United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1998
Recognizes 100 years of Guam's loyalty and service to the United States. Declares that the House of Representatives will use the centennial anniversary of the 1898 Spanish-American War to reaffirm its commitment to the U.S. citizens of Guam for increased self-government, consistent with self-determination for the people of Guam.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1998
Disapproves the rule submitted by the Health Care Financing Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, on June 1, 1998, relating to surety bond requirements for home health agencies under titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1998
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should: (1) provide assistance to Mexico, including disaster relief assistance, to extinguish the wildfires currently burning in Mexico and Central America; and (2) initiate negotiations with Mexico at the earliest possible date in order to come to a mutually beneficial agreement addressing the concerns of both countries in suppressing fires occurring along the border between the two countries.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1998
Condemns and calls for the condemnation of the brutal killing of James Byrd, Jr., which occurred in Jasper, Texas, as unacceptable and outrageous. Declares that the House of Representatives pledges to: (1) do everything in its power to probe the underlying causes of this brutal killing; and (2) join in efforts to bring an end to racism and the underlying fear and hatred and to encourage all Americans to dedicate themselves to ending racism and violence in the United States. Calls on the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice, the White House, and all other Federal law enforcement agencies to conduct an immediate, full, and fair investigation into all of the facts of the case to aggressively respond to this tragedy with indictments. Urges the prosecution to proceed aggressively with a fair but speedy trial.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1998
Declares that a specified National Marine Fisheries Service rule to implement a certain amendment to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico shall have no force or effect.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1998
Wire Transfer Fairness and Disclosure Act of 1998 - 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 · 1 April 1998
School Construction Act of 1998 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a limited tax credit to holders of qualified public school construction bonds as an incentive for public school construction; (2) include in gross income the amount of such credit, which shall be treated as interest income; and (3) establish a national qualified school construction bond limitation for each calendar year, to be allocated among the States with projected enrollment increases.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1998
Designates the U.S. courthouse located at the corner of Seventh Street and East Jackson Street in Brownsville, Texas, as the Reynaldo G. Garza-Filemon B. Vela, Sr. United States Courthouse.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1998
Central American and Caribbean Refugee Adjustment Act of 1998 - Amends the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act to make certain nationals of Nicaragua, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Haiti eligible for permanent resident status adjustment under such Act. (Current law applies to nationals of Nicaragua and Cuba.) Makes conforming amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended by the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1998
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal to Gerald and Betty Ford in recognition of their dedicated public service and outstanding humanitarian contributions to the people of the United States. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicate medals in bronze. Declares such medals to be national medals.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1998
Calls for the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the United States to issue postage stamps in honor and recognition of the first permanent settlement of the western United States by the Spanish explorer Don Juan De Onate.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1998
Public School Modernization Act of 1998 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise current incentives for education zones into incentives for qualified public school modernization bonds, including (currently existing) qualified zone academy bonds and (newly established) qualified school construction bonds. Allows a limited tax credit, computed according to a specified formula, to taxpayers holding such public school modernization bonds. Raises the national zone academy bond limitation from $400 million to $1.4 billion for calendar 1999 (and 2000), and eliminates the limitation after 2000. Prescribes requirements for national qualified school construction bonds, with a national limitation of $9.7 billion each for calendar 1999 and 2000 and no limit after 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1998
Persian Gulf Veterans Act of 1998 - Presumes to be service-connected (and therefore compensable or treatable under Federal veterans' benefits provisions) a disease or disability occurring in a Persian Gulf War veteran that: (1) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines to have a positive association with exposure to a biological, chemical, or other toxic agent or environmental or wartime hazard (agent or hazard) associated with service in the southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War; and (2) becomes manifest in a Gulf War veteran within a period to be prescribed by the Secretary. Requires such presumption even though there is no record of evidence of such disease or disability in the veteran during the period of service. Provides the same presumption for diseases and disabilities determined to be positively associated with such service by reason of having a prevalence among Persian Gulf veterans greater than such prevalence among matched peers who are veterans or active duty servicemembers of the same era who were neither deployed nor vaccinated for deployment (and which becomes manifest within the prescribed period). Requires the Secretary to make the above determinations based on sound medical and scientific evidence and within 60 days after receipt of reports submitted by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) as required under this Act. (Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement under which NAS shall: (1) identify the agents or hazards to which Gulf War veterans may have been exposed; (2) identify the diseases that are manifest in such members; and (3) determine whether a disease occurs in a Persian Gulf veteran with a greater prevalence than in matched peers who were neither deployed nor vaccinated for deployment. Directs NAS to determine whether a statistical association exists between exposure to such agent or hazard and the disease, separately review potential treatment models and evolving technologies to identify such diseases, make recommendations for additional studies, perform subsequent reviews of available evidence and data, and report to the Secretary, the Secretary of Defense, and the veterans and defense committees (designated committees) concerning NAS activities under this Act. Terminates requirements and activities under this Act ten years after NAS submits its first report. Requires the Secretary to enter into an agreement with an alternative scientific organization if agreement cannot be reached with NAS. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a plan for the establishment and operation of a single computerized information database for the collection, storage, and analysis of information on diseases of, and treatment provided to, Gulf War veterans. Requires such plan to be submitted to the Secretary of Defense, NAS, and the designated committees. Directs NAS to evaluate and report on such plan. Requires the Secretary to: (1) continually compile and analyze all appropriate clinical data contained in the database; and (2) report annually, along with the Secretary of Defense, to the designated committees with respect to such data analysis. (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary to carry out a research program of the evolving technologies available to measure the exposure to certain agents or hazards associated with Gulf War service, as well as the diagnosis of diseases resulting from such exposure. Directs the Secretary and the Secretaries of Defense and Health and Human Services to jointly report to the designated committees on research results. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Defense to carry out an ongoing program to provide Gulf War veterans with information relating to: (1) any health risks determined to be associated with Persian Gulf service; and (2) any services or benefits available with respect to such health risks.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, to delay from FY 1998 to FY 1999 the effective date of the per beneficiary limits under the interim payment system for home health agencies. Changes from FY 1994 to FY or (at the home health agency's election) calendar 1995 the base year for calculating new payment rates under the system for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1998
Older and Disabled Americans Criminal Protection Act of 1998 - Defines a "shared housing arrangement" as a residential arrangement under which one person provides care or other services for the owner or lessee of a dwelling unit in exchange for free occupancy or a reduced cost for occupancy of that unit or other remuneration. Authorizes: (1) a shared housing referral agency to request the Attorney General to conduct and share criminal background checks respecting shared housing caretaker applicants; and (2) the Attorney General to charge a fee for such service. Provides a criminal penalty for the knowing use of such information for other than housing determinations. States that an agency that reasonably relies upon such information shall not be liable for damages based on such information's inaccuracy.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1998
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal to Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela in recognition of his life-long dedication to the abolition of apartheid and the promotion of reconciliation among the people of the Republic of South Africa. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike a gold medal and sell duplicates in bronze at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals. Declares such medals to be national medals. Authorizes a maximum charge against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund to pay for the costs of the medals. Mandates that proceeds from sales of duplicate bronze medals be deposited in such Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1998
Amends the Federal criminal code to treat the following as an antique firearm for purposes of the Federal firearms laws: any firearm in which black powder and a projectile are loaded through the muzzle, and such powder is ignited by a percussion-activated ignition system to expel the projectile, and which does not use fully assembled or fixed, rimfire, or conventional centerfire ammunition.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1998
Requests that the U.S. Postal Service issue a commemorative postage stamp in 1999 in honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1997
Early Detection of Dyslexia in Children Act of 1997 - Directs the Secretary of Education to study and report to the Congress on methods for identifying and treating children with dyslexia in kindergarten through third grade.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1997
Notch Fairness Act of 1997 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to revise the formula for the computation of minimum old age insurance benefits for individuals who reached age 65 in or after 1979 and to whom applies the 15-year transition period for the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977. Sets forth a schedule of additional benefit increases for such beneficiaries (and related beneficiaries), with percentages declining from 55 percent to five percent and keyed to the year an individual became eligible for such benefits between 1979 and 1988. Allows such beneficiaries, in the alternative, to receive lump sum payments over four years totaling $5,000. Specifies offsetting nondefense and discretionary spending reductions the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall make over a four-year period for the increase in direct spending estimated to result from enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the low-income State housing credit ceiling amount; and (2) provide for a cost-of-living adjustment for such amount.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 1997
Federal Sunset Act of 1998 - Establishes the Federal Agency Sunset Commission to: (1) submit to the Congress a schedule for review by the Commission, at least once every 12 years, of the abolishment or reorganization of each agency; and (2) review and evaluate the efficiency and public need for each agency. Requires the abolishment of any agency within one year of the Commission's review, unless the agency is continued by the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 1997
Commercial Driver's License Devolution Act of 1997 - Amends Federal transportation law to allow an individual to operate a commercial motor vehicle solely within the borders of a State if such individual has passed written and driving tests that meet minimum standards prescribed by such State. Provides penalties for the operation of a commercial motor vehicle in another State under a driver's license issued solely for operation within one State.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 1997
Border Improvement and Immigration Act of 1997 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 with respect to the automated entry-exit control system to exempt from required recordkeeping: (1) land border crossings; and (2) permanent resident and certain other aliens. Requires the Attorney General to report on the feasibility of implementing an automated entry-exit control system that would include land border arrivals and departures. Provides for increased numbers of full-time Immigration and Naturalization and Customs inspectors at U.S. land borders, with at least half of such inspectors to be assigned to the northern border.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1997
Medicare Venipuncture Fairness Act of 1997 - Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to repeal provisions denying payment for home health benefits based solely on venipuncture to obtain a blood sample. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report to the Congress with respect to the provision of home health services consisting of venipuncture under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1997
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal a specified restriction imposed by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 on Medicare payment for certain hospital discharges to post-acute care.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1997
Insurance Disclosure Act of 1997 - Requires insurers, if a medical exam (procured by the insurer) is required for initial or continued enrollment, to: (1) provide the individual involved with all medical information obtained from the exam; and (2) encourage the individual to make the information available to the individual's physician. Deems the above requirements to be provisions of the Public Health Service Act for purposes of provisions relating to enforcement, preemption, State flexibility, and construction. Provides for a private cause of action, including applying certain civil enforcement provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Supersedes any State law providing less protection to individuals. (Sec. 7) Amends ERISA to require a group insurance plan, and any insurer offering a policy in connection with such plan, if a medical exam (procured by the insurer) is required for initial or continued eligibility for benefits, to: (1) provide the individual involved with all medical information obtained from the exam; and (2) encourage the individual to make the information available to the individual's physician. Supersedes any State law providing less protection to individuals. Makes an administrator who fails or refuses to comply liable to the individual for up to $100 per day. Allows other relief.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1997
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) The Women's Museum: An Institute for the Future, in Dallas, Texas, should be designated as a Millenium Project for the United States; and (2) Federal agencies and institutions should support the establishment and operation of the Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 1997
Army Reserve-National Guard Equity Reimbursement Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to reimburse Army personnel deployed to or from Europe during the period beginning on October 1, 1996, and ending on May 31, 1997, in support of operations in Bosnia for expenses incurred in the shipment of personal property if such shipment, if made on June 1, 1997, would otherwise have been covered by a temporary change of station weight allowance authorized by the Department of the Army.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 1997
Iran Missile Protection Act of 1997 - Authorizes supplemental appropriations for FY 1998 for the Department of Defense for cooperative activities with Russia for determining: (1) the extent of Russian cooperation and assistance in the development by Iran of a ballistic missile capability; and (2) the technical nature of the Iranian missile threat. Requires a certification by the President to the Congress with respect to the information to be released by Russia before such funds may be appropriated. Prohibits the obligation of $3 million in FY 1998 cooperative ballistic missile defense projects with Russia until the President certifies to the Congress that the Russian Government is providing full cooperation with respect to the release of such information. Authorizes appropriations for the Navy theater-wide missile defense system to be used to accelerate the development of such system through additional testing and risk reduction. Authorizes additional appropriations for defense-wide research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) of specified missile defense sytems, radars, networks, and related activities. Authorizes appropriations for defense-wide RDT&E for support of the Israeli Arrow tactical ballistic missile defense system to be used to protect a U.S. ally in imminent peril. Directs the Secretary of Defense to report to the Congress on the Iranian ballistic missile threat in the Middle East and Persian Gulf regions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 1997
Campaign Finance Reform Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to: (1) set a limitation on the amount of non-Federal money that may be contributed by any person to any political committee of a national political party; (2) redefine the term "independent expenditure"; (3) restrict the solicitation of contributions by candidates and Federal officeholders to or on behalf of certain nonprofit organizations; (4) prohibit solicitations for or donations to nonprofit organizations by political parties and specified entities; and (5) revise reporting requirements to require certain principal campaign committees to file additional monthly reports electronically and make such reports available on the Internet.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1997
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal to Len "Roy Rogers" Slye and Octavia "Dale Evans" Smith, on behalf of the Congress, in recognition of their accomplishments as entertainers and humanitarians. Declares that such medals are national medals. Authorizes funding for the cost of the medals and requires deposit of sale proceeds in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1997
Superfund Recycling Equity Act of 1997- Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to absolve persons (other than owners or operators) who arranged for the recycling of recyclable material from liability for environmental response actions. Deems transactions involving scrap paper, plastic, glass, textiles, or rubber (other than whole tires) to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that the following criteria were met: (1) the recyclable material met a commercial specification grade and a market existed for the material; (2) a substantial portion of the material was made available for use as a feedstock for the manufacture of a new saleable product; (3) the material (or product to be made from the material) could have been a replacement for a virgin raw material; and (4) with respect to transactions occurring 90 days after this Act's enactment, the person exercised reasonable care to determine that the facility where the material would be managed by another was in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations. Deems transactions involving scrap metal to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; (2) he or she complied with applicable standards regarding activities associated with the recycling of scrap metals; and (3) the scrap metal was not melted prior to the transaction. Deems transactions involving spent lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, or other batteries to be arranging for recycling if the person involved demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; and (2) he or she complied with applicable Federal environmental regulations or standards regarding such batteries. Makes the exemptions from liability under this Act inapplicable if the person: (1) had an objectively reasonable basis to believe at the time of the recycling transaction that the recyclable material would not be recycled or would be burned as fuel or for energy recovery or incineration or that the consuming facility was not in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations; (2) had reason to believe that hazardous substances had been added to the material for purposes other than processing for recycling; or (3) failed to exercise reasonable care with respect to the management of the material. Makes such exemptions inapplicable if the recyclable material contained polychlorinated biphenyls in excess of 50 parts per million or any new Federal standard or if such material is an item of scrap paper containing, at the time of recycling, a concentration of a hazardous substance determined to present a significant human health or environmental risk.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1997
Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases Research Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require specified institutes of the National Institutes of Health to expand and intensify research on osteoporosis and related bone diseases. Directs the Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, after consultation with the advisory council for the Institute, to make grants to, or enter into contracts with, public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of not less than three centers to conduct research on osteoporosis and related bone diseases. Sets a limitation on the duration of support for the centers. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 1997
Emergency Medical Services Enhancement Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit the issuance of tax-exempt bonds by qualified volunteer emergency services organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 1997
Condemns the Abacha dictatorship in Nigeria for acts of political intimidation and personal harassment against U.S. Ambassador Walter Carrington. Calls for: (1) the Department of State to take measures to ensure the physical safety of the U.S. Ambassador and Embassy staff in Nigeria; and (2) stronger U.S. sanctions against the Nigerian dictatorship of Sani Abacha.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1997
Religious Liberty and Charitable Donation Protection Act of 1997 - Amends Federal bankruptcy law with respect to avoidance by the trustee in bankruptcy of fraudulent transfers and obligations to cite circumstances under which a transfer of a charitable contribution to a qualified religious or charitable unit shall not be considered to be fraudulent. Prohibits the trustee from avoiding such charitable contributions when acting as lien creditors and successor to certain creditor and purchasers. Excludes from "disposable income," for purposes of bankruptcy plan confirmation, up to 15 percent of the gross income of the debtor when it is expended for such charitable contributions. Prohibits the bankruptcy court, when it determines whether to dismiss a case, from taking into consideration whether a debtor makes charitable contributions to any qualified religious or charitable entity.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1997
Marriage Penalty Relief Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow as a deduction, on a joint return, an amount equal to the lesser of: (1) $30,000; or (2) the qualified earned income of the spouse with the lower qualified earned income.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1997
Border Security and Enforcement Act of 1997 - Establishes in the Department of Justice (DOJ) the Office of Enforcement and Border Affairs, to be headed by a Director. Transfers from the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to the Director all functions, personnel, infrastructure, and funding of the following programs: (1) the Border Patrol program; (2) the detention and deportation program; (3) the intelligence program; (4) the investigations program; and (5) the inspections program. Transfers DOJ personnel and assets, liabilities, contracts, property, records, and INS funds in connection with such functions to the Office, for allocation by the Director. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) continuation of proceedings and suits and nonabatement of actions in connection with transferred functions; and (2) delegation and assignment and authority of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget regarding functions transferred.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1997
Authorizes the President to present gold medals, on behalf of the Congress, to named individuals referred to collectively as the "Little Rock Nine," in recognition of the selfless heroism they exhibited and the pain they suffered in the cause of civil rights by integrating Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates of such medals in bronze. States that these medals are national medals.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1997
Oceans Act of 1997 - Directs the President to develop and maintain a coordinated, comprehensive, and long-range national policy on ocean and coastal activities and, regarding Federal agencies and departments, to review ocean and coastal activities, plan and implement an integrated 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. (Sec. 5) Establishes the Commission on Ocean Policy, requiring it to report to the President and the Congress on a comprehensive national ocean and coastal policy to carry out the purpose and objectives of this Act. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 6) Directs the President to report to the Congress biennially, describing ocean and coastal activities of all independent agencies and departments and evaluating those activities in terms of the purpose and objectives of this Act. Requires each department or independent agency to include with its annual appropriations request a report identifying budget elements relating to ocean and coastal activities and specifying how each element contributes to implementation of the national ocean and coastal policy. Directs the President to identify in each budget submitted to the Congress those elements of each agency or department budget that contribute to the implementation of the national ocean and coastal policy. (Sec. 7) Repeals the Marine Resources and Engineering Development Act of 1966.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1997
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to: (1) restrict the application of the windfall elimination provision to individuals whose combined monthly income from the individual's primary insurance amount under such title and the monthly periodic payment attributable to noncovered service performed after 1956 exceeds $2,000; and (2) provide for a graduated implementation of such provision by specified percentages with respect to incremental amounts above such threshold, up to 100 percent for combined amounts over $3,000.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1997
Higher Education for the Twenty-First Century Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish programs for postsecondary education opportunities for Hispanic students and other student populations underrepresented in postsecondary education. (Sec. 2) Amends HEA to provide for institutional aid to Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Defines Hispanic-serving institution as an eligible institution with an undergraduate full-time equivalent enrollment that is at least 25 percent Hispanic, and that provides assurance that at least 50 percent of its Hispanic students are low-income individuals. Directs the Secretary of Education to provide grants and related assistance to: (1) Hispanic-serving institutions to improve and expand their capacity to serve Hispanic students and other low-income individuals; and (2) Hispanic-serving institutions with graduate and professional programs to improve and expand graduate and professional opportunities for Hispanic students and other students underrepresented in graduate education. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary to make grants to American Indian tribal colleges and universities for specified authorized uses. (Sec. 4) Prescribes additional considerations for the making of grants and contracts under Federal TRIO programs (various programs of outreach to qualified individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds). (Sec. 5) Revises the HEA campus-based student assistance programs allocation formula with respect to allocation of additional appropriations. (Such formula applies to the programs of: (1) Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants; (2) College Work-Study; and (3) Federal Perkins, or direct, Loans.) (Sec. 6) Revises special student assistance programs for students whose families are engaged in migrant and seasonal farmwork. Directs the Secretary, in making grants for such programs, to consider the project's coordination with other local, State, and Federal programs that provide health and education services for migrant students. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and conduct a longitudinal study of the educational attainment of migrant students and the health and education needs of such students; and (2) collect data on migrant students in any case where data on students is collected on a racial or ethnic basis. Directs the Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement, through the National Center for Education Statistics, to collect certain data, including postsecondary education data, on migrant students. Authorizes appropriations for such special programs for migrant students. Authorizes the Secretary, when appropriations for the high school equivalency and college assistance migrant programs exceed specified levels, to make grants to otherwise eligible Hispanic-serving or historically Black institutions that have enrolled at least 30 first-year migrant students. (Sec. 7) Gives Hispanic-serving institutions a temporary exemption from certain default rate limitations on eligibility under the Federal guaranteed student loan program. (Sec. 8) Directs the Secretary to cancel specified portions of a borrower's Federal guaranteed and direct student loan liability in return for certain types of teaching and other public service by the borrower. (Sec. 9) Revises requirements for grants for College Work-Study programs to require a 100 percent Federal share of compensation for work-study students who tutor students eligible for and receiving services under the high school equivalency and college assistance migrant student programs. (Sec. 10) Revises and renames HEA title V as Programs for Teaching and Counseling Excellence (currently Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Development). Establishes a new Teacher Education and Professional Development program. Directs the Secretary to award grants to institutions of higher education and consortia of such institutions and local educational agencies, for one or more of the following uses: (1) technology training for elementary and secondary school teachers and counselors; (2) training of bilingual education teachers; (3) recruitment of minorities into the teaching and counseling professions; and (4) training of elementary and secondary school teachers in methodology to raise the academic achievement for all students. Gives an applicant priority if it is a consortium of an institution of higher education and a local educational agency. Authorizes appropriations. Establishes new Programs for Counseling Excellence (which revises certain requirements for Model Program Community Partnership and Counseling Grants). Directs the Secretary to award grants to develop model programs for counseling excellence. Adds in-service training for guidance counselors to the current uses of such grants for student counseling programs and community partnerships for tutoring and mentoring. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 11) Directs the Secretary to give priority in funding to graduate program grant applicants that provide programs enrolling students who are underrepresented in graduate and professional programs, and that recruit such students from historically Black, Hispanic-serving, and American Indian Tribal colleges and universities. (Sec. 12) Revises Postsecondary Improvement Programs to add to the authorized uses of Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education grants the development of innovative methods for ensuring the successful transfer of students from two-year to four-year institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1997
Marriage Tax Elimination Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a husband and wife to file a combined income tax return on which each spouse is taxed separately at the unmarried return rate.
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 1997
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.
![Official portrait of Rep. Ortiz, Solomon P. [D-TX-27]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/o000107_200.jpg)