United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2000
Health Coverage, Access, Relief, and Equity (C.A.R.E.) Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow as a limited refundable credit the amount paid for qualified health insurance; and (2) provide for the payment, by the Secretary of the Treasury, to an individual's health insurer of an amount equal to an individual's qualified health insurance credit advance amount.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2000
Farmland Preservation Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from a decedent's gross estate qualified farmland which is restricted in perpetuity to use as farmland under a qualified farmland conservation easement.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2000
Savings for Working Families Act of 2000 - Title I: Individual Development Accounts For Low-Income Workers - Sets forth requirements for qualified individual development accounts (IDAs) for low-income workers, including: (1) the basic structure and administration of qualified IDA programs established by qualified financial institutions (QFIs) or qualified nonprofit organizations (QNOs); (2) procedures for opening an IDA with a QFI or a QNO and contributing money (of up to a certain amount, except in the case of qualified rollovers) in accordance with specified guidelines to qualify for matching funds from QFIs, QNOs, State, local, or private sources to be held in a parallel account; (3) QFI or QNO deposits of all matching funds (matched dollar-for-dollar for the first 500 contributed by an eligible individual to an IDA for any taxable year) for each IDA in a parallel, interest-bearing account at a QFI or QNO; (4) procedures for withdrawals from an IDA for qualified higher education expenses, first-time homebuyer costs, business capitalization costs, or rollovers to other IDAs of the individual or the individual's spouse or dependents; (5) certification to the Secretary of the Treasury or designated organization that qualified IDAs and other described accounts are operating pursuant to this Act, and termination of qualified IDA programs if the Secretary, or designated organization, determines that a QFI, or QNO, is not operating a qualified IDA program in accordance with this Act; and (6) reporting, monitoring, and evaluation requirements. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 105) Allows for withdrawal from an IDA for non-qualified expenses, but with forfeiture of all corresponding matching funds and interest earned on them, unless the withdrawn funds are recontributed within one year. (Sec. 108) Disregards funds in parallel accounts of program participants for purposes of certain means-tested Federal programs. Title II: Qualified Individual Development Account Program Investment Credits - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for a qualified IDA program investment by an eligible taxpayer (a QFI or a non-QFI meeting specified criteria) during the taxable year. (Sec. 202) Declares that QFIs which establish qualified IDA programs shall not receive credit for funding, administration, and education expenses under any test contained in regulations for the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 for those activities and expenses related to such programs and accounted for in the tax credit above. (Sec. 203) Authorizes an individual to designate that a specified portion of any overpayment of tax for a taxable year attributable to the earned income credit shall be deposited by the Secretary into the individual's IDA.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2000
Amends the International Financial Institutions 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 oppose any new IMF loan to any country which the Secretary of Energy determines is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and is acting to restrict oil production to the detriment of the U.S. economy, or is acting in concert with OPEC to do so, unless the provision of the loan is necessary to address a systemic risk to the international financial system.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2000
Open Space Preservation Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income the gain from the sale or exchange of farmland if there is in effect a qualifying perpetual conservation easement prohibiting any use other than as farmland.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2000
Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a comprehensive fraud audit of the Department of Education and report its results to specified congressional committees.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2000
Amends the National Trails System Act to provide that whenever any right-of-way is subject to certain interim use provisions for railroad rights-of-way, no such right-of-way may be developed for public use as a trail unless compensation for such use has been tendered to the person to whom the right-of-way would revert upon abandonment for railroad purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2000
Privacy Commission Act - Establishes the Commission for the Comprehensive Study of Privacy Protection to study and report to Congress and the President on issues relating to protection of individual privacy and the appropriate balance to be achieved between protecting such privacy and allowing appropriate uses of information. Requires the Commission to conduct at least four hearings in each of the five geographical regions of the United States. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2000
Apples for Three Million Teachers Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make the two percent floor on miscellaneous itemized deductions inapplicable to the qualified professional development expenses incurred by teachers; and (2) allow a credit to elementary and secondary school teachers who provide classroom materials.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2000
Human Fetal Tissue Reporting and Disclosure Act of 2000 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require entities that are to receive fetal tissue for any purpose, other than solely for purpose of pathological examination, to file a disclosure statement with the Secretary of Health and Human Services that contains: (1) a list of each entity that has obtained possession of the tissue prior to possession by the filing entity; (2) a description of the use to be made of such tissue and the end user; (3) a verification that the tissue was obtained with the donor's legal consent; (4) a description of the type of tissue involved, including a determination of whether it was obtained from an induced abortion; (5) a description of the quantity of tissue involved; (6) a description of the money or any other consideration of value transferred as a result of the transference of the tissue; and (7) any other information determined appropriate by the Secretary. Directs entities that enter into contracts for shipment of packages containing such tissue to: (1) notify the shipping entity that the package contains such tissue; (2) label the packaging to indicate that it contains such tissue; (3) ensure that shipment is done in a manner acceptable for the transfer of biomedical material; and (4) ensure that a tracking number is provided for the package. Prescribes monetary penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2000
Reserve Employer Tax Credit Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide: (1) employers a business tax credit for a portion of compensation that was not paid with respect to members of the military reserves who were absent from work on qualified reserve duty; (2) a comparable credit for participating self-employed individuals; and (3) for the deduction of certain expenses paid or incurred by members of a Reserve component of the armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2000
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) music education enhances intellectual development and enriches the academic environment for children of all ages; and (2) music educators greatly contribute to the artistic, intellectual, and social development of children, and play a key role in helping children to succeed in school.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
Save Our Surplus for Debt Reduction Act of 2000 - Makes it out of order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report if the enactment of the bill or resolution as reported, the adoption and enactment of the amendment, or the enactment of the bill or resolution in the form recommended in the conference report would cause a decrease in the on-budget surplus for FY 2000. Makes such point of order inapplicable to any such legislation or motion if it reduces revenues or implements structural social security or Medicare reform. Waives or suspends the point of order under this Act in the Senate only by an affirmative three-fifths majority vote. Requires the same majority to sustain an appeal of the ruling of the Chair on such point of order. Terminates this Act on October 1, 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the United States-Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement of 1996 should terminate on a specified date, with no extension or further quota agreement; and (2) the President should consult with appropriate stakeholders and continue discussions with the Government of Canada to promote open trade of softwood lumber between Canada and the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
Commends the Holy See for its strong commitment to fundamental human rights during its 36 years as a Permanent Observer at the United Nations (UN). Declares that Congress: (1) strongly objects to any effort to expel the Holy See from the UN as a state participant by removing its status as a nonmember state Permanent Observer; and (2) believes that any degradation of the status accorded to the Holy See at the UN would seriously damage the credibility of the UN. Expresses concern that any such degradation of status would seriously damage relations between the UN and member states that find in the Holy See a moral and ethical presence with which they can work effectively in pursuing humanitarian approaches to international problems.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2000
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2000 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit any physician from knowingly performing a partial-birth abortion in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, unless it is necessary to save the mother's life that is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury. Prescribes penalties. Defines a "partial birth abortion" as an abortion in which the person performing the abortion deliberately and intentionally: (1) vaginally delivers some portion of an intact living fetus until the fetus is partially outside the body of the mother, for the purpose of performing an overt act that the person knows will kill the fetus while the fetus is partially outside the mother's body; and (2) performs the overt act that kills the fetus while the intact living fetus is partially outside the mother's body. Authorizes the father, if married to the mother at the time of the abortion, and the maternal grandparents of the fetus, if the mother is under 18 years of age, to obtain specified relief in a civil action, unless the pregnancy resulted from the plaintiff's criminal conduct or the plaintiff consented to the abortion. Authorizes a defendant accused of an offense under this Act to seek a hearing before the State Medical Board on whether the physician's conduct was necessary to save the life of the mother. Prohibits the prosecution of a woman upon whom a partial-birth abortion is performed for conspiracy to violate this Act or under provisions regarding punishment as a principal or an accessory or for concealment of a felony.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2000
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income payments made under Department of Defense education loan repayment programs to members of the armed forces and Selected Reserve with specified military and critical specialties and specified health and critical medical skills.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Timber and Agriculture Environmental Fairness Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from requiring a national pollutant discharge elimination system permit for discharges composed entirely of agricultural stormwater discharges or for discharges from silviculture operations. Excludes discharges of stormwater runoff from silvicultural operations from the definition of "point source."
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 · 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 · 31 January 2000
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a congressional gold medal to John Cardinal O'Connor, Archbishop of New York, in recognition of his accomplishments as a priest, a soldier, and a humanitarian. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2000
White Clay Creek Wild and Scenic Rivers System Act - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate specified segments of the White Clay Creek in Delaware and Pennsylvania, as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System (NWSRS). Requires the segments to be administered by the Secretary of the Interior, in cooperation with the White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee pursuant to the plan prepared by the White Clay Creek Wild and Scenic Study Task Force and the National Park Service. Considers Churchman's Marsh, Lamborn Run, and the properties on which the intake structures and pipelines for the proposed Thompson's Station Reservoir shall be located suitable for designation as components of the NWSRS only at such time as those areas are removed from consideration as locations for the Reservoir under the comprehensive plan of the Delaware River Basin Commission. Provide that nothing in this Act shall prohibit such designation if, after the enactment of this Act, the additional segment is determined to be suitable. Prohibits any portion of a segment designated by this Act that is not in the National Park System (NPS) as of the enactment of this Act from being: (1) considered a part of the NPS; (2) managed by the National Park Service; or (3) subject to NPS laws or regulations. Bars the Federal Government from acquiring, by any means, any right or title in or to land, any easement, or any other interest for the purposes of carrying out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2000
Pope John Paul II Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the presentation of a gold medal to Pope John Paul II in recognition of his contributions to peace and religious understanding. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates that proceeds from duplicate bronze medal sales be deposited in the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2000
Religious Broadcasting Freedom Act - Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from establishing, expanding, or otherwise modifying requirements relating to the service obligations of noncommercial educational television stations except by means of Federal agency rulemaking procedures. Terminates the additional guidance contained in the FCC's memorandum opinion and order in WQED Pittsburgh (FCC 99-393), except as such guidance is prescribed in accordance with the above rulemaking procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2000
Home Workplace Preservation Act of 2000 - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to make the Act inapplicable to employment performed in a workplace which is located in the employee's residence.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2000
White Clay Creek Wild and Scenic Rivers System Act - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate specified segments of the White Clay Creek in Delaware and Pennsylvania, as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System (NWSRS). Requires the segments to be administered by the Secretary of the Interior, in cooperation with the White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee pursuant to the plan prepared by the White Clay Creek Wild and Scenic Study Task Force and the National Park Service. Considers Churchman's Marsh, Lamborn Run, and the properties on which the intake structures and pipelines for the proposed Thompson's Station Reservoir shall be located suitable for designation as components of the NWSRS only at such time as those areas are removed from consideration as locations for the Reservoir under the comprehensive plan of the Delaware River Basin Commission. Provide that nothing in this Act shall prohibit such designation if, after the enactment of this Act, the additional segment is determined to be suitable. Prohibits any portion of a segment designated by this Act that is not in the National Park System (NPS) as of the enactment of this Act from being: (1) considered a part of the NPS; (2) managed by the National Park Service; or (3) subject to NPS laws or regulations. Bars the Federal Government from acquiring, by any means, any right or title in or to land, any easement, or any other interest for the purposes of carrying out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 1999
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Congress: (1) commends States and localities, and in particular the Decatur School Board, in their efforts to combat school-based violence, including qualified zero-tolerance policies for violent actions; and (2) urges continued diligence in efforts to create a safe learning environment for our Nation's youth.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1999
Radio Broadcasting Preservation Act of 1999 - Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission from prescribing any rules authorizing the operation of new, low power FM radio stations, or establishing a low power radio service, as currently proposed. Terminates previously prescribed rules which would violate such prohibition and voids licenses issued pursuant to such rules.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 1999
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should immediately transmit to Congress a report containing: (1) the President's certification as to whether the U.S. Government has ever requested the Government of Russia to provide information on the specific sites in the United States at which either the Russian or Soviet Government placed weapons or military equipment for use in a possible conflict with the United States; and (2) depending on such certification, either a full accounting of why such a request has not been made or detailed information on when and to whom each such request was transmitted and what information was provided by Russia in response. Calls for the President to provide to Congress a report describing in detail the President's plan to find and remove any military equipment or bombs (such as those identified in the so-called Mitrokhin files) that have been placed by the Russian or Soviet Government on U.S. territory.
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 · 10 November 1999
State's and Parental Rights Improvement Act of 2000 - Prohibits, notwithstanding any other provision of law, considering a State to have violated any term or condition of any Federal health care grant-in-aid program by requiring the consent or notification of a parent or guardian regarding dispensing a prescription drug or device (or any class of drugs or devices specified by the State) to a minor.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1999
Calls on the President to issue a proclamation recognizing the 25th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam era and commemorating the service and sacrifice of the men and women who, during that era, served the nation in Southeast Asia or otherwise served in support of U.S. operations in Vietnam or in support of U.S. security interests throughout the world.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 1999
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of State (the Secretary), as part of the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, to include information to address the status of trafficking in persons, including: (1) a list of foreign countries that are countries of origin, transit, or destination for a significant number of victims of "severe forms of trafficking" (defined as sex trafficking in which either a commercial sex act or any act or event contributing to such act is effected or induced by force, coercion, fraud, or deception, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained age 18, and the purchase, sale, recruitment, harboring, transportation, transfer, or receipt of a person for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, or slavery, or slavery-like practices which is effected by force, coercion, fraud, or deception); (2) a description of the nature and extent of severe forms of trafficking in persons in each country (descriptive information); (3) an assessment of the efforts by such governments to combat severe forms of trafficking (assessment information); and (4) descriptive information and, where appropriate, assessment information, on a country-by-country basis. (Sec 5) Requires the President to establish an Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, chaired by the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary to establish within the Department of State an Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, which shall assist the Task Force and be administered by a Director. Directs the Task Force to: (1) coordinate the implementation of this Act; (2) measure and evaluate progress of the United States and other countries in trafficking prevention, protection of and provision of assistance to trafficking victims, and prosecution and enforcement against traffickers; (3) expand interagency procedures to collect and organize data (and respect the confidentiality of trafficking victims); (4) engage in efforts to facilitate cooperation among countries of origin, transit, and destination; (5) examine the role of the international "sex tourism" industry in the trafficking of women and children and in the sexual exploitation of women and children around the world; and (6) make recommendations on appropriate measures to combat this industry. (Sec. 6) Directs the President: (1) acting through the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) and the heads of other appropriate agencies, to establish and carry out initiatives to enhance economic opportunity for potential victims of trafficking as a method to deter trafficking; (2) acting through the Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS) and State, and through the Attorney General, to establish and carry out programs to increase public awareness, particularly among potential victims, of the dangers of trafficking and the protections that are available for victims; and (3) to consult with appropriate nongovernmental organizations with respect to the establishment and conduct of initiatives under this section. (Sec. 7) Requires the Secretary and the Administrator to establish and carry out programs and initiatives in foreign countries to assist in the safe integration, reintegration, or resettlement of victims of trafficking and their children and to take appropriate steps to enhance cooperative efforts among foreign countries, including countries of origin of victims, to assist in such integration, reintegration, or resettlement. Directs the Attorney General, the Secretaries of HHS and Labor, and the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation, subject to the availability of appropriations, to expand existing services to provide assistance to victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons within the United States, without regard to such victims' immigration status. Makes such victims eligible, without regard to their immigration status, for any benefits that are otherwise available under the Crime Victims Fund. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to States, U.S. territories and possessions, Indian tribes, units of local government, and nongovernmental victims' service organizations to develop, expand, or strengthen victim service programs for trafficking victims, subject to specified conditions. Provides trafficking victims a civil right of action for violations of Federal criminal code (the code) provisions (established by section 12 of this Act) regarding trafficking into slavery-like conditions or sex trafficking of children by force, fraud, or coercion. Directs the Attorney General and the Secretary to promulgate regulations for law enforcement personnel, immigration officials, and State Department officials to provide that: (1) victims of severe forms of trafficking, while in Federal custody, shall be housed in appropriate shelter, receive prompt medical care, food, and other assistance, and be provided protection if a victim's safety is at risk; (2) such victims shall not be jailed, fined, or otherwise penalized due to having been trafficked, and shall have access to legal assistance, information about their rights, and translation services; (3) Federal law enforcement officials shall act to ensure an alien's continued presence in the United States if, after an assessment, it is determined that such alien is a victim of trafficking or a material witness; and (4) appropriate personnel of the Departments of State and Justice shall be trained in identifying such victims and providing for their protection. Amends the code to make funds derived from the sale of assets seized from and forfeited by trafficking available for victims assistance programs under this Act. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow the Attorney General to: (1) grant non-immigrant visas to certain victims of severe forms of trafficking who are in the United States and who would face a significant possibility of retribution or other harm if they were removed from the United States; and (2) adjust to lawful permanent resident status the status of victims who have been in the United States continuously for three years since admission, who have remained of good moral character, who have not unreasonably refused to assist in trafficking investigations or prosecutions, and who would face a significant possibility of retribution or other harm if removed from the United States. (Sec. 8) Establishes minimum standards applicable to countries that have a significant trafficking problem. Urges such countries to prohibit severe forms of trafficking in persons, to punish such acts, and to make serious and sustained efforts to eliminate such trafficking. (Sec. 9) Authorizes the Secretary and the Director of AID to provide assistance to foreign countries for programs and activities designed to meet the minimum international standards for the elimination of trafficking. (Sec. 10) Declares that it is U.S. policy to withhold non-humanitarian foreign assistance to countries which do not meet the minimum standards. Requires the Secretary to report annually to specified congressional committees regarding the status of severe forms of trafficking in persons, including a list of any countries that do not meet applicable minimum standards. Permits interim reports. Requires the President, for FY 2002 and subsequent fiscal years, for each country that fails to meet the standards, to make one of the following determinations: (1) to withhold U.S. non-humanitarian assistance; (2) to not provide funding for participation of employees of such country's governments in educational and cultural exchange programs; (3) to instruct the U.S. executive director of each multilateral development bank and the International Monetary Fund to vote against non-humanitarian assistance to such country; (4) that such country has come into compliance with the minimum standards; or (5) that the provision of non-humanitarian assistance to a country not meeting minimum standards is in the U.S. national interest. (Sec. 11) Authorizes: (1) the Secretary to compile and publish a list of foreign persons who play a significant role in a severe form of trafficking in persons, directly or indirectly in the United States, who materially support such persons, or who are owned or controlled by such persons; and (2) the President to impose sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, including the freezing of assets located in the United States. Directs the President, upon exercising such authority, to report to specified congressional committees: (1) identifying publicly the foreign persons that the President determines are appropriate for sanctions; and (2) detailing publicly the sanctions imposed. Permits non-disclosure of persons on the list for intelligence and law enforcement reasons, and requires that Congress be notified of such exclusions on an annual basis. Excludes significant traffickers, and those who knowingly assist them, from entry into the United States. (Sec. 12) Amends the code to: (1) double the current maximum penalties for peonage, enticement into slavery, and sale into involuntary servitude to 20 years imprisonment; and (2) add the possibility of life imprisonment for such violations resulting in death or involving kidnaping, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill. Prohibits, and sets penalties for: (1) trafficking into involuntary servitude, peonage, or slavery-like conditions; (2) sex trafficking of children by force, fraud, or coercion; and (3) unlawfully possessing or destroying the identification or immigration documents of another in the course of a trafficking violation or in an attempt to impair a trafficking investigation or restrict a victim's movement. Requires that convicted traffickers provide full restitution to their victims. Directs courts to order the forfeiture to the United States of any of the trafficker's property that was used for or derived from violations of these laws. Makes victims of these crimes eligible for the Federal witness protection program. Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to review, and if appropriate amend, the sentencing guidelines to ensure that they are sufficiently stringent with respect to such trafficking offenses. Amends the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act to add the new trafficking offenses to the list of covered activities. (Sec. 13) Authorizes appropriations to carry out this Act for: (1) the Interagency Task Force; (2) the Secretary of HHS; (3) the Secretary; (4) the Attorney General; (5) the President (for foreign victim assistance and assistance to foreign countries to meet the minimum standards); and (6) the Secretary of Labor.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 1999
Protecting Women's Health Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to: (1) enter into cooperative agreements with States and other entities to conduct sentinel surveillance or other special studies to determine the prevalence in various age groups and populations of specific types of human papillomavirus (HPV) in different sites in various U.S. regions through collection of special specimens for HPV using a variety of laboratory-based testing and diagnostic tools; and (2) develop and analyze data from the HPV sentinel surveillance system. Directs the Secretary to make a progress report to Congress with respect to such requirements. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to conduct prevention research on HPV. Directs the Secretary to make a progress report to Congress on such research and develop a final proposal. Requires such report to outline steps needed to make HPV a reportable disease and the best strategies to prevent future infections. Directs the Secretary to require the Department of HHS and HHS contractors and grantees to specifically state the effectiveness or lack of effectiveness of condoms in preventing the transmission of HPV, herpes, and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in all publicly available informational materials related to condoms or STDs. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem a condom to be misbranded unless its label bears information providing that condoms do not effectively prevent the transmission of HPV and that HPV can cause cervical cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 1999
Corporate Welfare Reform Commission Act of 1999 - Establishes the independent Corporate Welfare Reform Commission, which shall identify programs and tax laws that provide inequitable Federal programs and payments.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 1999
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Congress should exercise oversight responsibilities and conduct hearings, and take appropriate steps if necessary, concerning private companies that are involved in the trafficking of baby body parts for profit.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 1999
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Government of the People's Republic of China should stop persecuting FalunGong practitioners and other religious believers. Calls for the U.S. Government to use every appropriate forum, including the United Nations Human Rights Commission, to urge the Government of the People's Republic of China to: (1) release from detention all Falun Gong practitioners and put an immediate end to the practices of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment against them and other prisoners of conscience; (2) allow Falun Gong practitioners to pursue their religious beliefs in accordance with article 36 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China; and (3) abide by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1999
Declares that Congress: (1) deplores the slaying of the Prime Minister of Armenia, Vazgen Sargsian, the Chairman of the Armenian Parliament, Karen Demirchian, the Deputy Chairman of the Armenian Parliament, Yuri Bakhshian, the Minister of Operative Issues, Leonard Petrossian, and other members of the Armenian Government; (2) strongly shares the determination of the Armenian people that the perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice so that Armenia may demonstrate its resolute opposition to acts of terror; (3) commends the efforts of the late Prime Minister and the Armenian Government for their commitment to democracy and the rule of law and for supporting free market movements internationally; and (4) continues to cherish the strong alliance between Armenia and the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 1999
Amends rule XXI (restrictions on certain bills) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to prohibit the consideration of a bill, joint resolution, amendment, or conference report that provides for the designation or redesignation of any building, highway, or other structure in honor of an individual who is serving as a Member of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 1999
Calls upon the Secretary of the Navy and the Attorney General to ensure that the Federal property located at the Vieques training range, Puerto Rico, is safe and secure and for the Secretary to resume critical live fire training there. Calls on the President, as Commander-in-Chief, to ensure that U.S. forces deploy with 100 percent of the combat qualifications needed to meet national security requirements. Urges the Department of Defense and Government of Puerto Rico to reestablish a mutually supportive relationship, resolve issues, and implement a program that addresses the economic and social needs and safety concerns of residents of Vieques and citizens of Puerto Rico. Recognizes the significant contribution to U.S. defense by such residents and citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 1999
Unsolicited Electronic Mail Act of 1999 - Authorizes any person, on his or her own behalf or on behalf of his or her children, to file with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) a statement that he or she desires to receive no unsolicited commercial electronic mail (e-mail), unsolicited pandering (erotically arousing or sexually provocative) e-mail, or both. Directs the FCC to: (1) maintain and keep a current list of such filers; and (2) make such list available to any person, upon reasonable terms and conditions, including a service charge for such list. Prohibits any person from initiating the transmission of any unsolicited commercial or pandering e-mail to an individual whose name and e-mail address has been on such list for more than 30 days. Prohibits any other use of such list. Prohibits any person from sending an unsolicited commercial or pandering e-mail message unless the message contains a conspicuous reply e-mail address to which a recipient may send notice of a desire not to receive further messages. Subjects to an FCC order to discontinue any person who transmits such a message after such an objection. Directs the FCC, upon request, to include in such an order the names and e-mail addresses of any children of an objecting recipient. Provides a private right of action, or an action by the FCC, against an e-mail initiator who violates the above requirements. Authorizes an interactive computer service provider to establish and enforce policies that are nondiscriminatory on the basis of content regarding unsolicited commercial e-mail. Authorizes such provider to decline to transmit such messages to subscribers without compensation from the sender. Requires a provider to notify the violator of such policy in writing and request compliance. Makes subject to the same FCC order as above a violator who sends such messages after provider notification. Provides a private right of action by a provider, or an action by the FCC, upon an e-mail initiator who violates such requirements. Requires the FCC to report to Congress on the effectiveness and enforcement of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 1999
Victims of Rape Health Protection Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to reduce by ten percent the funds available to a State under the drug control grant program unless such State demonstrates that in its laws or regulations with respect to a defendant against whom a rape charge is brought, such State requires that: (1) the defendant be tested for HIV if the nature of the crime would have placed the victim at risk of HIV and the victim requests such a test; (2) the defendant be so tested within 48 hours after the information or indictment is presented and that the test results be made immediately available to the victim; (3) the defendant undergo any appropriate follow-up tests and that those test results be made immediately available to the victim; and (4) if results indicate that the defendant has HIV, such fact may be considered in the judicial proceedings conducted for the crime. Allows funds reduced for noncompliance with such requirements to be redistributed to complying States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 1999
Designates the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 617 State Street in Erie, Pennsylvania, as the Samuel J. Roberts Federal Building and United States Courthouse.
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 · 23 September 1999
Minimum Wage State Flexibility Act of 1999 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to allow a State to preempt the Federal minimum wage if the State: (1) sets a minimum wage rate of at least $5.15 per hour (the current Federal minimum wage); and (2) applies that rate to as many workers in the State as would otherwise be covered by the Federal minimum wage rate. Authorizes the State Governor to suspend for up to one year State minimum wage rates which exceed $5.15 per hour for all or part of the State if: (1) the State cannot achieve work participation rates or other responsibilities under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996; (2) all or part of the State has experienced an increased rate of unemployment; or (3) the State experienced an economic slowdown as measured by the gross State product.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1999
Urges the Department of Education, States, and local educational agencies to work together to ensure that at least 95 percent of all funds appropriated for elementary and secondary education programs administered by the Department of Education is spent to improve the academic achievement of children in classrooms.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1999
Calls upon the President: (1) not to participate in any international negotiation in which antidumping or antisubsidy rules are part of the negotiating agenda; (2) to refrain from submitting for congressional approval agreements that require changes to the current antidumping and countervailing duty laws and enforcement policies of the United States; and (3) to enforce the antidumping and countervailing duty laws vigorously in all pending and future cases.
![Official portrait of Rep. Pitts, Joseph R. [R-PA-16]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000373_200.jpg)