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United States · Official source
2,613 records where Rep. Reyes, Silvestre [D-TX-16] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce from $18 to $9 (its pre-1991 level) the per-barrel tax on beer.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2001
Authorizes the printing as a House document of an updated version of House Document 103-299 (as revised by the Library of Congress) entitled "Hispanic Americans in Congress."
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2001
Global Health Act of 2001 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to mandate that activities supported in connection with health programs include activities to improve the capacity of developing nations to conduct disease surveillance and prevention programs, and to respond promptly and effectively to disease outbreaks. Authorizes additional appropriations for FY 2002 and for each subsequent fiscal year for specified allocations, including the health and nutrition of children and pregnant women and mothers, voluntary family planning, and the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President, acting through the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, should coordinate with specified Federal departments and agencies to ensure that U.S. funds available for population planning and health programs in developing nations are used effectively.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2001
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) there should be a legal public holiday honoring Cesar E. Chavez; and (2) public elementary and secondary schools across the nation should be required to designate a day to remember Chavez's life and work.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Arsenic Reduction in Drinking Water Act - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the maximum contaminant level for arsenic in drinking water to be: (1) ten parts per billion effective October 1, 2003; and (2) three parts per billion effective October 1, 2006. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to make grants to public water systems serving fewer than 10,000 people to assist such systems in meeting the drinking water standards for arsenic.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2001
Clean Smokestacks Act of 2001 - Amends the Clean Air Act (CAA) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations to achieve specified reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, and mercury from powerplants (electric generation facilities with a nameplate capacity of 15 megawatts or more that use a combustion device to generate electricity for sale) by January 1, 2007. Requires powerplants, on the later of the date 30 years after the powerplant commenced operation or five years after this Act's enactment, to comply with the most recent new source performance standards under CAA provisions regarding air quality and emissions limitations and with specified requirements for modified sources.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Justice for United States Prisoners of War Act of 2001 - Requires any Federal court in which an action is brought against a Japanese national by a member of the U.S. armed forces seeking compensation for mistreatment or failure to pay wages in connection with labor performed in Japan for such national as a prisoner of war during World War II to: (1) apply the applicable statute of limitations of the State in which the action is pending; and (2) not construe a specified provision of the Treaty of Peace With Japan as a waiver by the United States of such claims. States that it is U.S. policy to ensure that any war claims settlement terms between Japan and any other country that are more beneficial than terms extended to the United States under the above Treaty are extended to the United States with respect to claims under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to secure information relating to chemical or biological tests conducted by Japan on members of the U.S. armed forces held as prisoners of war during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
21st Century Higher Education Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 196 (HEA) to revise and to extend and increase the authorization of appropriations of HEA programs, including: (1) Pell Grants; (2) Federal Trio Programs; (3) Gear Up; (4) Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants; (5) College Work-Study; and (6) Strengthening and Developing Institutions. Establishes new HEA programs, including: (1) Byrd Honors Teacher Scholarships; (2) Dual Degree Achievement; (3) Community College Opportunity; (4) College Preparation; (5) Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans; (6) Collaborative Centers of Excellence in Teacher Preparation; and (7) a demonstration program in recruiting and preparing teachers. Tribal College or University Teacher Loan Forgiveness Act - Establishes a new HEA program of specified Federal student loan repayment or cancellation for individuals who teach for up to five years in Tribal Colleges or Universities. Access to High Standards Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to establish Advanced Placement (AP) programs of assistance grants to increase the access of low-income students to AP high school courses and AP tests to earn advanced placement and credits at institutions of higher education. Dropout Prevention Act - Establishes a new ESEA assistance grant program to address school dropout problems, including a coordinated national strategy and a national school dropout prevention initiative. NTIA Digital Network Technology Program Act - Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Organization Act to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish within NTIA's Technology Opportunities Program a digital network technologies program to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible institutions to provide educational instruction in digital network technologies. Amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to eligible Historically Black Colleges and Universities, to make at least 15 annual grants for buildings or structures listed on, or eligible for listing on, the National Register of Historic Places, if the grantee agrees to provide funds derived from non-Federal sources in an amount equal to 25 percent of the grant.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to extend the petition filing deadline for certain alien spouses and children seeking to adjust to permanent resident status.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Community Development Block Grant Renewal Act - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1972 to increase the amount of community development assistance targeted to low- and moderate-income families, including job creation and area and economic development activities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Comprehensive Tuberculosis Elimination Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for the ongoing operation of a committee to be known as the Committee on Interagency Collaboration for Tuberculosis Elimination. Requires the Committee to: (1) provide advice on coordinating the activities of the Public Health Service and other Federal agencies that relate to such disease and on efficiently utilizing Federal resources; (2) make recommendations on the development and implementation of a national plan; and (3) make recommendations for the development and implementation of a plan to guide the involvement of the United States in global tuberculosis-control activities. Revises provisions concerning preventive health services regarding tuberculosis by: (1) renaming such provisions national program for tuberculosis elimination; (2) revising the authorities of the Secretary of Health and Human Services under such provisions; and (3) authorizing appropriations through FY 2006. Revises provisions concerning tuberculosis with respect to the activities of the: (1) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; (2) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and (3) the John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Amends the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama Coushatta Indian Tribes of Texas Restoration Act to decrease the requisite blood quantum required for a descendant's membership in the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo tribe.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Defense Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2001 - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for the Department of Defense for FY 2001 for: (1) active and reserve military personnel; (2) operation and maintenance; (3) procurement; (4) shipbuilding and conversion; (5) the Defense Health Program; and (6) military family housing. Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for the Department of Transportation for operating expenses of the Coast Guard. Designates each amount appropriated as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Stop Tuberculosis (TB) Now Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to declare that a major objective of the U.S. foreign assistance program is to control tuberculosis (TB) and that consequently Congress expects the agency primarily responsible for the administration of TB control health programs to: (1) coordinate with the World Health Organization and other designated health organizations toward the development and implementation of a comprehensive TB control program, including expanding the use of the strategy of directly observed treatment, short course (DOTS) and strategies to address multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) where appropriate at the local level, particularly in countries with the highest TB rate; and (2) set as a goal the cure of at least 85 percent of TB cases detected by focusing efforts on the use of DOTS strategy or other internationally accepted primary TB control strategies in those countries in which the agency has established development programs, and the reduction of TB -related deaths by 50 percent, by December 31, 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act of 2001 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to outline requirements for equal protection of voting rights in Federal elections and voting rights in State and local elections. Establishes a grant program to provide equal protection of voting rights with regard to States and localities. Creates the Commission on Voting Rights and Procedures to study and report to the President and Congress on specified issues with respect to elections for Federal, State, and local office, including alternative voting methods, ballot designs, ballot uniformity, and absentee voting, in order to develop specific recommendations of best practices in voting and election administration.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2001
Constitutional Amendment - States that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
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 · 21 March 2001
Pacific Salmon Recovery Act - Requires the Secretary of Commerce, subject to appropriations, to provide financial assistance for salmon conservation and habitat restoration activities to: (1) Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California, and Idaho (qualified States); and (2) tribal governments in such States and Alaska Native villages or regional or village corporations that are involved in salmon management and recovery or conservation activities and have the organizational capability to maximize the benefits of assistance provided under this Act (qualified tribal governments). Allocates 85 percent of assistance per fiscal year equally among such States and 15 percent among qualified tribal governments. Requires qualified States, to receive assistance under this Act, to submit a Salmon Conservation and Salmon Habitat Restoration Plan to the Secretary. Directs qualified tribal governments, to receive such assistance, to enter into memoranda of understanding with the Secretary regarding use of the assistance. Requires funds allocated to qualified States to be used for local and regional projects. Permits the use of assistance outside the jurisdiction of the recipient if the assisted activity will provide conservation benefits to naturally produced salmon in streams of concern to the recipient. Requires States to match, in the aggregate, financial assistance provided under this Act. Directs States seeking assistance under this Act to establish citizens advisory committees or other similar fora for the public to participate in obtaining and using assistance under this Act. Requires qualified tribal governments to hold public meetings to receive recommendations on the use of such assistance. Includes: (1) Lahontan cutthroat trout and bull trout within the definition of "salmon" for purposes of applying this Act in Oregon; and (2) bull trout within such definition for purposes of applying this Act in Washington and Idaho. Amends the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 to extend the authorization of appropriations for capitalizing the Northern and Southern Funds under the 1999 Pacific Salmon Treaty Agreement through FY 2004. Directs the President, for U.S. citizens who served as employees of the International Pacific Salmon and North Pacific Fisheries Commissions who worked in Canada during the course of such employment, to: (1) calculate the difference in amount between the valuation of the Commissions' annuity for each employee's payment in U.S. and Canadian currency for past and future annuity payments; and (2) compensate such employees for past and future benefits resulting from the exchange rate inequity.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2001
Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to grant States the option of covering certain categories of eligible women and child resident aliens under the Medicaid and SCHIP programs.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2001
Provides that the remarriage of the surviving spouse of a veteran after age 55 shall not bar the payment of veterans' dependency and indemnity compensation to which such spouse was previously entitled.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2001
Honors and recognizes the achievements and contributions of Venus and Serena Williams (professional tennis players).
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2001
Urges all Contracting States to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction to adopt a resolution recommending that: (1) the Permanent Bureau of The Hague produce and promote practice guides to assist in the implementation and operation of the Convention; and (2) such a proposal to produce practice guides be adopted by the Fourth Special Commission at The Hague in March 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2001
Assistant United States Attorneys Retirement Benefit Equity Act of 2001 - Makes applicable to Assistant United States Attorneys the provisions of the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System that apply to Federal law enforcement officers. Directs the Department of Justice to provide notice to incumbent Assistant U.S. Attorneys as to their election rights under this Act and the effects of making or not making a timely election under this Act. Allows such incumbents to elect the option to be treated either: (1) in accordance with the amendments made by this Act; or (2) as if this Act had never been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
America's Better Classroom Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a limited credit for qualified public school modernization bonds (qualified school construction bonds and qualified zone academy bonds). Amends the General Education Provisions Act to provide for the application of certain labor standards to projects financed under this Act. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish provisions concerning employment and training activities related to the construction or reconstruction of public school facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2001
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to: (1) restrict the application of the windfall elimination provision to individuals whose combined monthly income from the individual's primary insurance amount under such title and the portion of the monthly periodic payment attributable to noncovered service performed after 1956 exceeds $2,000; and (2) provide for a graduated implementation of such provision by specified percentages with respect to incremental amounts above such threshold, up to 100 percent for combined amounts over $3,000.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2001
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a grants program to help States and local educational agencies recruit, train, and hire 100,000 additional teachers over a seven-year period in order to: (1) reduce class sizes nationally, in grades one through three, to an average of 18 students per classroom; and (2) improve teaching in the early grades so that all students can learn to read independently and well by the end of the third grade.
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
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Congress should enact election administration reforms that may be implemented before the regularly scheduled Federal general elections in 2002; (2) the reforms enacted should be thorough, have clear and reasonable goals, and demonstrate the Federal Government's commitment to ensure that elections will be administered fairly and effectively; and (3) Congress should assist the States in implementing any new standards proposed or established as part of the reforms.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
James Guelff Body Armor Act of 2001 - Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to review and amend the Federal sentencing guidelines and policy statements to provide an appropriate enhancement for any crime of violence or drug trafficking crime in which the defendant used body armor. Expresses the sense of Congress that any such sentencing enhancement be at least two levels. Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit the purchase, ownership, or possession of body armor by violent felons. Makes it an affirmative defense that: (1) the defendant obtained prior written certification from his or her employer that the defendant's purchase, use, or possession of body armor was necessary for the safe performance of lawful business activity; and (2) the use and possession by the defendant were limited to the course of such performance. Sets penalties for violations. Authorizes the head of a Federal agency to donate body armor that is surplus property and in serviceable condition, and that meets or exceeds National Institute of Justice Standard 0101.03, directly to any State or local law enforcement agency. Allows specified officials in the Treasury and Justice Departments to act as the head of a Federal agency. Specifies that the United States shall not be liable for any harm occurring in connection with the use or misuse of any body armor donated under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Constitutional Amendment - Grants Congress power to prohibit the physical desecration of the U.S. flag.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) all Americans should take an active role in combating reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) by recognizing specified symptoms (which often follow an injury or surgery); (2) national and community organizations should be recognized and applauded for their work in promoting RSD awareness and for providing information and support to its sufferers; (3) health care providers should continue to increase their efforts to diagnose the disease in its earliest possible stages to increase the likelihood of remission; and (4) the Government has a responsibility to endeavor to raise awareness about the importance of the early detection and proper treatment of RSD, work to increase research funding so that the causes of, and improved treatment and cure for, RSD may be discovered, and continue to consider ways to improve access to, and the quality of, health care services for detecting and treating RSD.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
Heather French Henry Homeless Veterans Assistance Act - Encourages all Federal, State, and local departments and agencies and other entities and individuals to work toward the national goal of ending homelessness among veterans within a decade. Establishes within the Department of Veterans Affairs the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) support the continuation within the Department of at least one center to monitor the structure, process, and outcome of Department programs addressing homeless veterans; and (2) assign veterans receiving specified services provided in, or sponsored or coordinated by, the Department as being within the "complex care" category. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants to Department health care facilities and to grant and per diem providers for the development of programs targeted at meeting certain special needs of homeless veterans; (2) require certain officials to initiate a plan for joint outreach to veterans at risk of homelessness; (3) carry out two treatment trials in integrated mental health services delivery; (4) ensure that each Department primary care facility has a mental health treatment capacity; (5) carry out a program of transitional assistance grants to eligible homeless veterans; and (6) make technical assistance grants to aid nonprofit community-based groups in applying for homeless program grants. Extends through FY 2006 the homeless veterans reintegration program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
Grants a Federal charter to the Korean War Veterans Association, Incorporated (a nonprofit corporation incorporated under the laws of New York).
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
Housing Bond and Credit Modernization and Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the required use of certain principal repayments on mortgage subsidy bond financings to redeem bonds; (2) modify the purchase price limitation under mortgage subsidy bond rules based on median family income; and (3) define the term "area median gross income" for low-income housing credit projects.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
Reservists Tax Relief Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the deduction, as a trade or business expense, of certain expenses of members of a reserve component of the U.S. armed forces incurred in connection with such service.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
Innocence Protection Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal judicial code to authorize a person convicted of a Federal crime to apply to the appropriate Federal court for DNA testing to support a claim that the person did not commit: (1) the Federal crime of which the person was convicted; or (2) any other offense that a sentencing authority may have relied upon when it sentenced the person with respect to such crime. Sets forth: (1) guidelines for the court to use in ordering DNA testing; (2) post-testing procedures; (3) provisions regarding preservation of evidence; (4) criminal penalties for destroying or altering DNA evidence; and (5) provisions regarding post-conviction DNA testing in State criminal justice systems. Prohibits a State from denying an application for DNA testing made by a prisoner in State custody who is under sentence of death if specified conditions apply. Provides grants to prosecutors for DNA testing programs. Establishes the National Commission on Capital Representation. Withholds funds from States not complying with standards for capital representation. Provides for capital defense incentive grants and resource grants. Increases compensation in Federal cases, and sets forth provisions regarding compensation in State cases, where an individual is unjustly sentenced to death. Adds a certification requirement in Federal death penalty prosecutions. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the execution of juvenile offenders and the mentally retarded.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
Federal Living Wage Responsibility Act - Requires the Federal government and any employer under a Federal contract or subcontract exceeding $10,000 to pay each of their respective workers: (1) an hourly wage (or salary equivalent) necessary for such employee to earn, while working 40 hours a week on a full-time basis, the amount of the Federal poverty level for a family of four; and (2) an additional amount, based on the locality in which a worker resides, sufficient to cover the costs to such worker to obtain any fringe benefits not provided by the worker's employer. Exempts employers that are: (1) small business concerns; or (2) nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations, if the ratio of the total compensation of the chief executive officer to that of the full-time equivalent of their lowest-paid employee is not greater than 25 to 1. Directs the Secretary of Labor to enforce this Act. Makes Federal contractors that are part of a pattern or practice of violations of such wage requirements subject to Federal contract suspension, a five-year ineligibility period, and liability for Government costs of obtaining a replacement contractor. Provides for judicial review of the Secretary's determinations, and authorizes the President to suspend the provisions of this Act in times of emergency. Allows an aggrieved worker to bring a civil action against an employer for appropriate relief for a violation of this Act, if the employer has not paid or reinstated the worker as a result of the administrative action.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a congressional gold medal to John Walsh in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to the Nation through his work in the fields of law enforcement and victims' rights.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
Pays tribute, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to the U.S. citizens who died in the attack, and to the members of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2001
Includes diabetes mellitus (type 2) among the diseases presumed to be service-connected, and therefore compensable under veterans' disability compensation, for veterans exposed to certain herbicide agents in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2001
Chiropractic Patients' Freedom of Choice Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare reimbursement for all physicians' services furnished by doctors of chiropractic within the scope of their license.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2001
Medicare Education and Regulatory Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) concerning: (1) prospective application only of certain regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS); and (2) certain requirements for judicial and regulatory challenges of regulations. Requires the Secretary, with respect to Medicare audits, except when clear and convincing evidence exists of fraud or similar fault, to give a physician, provider of services, or provider of ambulance services (physicians or providers) the option of entering into: (1) an arrangement to offset alleged overpayments against future payments; or (2) a repayment plan with its carrier or fiscal intermediary to recoup such an overpayment. Prohibits the Secretary from taking any action to recoup an overpayment or to impose a penalty during the period in which a physician or provider is appealing a determination that such an overpayment has been made or the amount of the overpayment. Prohibits carriers, absent cause, from demanding the production of records or documentation before paying a Medicare claim. Amends SSA title XI with respect to prohibited extensions of remuneration to a Medicare-eligible individual to influence a choice of provider, practitioner, or supplier. Excludes from the meaning of remuneration any waiver of copayment made in a written, mailed communication with existing patients. Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to: (1) construction of hearing rights related to decisions to deny or not renew a physician enrollment agreement; (2) the post-payment audit process; (3) definitions relating to physicians or providers; and (4) the right to appeal on behalf of deceased beneficiaries. Amends SSA title XVIII to require carriers, fiscal intermediaries, and contractors to conduct education programs (funded from the Medicare Integrity Program) for physicians and providers on billing, coding, cost reporting, and documentation regulations and procedures. Outlines provisions with regard to certain information requests from physicians and providers. Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the inclusion of regulatory costs in the calculation of the sustainable growth rate with respect to the costs of physicians' services. Prohibits the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) from implementing any new evaluation and management documentation guidelines under Medicare, unless it: (1) has provided for an assessment of the proposed guidelines by organizations representing physicians; (2) has established a plan that contains specific goals, including a schedule, for improving use of such guidelines; (3) has completed a minimum of four pilot projects to test such guidelines; and (4) finds that specified objectives will be met in the implementation of such guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2001
Social Security Notch Act of 2001 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act with respect to the benefit computation formula for individuals who reached age 65 in or after 1982 and to whom applies the period of transition to the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977. Sets forth a schedule of additional benefit increases for such beneficiaries (and related beneficiaries), with percentages declining from 70 percent to 35 percent keyed to the year an individual became eligible for such benefits between 1979 and 1983.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Steel Revitalization Act of 2001 - Directs the President to impose quotas, tariff surcharges, or other measures on, and to negotiate enforceable voluntary export restraint agreements with respect to, imports of steel products in order to ensure that: (1) the tonnage of iron ore, coke and coke products, semifinished steel, and pig iron imported into the United States during any month does not exceed the average tonnage of each product that was imported monthly into the United States during the 36-month period preceding July 1997; and (2) the share of domestic consumption of any other applicable steel product in the United States derived from imports during any month does not exceed the average monthly share of domestic U.S. consumption of that steel product during any month in the 36-month period preceding July 1997. Authorizes the Customs Service to refuse entry into the U.S. customs territory for a five-year period of any steel products that exceed their allowable levels. Establishes: (1) the Steel Retiree Health Care Board in the Department of Labor; (2) the Steelworker Retiree Health Care Trust Fund; and (3) the Health Care Benefit Costs Assistance Program. Sets forth the functions of the Board, including to: (1) provide, under the Health Care Benefit Costs Assistance Program, for payments to designated steelworker group health plans to assist in the funding of qualified retiree health benefits under such plans; and (2) establish policies for the investment and management of the Steelworker Retiree Health Care Trust Fund that provides for prudent investments and low administrative costs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on steel sold by the manufacturer, producer, or importer (such taxes to be deposited into the Steelworker Retiree Health Care Trust Fund). Amends the Emergency Steel Loan Guarantee Act of 1999 to increase the aggregate amount of loans guaranteed and outstanding (including additional costs of such loans) at any one time under Emergency Steel Guarantee Loan Program or with respect to a single qualified steel company. Requires the Loan Guarantee Board to approve or deny an application for a guarantee within 45 days after its receipt. Authorizes any person who acquires another person that produces any of the specified categories of steel products contained in this Act to apply to the Secretary of Commerce for a grant to defray the costs necessary to bring, and maintain, the resulting entity into compliance with U.S. environmental laws. Requires the Secretary to make a determination whether or not such mergers will promote the retention of at least 80 percent of the jobs of the steel workers and production of capacity of such steel products. Sets forth penalties for failure to achieve such retention levels.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Veterans' Hospital Emergency Repair Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out major medical facility projects at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers for improving, renovating, and updating patient care facilities. Requires the Secretary to use FY 2002 or 2003 appropriated funds for such purpose. Limits to $25 million the cost of any single project. Requires an independent board within the Department to review projects before their selection.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
State Criminal Alien Assistance Program II and Local Medical Emergency Reimbursement Act - Amends the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 to provide for the reimbursement of States for indirect costs of incarcerating illegal aliens. Defines such costs as: (1) court costs, county attorney costs, and non-trial criminal proceedings; (2) indigent defense; and (3) unsupervised probation costs. Provides for the reimbursement of States for costs of incarcerating juvenile aliens. Provides that reimbursement of States for incarcerating illegal aliens and certain Cuban nationals shall be allocated to give special consideration for any State that: (1) shares a border with Mexico or Canada; or (2) has a large number of undocumented aliens. Authorizes appropriations for allotments to States to be paid to local governments, hospitals, and other providers for emergency health services provided to undocumented aliens. Provides special consideration for providers: (1) in a border county with Mexico or Canada; or (2) in an area with a large number of undocumented aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Medicaid Safety Net Hospital Continued Preservation Act of 2001 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to repeal specified reductions after FY 2000 and thereby extend certain modifications to disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments provided under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000. Increases the Medicaid DSH allotment for the District of Columbia.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Access to Thermal Imaging Cameras Act - Authorizes the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to make competitive grants to fire departments for the purpose of acquiring thermal imaging cameras. Requires the non-Federal share of acquisition costs to be 33 percent. Declares the sense of Congress that any funds appropriated to FEMA for this purpose should be offset with corresponding reductions in funds appropriated to carry out other Federal programs.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Mandates a two-calendar-year moratorium on certain annual certifications to Congress under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 required to allow a major drug-transit country or major illicit drug producing country to expend withheld bilateral assistance and multilateral development assistance, provided it has cooperated fully with the United States to achieve full compliance with the goals and objectives established by the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Declares that a certain international narcotics control strategy report, required as part of such certifications, shall continue to be required for the two years of the moratorium.