United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2001
Save Our Homes Act - Amends the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 to: (1) mandate itemization and disclosure of the annual percentage rate of mortgage loans and other loans secured by residential real property originated by the lending institution, including the amount of fees and points imposed in connection with loan origination, grouped according to census tract, income level, racial characteristics, age, and gender; and (2) prohibit regulatory exemptions of depository institutions from such reporting requirements. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to: (1) set forth annual percentage rates that define a high-cost mortgage and the attendant rule relating to mortgage discount points in order to apply high-cost loan protections to home purchase loans, and to lower the threshold for high-cost loans; (2) include certain mortgage broker intermediaries within the statutory definition of "creditor"; (3) subject a creditor to liability for mortgage broker violations of this Act; and (4) proscribe designated practices for a high-cost mortgage. Declares unenforceable under both Federal and State law a high-cost mortgage document in which blanks are left to be filled in after the contract is signed. Excludes from participation in mortgage-backed security pools high-cost or conforming home loans in violation of this Act. Prescribes a formula for determining an alternative maximum amount of civil liability for credit or mortgage broker violations involving high-cost mortgages and conforming loans.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2001
Training for Closed Captioners Act of 2001 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to provide grants to no more than 20 eligible entities (approved and accredited court reporting programs) to promote the training of students to become realtime closed captioners. Limits to $1 million the amount of a grant provided to an entity in a fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2001
Youth Service Scholarship Act of 2001 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a Public Service Incentives college scholarship program to reward low- and moderate-income students who have, during high school, and who continue, during college, to make significant public service contributions to their communities. Requires 300 hours of public service by the student: (1) during each of two academic years of secondary school, to be eligible for a scholarship for the first year of college; and (2) during the preceding postsecondary academic year, to be eligible for a second, third, or fourth year. Requires such students to: (1) have been eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act; and (2) be eligible to receive Federal Pell Grants in the year in which the scholarships are awarded. Sets the scholarship amount at $5,000 for any academic year during a student's first four years of undergraduate education, and provides for adjustments of such amount in the event of insufficient appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2001
Medicare Vision Rehabilitation Services Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000, to provide for coverage of outpatient vision rehabilitation services under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2001
Homemaker Employment Assistance and Lifeskills Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make formula matching grants to States with approved plans for programs of vocational education, training, employment counseling, and related services for single parents, displaced homemakers, and individuals entering nontraditional employment. Requires States to assign at least one individual from the State vocational education agency to administer such programs and make competitive subgrants to eligible entities.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2001
Comprehensive Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Act of 2001 - Sets forth a statutory framework to implement U.S. policy for research, development, demonstration and commercial applications programs designed to enable 20 percent of domestic energy from stationary sources to be generated from nonhydropower renewable energy sources by 2020. Prescribes requirements for: (1) such programs in renewable energy, energy efficiency, biomass energy, and aeronautical system energy efficiency; and (2) a National Building Performance Initiative. Instructs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) provide private sector commercialization assistance for renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies; (2) establish a fuel cell technologies demonstration program; and (3) establish a National Electric System Public Benefits Board to administer a National Electric System Public Benefits Fund. Establishes the High Performance Schools grant program. Amends Federal transportation law to mandate: (1) increased vehicle fuel economy standards; and (2) a national tire fuel efficiency program. Establishes the Energy Star program to promote cost-effective energy-efficient products and buildings. Prescribes requirements for: (1) Federal electric power purchases; (2) Federal buildings energy efficiency; (3) guaranteed energy savings; and (4) Federal use of Energy Star standards. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax credits for: (1) certain energy efficient business property; (2) the manufacture of energy efficient appliances; (3) construction of a new energy-efficient home; (4) energy efficiency improvements to existing homes; (5) residential solar, wind, and fuel cell energy property; and (6) purchase of Energy Star products. Allows a deduction for energy-efficient commercial building property expenditures. Prescribes depreciation requirements for: (1) distributed power property; and (2) property used in electricity transmission. Increases the credit rate for electricity produced from renewable and waste products. Treats facilities using bagasse to produce energy as solid waste disposal facilities eligible for tax-exempt financing. Grants an investment tax credit for additional plant capacity for existing renewable resources facilities producing electricity. Allows tax credits for: (1) alternative motor vehicles placed in service; (2) retail sales of alternative fuels for motor vehicles; and (3) installation of alternative fueling stations. Extends the deduction for certain refueling property.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2001
Establishes a Department of Peace, which shall be headed by a Secretary of Peace appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Sets forth the mission of the Department, including to: (1) hold peace as an organizing principle; (2) endeavor to promote justice and democratic principles to expand human rights; and (3) develop policies that promote national and international conflict prevention, nonviolent intervention, mediation, peaceful resolution of conflict, and structured mediation of conflict. Establishes in the Department the Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Peace, which shall provide assistance and make recommendations to the Secretary and the President concerning intergovernmental policies relating to peace and nonviolent conflict resolution. Transfers to the Department the functions, assets, and personnel of various Federal agencies. Establishes a Federal Interagency Committee on Peace. Establishes Peace Day. Urges all citizens to observe and celebrate the blessings of peace and endeavor to create peace on such day.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2001
Higher Education Assistance Improvement Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to increase funds available for the provision of student financial assistance. Increases the maximum individual Pell grant amount to: (1) $7,500 for academic year 2002-2003; and (2) $7,900 for academic year 2003-2004. Increases amounts authorized to be appropriated for FY 2002 and 2003 under the HEA student assistance provisions: (1) Federal TRIO programs; (2) Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP); (3) supplemental education opportunity grants; (4) graduate assistance in areas of national need; and (5) Thurgood Marshall legal educational opportunity program. Expresses the sense of Congress that appropriations for the following higher education programs should be increased by specified amounts for FY 2002 and as necessary for FY 2003: (1) Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP); (2) Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CAMPIS); (3) work-study; (4) National Health Service Corps scholarship and loan repayment programs; (5) Perkins loans; and (6) Javits fellowships. Expands eligibility under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL), Federal direct loan, and Federal Perkins loan programs by: (1) eliminating certain new borrower restrictions; (2) expanding eligible service; and (3) eliminating delays in service benefit. Directs the Secretary of Education to repay or cancel certain amounts of loan obligations under those HEA student loan programs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2001
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission Act - Establishes the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission to: (1) study and recommend Government activities to honor Benjamin Franklin on the tercentenary of his birth, including the minting of a Benjamin Franklin tercentenary coin and the issuance of a Benjamin Franklin tercentenary postage stamp; (2) serve as the contact point for State, local, international, and private sector initiatives regarding tercentenary activities; and (3) seek to enter into an arrangement for the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to serve as the secretariat of the Commission and house the Commission's administrative offices.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2001
Gun Show Loophole Closing and Gun Law Enforcement Act of 2001 - Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2001 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to provide for regulation of firearms transfers at special firearms events (events at which 75 or more firearms are offered or exhibited for sale or exchange if one or more of the firearms has been shipped or transported in, or otherwise affects, interstate or foreign commerce, with an exception). Prohibits a special firearms events frequent operator from organizing, planning, promoting, or operating a special firearms event without meeting specified requirements. Sets forth: (1) responsibilities of special firearms events infrequent operators, transferors other than licensees, and licensees; (2) special firearms event license application requirements; and (3) penalties for violation of this Act. Provides an option for 24-hour background checks at special firearms events for States with computerized disqualifying records and programs to improve State databases. Increases penalties for: (1) serious record keeping violations by licensees; and (2) violations of criminal background check requirements. Gun Law Enforcement Act of 2001 - Authorizes appropriations for: (1) grants to States and local governments to support prosecutions in high gun crime areas; (2) the Attorney General to hire 114 additional Federal firearms prosecutors; (3) additional Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents; (4) gun tracing and youth crime gun interdiction; and (5) grants to research entities developing technologies that limit the use of a gun to the owner.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2001
Microbicide Development Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of the Institute with respect to research on the development of microbicides to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of such Centers with respect to research on microbicides to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2001
Melanie Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of NIH and the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, to expand and intensify research and related activities of the Institute with respect to postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to provide for projects for the establishment, operation, and coordination of effective and cost-efficient systems for the delivery of essential services to individuals with postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis and their families. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2001
Working Lands Stewardship Act of 2001 - Amends specified agricultural Acts to: (1) revise and increase funding for the farmland protection program; (2) provide market development grants and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers who forgo development of certain lands; (3) expand State marketing programs, including set-asides for development of local and regional markets and research; (4) increase funding for farmer-to-consumer marketing assistance; (5) provide for a program to promote the purchase of locally grown produce; (6) increase funding for programs for socially disadvantaged farmers; (7) extend and increase funding for the environmental quality incentives program, including set-asides for livestock, pesticide reduction, and water conservation; (8) provide watershed quality incentive contracts; (9) provide loans for manure reuse activities and facilities; (10) extend and increase funding for the wildlife habitat incentives program, including set-asides for imperiled native species, and acquisition of easements and water rights; (11) extend and increase acreage for the wetlands reserve program; (12) establish a wetlands reserve enhancement program; (13) extend and increase funding for the conservation reserve program, including an acreage set-aside for environmentally-sensitive lands and buffer strips, and enrollment of grasslands and rangelands; (14) authorize incentive payments for private grazing land conservation; (15) establish a grassland reserve program; (16) expand the National Organic Program to include organic farming transition assistance; (17) establish an organic certification reimbursement program; (18) extend and increase funding for the forest stewardship program, including set-asides for new land management practices, and watershed forestry initiative activities; (19) authorize appropriations for urban and community forestry activities; (20) provide funding for specified conservation technical assistance and administration and outreach, including establishment of training centers in specified cities; and (21) establish a demonstration program to promote ecosystem- and watershed-based conservation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that there should be established a National Community Health Center Week to raise awareness of health services provided by community, migrant, public housing, and homeless health centers.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2001
Calls for the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee of the U.S. Postal Service to recommend and the Postmaster General to issue a postage stamp commemorating Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (one of the greatest civil rights advocates in U.S. history).
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2001
National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2001 - Establishes the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund in the Treasury to promote the development, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable and safe low-income housing.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2001
Tohono O'odham Citizenship Act of 2001 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to recognize persons listed on the official membership roll of the Tohono O'odham Nation, a federally recognized American Indian nation located in Arizona, as U.S. citizens as of the date such listing occurs. Provides that the valid membership credential issued to such listed persons shall be considered, for all purposes subject to Federal law, equivalent to: (1) a certificate of citizenship; and (2) a State-issued birth certificate.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2001
High-Speed Rail Investment Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a limited tax credit to holders of qualified Amtrak bonds. Sets forth definitions, State contribution requirements, and other rules. Requires approval, by the Secretary of Transportation, of qualified Amtrak projects funded by such bonds.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2001
Renters Relief Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable credit (maximum $2,500 per year) for rent in excess of 30 percent of income. Reduces such credit based upon adjusted gross income and area median income (as defined in this Act).
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2001
Congratulates: (1) the people of Peru for the successful completion of free and fair elections on April 8 and June 3, 2001; (2) Alejandro Toledo for his election as President and his commitment to democracy; (3) Valentin Paniagua, the current President, for his commitment to a peaceful transition; and (4) the Organization of American States Electoral Observer Mission for promoting representative democracy by working to ensure free and fair elections in Peru. Call for: (1) the United States to expand its cooperation with the Peruvian Government to promote the strengthening of democratic institutions and the rule of law, economic development, and an improved quality of life for citizens of both countries; and (2) such Governments to act in solidarity to promote democracy and respect for human rights and to enhance cooperation to confront common threats. Expresses: (1) sympathy to the Peruvian people for losses suffered as a result of the June 23, 2001 earthquake and support for their efforts to rebuild; and (2) support for relief and reconstruction assistance to Peru from the international community. Urges the President of the United States to encourage relief entities to expedite assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2001
Expresses the sense of the Congress that all workers deserve fair treatment and safe working conditions. Honors Dolores Huerta for her commitment to the improvement of working conditions for children, women, and farm worker families.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2001
First-time Homebuyer Down Payment Assistance Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to exempt from prohibited transaction rules any home equity participation arrangement under which the trustee of a qualified plan, at the direction of the eligible participant, shall acquire an ownership interest (not to exceed $10,000, and repayable in full upon resale or other transfer) in any dwelling unit which within a reasonable period of time is to be used as the principal residence for a first-time homebuyer.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2001
Honors the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) for 150 years of building strong kids, strong families, and strong communities in the United States. Expresses support for the continued good work of the YMCA during the next 150 years.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2001
Amends the National Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988 to extend the authorization of appropriations for the Drug-free Communities Support Program and the Advisory Commission on Drug-free Communities through FY 2007. Authorizes additional grants and renewal grants to eligible coalitions and grant recipients. Authorizes supplemental grants for coalition mentoring activities. Authorizes the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to make a grant to an eligible organization to provide for establishment of a National Community Antidrug Coalition Institute to: (1) provide education, training, and technical assistance for coalition leaders and community teams; (2) develop and disseminate evaluation tools, mechanisms, and measures to better assess and document coalition performance measures and outcomes; and (3) bridge the gap between research and practice by translating knowledge from research into practical information.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2001
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a program to assist States and local educational agencies (LEAs) to recruit, train, and hire additional school-based mental health and student service providers, including additional school counselors, psychologists, and social workers (in order to reduce the student-to-counselor ratios nationally, in elementary and secondary schools, to an average of one school counselor for every 250 students, one psychologist for every 1,000 students, and one social worker for every 800 students, as recommended in a report by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences relating to schools and health). Directs the Secretary of Education, after reserving certain funds for schools in outlying areas and schools run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, to make program allotments to States according to a specified formula. Requires States to allocate funds from Federal and State shares of program costs to LEAs according to specified formulae.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2001
Preservation of Civil Rights Protections Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal Arbitration Act to modify the definition of "commerce" so as to exclude employment contracts from arbitration provisions (currently, employment contracts of seamen, railroad employees, or any other class of workers engaged in foreign or interstate commerce are excluded). Makes arbitration clauses in employment contracts unenforceable, with exceptions for: (1) consent by the involved parties after a claim arises; and (2) enforcement of rights or terms of collective bargaining agreements. Provides that this Act shall apply to existing and future employment contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2001
Digital Divide Elimination Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for qualified computer technology or equipment equal to 50 percent of the amount paid for it (up to $500) by any taxpayer allowed an earned income credit. Extends from December 31, 2003, through June 30, 2004, the current enhanced deduction from gross income for charitable contributions of computers for elementary or secondary school purposes. Prescribes a special rule for contributions of computer technology and equipment to a qualified organization made within three years after the taxpayer acquired or constructed the property, if: (1) the property's original use is by the donor or the donee; (2) substantially all of the property's use by the donee is within the United States and, in the case of a qualified educational organization, for educational purposes related to the organization's purpose or function; (3) the property is not transferred by the donee in exchange for money, other property, or services, except for shipping, installation, and transfer costs; and (4) other specified requirements are met.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2001
Community Technology Assistance Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the enhanced deduction for corporate donations of computer technology to include senior centers and community centers.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2001
Directs the Architect of the Capitol to enter into a contract for the design and construction of a monument, which shall be placed on permanent display in the Capitol rotunda, commemorating the contributions of minority women to women's suffrage and to the participation of women in U.S. public life. Requires the monument to depict African, Hispanic, Asian Pacific, Jewish, and Native American women. Requires use of an advisory committee to make recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2001
Minority Populations Diabetes Prevention and Control Act of 2001 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to increase activities regarding diabetes in minorities, including State-based initiatives.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2001
Burma Freedom Act - Prohibits the importation into the United States of any Burmese products until the President determines and certifies to Congress that the State Peace and Development Council in Burma has made progress in: (1) reversing gross violations of internationally-recognized human rights and worker rights; (2) implementing democratic government; and (3) cooperating with U.S. counter-narcotics efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2001
Amends the Clean Air Act to require certain regulations regarding motor vehicle fuels to prohibit the use of methyl tertiary butyl ether as a fuel additive.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2001
Medicare Dialysis Benefit Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for: (1) payment under the Medicare Program for four hemodialysis treatments per week for specified patients; and (2) an increased update in the composite payment rate for renal dialysis treatments for FY 2002. Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 to restore a specified exception to renal dialysis composite rate under rate update provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code respecting the Hope Scholarship Credit to: (1) extend coverage to fees, books, supplies, and equipment, and exempt such expenses from information reporting requirements; and (2) not reduce such Credit by Federal Pell Grant and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the status quo on Cyprus must end and the island and its people must be reunited in a bi-zonal, bi-communal federal Cyprus, on the basis of United Nations Security Council resolutions; (2) the accession of Cyprus to the European Union (EU) would act as a catalyst for the solution of the Cyprus problem without such solution being a precondition for accession; (3) membership of Cyprus to the EU should be strongly supported; (4) all Cypriots should be urged to support and encourage efforts to bring Cyprus into the EU; and (5) U.S. agencies should pursue initiatives that will help promote and achieve reunification, reconciliation, stability, and prosperity on Cyprus.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2001
Mental Health Juvenile Justice Act - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to direct the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to make grants to train State juvenile justice system officers and employees regarding appropriate access to mental health and substance abuse treatment services for juveniles. Directs: (1) the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to partnerships between State and local or county juvenile justice agencies and State and local mental health authorities for programs that provide for appropriate diversion of juveniles from incarceration and for mental health screening and treatment; and (2) the Secretary to make grants to monitor mental health and special education services to, and to advocate on behalf of, juveniles. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Attorney General and the Secretary to award competitive grants to eligible entities for programs that address the service needs of juveniles and of juveniles with serious mental illnesses through diversion and treatment services including for juveniles on probation, on parole, or discharged. Establishes a Federal Coordinating Council on Criminalization of Juveniles With Mental Disorders. Requires a State, to be eligible for funds under the violent offender incarceration and truth-in-sentencing grants program, to have (by January 1, 2003) a program of mental health screening and treatment for appropriate categories of offenders during periods of incarceration and supervision that is consistent with guidelines issued by the Attorney General. Makes Federal criminal code provisions regarding appropriate remedies with respect to prison conditions applicable to a civil action that seeks to remedy conditions which pose a threat to the health of individuals who are under age 16 or mentally ill.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2001
Pharmacy Education Aid Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Act to include pharmacist services within the National Health Service Corps program of scholarships, including first-year pharmacy studies, loans, and funding. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants and contracts to qualifying pharmacy schools for: (1) student and faculty recruitment and retraining, with scholarship preference for students with financial need; (2) computer-based pharmaceutical education systems; and (3) facilities construction. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a loan repayment program for qualifying individuals who become pharmacy school faculty.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2001
Recognizes: (1) the need to encourage active involvement of fathers in the rearing and development of their children; and (2) that while millions of fathers serve as wonderful caring parents for their children, there are children on Father's Day who will have no one to celebrate with. Urges fathers to: (1) participate in their children's lives, both financially and emotionally; (2) understand the level of responsibility required when fathering a child; and (3) fulfill that responsibility. Encourages fathers to devote time, energy, and resources to their children. Declares that the House of Representatives is committed to assisting absent fathers to become more responsible and engaged in their children's lives. Calls upon fathers around the country to use the day to reconnect and rededicate themselves to their children's lives, to spend Father's Day with them, and to express their love and support for them.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2001
Renames the Technology Assessment Act of 1972 as the Office of Technology Assessment Reestablishment Act of 2001. Authorizes appropriations for the Office of Technology Assessment for FY 2002 through 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2001
College Fire Prevention Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants to States, private or public colleges or universities, fraternities, or sororities for up to half the cost of providing fire sprinkler systems in student housing and dormitories. Directs the Comptroller General to gather, and report to Congress, data on the number of college and university housing facilities and dormitories that have and do not have fire sprinkler systems and other forms of built-in fire protection mechanisms. Provides that any application for assistance under this Act, any negative determination on the part of the Secretary with respect to such application, or any statement of reasons for the determination, shall not be admissible as evidence in any proceeding of any court, agency, board, or other entity.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2001
Russian Democracy Act of 2001 - Declares it shall be U.S. policy to: (1) engage the Government of the Russian Federation to strengthen democratic reform and institutions, and to promote good governance principles based on the internationally recognized norms of transparency in business practices, the rule of law, religious freedom, and human rights; (2) incorporate democratic reforms, independent media, and economic reforms in the broad U.S. agenda with such Government; and (3) encourage such Government to address cross-border issues, including the environment, crime, trafficking, and corruption in a cooperative and transparent manner consistent with internationally recognized principles of the rule of law. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Government of the Russian Federation, as obliged under existing bilateral agreements, should resolve outstanding taxation issues that hinder the deliverance of U.S. assistance programs. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include among activities eligible for U.S. assistance to the independent states of the former Soviet Union activities for the promotion of democracy, rule of law, human rights, economic reforms, administration of justice, and the development of a free and independent media in Russia. Authorizes the President to carry out specified related activities in providing such assistance to Russia.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2001
Amends plan termination insurance requirements under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to increase a phase-in limitation applicable to a guarantee of benefit improvements made prior to plan termination, with respect to plans terminated on or after January 1, 1997. Directs the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to pay the remainder, with interest, of such amended correct amounts owed to individuals, if the PBGC made lesser payments to such individuals before enactment of this Act, and if such individuals file written applications for such additional payments.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit: (1) Federal civilian and military retirees to pay Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis; and (2) a deduction (available to itemizers and nonitemizers) for TRICARE supplemental premiums and enrollment fees.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2001
Lyme and Infectious Disease Information and Fairness in Treatment (LIFT) Act - Establishes the Tick-Borne Disorders Advisory Committee in the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Directs the Committee to advise the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary of HHS and the Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner regarding how to: (1) provide public input on the public's needs regarding tick-borne disorders (lyme and other infectious diseases) so that government agencies can coordinate and more effectively plan and execute their activities; and (2) develop informed responses to constituency groups regarding the efforts and progress of the HHS and SAA. Authorizes appropriations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to: (1) focus on developing better diagnostic tools and tests, expanding educational efforts, and re-educating clinicians, medical license boards, and health care insurers about the inappropriate uses of the Lyme disease case surveillance definition in patient diagnosis and treatment; and (2) collaborate with the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and other appropriate agencies for further research on tick-borne disorders, including study of preventive methods to decrease exposure to them. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health to coordinate activities and research regarding tick-borne diseases across Institutes to encourage collaborative research.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2001
Declares that the House of Representations condemns and deplores: (1) the continued detention of Li Shaomin, Gao Zhan, Wu Jianmin, Tan Guangguang, Teng Chunyan, and other scholars detained on false charges by the Government of the People's Republic of China and calls for their immediate and unconditional release; (2) the lack of due process afforded to these detainees and the probable coercion of confessions from some of them; and (3) the ongoing and systematic pattern of human rights violations by the Chinese Government. Urges the Chinese Government to consider: (1) the implications to the broader U.S.-Chinese relationship of detaining and coercing confessions from U.S. citizens and permanent residents on unsubstantiated spying charges or suspicions; and (2) releasing Liu Yaping on humanitarian grounds. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should: (1) make the release of the scholars a top priority of U.S. foreign policy with the Chinese Government; (2) make every effort to assist the scholars and their families while discussions of their release continue; (3) make it clear that the detention of U.S. citizens and permanent residents on unsubstantiated spying charges or suspicions of spying and the infliction of human rights violations upon U.S. citizens and residents, is not in the interests of the Chinese Government; and (4) send a special, high ranking representative to reiterate the deep concern of the United States regarding the continued imprisonment of the scholars and to discuss their legal status and immediate humanitarian needs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2001
Rural Teachers Recruitment Act of 2001 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to eligible rural local educational agencies to recruit and retain qualified teachers for elementary and secondary schools. Includes among authorized uses of such teacher incentive program funds: (1) salary increases; (2) reimbursement for teacher certification and relocation expenses; and (3) assistance to pay college and graduate school tuition and training expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2001
Child Care Quality Incentive Act of 2001 - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to establish a program of incentive grants to States to improve the quality of, and access to, child care by increasing child care payment rates. Sets the maximum Federal share of activity costs at 75 percent. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make an annual payment to an eligible State only if: (1) the Secretary determines that the State has made progress, through the assisted activities, in maintaining increased payment rates; and (2) the State updates an initial child care services market rate survey at least once every two years. Requires an eligible State that receives such a grant to make priority use of its funds to increase significantly (up to the 100th percentile of the market rate survey) the rate of reimbursement to providers for subsidized child care.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2001
Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID), in providing assistance for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in connection with health programs for developing countries, to provide education and related services to law enforcement and military personnel of such foreign countries to prevent and control HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Sets forth certain conditions for the provision of such services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2001
End Racial Profiling Act of 2001 - Prohibits any law enforcement agency or agent from engaging in racial profiling. Authorizes the United States, or an individual injured by racial profiling, to bring a civil action for declaratory or injunctive relief to enforce this prohibition. Specifies that proof that the routine investigatory activities of law enforcement agents in a jurisdiction have had a disparate impact on racial or ethnic minorities shall constitute prima facie evidence of a violation. Authorizes the court to allow a prevailing plaintiff, other than the United States, reasonable attorneys' fees as part of the costs, including expert fees. Requires Federal law enforcement agencies to: (1) maintain adequate policies and procedures designed to eliminate racial profiling; and (2) cease existing practices that encourage racial profiling. Directs that any application by a State or governmental unit for funding under a covered program include a certification that such unit and any agency to which it is redistributing program funds: (1) maintains adequate policies and procedures designed to eliminate racial profiling; and (2) has ceased existing practices that encourage racial profiling. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to States, law enforcement agencies and other governmental units, Indian tribal governments, or other public and private entities to develop and implement best practice devices and systems to ensure the racially neutral administration of justice. Directs the Attorney General to submit to Congress a report on racial profiling by Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2001
Authorizes the President to present on behalf of Congress: (1) a gold medal to the family of Andrew Jackson Higgins in recognition of his contributions to the Nation and to the Allied victory in World War II; (2) an identical medal to the D-Day Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, for public display; and (3) a gold medal to the Museum in honor of the World War II employees of Higgins Industries and in recognition of their contributions to the Nation and to the Allied victory in World War II. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates.
![Official portrait of Rep. Payne, Donald M. [D-NJ-10]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000149_200.jpg)