United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
National Retail Sales Tax Act of 1999 - Repeals the income, estate, gift, and certain excise tax provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. (Sec. 4) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a 15 percent tax on the use, consumption or enjoyment in the U.S. of any property or service produced or rendered within or without of the United States. Prohibits, subject to exception, imposing a tax on any property or service purchased for: (1) a business purpose in an active trade or business; or (2) export from the Unites States for use or consumption outside of the Unites States, provided that the purchaser provided the seller with either an intermediate sales certificate or an export sales certificate. Defines "purchased for a business purpose in an active trade or business" as property or services: (1) purchased for resale; (2) purchased to produce property or services; or (3) purchased in furtherance of other bona fide business purposes. Sets forth rules relating to the obligation of governmental units and not-for-profit organizations to collect, remit, and pay taxes. Sets forth provisions concerning credits and refunds. Allows for general credits against the tax, including: (1) a used property credit; (2) a business use conversion credit; (3) an administration credit; (4) a compliance equipment cost credit; (5) a bad debt credit; (6) an insurance proceeds credit; and (7) a transition inventory credit. Provides for installment payments of the tax on the purchase of a principal residence. Allows an eligible family unit to receive a sales tax rebate. Requires that a family member, to be counted for the purposes of determining family unit size, must: (1) if over two years old, have a bona fide Social Security number; and (2) be a lawful U.S. resident. Declares that no individual shall be considered part of more than one family unit. Sets forth definitions and special rules concerning such things as: (1) foreign financial intermediation services; (2) financing leases; and (3) installment sales. Imposes a 15 percent tax on gaming services. Directs an administering State to administer, collect, and remit to the U.S. Treasury the tax on gross payments for the use, consumption or enjoyment of taxable property or services within the State. Defines an administering State as one which maintains a specified conforming sales tax and enters into a specified cooperative agreement with the Secretary. Provides for administrative support for States. Sets forth provisions concerning, among other things: (1) monthly reports and payments; (2) records; (3) penalties; (4) appeals; (5) accounting; and (6) hobby activities. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to establish an Office of Revenue Allocation to arbitrate any claims or disputes among States. (Sec. 5) Prohibits the authorizing of any appropriations for the Internal Revenue Service after FY 2003. Establishes in the Treasury: (1) an Excise Tax Bureau to administer any excise taxes not repealed by this Act; and (2) a Sales Tax Bureau to administer the national sales tax. (Sec. 6) Authorizes the Social Security Administration to collect and administer self-employment income and employment taxes beginning in 2001. (Sec. 7) Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) the self- employment tax; (2) the indexing of social security benefits; (3) compensating payments to individuals on fixed incomes; and (4) the interest rate on tax underpayments and overpayments. (Sec. 11) Requires a supermajority in the House of Representatives or the Senate to raise rates.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Medicare's Elderly Receiving Innovative Treatments (MERIT) Act of 1999 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with regard to the frail elderly, modifying: (1) payment rules (including requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and implement a new payment system); (2) eligibility, election, and enrollment provisions (adding special rules for frail elderly Medicare+Choice beneficiaries enrolling in specialized programs for the frail elderly that establish a continuous open enrollment period for such individuals); and (3) benefits and beneficiary protections provisions (requiring the Secretary to develop and implement a program to measure the quality of care provided in specialized programs for the frail elderly). Exempts Medicare+Choice beneficiaries in a specialized program for the frail elderly from any risk adjustment system until the Secretary certifies to Congress that a comprehensive risk adjustment methodology taking certain factors into account is being fully implemented.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Citizen Legislature and Political Freedom Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to terminate limitations on Federal election campaign contributions after 2000. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate after December 31, 1999, the designation of income tax payments to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund. Terminates the Fund itself and the Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account after December 31, 2000, and transfers any amounts remaining in the Fund to the general fund of the Treasury. Amends FECA, in the case of a political committee of a national political party, to require reports of all funds transferred to any political committee of a State or local political party, without regard to whether or not the funds are otherwise treated as contributions or expenditures under such Act (soft money). Requires any political committee of a State or local political party to file with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) a copy of any report on disbursements it is required under a State or local law, rule, or regulation to submit to the State or local government. Directs the FEC to make electronic filing of reports mandatory. Revises current deadlines for notification of contributions by a campaign committee. Applies such deadlines to each campaign committee of a candidate, not (as currently) just the principal campaign committee. Requires each political committee to notify, in writing, the appropriate office of any contribution (currently, of $1,000 or more) received by the committee during the period which begins on the 90th day before an election (currently, after the 20th day after, but more than 48 hours before, an election) and ends at the time the polls close for such election. Requires such notification to be made within 24 hours (or, if earlier, by midnight of the day on which the contribution is deposited) (currently, within 48 hours) after receipt of the contribution. Requires the FEC to make report information available on the Internet and at FEC offices as soon as practicable after its receipt. Declares that the "best efforts" exception to noncompliance with FECA shall not apply with respect to information regarding the identification of any contributor of more than $200 in the aggregate during a calendar year (thus requiring strict observance of reporting deadlines for all such contributions).
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Parents Know Best Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require parental notification and consent prior to enrollment of a child in a bilingual education program or a special alternative instructional program for limited English proficient students, if such program is assisted under ESEA.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Commends the Department of State for the vote of the United States against United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution ES-10-6, Illegal Israeli Actions In Occupied East Jerusalem And The Rest Of The Occupied Palestinian Territory, to convene a conference of the participants of the Fourth Geneva Convention for the Protection of Civilians in Time of War. Urges: (1) the Department of State to continue its efforts against convening and participating in the conference; (2) the member states of the UN to vigorously oppose any and all efforts to manipulate the Fourth Geneva Convention for the purpose of attacking Israel; and (3) UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Switzerland, which serves as the depository of the Fourth Geneva Convention, to refrain from assisting in the convening of the conference.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1999
Iran Nonproliferation Act of 1999 - Directs the President to report periodically to specified congressional committees on foreign persons who, on or after January 22, 1998, have transferred to Iran: (1) controlled goods, services, or technology; or (2) non-controlled goods, services, or technology that would nevertheless would be, if they were U.S. goods, services, or technology, prohibited for export to Iran because of their potential contribution to the development of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, or ballistic missile systems. Excludes from identification in such reports any such persons who were previously identified, or who have acted on behalf of, or in concert with, the U.S. Government. Authorizes the President, with specified exceptions, to apply to such foreign person certain measures: (1) set forth in Executive Order 12938 prohibitions; (2) prohibiting the sale to such persons of defense items on the United States Munitions List and defense articles and defense services, or design and construction services under the Arms Export Control Act; and (3) prohibiting the export to such persons of controlled goods and technology under the Export Administration Act of 1979. Prohibits any U.S. agency from making extraordinary payments to the Russian Space Agency in connection with the International Space Station, or any other organization or entity of the Government of the Russian Federation, unless the President has determined, and reported to specified congressional committees, that: (1) it is the policy of the Government of the Russian Federation to oppose the proliferation to Iran of weapons of mass destruction and missile systems capable of delivering such weapons; (2) such government is taking the necessary steps to prevent the transfer from Russia to Iran of goods, services, and technology useful in the development of such weapons and systems; and (3) neither the Russian Space Agency, nor any organization under its control, has, during the one-year period prior to the determination, made transfers to Iran of controlled goods, services, or technology or non-controlled goods, services, or technology that has potential to contribute to Iran's development of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, or of ballistic missile systems.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1999
Sugar Program Reform Act - Amends the Agricultural Market Transition Act with respect to the sugar program to: (1) reduce sugarcane loan rates through crop year 2002; (2) revise the sugar beet loan rate; (3) eliminate nonrecourse loans; and (4) eliminate sugar price supports after crop year 2002. Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to repeal sugar and crystalline fructose marketing quota and allotment provisions. Amends the Food Security Act of 1985, beginning after the 1998- 1999 quota year, to direct the President to use all available authority to ensure that U.S. market raw sugar shall be available at not more than the higher of the world sugar price or the U.S. loan rate.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1999
Small Savers Act of 1999 -Amends the Internal Revenue Code to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe income tax rate tables that increase the maximum taxable income level for the 15 percent rate bracket and the minimum taxable income level for the 28 percent rate bracket by specified dollar amounts beginning with calendar year 2000. Excludes from individual gross income up to $250 ($500 for joint filers) of the sum of dividends from domestic corporations or interest. Sets forth related provisions with respect to: (1) distributions from regulated investment companies and real estate investment trusts; and (2) nonresident aliens. Allows as a deduction an amount equal to the lesser of: (1) the net capital gain of the taxpayer; or (2) $5,000. Increases the $2,000 IRA contribution limit to $3,000. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the enactment of this Act shall have no impact on the solvency of the social security trust funds since the revenue reductions resulting from this Act over both the 5-year and 10-year estimating periods are projected to be less than the surplus over such periods in the non-social security portion of the Federal budget.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1999
Expresses the sense of Congress that it: (1) rejects and condemns suggestions in a study recently published by the American Psychological Association that sexual relationships between adults and children might be positive for children; (2) urges the President to likewise reject and condemn any such suggestion; and (3) encourages competent investigations to continue to research the effects of child sexual abuse using the best methodology, so that the public and public policymakers may act upon accurate information.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: HealthMarts Title II: Health Care Access and Choice Through Individual Membership Associations (IMAs) Title III: Federal Matching Funding for State Insurance Expenditures Title IV: Small Business Access and Choice for Entrepreneurs Act of 1999 Title V: Improvement to Access and Choice of Health Care Title VI: Patient Access to Information Patients' Health Care Choice Act of 1999 - Title I: HealthMarts - Amends the Public Health Service Act to create a new title on HealthMarts. Requires that HealthMarts: (1) be nonprofit entities composed of employers, employees, other individuals eligible to participate in the HealthMart, health care providers, and entities that underwrite or administer health benefits coverage; and (2) make available health coverage to all employers, eligible employees, and individuals at rates established by the insurance issuer on a policy or product specific basis. Deems HealthMarts group health plans for purposes of specified provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code. Requires that coverage made available to an eligible employee or individual in a geographic area be offered to all eligible employees or individuals in the same area. Declares that the HealthMart: (1) provides coverage only through contracts with issuers and does not assume insurance risk; (2) provides administrative services for purchasers; and (3) collects and disseminates consumer information on all offered coverage options. Requires that HealthMart coverage provide full portability of creditable coverage for individuals who remain members of the same HealthMart, notwithstanding that they change employers, and notwithstanding that they terminate the employment, if the HealthMart permits individual enrollment. Allows HealthMart coverage to include coverage through a health maintenance organization (HMO), a preferred provider or licensed provider-sponsored organization, an insurance company, a medical savings or flexible spending account, a point-of-service option, or any combination of those coverages. Requires a HealthMart to permit any employer or individual to contract for coverage, and prohibits varying eligibility conditions. Prohibits the purchaser from obtaining or sponsoring coverage other than through the HealthMart. Prohibits enrollment discrimination based on health. Requires HealthMarts to make at least two coverage options available, at least one of which is a non-network option. Supersedes certain related State laws. Provides for the application of: (1) certain existing ERISA and Public Health Service Act requirements; and (2) renewability requirements when the contract between a HealthMart and an issuer is terminated. Title II: Health Care Access and Choice Through Individual Membership Associations (IMAs) - Creates a new Public Health Service Act title on Individual Membership Associations (IMAs), defining IMA to mean an entity that: (1) has been in existence for at least five years for purposes other than obtaining insurance; (2) does not condition membership an health factors; (3) makes health coverage available to all IMA members and their dependents through an HMO, a preferred provider or licensed provider-sponsored organization, an insurance company, a medical savings or flexible spending account, a point-of-service option, or any combination of those coverages; and (4) does not make coverage available other than in connection with an IMA member. Supersedes certain related State laws. Title III: Federal Matching Funding for State Insurance Expenditures - Requires that each State receive from the Secretary of Health and Human Services an amount equal to 50 percent of the funds expended by the State for a health benefits high risk pool, reinsurance pool, or other risk adjustment mechanism to subsidize the purchase of private health insurance. Title IV: Affordable Health Coverage for Employees of Small Businesses - Small Business Access and Choice for Entrepreneurs Act of 1999 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to establish rules governing health plans sponsored by certain associations, including requirements for: (1) certification; (2) sponsors and boards of trustees, and treatment of franchised networks and collectively bargained plans; (3) participation and coverage of employers and individuals and of previously uninsured employees; (4) plan documents, contribution rates, and benefit options; (5) maintenance of reserves, excess-stop loss insurance, and solvency indemnification for plans providing health benefits in addition to health insurance coverage; (6) applications and related reporting; (7) notice for voluntary termination; and (8) corrective actions and mandatory termination. (Sec. 402) Directs the Secretary of Labor to apply, to the appropriate Federal district court, to be appointed trustee of certain insolvent association health plans which provide health benefits in addition to health insurance coverage. Allows a State to impose a contribution tax on an association health plan that begins operations in such State after the enactment of this Act. (Sec. 403) Revises requirements for treatment of single employer arrangements. (Sec. 404) Revises requirements for certain collectively bargained arrangements. (Sec. 405) Sets forth enforcement requirements relating to association health plans. (Sec. 406) Sets forth State responsibilities, and requirements for cooperation between Federal and State authorities, with respect to association health plans. (Sec. 407) Prescribes special rules for certain existing health benefits programs. Title V: Improvement to Access and Choice of Health Care - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude any compensating coverage employer payment from the gross income of an eligible employee who elects not to participate in an employer-subsidized health plan. (Sec. 501) Defines compensating coverage payment as: (1) any payment made by the employer for qualified health insurance specified by the employee which covers all of the individuals who, but for such election, would be covered under the employer's subsidized health plan; and (2) any payment made by the employer to any medical savings account (MSA) of such employee or spouse. Defines employer health plan contribution as the applicable premium for the employee reduced by the employee's share of such premium, as determined by the employer on an actuarial basis taking into account the employee's age, sex, and geography and similarly situated beneficiaries. Specifies conditions on employer participation in a compensating coverage payment program. Excludes from such a program: (1) any employee covered under a subsidized health plan of another employer or of an employer of the employee's spouse; (2) any employee who normally works less than 25 hours per week; (3) any employee who normally works during not more than six months during any year; (4) any employee under age 21; and (5) any employee covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Requires an employer to report health plan contributions on an employee's W-2 form. (Sec. 502) Allows a tax credit to an individual for a portion of the amount paid during the taxable year for qualified health insurance for coverage of the taxpayer, his spouse, and dependents. Specifies a formula for determination of such credit. Disallows the credit for: (1) any amounts paid for coverage under any subsidized health plan maintained by any employer of the taxpayer or of the taxpayer's spouse; or (2) any taxable year for which any compensating coverage payment is excluded from the taxpayer's gross income. Sets forth requirements for qualified health insurance, including no exclusion from, or limitation on, coverage for any preexisting medical condition of certain applicants. Terminates such credit as of December 31, 2002. (Sec. 503) - Medical Savings Account Effectiveness Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal: (1) the limitations on the number of taxpayers having MSAs; and (2) the limitation of MSAs to small employers (thus permitting all employers to offer them). Revises the amount of deduction allowed for contributions to MSAs to set the monthly limitation at one-12th of the annual deductible of the individual's coverage under the high deductible health plan. Revises the denial of an employee's MSA contribution deduction if an employer makes income-excludible contributions to the employee's MSA. Reduces the limitation on such a deduction by the amount of an employer's contribution (thus allowing both employers and employees to contribute to the employee's MSA). Reduces the minimum deductibles under a high deductible health plan: (1) from $1,500 to $1,000 for self-only coverage; and (2) from $3,000 to $2,000 for family coverage. Allows MSAs to be offered under cafeteria plans. (Sec. 504) Increases the maximum deductibles under a high deductible health plan: (1) from $2,250 to $5,000 for self-only coverage; and (2) from $4,500 to $10,000 for family coverage. Title VI: Patient Access to Information - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require each health insurance issuer offering coverage in connection with a group plan to provide: (1) the plan's Administrator with specified information on plan benefits, a participant's financial responsibilities, legal recourse options available for participants and beneficiaries, and a summary of information available on request; (2) to a participant or to an employee eligible to participate, in certain circumstances, the summary plan description (if requested, in an electronic format); and (3) prior notice to participants of exclusion of a specific drug or biological from any drug formulary that is used in the treatment of a chronic illness or disease.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1999
K-12 Education Excellence Now Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a limited tax credit for the expenses of attending elementary and secondary schools (including qualifying home schooling and teacher-provided materials) and for contributions to charitable organizations which provide scholarships for children to attend such schools.
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
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to restore the link ended by the Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act of 1995 between the rules relating to substantial gainful activity for blind individuals and the rules relating to excess earnings under the social security earnings test for individuals who have attained retirement age (thus allowing blind individuals, once again, to earn up to the social security excess earnings threshold without being regarded as having demonstrated an ability to engage in substantial gainful activity and without losing entitlement to OASDI benefits). Makes this Act effective with respect to taxable years ending after 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1999
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Freedom of Travel Act of 1999 - Amends Federal transportation law to require the Secretary of Transportation to grant 30 additional slot (arrival and departure space) exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in order to enable air carriers to provide daily nonstop air transportation using noise-compliant aircraft between it and an airport that is more than 1,250 miles away if the Secretary finds that the exemptions will: (1) result in air transportation service with domestic network benefits in areas that are more than 1,250 miles from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport; and (2) increase domestic travel options for communities that are more than 1,250 miles from such airport. Provides exemption limitations, including a limitation of no more than two exemptions per hour between 7: 00 a.m. and 9: 59 p.m. for slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Requires exemption decisions to be made by the Secretary within 120 days of application.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Improvement of Classroom Services and Activities Title II: Miscellaneous Provisions Dollars to the Classroom Act - Title I: Improvement of Classroom Services and Activities - Authorizes the Secretary of Education award grants to States for use by States and local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve classroom services and activities for students. (Sec. 102) Requires reservation of specified portions of title I funds for: (1) outlying areas, to be distributed on the basis of their relative need; and (2) the Secretary of the Interior for programs in schools operated or funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Sets forth a formula for distribution of title I funds to States, including a hold harmless provision with respect to amounts received in FY 1999 under current formula grant programs (which are under specified Acts and programs repealed by this Act). Requires States to distribute at least 95 percent of allotted funds to LEAs. Requires States and LEAs to use title I funds to supplement and not to supplant funds from non-Federal sources. Requires State annual reports to the Secretary and specified congressional committees to be made available to parents and the public. (Sec. 103) Requires States to consider certain factors when distributing funds within the State. Sets forth hold-harmless provisions for LEAs with respect to: (1) funds received for FY 1999 under current formula grant programs; and (2) funds the LEA is eligible to receive during FY 1999 through 2003 under multiyear awards made prior to enactment of this Act. Lists local uses of title I funds. Requires LEAs to involve parents and members of the public in planning for the use of title I funds. (Sec. 104) Provides for participation of private school children and teachers in title I activities and services. (Sec. 106) Declares that nothing in this title shall be construed to authorize any Federal officer or employee to require, direct, or control a State, LEA, or school's specific instructional content of pupil performance standards and assessments, curriculum, or program of instruction as a condition of eligibility to receive funds under this title. Prohibits the Secretary from issuing any regulation regarding the type of classroom activities or services that may be assisted under this title. Provides that LEAs shall not be required to provide services under this title through a particular instructional method or in a particular instructional setting in order to receive funding under this title. (Sec. 107) Repeals the following programs under the Goals 2000: Educate America Act: (1) State and local education systemic improvement; (2) parental assistance; and (3) international education exchange and study. Repeals the following programs under the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994: (1) school-to-work opportunities system development and implementation grants to States; (2) Federal implementation grants to local partnerships; and (3) national programs. Repeals the following programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA): (1) demonstrations of innovative practices; (2) innovative elementary school transition projects; (3) Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program, including national programs and State and local activities; (4) Technology for Education, including national programs, State and local programs for school technology resources, Star Schools, Ready-to-Learn Television, telecommunications demonstration project for mathematics, elementary mathematics and science equipment, and elementary and secondary school library media resources; (5) Magnet Schools Assistance; (6) Women's Educational Equity; (7) Innovative Education Program Strategies; (8) Native Hawaiians Education; (9) Alaska Native Education; (10) Fund for the Improvement of Education; (11) Gifted and Talented Education; (12) Arts in Education; (13) Civic Education; (14) Allen J. Ellender Fellowship Program (Close-Up programs for middle and secondary school students and teachers); (15) 21st Century Community Learning Centers; (16) Urban and Rural Education Assistance; (17) National Writing Project; (18) Extended Time for Learning and Longer School Year; (19) Comprehensive Regional Assistance Centers; and (20) Eisenhower Math and Science Regional Consortia. Repeals the Education for Homeless Children program under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. (Sec. 108) Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Miscellaneous Provisions - Authorizes the Secretary to waive statutory or regulatory requirements for a State educational agency (SEA), LEA, or school under certain conditions for specified programs under ESEA and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act. (Sec. 201) Education Flexibility Partnership Demonstration Act - Authorizes the Secretary to allow all 50 States to participate in the Education Flexibility Partnership Demonstration Act program (currently under title III of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, which is repealed by this Act). Directs the Secretary to: (1) review the progress of agencies or schools affected by waivers under title II; and (2) publish and disseminate the decision to grant, or to authorize SEAs to issue, such waivers. (Sec. 202) Amends ESEA to eliminate criteria which a school must meet in order for its LEA to use funds for schoolwide programs at that school.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1999
Truth in Employment Act of 1999 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that nothing in specified prohibitions against unfair labor practices by employers shall be construed as requiring an employer to employ any person who is not a bona fide employee applicant, in that such person seeks or has sought employment with the employer with the primary purpose of furthering another employment or agency status.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1999
Residential Solar Energy Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a limited tax credit for residential solar energy property equal to the sum of: (1) 15 percent of the taxpayer's qualified photovoltaic property expenditures during the taxable year; and (2) 15 percent of the taxpayer's qualified solar water heating property expenditures during the same year.
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
Higher Education Reporting Relief Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the requirement that educational institutions and certain other trades and businesses file returns reporting information about recipients of Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning Credits. Requires taxpayers taking such credits to include on their returns the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of the eligible educational institution concerned.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1999
Urges the Congress and the President, working within the constraints of the balanced budget agreement, to give programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) the highest priority among Federal elementary and secondary education programs by meeting the commitment to fund the maximum State grant allocation for educating children with disabilities under such Act, prior to authorizing or appropriating funds for any new education initiative, while retaining the commitment to fund existing Federal education programs that increase student achievement.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1999
Prohibits funds appropriated or otherwise available to the Department of Defense from being obligated or expended for the deployment of U.S. ground forces in Kosovo unless such deployment is specifically authorized by law enacted after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Federal Prisoner Health Care Copayment Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to assess and collect a fee for health care services provided in connection with each health care visit requested by a prisoner, except for preventative health care services. Requires that each fee assessed be collected by the Director: (1) from the account of the prisoner receiving health care services; or (2) where such services are provided because of an injury inflicted by another prisoner, from the account of the prisoner who inflicted the injury. Sets a minimum fee of two dollars. Specifies that the prisoner's consent shall not be required for the collection of the fee. Specifies that nothing herein may be construed to permit refusal of treatment to a prisoner on the basis that: (1) the prisoner's account is insolvent; or (2) the prisoner is otherwise unable to pay. Requires that sums collected under this Act: (1) be used for restitution of the victims where the prisoner is subject to a restitution order; and (2) be deposited in the Crime Victims Fund (75 percent) and be available to the Attorney General for administrative expenses incurred in carrying out this Act (25 percent) where the prisoner is not subject to such an order. Sets forth reporting requirements by the Director. (Sec. 3) Amends the code to authorize a State or local government to assess and collect a reasonable fee from a Federal prisoner's trust fund account (or institutional equivalent) for health care services if the prisoner is confined in a non-Federal institution under specified circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Dry Cleaning Environmental Tax Credit Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a dry cleaning equipment credit for any taxable year equivalent to 20 percent of the basis of each qualified dry cleaning property placed in service during the year which is designed primarily to dry clean clothing and other fabric if: (1) such equipment does not use any hazardous solvent (a chlorinated or petroleum-based solvent, or any other hazardous or regulated substance) as the primary process solvent; (2) the original use of such property commences with the taxpayer; and (3) with respect to which depreciation (or amortization in lieu of depreciation) is allowable. Excludes from the meaning of hazardous solvent any solvent: (1) not more than ten percent of which consists of petroleum or petroleum derivatives; and (2) which does not contain any substance determined by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' National Toxicology Program, or the director of any other appropriate Federal agency to possess carcinogenic potential in humans, or bioaccumulative properties.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Freedom From Sexual Trafficking Act of 1999 - Declares that the purpose of this Act is to eliminate international sexual trafficking in which women and children are brought across international boundaries by means of force or fraud for purposes of forced prostitution, sexual slavery, and similar practices. (Sec. 4) Sets forth minimum international standards for the elimination of sexual trafficking. (Sec. 5) Establishes in the Office of the Secretary of State an Office for the Protection of Victims of Trafficking, to be administered by a director appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require the Secretary to include in a certain human rights report, among other things, information on sexual trafficking and the efforts of a country to prevent it. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the status of international sexual trafficking, including a list of any countries that do not meet the minimum international standards for the elimination of such trafficking. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 6) Authorizes appropriations for assistance administered through nongovernmental organizations: (1) to foreign countries in programs and activities designed to meet the minimum international standards for the elimination of sexual trafficking, including drafting of legislation to prohibit and punish acts of sexual trafficking, investigation and prosecution of sexual trafficking, and facilities, programs, and activities for the protection of victims; and (2) for programs and activities to assist victims of sexual trafficking in the United States. (Sec. 7) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a nonimmigrant visa category for an alien (including spouse, married and unmarried sons and daughters, and parents of such alien) who the Attorney General determines: (1) is physically present in the United States; (2) is or has been a victim of sexual trafficking; (3) has not unreasonably refused to assist in the investigation or prosecution of acts of sexual trafficking (or has not attained age 14); and (4) would face a significant possibility of retribution or other hardship if removed from the United States. Denies such person eligibility for admission to the United States if there is substantial reason to believe that the person has committed an act of sexual trafficking. Directs the Attorney General to determine whether a ground for inadmissibility exists with respect to such nonimmigrant alien. Authorizes the Attorney General to waive the requirements of this Act if it is in the national interest. Authorizes the Attorney General to adjust the status of the nonimmigrant alien (and spouse, married and unmarried sons and daughters, and parents of such alien) to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States (provided such alien was not a participant in Nazi persecutions or genocide) if such nonimmigrant alien: (1) has been physically present in the United States for a continuous period of at least three years; (2) has, throughout such period, been a person of good moral character; (3) has not, during such period, unreasonably refused to provide assistance in the investigation or prosecution of acts of sexual trafficking; and (4) would face a significant possibility of retribution or other hardship if removed from the United States. (Sec. 8) Declares it to be U.S. policy not to provide nonhumanitarian foreign assistance to countries which do not meet minimum standards for the elimination of sexual trafficking. (Sec. 9) Amends Federal criminal law to subject to both civil (including forfeiture) and criminal penalties anyone who, whether inside or outside the United States, for the purpose of causing a person under age 18 (by fraud, force, or coercion) to engage in a commercial sexual act, knowingly does or attempts or conspires to: (1) transport the person across an international border; (2) recruit, entice, harbor, or engage in the purchase or sale of the person, who will then be or has been transported across an international border; or (3) own, manage, operate, or share in the proceeds of an enterprise in which the person has been transported across an international border.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Authorizes the presiding judge of a U.S. appellate court or U.S. district court to permit the photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting, or televising to the public of court proceedings over which that judge presides. Directs: (1) a district court, upon the request of any witness in a trial proceeding other than a party, to order the face and voice of the witness to be disguised or otherwise obscured to render the witness unrecognizable to the broadcast audience of the trial proceeding; and (2) the presiding judge in a trial proceeding to inform each witness who is not a party of his or her right to make such request. Authorizes the Judicial Conference of the United States to promulgate advisory guidelines to which a presiding judge may refer in making decisions regarding the management and administration of photographing, recording, broadcasting, or televising described in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make revisions concerning the treatment of tip income for specified services, including treating a limited amount of tips as property transferred by gift.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1999
Small Savers Retirement Enhancement Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from $2,000 to $5,000 the annual limits on an individual's contributions to his or her individual retirement account (IRA). Mandates annual indexing of the $2,000 deductible portion of such contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1999
America's Wilderness Protection Act - Releases all areas designated as wilderness study areas as of this Act's enactment date from wilderness area study status on the earlier of: (1) ten years after this Act's enactment date; or (2) the date on which such an area is designated by Act of Congress as wilderness. Requires any wilderness study area designated after this Act's enactment date to remain in such status until the earlier of: (1) ten years after the date of designation; or (2) the date on which the area is designated by Act of Congress as wilderness. Releases any area not designated as wilderness by Act of Congress from such status after such ten-year period.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1999
Enhancement of Trade, Security, and Human Rights Through Sanctions Reform Act - Declares that it is the purpose of this Act to establish an effective framework for consideration by the legislative and executive branches of unilateral economic sanctions in order to ensure coordination of U.S. policy with respect to trade, security, and human rights. (Sec. 3) Declares that it is U.S. policy to: (1) pursue U.S. interests through vigorous and effective diplomatic, political, commercial, charitable, educational, cultural, and strategic engagement with other countries, while recognizing that U.S. national security interests may sometimes require the imposition of economic sanctions on other countries; (2) foster multilateral cooperation on vital matters of U.S. foreign policy, including promoting human rights and democracy, combating international terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and international narcotics trafficking, and ensuring adequate environmental protection; (3) promote U.S. economic growth and job creation by expanding exports of goods, services, and agricultural commodities, and by encouraging investment that supports the sale abroad of U.S. products and services; (4) maintain the reputation of U.S. businesses and farmers as reliable suppliers to international customers of quality products and services; (5) avoid the use of restrictions on exports of agricultural commodities as a foreign policy weapon; and (6) oppose policies of other countries designed to discourage economic interaction with countries friendly to the United States or with any U.S. national, and to avoid use of such measures as instruments of U.S. foreign policy. States that when economic sanctions are necessary, it is U.S. policy to: (1) target them as narrowly as possible on those foreign governments, entities, and officials that are responsible for the conduct being targeted, thereby minimizing unnecessary or disproportionate harm to individuals who are not responsible for such conduct; and (2) to the extent feasible, avoid any adverse impact of economic sanctions on the humanitarian activities of the United States and foreign nongovernmental organizations in a country against which sanctions are imposed. (Sec. 5) Expresses the sense of Congress that any bill or joint resolution imposing or authorizing the imposition of a unilateral economic sanction by the executive branch, and considered by the House of Representatives or the Senate, should: (1) state the U.S. foreign policy or national security objective; (2) terminate after two years unless specifically reauthorized; (3) provide for contract sanctity; (4) provide presidential authority to adjust or waive the sanction in the national interest; (5) target the sanction as narrowly as possible against the parties responsible for the conduct being targeted (without restricting medicine, medical equipment, or food, disaster relief or refugee assistance, or other specified foreign assistance); and (6) provide for expanded export promotion programs if sanctions are likely to target an export market for American farmers. (Sec. 6) Sets forth a procedure for congressional consideration of any bill or joint resolution that imposes, or authorizes the imposition of, any unilateral economic sanction by the executive branch. Requires specified reports: (1) from the President assessing the likelihood that the proposed unilateral economic sanction will achieve its stated objective within a reasonable period of time, as well as the impact of the proposed unilateral economic sanction on U.S. foreign policy, national security, and humanitarian activities; and (2) from the Secretary of Agriculture assessing the extent to which any country or countries proposed or likely to be sanctioned are markets that accounted for more than three percent of all U.S. agricultural export sales in the preceding calendar year, as well as the likelihood that U.S. agricultural exports will be affected by the proposed sanction or by retaliation by any country proposed or likely to be sanctioned, and specific commodities which are most likely to be affected. Considers any bill or joint resolution that imposes any unilateral economic sanction to include a Federal private sector mandate for purposes of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995. Requires the Congressional Budget Office, in its report pursuant to such Act, to assess the likely short- and long-term costs of the proposed sanction to the U.S. economy. (Sec. 7) Requires the President to publish notice in the Federal Register at least 45 days in advance of the imposition of a unilateral economic sanction of his intention to implement such sanction. Authorizes the President to waive such notice in cases where the sanction involves freezing the assets of a foreign country or entity, if it is determined that U.S. national interest would be jeopardized. Requires any executive sanction to include an assessment of whether the sanction is likely to achieve a specific U.S. foreign policy or national security objective within a reasonable and specified period of time. Requires, before imposition of a unilateral economic sanction, that the President and the Secretary of Agriculture report to appropriate congressional committees the same assessments required in connection with any bill or joint resolution imposing or authorizing the imposition of a unilateral economic sanction by the executive branch. Requires the President to request a report by the U.S. International Trade Commission on the likely short- and long-term costs of the proposed sanction to the U.S. economy, including the potential impact on U.S. competitiveness. Provides, in the case of a national emergency, for allowing the President temporarily to waive most of the requirements for executive action in order to act immediately, generally requiring the waived requirements to be met within 60 days after imposition of the sanction (which shall terminate after 90 days if such requirements are not met). Establishes within the executive branch an interagency Sanctions Review Committee to coordinate U.S. policy regarding unilateral economic sanctions and provide appropriate recommendations to the President. (Sec. 8) Authorizes the President to waive any sanction or prohibition contained in specified sections of the Arms Export Control Act, the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, or the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 for periods of six months each if it is determined that it would advance the purposes of such Acts or the national security interests of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1999
Expresses the sense of the Congress with respect to: (1) breaking the cycle of child abuse and neglect; and (2) mobilizing the resources of the faith community, nonprofit organizations, and volunteers in assisting abused and neglected children. Supports the goals and ideas of the Day of Hope and commends Childhelp USA for its efforts on behalf of such children.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1999
Child Custody Protection Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit transporting an individual under age 18 across a State line to obtain an abortion and thereby abridging the right of a parent under a law in force in the State where the individual resides requiring parental involvement in a minor's abortion decision. Makes an exception if the abortion was necessary to save the life of the minor. Specifies that neither the minor transported nor her parent may be prosecuted or sued for a violation of this Act. Makes it an affirmative defense to a prosecution for, or to a civil action based on, such a violation that the defendant reasonably believed that before the individual obtained the abortion, the parental consent or notification or judicial authorization that would have been required had the abortion been performed in the State where the individual resides, took place. Authorizes any parent who suffers legal harm from a violation to obtain appropriate relief in a civil action. Defines "parent" to include a guardian, legal custodian, or person standing in loco parentis who has care and control of the minor, and with whom the minor regularly resides, who is designated by such law as a person to whom notification, or from whom consent, is required.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Expanded Availability of Health Care Services Title II: Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency and Related Provisions Subtitle A: Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Subtitle B: Elimination of Work Disincentives Subtitle C: Work Incentives, Planning, Assistance, and Outreach Title III: Demonstration Projects and Studies Title IV: Technical Amendments Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 - Title I: Expanded Availability of Health Care Services - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for expanding State options under Medicaid for workers with disabilities, namely by creating State options to eliminate income, assets, and resource limitations for workers with disabilities who buy into Medicaid and to provide opportunity for employed individuals with a medically improved disability to make such a buy. Provides that Federal funds paid to a State for medical assistance provided to such individuals may not generally be used to supplant the level of State funds expended for a fiscal year for programs to enable working disabled individuals to work. (Sec. 102) Provides for certain continuation of Medicare coverage for working individuals with disabilities. (Sec. 103) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) award grants to eligible States to support establishment of State infrastructures to support the working disabled as well as to enable State outreach campaigns on infrastructure existence; and (2) submit a recommendation to specified congressional committees on whether such grant program should be continued after FY 2010. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 104) Authorizes State demonstration projects for certain Medicaid coverage of up to a specified maximum number of workers with a potentially severe disability, coverage equal to that afforded under the State option provided for above for eliminating income, assets, and resource limitations for disabled workers buying into Medicaid. Makes necessary appropriations. Title II: Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency and Related Provisions - Subtitle A: Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency - Amends part A (General Provisions) of SSA title XI to direct the Commissioner to establish a Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program (TWSSP) under which a disabled beneficiary may use a TWSSP ticket issued by the Commissioner under a described system, designed to ensure quality assurance, to obtain employment, vocational rehabilitation services, or other support services, pursuant to an appropriate individual beneficiary work plan that meets specified requirements, at the Commission's expense, from a participating employment network, public or private, which: (1) meets specified qualifications and is under an agreement with the Commissioner who must select a program manager to assist in administering TWSSP; (2) is chosen by the beneficiary, and (3) is willing to accept assignment of the beneficiary's TWSSP ticket. Allows State agencies administering or supervising the administration of the State plan under title I of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to elect to participate as an employment network. Sets forth special requirements applicable to cross-referral to certain State agencies and requirements relating to provision of services. Describes employment network payment systems. Provides that during any period for which an individual is using a TWSSP ticket, the Commissioner and any applicable State agency may not initiate a continuing disability or similar review with regards to whether the individual is or is not disabled. Requires payments to employment networks to be made out of the social security trust funds in the case of ticketed SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) disability beneficiaries who return to work, or from the appropriation made available for making Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments under SSA title XVI, in the case of SSI disability beneficiaries who return to work. Provides for allocation of other costs. (Sec. 202) Establishes within the Social Security Administration the Work Incentives Advisory Panel to advise the Commissioner with respect to TWSSP, and other Federal officials on related issues. Provides that the costs for carrying out this paragraph shall be paid from amounts available for the administration of SSA titles II and XVI, and shall be allocated among those amounts as appropriate. Subtitle B: Elimination of Work Disincentives - Amends SSA titles II and XVI to set forth a number of measures designed to eliminate work disincentives, namely prohibiting work activity as a basis for review of an individual's disability status and providing for expedited reinstatement of entitlement, or in the case of SSI, eligibility, to, respectively, OASDI and SSI disability benefits. Subtitle C: Work Incentives Planning, Assistance, and Outreach - Amends SSA title XI part A (General Provisions) to direct the Commissioner to establish a community-based work incentives outreach program for disabled beneficiaries that includes the provision of technical assistance to organizations and entities that are designed to encourage disabled beneficiaries to return to work. Provides that the costs of carrying out this subtitle shall be paid from amounts made available for administration of SSA titles II and XVI, and shall be allocated among such amounts as appropriate. (Sec. 222) Amends SSA title XI to authorize the Commissioner to make certain minimum payments in each State to the protection and advocacy system established under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act for the purpose of providing services to disabled beneficiaries, services which may include advocacy or other services that such a beneficiary may need to secure or regain gainful employment. Provides for funding similar to that in the paragraph above, although subject to certain limitation. Title III: Demonstration Projects and Studies - Amends SSA title II to provide for a permanent extension of disability insurance program demonstration project authority. Directs the Commissioner to develop and carry out experiments and demonstration projects, subject to specified guidelines which include the authority to waive compliance with benefits requirements, with regard to various alternative methods of treating the work activity of individuals entitled to OASDI disability benefits, altering other limitations and conditions applicable to such individuals, and implementing sliding scale benefit offsets. Authorizes the Commissioner to expand the scope of any such experiment or demonstration project to include any group of OASDI benefit applicants with impairments that reasonably may be presumed to be disabling for purposes of such demonstration project, and may limit any such demonstration project to any such group of applicants, subject to the terms of such demonstration project which shall define the extent of any such presumption. (Sec. 302) Directs the Commissioner to conduct certain demonstration projects designed to provide for specified reductions in disability insurance benefits based on earnings. Requires expenditures for such demonstration projects to come out of the social security and Medicare trust funds to the extent provided in advance in appropriation acts. (Sec. 303) Directs the Comptroller General to conduct and report to the Congress on various described studies and other specified related matters, but chiefly studies concerning existing disability-related employment incentives and coordination of the OASDI disability insurance program and the SSI program as they relate to individuals entering or leaving concurrent entitlement under such programs, as well as on a study concerning the impact of the substantial gainful activity limit on return to work. Title IV: Technical Amendments - Amends the Contract with America Advancement Act of 1996 with respect to: (1) final adjudication of denied claims by drug addicts and alcoholics for SSA title II disability benefits; and (2) the effective dates of certain requirements concerning representative payees and treatment referrals for such individuals. (Sec. 402) Amends SSA title II to: (1) provide for payments to State and local prisons for monthly reports on the identities of inmates whose OASDI benefits are determined by the Commissioner not to be payable as a result of such reports; (2) provide for a 50 percent reduction in such payments under SSA titles II and XVI in cases involving a comparable payment under the other title with respect to the same prisoner; (3) transfer from the OASDI trust funds any sums necessary to enable the Commissioner to make such payments; (4) eliminate the requirement that confinement stem only from a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year (thus denying OASDI benefits to individuals confined for any criminal offense); and (5) provide for continued denial of benefits to sex offenders remaining confined to public institutions upon completion of prison term. (Sec. 403) Provides for a two-year open season for members of the clergy who wish to revoke their exemption from social security coverage. (Sec. 404) Amends SSA title XI to make a miscellaneous technical amendment relating to cooperative research or development projects under SSA titles II and XVI. (Sec. 405) Amends SSA title XI to make miscellaneous technical amendments to provisions concerning the requirements of State income and eligibility verification systems, among other changes allowing a State to permit certain employers that make returns with respect to domestic service employment taxes on a calendar year basis to instead make such reports on an annual basis.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1999
Requires the Department of State to raise the matter of Zachary Baumel (a U.S. citizen), Yehuda Katz, and Zvi Feldman with the appropriate government officials of Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, and with other governments in the region and elsewhere which in the Department's view may be helpful in locating and securing the return of these soldiers. Urges decisions with regard to U.S. economic and other forms of assistance to such countries and U.S. policy towards these governments and authorities to take into consideration their willingness to assist in locating and securing the return of such soldiers. Requires the Department to report to specified congressional committees on its consultations with the appropriate governments and any affected U.S. policies.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1999
Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 1999 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit the use of appropriated funds for: (1) any system to implement the Act that does not require and result in the immediate destruction of all information submitted by or on behalf of any person who has been determined not to be prohibited from owning a firearm; and (2) the implementation or collection of any tax or fee by any Federal officer, agent, or employee, or by any State or local officer or agent acting on behalf of the United States, in connection with such implementation. Authorizes any person aggrieved by a violation of this Act to bring an action in Federal district court and, if successful, to receive damages, punitive damages, and such other remedies as the court may determine to be appropriate, including a reasonable attorney's fee.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1999
American Sovereignty Restoration Act of 1999 - Repeals: (1) the United Nations Participation Act of 1945; (2) the United Nations Headquarters Agreement Act; (3) the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization Act; and (4) the United Nations Environment Program Participation Act of 1973. Directs the President to terminate U.S. participation in the United Nations (UN), including any organ, specialized agency, commission, or other affiliated body. Requires closure of the United States Mission to the UN. Prohibits the authorization of funds for the U.S. assessed or voluntary contribution to the UN. Prohibits: (1) the authorization of funds for any U.S. contribution to any UN military operation; and (2) the expenditure of funds to support the participation of U.S. armed forces as part of any UN military or peacekeeping operation. Bars U.S. armed forces from serving under UN command. Prohibits the use of any U.S. facility or property by the UN or any of its affiliated agencies. Repeals diplomatic immunity for foreign UN employees (including families or servants of such employees). Terminates the United States: (1) membership in World Health Organization (WHO); and (2) participation in all conventions and-or agreements with the UN. Declares that nothing in this Act shall affect the rights regarding reemployment of employees with the Government after service with an international organization. Requires the Secretary of State to notify the UN of the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1999
Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage Extension Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the time limitation on Medicare benefits for immunosuppressive drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to give States the option of making medical assistance for breast and cervical cancer-related treatment services available during a presumptive eligibility period to certain low-income women without creditable coverage who have already been screened for such cancers under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention breast and cervical cancer early detection program and need treatment. Provides for an enhanced match with regard to such Medicaid treatment services.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 1999 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or local governments. Directs the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to determine whether State law provides specified rights and responsibilities for public safety officers, including: (1) granting public safety employees the right to form and join a labor organization which excludes management and supervisory employees, and which is, or seeks to be, recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for such employees; and (2) requiring public safety employers to recognize and agree to bargain with the employees' labor organization. (Sec. 5) Requires the FLRA to issue regulations establishing collective bargaining procedures for public safety employers and employees in States that do not substantially provide for such public safety employee rights and responsibilities. Directs the FLRA, in such cases, to: (1) determine the appropriateness of units for labor organization representation; (2) supervise or conduct elections to determine whether a labor organization has been selected as an exclusive representative by a majority of the employees in an appropriate unit; (3) resolve issues relating to the duty to bargain in good faith; (4) conduct hearings and resolve complaints of unfair labor practices; and (5) resolve exceptions to arbitrator's awards. Grants a public safety employer, employee, or labor organization the right to seek enforcement of such FLRA regulations and authority through appropriate State courts. (Sec. 6) Prohibits public safety employers, employees, and labor organizations from engaging in lockouts or strikes. (Sec. 7) Provides that existing collective bargaining units and agreements shall not be invalidated by this Act. (Sec. 9) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
Constitutional Amendment - Requires that any bill, resolution, or other legislative measure changing the internal revenue laws shall require for final adoption in each House the concurrence of two-thirds of the Members of that House voting and present, unless the bill is determined at the time of adoption, in a reasonable manner prescribed by law, not to increase the internal revenue by more than a de minimis amount. States that for purposes of determining any increase, there shall be excluded any increase resulting from the lowering of an effective rate of any tax. Requires journal entry of any vote. Permits the waiver of such requirement, for up to two years, if there is a declaration of war or if the United States is engaged in a military conflict which causes an imminent and serious threat to national security and is so declared by a joint resolution which becomes law.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
Recognizes the historic significance of the first anniversary of the Good Friday Peace Agreement. Salutes British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and the elected representatives of the political parties in Northern Ireland for creating the opportunity for a negotiated peace. Commends Senator George Mitchell for his leadership on behalf of the United States in guiding the parties toward peace. Congratulates the people of the Republic of Ireland and of Northern Ireland for their commitment to work together in peace. Reaffirms the bonds of friendship and cooperation that exist between the United States and the Governments of the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a limited credit for "qualified medical innovation expenses." Defines such expenses as amounts paid by a taxpayer to any qualified academic institution for clinical testing research activities.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1999
Date Certain Tax Code Replacement Act - Prohibits the imposition of any tax by the Internal Revenue Code: (1) for any taxable year beginning after December 31, 2002; and (2) in the case of any tax not imposed on the basis of a taxable year, on any taxable event or for any period after December 31, 2002. Excepts the: (1) tax on self-employment income (chapter 2 of the Code); (2) Federal Insurance Contributions Act (chapter 21 of the Code); and (3) Railroad Retirement Tax Act (chapter 22 of the Code). Declares that any new Federal tax system should be: (1) a simple and fair system; and (2) approved by the Congress in its final form no later than July 4, 2002.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1999
Firearms Heritage Protection Act of 1999 - Prohibits civil actions from being brought against a manufacturer or seller of a firearm or ammunition, or a component thereof, that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce (a firearm), or a trade association of such manufacturers or sellers, for damages resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm. Requires dismissal of any such action that is pending on the date of this Act's enactment. Specifies an exception with respect to actions against persons who transfer a firearm knowing that it will be used to commit a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1999
Permits the organizers of Sunrayce 99 to sponsor a free public event with solar-powered cars, for the opening ceremonies for Sunrayce 99, on the Capitol grounds on June 20, 1999.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
Workplace Preservation Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Labor from promulgating, through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, any standard or guideline on ergonomics until the National Academy of Sciences completes a study and submits a report to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
Enumerated Powers Act - Requires each Act of Congress to contain a concise and definite statement of the constitutional authority relied upon for the enactment of each portion of that Act. Declares that failure to comply with this requirement shall give rise to a point of order in either House of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
Keep Drug Needles Off the Streets Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit Federal funds from being expended to carry out any program of distributing sterile needles or syringes for the hypodermic injection of illegal drugs.
![Official portrait of Rep. Salmon, Matt [R-AZ-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000018_200.jpg)