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United States · Official source
3,161 records where Rep. Shaw, E. Clay, Jr. [R-FL-22] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2001
Constitutional Amendment - Grants Congress power to prohibit the physical desecration of the U.S. flag.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to restore the authority of States to transfer up to ten percent of TANF funds to carry out State programs pursuant to SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) for FY 2002. Amends SSA title XX to: (1) restore funds to States and territories for FY 2001 and 2002; and (2) require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to compile information on State activities carried out under SSA title XX and report it annually to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2001
Housing Bond and Credit Modernization and Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the required use of certain principal repayments on mortgage subsidy bond financings to redeem bonds; (2) modify the purchase price limitation under mortgage subsidy bond rules based on median family income; and (3) define the term "area median gross income" for low-income housing credit projects.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
ADA Notification Act - Amends the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to deny a court jurisdiction over a civil action with respect to a place of public accommodation or a commercial facility unless: (1) before filing the complaint, the plaintiff provided to the defendant notice of the alleged violation (by registered mail or in person); (2) the notice identified the specific facts that constitute the alleged violation, including identification of the location at which, and the date on which, the violation occurred; (3) at least 90 days have elapsed after the date on which the notice was so provided; (4) the notice informed the defendant that the civil action could not be commenced until the expiration of such 90-day period; and (5) the complaint states that, as of the date on which the complaint is filed, the defendant has not corrected the alleged violation. Directs that, with respect to a civil action that does not meet the criteria: (1) the court shall impose an appropriate sanction upon the attorneys involved; and (2) if the criteria are subsequently met and the civil action proceeds, the court may not allow the plaintiff attorneys' fees or costs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a congressional gold medal to John Walsh in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to the Nation through his work in the fields of law enforcement and victims' rights.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include life insurance companies as an "includible corporation" for purposes of filing consolidated tax returns. Permits an affiliated group which includes at least one domestic insurance company that elects to file a consolidated return rather than pay tax under certain life insurance provisions to use a phased-in percentage of insurance company net operating loss in determining its own taxable income. (Permits unused loss carryover.) Provides for: (1) subsidiary stock basis adjustment; and (2) waiver of the five-year reconsolidation waiting period for certain formerly includible corporations which became nonincludible as a result of becoming a subsidiary of a nonincludible life insurance company.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2001
Medicare Education and Regulatory Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) concerning: (1) prospective application only of certain regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS); and (2) certain requirements for judicial and regulatory challenges of regulations. Requires the Secretary, with respect to Medicare audits, except when clear and convincing evidence exists of fraud or similar fault, to give a physician, provider of services, or provider of ambulance services (physicians or providers) the option of entering into: (1) an arrangement to offset alleged overpayments against future payments; or (2) a repayment plan with its carrier or fiscal intermediary to recoup such an overpayment. Prohibits the Secretary from taking any action to recoup an overpayment or to impose a penalty during the period in which a physician or provider is appealing a determination that such an overpayment has been made or the amount of the overpayment. Prohibits carriers, absent cause, from demanding the production of records or documentation before paying a Medicare claim. Amends SSA title XI with respect to prohibited extensions of remuneration to a Medicare-eligible individual to influence a choice of provider, practitioner, or supplier. Excludes from the meaning of remuneration any waiver of copayment made in a written, mailed communication with existing patients. Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to: (1) construction of hearing rights related to decisions to deny or not renew a physician enrollment agreement; (2) the post-payment audit process; (3) definitions relating to physicians or providers; and (4) the right to appeal on behalf of deceased beneficiaries. Amends SSA title XVIII to require carriers, fiscal intermediaries, and contractors to conduct education programs (funded from the Medicare Integrity Program) for physicians and providers on billing, coding, cost reporting, and documentation regulations and procedures. Outlines provisions with regard to certain information requests from physicians and providers. Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the inclusion of regulatory costs in the calculation of the sustainable growth rate with respect to the costs of physicians' services. Prohibits the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) from implementing any new evaluation and management documentation guidelines under Medicare, unless it: (1) has provided for an assessment of the proposed guidelines by organizations representing physicians; (2) has established a plan that contains specific goals, including a schedule, for improving use of such guidelines; (3) has completed a minimum of four pilot projects to test such guidelines; and (4) finds that specified objectives will be met in the implementation of such guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a five-year extension of the credit for electricity produced from a qualified wind facility.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Medicaid Safety Net Hospital Continued Preservation Act of 2001 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to repeal specified reductions after FY 2000 and thereby extend certain modifications to disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments provided under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000. Increases the Medicaid DSH allotment for the District of Columbia.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2001
Medicare Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant Direct Reimbursement Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of surgical first assisting services furnished by certified registered nurse first assistants.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2001
Treatment of Children's Deformities Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code to set standards requiring that group and individual health insurance and group health plans provide coverage for treatment of a minor child's congenital or developmental deformity or disorder due to trauma, infection, tumor, or disease.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2001
Economic Growth and Tax Relief Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, as of tax year 2001, to establish (in addition to existing brackets) a 12 percent individual tax bracket for each filing status. Caps taxable income levels for the 12 percent bracket at: (1) $12,000 for married individuals filing jointly; (2) $10,000 for heads of households; and (3) $6,000 for unmarried individuals or married individuals filing separately. Applies the current 15 percent bracket to income levels above the 12 percent caps but below current 15 percent caps. Prohibits minimum bracket amount inflation adjustments through tax year 2006. Revises the cost-of-living adjustment formula, as of tax year 2007. Provides, beginning in tax year 2002, for specified reductions in the 12, 28, 31, 36, and 39.6 percent individual (and estate) brackets. (Maintains the revised 15 percent bracket without further change.) Repeals mandatory reductions in the additional (three or more children) child tax credit and the earned income credit for taxpayers subject to the alternative minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Conservation and Reinvestment Act - Establishes the Conservation and Reinvestment Act Fund (CRAF). Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit into the CRAF certain Outer Continental Shelf revenues, undisbursed impact assistance and coastal conservation amounts, and interest earned on CRAF investments. Allocates CRAF funds among coastal States for impact assistance and coastal conservation, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and Federal aid to a certain wildlife restoration fund. Provides for CRAF funding of the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act of 1978, the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Maritime Heritage Act of 1994, Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery Agreements, and a specified program for payments in lieu of taxes and refuge revenue sharing. Expresses the intent of Congress that amounts made available under this Act are to supplement, and not to detract from, annual appropriations for the National Park Service. Prohibits the expenditure of funds under this Act if such an expenditure diminishes benefit obligations of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund, the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, or the Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 1601-1 Main Street in Jacksonville, Florida, as the Eddie Mae Steward Post Office.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 440 South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando, Florida, as the Arthur "Pappy" Kennedy Post Office.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a multistate comparative study for a report to Congress on mortality and adverse outcome rates of Medicare patients by providers of anesthesia services and by type of such providers. Requires the Secretary to revise any regulations establishing conditions of Medicare participation for hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers relating to anesthesia services to provide that nurse anesthetists may furnish such services under: (1) the medical direction of an immediately available anesthesiologist; (2) the supervision of an immediately available physician; or (3) a written collaboration agreement with an immediately available physician or physician group experienced in anesthesia administration and credentialed by the hospital and ambulatory surgical center to participate in such collaboration.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2001
Life Insurance Tax Simplification Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal provisions: (1) providing for the reduction in certain deductions of mutual life insurance companies; and (2) relating to distributions to shareholders from pre-1984 policyholders surplus accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the exclusion of State or local government foster care payments from the gross income of foster care providers shall also apply to payments by qualifying placement agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2001
Leonard Kravitz Jewish War Veterans Act of 2001 - Directs the Secretary of each military department to review the service records of each Jewish American veteran (World War II or later) who was awarded the Distinguished Service, Navy, or Air Force Cross, or whose name is submitted for such purpose by the Jewish American War Veterans of the United States of America, in order to determine whether such veteran should be awarded the Medal of Honor. Authorizes such Medal to be awarded upon recommendation of the Secretary concerned.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2001
Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2001 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group health insurance coverage, with regard to hospital stays in connection with breast cancer treatment, from: (1) covering less than 48 hours after mastectomies or less than 24 hours after lymph node dissections; or (2) requiring plan or issuer authorization for prescribing any length of stay. Prohibits: (1) denying eligibility, enrollment, or renewal to avoid these requirements; (2) providing payments or rebates to women; or (3) penalizing or providing incentives to providers. Applies the same requirements to issuers in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2001
Collegiate Learning and Student Savings Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) permit private higher educational institutions, in addition to currently permitted State institutions, to establish qualified tuition programs; and (2) exclude from gross income such program distributions used for qualified higher education expenses. Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to exempt qualified tuition programs from the definition of an investment company.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt certain State and local political committees from specified notification and reporting requirements applicable to political organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2001
Social Security and Medicare Lock-Box Act of 2001 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to provide a point of order against consideration of any: (1) budget resolution that sets forth a surplus for any fiscal year that is less than the surplus of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund for such year; or (2) legislation that would cause any surplus to be less than the Fund surplus for the covered fiscal year. Makes the point of order described in (2) above inapplicable to social security or Medicare reform legislation. Requires any Federal budget submitted by the President that recommends an on-budget surplus for any fiscal year that is less than the surplus of the Fund for such year to include a proposal for social security or Medicare reform legislation. Makes this Act inapplicable upon the enactment of social security and Medicare reform legislation. Defines "social security reform legislation" and "Medicare reform legislation" as a bill or joint resolution to save social security or Medicare, respectively, that specifies that it constitutes reform legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2001
Designates the square dance as the national folk dance of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2001
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 2305 Minton Road in West Melbourne, Florida, as the Ronald W. Reagan Post Office of West Melbourne, Florida.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2001
Bear Protection Act of 2001 - Prohibits any person from: (1) importing bear viscera into, or exporting it from, the United States; or (2) selling bear viscera, bartering, offering it for sale or barter, or purchasing, possessing, transporting, delivering, or receiving it in interstate or foreign commerce. Subjects persons who violate such prohibitions to specified penalties. Waives such prohibition for wildlife law enforcement purposes where a valid permit has been issued. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to continue discussions concerning trade in bear viscera with the appropriate representatives of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and with other representatives of countries that are not party to the Convention which are determined to be the leading importers, exporters, or consumers of such products, in order to establish coordinated efforts with such countries to protect bears. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect State regulation of bear population or to affect the lawful hunting of bears under State law.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2001
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 5927 Southwest 70th Street in Miami, Florida, as the Marjory Williams Scrivens Post Office.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2001
Public School Construction Partnership Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the treatment of qualified public educational facility bonds as exempt facility bonds. Defines a "qualified public educational facility" as any school facility which is: (1) part of a public elementary school or a public secondary school; and (2) owned by a private, for-profit corporation pursuant to a public-private partnership agreement with a State or local educational agency. Provides for an exception from the State volume cap. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) time-related spending requirements for public school construction bonds and doubling the arbitrage rebate exception for governmental bonds used to finance education facilities; and (2) the treatment of public school construction bonds as qualified tax-exempt obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2001
Family Heritage Preservation Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the estate tax, gift tax, and tax on generation-skipping transfers.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2001
States that Congress, on behalf of the American people, extends its birthday greetings and best wishes to Ronald Reagan on his 90th birthday.
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 · 6 January 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal Subchapter B (Communications) of Chapter 33 (Facilities and Services) of Subtitle D (Miscellaneous Excise Taxes).
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Includes within the definition of a "radiation-risk activity" for purposes of eligibility criteria for veterans' disability compensation the exposure to ionizing radiation due to residual contamination resulting from participation in a nuclear detonation, without regard to whether any particular level of radiation exposure was measured for that individual.
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
Social Security Benefits Tax Relief Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the 85 percent (second tier) taxation of Social Security and Railroad Retirement benefits. Appropriates, from the general fund, to the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund amounts equal to the reduction in revenue lost because of the repeal. Requires an annual report concerning the funds transferred from the general fund to the Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2001
Mortgage Cancellation Relief Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from individual gross income the discharge of certain qualified residential indebtedness.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2000
Permits the ship Asphalt Commander to be: (1) transferred to or placed under a foreign registry; or (2) sold to a person who is not a U.S. citizen and transferred to or placed under such a registry.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2000
Campaign Finance Improvement Act of 2000 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to require the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to: (1) require each political committee which receives a contribution of $200 or more to report it not later than ten days after receipt, including the contributor's identification, the date of receipt and the contribution amount, and (in the case of a candidate's authorized committee) the candidate's name and the office sought; (2) require at least 50 percent of contributions accepted by candidates for the House of Representatives or the Senate to come from in-State residents; (3) require the principal campaign committees of such candidates to report to the FEC the total contributions received from in-State residents; (4) waive the "best efforts" exception and require the identification of any person who makes a contribution or contributions aggregating more than $200 in a year; (5) lower the aggregate limit on U.S. and foreign cash contributions from $100 to $20; (6) set forth requirements for the treatment of contributions made by dependent minors; (7) redefine foreign national to include any individual who is not a U.S. citizen, regardless of whether admitted to the U.S. lawfully; and (8) require disclosure by a political committee of a national political party of all funds transferred to any political committee of a State or local political party, without regard to whether or not they are treated as contributions or expenditures subject to limits (that is, disclosure of "soft money" funds transfers). Amends FECA to make it unlawful, except with the separate, prior, written, voluntary authorization of each individual, for: (1) national banks or corporations to collect from or assess its stockholders or employees any dues, initiation fee, or other payment as a condition of employment if any part of such dues, fee, or payment will be used for political activities in which the national bank or corporation is engaged; and (2) labor organizations to collect from or assess its members or nonmembers any dues, fee, or other payment if any part of such dues, fee, or payment will be used for political activities in which the labor organization is engaged. States that an authorization shall remain in effect until revoked and may be revoked at any time. Requires each entity collecting from or assessing amounts from an individual with an authorization in effect to provide the individual with a statement that the individual may at any time revoke the authorization. Amends FECA to: (1) prohibit an authorized committee of a candidate for Federal office from accepting any contribution from an authorized committee of another candidate for Federal office except with regard to the transfer of funds between an authorized committee of a candidate for Federal office and an authorized committee of the same candidate for another Federal office; and (2) require the FEC to obtain and provide for the computer software required to carry out electronic filings under FECA. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit a broadcast station from accepting for broadcast any soft money advertisement which contains the image, name, or likeness of a candidate for election for Federal office unless the station agrees to broadcast without charge: (1) if the soft money advertisement referred to or presented the candidate in a critical or negative manner, an advertisement provided by an authorized committee of such candidate, under conditions similar to those under which the soft money advertisement was broadcast; or (2) if the soft money advertisement referred to or presented the candidate in a positive manner, an advertisement provided by an authorized committee of the candidates's opponent in the election, under conditions (such as the time of broadcast) similar to those under which the soft money advertisement was broadcast.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2000
Amends the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999, as amended, to extend until July 1, 2001, the reenactment of chapter 12 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code (Adjustment of Debts of a Family Farmer with Regular Annual Income) (thereby extending family farmer bankruptcy relief). Makes this Act effective as of July 1, 2000 (the previous expiration date). Mandates appointments for additional temporary bankruptcy judgeships in designated districts of the following States: California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, and Virginia. Prohibits filling the first vacancy occurring in such judicial districts five years or more after such appointments if it results from death, retirement, resignation or removal. Extends temporary bankruptcy judgeship positions authorized for the northern district of Alabama, the eastern district of Tennessee, and the districts of Delaware, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2000
Expresses the solidarity of Congress with the state and people of Israel at this time of crisis. Condemns the Palestinian leadership for encouraging the violence and doing so little for so long to stop it. Calls upon the Palestinian leadership to: (1) refrain from exhortations to public incitement; and (2) vigorously use its security forces to act immediately to stop all violence, to show respect for all holy sites, and to settle all grievances through negotiations. Commends successive Administrations on their continuing efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East. Calls upon: (1) the current Administration to use its veto power at the United Nations Security Council to ensure that the Security Council does not again adopt unbalanced resolutions addressing the uncontrolled violence in the areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority; and (2) all involved parties to make all possible efforts to reinvigorate the peace process.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2000
Social Security Administration Preparedness Act of 2000 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) increase the earmarks out of the OASDI trust funds for FY 2001 and 2002 for continuing disability reviews; (2) add requirements concerning program performance reports of the Commissioner of Social Security pursuant to applicable Federal money and finance law provisions; and (3) direct the Commissioner to establish and to maintain an advance, proven technology system sufficient to meet the increasing future demands of the programs administered by the Social Security Administration. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 and the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to prescribe additional limits for adjustments to discretionary spending limits for FY 2201 and 2002 Social Security administrative expenses. Amends SSA title VII (Administration) to make Social Security administrative expenses off-budget.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2000
Streamlined Environmental Reporting and Pollution Prevention Act of 2000 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to integrate and streamline reporting requirements. Requires the Administrator, to ensure consistency and facilitate use of the integrated reporting program, to: (1) allow each person required to submit information to the Administrator to report to one point of contact using a single electronic system or paper form and, in the case of any person subject to more than one annual reporting requirement, at one time during the year; (2) identify environmental or occupational safety or health reporting requirements that are not administered by the Administrator; (3) implement data standards and a nomenclature understandable to persons without environmental expertise; (4) consolidate reporting of information that would be required to be reported at more than one point in the same data submission; (5) provide for data formats and submission protocols that conform with public-domain standards for electronic commerce, are accessible to a majority of reporting persons, and provide for data integrity and reliability; (6) publish a document that the Administrator shall use as the framework for databases in which reported data are kept and that the Administrator shall allow other Federal agencies and governments to use; (7) establish an electronic service center to assist reporting persons; (8) provide each reporting person access to scientifically sound, publicly available information on pollution prevention technologies and practices; (9) provide protection of confidential business information; and (10) promote development of software that helps reporting persons in assembling and submitting information and receiving information on pollution prevention technologies and practices . Provides that nothing in this Act requires a person to use the integrated reporting program instead of an existing reporting method. (Sec. 4) Requires the Administrator, at the request of any Federal, State, tribal, or local agency, to coordinate the integration of reporting required under this Act with similar efforts by the agency that are consistent with this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to develop a procedure under which a person that is required to report information under laws administered by the Administrator and laws administered by a State, tribal, or local agency to report all required information through one point of contact using a single electronic system or paper form and, in the case of persons subject to more than one annual reporting requirement, at one time during the year. Directs the Administrator, to facilitate reporting by persons with facilities in more than one State, tribal, or local jurisdiction, to encourage the use of a common data format by any State, tribal, or local agency coordinating with the Administrator. (Sec. 6) Requires the Administrator to report to Congress on provisions of law that explicitly prohibit or hinder the integration of reporting and other actions required under this Act. (Sec. 7) Provides that nothing in this Act: (1) changes any provision of Federal, State, tribal, or local law or the obligation of any person to comply with any provision of law; (2) alters any person's obligation to provide information required under any reporting requirement; or (3) authorizes the Administrator to require the reporting of additional information or to eliminate the reporting of information currently required to be reported. (Sec. 8) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2000
Structured Settlement Protection Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on persons acquiring structured settlement payments in factoring transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2000
Designates the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 2305 Minton Road in West Melbourne, Florida, as the Ronald W. Reagan Post Office Building.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2000
Municipal Utility Reliability Act of 2000 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions concerning arbitrage to exclude from the definition of "investment property" a prepayment by an issuer of bonds in order to ensure the supply of a necessary commodity to a governmental unit and a mineral production payment.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2000
Debt Relief and Retirement Security Reconciliation Act - Division A: Debt Relief - Title I: Debt Reduction Lock-Box - Amends Federal public finance provisions to establish the Public Debt Reduction Payment Account in the Treasury. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to use amounts in the Account to pay at maturity, or redeem or buy before maturity, any Government obligation held by the public and included in the public debt. Provides that any obligation which is paid, redeemed, or bought with amounts from the Account shall be canceled and retired and prohibits its reissuance. Appropriates funds for the Account. Prohibits such appropriation from being considered as direct spending for purposes of pay-as-you-go provisions of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). (Sec. 102) Reduces the public debt limit by the amount appropriated into the Account. (Sec. 103) Bars Account receipts and disbursements from being counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surplus for purposes of : (1) the Federal Government budget as submitted by the President; (2) the congressional budget; or (3) the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act. (Sec. 105) Requires the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the Account. Title II: Social Security and Medicare Lock-Box - Amends H. Con. Res. 290 (106th Congress) to replace a point of order in the House of Representatives or the Senate against consideration of any revision of such resolution or any concurrent budget resolution for FY 2002 that sets forth a deficit for any fiscal year with one that provides a point of order against consideration of any budget resolution that sets forth a surplus for any fiscal year that is less than the surplus of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund for such year. Makes it out of order in the House or the Senate to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report if the enactment of the reported bill or resolution, the adoption and enactment of an amendment, or the enactment of a bill or resolution in the form recommended in the conference report would cause the on-budget surplus for any fiscal year to be less than the projected surplus of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund for such year or increase the amount by which the on-budget surplus for any fiscal year would be less than such trust fund surplus for that year. Makes such point of order inapplicable to social security or Medicare reform legislation. Requires any Federal budget submitted by the President that recommends an on-budget surplus for any fiscal year that is less than the surplus of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund for such year to include proposed legislative language for social security or Medicare reform legislation. Makes the lock-box requirements of H. Con. Res. 290 (106th Congress) and the preceding paragraph inapplicable upon the enactment of social security and Medicare reform legislation. Defines "social security reform legislation" and "Medicare reform legislation" as a bill or joint resolution to save social security or Medicare, respectively, that specifies that it constitutes reform legislation for purposes of such resolution. (Sec. 202) Requires any official Federal Government statement of the Federal or congressional budget surplus or deficit totals to exclude the outlays and receipts of the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Program under the Social Security Act. Requires such outlays and receipts to be submitted in separate social security budget documents. Division B: Retirement Security - Title XI: Individual Retirement Account Provisions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) to increase the annual dollar Individual Retirement Account (IRA) contribution limit from $2,000 to $3,000 in 2001, $4,000 in 2002, and $5,000 in 2003, with indexing thereafter. Provides, for individuals age 50 and older, that such limit shall be $5,000 beginning in 2001, with indexing after 2003. Title XII: Expanding Coverage - Provides for increases in amounts of benefit and contribution limits. Sets indexes for inflation in various increments on such increased limits. (Sec. 1202) Revises requirements relating to plan loans for subchapter S owners, partners, and sole proprietors. (Sec. 1203) Revises specified top-heavy rules. Repeals family aggregation rules. Revises the definition of key employee. Provides that, at the election of the employer, any employee elective contribution to a plan shall not be taken into account for purposes of determining: (1) whether a plan is a top-heavy plan (or whether any aggregation group which includes such plan is a top-heavy group); or (2) compensation. Requires that employer matching contributions be taken into account for purposes of minimum contribution requirements. Revises requirements for qualifications. Provides for distributions during the last year before a determination date is taken into account. Excludes from the definition of top-heavy plan: (1) cash or deferred arrangements using alternative methods of meeting nondiscrimination requirements; and (2) defined contribution plans using alternative methods of meeting nondiscrimination requirements. Provides that elective deferrals will not be taken into account for purposes of a special rule where the maximum contribution is less than three percent. (Sec. 1204) Provides that elective deferrals shall not be taken into account for purposes of limits on certain plan contributions. (Sec. 1205) Repeals specified coordination requirements under the Code for deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations. (Sec. 1206) Eliminates user fee requirements for requests to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) concerning the status of pension plans. (Sec. 1207) Revises certain deduction limits for stock bonus and profit sharing trusts and for defined contribution plans. (Sec. 1208) Provides for optional treatment of elective deferrals as plus contributions. Title XIII: Enhancing Fairness for Women - Allows individuals who are age 50 or older to make additional contributions to an applicable employer plan (Section 401(k) plan or similar plan). Sets such maximum permitted additional contribution at $5,000, indexed in 2006 and thereafter. (Sec. 1302) Sets forth requirements relating to equitable treatment for contributions of employees to defined contribution plans. Increases the 25 percent of compensation limitation on annual additions under a defined contribution plan to 100 percent. Declares that certain contributions by church plans are not to be treated as exceeding a specified limit. Sets limits on contributions to a tax-sheltered annuity which are similar to the limits applicable to tax-qualified plans. Increases the 33 and one-third percent of compensation limitation on deferrals under a section 457 plan to 100 percent of compensation. (Sec. 1303) Provides for faster vesting of certain employer matching contributions under the Code. Requires employer matching contributions to vest at least as rapidly as under three-year cliff vesting or under six-year graded vesting that provides for a nonforfeitable right to 20 percent of employer matching contributions for each year of service beginning with the participant's second year of service and ending with 100 percent after six years of service. (Sec. 1304) Revises minimum distribution rules under the Code. Revises requirements for actuarial adjustment of benefits under a defined benefit plan. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury (the Secretary) to: (1) simplify and finalize the regulations relating to minimum distribution requirements; and (2) modify such regulations to reflect increases in life expectancy, and revise required distribution methods so that, under reasonable assumptions, the amount of the required minimum distribution does not decrease over a participant's life expectancy. Provides that, during the first year that such revised regulations are in effect, required distributions for future years may be redetermined, with the opportunity to choose a new designated beneficiary and to elect a new method of calculating life expectancy. Excludes specified amounts from minimum distribution requirements. Repeals a rule relating to distributions begun before death occurs. Reduces the excise tax on failures to satisfy the minimum distribution rules to ten percent of the amount that was required to be distributed but was not distributed. (Sec. 1305) Revises requirements relating to tax treatment of division of section 457 plan benefits upon divorce. Applies the taxation rules for qualified plan distributions pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order to distributions made pursuant to a domestic relations order from a section 457 plan. Provides that a section 457 plan is not to be treated as violating the restrictions on distributions from such plans due to payments to an alternate payee under a qualified domestic relations order. (Sec. 1306) Modifies provisions for safe harbor relief for hardship withdrawals from 401(k) plans. Directs the Secretary to reduce from 12 months to six months the period during which an employee is prohibited from making elective contributions and employee contributions in order for a distribution to be deemed necessary to satisfy an immediate and heavy financial need. Title XIV: Increasing Portability for Participants - Permits rollovers from and to various types of plans under the Code. (Sec. 1402) Permits individual retirement plan (IRA) rollovers into workplace retirement plans only if certain conditions are met. (Sec. 1403) Permits rollover of after-tax contributions in an exempt trust under specified conditions. (Sec. 1404) Sets forth a hardship exception to the 60-day rule. Authorizes the Secretary to waive the 60-day rollover period if the failure to waive such requirement would be against equity or good conscience, including cases of casualty, disaster, or other events beyond the reasonable control of the individual subject to such requirement. (Sec. 1405) Sets forth requirements for treatment of forms of distribution available under transferor and transferee plans under the Code. (Sec. 1406) Revises restrictions on distributions, including the same desk exception. Repeals business sale requirements. (Sec. 1407) Authorizes trustee-to-trustee transfers to purchase permissive service credit with respect to governmental defined benefit plans. (Sec. 1408) Allows employers to disregard rollovers for purposes of cash-out amounts, under retirement plan provisions of the Code. (Sec. 1409) Revises minimum distribution and inclusion requirements for section 457 plans. Title XV: Strengthening Pension Security and Enforcement - Revises the percentage of current liability funding limit. (Sec. 1502) Revises maximum contribution deduction rules. Applies such rules to all defined benefit plans. (Sec. 1503) Allows an employer, in determining the amount of nondeductible contributions for any taxable year, to elect not to take into account any contributions to a defined benefit plan except to the extent that they exceed the full-funding limitation. (Sec. 1504) Requires plan administrators of defined benefit plans (other than governmental plans and certain church plans) with more than 100 participants to notify plan participants and beneficiaries in advance of an amendment that significantly reduces the rate of future benefit accruals. Requires such notice to include sufficient information to allow participants and beneficiaries to understand the effect of the amendment. Imposes an excise tax on the employer or upon a multiemployer plan if the required notice is not provided. (Sec. 1505) Makes certain limitation rules (under section 415 of the Code) for defined benefit plans inapplicable to governmental or multiemployer plans. Sets forth special rules relating to the combination or aggregation of multiemployer plans. (Sec. 1506) Imposes an excise tax on employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) that engage in prohibited transactions with disqualified individuals who are deemed to be substantial shareholders of the corporation sponsoring the plan. Title XVI: Reducing Regulatory Burdens - Revises requirements relating to timing of plan valuations. (Sec. 1602) Allows applicable dividends of ESOPs to be reinvested without loss of dividend deduction. (Sec. 1603) Repeals a transition rule relating to certain highly compensated employees under the Tax Reform Act of 1986. (Sec. 1604) Directs the Secretary to modify certain regulations with respect to certain plan participation by employees of tax-exempt entities under the Code. (Sec. 1605) Treats the provision of certain retirement planning services by an employer to an employee as a de minimis fringe benefit to the extent it is not treated as a working condition fringe. Prohibits including an amount in an employee's gross income solely because the employee may choose between any retirement planning fringe and compensation otherwise includible in gross income, providing such choices are available in a way that does not discriminate in favor of highly compensated employees. (Sec. 1606) Directs the Secretary to provide simplified annual filing requirements for: (1) one-participant (an owner and spouse) retirement plans with assets below a specified amount; or (2) retirement plans for fewer than 25 employees. (Sec. 1607) Directs the Secretary to continue to update and improve the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS), or any successor program, giving special attention to: (1) increasing the awareness and knowledge of small employers concerning the availability and use of EPCRS; (2) taking into account special concerns and circumstances that small employers face with respect to compliance and correction of compliance failures; (3) extending the duration of the self-correction period under the Administrative Policy Regarding Self-Correction (APRSC) for significant compliance failures; (4) expanding the availability to correct insignificant compliance failures under APRSC during audit; and (5) assuring that any tax, penalty, or sanction that is imposed by reason of a compliance failure is not excessive and bears a reasonable relationship to the nature, extent, and severity of the failure. (Sec. 1608) Repeals a multiple use test, and directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations, as necessary, including ones permitting appropriate aggregation of plans and contributions. (Sec. 1609) Directs the Secretary to provide by regulation circumstances under which plans can use a facts and circumstances test, which was in effect before 1994, to satisfy nondiscrimination, coverage, and line of business rules. (Sec. 1610) Exempts plans maintained by any governmental entity from certain nondiscrimination rules. (Sec. 1611) Directs the Secretary to modify specified regulations to require: (1) that the applicable distribution notice period be not more than 180 (currently 90) and not less than 30 days before the date distribution commences; and (2) the description of a participant's right, if any, to defer receipt of a distribution include a description of the consequences of failing to defer such receipt. Title XVII: Plan Amendments - Prescribes requirements for plan amendments or annuity contract amendments under the Code.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2000
Medicare Billing and Education Act of 2000 - Title I: Regulatory Reform - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with regard to: (1) the prospective-only, non-retroactive application of regulations of the Secretary of Health and Human Services that establish or change a substantive legal standard governing the scope of benefits, the payment for services, or the eligibility of individuals, entities, or organizations to furnish or to receive Medicare services or benefits; and (2) allowance of civil actions against the Secretary challenging the constitutionality of regulations or policies. Prohibits the Secretary from recovering past Medicare overpayments by offsetting future payments to a health care provider, or while a provider is appealing a determination that an overpayment has been made or the amount of such an overpayment. Title II: Appeals Process Reforms - Revises requirements for the post-payment audit process, particularly the recoupment of overpayments. Requires the Secretary to permit any health care provider to appeal any determination of the Secretary under Medicare on behalf of a deceased beneficiary where no substitute party is available. Title III: Education Components - Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for education programs for physicians, providers of services, and suppliers. Requires fiscal intermediaries and carriers to do their utmost to provide health care providers with one, straight, and correct answer regarding Medicare billing and cost reporting questions, as well as their true first and last names. Requires the Secretary to establish a process for providers to request assistance in writing (advisory opinions) from fiscal intermediaries or carriers in addressing questionable Medicare coverage, billing, documentation, coding and cost reporting procedures. Title IV: Sustainable Growth Rate Reforms - Requires the inclusion of regulatory costs in the estimate of the sustainable growth rate for all physicians' services for a fiscal year. Title V: Studies and Reports - Requires the Comptroller General to: (1) audit and report to Congress on Health Care Financing Administration compliance with statutes administered by it and with administrative procedure and other requirements under Federal civil service law; and (2) study and report to Congress on whether policies or enforcement efforts against health care providers have reduced access to care for Medicare beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2000
Debt Relief Lock-box Reconciliation Act for Fiscal Year 2001 - Title I: Debt Reduction Lock-Box - Amends Federal public finance provisions to establish the Public Debt Reduction Payment Account in the Treasury. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to use amounts in the Account to pay at maturity, or redeem or buy before maturity, any Government obligation held by the public and included in the public debt. Provides that any obligation which is paid, redeemed, or bought with amounts from the Account shall be canceled and retired and prohibits its reissuance. Appropriates funds for the Account. Prohibits such appropriation from being considered as direct spending for purposes of pay-as-you-go provisions of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). (Sec. 102) Reduces the public debt limit by the amount appropriated into the Account. (Sec. 103) Bars Account receipts and disbursements from being counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surplus for purposes of : (1) the Federal Government budget as submitted by the President; (2) the congressional budget; or (3) the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act. (Sec. 105) Requires the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the Account. Title II: Social Security and Medicare Lock-Box - Amends H. Con. Res. 290 (106th Congress) to replace a point of order in the House of Representatives or the Senate against consideration of any revision of such resolution or any concurrent budget resolution for FY 2002 that sets forth a deficit for any fiscal year with one that provides a point of order against consideration of any budget resolution that sets forth a surplus for any fiscal year that is less than the surplus of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund for such year. Makes it out of order in the House or the Senate to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report if the enactment of the reported bill or resolution, the adoption and enactment of an amendment, or the enactment of a bill or resolution in the form recommended in the conference report would cause the on-budget surplus for any fiscal year to be less than the projected surplus of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund for such year or increase the amount by which the on-budget surplus for any fiscal year would be less than such trust fund surplus for that year. Makes such point of order inapplicable to social security or Medicare reform legislation. Requires any Federal budget submitted by the President that recommends an on-budget surplus for any fiscal year that is less than the surplus of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund for such year to include proposed legislative language for social security or Medicare reform legislation. Makes the lock-box requirements of H. Con. Res. 290 (106th Congress) and the preceding paragraph inapplicable upon the enactment of social security and Medicare reform legislation. Defines "social security reform legislation" and "Medicare reform legislation" as a bill or joint resolution to save social security or Medicare, respectively, that specifies that it constitutes reform legislation for purposes of such resolution. (Sec. 202) Requires any official Federal Government statement of the Federal or congressional budget surplus or deficit totals to exclude the outlays and receipts of the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Program under the Social Security Act. Requires such outlays and receipts to be submitted in separate social security budget documents.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2000
Medicare Access to Digital Mammography Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise requirements for payments and standards for screening mammography that pertain to the limit for screening mammography performed in 1991 to: (1) specify the screening mammography performed in 1991 as nondigital; (2) establish a separate limit for digital screening mammography performed in 2001 and thereafter; and (3) replace the current reduction of limit provision with a provision for adjustment of limit (up or down), requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make at least annual reviews (currently, reviews from time to time) on the appropriateness of such applicable limits and make adjustments accordingly.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2000
Restoring the Everglades, an American Legacy Act - Approves the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan contained in the "Final Integrated Feasibility Report and Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement" dated April 1, 1999, as modified by this Act (the Plan) as a framework for modifications and operational changes to the Central and Southern Florida Project that are needed to: (1) restore, preserve, and protect the South Florida ecosystem; and (2) provide for the water-related needs of the region. Directs the Secretary of the Army (the Secretary): (1) in carrying out the Plan, to integrate such activities with ongoing Federal and State projects and activities; (2) to carry out specified listed projects included in the Plan, taking into account the protection of water quality by considering applicable State water quality standards and including features necessary to ensure that all ground water and surface water discharges from any authorized project feature will meet all applicable water quality standards and applicable water quality permitting requirements; and (3) in developing the projects authorized, to provide for public review and comment in accordance with applicable Federal law. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) specified pilot projects and initial projects included in the plan that are authorized for implementation; (2) conditions (i.e., reporting requirements, funding contingent on approval, modified water delivery, maximum costs of projects) for project implementation; and (3) the maximum cost of authorized project features. Sets forth provisions regarding additional program authority, authorization of future projects, the Federal cost share (50 percent), project evaluation, and exclusions and limitations from the Plan (regarding 245,000 acre-feet of water, wastewater reuse, and approval with limitations for the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and the Southern Corkscrew regional ecosystem). Directs the Secretary: (1) on completion and evaluation of the wastewater reuse pilot project, in an appropriately timed five-year report, to describe the results of the evaluation of advanced wastewater reuse in meeting, in a cost effective manner, the requirements of restoration of the natural system; and (2) to submit such report to Congress before congressional authorization for advanced wastewater reuse is sought. States that the overarching objective of the Plan is the restoration, preservation, and protection of the South Florida Ecosystem while providing for other water-related needs of the region, including water supply and flood protection. Directs that the Plan be implemented to ensure the protection of water quality in, the reduction of the loss of fresh water from, and the improvement of the environment of, the South Florida Ecosystem and to achieve and maintain the benefits to the natural system and human environment described in the Plan and required pursuant to this Act, for as long as the project is authorized. Prohibits any appropriation from being made for the construction of a project contained in the Plan until the President and the Governor of the State ensure, by regulation or other appropriate means, that water made available under the Plan will not be permitted for a consumptive use or otherwise made unavailable by the State until sufficient reservations of water for the restoration of the natural system are made under State law and consistent with the Plan.. Authorizes any person or entity that is aggrieved by a failure of the United States or any governor or other officer of a State to comply with any provision of the agreement to bring a civil action in U.S. district court for an injunction or other appropriate relief, subject to specified limitations. Directs the Secretary, within two years, after notice and opportunity for public comment, and with the concurrence of and consultation with specified parties, to promulgate regulations which shall establish a process to: (1) provide guidance for the development of project implementation reports, project cooperation agreements, and operating manuals that ensure that Plan goals and objectives are achieved; (2) ensure that new information resulting from changed or unforeseen circumstances, new scientific or technical information or information that is developed through the principles of adaptive management contained in the Plan, or future authorized changes to the Plan are integrated into implementation of the Plan; and (3) ensure protection of the natural system consistent with Plan goals and purposes. Directs the Secretary and the non-Federal sponsor (subject to specified requirements) to: (1) develop project implementation reports in accordance with the Plan; (2) execute project cooperation agreements in accordance with the Plan; and (3) develop and issue, for each project or group of projects, an operating manual that is consistent with the water reservation or allocation for the natural system described in the project implementation report and cooperation agreement for the project or group of projects. Requires that the Secretary ensure that Plan implementation, including physical or operational modifications to the Central and Southern Florida Project, does not cause significant adverse impact on existing legal water users. Prohibits the Secretary from eliminating existing legal sources of water until a new source of water supply of comparable quantity and quality is available to replace the water to be lost as a result of implementation of the Plan. Directs the Secretary to maintain authorized levels of flood protection in existence on the date of this Act's enactment. Directs the Secretary and the Governor to develop an agreement for resolving disputes between the Corps of Engineers and the State associated with Plan implementation. Requires that such agreement establish a mechanism for the timely and efficient resolution of disputes, including: (1) a preference for the resolution of disputes between the Jacksonville District of the Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District; (2) a mechanism for the Jacksonville District of the Corps of Engineers or the South Florida Water Management District to initiate dispute resolution process for unresolved issues; (3) the establishment of appropriate time frames and intermediate steps for the elevation of disputes to the Governor and the Secretary; and (4) a mechanism for the final resolution of disputes, within 180 days from the date that the dispute resolution process is initiated. Prohibits the Secretary from approving a project implementation report under this Act until the agreement established herein has been executed. Specifies that nothing in such agreement shall alter or amend any existing Federal or State law or the responsibility of any agreement party to comply with Federal or State law. Directs the Secretary, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Governor to establish an independent scientific review panel convened by a body such as the National Academy of Sciences to review the Plan's progress toward achieving the natural system restoration goals of the Plan. Requires the panel to produce a biennial report to Congress, the Secretary, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Governor that includes an assessment of ecological indicators and other measures of progress in restoring the ecology of the natural system, based on the Plan. Directs the Secretary to ensure that: (1) in executing the Plan, small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals are provided opportunities to participate; and (2) impacts on socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, including individuals with limited English proficiency, and communities are considered during Plan implementation and that public outreach and educational opportunities are provided to individuals of South Florida. Sets forth reporting requirements.