each agency should be abolished or reorganized. Requires the abolishment of any agency within one year of the Commission's review, unless the agency is reauthorized by Congress. Authorizes the deadline to be extended for an additional two years if enacted by a super majority of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Sets forth criteria for such review. Directs the Comptroller General and the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, in cooperation with the Director of the Congressional Research Service, to prepare an inventory of Federal programs within each agency for the purpose of advising and assisting Congress and the Commission in carrying out the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Legal Amnesty Restoration Act of 1999 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to repeal, effective as if enacted in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, the judicial review limitation on denial of status adjustment to permanent resident with respect to certain aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1999
Long-Term Care and Retirement Security Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction for premiums on qualified long-term care insurance contracts. Expands the child care credit and renames it the family care credit. Amends title XI of the Social Security Act to require annual social security account statements to include information concerning the limitation on Medicare and Medicaid long-term care benefits. Authorizes appropriations. Amends Medicaid (title XIX) provisions of the Social Security Act to expand State long-term care partnerships by exempting 75 percent of partnership assets from Medicaid estate recovery.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Export Enhancement Act of 1999 - Sets forth policy recommendations for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and the International Trade Administration (ITA). Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to extend through FY 2003 OPIC's authority to issue investment insurance and guarantees. Revises the purposes of the Trade and Development Agency to include, with respect to the promotion of U.S. private sector participation in development projects in developing and middle-income countries, special emphasis on economic sectors with significant U.S. export potential, such as energy, transportation, telecommunications, and environment. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations to the ITA for its Market Access and Compliance program, Trade Development program, and Commercial Service program. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to take steps to ensure the appointment of United States and Foreign Commercial Service employees in no fewer than ten sub-Saharan African countries, including the adequate appointment of personnel for South and Central America and the Caribbean, in order that U.S. businesses are made aware of existing market opportunities for goods and services. Directs the ITA to undertake the Global Diversity and Urban Export Initiative in order to increase exports from minority-owned businesses, focusing on businesses in under-served areas, including inner-city urban enterprise zones. Authorizes the ITA to advertise in newspapers, business journals, and other relevant publications and related media to inform businesses about ITA services. Revises the composition of the OPIC Board of Directors. Amends the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 to require the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC) to develop a Federal trade promotion plan that, among other things, shall: (1) ensure that all export promotion activities of the U.S. Agency for International Development are fully coordinated and consistent with those of other agencies; (2) identify the means for providing more coordinated export promotion services to small and medium-sized businesses; and (3) establish a set of priorities to promote U.S. exports to, and free market reforms in, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and other emerging markets, that are designed to stimulate job growth both in the United States and those regions and emerging markets. Requires the TPCC to: (1) report on actions taken to eliminate the areas of overlap and duplication identified among Federal export promotion activities; (2) coordinate efforts to sponsor or promote any trade show or trade fair; (3) work with all relevant State and national organizations, including the National Governors' Association, that have established trade promotion offices; and (4) report to Congress on actions taken to promote better coordination among State, Federal, and private sector export promotion activities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 1999 - Amends Federal provisions concerning the military Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) to adjust the basic SBP annuity amount for surviving spouses age 62 or over of former military personnel to: (1) 35 percent of the retired pay of the decedent, for months beginning on or before the enactment of this Act (current law); (2) 40 percent of such pay, for months beginning after the date of enactment of this Act until October 2004; and (3) 45 percent of such pay, for months beginning on or after October 2004. Adjusts similarly the percentage amounts of SBP supplemental annuity authorized to be provided for such surviving spouses. Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure appropriate adjustments in the computation of retired pay reductions for such supplemental annuities made necessary by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1999
Calls for the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring the U.S. Submarine Force on its 100th anniversary.
![Official portrait of Rep. Ortiz, Solomon P. [D-TX-27]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/o000107_200.jpg)