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United States · Official source
1,529 records where Rep. Sandlin, Max [D-TX-1] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2001
Children's Access to Technology Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to allow unexpended universal service funds to be used (within certain monetary limits) by schools in low-income areas to acquire information services, including devices necessary to access and use such services.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2001
Ovarian Cancer Research and Information Amendments of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for ovarian cancer research. Specifies material to be included in ovarian cancer information and education programs. Requires the National Cancer Advisory Board to include at least one member who is at high risk for developing ovarian cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2001
Tax Deduction Fairness Act of 2001 - 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 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 · 31 January 2001
Recognizes the importance of veterans to the United States. Expresses support for the goals of Veterans Educate Today's Students Day (programs that educate children about the service of veterans and the sacrifices made by them and their families).
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2001 - Permits retired members of the armed forces with service-connected disabilities to be paid both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation. Repeals a special compensation program for certain severely disabled military retirees.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Breastfeeding Promotion Act - Title I: Amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 - Pregnancy Discrimination Act Amendments of 2001 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include lactation (including expression of milk) within the definitions of "because of sex" or "on the basis of sex" for purposes of such Act. Title II: Credit for Employer Expenses for Providing Appropriate Environment on Business Premises for Employed Mothers to Breastfeed or Express Milk for Their Children - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow a limited credit to employers for expenses incurred in enabling employed nursing mothers to breastfeed. Title III: Safe and Effective Breast Pumps - Safe and Effective Breast Pumps Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services: (1) to put into effect a performance standard for breast pumps irrespective of the class to which the breast pumps have been classified under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; and (2) to issue a compliance policy guide which will assure that women who want to breastfeed a child are given full and complete information respecting breast pumps. Title IV: Definition of Medical Care in Internal Revenue Code Expanded to Include Breastfeeding Equipment and Services - Expands the IRC definition of medical care to include qualified breastfeeding equipment and services.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Right Start Act of 2001 - Extends authorizations of appropriations for: (1) the Head Start Act; (2) the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990; (3) funding for child care under the Social Security Act; and (4) the Early Learning Opportunities Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) revise the formula to increase the dependent care income tax credit for certain taxpayers, indexed for inflation, with an even greater credit for employment-related dependent care expenses; (2) allow a minimum dependent care income tax credit for stay-at-home parents; (3) provide for advance payment by the employer of an employee's dependent care income tax credit; and (4) allow a business-related tax credit for employer-provided child care expenditures. Family Income to Respond to Significant Transitions Insurance Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to make grants to a State or local government to pay for the Federal share of the cost of carrying out projects that assist families by providing wage replacement for eligible individuals responding to caregiving needs resulting from the birth or adoption of a son or daughter or other family caregiving needs. Family and Medical Leave Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to extend coverage to employees at worksites where the employer employs at least 25 (currently 50) employees at the worksite and within 75 miles of that worksite. Time for Schools Act of 2001 - Amends FMLA to allow employees covered by such Act to take up to 24 hours, during any 12-month period, of school involvement leave to participate in: (1) an academic activity of their child's school, such as a parent-teacher conference or an interview for a school; or (2) literacy training under a family literacy program. Amends Federal civil service law to provide the same school involvement leave allowance for Federal employees. Amends FMLA and Federal civil service law to entitle to leave those employees who must address the effects of domestic violence.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Taxpayers' Cancer Research Funding Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain individuals to designate that five dollars (ten dollars in the case of joint returns) be paid over to the Breast and Prostate Cancer Research Fund established by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Broadband Internet Access Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the broadband credit which shall be the sum of: (1) the current generation broadband credit; plus (2) the next generation broadband credit. Defines terms.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Postmasters Fairness and Rights Act of 2001 - Amends Federal law to prescribe guidelines within which the Postal Service shall propose changes in pay policies, schedules, and fringe benefit programs affecting postmasters which are to be in effect during the period covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the Postal Service and certain recognized bargaining representatives. Grants certain qualified postmasters' organizations the right to participate in program planning and development pertaining to pay policies, schedules, and fringe benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2001
Expresses support for Federal funding of pluripotent stem cell research.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Violence Against Women Office Act - Establishes within the Department of Justice (DOJ) a Violence Against Women Office. Specifies the duties of the Office Director, including carrying out DOJ functions under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and on matters relating to violence against women.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2001 - Requires the amount of any claim, final judgment, award, or compromise settlement paid to any current or former Federal employee or applicant in connection with specified anti-discrimination and whistle blower protection proceedings to be reimbursed to the fund established for such payments out of the operating expenses of the agency to which the discriminatory conduct is attributable.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
National Science Education Act - Amends the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (NSFA) to establish and expand programs relating to science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education. Establishes in NSF a working group to review and coordinate regular and supplemental curricula in kindergarten through the 12th grade for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. Requires the NSF Director to: (1) make grants to State or local educational agencies (SEAs or LEAs) or private elementary or middle schools to hire master teachers to provide support for teachers of mathematics, science, engineering, or technology programs, and in-classroom assistance and oversight of hands-on inquiry materials, equipment, and supplies; (2) subject to appropriations, make demonstration project grants to eligible LEAs; (3) with the Secretary of Education, compile and disseminate information on standard prerequisites for middle school and high school students who seek to enter a course of study at an institution of higher education in science, mathematics, engineering, or technology education to teach in an elementary or secondary school, and State licensing requirements for such teachers; (4) make an agreement for National Academy of Sciences compilation and evaluation of studies on the effectiveness of technology in the classroom on learning and student performance; (5) establish a program under which grants may be made for instruction of teachers for grades kindergarten through the 12th grade in the use of technology in the classroom; (6) convene a National Science Education Forum; and (7) make available through the Internet a complete field-test version of any curricular program developed with NSF funds. Authorizes the Director to award grants to: (1) secondary school and college students working with university faculty, software developers, and experts in educational technology, or to such faculty, developers, and experts working with such students, to develop high-quality educational software and Internet web sites, with priority given to mathematics, science, engineering, and technology software and sites; (2) States for assisting middle school teacher training in technology, to help reach the goal of making all middle school graduates technology-literate; and (3) SEAs or LEAs or private elementary, middle, or secondary schools, under any NSF education and human resources grant program, for distance learning integration into the education process in kindergarten through the 12th grade. Directs the President, acting through the NSF, to provide scholarships to teachers at public and private schools in kindergarten through the 12th grade to participate in Federal, State, or private research programs. Requires the Director to establish an Internet web site for use by students and teachers participating in such program.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Amends Federal employee provisions to include the following as an employee, for purposes of authorized enrollment under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: (1) a member of the armed forces who began service before June 7, 1956, and retired after a minimum of 20 years of such service or by reason of a service-connected disability; and (2) the surviving widow or widower of such member. Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide FEHB coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
National Improvement in Mathematics and Science Teaching Act of 2001 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish various programs for improvement of science and mathematics education. Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) make grants to States for improvement and recruitment of quality teachers in science and mathematics education; (2) make grants to States for professional development of mathematics and science teachers; (3) establish, in cooperation with the Director of the National Science Foundation, 15 John Glenn Academies, and make grants to such Academies for summer workshops for mathematics and science education teachers and for intensive, year-long fellowships for 3,000 individuals to prepare them to meet State certification requirements for teaching mathematics or science in grades seven through 12; (4) establish and operate a National Clearinghouse of Best Practices to coordinate successful and proven professional development opportunities for teachers, collect, and disseminate curricular materials, and undertake other activities to encourage teacher interest and involvement in professional development, particularly for mathematics and science teachers of grades seven through 12; (5) make grants to States to improve science and mathematics education, and encourage more students to enter the fields of mathematics, science, and technology; and (6) make grants to local educational agencies for subgrants to public elementary and secondary schools to promote both achievement equity and gender equity in mathematics and science education. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish: (1) a tax credit for businesses that employ science, mathematics, and technology teachers in summer fellowships related to their fields of teaching; and (2) a fair market value tax deduction for charitable contributions of science, mathematics, or technology equipment to public elementary and secondary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Amendments of 2001 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code, and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit group and individual health plans from imposing treatment limitations or financial requirements on the coverage of mental health benefits, or substance abuse and chemical dependency benefits, if similar limitations or requirements are not imposed on medical and surgical benefits. Amends the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1986 to provide for coordination in implementation of such amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
National Science Education Enhancement Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), with respect to teacher professional development activities, to include support for mentoring activities for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology teachers. Includes information on model science, mathematics, engineering, and technology teacher mentoring programs among the information which the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education (Clearinghouse) is required to disseminate. Includes such mentoring programs under teacher professional development program requirements for State plans, accountability reports, and local activities. Revises ESEA provisions for the allocation and use of funds for the Clearinghouse. Requires such funds to be used to: (1) solicit and gather qualitative and evaluative materials and programs, review their evaluation, rank their effectiveness, and distribute results of reviews, as well as excerpts of materials and links to Internet sites and information on-line communities of users to teachers; and (2) establish an Internet site offering a search mechanism to assist site visitors in identifying information on science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education instructional materials and programs, including electronic links to information on classroom demonstrations and experiments, teachers who have used materials or participated in programs, vendors, curricula, and textbooks. Directs the Clearinghouse to give particular attention to the effective use of materials and technology in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education. Directs the National Academy of Sciences to study and report on the Clearinghouse. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants for summer professional development institutes for teachers. Includes providing technology training software and instructional materials to teachers among local uses of ESEA school technology resource grants. Requires a portion of each ESEA 21st Century Community Learning Centers program grant to be used to provide after-school day care services that focus on science activities. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to treat technology training, tutoring teachers in the uses of classroom technology, as community service by college students under the work-study program. Increases funding for such program and reserves the amount of such increase to compensate students employed in technology training or tutoring teachers in the uses of classroom technology. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to study and report to Congress on specified aspects of a comprehensive approach to providing technologically competent teachers for U.S. schools.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Arctic Coastal Plain Domestic Energy Security Act of 2001- Declares that it is the policy of the United States to permit exploration, development, production, and transportation of oil and gas resources in a designated area of the Coastal Plain Study Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to establish and implement a competitive oil and gas leasing program. Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to repeal the prohibition against production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and any leasing or development leading to such production. States that Congress determines that the Coastal Plain oil and gas leasing program and activities authorized by this Act are compatible with the purposes for which the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was established, and that no further findings or decisions are required to implement this determination. States that this Act is the sole authority for Coastal Plain leasing. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) designate a maximum total of Coastal Plain acreage as "Special Areas" and close them to leasing if the Secretary determines that they require special management and regulatory protection; and (2) permit leasing in those Special Areas by setting lease terms that restrict surface use and occupancy but permit the use of horizontal drilling technology from lease sites located outside the Special Areas. Declares that this Act constitutes the Secretary's sole authority to close Coastal Plain lands to oil and gas leasing and to exploration, development, and production. Directs the Secretary to grant rights-of-way and easements across the Coastal Plain for oil and gas transportation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Community Protection Act of 2001- Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize qualified law enforcement officers (including qualified retired officers) carrying the photographic identification issued by the governmental agency for which the individual is, or was, employed as a law enforcement officer, notwithstanding State or local laws, to carry a concealed firearm that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce. Specifies that this Act shall not be construed to supersede or limit the laws of any State that: (1) permit private persons or entities to prohibit or restrict the possession of concealed firearms on their property; or (2) prohibit or restrict the possession of firearms on any State or local government property, installation, building, base, or park.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Women's Right To Know Act of 2001 - Amends title XI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit a governmental authority, in or through any program or activity that provides health care services or information, from limiting the right of any person to provide or to receive nonfraudulent information about the availability of reproductive health care services, including family planning, prenatal care, adoption, and abortion services.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Citizens' Self-Defense Act of 2001 - Declares that a person not prohibited under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act from receiving a firearm shall have the right to obtain firearms for security and to use firearms in defense of: (1) self or family against a reasonably perceived threat of imminent and unlawful infliction of serious bodily injury; (2) self or family in the course of the commission by another person of a violent felony against the person or a member of the person's family; and (3) the person's home in the course of the commission of a felony by another person. Authorizes persons whose rights under this Act have been violated to bring an action in U.S. district court against the United States, any State, or any person for damages, injunctive relief, and such other relief as the court deems appropriate. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the award of attorney's fees; and (2) the statute of limitations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Self-Employed Health Affordability Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the deduction allowed for the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals to 100 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Medicare HMO Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with regard to contracts with Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) provide for extension of the initial Medicare+Choice contract period from one year to three years; and (2) require termination of any contract with an organization that terminates coverage for any part of a metropolitan statistical area (or a New England County Metropolitan Area). Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to delay the effectiveness of a Medicare+Choice organization's termination of its plan with respect to all individuals in an area, if: (1) the termination would cause an imminent and serious health risk to enrollees; (2) the termination would result in a significant reduction in the Medicare+Choice plans available in the area affected; or (3) the chief executive officer of the State in which the termination occurs requests such a delay. Provides for continuity of care, for a limited period, in certain cases of involuntary termination (other than for cause) of an individual's enrollment with a Medicare+Choice plan.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the wholesale distributor of certain drugs who is not the manufacturer or an authorized distributor of record for a calendar year (currently, the language "for a calendar year" is not in the Act) of a drug to provide to the recipient of the drug a statement identifying each prior sale, purchase, or trade of such drug.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
National Science Education Incentive Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) permit an eligible science, engineering, math, or technology teacher a limited credit for undergraduate tuition; and (2) permit an elementary and secondary science, mathematics, engineering, and technology credit (SMET) credit for qualified contributions of property or service to qualified elementary and secondary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the credit for increasing research activities. Increases the alternative incremental credit rates.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Baseball Diplomacy Act - Waives certain foreign assistance and trade and travel prohibitions against Cuba under specified Federal law with regard to certain transactions, including: (1) Cuban nationals who enter the United States on visas to play organized professional baseball; and (2) the return of their baseball earnings to Cuba. Prohibits the President from denying visas to such nationals based upon authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to restrict any entry of aliens or class of aliens that would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. Declares that this Act shall not be affected by the economic embargo requirements against Cuba under the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the full realization of the rights of women is vital to the development and well-being of people of all nations; and (2) the Senate should give its advice and consent to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2000
Expresses the condolences of Congress on the death of the Honorable Henry Barbosa Gonzalez on November 28, 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2000
Campaign Telemarketers Disclosure Act of 2000 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require disclosure during any such telephone call of the identification of persons financing certain campaign-related telephone calls.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2000
Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Beneficiary Protection Act of 2000 - Title I: Medicare Beneficiary Improvements - Subtitle A: Improved Preventive Benefits - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for: (1) coverage of biennial screening pap smear and pelvic exams; (2) coverage of screening for glaucoma; (3) coverage of screening colonoscopy for average risk individuals; (4) revision of payments and standards for screening mammography; (5) coverage of medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with diabetes or a renal disease; and (6) extension of Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) coverage for workers with disabilities. Subtitle B: Other Beneficiary Improvements - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for: (1) acceleration of reduction of beneficiary copayment for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services; (2) preservation of coverage of drugs and biologicals under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); (3) elimination of time limitation on Medicare benefits for immunosuppressive drugs; (4) imposition of billing limits on drugs; and (5) availability of application forms for medical assistance for Medicare cost-sharing. (Sec. 116) Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to provide for a waiver of 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage of individuals disabled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Subtitle C: Demonstration Projects and Studies - Outlines: (1) a Health and Human Services (HHS) demonstration project for disease management for severely chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries; (2) HHS demonstration projects for cancer prevention and treatment for ethnic and racial minorities; (3) a National Academy of Sciences study on the addition of coverage of routine thyroid screening using a thyroid stimulating hormone test as a preventive benefit provided to Medicare beneficiaries; (4) a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) study on consumer coalitions in marking Medicare+Choice (SSA title XVIII part C) plans; (5) an HHS study on the effect of limitations on State payment for Medicare cost-sharing on access to services for qualified Medicare beneficiaries; (6) HHS studies on preventive interventions in primary care for older Americans; and (7) a MEDPAC study on Medicare coverage of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation therapy services. Title II: Rural Health Care Improvements - Subtitle A: Critical Access Hospital Provisions - Amends SSA title XVII to: (1) prohibit beneficiary cost-sharing for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished by critical access hospitals; (2) increase the amount a critical access hospital may elect to be paid for outpatient critical access hospital (OCAH) services with respect to the fee schedule payment for OCAH professional services; (3) exempt critical access hospital swing beds from the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS); (4) provide for payment in critical access hospitals for emergency room on-call physicians; and (5) provide for the treatment of ambulance services furnished by certain critical access hospitals. (Sec. 206) Requires the General Accounting Office (GAO) to conduct a study on certain eligibility requirements for critical access hospitals. Subtitle B: Other Rural Hospitals Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services to provide for: (1) application of a uniform threshold for urban and rural hospitals to be classified as disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs) for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2001; (2) adjustment of payment formulas for various specified hospitals, including hospitals that are both sole community hospitals and rural referral centers for discharges occurring during such period; (3) an option to base eligibility for the Medicare dependent, small rural hospital program on discharges during two of the three most recently audited cost reporting periods; and (4) extension of the option to use rebased target amounts to all sole community hospitals. (Sec. 214) Directs MEDPAC, in its study and report to Congress on rural providers under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999, to analyze the impact of volume on the per unit cost of rural hospitals with psychiatric units, and recommend whether special treatment for such hospitals may be warranted. Subtitle C: Other Rural Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to special payment rules for particular items and services to provide transitional assistance for providers of ambulance services in rural areas. (Sec. 222) Amends SSA title XVIII part B with regard to the use of carriers for administration of benefits concerning payment for certain physician assistant services. (Sec. 223) Amends BBA'97 to: (1) set a time limit for Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services; and (2) provide for an expansion of Medicare payment for such services. (Sec. 224) Amends SSA title XVIII part B to provide for expanding access to rural health clinics. (Sec. 225) Directs MEDPAC to study the effect of low patient and procedure volume on the financial status of low-volume, isolated rural health care providers participating in Medicare. Title III: Provisions Relating to Part A - Subtitle A: Inpatient Hospital Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for elimination of the reduction in the PPS hospital payment update. (Sec. 301) Directs the Secretary, when rebasing and revising the hospital market basket index, to consider the prices of blood and blood products purchased by hospitals and to determine whether those prices are adequately reflected in such index. Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services and updating previous standardized amounts to provide for: (1) an adjustment for inpatient case mix changes; (2) modification of the transition for indirect medical education percentage adjustment for DSHs; and (3) decreases in reductions for DSH payments. (Sec. 304) Provides for a three-year effective period for any decision of the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board to reclassify a DSH for purposes of adjusting the diagnosis-related group (DRG) prospective payment rate for hospital wage level area differences for FY 2001 or any fiscal year thereafter. Requires the Secretary to establish procedures under which a DSH hospital may elect to terminate such reclassification before the end of such period. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a process under which an appropriate statewide entity may apply to have all the geographic areas in a State treated as a single geographic area for purposes of computing and applying the area wage index; and (2) provide for the collection of data every three years on occupational mix for employees of each DSH in the provision of inpatient hospital services in order to construct an occupational mix adjustment in the applicable hospital area wage index. (Sec. 305) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to prospective payment for inpatient rehabilitation hospital services and: (1) assistance with administrative costs associated with completion of patient assessment; as well as (2) a rehabilitation facility election to apply full prospective payment rate without phase-in. (Sec. 306) Provides that, with respect to the inpatient services of psychiatric hospitals and certain psychiatric units, in making incentive payments to such hospitals for cost reporting periods from October 1, 2000, through October 1, 2001, the Secretary shall increase the percent of the target amount used in determining such payments. (Sec. 307) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for: (1) increased target amounts and caps for long-term care hospitals before implementation of the PPS required under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 for payment for inpatient hospital services provided in long-term care hospitals; (2) alternative implementation of such PPS by the Secretary based on the use of existing hospital DRGs that have been modified; and (3) increase in the base payment for Puerto Rico DSH hospitals. Subtitle B: Adjustments to PPS Payments for Skilled Nursing Facilities - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment to SNFs for routine service costs to revise updating requirements, among other changes eliminating the reduction in the skilled nursing facility market basket update in 2001. (Sec. 311) Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the adequacy of Medicare payment rates to SNFs and the extent to which Medicare contributes to the financial viability of such facilities. (Sec. 312) Directs the Secretary to increase the nursing component of the case-mix adjusted Federal prospective payment rate specified in the final rule published in the Federal Register by the Health Care Financing Administration on July 31, 2000, effective for services furnished on or after April 1, 2001, and before October 1, 2002. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct an audit for Congress of nursing staffing ratios in a representative sample of Medicare SNFs. (Sec. 313) Amends SSA title XVIII to limit application of the SNF consolidated billing requirement to a period during which the resident is provided Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) covered post-hospital extended care services. Requires the Secretary to monitor payments made under Medicare part B for items and services furnished to SNF residents during a time in which they are not being provided Medicare covered post-hospital extended care services, in order to ensure that there is not duplicate billing for services or excessive services provided. (Sec. 314) Provides that, for purposes of computing payments for certain covered SNF services, the Secretary shall increase the adjusted Federal per diem rate for covered SNF services for specified RUG-III (resource utilization group) rehabilitation groups furnished to an individual during the period in which such individual is classified in such a RUG-III category. Directs the HHS Inspector General to review the Medicare payment structure for services classified within RUGs and report to Congress on whether payment incentives exist for the delivery of inadequate care. (Sec. 315) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a procedure for the geographic reclassification of a SNF for purposes of payment for covered SNF services under the PPS for SNFs for routine service costs. Subtitle C: Hospice Care - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a full market basket increase for hospice care for FY 2001 and 2002. (Sec. 322) Requires that the certification regarding an individual's terminal illness be based on the physician's or medical director's clinical judgment regarding the normal course of the illness. (Sec. 323) Directs MEDPAC to conduct a study on the factors affecting the use of hospice benefits under Medicare program and differences in such use between urban and rural hospice programs and based upon the presenting condition of the patient. Subtitle D: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a reduction in Medicare part A late enrollment premium increases (penalty) for a qualified State or local government retiree group in the case where a State, a local government, or an agency or instrumentality of a State or local government, determines to pay, for the life of each individual in such a group, the monthly premiums due. (Sec. 332) Outlines provisions for hospital geographic reclassification for labor costs applicable to other PPS systems and for grants to States for improvements in nursing home staffing and quality. Title IV: Provisions Relating to Part B - Subtitle A: Hospital Outpatient Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to the PPS for hospital OPD services to provide for: (1) a full market basket increase for such services for 2001; (2) adjustment for service mix changes; (3) use of categories in determining eligibility of a device for pass-through payments; (4) application of OPD PPS transitional corridor payments to certain hospitals that did not submit a 1996 cost report; (5) treatment of children's hospitals under the PPS; (6) inclusion of temperature monitored cryoablation in transitional pass-through for certain medical devices, drugs, and biologicals under the PPS; and (7) the Secretary to create additional groups of covered OPD services that classify separately those procedures that utilize contrast media from those that do not. (Sec. 404) Provides that, for purposes of making determinations of provider-based status under Medicare on or after October 1, 2000, any facility or organization that is treated as provider-based in relation to a hospital or critical access hospital under Medicare as of October 1, 2000: (1) shall continue to be treated as provider-based in relation to such hospital or critical access hospital under Medicare during the two year period beginning on October 1, 2000; and (2) the requirements, limitations, and exclusions specified in appropriate Federal regulations detailing requirements for a determination that a facility or an organization has provider-based status shall not apply to such facility or organization in relation to such hospital or critical access hospital until after the end of such two- year period. Prohibits a facility or organization for which a determination of provider-based status in relation to a hospital or critical access hospital is requested during FY 2001 or 2002 from being treated as not having such status in relation to such a hospital for any period before a determination is made with respect to such status pursuant to such request and in making a determination with respect to such status for any facility or organization in relationship to such a hospital on or after October 1, 2000, the facility or organization shall be treated as satisfying any requirements and standards for geographic location in relation to such a hospital if the facility or organization: (1) satisfies appropriate Federal regulations pertaining to location in immediate vicinity or is located not more than 35 miles from the main campus of the hospital or critical access hospital; and (2) is owned and operated by a hospital or critical access hospital that meets specified criteria. Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Physicians' Services - Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study on: (1) the appropriateness of furnishing in physicians' offices specialist physicians' services which are ordinarily furnished in hospital outpatient departments; and (2) the refinements to the practice expense relative value units during the transition to a resource-based practice expense system for physician payments under Medicare. (Sec. 412) Amends SSA title XVIII to require the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects to test and, if proven effective, expand the use of incentives to health care groups participating in Medicare that: (1) encourage coordination of the care furnished to individuals under Medicare parts A and B by institutional and other providers, practitioners, and suppliers of health care items and services; (2) encourage investment in administrative structures and processes to ensure efficient service delivery; and (3) reward physicians for improving health outcomes. (Sec. 413) Directs the Comptroller General to study the current Medicare enrollment process for groups that retain independent contractor physicians with particular emphasis on hospital-based physicians. Subtitle C: Other Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a one-year extension of the moratorium on certain physical therapy services caps. (Sec. 421) Directs the Secretary to study the implications: (1) of eliminating the "in the room" supervision requirement for Medicare payment for services of physical therapy assistants supervised by physical therapists; and (2) of such requirement on the cap imposed under Medicare on physical therapy services. (Sec. 422) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to Medicare coverage for end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to increase the update for dialysis services furnished on or after January 1, 2001. Directs the Secretary to: (1) collect data and develop an ESRD market basket whereby the Secretary can estimate, before the beginning of a year, the percentage by which the costs for the year of the mix of labor and nonlabor goods and services included in the ESRD composite rate will exceed the costs of such mix for the preceding year; and (2) develop a system which includes in such composite rate, to the maximum extent feasible, payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and drugs that are routinely used in furnishing dialysis services to Medicare beneficiaries, but which are currently separately billable by renal dialysis facilities. (Sec. 423) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment for ambulance services to provide for: (1) restoration of the full consumer price index (CPI) increase for 2001; and (2) continued phase-in of the application of the payment rates under the ambulance services fee schedule in an efficient and fair manner; except that when the Secretary implements such fee schedule, such phase-in shall provide for full payment of any national mileage rate for ambulance services provided by suppliers that are paid by carriers in any of the 50 States where payment by a carrier for such services for all such suppliers in such State, before the fee schedule's implementation, did not include a separate amount for all mileage within the county from which the beneficiary is transported. (Sec. 424) Prohibits the Secretary from implementing a revised PPS for services of ambulatory surgical facilities before January 1, 2002. Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 with respect to the phase-in of the PPS for ambulatory surgical centers to: (1) extend the phase-in to four years; and (2) direct the Secretary, by January 1, 2003, to incorporate data from a 1999 Medicare cost survey or a subsequent cost survey for purposes of implementing or revising such PPS. (Sec. 425) Amends SSA title XVIII, with respect to special payment rules for particular items and services, to provide for: (1) the full update for durable medical equipment, orthotics, and prosthetics in 2001; and (2) addition of special payment provisions and requirements for prosthetics and certain custom fabricated orthotic items. (Sec. 428) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the replacement of, and payment for, prosthetic devices and parts. (Sec. 429) Directs the Comptroller General to study the reimbursement for drugs and biologicals under the current Medicare payment methodology and for related services under Medicare part B, with recommendations for revised payment methodologies. Directs the Secretary to revise such payment methodology based on such recommendations. (Sec. 430) Amends SSA title XVIII part D (Miscellaneous) to revise the qualifications for community mental health centers under provisions defining partial hospitalization services. (Sec. 431) Makes a hospital or a free-standing ambulatory care clinic, whether operated by the Indian Health Service or by an Indian tribe or tribal organization, eligible for payments for services for which payment is made under Medicare part B for physicians' services if and for so long as it meets all of the requirements which are applicable generally to such payments, services, hospitals, and clinics. (Sec. 432) Directs the Comptroller General to study the effect on Medicare and on Medicare beneficiaries of coverage of surgical first assisting services of certified registered nurse first assistants. (Sec. 433) Directs MEDPAC to study the appropriateness of: (1) the current Medicare payment rates for services provided by a certified nurse-midwife, a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner, and a clinical nurse specialist; and (2) Medicare coverage for services provided by a surgical technologist, a marriage counselor, a marriage and family therapist, a pastoral care counselor, and a licensed professional counselor of mental health. (Sec. 435) Directs the Comptroller General to study: (1) the costs of providing emergency and medical transportation services across the range of acuity levels of conditions for which such transportation services are provided; (2) the post-payment audit process under Medicare as such process applies to physicians; and (3) the aggregate effects of regulatory, audit, oversight, and paperwork burdens on physicians and other health care providers participating in Medicare. (Sec. 437) Directs MEDPAC to study the barriers to coverage and payment for outpatient interventional pain medicine procedures under Medicare. Title V: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Subtitle A: Home Health Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for a two-year additional delay in the application of the 15 percent reduction on payment limits for home health services. (Sec. 501) Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 to delay for an additional year the 15 percent reduction in payment rates for home health services after implementation of the PPS. Requires the Comptroller General, instead of the Secretary (as currently required), to report to Congress an analysis of the need for such a reduction. Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the PPS for home health services concerning the annual update to provide for an adjustment for case mix changes. (Sec. 502) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for restoration of the full home health market basket update for home health services for FY 2001. Establishes a special rule for payment under the PPS for home health services for FY 2001 based on adjusted prospective payment amounts. (Sec. 503) Provides for a temporary two-month extension of periodic interim payments under BBA '97 in the case of a home health agency receiving periodic interim payments as of September 30, 2000. (Sec. 504) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the use of telehealth in the delivery of home health services. (Sec. 505) Directs the Comptroller General to study variations in prices paid by home health agencies furnishing home health services under Medicare in purchasing nonroutine medical supplies and volumes if such supplies used determine the effect (if any) of variations on prices and volumes in the provision of such services. (Sec. 506) Provides that, in determining for Medicare purposes whether an office of a home health agency constitutes a branch office or a separate home health agency, neither the time nor distance between a parent office of the home health agency and a branch office shall be the sole determinant of a home health agency's branch office status. (Sec. 507) Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the Medicare home health benefit to declare that absences from home to receive medical treatment shall not disqualify an individual from such benefit. (Sec. 508) Provides for a temporary payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area for2001 and 2002. Subtitle B: Direct Graduate Medical Education - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for an increase in the floor for direct graduate medical education payments for FY 2002. (Sec. 512) Changes the distribution formula for Medicare+Choice-related nursing and allied health education costs. Subtitle C: Changes in Medicare Coverage and Appeals Process - Amends SSA title XVIII to revise the Medicare appeals process. Provides for initial determinations of entitlement and benefits by the Secretary, by a utilization and quality control peer review organization, or by an independent contractor. Provides for redeterminations of denied benefit claims. Specifies appeal rights, including the right of an individual to request a medically exigent review from the contractor who made the initial determination. (Sec. 522) Provides for the review of coverage determinations under the Medicare appeals process. Amends SSA title XI to require any advisory committee on certain Medicare coverage exclusions to: (1) assure the full participation of a nonvoting member in its deliberations; and (2) provide such nonvoting member access to all information and data (with certain exceptions) made available to the committee's voting members. Provides that, if such committee organizes into panels of experts according to types of items or services, any such panel may report directly to the Secretary without prior approval. Subtitle D: Improving Access to New Technologies - Amends SSA title XVIII to establish a new payment rule for any clinical diagnostic laboratory test performed on or after January 1, 2001, that is a new test for which no limitation amount has previously been established. (Sec. 531) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish procedures for coding and payment determinations for the categories of new clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and new durable medical equipment under Medicare part B that permit public consultation in a manner consistent with the procedures established for implementing coding modifications for ICD-9-CM; and (2) report to Congress on the specific procedures used under Medicare part B to adjust payments for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and durable medical equipment which are classified to existing codes where, because of a technology advance, there has been a significant increase or decrease in the resources used in the test or in the manufacture of the equipment, and a significant improvement in test or equipment performance. (Sec. 532) Directs the Secretary to: (1) maintain and continue through December 31, 2003, the use of level III codes of the HCPCS (Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Common Procedure Coding System) coding system (as such system was in effect on August 16, 2000); and (2) make such codes publicly available. (Sec. 533) Directs the Secretary to: (1) report to Congress on methods of expeditiously incorporating new medical services and technologies into the clinical coding system used with respect to Medicare payment for inpatient hospital services, together with a detailed description of the Secretary's preferred methods to achieve this purpose; and (2) implement such preferred methods. Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to establish a mechanism to recognize the costs of new medical services and technologies with respect to inpatient hospital services under the hospital reimbursement control system. Subtitle E: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to reduce from 45 percent to 30 percent the reduction in the amount of bad debts otherwise treated as allowable costs attributable to the deductibles and coinsurance amounts under Medicare for FY 2001 and subsequent fiscal years in determining the reasonable costs of outpatient hospital services (thus increasing by 15 percent the amount that may be reimbursed). (Sec. 542) Provides for the treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare. (Sec. 543) Amends SSA title XI to make permanent the authority for the Secretary to issue written advisory opinions under provisions for guidance regarding application of health care fraud and abuse sanctions. (Sec. 544) Amends SSA title XVIII to make various specified changes in annual MEDPAC reporting with regard to revision of deadlines for submission of reports and on the record votes on recommendations. (Sec. 545) Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the development of standard instruments for the assessment of the health and functional status of patients, for whom specified items and services are furnished. (Sec. 546) Directs the Comptroller General to report to specified congressional committees on the effect of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act on hospitals, emergency physicians, and physicians covering emergency department call throughout the United States. (Sec. 547) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to agreements with providers of services to provide for the application of the bloodborne pathogen standard to certain hospitals. Title VI: Provisions Relating to Part C (Medicare+Choice Program) and Other Medicare Managed Care Provisions - Subtitle A: Medicare+Choice Payment Reforms - Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) increase the payment amount for 2001 through 2003 for accountable Medicare+Choice coordinated care plans; and (2) provide for a ten-year phase-in of risk adjustment. (Sec. 603) Provides for a transition to revised Medicare+Choice payment rates. (Sec. 604) Amends SSA title XVIII part C to provide for revision of payment rates for ESRD patients enrolled in Medicare+Choice plans. (Sec. 605) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to premiums to permit Medicare part B premium reductions as additional benefits under Medicare+Choice plans. (Sec. 606) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) ensure full implementation of risk adjustment methodology for congestive heart failure enrollees for 2001; and (2) provide for the expansion of the application of Medicare+Choice's new entry bonus. (Sec. 608) Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on a method to phase-in the costs of military facility services furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and those furnished by the Department of Defense, to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in the calculation of an area's Medicare+Choice capitation payment. Subtitle B: Other Medicare+Choice Reforms - Amends SSA title XVIII part C to provide for payment of additional amounts for new Medicare+Choice benefits covered during a contract term. (Sec. 612) Prohibits the Secretary from implementing, other than at the beginning of a calendar year, regulations that impose significant regulatory requirements on a Medicare+Choice organization or plan. (Sec. 613) Provides for timely approval of marketing material that follows model marketing language, and for avoiding duplicative regulation with respect to plan requirements. (Sec. 615) Provides that, in the case of a Medicare+Choice organization that offers a Medicare+Choice plan in an area in which more than one local coverage policy is applied with respect to different parts of the area, the organization may elect to have the local coverage policy for the part of the area that is most beneficial to Medicare+Choice enrollees apply with respect to all Medicare+Choice enrollees enrolled in the plan. (Sec. 616) Requires: (1) the quality assurance program under the Medicare+Choice program to include a separate focus on racial and ethnic minorities; and (2) the Secretary to submit to Congress a report regarding how such quality assurance programs focus on racial and ethnic minorities. (Sec. 617) Authorizes the Secretary to waive or to modify requirements that hinder the design of, the offering of, or enrollment in Medicare+Choice plans under contracts between Medicare+Choice organizations and employers, labor organizations, or the trustees of a fund established by one or more employers or labor organizations (or combination thereof) to furnish benefits to the entity's employees, former employees (or combination thereof) or to members or former members (or combination thereof) of the labor organizations. (Sec. 618) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with regard to special Medicare supplemental health insurance enrollment anti-discrimination provision for certain beneficiaries. (Sec. 619) Amends SSA title XVIII part C to restore the effective date of elections and changes of elections of Medicare+Choice plans. (Sec. 620) Permits ESRD beneficiaries to enroll in another Medicare+Choice plan if the plan in which they are enrolled is terminated. (Sec. 621) Provides that, in covering post-hospital extended care services, a Medicare+Choice plan shall provide for such coverage through a home SNF if: (1) the enrollee elects to receive such coverage through such SNF; and (2) the SNF has a contract with the Medicare+Choice organization for the provision of such services, or the SNF agrees to accept substantially similar payment under the same terms and conditions that apply to similarly situated SNFs under contract with the Medicare+Choice organization through which the enrollee would otherwise receive such services. (Sec. 622) Directs HCFA's Chief Actuary to review the actuarial assumptions and data used by the Medicare+Choice organization with respect to such rates, amounts, and values to determine the appropriateness of such assumptions and data. (Sec. 623) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for civil monetary penalties for contract default by a Medicare+Choice organization. Subtitle C: Other Managed Care Reforms - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 to provide for a one-year extension of the social health maintenance organization demonstration project authority. (Sec. 632) Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 to provide for revised terms and conditions for extension of Medicare community nursing organization demonstration project. (Sec. 633) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to provide for a two-year extension of Medicare municipal health services demonstration projects. (Sec. 634) Amends SSA title XVIII part D with regard to payments to health maintenance organizations and competitive medical plans and service area expansion for Medicare cost contracts during transition period. Title VII: Medicaid - Amends SSA title XIX with respect to DSH payments and: (1) continuation of Medicaid DSH allotments at FY 2000 levels for FY 2001 and 2002; and (2) a special rule for Medicaid DSH allotment for extremely low DSH States. (Sec. 701) Outlines provisions for: (1) assuring identification of Medicaid managed care patients for purposes of making DSH payments; (2) application of the Medicaid DSH transition rule to public hospitals in all States; (3) assistance for certain public hospitals; and (4) DSH payment accountability standards. (Sec. 702) Amends SSA title XIX to create a new PPS for Federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics. (Sec. 703) Amends SSA XI to establish an approval process for a State's application for an extension of any State-wide comprehensive demonstration project for which a waiver of compliance with Medicaid requirements is granted. (Sec. 704) Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 with respect to Medicaid county-organized health systems. (Sec. 705) Directs the Secretary to issue a final regulation based on the proposed rule announced on October 5, 2000, that: (1) modifies the upper payment limit test applied to State Medicaid spending for inpatient hospital services, outpatient hospital services, nursing facility services, intermediate care facility services for the mentally retarded, and clinic services by applying an aggregate upper payment limit to payments made to government facilities that are not State-owned or operated facilities; and (2) provides for a specified transition period. (Sec. 706) Prescribes a formula for the Federal medical assistance percentage for Alaska for purposes of SSA titles XIX and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP), which shall apply only for FY 2001 through 2005. (Sec. 707) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for optional coverage of legal immigrants under Medicaid. (Sec. 708) Makes additional entities qualified to determine Medicaid presumptive eligibility for low-income children. (Sec. 709) Provides for a one year extension of provisions on eligibility for medical assistance under Medicaid. (Sec. 710) Includes as Medicaid medical assistance any services furnished by a physician assistant which the assistant is legally authorized to perform under State law and with the supervision of a physician. (Sec. 711) Gives States the option of allowing families of disabled children to purchase Medicaid coverage for such children. Title VIII: State Children's Health Insurance Program - Amends SSA title XXI to: (1) establish a rule for redistribution and extended availability of unused FY 1998 and 1999 SCHIP allotments; (2) provide authority to pay Medicaid expansion SCHIP costs from SCHIP appropriations; (3) eliminate requirement to reduce a SCHIP allotment by Medicaid expansion SCHIP costs; (4) provide authority to transfer SCHIP appropriations to the Medicaid appropriation account as reimbursement for Medicaid expenditures for Medicaid expansion SCHIP services; and (5) provide optional coverage of certain legal immigrants under SCHIP. Title IX: Other Provisions - Subtitle A: PACE Program - Amends BBA '97 with respect to programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE programs) to provide for an extension of transition for the current PACE demonstration project waiver authority. (Sec. 902) Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payments to, and coverage of benefits under, PACE programs, and regulations and use of PACE protocol to provide for the continuation of modifications or waivers of operational requirements under demonstration status. (Sec. 903) Directs the Secretary to approve or deny a request for a modification or a waiver of provisions of the PACE protocol not later than 90 days after the Secretary receives the request, in order to provide flexibility in exercising waiver authority. Permits the Secretary to exercise authority to modify or to waive such provisions in a manner that responds promptly to the needs of PACE programs relating to areas of employment and the use of community-based primary care physicians in order to provide flexibility in exercising waiver authority. Subtitle B: Outreach to Eligible Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries - Amends SSA title XI to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to: (1) conduct outreach efforts to identify individuals entitled to Medicare benefits who may be eligible for medical assistance for payment of the cost of Medicare cost-sharing under Medicaid; and (2) notify such individuals of the availability of such medical assistance. (Sec. 911) Directs the Comptroller General to study the impact of such outreach efforts on the enrollment of individuals for Medicare cost-sharing under Medicaid. Subtitle C: Maternal and Child Health Block Grant - Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to increase the authorization of appropriations for the Maternal and Child Health Services block grant for FY 2001 and each fiscal year thereafter. Subtitle D: Diabetes - Amends the Public Health Service Act to increase FY 2001 through 2003 appropriations for special diabetes programs for children with type I diabetes and for special diabetes programs for Indians. (Sec. 931) Amends BBA '97 to extend the final report on diabetes grant programs. (Sec. 932) Amends the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998 to make appropriations to the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund for FY 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2000
Adoption Does Offer Potential Treasures Act - Title I: Adoption Promotion - Adoption Promotion Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an adoption awareness program through a grants program to eligible private entities. Establishes the Adoption Awareness Commission to review and make recommendations to the Secretary regarding grant applicants. Authorize appropriations. Title II: Adoption Credit, and Exclusion for Adoption Assistance Programs, Expanded and Made Permanent - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the tax credit allowable for adoption expenses and the amount of their exclusion from gross income; (2) increase the income category of taxpayers eligible for such credit; and (3) repeal the termination date for such tax incentives (thus making them permanent).
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2000
Medicare Disability Eligibility Waiting Period Reduction Act of 2000 - Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) and XVIII (Medicare) to reduce the waiting period for benefits from 24 to 18 months for individuals with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2000
Calls upon the President to: (1) take all appropriate action to provide relief from injury caused by steel imports; and (2) immediately request the U.S. Trade Commission to commence an expedited investigation for positive adjustment of such steel imports under section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2000
Bring Our Children Home Act - Amends the Federal judicial code to provide that a contestant may bring an action in district court to determine which of conflicting State court child custody determinations shall prevail. Directs the Attorney General (AG) to establish a registry for all custody orders entered by State courts. Authorizes law enforcement officers of a State or local government to hold, for no more than 24 hours, any child listed as missing for proper disposition under the latest valid custody determination. Requires the Secretary of State to prepare a report on progress made by the United States in negotiating and entering into bilateral treaties relating to international child abduction with countries that are not contracting parties under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require information on each country's efforts to prohibit international child abduction. Requires the AG to prepare a report describing the status of each case involving a request for extradition in cases involving international kidnaping by parents.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2000
Renames the Stewart B.McKinney Homeless Assistance Act as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2000
Veterans Commemoration Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue a maximum of 500,000 $1 coins to commemorate the service of veterans of the United States armed forces. Mandates that the proceeds from sale surcharges be paid promptly to the Disabled American Veterans to fund the transportation of veterans to and from hospitals administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2000
Energy Security for American Consumers Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the credit for producing fuel from a nonconventional source to include qualified fuels which are produced from a well drilled after the date of enactment of this Act and before January 1, 2011, or which are produced from a facility placed in service after the enactment of this Act and before January 1, 2011, and which are sold before January 1, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2000
Taxpayers' Choice Debt Reduction Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an individual to designate three dollars on his or her income tax return (six dollars on a joint return) to be used to reduce the public debt of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2000
Authorizes Frederick Douglass Gardens, Inc., to establish a memorial and gardens on Department of the Interior lands in the District of Columbia or its environs in honor and commemoration of Frederick Douglass.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2000
Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 2000 - Title I: Provisions Relating to Part A - Subtitle A: Skilled Nursing Facilities - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with regard to eliminating the reduction in the skilled nursing facility (SNF) market basket update. (Sec. 102) Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 (BBRA) to revise the BBRA increase for SNFs in FY 2001 and 2002. (Sec. 103) Requires a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) study and report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Congress on nursing home costs to determine the adequacy of Medicare payment rates for items and services furnished by SNFs. Grants the Secretary the authority to make payment adjustments for covered SNF services if appropriate as a result of the study. Subtitle B: PPS Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) revise the reduction of indirect graduate medical education payments; (2) eliminate the reduction in the Prospective Payment System (PPS) hospital payment update; (3) eliminate the reduction in disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments; and (4) change the payment formulas for DSH hospitals; and (5) modify the payment rate for Puerto Rico hospitals. (Sec. 115) Increases the DSH allotments under Medicaid for the District of Columbia. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) to provide for the optional eligibility of certain alien pregnant women and children for Medicaid and SCHIP. (Sec. 117) Requires a MedPAC study on hospital area wage indexes for a report to the Secretary and Congress. Subtitle C: PPS Exempt Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the treatment of certain cancer hospitals (Sec. 122) Makes certain changes with regard to the PPS for inpatient rehabilitation services and payment during the transition period under current law. Subtitle D: Hospice Care - Amends SSA title XVIII to revise payments for hospice care. Subtitle E: Other Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to outline various provisions concerned with: (1) hospital compliance with the Bloodborne Pathogens standard; (2) an Informatics and Data Systems Grant Program; and (3) relief from the Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) late enrollment penalty for a group buy-in for State and local retirees. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle F: Transitional Provisions - Reclassifies certain counties and areas in specified States (including the Boston and Barnstable-Yarmouth Metropolitan Statistical Areas) for purposes of reimbursement under the Medicare program. Title II: Provisions Relating to Part B - Subtitle A: Hospital Outpatient Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for reduction of the effective hospital outpatient department (HOPD) coinsurance rate to 20 percent by 2019. (Sec. 202) Revises the formula for calculating the base payment-to-cost-ratio component of HOPD PPS transitional corridor payments to include in such formula (and so cover) certain hospitals that did not submit cost reports for 1996. (Sec. 203) Provides a permanent guarantee of pre-Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA '97) payment levels for HOPD services furnished by children's hospitals. Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Physicians - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to grant medical students a deferment on their student loans for a period not to exceed the length of their full initial residency period. (Sec. 212) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on: (1) the post-payment audit process under Medicare as it applies to physicians; and (2) the aggregate effects of regulatory, audit, oversight, and paperwork burdens on physicians and other health care providers participating in Medicare. (Sec. 213) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the refinements to the practice expense relative value units during the transition to a resource-based practice expense system for physician payments under Medicare. Subtitle C: Ambulance Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to the establishment of a fee schedule for ambulance services to allow a supplier of ambulance services to elect to forego phase-in of such schedule and receive payments based only upon it. (Sec. 222) Establishes a prudent layperson standard for emergency ambulance services. (Sec. 223) Eliminates the reduction in inflation adjustments for ambulance services. (Sec. 224) Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the means by which rural areas with low population densities can be identified for the purpose of designating areas in which the cost of providing ambulance services would be expected to be higher than similar services provided in more heavily populated areas because of low usage. (Sec. 225) Outlines provisions for interim payments for rural ground ambulance services until such time as the established fee schedule is modified by a specified regulation. (Sec. 226) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the costs of providing emergency and medical transportation services across the range of acuity levels of conditions for which such transportation services are provided. Subtitle D: Preventive Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) prohibit deductibles and coinsurance for various specified preventive benefits; (2) add lancets to the definition of durable medical equipment; and (3) provide coverage of counseling for cessation of tobacco use, glaucoma detection tests, and medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with diabetes, a cardiovascular disease, or a renal disease. (Sec. 235) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a series of studies, for an annual report to the Congress, designed to identify preventive interventions that can be delivered in the primary care setting that are most valuable to older Americans; and (2) contract with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to study and report periodically to the President on current literature and best practices in the field of health promotion and disease prevention among Medicare beneficiaries. (Sec. 237) Provides for fast-track consideration of preventive benefit legislation resulting from recommendations accompanying such study reports. Subtitle E: Other Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to: (1) revision of the moratorium on caps for therapy services; (2) revision of coverage of immunosuppressive drugs; (3) extension of certain secondary payer requirements; (4) State accreditation of diabetes self-management training programs; (5) elimination of the reduction in payment amounts for orthotics and prosthetics, parenteral and enteral nutrients, supplies, and equipment and oxygen and oxygen equipment; (6) standards regarding payment for certain orthotics and prosthetics; (7) revision of the definition of orthotics; (8) new pap smear technologies and other new clinical laboratory test technologies; (9) increase in payments for certified nurse-midwife services; and (10) payment for administration services associated with chemotherapy and for blood clotting drug-related activities. (Sec. 249) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the provision of in-home infusion therapy nursing services. (Sec. 250) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for Medicare coverage of vision rehabilitation services. (Sec. 251) Amends SSA title XVIII part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) with respect to the amounts of part B premiums to limit the Medicare late enrollment penalty to ten percent and twice the period of no enrollment. Title III: Provisions Relating to Parts A and B - Subtitle A: Home Health Services - Amends SSA title XVIII to eliminate a specified 15 percent reduction in cost and per beneficiary limits with respect to payment rates for home health services under the Medicare PPS. (Sec. 302) Provides for additional payments: (1) for outliers; and (2) under the PPS for services furnished in rural areas and security services. (Sec. 304) Excludes from the Medicare PPS certain nonroutine medical supplies furnished by a home health agency. Details certain study and reporting requirements with regard to such exclusion. (Sec. 305) Declares that, with regard to eligibility for Medicare home health benefits, any absence of an individual from the home attributable to health care treatment, including regular absences for such treatment in an adult day-care program, shall not disqualify the individual from being considered confined to home. (Sec. 306) Directs the Secretary to establish standards for the operation of a branch office, a service site for home health services controlled and supervised by a home health agency. (Sec. 307) Provides for the treatment of home health services provided in certain counties in the State of New York. (Sec. 308) Permits a home health agency to receive Medicare payments for a home health service furnished via a telecommunications system. Subtitle B: Direct Graduate Medical Education - Provides that, for cost reporting periods between October 1, 2000, and October 1, 2005, in applying the limitations regarding the total number of full-time equivalent interns and residents in the field of allopathic or osteopathic medicine under Medicare for a hospital, the Secretary shall not take into account a maximum of three interns or residents in the field of geriatric medicine to the extent the hospital increases the number of geriatric interns or residents above the number of such interns or residents for the hospital's most recent cost reporting period ending before October 1, 2000. (Sec. 312) Amends SSA title XI part A (General Provisions) to establish a program of payments to children's hospitals that operate graduate medical education programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 313) Provides that, effective for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1999, for purposes of Medicare payments to hospitals for costs of approved educational activities, such activities shall include the clinical portion of professional educational training programs recognized by the Secretary for clinical psychologists. (Sec. 314) Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the treatment of certain newly established residency programs in computing Medicare payments for the costs of medical education. (Sec. 315) Revises the limitation during FY 1997 on allopathic and osteopathic residents for payment of both the indirect and direct costs of graduate medical education at an accredited community health center, if the hospital conducting the residency program incurred all or substantially all of the training costs. Subtitle C: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to provide for a waiver of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage of individuals disabled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Title IV: Rural Provider Provisions - Subtitle A: Critical Access Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to payments to critical access hospitals for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests. (Sec. 402) Amends SSA title XVIII, as amended by BBRA, to revise the payment for professional services provided by a critical access hospital. (Sec. 403) Amends SSA title XVIII to permit critical access hospitals to operate PPS-exempt distinct part psychiatric and rehabilitation units. Subtitle B: Medicare Dependent, Small Rural Hospital Program - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) make the Medicare-dependent, small rural hospital program permanent; and (2) give any hospital under such program the option of basing eligibility for payment on discharges during any of the three most recent audited cost reporting periods in lieu of the current basing of eligibility for payment on discharges during the cost reporting period beginning in FY 1987. Subtitle C: Sole Community Hospitals - Amends SSA title XVIII to extend the option to use rebased target amounts to all sole community hospitals. (Sec. 422) States that, for purposes of discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2000, the Greensville Memorial Hospital located in Emporia, Virginia, shall be deemed to have satisfied the travel time criteria under applicable Medicare provisions for classification as a sole community hospital. Subtitle D: Other Rural Hospital Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII to exempt Medicare swing bed hospitals from the PPS for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). (Sec. 431) Amends BBRA to make January 1, 2001, the effective date of the elimination of certain restrictions with respect to the hospital swing bed program. (Sec. 432) Amends SSA title XVIII to mandate pre-BBA '97 payment levels for outpatient services furnished by rural hospitals. (Sec. 433) Provides for the treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare. Subtitle E: Other Rural Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to bonus payments in the case of physicians' services furnished to an individual who is covered under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) and who incurs expenses for such services in a health professional shortage area. Extends such bonus payments to physician assistant and nurse practitioner services. Eliminates the requirement to make such payments on a monthly or a quarterly basis. (Sec. 442) Modifies: (1) the exemption to the limits established on payment for provider-based rural health clinic services in the case of such clinics in rural hospitals with less than 50 beds; and (2) payment for certain physician assistant services. (Sec. 444) Excludes clinical social worker services and worker services performed under a contract with a rural health clinic or a Federally-qualified health center from the PPS for SNFs. (Sec. 445) Covers marriage and family therapist services provided in rural health clinics under Medicare. (Sec. 446) Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to: (1) create a capital infrastructure revolving loan program for rural entities for projects for capital improvements; (2) provide for grants to assist eligible small rural hospitals in offsetting the costs of establishing data systems to implement PPSs under Medicare, and to comply with administrative simplification requirements under Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice), or to reduce medication errors; (3) provide for grants to eligible small rural hospitals to provide relief for financial distress that has a negative impact on access to care for Medicare beneficiaries who reside in a rural area. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 449) Amends BBA '97 to revise provisions for Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services with respect to: (1) the methodology for determining the amount of payments; (2) reimbursement for Medicare beneficiaries who do not reside in a health professional shortage area; (3) telehealth coverage for direct patient care; (4) eligibility for telehealth reimbursement for all physicians and practitioners; and (5) telehealth services provided using store-and-forward technologies. (Sec. 450) Directs MEDPAC to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on the effect of low patient and procedure volume on the financial status of low-volume, isolated rural health care providers participating in Medicare. Title V: Provisions Relating to Part C (Medicare+Choice Program) and Other Medicare Managed Care Provisions - Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) with regard to eligibility, election, and enrollment to provide for restoring the effective date of elections and changes of elections of Medicare+Choice plans. (Sec. 502) Amends SSA title XVIII part D (Miscellaneous) with regard to certification of Medicare supplemental health insurance (Medigap) policies. Sets forth a special Medigap enrollment anti-discrimination provision for certain beneficiaries. (Sec. 503) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to: (1) increase the national per capita Medicare+Choice growth percentage in 2001 and 2002; and (2) modify area-specific and national percentages provisions with respect to calculation of annual Medicare+Choice capitation rates. (Sec. 505) Delays from July 1, 2000, to November 1, 2000, the deadline for a Medicare+Choice organization to withdraw the offering of a Medicare+Choice plan under part C (or otherwise to submit information required for the offering of such a plan) for 2001. (Sec. 506) Amends SSA title XVIII to make certain amounts in the Medicare trust funds available for the Secretary's share of Medicare+Choice education and enrollment-related costs. (Sec. 507) Amends BBRA to revise terms and conditions for extension of Medicare community nursing organization demonstration projects. (Sec. 508) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to modify payment rules for certain frail elderly Medicare beneficiaries. Title VI: Provisions Relating to Individuals with End-Stage Renal Disease - Amends SSA title XVIII part D with respect to Medicare coverage for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to change the methodology for determining the update in the renal dialysis composite rate for end state renal dialysis services furnished after January 1, 2001. (Sec. 602) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with regard to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations to provide for revision of payment rates for ESRD patients enrolled in Medicare+Choice plans. (Sec. 603) Permits ESRD beneficiaries to enroll in another Medicare+Choice plan if the plan in which they are enrolled is terminated. (Sec. 604) Amends SSA title XVIII part B to provide for the coverage of certain vascular access services for ESRD beneficiaries provided by ambulatory surgical centers. (Sec. 605) Directs the Secretary to: (1) collect information on the satisfaction of each ESRD Medicare beneficiary with the quality of health care under the original fee-for-service Medicare program and the Medicare+Choice program, and the access of each beneficiary to that care; (2) analyze such information to determine, among other things, the kinds of health care that each nondialysis health care provider provides to each ESRD Medicare beneficiary for the treatment of ESRD and each comorbidity and the quality of health care provided to each such beneficiary enrolled under the Medicare+Choice program compared to each beneficiary enrolled under the original fee-for-service Medicare program; and (3) make such information collected and analysis conducted available to the public each year. Title VII: Access to Care Improvements Through Medicaid and SCHIP - Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to create a new PPS for federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics. (Sec. 702) Amends SSA title XIX to make permanent the extension of eligibility for medical assistance, and give States the option of electing a 12-month initial eligibility period in lieu of the current six month initial eligibility period. (Sec. 703) Amends SSA title XIX with regard to State Medicaid plans to provide for coordination with Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) under SSA title XXI of the application of resource and income eligibility standards for certain Medicaid-eligible individuals under certain conditions, as well as providing for the automatic reassessment of eligibility for Medicaid and SCHIP benefits for children losing Medicaid- or SCHIP-eligibility. (Sec. 704) Amends SSA titles XIX and XXI to qualify additional entities to determine presumptive eligibility for low-income children under Medicaid and SCHIP. (Sec. 705) Amends SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to: (1) increase the authorization of appropriations; and (2) provide for coordination with Medicaid and SCHIP. (Sec. 706) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for increased access to Medicare cost-sharing assistance for low-income beneficiaries. (Sec. 707) Provides for: (1) optional State Medicaid coverage of breast and cervical cancer prevention and treatment coverage for certain breast and cervical cancer patients; (2) optional State Medicaid presumptive eligibility for certain breast or cervical cancer patients; and (3) an enhanced Federal match to be used under SCHIP with respect to medical assistance provided to such breast and cervical cancer patients receiving such optional State Medicaid coverage. (Sec. 708) Revises Medicaid coverage of services furnished by certified nurse practitioners, including coverage of services furnished by clinical nurse specialists. Title VIII: Other Provisions - Amends the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998 to make appropriations to the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund for FY 2001. (Sec. 802) Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to increase appropriations for special diabetes programs for children with type 1 diabetes and for Indians. (Sec. 803) Directs the Secretary to award demonstration grants to up to seven States to conduct innovative programs designed to improve outreach to homeless individuals and families under specified Social Security programs with respect to enrollment and the provision of services under such programs. Makes appropriations. (Sec. 804) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and PHSA to prohibit health insurance provided through a managed care organization under a group health plan, or through a health insurance issuer providing coverage in connection with a group health plan, (and, for the PHSA, health insurance in the individual market) from denying coverage of services provided by a continuing care retirement community or other qualified facility if they are: (1) post-hospitalization services in the same community or facility as in pre-hospitalization; (2) skilled nursing services, without a preceding hospitalization, which are necessary to prevent hospitalization; or (3) furnished in the same facility the participant's or beneficiary's spouse already resides in. Makes the prohibition: (1) depend on whether such services are otherwise covered; and (2) regardless of whether the organization is under contract with the community or facility. Prohibits related denial of enrollment or renewal, incentives to enrollees, and penalties or incentives to physicians. Declares that State laws are not preempted which meet certain requirements, including any more protective of participants or beneficiaries than those of this Act. Provides for enforcement. (Sec. 805) Directs the Secretary to award grants to eligible States to support real choice systems change initiatives that establish specific action steps and specific timetables to: (1) achieve enduring system improvements; and (2) provide consumer-responsive long-term services and supports to eligible individuals in the most integrated setting appropriate based on the unique strengths and needs of the individual, the priorities and concerns of the individual (or, as appropriate, the individual's representative), and the individual's desires with regard to participation in community life. Requires each State, in order to receive such a grant, to establish a Consumer Task Force to assist in the development, implementation, and evaluation of real choice systems change initiatives. Provides funding.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2000
Death Tax Relief Now Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reduce the estate tax rates; (2) increase (and provide a cost of living adjustment for) the exemption equivalent of the unified credit; (3) repeal the family-owned business interests deduction provisions; (4) repeal provisions providing for a credit for State death taxes and provide for the deduction from an estate's value of State death taxes paid; and (5) increase the permissible number of partners or shareholders in a closely held business for purposes of eligibility for an extension of estate tax payments.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2000
Expresses the sense of the Congress concerning the Federal Government's role in long-term care, including its role in the reform of long-term care costs and financing.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2000
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education Act - Authorizes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc., to construct a temporary education center for educating people about the Memorial. Requires the center to remain for ten years, after which Congress may reevaluate the continuing need for the center. Requires the Fund, in designing the center, to consult with the Commission on Fine Arts.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2000
Lance Armstrong Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present a congressional gold medal to Lance Armstrong, in recognition of his outstanding performance as two-time winner of the Tour de France and his courageous spirit in overcoming cancer. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Requires deposit of sale proceeds in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2000
Essential Rural Hospital Preservation Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the Medicare program with regard to essential rural hospitals by: (1) treating as allowable costs 100 percent of bad debts attributable to uncollectible copayments and deductions; (2) exempting such hospitals from the hospital outpatient prospective payment system; and (3) providing for disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments (with a minimum DSH adjustment percentage of 20 percent) for essential rural hospital discharges between May 1, 1986, and October 1, 1997.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2000
Veterans' Oral History Project Act - Requires the Director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to establish an oral history program to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of American war veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2000
Small Business Health Insurance Expansion Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow for the deduction of 100 percent of the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals; (2) allow, for small employers, a limited credit for the expenses of employee health insurance coverage provided under a new health plan; and (3) provide for non-profit qualified health benefit purchasing coalitions. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a State grant program to demonstrate the effectiveness of innovative ways to increase health insurance access through market reform and other innovations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2000
Small Business Liability Relief Act - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to provide that certain small businesses shall be liable for response costs as non-owners or operators only if the total of material containing a hazardous substance that the business arranged for disposal, transport, or treatment of, or accepted for transport, was greater than 110 pounds of liquid material or 200 pounds of solid material. Makes such exemption to liability inapplicable in cases where the substance could contribute significantly to response costs or where the business has failed to comply with an administrative subpoena or request for information or has impeded a response action. Applies this exemption only to activities taking place before this Act's enactment date. Makes a person liable for response costs for municipal solid waste (MSW) as a non-owner or operator only if the person is not an owner, operator, or lessee of residential property from which all of the person's MSW was generated, or a certain small business or tax-exempt organization that generated all its MSW, with respect to the facility concerned. Provides for liability if a person has failed to comply with an administrative subpoena or request for information or has impeded a response action. Makes persons that commence a contribution action liable to the defendant for all reasonable costs of defending the action if the defendant is not liable based on the above- described exemptions. Adds to the list of parties eligible for expedited final settlements certain persons and small businesses that demonstrate an inability or limited ability to pay response costs. Revises conditions of eligibility for such settlements for de minimis parties. Establishes a moratorium on litigation under CERCLA for recovery or contribution of response costs from any person eligible for an expedited settlement within a specified time frame.