United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1999
Border Patrol Recruitment and Retention Act of 1999 - Provides for an increase to the GS-11 grade of Border Patrol agents who have completed one year of service at a GS-9 grade and who have a fully successful performance rating. Directs the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to establish an Office of Border Patrol Recruitment and Retention within the INS to: (1) develop outreach programs to identify and recruit prospective Border Patrol agents; (2) develop programs to retain such agents; and (3) submit recommendations to the Commissioner relating to such agents' pay and benefits. Requires the Commissioner to report to Congress on the Office's establishment and activities. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1999
Expresses the sense of Congress that the 30th Anniversary of the first lunar landing should be a day of celebration and reflection on the Apollo-11 mission to the moon and the accomplishments of the Apollo program throughout the 1960's and 1970's.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1999
Mother Teresa Religious Worker Act of 1999 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide permanent authority for U.S. special immigrant entry by certain religious workers.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1999
Volunteer Firefighter's Relief Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow, for a volunteer firefighter, an annual deduction (of up to $500) for contributions to a volunteer firefighter savings account.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1999
Federally Impacted School Improvement Act - Provides matching grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) for construction, renovation, and repair of school facilities in areas affected by Federal activities. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Education to distribute such funds as follows: (1) 45 percent for basic matching grants to LEAs eligible for impact aid assistance as serving children from Indian lands, if the number of such children is at least 25 percent of the total number in attendance; (2) 45 percent to the Secretary of Defense for basic matching grants to LEAs serving children from military bases, if the number of such children is at least 25 percent of the total number in attendance; and (3) ten percent for emergency non-matching grants in cases of health or safety hazards at facilities of LEAs which have a number of impact aid eligible children equal to at least 50 percent of their total attendance. Sets forth requirements for: (1) LEA eligibility; (2) basic grant awards and amount limits; (3) applications; and (4) emergency grant certifications, amounts, and priorities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1999
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the restriction that only aliens with preference petitions or labor certifications filed by January 14, 1998, are eligible to adjust to permanent resident status without leaving the United States if they entered without inspection or fall within one of other specified classes (including aliens accepting unauthorized employment and aliens not maintaining legal nonimmigrant status).
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1999
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. Authorizes appropriations. 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 · 18 May 1999
Commends the people of Israel for reaffirming, in the May 17 election, Israel's dedication to democratic ideals. Congratulates Ehud Barak on his election as Prime Minister of Israel. Pledges that Congress will work with the President of the United States and the new Israeli Government to strengthen the bonds between the United States and Israel and to advance the cause of peace in the Middle East.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1999
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a congressional gold medal to Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to the Nation. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1999
Authorizes the Pyramid of Remembrance Foundation to establish a memorial in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor members of the U.S. armed forces who have lost their lives during peacekeeping operations, humanitarian efforts, training, terrorist attacks, or covert operations. Prohibits the use of Federal funds in establishing such memorial, except as provided by the Commemorative Works Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Removal of Barriers to Housing Affordability Title II: Homeownership Through Mortgage Insurance and Loan Guarantees Title III: Section 8 Homeownership Option Title IV: Community Development Block Grants Title V: Home Investment Partnerships Program Title VI: Local Homeownership Initiatives Title VII: Manufactured Housing Improvement Title VIII: Indian Housing Homeownership Title IX: Transfer of Unoccupied and Substandard Hud-Held Housing to Local Governments and Community Development Corporations Title X: Private Mortgage Insurance Cancellation and Termination American Homeownership and Economic Opportunity Act of 1999 - Title I: Removal of Barriers to Housing Affordability - Housing Affordability Barrier Removal Act of 1999 - Requires proposed and final agency rules to analyze their impact upon affordable housing availability, including provision for interested parties to offer alternatives, which shall be incorporated into the final rule if found to accomplish required objectives with a less deleterious effect upon housing. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop model housing impact analyses. (Sec. 103) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to authorize direct appropriations for State and local grants for regulatory barrier removal. Makes consortia of local governments eligible grantees. Requires grant use in coordination with the local comprehensive affordability strategy under the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act. (Sec. 104) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to require jurisdictions to make good faith efforts at affordable housing barrier removal in order to qualify for community development block grants (CDBG) (without creating a private right of action). (Sec. 105) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to state that the regulatory barriers clearinghouse shall be established within the Office of Policy Development of HUD under the direction of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research. Title II: Homeownership Through Mortgage Insurance and Loan Guarantees - Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study of mandatory inspection requirements under the single family housing mortgage insurance program. (Sec. 202) Amends the National Housing Act to extend the loan term for manufactured home lot purchases. (Sec. 203) Neighborhood Teachers Act - Amends the National Housing Act to establish a (temporary) discounted home purchase program for elementary and secondary teachers. Sets forth program provisions, including a three-year residential use requirement. (Sec. 204) Authorizes mortgage insurance to refinance existing home equity conversion mortgages. Title III: Section 8 Homeownership Option - Amends the United States Housing Act to provide a single grant home ownership downpayment option under the section 8 housing assistance program. Title IV: Community Development Block Grants - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations for the CDBG program. Prohibits set-asides, with specified exceptions. (Sec. 403) Authorizes block grant use for: (1) qualifying municipal employee (including teachers) home ownership assistance; and (2) brownfields projects environmental cleanup and economic development. (Sec. 405) Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to authorize appropriations for the housing opportunities for persons with AIDS program. Title V: Home Investment Partnerships Program - Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to authorize appropriations for affordable housing programs. Prohibits set-asides, with specified exceptions. (Sec. 502) Makes limited equity cooperatives and mutual housing associations eligible for home investment partnerships. (Sec. 503) Permits loan pool investment of partnership funds. (Sec. 504) Authorizes the Secretary to make home investment partnerships loan guarantees. Sets forth an aggregate loan guarantee limitation. (Sec. 505) Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to make qualifying municipal employees (including teachers) eligible for home ownership assistance. Title VI: Local Homeownership Initiatives - Amends the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation Act to authorize appropriations for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation. (Sec. 602) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to revise the home ownership zone grant program, including providing: (1) grant eligibility for units of general local government (currently nonprofit organizations); and (2) assistance targeting for specified low-income home buyers. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 603) Expresses the sense of Congress in favor of lease-to-own tenancies as home ownership tools. (Sec. 604) Amends the HUD Demonstration Act of 1993 to make the National Association of Housing Partnerships eligible for local capacity grants. Removes the specified amount of authorized appropriations. (Sec. 605) Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to provide for a consolidated application and planning submission under the following programs: (1) HOME investment partnerships; (2) CDBG; (3) the economic development initiative; (4) emergency shelter grants; and (5) housing opportunities for persons with AIDS. Title VII: Manufactured Housing Improvement - Manufactured Housing Improvement Act - Amends the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 to revise Federal construction and safety provisions for manufactured homes based upon a consensus standards development process. Eliminates the National Manufactured Home Advisory Council. Title VIII: Indian Housing Homeownership - Establishes the Lands Title Report Commission to facilitate home loan Mortgages on Indian trust lands. Terminates the Commission one year after its initial meeting. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 802) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to make permanent Indian housing loan guarantee authority. Title IX: Transfer of Unoccupied and Substandard HUD-Held Housing to Local Governments and Community Development Corporations - Amends the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to transfer ownership of qualified HUD-held properties (substandard or unoccupied multifamily or unoccupied single family properties) to local governments and community development corporations under specified conditions. Title X: Private Mortgage Insurance Cancellation and Termination - Amends the Homeowners Protection Act of 1998 with respect to adjustable rate mortgages to: (1) revise definitions of "cancellation date" and "termination date"; (2) define "amortization schedule"; and (3) revise high risk loan provisions. (Sec. 1002) Authorizes modifications of termination, cancellation, and final termination date provisions. (Sec. 1003) Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) disclosure; and (2) balloon payments.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1999
Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase, as of December 1, 1999, the rates of veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled adult children, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. Requires each such increase to be the same percentage as the increase in benefits provided under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, on the same effective date.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1999
Emergency Ambulance Services Access Assurance Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require a group health plan, or coverage offered in connection with a health insurance issuer, if it provides emergency services coverage, to cover emergency services (and, if it provides coverage for emergency ambulance services, to cover emergency ambulance services): (1) without a prior authorization requirement; (2) whether or not the provider is a participating provider; (3) in a manner so that, if the services are provided by a nonparticipating provider without prior authorization, the participant, beneficiary, or enrollee is not liable for amounts exceeding the amount that would be incurred with a participating provider with authorization; and (4) without regard to most other conditions of coverage. Defines "emergency medical condition" by a prudent layperson standard. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to apply the same requirements and standard to a group health plan. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply the same requirements to an issuer in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1999
Federal Employees' Benefits Equity Act of 1999 - Amends Federal retirement provisions to revise the computation of annuities for certain law enforcement officers, firefighters, air traffic controllers, nuclear materials couriers, members of the Capitol Police, and their survivors. Sets forth effective dates.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1999
Veterans' Compensation Equity Act of 1999 - States that the prohibition on the concurrent receipt of military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation shall not apply in the case of a person who has a service-connected disability if: (1) the person has completed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (2) the disability was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty; and (3) the person has attained the age of 65. Allows such a person, in addition to receiving the full amount of military retired pay, to receive: (1) 50 percent of the authorized veterans' disability compensation due, if such person is at least 65 but not yet 70; and (2) 100 percent, if such person is 70 or older. Requires military retired pay paid concurrently with disability compensation to be paid out of funds appropriated to the Department of Defense for that fiscal year. Makes the concurrent payment provisions effective for months beginning on and after October 1998, with a prohibition against the payment of retroactive benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Brownfield Remediation and Environmental Cleanup Title II: Innocent Landowner, Prospective Purchaser, and Contiguous Property Owner Liability Title III: Seller Liability Relief and State Voluntary Response Programs Community Revitalization and Brownfield Cleanup Act of 1999 - Title I: Brownfield Remediation and Environmental Cleanup - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a program to provide grants to local governments to inventory and conduct site assessments of brownfield sites. Defines a "brownfield site" as a parcel of land that contains or contained abandoned, idled, or under-used commercial or industrial facilities, the expansion or redevelopment of which is complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. (Sec. 103) Directs the Administrator to establish a program of grants to local governments for capitalization of loan programs for brownfield site cleanup by the locality or owner or developer. (Sec. 104) Imposes funding limitations, including a restriction on use of funds to meet Federal cost-sharing requirements and a prohibition on the use of grants to pay fines or penalties. (Sec. 105) Requires reports to specified congressional committees regarding the site assessment and loan capitalization programs. (Sec. 108) Authorizes appropriations to carry out the site assessment and loan capitalization programs and State voluntary response programs described under title III of this Act. Title II: Innocent Landowner, Prospective Purchaser, and Contiguous Property Owner Liability - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), with respect to defenses to liability of an owner of property acquired after April 15, 1994, to deem a person to have made appropriate inquiry into the property's previous ownership and uses only if the person establishes that an environmental site assessment was conducted which meets specified requirements (compliance with an American Society for Testing and Materials standard or with standards issued by the Administrator) and the person fulfills certain responsibilities concerning information compilation, exercise of appropriate care with respect to hazardous substances at the facility, and cooperation with those conducting response actions. (Sec. 202) Absolves from liability for response actions bona fide prospective purchasers or operators of a facility owned by such a purchaser to the extent liability for a release or threat thereof is based solely on ownership or operation of a facility and such persons meet other specified conditions, including notice requirements, exercise of appropriate care concerning the hazardous substances, cooperation with those conducting response actions, and lack of affiliation with liable parties. Gives a lien upon a facility to the United States for unrecovered response costs not inconsistent with the National Contingency Plan in any case in which there are such unrecovered costs for which the owner is not liable by reason of being a prospective purchaser and the action increases the fair market value of the facility. (Sec. 203) Adds CERCLA provisions governing owner-operator status of persons owning or operating property contiguous to a release site. Title III: Seller Liability Relief and State Voluntary Response Programs - Amends CERCLA to add provisions requiring the Administrator to provide technical and other assistance to States to establish and enhance qualifying State voluntary response programs, comprised of elements including public participation opportunities, oversight and enforcement authorities, and certification mechanisms.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Designation of Wilderness Areas Title II: Administrative Provisions America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 1999 - Title I: Designation of Wilderness Areas - Designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin wilderness areas; (2) Zion and Mojave Desert wilderness areas; (3) Grand Staircase-Escalante wilderness areas; (4) Moab-LaSal Canyons wilderness areas; (5) Henry Mountains wilderness areas; (6) Glen Canyon wilderness areas; (7) San Juan-Anasazi wilderness areas; (8) Canyonlands Basin wilderness areas; (9) San Rafael Swell wilderness areas; and (10) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin wilderness areas. Title II: Administrative Provisions - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to file a map and a legal description of each designated wilderness area with appropriate congressional committees. (Sec. 203) Provides that if State-owned land is included within a designated wilderness area, then the Secretary shall offer to exchange U.S. lands in the State of approximate equal value (prohibits the transfer of associated mineral interests) in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the Wilderness Act. (Sec. 204) Reserves the Federal Government's rights to a quantity of water determined by the Secretary to be sufficient for each wilderness area designated by this Act. (Sec. 205) Sets forth provisions for the measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness. (Sec. 206) Permits authorized grazing of livestock within the designated wilderness areas to continue subject to such regulations and procedures as the Secretary considers necessary, as long as they are consistent with: (1) the Wilderness Act; and (2) the Arizona Desert Wilderness Act of 1990. (Sec. 209) Withdraws such Federal land, subject to valid rights existing on the enactment of this Act, from all forms of: (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under public law; (2) location, entry, and patent under mining law; and (3) disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials. (Sec. 210) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1999
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations to the Department of Labor for FY 1999 through 2003 for: (1) trade adjustment assistance to displaced workers and for firms; and (2) the North American Free Trade Agreement Transitional Adjustment Assistance Program. Increases the total amount of payments for job training of displaced workers due to import competition to $30 million for the period October 1, 1998 through June 30, 1999. Provides that a certification of eligibility to apply for trade adjustment assistance shall not cover a worker whose last total or partial separation from a firm occurred more than two years (currently, one year) before the date of a petition on which such certification was granted (effectively extending the time for filing the petition for worker assistance).
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1999
National Medal of Honor Memorial Act - Designates the memorial being constructed at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California, to honor Medal of Honor recipients as the National Medal of Honor Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1999
Public School Modernization Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide: (1) a limited credit for qualified public school modernization bonds; (2) for qualified school construction bonds and qualified zone academy bonds and establish limits and allocation formulas for such bonds; and (3) corporations, a limited specialized training center credit. 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 · 4 May 1999
Recognizes the unique opportunity that the dawn of a millennium presents to the people of this Nation to humble and reconcile themselves with God and with one another. Urges all Americans to unite in seeking God through humble prayer and fasting. Recommends that the leaders in national, State, and local governments, in business, and in the clergy appoint, and call the people they serve to observe, a day of solemn prayer, fasting, and humiliation before God.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Made in USA Label Defense Act of 1999 - Amends Federal law to prohibit the affixation of the "Made in the USA" label to a product of the Northern Mariana Islands. Prohibits such products from being imported into the United States free of duty or quotas.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1999
Border Improvement and Immigration Act of 1999 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 with respect to the automated entry-exit control system to exempt from required recordkeeping: (1) land border crossings and seaports; and (2) permanent resident and certain other aliens. (Sec. 3) Requires the Attorney General to report: (1) on the feasibility of implementing an automated entry-exit control system that would include land border and seaport arrivals and departures; and (2) annually on the development status of the automated entry-exit control system, and on visa overstays identified through such system. Requires integration of overstay information into Department of State and Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) databases. (Sec. 5) Authorizes appropriations for INS and United States Customs Service border control and enforcement activities. Sets forth specified set-asides. Authorizes: (1) use of equipment funds for new technologies; and (2) transfer up to ten percent of specified set-asides for other equipment uses. Sets aside specified funds for peak hours and investigative resource enhancement. Provides for increased numbers of full-time INS and Customs inspectors at U.S. land borders.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
Selected Reserve Housing Loan Fairness Act of 1999 - Extends permanently (currently ends on September 30, 2003) the eligibility of certain former members of the Selected Reserve for veterans' housing loans.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
Filipino Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act of 1999 - Authorizes payment of compensation for the service-connected disability of members of the Philippine Commonwealth Army who served with U.S. armed forces during World War II in the amount of one dollar for each dollar authorized, as long as each such individual resides in the United States and is a U.S. citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish hospital and nursing home care and medical services to such veterans and new Philippine Scouts in the same manner as furnished to U.S. veterans. Directs the Secretary to furnish care and services to veterans, Commonwealth Army veterans, and new Philippine Scouts for the treatment of service-connected disabilities and non-service-connected disabilities of such veterans and scouts residing in the Republic of the Philippines on an outpatient basis at the Manila VA Outpatient Clinic. Limits to $500,000 the amount to be expended during a fiscal year for such services.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
Regulatory Fairness and Openness Act of 1999 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct a transition analysis report with respect to pesticide tolerances before releasing any product safety information to the public, or making final tolerance decisions. Includes within such report's requirements a description of the extent to which specified assumptions have been used to support findings or regulatory recommendations. (Sec. 5) Sets forth interim review or reassessment procedures. (Sec. 6) Requires the Administrator to issue within one year of enactment of this Act final implementing rules for tolerances and exemptions for pesticide chemical residues. (Sec. 7) Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Administrator to issue guidelines specifying required data in support of tolerances and exemptions. Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to provide for related notice and opportunity for hearing. (Sec. 8) Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to provide for an expedited replacement product registration process. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to authorize an expedited tolerance for an emergency exemption if no significant (food) consumer risk exists. (Sec. 9) Requires the Administrator and the Secretary of Agriculture to report with respect to related pesticide, residue, and food use priorities and resources. (Sec. 10) Requires the Secretary to develop a program to monitor the competitive international market strength of major U.S. agricultural commodity sectors. (Sec. 11) Establishes the Pesticide Advisory Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
Real Estate Investment Trust Modernization Act of 1999 - Title I: Treatment of Income and Services Provided by Taxable REIT Subsidiaries - Excludes taxable REIT subsidiaries (TRSs) from the five and ten percent asset tests. Allows TRSs to provide non-customary tenant services. Allows a REIT to establish a TRS (as defined). Includes in the definition of "disqualified interest" (Sec. 163 of the IRC) any interest paid or accrued by a TRS to the REIT. Imposes a 100 percent tax on any interest payments by a TRS to the REIT in excess of the commercially reasonable interest rate. Title II: Health Care REITs - Includes within the definition of the term "foreclosure property" any qualified health care property acquired by a REIT as the result of the termination of a lease of such property. Title III: Conformity With Regulated Investment Company Rules - Changes the distribution requirement from 95 percent to 90 percent. Title IV: Clarification of Definition of Independent Contractor - Provides, with respect to the definition of an independent contractor, that in the event that any class of stock of is regularly traded on an established securities market, only owners who own, directly or indirectly, more than five percent of such class of stock shall be taken into account as owning any of the stock of such class for purposes of applying the 35 percent limitation. Title V: Modification of Earnings and Profits Rules - Provides rules for determining whether a Regulated Investment Company (RIC) has earnings and profits form a non-RIC year.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1999
Extends gratitude to Zachary Fisher for a lifetime of accomplishments and philanthropy on behalf of U.S. military servicemembers and confers upon him the status of an honorary veteran of the armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: General Provisions Title II: Veterans Business Development Title III: Technical Assistance Title IV: Financial Assistance Title V: Procurement Assistance Title VI: Reports and Data Collection Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 1999 - Title I: General Provisions - Amends the Small Business Act (the Act) to revise or add definitions. Title II: Veterans Business Development - Designates the position of Associate Administrator for Veterans Business Development. Establishes the Office of Veterans Business Development, to be administered by such Associate Administrator, who shall be responsible for the formulation, execution, and promotion of policies and programs of the Small Business Administration (SBA) that provide assistance to small businesses owned and controlled by veterans and service-disabled veterans (veteran small businesses). (Sec. 202) Establishes the National Veterans Business Development Corporation to: (1) expand the provision of and improve access to technical assistance regarding entrepreneurship for veterans; and (2) work with and organize public and private resources and the business development staffs of each Federal department and agency to assist veterans, including service-disabled veterans, with the formation and expansion of small businesses. Requires the Corporation to establish and maintain a network of information and assistance centers for use by veterans and the public. Requires an annual report from the Corporations's Board of Directors to the President and Congress describing its activities and accomplishments for the preceding year. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2003. (Sec. 203) Establishes the Advisory Committee on Veterans Business Affairs to serve as an independent source of advice and policy recommendations concerning veterans' business affairs. Requires an annual Committee report to Congress and the President on its activities and recommendations. Title III: Technical Assistance - Directs the SBA Administrator to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) for the: (1) appointment by SCORE in its national office of an individual to act as National Veterans Business Coordinator; (2) assistance of SCORE in establishing and maintaining a toll-free telephone number and Internet website to provide access for veterans to information about entrepreneurship counseling and training available through SCORE; and (3) collection of statistics concerning services provided by SCORE to veterans. (Sec. 302) Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the SBA Administrator, and the head of the association formed by small business development centers under the Act to enter into a memorandum of understanding with respect to entrepreneurial assistance to veterans through small business development centers and facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Title IV: Financial Assistance - Includes a service-disabled veteran within the definition of "handicapped individual" eligible for SBA general business loans. (Sec. 402) Authorizes the SBA to make loans to self-employed individuals or owners of small businesses who are called to active duty to assist such individuals with potential losses and disruption caused by mobilization or return to active duty. (Sec. 403) Makes veteran small business owners eligible for the SBA's Microloan program, Delta loan program, and State development company program. Title V: Procurement Assistance - Includes veteran small businesses within Federal contracting and subcontracting goals for small business owners and within goals for the participation of small businesses in Federal procurement contracts. Requires the head of each Federal agency to establish agency goals for the participation by small businesses owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans in that agency's procurement contracts. Title VI: Reports and Data Collection - Amends the Act and the Small Business Economic Policy Act of 1980 to require information concerning small businesses owned by veterans, including service-disabled veterans, to be included within certain reporting requirements. (Sec. 603) Directs the Administrator to report annually to the congressional small business committees on the needs of small businesses owned and controlled by veterans and service-disabled veterans. (Sec. 604) Requires the Administrator, for each fiscal year, to collect and make available to any small business information concerning the procurement practices and procedures of each Federal department and agency. Directs the Secretary, in each fiscal year, to identify U.S. veteran small businesses. Directs the Secretaries of Labor and Veterans Affairs and the Administrator to enter into a memorandum of understanding to provide for the coordination of vocational rehabilitation services, technical and managerial assistance, and financial assistance to veterans, including service-disabled veterans, seeking to employ themselves by forming or expanding small businesses. Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions - Directs the Administrator to strengthen and reissue a specified SBA order relating to non-discrimination and special considerations for veterans, and to fully and vigorously implement such order. (Sec. 702) Requires the SBA's Office of Advocacy to evaluate the efforts of each Federal department and agency, and of private industry, to assist veteran small businesses, and to make appropriate recommendations to the Administrator and Congress in order to promote the establishment and growth of such businesses. (Sec. 703) Directs the Comptroller General to study whether there would exist any additional risk or cost to the United States if up to ten percent of federally-guaranteed loans were made for the acquisition or construction of fixed assets used in a trade or business rather than for the purchase or construction of residential buildings. Requires a report to the congressional veterans' and small business committees.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1999
Authorizes the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor veterans who became disabled while serving in the U.S. armed forces. Prohibits Federal funds from being used to pay any expense of the establishment of the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1999
Family Reunification Act of 1999 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the conditions under which the Attorney General may cancel the removal of certain aliens from the United States, including cancellation of removal for humanitarian or public benefit reasons for certain aliens convicted of aggravated felonies. Subjects such judgments to judicial review. Directs the Attorney General to establish processes for discretionary waiver of inadmissibility or deportation for certain aliens who would otherwise be subject to exclusion or deportation. Subjects such judgments to judicial review.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1999
National Cemetery Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a national cemetery in each of the three areas of the United States determined to be in most need of such a cemetery to serve needs of veterans and their families. Requires an initial and annual reports to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1999
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 · 15 April 1999
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to pay an unspecified amount to a named individual for distribution to enrolled members of a specified Indian tribe in full settlement of all: (1) claims of the tribe arising from the taking by the United States of land owned or occupied by the tribe without payment for such lands of compensation agreed to by that tribe; (2) claims based upon fair and honorable dealings that are not recognized by any existing rule of law or equity; and (3) claims which otherwise, except for the lapse of time and the failure to timely file, would have been compensable under specified Federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1999
Stamp Out Diabetes Act of 1999 - Amends Federal law to require the Postal Service to establish a special rate of postage for first class mail that is up to 25 percent higher than the regular rate as a voluntary alternative that the public may use to contribute to funding for diabetes research. Requires collected amounts to be paid to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Expresses the sense of the Congress that nothing in this Act should: (1) cause a net decrease in total funds received by NIH below the level that would have otherwise been received but for this Act's enactment; or (2) affect first-class or other regular postage rates. Requires special postage stamps to be made available to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1999
Tax Deduction Fairness Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a taxpayer to elect, when itemizing, to deduct State and local general sales taxes in lieu of State and local income taxes. Limits such deduction to a tax imposed at one rate in respect of the sale at retail of a broad range of classes of items (including food, clothing, medical supplies, and motor vehicles).
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1999
Refers H.R. 1473 (for the relief of a named individual and enrolled members of a specified Indian tribe) to the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims for review.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement the Class I milk price structure known as Option A as part of the final rule to consolidate Federal milk marketing orders.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
Fairness for Legal Immigrants Act of 1999 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 with respect to lawful resident aliens and their eligibility for Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) (titles XIX and XVI of the Social Security Act (SSA)) and other Federal assistance. Provides States with the option of extending Medicaid-eligibility to certain lawful resident alien pregnant women and children, as well as the option of extending CHIP-eligibility (SSA title XXI (Children's Health Insurance (CHIP)) to such children. Provides States with the option of extending Medicaid-eligibility to certain blind or disabled or other specified medically needy aliens, such as those who are residents of a nursing facility. Mandates SSI eligibility for certain lawful resident aliens who are aged, blind, or disabled. Exempts certain blind or disabled aliens from the five-year general limitation on the eligibility for qualified aliens for Federal means-tested public benefits that was imposed by such Act. Mandates food stamp program eligibility under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 for certain aliens lawfully residing in the United State on August 22, 1996, who would otherwise be subject to the same five-year general limitation. Exempts certain battered aliens (which under such Act are treated as lawful resident aliens) from disqualification (thereby making them SSI- and food stamp program-eligible). Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for waiver of affidavit of support requirements for benefits provided through such State elections to extend such optional Medicaid and other described optional public program eligibility to certain lawful resident aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
James Guelff Body Armor Act of 1999 - Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to amend the Federal sentencing guidelines to provide an appropriate enhancement, increasing the level not less than two levels, for any offense in which the defendant used body armor, with an exception involving a civil rights violation by a law enforcement officer acting under color of authority. (Sec. 5) Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit the purchase, ownership, or possession of body armor by violent felons, with a procedure for the Secretary of the Treasury to grant an exception where a person's employment, livelihood, or safety is dependent on the ability to possess and use body armor. Grants a law enforcement officer immunity from liability for false arrest arising from the enforcement of this section unless the person has in his or her possession a certified copy of the permission granting the person relief from the prohibition. Sets penalties for violations of this prohibition. (Sec. 6) Authorizes the head of a Federal agency to donate body armor that is surplus property and in serviceable condition 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.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1999
Body Armor Restriction Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit the sale or delivery of body armor unless the buyer and seller meet in person to accomplish its sale, delivery, and receipt, with an exception for body armor used by law enforcement officers. Sets penalties for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1999
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish one appropriate Government headstone or marker, other than for replacement, to mark the graves of veterans. (Currently, such a headstone or marker is required only for unmarked graves of veterans.) Makes such provision effective with respect to applications received by the Secretary for individuals dying on or after November 1, 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1999
Medicare Cancer Clinical Trial Coverage Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a demonstration project which provides for payment under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act of routine patient care costs for Medicare beneficiaries with cancer who are enrolled in an approved clinical trial program, while still applying the beneficiary cost sharing provisions of such program to project participants. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the impact on Medicare of covering such costs as well as the cost of extending routine patient care coverage to Medicare beneficiaries with a diagnosis other than cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1999
Amends the Clean Air Act to suspend certain requirements for the use of reformulated gas and oxygenated fuels in nonattainment areas, and any such provisions under California law regarding such gas and fuels, upon a determination by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency that, during the calendar month prior to such determination, the statewide average retail price of gasoline has been more than five percent above the baseline average price for California due to costs of complying with such requirements. Terminates such suspension upon the Administrator's determination that the statewide average retail price has been more than five percent below such baseline average price. Defines "baseline average gasoline price" as a statewide average price for gasoline sold at retail, for any calendar month, that is 120 percent of the statewide average retail price within California during the three-calendar year period preceding the calendar year in which such month occurs. Bars the retail sale of gasoline refined outside, and imported into, the United States in California during any suspension period.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Justice for Atomic Veterans Act of 1999 - Includes in the list of diseases presumed to be service-connected, in the case of radiation-exposed veterans, and therefore compensable for purposes of veterans' disability compensation and medical care, the following: lung, bone, skin, colon, ovarian, and rectal cancer, posterior subcapsular cataracts, non-malignant thyroid nodular disease, parathyroid adenoma, and tumors of the brain and central nervous system.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Troops-to-Teachers Program Improvement Act of 1999 - Transfers from the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Transportation with respect to the Coast Guard to the Secretary of Education (Secretary) jurisdiction over a program (to be known as the Troops-to-Teachers Program (program)) to assist eligible members of the armed forces after their discharge, release, or retirement to: (1) obtain certification or licensing as elementary or secondary school teachers or vocational or technical teachers; and (2) facilitate the employment of such members by local educational agencies identified under this Act. Makes eligible for such program members who applied for the current teacher placement program and otherwise satisfy eligibility criteria. Requires the Secretary to provide information concerning the program, and make program applications available, to such members as part of their preseparation counseling. Directs the Secretary to pay a stipend of $3,000 to each program participant, with a limit of 5,000 such stipends in a fiscal year. Authorizes the Secretary, in lieu of such stipend amount, to pay a bonus of $5,000 to each participant who agrees to accept full-time employment as a teacher for not less than four years in a high need school. Limits to 1,000 the number of such bonuses in a fiscal year. Mandates that provision of assistance under the program shall not reduce or affect entitlement to benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States, or consortia of States, for operating offices for recruiting eligible members for program participation and facilitating employment of such participants in the schools of such States. Limits to $4 million the total amount of grants in a fiscal year. Requires the Secretaries involved to complete the jurisdictional transfer of the program not later than October 1, 1999. Requires program reports from the Secretary and the Comptroller General. Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Education for FY 2000 through 2004. Limits to five percent of program funds the amount authorized for management infrastructure.
![Official portrait of Rep. Reyes, Silvestre [D-TX-16]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000170_200.jpg)