United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2001
Wage Equity Act of 2001 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include among the conditions of approval of an H-2A (visa) temporary agricultural worker petition the requirement that an employer may not be required to pay workers more than the greater of: (1) the prevailing wage for seasonal agricultural workers in the occupation in the area of intended employment; or (2) the greater of Federal or State minimum wage.
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 · 20 June 2001
Conduit Contribution Prevention Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to increase civil money and criminal penalties for knowing and willful violations of the prohibition against making or accepting contributions in the name of another. Sets both civil and criminal fines at not less than 300 percent of the amount involved in the violation and not more than the greater of $50,000 or 1,000 percent of such amount. Mandates imprisonment for two years, or the aforementioned criminal fine, or both, for criminal violations. Limits criminal penalties to violations involving an amount aggregating $1,000 or more during a calendar year. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to promulgate related sentencing guidelines. Changes from discretionary to mandatory the authority of the Federal Election Commission to refer to the Attorney General any instance of probable cause that a violation of such prohibition has occurred. Revises the current ban on contributions by foreign nationals to encompass all disbursements by foreign nationals, including any disbursement to a political committee of a political party and any disbursement for an independent expenditure.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2001
Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2001 - Directs that in determining the meaning of any Act of Congress or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various U.S. administrative bureaus and agencies, the words "person," "human being," "child," and "individual" shall include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive (as defined in this Act) at any stage of development.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2001
Rural Health Care Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for: (1) revision in the Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payment adjustment for rural hospitals equalizing DSH payment amounts; (2) a single, standardized amount under the Medicare inpatient hospital prospective payment system (PPS); (3) treatment of certain physician pathology services; (4) elimination of the 15 percent reduction in payment rates under the Medicare PPS for home health services; (5) a permanent increase in the Medicare payment amount for home health services furnished in a rural area; and (6) exclusion of certain rural health clinic services and federally qualified health center services from the PPS for covered skilled nursing facility services. Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to establish: (1) a capital infrastructure revolving loan program under which the Secretary of Health and Human Services may make described loans to any rural entity for projects for capital improvements from the loan and loan guarantee fund under PHSA; (2) a high technology acquisition grant and loan program under which the Secretary may award grants and make loans to any eligible entity for any costs incurred by the eligible entity in acquiring eligible equipment and services for improving the quality of health care in rural areas; and (3) a program of grants to eligible entities under which the Secretary shall award such grants to public or nonprofit private entities to establish telehealth resource centers for the health care needs of individuals in rural areas. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income for income tax purposes any payments received under the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2001
Permanent Death Tax Repeal Act of 2001 - Amends title IX (Compliance with Congressional Budget Act) of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-16) to repeal the sunset provisions applicable to title V (Estate, Gift, and Generation-Skipping Transfer Taxes) of such Act.
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 · 6 June 2001
Sound Science Methyl Bromide Act - Prohibits the use of Federal funds to implement any regulation requiring a reduction in the production or consumption of methyl bromide unless the Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency have reported to Congress on the effects of methyl bromide on the ozone layer. Provides for review of the report by the National Academy of Sciences. Requires the U.S. Trade Representative to study the use of methyl bromide by other nations and identify those that will prohibit the importation of a U.S. product if it is not used for that product.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2001
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act - Amends the Organic Act to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish and maintain a list of each person that notifies the Secretary that it is a manufacturer or seller that is: (1) licensed to engage in interstate or foreign commerce of a firearm or ammunition product; or (2) is a trade association representing such manufacturers or sellers. Declares that any lawful conduct carried out by a manufacturer or seller in interstate or foreign commerce of a firearm or ammunition product, or lawful conduct carried out by a trade association in the course of representing such manufacturers or sellers, shall not be the basis for imposing a restriction on such commerce (the award of civil damages, equitable relief, or any other specified limitation) as a result of harm caused by the criminal or other unlawful misuse of such firearm or ammunition product by any other person.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2001
Animal Health Protection Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to restrict the importation, entry, or further movement in the United States, or order the destruction or removal, of animals (including livestock) and related conveyances and facilities for reasons of livestock pest or disease control, or humane treatment. Authorizes related activities respecting exportation, interstate movement, cooperative agreements, enforcement and penalties, seizure, and quarantine and disease and pest eradication. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) establish a veterinary accreditation program; and (2) enter into reimbursable fee agreements for preclearance abroad of animals or articles for movement into the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2001
Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Health Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to define: "minor species" as animals other than cattle, horses, swine, chickens, turkeys, dogs, and cats; and (2) "minor use" as use on minor species or on other species for a disease or condition that occurs infrequently or in limited geographic areas. Provides for: (1) designation of new animal drugs for minor use; and (2) three-year approval exclusivity. Provides for establishment of an index of unapproved new animal drugs for minor species, and allows marketing of such drugs that evidence no human food safety concern. Authorizes: (1) designation of new animal drugs for minor use or minor species; and (2) grants or contracts for development (and exclusivity) of designated new animal drugs. Modifies new animal drug approval requirements. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business research tax credit (not applicable to grant or contract funds) for minor use qualified safety and effectiveness testing expenses. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish within the Food and Drug Administration an Office of Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Drug Development.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2001
Spaceport Equality Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide the same treatment for spaceports as is provided for airports under the exempt facility bond rules.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2001
Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide for inflation adjustments to the mandatory jurisdiction thresholds of the National Labor Relations Board.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2001
Instructs the Secretary of Energy to study and report to Congress on areas where Federal regulations may be modified to help alleviate ongoing gasoline price pressures, including the potential for: (1) improvements related to increased costs resulting from the high number of "boutique" fuel formulations produced in the United States; (2) decrease of refining costs through changes in fuel Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) requirements; (3) cost savings through regulatory changes related to the transition from winter to summer fuel mixes; and (4) any other areas that the Secretary believes that regulations could be streamlined or improved to alleviate high fuel prices.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2001
Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2001 - Imposes specified sanctions with respect to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) or the Palestinian Authority if the President determines that such entities have not complied with certain commitments made with Israel. Authorizes the President to waive such sanctions in the U.S. national security interest.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2001
Melissa Froelich Medicaid Congenital Heart Defect Waiver Act of 2001 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, by waiver, to provide that an approved State Medicaid plan may include as medical assistance specified items and services related to the treatment of certain individuals who, at birth, had one or more congenital heart defects which require surgical intervention, if the State provides certain satisfactory assurances to the Secretary, including that the State, under such waiver, will be the secondary payor of the medical assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2001
Exempts an organization from income tax if it is created by a State to provide property and casualty insurance coverage for property for which such coverage is otherwise unavailable.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2001
Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2001 - Prohibits any person or entity, in or affecting interstate commerce, from: (1) performing or attempting to perform human cloning; (2) participating in such an attempt; (3) shipping or receiving the product of human cloning; or (4) importing such a product. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Federal Government should advocate for and join an international effort to prohibit human cloning; and (2) the President should commission a study by the National Bioethics Advisory Commission or a successor group of the arguments for and against the use of cloning to produce human embryos solely for research.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2001
Access to Cancer Therapies Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to extend Medicare coverage to all oral drugs prescribed for use as an anticancer agent for a medically accepted indication.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2001
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) mandate a single national average standardized payment amount for inpatient hospital services furnished, regardless of whether in an urban or non-urban area, under the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for discharges occurring in FY 2002 and thereafter; and (2) establish a minimum factor of .925 as a floor for area wage adjustment factors used under the PPS for inpatient and outpatient hospital services.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2001
Recognizes the importance of youth to the future of the United States. Supports the goals and ideas of American Youth Day. Encourages the people of the United States to participate in local and national activities that seek to fulfill the Five Promises to America's youth, as established by America's Promise--The Alliance for Youth.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2001
Reforestation Tax Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction to a taxpayer who has a qualified timber gain in an amount equal to the qualified percentage of such gain. Decreases the amortization period for reforestation expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2001
Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act of 2001 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to define "high speed data service" as a service capable of transmitting electronic information at a rate generally not less than 384 kilobits per second in at least one direction. Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and each State from regulating the rates, charges, terms or conditions for, or entry into the provision of, any high speed data service or Internet access service, or to regulate the facilities used in the provision of such service. Prohibits the FCC from requiring an incumbent (established) local exchange carrier to: (1) provide unbundled access to any network elements used in the provision of any high speed data service, other than those elements described in FCC regulations; or (2) offer for resale at wholesale rates any high speed data service. Requires each incumbent local exchange carrier to provide: (1) Internet users with the ability to subscribe to and have access to any Internet service provider that interconnects with such carrier's high speed data service; (2) any Internet service provider with the right to acquire necessary facilities and services to facilitate such interconnection; and (3) any Internet service provider with the ability to collocate equipment in order to achieve such interconnection. Includes high speed data service or Internet access service within the definition of "incidental interLATA services" permitted for a Bell operating company.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2001
American Hospital Preservation Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), as amended by Federal law commonly referred to as the (Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP) Benefits Improvement and Protection Act, to: (1) increase (restore the full) market basket update for inpatient prospective payment services hospitals; and (2) maintain the indirect medical education adjustment percentage at 6.5 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2001
Fairness for Florida's Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a second veterans benefits office in Florida. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress a plan for the near- and long-term reduction of the backlog of claims for benefits pending at the Bay Pines, Florida, veterans benefits office.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2001
Native American Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Technical Amendment Act of 2001 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act and Federal law commonly known as the Benefits Improvement and Protection Act to ensure that Indian women with breast or cervical cancer, who are eligible for health services provided under a medical care program of the Indian Health Service or of a tribal organization, are included in the optional Medicaid eligibility category of breast or cervical cancer patients added by the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2001
Sustaining Access to Vital Emergency Medical Services Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, as amended by the Children's Health Act of 2000, to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to provide for improved emergency medical services in rural areas. Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) (including part C (Medicare+Choice) of the Medicare program) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish a prudent layperson standard for emergency ambulance services under Medicare and Medicaid.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2001
Fair Care for the Uninsured Act of 2001- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual a tax credit in an amount equal to the amount paid for qualified health insurance, subject to stated limitations. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments to the provider of an individual's qualified health insurance equal to such individual's qualified health insurance credit advance amount (the Secretary's estimate of the amount of credit allowable) with respect to such provider. Requires each health insurer, health maintenance organization, and health service organization to participate in a health insurance safety net which shall assure the availability of health insurance to uninsurable individuals. Funds such safety nets through assessments against such insurers and organizations. Permits such insurers and organizations to add the costs of such assessments to the costs of its insurance or coverage. Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow health benefits coverage through individual membership associations (IMAs). Sets forth IMA requirements, including that the IMA be an organization operated under the direction of an association and that IMA health benefits coverage only be provided through contracts with health insurance issuers. Requires IMAs to include a minimum of two health insurance coverage options.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to remove the requirement that individual retirement accounts must be distributed not later than a required beginning date.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Motor Vehicle Franchise Contract Arbitration Fairness Act of 2001 - Provides that whenever a motor vehicle franchise contract provides for the use of arbitration to resolve a controversy arising out of or relating to the contract, arbitration may be used to settle the controversy only if both parties consent in writing after such controversy arises. Requires the arbitrator to provide the parties with a written explanation of the factual and legal basis for the award.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2001
Cuban Internal Opposition Assistance Act of 2001 - Instructs the President to: (1) use specified funds to implement assistance for victims of the most extreme political repression and to assist independent nongovernmental opposition organizations inside Cuba; (2) ensure that such funds reach their destination; and (3) authorize issuance of licenses to independent nongovernmental organizations to send monetary remittances to independent nongovernmental opposition organizations to implement specified activities under the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Historic Homeownership Assistance Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for 20 percent (up to a maximum limit of $40,000 for a joint return) of the qualified rehabilitation expenditures made by a taxpayer with respect to the certified rehabilitation of a qualified historic home which has been substantially rehabilitated and which is owned by the taxpayer and used as his or her principal residence. Allows the credit for such expenditures to be taken by a purchaser of the rehabilitated home. Permits, in lieu of the credit, a historic rehabilitation mortgage credit certificate, which may be transferred to a lender in exchange for a reduction in the rate of interest on the loan secured by the building.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise title I as Improving the Academic Performance of the Disadvantaged (currently Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards). Revises title I part A with respect to: (1) yearly testing and assessments of student performance; (2) Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards; (3) identification of schools for improvement and corrective actions; (4) supplemental education services, or public (or private) school choice options under certain conditions, if a school fails repeatedly; (5) reporting to parents and the public on school performance and teacher quality; (6) State reservation of funds for school improvement; (7) formulas relating to Basic, Concentration, Targeted, and Education Finance Incentive Grants; and (8) eligibility requirements for schoolwide programs. Revises and reauthorizes title I provisions for: (1) the William F. Goodling Even Start Family Literacy Program; (2) Education of Migratory Children; (3) Neglected or Delinquent Youth; and (4) Federal evaluations and demonstrations. Establishes title I programs for: (1) Reading First and Early Reading First initiatives; and (2) Comprehensive School Reform. Rural Education Initiative Act - Revises, reauthorizes, and transfers to title I part G Rural Education Flexibility and Assistance, ESEA provisions for a Rural Education Initiative, with State formula grants for: (1) flexibility for small rural schools; and (2) assistance for low-income and rural schools. Revises ESEA title II as Preparing, Training, and Recruiting Quality Teachers to: (1) replace the current Eisenhower Professional Development and Class-Size Reduction programs; and (2) establish a teacher quality training and recruiting fund as a State formula grant program, with subgrants to LEAs, to support various similar and additional activities to improve elementary and secondary school teaching. Establishes a Mathematics and Science Partnerships subgrants program involving SEAs, higher education mathematics or science departments, and LEAs. Includes among authorized national teacher activities, administered by the Secretary, support for: (1) the Troops-to-Teachers program recruiting military retirees into teaching; and (2) innovative preretirement teacher certification programs for members of the Armed Forces. Eliminates an authorization for the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Math and Science Education. Sets forth title II part B, Teacher Liability Protection, to provisions to exempt teachers, administrators, and school board members from certain liability for actions taken in official capacity to maintain school discipline. Revises ESEA title III as Education of Limited English Proficient Children; Indian and Alaska Native Education (consolidating current title VII and title IX parts A and C). (Current title III Technology for Education programs are eliminated, but some similar activities are consolidated under the new title V part B.) English Language Proficiency and Academic Achievement Act - Sets forth a title III part A, Education of Limited English Proficient Children. Replaces the Bilingual Education Act programs, Foreign Language Assistance Program, and Emergency Immigrant Education Program with this program of formula grants to States for education of limited English proficient (LEP) children. Requires students who have been in U.S. schools for at least three years to be tested for reading in English. Sets forth certain language program exceptions for programs that serve Native American and Native Pacific Island children and children in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to rename the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs as the Office of Educational Services for Limited English Proficient Children. Reauthorizes and revises ESEA provisions for Indian and Alaska Native Education (currently under ESEA title IX parts A and C, but eliminates current title IX part B provisions for education of Native Hawaiians), under the new title III part B. Alaska Native Educational Equity Support and Assistance Act - Revises the Alaska Native Educational Equity Support and Assistance Act (currently under ESEA title IX part C). Amends the Education Amendments of 1978 to revise provisions for Bureau of Indian Affairs programs. Revises ESEA title IV as Promoting Informed Parental Choice and Innovative Programs. (Transfers parts of the current title IV to title V.) Revises and reauthorizes: (1) part A Innovative Programs (currently under title VI Innovative Education Program Strategies); (2) part B Public Charter Schools (currently under title X part C); and (3) part D Magnet Schools Assistance (currently under title V part A). Allows Innovative Program funds to be used for public (or private) school choice, under certain conditions, for disadvantaged students in failing schools. Establishes a part C Educational Opportunity Fund for competitive awards to eligible entities for school choice research and demonstration projects concerning the effectiveness of school choice programs in improving the academic performance of low-income students. Revises ESEA title V as Safe Schools for the 21st Century. (Eliminates current title V parts B and C provisions for Women's Educational Equity and for Assistance to Address School Dropout Problems.) Safe Schools for the 21st Century Act of 2001- Revises and reauthorizes title V part A, Supporting Drug and Violence Prevention and Education for Students and Communities (currently under title IV, Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities). Revises: (1) school safety programs; (2) national activities; and (3) gun-free school requirements (currently under title IX part F of ESEA, also known as the Gun-Free Schools Act). Requires drug and violence prevention programs to be consistent with certain principles of effectiveness. Requires States to establish policies providing public school choice (and private school choice if a safe public school cannot accommodate them) to students who attend persistently dangerous schools or who are victims of violent crimes in school or on school grounds. Allows States to carry out programs through grants and contracts with charitable, religious, and other private organizations, in addition to LEAs. Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2001 - Sets forth title V part B, Enhancing Education Through Technology which revises and reauthorizes some programs currently under title III Education for Technology and title X part I 21st Century Community Learning Centers. Consolidates such program activities for telecommunications and technology access into a formula grant program for State and local technology for success programs, and authorizes certain national technology initiatives. Sets forth title V part C Character Education programs (revises and expands a pilot project currently under title X part A). Revises and reauthorizes the Impact Aid Program as ESEA title VI (currently title VIII). Revises ESEA title VII as Flexibility and Accountability. Sets forth part A, State Accountability for Improving Academic Achievement. Authorizes various education performance awards for States and schools. Penalizes States that fail to achieve progress in certain educational assessments by reducing administrative funds under ESEA formula grant programs. Directs the Secretary to make: (1) awards to States for costs of developing certain additional required assessments and standards, administration of assessments and other accountability activities; and (2) bonus payments for development of such assessments ahead of deadline. Academic Achievement for All Act (Straight A's Act) - Sets forth ESEA title VII part B, Performance Agreements. Allows States a certain type of flexibility in consolidating and using specified formula program funds for State education priorities and programs, in exchange for being held accountable for meeting, in a five-year period, certain performance goals which they propose. State and Local Transferability Act - Sets forth ESEA title VII part C, Transferability of Funds. Authorizes State and LEA transfers of funds: (1) among specified ESEA formula grant programs; and (2) from such programs to their allocations for ESEA title I but does not allow transfer of title I funds to other programs. Revises as ESEA title VIII General Provisions (current title IX), including flexibility in the use of administrative and other funds, coordination of programs, consolidated plans and applications, waivers, uniform provisions, and evaluations. Sets forth the sense of the Congress regarding: (1) paperwork reduction; and (2) memorials. Prohibits: (1) use of Federal funds or sanctions for mandatory national certification of teachers and paraprofessionals; and (2) use of ESEA funds for federally-sponsored national testing, unless specifically authorized by law. Redesignates as ESEA title VIII parts H, I, J, and K, current ESEA title XIII provisions for: (1) Comprehensive Regional Assistance Centers; (2) National Diffusion Network; (3) Eisenhower Regional Mathematics and Science Education Consortia; and (4) Technology-Based Technical Assistance. Amends the National Education Statistics Act of 1994 with respect to State assessments. McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to revise and reauthorize provisions for education for homeless children and youth. Repeals provisions under the Goals 2000: Educate America Act for: (1) the National Education Goals Panel and the National Education Standards and Improvement Council; and (2) an International Education Program. Repeals the Troops-to-Teachers Program Act of 1999. Repeals the following ESEA provisions: (1) part B of title IX, education of Native Hawaiians; (2) title X, Programs of National Significance, including the Fund for the Improvement of Education and programs for gifted and talented children, arts in education, inexpensive book distribution, civic education, Ellender fellowships, urban and rural education assistance, and the national writing project; (3) title XI, Coordinated Services; and (4) title XII, School Facilities Infrastructure Improvement, a program of grants for school construction and renovation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2001
Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to increase benefits to railroad employees and their beneficiaries and to revise financing of the pension part (tier II) of the railroad retirement system. Establishes a Railroad Retirement Trust Fund and a Railroad Retirement Investment Trust to manage and invest Fund assets. Abolishes the Railroad Retirement Supplemental Annuity Account and provides for transfer of its funds to the Fund. Provides for transfer to the Fund of certain portions of the Railroad Retirement Account and of Social Security Equivalent Benefit account funds. Transfers to the disbursing agent from the Dual Benefits Payments Account the amount necessary to make dual benefit payments. Requires the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) to calculate the ratio of assets to benefits to determine annual tier II tax rates for employers, employee representatives, and employees. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt the Fund from taxation. Repeals a supplemental annuity tax that railroad employers pay to finance a benefit for long-time rail employees. Provides for adjustments to railroad employers, employee representatives, and employee tier II tax rates.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2001
National Right-to-Work Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Marriage Tax Elimination Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to provide that the basic standard deduction on a joint return shall be equal to 200 percent of the dollar amount of an individual who is not married. Provides a schedule for making, by 2005, the maximum taxable income in the lowest married bracket equal to double the maximum taxable income in the lowest single filer bracket. Increases the earned income credit phaseout amount on a joint return by $2,000. Revises IRC provisions relating to limitation based on tax liability and the definition of such liability to provide that the aggregate amount of credits allowed as nonrefundable personal credits shall not exceed the sum of: (1) the taxpayer's regular tax liability for the taxable year reduced by the foreign tax credit; and (2) the tax imposed by the alternative minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase by $50,000 the amount of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) payable to a member of the armed forces who died in the performance of duty between November 1, 2000, and March 31, 2001, and who was insured under SGLI for the maximum available amount.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify qualified leasehold improvement property (defined as certain improvements made to an interior portion of nonresidential real property) as ten-year property for depreciation purposes under the Accelerated Cost Recovery System.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Conduit Contribution Prevention Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to increase civil money and criminal penalties for knowing and willful violations of the prohibition against making or accepting contributions in the name of another. Sets both civil and criminal fines at not less than 300 percent of the amount involved in the violation and not more than the greater of $50,000 or 1,000 percent of such amount. Mandates a criminal fine or two years' imprisonment, or both. Limits criminal penalties to violations involving an amount aggregating $1,000 or more during a calendar year. Changes from discretionary to mandatory the authority of the Federal Election Commission to refer to the Attorney General any instance of probable cause that a violation of such prohibition has occurred. Revises the current ban on contributions by foreign nationals to encompass all disbursements by foreign nationals, including any disbursement to a political committee of a political party and any disbursement for an independent expenditure.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Comprehensive Retirement Security and Pension Reform Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) with respect to pensions. (All the following are amendments to the Code, except where the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, ERISA, is mentioned.) Increases: (1) annual dollar Individual Retirement Account (IRA) contribution limits; and (2) benefit and contribution limits, with indexes for inflation. Revises requirements relating to: (1) plan loans for subchapter S owners, partners, and sole proprietors; and (2) specified top-heavy rules. Provides that elective deferrals shall not be taken into account for purposes of limits on certain plan contributions. Repeals specified coordination requirements for deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations. Revises certain deduction limits for stock bonus and profit sharing trusts and for defined contribution plans. Provides for optional treatment of elective deferrals as after-tax contributions. Allows individuals age 50 or older to make additional contributions to an applicable employer plan (section 401(k) or similar plan). Sets forth requirements relating to equitable treatment for contributions of employees to defined contribution plans. Provides for faster vesting of certain employer matching contributions under the Code and ERISA. Revises: (1) minimum distribution rules; (2) requirements relating to tax treatment of division of section 457 plan benefits upon divorce; and (3) provisions for safe harbor relief for hardship withdrawals from 401(k) plans. Permits, under certain conditions, rollovers: (1) from and to various types of plans; (2) of IRAs into workplace retirement plans; and (3) of after-tax contributions in an exempt trust. Sets forth a hardship exception to the 60-day rule. Sets forth requirements for treatment of forms of distribution available under transferor and transferee plans under the Code and ERISA. Revises restrictions on distributions, including the same desk exception. Allows trustee-to-trustee transfers to purchase permissive service credit with respect to governmental defined benefit plans. Allows employers to disregard rollovers for purposes of cash-out amounts, under retirement plan provisions of the Code. Revises minimum distribution and inclusion requirements for section 457 plans. Repeals, for plan years beginning in 2004 and following years, the current liability full funding limit under the Code and ERISA. Revises maximum contribution deduction rules, and applies them to all defined benefit plans. Allows an employer, in determining the amount of nondeductible contributions for any taxable year, to elect not to take into account any contributions to a defined benefit plan except to the extent they exceed the full-funding limitation. Establishes an excise tax for the failure of a defined benefit plan or an individual account plan (except governmental, church, and other specified plans) subject to minimum funding standards to meet specified notice requirements, under the Code and ERISA, for plan amendments which significantly reduce benefit accruals. Makes certain compensation limitations for defined benefit plans inapplicable to governmental and multiemployer plans. Prohibits combining or aggregating a multiemployer plan with any other plan maintained by the employer for the purpose of applying such limitations. Amends the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 to protect the investment of employee contributions to 401(k) plans by providing that specified requirements apply to elective deferrals for plan years beginning after December 31, 1998. Requires that pension benefit statements be furnished annually (once every three years for defined benefit plans) or on request. Establishes an excise tax for certain prohibited allocations of stock in an S corporation ESOP. Revises Code and ERISA requirements relating to timing of plan valuations. Allows applicable dividends of ESOPs to be reinvested without loss of dividend deduction. Repeals a transition rule relating to certain highly compensated employees under the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Directs the Secretary to modify specified regulations with respect to certain plan participation by employees of tax-exempt entities. Treats the provision of certain retirement planning services by an employer for an employee as a de minimis fringe benefit to the extent it is not treated as a working condition fringe. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide simplified annual filing requirements for retirement plans with assets below a specified amount, if they cover: (1) one participant (an owner and spouse); or (2) fewer than 25 employees. Directs the Secretary to continue to update and improve the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System, or any successor program. Repeals a multiple use test. Allows certain alternative ways of satisfying nondiscrimination, coverage, and line of business rules. Exempts plans maintained by any governmental entity from certain nondiscrimination rules. Directs the Secretary to modify specified regulations relating to the notice and consent period regarding distributions. Revises ERISA provisions relating to: (1) annual report dissemination; (2) the National Summit on Retirement Savings; (3) missing participants; (4) Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) reduction of premiums for new plans of small employers and of additional premiums for new and small plans; (5) PBGC authority to pay interest on premium overpayment refunds; (6) substantial owner benefits in terminated plans; (7) civil penalties for breach of fiduciary responsibility; and (8) benefit suspension notices. Prescribes time requirements for plan amendments or annuity contract amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Death Tax Elimination Act - Repeals the estate tax, gift tax, and the tax on generation-skipping transfers, effective January 1, 2011. Provides for annual reductions of the tax until such date. Increases the unified estate and gift tax credit to $1.3 million. Repeals the estate and gift tax provisions applicable to family-owned businesses. Amends provisions concerning the special rules for allocation of the generation-skipping tax (GST) exemption to provide, as a general rule, that: (1) if any individual makes an indirect skip during such individual's lifetime, any unused portion of such individual's GST exemption shall be allocated to the property transferred to the extent necessary to make the inclusion ratio for such property zero; and (2) if the amount of the indirect skip exceeds such unused portion, the entire unused portion shall be allocated to the property transferred. Declares that, if a trust is severed in a qualified severance, the trusts resulting from such severance shall be treated as separate trusts thereafter. Revises valuation rules for gifts for which a gift tax return was filed or deemed allocation made. Provides that, if an allocation of the GST exemption to any transfers of property is deemed to have been made at the close of an estate tax inclusion period, the value of the property shall be its value at such time. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe circumstances and procedures under which extensions of time will be granted to make an allocation of GST exemption or an election not to apply specified allocation requirements to certain lifetime direct skips, indirect skips, or transfers to a particular trust. Increases the permissible number of partners or shareholders in a closely held business for purposes of eligibility for an extension of estate tax payments.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Resolution to Expand Access to Community Health Centers (REACH) Initiative - Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that appropriations for consolidated health centers under the Public Health Service Act should be increased by 100 percent over the next five fiscal years in order to double the number of individuals who receive health care services at community, migrant, homeless, and public housing health centers.
![Official portrait of Rep. Putnam, Adam H. [R-FL-12]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000586_200.jpg)