United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1997
Give Surviving Spouses of Veterans a Chance to Remarry Act of 1997 - Makes a remarried surviving spouse of a veteran eligible for reinstatement of dependency and indemnity compensation if the remarriage is terminated by death or divorce, unless the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines that the divorce was secured through fraud by the surviving spouse or collusion. Provides that if the surviving spouse of a veteran ceases living with another person and holding himself or herself out openly to the public as that person's spouse, the bar to such compensation shall not apply.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1997
Children's Privacy Protection and Parental Empowerment Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit and set penalties for specified activities relating to personal information about a child (defined as a person under age 16), including knowingly: (1) selling such information (by a list broker) without the written consent of a parent of that child, knowing that such information pertains to a child; (2) using prison inmate labor for data processing of personal information about children; and (3) distributing or soliciting any such information, knowing or having reason to believe that the information will be used to abuse or physically harm the child. Sets penalties for contacting that child or a parent of that child (by a person who uses personal information about a child that was obtained for commercial purposes) to offer a commercial product or service to that child and knowingly failing to comply with a parent's request to: (1) disclose the source of such information, all information that has been sold or otherwise disclosed by that list broker about that child, and the identity of all persons to whom such information has been disclosed; or (2) discontinue providing such information to third parties. Sets penalties for knowingly releasing personal information about another person's child to any entity that intends to use the information to solicit the sale of a product or service, without the permission of that child's parent. Authorizes civil actions by a child or a parent with respect to whom a violation of this Act occurs. Directs the court to award a prevailing plaintiff a reasonable attorney's fee as part of the costs. Specifies that nothing in this Act affects the sale of lists to: (1) the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (the Center); (2) accredited colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning; (3) the U.S. military; or (4) local, State, or Federal law enforcement agencies. Declares that it shall be the duty of each list broker operating in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce to make that broker's databases available twice annually, without charge, to the Center to allow the Center to match it with the database of missing children held by the Center.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1997
Point Reyes National Seashore Farmland Protection Act of 1997 - Amends Federal law to include the Farmland Protection Area in the Point Reyes National Seashore, California, with the primary objective being to protect private agricultural land from nonagricultural development by conservation easements. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make farmland acquisitions within the Area. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1997
Florida Coast Protection Act of 1997 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to define preleasing activity to include: (1) the scheduling of a lease; (2) making of a request for industry interest; (3) the issuance of a call for information or a nomination; (4) the publication of a draft or final environmental impact statement; and (5) the performance of any form of rotary drilling in a prospective lease area. Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from conducting any preleasing activity, or holding any lease sale in the South Atlantic Planning Area off the coast of Florida, the Straits of Florida Planning Area, or the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Area within 100 miles of the Florida coast. Requires the Secretary to cancel the six leases known as the "Pensacola Block 933 Unit." Prohibits the Secretary from approving any exploration or development plan or permit to drill with respect to such lease areas, prior to the Secretary's cancellation of those leases. Provides for compensation to lessees owning canceled leases.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1997
Communications Satellite Competition and Privatization Act of 1997 - Amends the Communications Satellite Act of 1962 to prohibit the issuance or renewal of any licenses or construction permits to, or the authorization of use of space segments owned by, any separated entity unless the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) determines that such activities will not harm competition in the U.S. telecommunications market. Defines a "separated entity" as a privatized entity to whom a portion of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization's (INTELSAT) or the International Mobile Satellite Organization's (Inmarsat) assets are transferred prior to their full privatization. Requires the FCC to limit or revoke the authority to use space segments owned or operated by INTELSAT or Inmarsat to provide non-core services to, from, or within the United States unless after January 1, 2002, and January 1, 2001, INTELSAT and Inmarsat, respectively, and their successor entities, have been privatized in a manner that will not harm competition in the U.S. telecommunications markets. Limits expansion of INTELSAT and Inmarsat services pending privatization of such entities. Prohibits the FCC from assisting in the registration of new orbital slots for INTELSAT or Inmarsat after January 1, 2002, and January 1, 2001, respectively, unless such entities have been privatized in a manner that will not harm competition. Directs the President and the FCC to secure a pro-competitive privatization of INTELSAT and Inmarsat that meets specified criteria, including requirements that: (1) INTELSAT and Inmarsat are privatized by January 1, 2002, and January 1, 2001, respectively; (2) successor and separated entities are national, stock corporations independent of signatories that control access to telecommunications markets and of any intergovernmental organizations; (3) preferential treatment is terminated; (4) expansions are prohibited during transition; (5) successor or separated entities apply through national licensing authorities for international frequency assignments and orbital registrations; (6) such entities are domiciled in countries that have laws and regulations that secure competition in telecommunications services, are signatories of the World Trade Organization Basic Telecommunications Services Agreement, and have a schedule of commitments in the Agreement that includes non-discriminatory market access to satellite markets; (7) unused orbital slots are returned to the International Telecommunication Union; and (8) INTELSAT's and Inmarsat's assets are audited before transfer. Lists specific additional licensing criteria for INTELSAT, INTELSAT separated entities, and Inmarsat. Requires the FCC to permit providers or users of telecommunications services to obtain direct access to INTELSAT and Inmarsat telecommunications services by January 1, 2001, and January 1, 2000, respectively, and to treat the communications satellite corporation (COMSAT) as a nondominant carrier on the effective date of such actions. Permits multiple signatories to represent the United States in INTELSAT and Inmarsat on such dates. Authorizes the FCC to impose regulatory fees on the U.S. signatory. Prohibits the FCC from assigning orbital slots or spectrum used for international or global satellite communications services by competitive bidding.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1997
National Salvage Motor Vehicle Consumer Protection Act of 1997 - Amends Federal transportation law to require States, in licensing a passenger motor vehicle whose ownership has been transferred, to disclose on the certificate of title whenever records indicate that such vehicle was previously issued a title that contained a word or symbol signifying that it was "salvage," "unrebuildable," "parts only," "scrap," "junk," "nonrepairable," "reconstructed," "rebuilt," or that it has been damaged by flood. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations requiring each State in licensing such vehicles to apply uniform standards, procedures, and methods for the issuance and control of motor vehicle titles and for information to be contained on such titles. Sets forth requirements for the transfer of salvage title and rebuilt salvage title vehicles and nonrepairable vehicle certificate vehicles. Requires persons transferring ownership of a salvage vehicle to give notice to the transferee that the vehicle is a salvage vehicle. Directs the Secretary to prescribe requirements (similar to those of the Automobile Information Disclosure Act) that a label containing certain information be affixed to the windshield or window of a rebuilt or remanufactured salvage vehicle before its first sale. Prohibits a person from willfully removing, altering, or rendering illegible such label before the vehicle is delivered to the ultimate purchaser. Makes it unlawful for any person knowingly and willfully to: (1) make false statements on an application for a motor vehicle title; (2) fail to apply for a salvage title when such application is required; (3) alter, forge, or counterfeit a certificate of title, a nonrepairable vehicle certificate, a certificate verifying an anti-theft inspection or an anti-theft and safety inspection, or a required decal affixed to a passenger motor vehicle; (4) falsify the results of an inspection; (5) offer to sell any salvage vehicle or nonrepairable vehicle as a rebuilt salvage vehicle; or (6) conspire to commit any of the above acts. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Authorizes States and other State officials to bring civil or criminal action in the appropriate court to enforce the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1997
Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 1997 - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by covered entities, including an employing authority or office to which specified provisions of the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991 or the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 apply. Prohibits related retaliation and coercion. Declares that: (1) this Act does not apply to the provision of employee benefits for the benefit of an employee's partner; and (2) a disparate impact does not establish a prima facie violation of this Act. Prohibits: (1) quotas and preferential treatment; and (2) the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from entering into a consent decree that includes a quota or preferential treatment. Declares that this Act does not apply to: (1) religious organizations (except regarding employment in a position the duties of which pertain solely to activities of the organization that generate unrelated business income subject to taxation under specified Internal Revenue Code provisions); (2) the armed forces; or (3) laws creating special rights or preferences for veterans. Provides for enforcement. Disallows State immunity. Makes the United States or a State liable for all remedies (except punitive damages, with compensatory damages available to the extent specified in certain existing provisions of law) to the same extent as under specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Allows recovery of attorney's fees. Requires posting notices for employees and applicants.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1997
Requests the President to issue a proclamation commending the 82 American airmen held as political prisoners at the Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II for their service, bravery, and fortitude.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1997
Personal Information Privacy Act of 1997 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to redefine the term "consumer report" to exclude identifying information listed in a local telephone directory (thereby ensuring that the personal identification information in the credit headers accompanying credit reports of unlisted individuals remains confidential). Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to prohibit the commercial acquisition or distribution of an individual's social security number (or any derivative of it), as well as its use as a personal identification number, without the individual's written consent. Provides for a civil action in a U.S. District Court by any individual aggrieved by any violation of this prohibition. Provides for civil money penalties for violations as well. Amends the Federal criminal code to require the uses of social security numbers by State departments of motor vehicles to be consistent with the uses authorized by the Social Security Act, the Privacy Act, and by any other statutes explicitly authorizing their use. Prohibits the use of social security numbers by marketing companies.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1997
DES Education and Research Amendments of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize and permanently extend the following programs regarding the drug diethylstilbestrol (commonly known as DES): (1) the research program; and (2) the new national program of education. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the heads of the appropriate agencies of the Public Health Service, to carry out a national program for the education of health professionals and the public with respect to DES, from amounts appropriated for carrying out the research and training program. Requires such program, to the extent appropriate, to use methodologies developed through the education demonstration program carried out under the Act. Directs the Secretary, in developing and carrying out the national program, to consult closely with representatives of nonprofit private entities that represent individuals who have been exposed to DES and that have expertise in community-based information campaigns for the public and for health care providers. Requires the implementation of the national program to begin during FY 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1997
Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to conduct a demonstration project under which covered members and beneficiaries under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) who are or become entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act will be eligible to enroll in health benefits plans offered through the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program. Requires the demonstration project to be conducted in two geographic areas and to last at least two, but not more than three, contract years. Provides for: (1) management of participation in the project; (2) Government contributions for beneficiary coverage under the FEHB program; and (3) reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Accountability of Service Providers Part A: Sanction Authority Part B: Provider Enrollment Process Title II: Provider Reimbursement and Related Matters Part A: Coverage and Payment Limits Part B: Bankruptcy Provisions Title III: Medicare Mental Health Partial Hospitalization Services Title IV: Medicare Rural Health Clinics Medicare and Medicaid Fraud, Abuse, and Waste Prevention Amendments of 1997 - Title I: Accountability of Service Providers - Part A: Sanction Authority - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to exclude from the Medicare program an entity controlled by a family member or household member of a sanctioned individual. (Sec. 102) Authorizes the Secretary to impose civil monetary penalties (fines) for kickback violations, and for persons that contract with individuals excluded from participation in a Federal health care program, as well as for services ordered or prescribed by an excluded individual or entity. (Sec. 105) Amends SSA title XI to subject to fines false certification of eligibility to receive partial hospitalization and hospice services. (Sec. 106) Extends subpoena and injunction authority to enforcement of the exclusion of certain individuals and entities from participation in Medicare and State health care programs. (Sec. 107) Repeals the requirement that kickbacks and other specified acts involving Federal health care programs be willful as well as knowing to be subject to criminal penalties (thus allowing criminal penalties for knowing violations, even if not willful). (Sec. 108) Repeals the exception for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, thus subjecting it to criminal penalties for kickbacks and other specified acts involving Federal health care programs. (Sec. 109) Amends SSA title XVIII to modify the application of fines requirements to nonparticipating physicians for excess charges with respect to Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) enrollees. (Sec. 110) Makes physicians working at or on-call at specialty hospitals liable for certain fines for failure to comply with Medicare requirements concerning examination, treatment, or transfer of emergency patients and women in labor. (Sec. 111) Amends SSA title XI to expand the application of criminal penalty authority for kickbacks to all health care benefit programs. Authorizes the Attorney General: (1) to seek to impose civil penalties and treble damages on any person for certain criminal acts with respect to a Federal health care program; and (2) to petition a U.S. district court for an injunction prohibiting any person from engaging in such criminal acts. Part B: Provider Enrollment Process - Amends SSA title XI to condition provider payment under the Medicare, Medicaid (SSA title XIX), and Maternal and Child Health Services (SSA title V) programs on the disclosure to the Secretary of certain applicable employer identification numbers and social security numbers, including those of individuals with an ownership or control interest in the provider. Requires verification of such information, and correction if necessary, by the Social Security Administration. (Sec. 122) Amends SSA title XVIII to authorize the Secretary to: (1) establish a procedure for enrollment and periodic reenrollment of individuals or entities that are not providers under a service provider agreement but that furnish health care items or services under Medicare; and (2) impose fees for initiation and renewal of provider agreements and for enrollment and periodic reenrollment of other individuals and entities furnishing health care items or services under Medicare. (Sec. 123) Amends SSA titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) to authorize the Secretary or a State to refuse to enter into Medicare or Medicaid agreements with individuals or entities convicted of felonies. (Sec. 124) Amends SSA title XI to: (1) direct the Secretary to require individuals and entities to furnish social security and employer identification numbers as a condition to receiving standard health care identifiers; and (2) authorize the Secretary to impose fees for such identifiers. Title II: Provider Reimbursement and Related Matters - Part A: Coverage and Payment Limits - Amends title XVIII to: (1) deny Medicare home health benefits for the mere drawing of blood from a homebound individual, without the need for other skilled nursing services; (2) require monthly (rather than a one-time) certification of a hospice Medicare patient as terminally ill after the patient has received hospice services for over six months; (3) base Medicare payment of hospice care furnished in an individual's home only on the geographic location at which the service is performed; (4) deny coverage of hospice care for an individual not diagnosed as terminally ill; and (5) revise the formula for determining, with respect to the reasonable cost of services, the value of a service provider's capital asset at the time of change of ownership, to set such value at the asset's historical cost, less depreciation allowed, to the owner of record on the date of enactment of this Act. (Sec. 206) Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 to repeal the moratorium on a specified policy regarding the bad debts of hospitals. Part B: Bankruptcy Provisions - Amends part A (General Provisions) of SSA title XI to provide that Medicare- and Medicaid-related actions are not stayed by bankruptcy proceedings, and Medicare- and Medicaid-related debt is not dischargeable in bankruptcy. Amends SSA title XVIII to provide for the use of Medicare standards and procedures in bankruptcy proceedings. Title III: Medicare Mental Health Partial Hospitalization Services - Amends SSA title XVIII, with respect to partial hospitalization services, to: (1) disallow such services in an individual's home or in an inpatient or residential setting; and (2) prescribe additional requirements for community mental health centers. (Sec. 303) Amends SSA title XVIII to authorize the Secretary to establish a prospective payment system for partial hospitalization services provided by a community mental health center. Limits Medicare beneficiary coinsurance to 20 percent of the new payment basis. Title IV: Medicare Rural Health Clinics - Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) extend the current per-visit payment limits applicable to rural health clinics to provider-based clinics (other than clinics based in small rural hospitals with less than 50 beds); (2) require clinics to have a quality assurance and performance improvement program as specified by the Secretary; (3) limit to rural health clinics in the Federal program the Secretary's authority to waive the requirement that a clinic employ a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or certified nurse midwife or require their services at least 50 percent of the time; (4) revise shortage area requirements; (5) lower Medicare beneficiary coinsurance for rural health clinic services; and (6) direct the Secretary to establish a prospective payment system for rural health clinic services, with beneficiary coinsurance limited to 20 percent of the new payment basis.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1997
Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure that any program to make prescription pharmaceuticals available by mail to covered beneficiaries under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) does not exclude covered beneficiaries who are also entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the nonrecognition of gain on sales of stock of a qualified refiner or processor to an eligible farmer's cooperative.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for a special Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) enrollment period and Medigap enrollment period and a waiver of the Medicare part B late enrollment penalty for certain military retirees and dependents who live within a certain distance of a military hospital which provided inpatient hospital services that either closed or discontinued the provision of such services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997
Teenage Pregnancy Reduction Act of 1997 - Mandates evaluation (directly or through grants or contracts) of a wide variety of existing promising programs to prevent adolescent pregnancy, including programs that do not receive Federal grants. Mandates scientific peer review of evaluation proposals. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes an operating grant to a program found (by the evaluation under this Act) to be effective. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1997
Cardiac Arrest Survival Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require that certain permitted field studies, large-scale testing and evaluation, and demonstrations of the National Heart, Blood Vessel, Lung, and Blood Diseases and Blood Resources Program include: (1) the development and dissemination of a core content for a model State cardiac arrest training program for inclusion in emergency medical services educational curricula and training programs addressing lifesaving interventions; and (2) related matters. Establishes as an independent executive branch agency the Commission on Cardiac Arrest Survival. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1997
Secure Assets For Employees (SAFE) Plan Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an eligible employer, if specified requirements are met, to establish and maintain a SAFE annuity (an individual retirement annuity) or a SAFE trust (a trust forming part of a defined benefit plan), both to be funded by the employer. Makes the employer contributions deductible without limitation and otherwise provides for the treatment of contributions and distributions. Mandates a penalty for early withdrawals. Requires simplified employer reports for SAFE annuities and simplified actuarial reports for SAFE trusts. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to exempt SAFE trusts from coverage requirements and SAFE annuities from certain employer reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1997
Medicare Cancer Clinical Trial Coverage Act of 1997 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a demonstration project which provides for payment under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act of routine patient care costs for Medicare beneficiaries with cancer who are enrolled in an approved clinical trial program, while still applying the beneficiary cost sharing provisions of such program to project participants. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the impact on Medicare of covering such costs as well as the cost of extending routine patient care coverage to Medicare beneficiaries with a diagnosis other than cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1997
Declares that the Congress: (1) maintains that the standard for the "Made in USA" label should continue to be that a product was all or virtually all made in the United States; and (2) urges the Federal Trade Commission to refrain from lowering the standard at the expense of consumers and jobs in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1997
Authorizes the Pyramid of Remembrance Foundation to establish a memorial on Federal land within the District of Columbia or its environs to honor members of the armed forces killed while engaged in a military operation, other than a declared war, which involved conflict with an opposing foreign force. Prohibits the use of Federal funds in establishing such memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1997
Independent Commission on Campaign Finance Reform Act of 1997 - Establishes the Independent Commission on Campaign Finance Reform to study the laws relating to the financing of political activity and to report and recommend legislation to reform those laws. (Sec. 6) Requires the Commission, not later than July 1998 or 240 days after the appointment of its members (whichever occurs earlier), to submit to the President, the Speaker and minority leader of the House of Representatives, and the majority and minority leaders of the Senate, a report of the activities of the Commission. Requires the report to include any recommendations for changes in the laws (including regulations) governing the financing of political activity, including any changes in House and Senate rules, to which nine or more Commission members may agree, together with drafts of: (1) any legislation (including technical and conforming provisions) recommended by the Commission to implement such recommendations; and (2) any proposed amendment to the Constitution recommended by the Commission as necessary to implement such recommendations, except that if the Commission includes such a proposed amendment in its report, it shall also include recommendations and drafts for legislation that may be implemented prior to the adoption of such proposed amendment. Requires the Commission, in making recommendations and preparing drafts of legislation, to consider the following to be its primary goals: (1) encouraging fair and open Federal elections that provide voters with meaningful information about candidates and issues; (2) eliminating the disproportionate influence of special interest financing of Federal elections; and (3) creating a more equitable electoral system for challengers and incumbents. (Sec. 7) Provides for expedited congressional consideration of any legislation introduced the substance of which implements a recommendation of the Commission submitted, including a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution. (Sec. 9) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1997
ESOP Promotion Act of 1997 - Repeals provisions of the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 which made certain employee stock ownership plans (ESOP) benefits inapplicable to S corporations (certain small business corporations). Allows ESOP closely-held corporate sponsors to pay estate tax if an estate transferred the stock of the corporation to an ESOP. Permits ESOP dividends to be reinvested without losing the dividend deduction. Excludes from gross income transfers of qualified securities in connection with the performance of services if such securities are sold to an ESOP within 60 days of the taxable event. Allows for a qualified gratuitous transfer of remainder interest in qualified employer securities to an ESOP following the termination of payments to a charitable remainder annuity trust or a charitable remainder unitrust. Provides that securities acquired by an ESOP in a qualified gratuitous transfer allocated to any person who is related to the decedent or to any person who is a five percent shareholder be treated as having been distributed.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1997
Lewis and Clark Expedition Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one-dollar and half-dollar coins emblematic of the expedition of Lewis and Clark. Allocates surcharges from coin sales between the National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Council and the National Park Service for activities associated with the bicentennial commemoration of the expedition.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1997
Leave Equity for Adoptive Families Act of 1997 - Entitles any employee who needs it, because of placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care, to any leave benefit provided by the employer for care of an employee's newborn biological child or for recovery from the employee's own illness, injury, or disability. Requires that such leave commence no later than 12 months after such placement. Authorizes civil actions to enforce this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1997
Harold Hughes-Bill Emerson Commission on Alcoholism Act - Establishes the Harold Hughes-Bill Emerson Commission on Alcoholism. Includes among the duties of the Commission: (1) promoting the development of a national consensus on policy issues related to alcoholism; (2) evaluating the interest of the provider and medical communities in new medications related to alcoholism and the barriers to the communities in obtaining such medications; (3) in conjunction with the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, conducting a study to identify the current state-of-the-art alcohol research, unmet alcohol research needs, and appropriate research funding in view of the size and scope of the alcoholism problem; (4) evaluating and making recommendations regarding the education of physicians in American medical schools concerning alcoholism and the certification of other individuals trained to provide alcoholism prevention and treatment services; and (5) making recommendations designed to reduce and prevent alcoholism, including recommendations concerning appropriate roles for the Federal, State, and local governments and the private sector and changes needed to Federal laws and programs. Requires the Commission to report to the President and the Congress on its findings. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1997
Commends 25 specified States for their efforts with respect to prison time served by criminal offenders. Encourages all remaining States to adopt legislation to increase the time served by violent felons. Reemphasizes that individuals who commit violent crime should serve at least 85 percent of their sentence.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1997
Public Services Aviation Act of 1997 - Amends Federal aviation safety law to consider a government-owned aircraft to be a public aircraft if it is: (1) operated in the performance of a governmental function by a unit of government on behalf of another unit of government pursuant to a cost reimbursement agreement; or (2) transporting (for non-commercial purposes) crewmembers whose presence is associated with the administration or support (or, as currently, performance) of a governmental function such as, but not limited to, public safety, among other functions specified by current law.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1997
Hunger Has a Cure Act of 1997 - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to provide for an annual price-indexed standard deduction adjustment (as of FY 2001). (Sec. 3) Revises maximum excess shelter deduction amounts and authorizes such amounts through FY 2001 (currently permanent). (Sec. 4) Provides for an annual price-indexed vehicle allowance adjustment. (Sec. 5) Revises work requirement provisions. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to reserve specified amounts for FY 1998 through 2002 employment and training programs. (Sec. 6) Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 to make legal immigrants who became disabled after U.S. entry and certain elderly and under-18 years of age legal immigrants eligible for the food stamp program (program). Extends program eligibility for refugees and asylees from five years to seven years. Repeals specified program attribution of (alien) sponsor income provisions. (Sec. 7) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) specified funds under the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 should be appropriated to provide FY 1998 short-term emergency food assistance; and (2) FY 1997 and 1998 appropriations for the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC) should meet case load demands. (Sec. 9) Amends the National School Lunch Act to: (1) increase lunch and supper reimbursement rates for the summer food service program for children; and (2) increase the number of meals and-or supplements available under the child and adult food care program. (Sec. 10) Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to direct the Secretary to carry out school breakfast and summer feeding program outreach activities. Obligates specified Treasury funds for State start-up and expansion costs.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1997
Gift of Life Congressional Medal Act of 1997 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike a bronze medal to commemorate organ donors and their families. Makes any organ donor, or the family of any organ donor, eligible for the medal. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to direct the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) to arrange for medal presentation to eligible individuals. Declares the medals to be national medals. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to enter into agreements with the OPTN to collect funds to offset expenditures relating to medal issuance. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit all solicited donations into the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1997
Customs Enforcement and Market Access Act of 1997 - Directs the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), whenever the United States negotiates a protocol for accession of a country to the World Trade Organization (WTO), to negotiate for inclusion in that protocol: (1) provisions for effective market access to that country's domestic markets for U.S. textile and apparel products; and (2) provisions allowing the suspension or revocation of paragraph 14 (relating to increasing import levels based on growth rates) of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, if the country has failed to enforce such market access provisions. Requires negotiation of bilateral agreements containing similar provisions with countries that are not WTO members. (Sec. 3) Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to direct the USTR to identify annually, report to the Congress, and publish in the Federal Register the names of priority foreign countries that deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons producing or selling textile or apparel products. (Sec. 4) Establishes in the Treasury a Textile Global Competitiveness Research Fund, consisting in part of fines levied under this Act, and whose amounts shall be available: (1) to the Office of Textiles, Apparel, and Consumer Goods of the Department of Commerce to provide funds for the American Textile Partnership the Textile-Clothing Technology Center, the National Textile Center, and the Garment Industry Development Center; (2) for adjustment assistance for firms in the textile and apparel industry that have been adversely affected by textile and apparel imports; and (3) to the Customs Service for the enforcement of laws governing trade in textile and apparel goods. (Sec. 5) Directs the USTR to take necessary steps to negotiate a quota agreement with any non-WTO country whose exports to the United States exceed $100 million annually, or are creating serious damage or the actual threat of it to the U.S. textile and apparel industry. States the sense of the Congress that any agreement negotiated with a non-WTO country which already has a textile agreement with the United States should permit imports of textile and apparel products of that country, during each 12-month period, to increase by not more than the percentage of growth in the U.S domestic market for all textile and apparel products in the preceding 12-month period. Specifies provisions for inclusion in the accession protocol of countries acceding to the WTO. (Sec. 6) Requires the USTR to ensure that any protocol under negotiation for accession to the WTO of a non-WTO country with a bilateral textile import agreement with the United States, as well as any subsequent agreement, provides for a reduction in the quantity of that country's textile and apparel goods that may be imported into the United States if the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements determines that the bilateral agreement is being circumvented and that inadequate or no measures are being taken by that country to take action against such circumvention. (Sec. 7) Prescribes specified Customs Service enforcement actions and penalties (including fines, seizure, and forfeiture) for violations of customs laws involving textile and apparel goods. (Sec. 10) Directs the Commissioner of Customs to establish a Division on Textile Enforcement. (Sec. 11) Requires withdrawal of preferential tariff or quota treatment (unilateral trade concessions) from the textile and apparel goods of any country: (1) demonstrating a consistent pattern of circumventing textile agreements with United States; (2) refusing to cooperate in investigations; or (3) failing to provide fair and equitable market access for U.S. textile and apparel goods.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1997
Extends congressional gratitude to Leslie Townes (Bob) Hope for his accomplishments and service on behalf of U.S. military service members. Confers upon Mr. Hope the status of an honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth a special rule for the donation by a corporation, as a charitable deduction, of computer equipment and software, as well as related training, to elementary and secondary schools and to qualified organizations providing assistance to disabled individuals. Directs the Comptroller General to report concerning such deductions. Expresses the sense of the Congress that one of the main purposes of such enhanced charitable deduction is to encourage the donation of computer equipment and software to: (1) schools serving low income communities; (2) schools with budgets below applicable norms; and (3) schools with student test scores below the norm.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1997
Transportation Empowerment Act - Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for the interstate maintenance program, the interstate and Indian reservation bridge program, the Federal lands highways program, public lands highways, parkways and park roads, highway safety programs, and highway safety research and development, through FY 2002. Amends provisions regarding transferability of funds to authorize a State, upon determining that excess funds have been made available to the State for a purpose, to transfer the excess funds to, and use such funds for, any surface transportation purpose (including mass transit and rail) in the State. Specifies that if the Secretary determines that a State has transferred funds to a purpose that is not a surface transportation purpose, the amount of the improperly transferred funds shall be deducted from any amount the State would otherwise receive from HTF for the next fiscal year. Repeals provisions regarding the apportionment formula for resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, and reconstructing the Interstate System and sets forth provisions regarding the apportionment of funds to the States for interstate maintenance. Authorizes appropriations for motor carrier safety grants. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to: (1) extend until October 1, 2002, the availability of HTF funds for authorized expenditures; (2) set a core programs financing rate for gasoline, special motor fuels, and diesel fuel; (3) establish in HTF an Infrastructure Special Assistance Fund; and (4) provide for the return of excess tax receipts to States for transportation purposes. Terminates transfers to HTF's Mass Transit Account on and after October 1, 1997. (Sec. 6) Grants congressional consent to States to enter into interstate compacts to: (1) promote the continuity, quality, and safety of the Interstate System; (2) develop programs to promote and fund surface transportation safety initiatives and establish surface transportation safety standards; (3) conduct long-term planning for surface transportation infrastructure in, and develop design and construction standards for such infrastructure to be used by, participating States; and (4) establish surface transportation infrastructure banks. Sets forth provisions regarding financing and authority of infrastructure banks. (Sec. 7) Requires the head of each executive agency to: (1) assist State and local governments in efforts to privatize the transportation infrastructure assets of the State and local governments; and (2) approve requests from State and local governments to privatize transportation infrastructure assets and waive or modify any condition relating to the original Federal program that funded the asset. Sets forth provisions regarding criteria for approval of requests, the lack of a State or local obligation to repay Federal grant funds for assets that are privatized, the use of proceeds from the privatization of a transportation infrastructure asset, and cost recovery. (Sec. 8) Amends the IRC to reduce taxes on gasoline, diesel fuel, and special fuels funding HTF. (Sec. 9) Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 10) Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress describing necessary technical and conforming amendments. (Sec. 11) Makes this Act contingent upon certification by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget that this Act is deficit neutral and meets specified requirements regarding discretionary spending limits.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1997
Directs the Department of Education to modify its public information Internet site to include direct links to free databases of information concerning scholarships, fellowships, and other student financial aid. Requires the Department to: (1) obtain prior verification from the Federal Trade Commission that such databases are not being used in furtherance of any fraudulent or deceptive practice; (2) display a disclaimer and warning with such links; and (3) provide additional direct links to information resources about fraudulent and deceptive practices in the provision of services related to student financial aid.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1997
Medicare Anti-Fraud Amendments of 1997 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from issuing or renewing the provider number of a durable medical equipment supplier unless the supplier provides information on ownership or control interests and a surety bond of up to $50,000; (2) require home health agencies to provide such a surety bond; and (3) authorize application of such disclosure and surety bond requirements to suppliers of ambulance services and clinics that furnish medical and other health services (other than physicians' services) under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance).
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Biomedical and Behavioral Research Title II: Preventive Health Research Title III: Development of Improved Pharmaceutical and Other Therapeutic Agents Title IV: Research on Environmental Risks Pediatric Research Initiative Act of 1997 - Title I: Biomedical and Behavioral Research - Amends the Public Health Service Act to mandate a comprehensive plan for the conduct and support by the national research institutes of pediatric research. Establishes the National Advisory Council on Pediatric Research. Authorizes appropriations. Requires: (1) guidelines for the inclusion of children as subjects in clinical research projects conducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health; and (2) increasing the percentage of child subjects. Title II: Preventive Health Research - Mandates: (1) a program of research (directly or through grants) regarding preventable diseases, disabilities, and injuries in children; (2) an advisory committee; and (3) a comprehensive plan for the research. Establishes the Pediatric Prevention Research Initiative Fund. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Development of Improved Pharmaceuticals and Other Therapeutic Agents - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to delay for a specified time (after the approval would otherwise be granted) the approval of new drugs for which the application materials refer to a drug whose approval application materials include pediatric clinical investigations. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to consider pharmacokinetic studies as clinical investigations. Provides for requests for pediatric studies. Title IV: Research on Environmental Risks - Amends the Public Health Service Act to mandate a program to conduct and support research regarding environmental factors that affect children differently than adults. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise provisions concerning the discharge of indebtedness from the prepayment of certain loans under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, as such Act was in effect on January 1, 1993 (currently, as such Act was in effect on January 1, 1987).
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1997
Patient Access to Responsible Care Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require a health insurance issuer to: (1) assure that covered items and services are available and accessible to each enrollee; (2) assure the availability and accessibility of emergency services and urgent care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; (3) not require prior authorization for emergency services; and (4) cover emergency and urgent (and related ancillary) services. Requires an issuer offering network coverage to show that enrollees have access to specialized treatment. Regulates network incentive plans. Requires an issuer to: (1) permit each network enrollee to select a personal health professional from participating professionals; (2) cover nonparticipating providers, regulating premiums and cost sharing; (3) avoid undue enrollee burden from care coordination and cost control processes; (4) ensure direct specialist access; (5) provide for continuity of care for those with special needs or a chronic condition; and (6) provide for continued coverage in certain circumstances. Prohibits issuer discrimination on the basis of specified factors against individuals or providers. Prohibits any issuer-professional agreement from restricting the professional from engaging in medical communications with the professional's patient. Sets forth requirements regarding utilization review, an appeals process, and the process by which health professionals and providers become participants. Requires issuers to: (1) disclose certain information to enrollees and prospective enrollees; (2) comply with Federal and State confidentiality laws; (3) meet State solvency-related requirements; and (4) establish a quality improvement program. Requires issuers to comply with this Act regarding group and individual coverage. Declares that the requirements of this Act do not preempt any State law providing equivalent or stricter protections for individuals. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to require a group health plan and an issuer offering coverage under such a plan to comply with the requirements of this Act. Declares that this Act does not preempt any State: (1) law providing equivalent or stricter protections for individuals; or (2) cause of action for personal injury or wrongful death damages that provides insurance or administrative services to or for an employee welfare benefit plan maintained to provide health benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1997
Expresses the sense of the Congress that certain provisions of the Merchant Marine Act, 1920 relating to transportation of merchandise between U.S. points in other than domestically built or rebuilt and documented vessels and to incineration of hazardous waste at sea (those provisions popularly known as the Jones Act) and related statutes are critically important components of our Nation's economic and military security and should be fully and strongly supported.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1997
Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 1997 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy services of registered dieticians and nutrition professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1997
Principal Residence Tax Exclusion Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to replace the existing one-time exclusion of up to $125,000 of gain from the sale of a principal residence by a person at least 55 years old with an exclusion of gain of up to $250,000 ($500,000 for qualifying joint return) for a qualifying sale of a principal residence regardless of the person's age. Applies such exclusion to only one sale or exchange every two years. Repeals the provision providing for nonrecognition of gain on principal residence rollovers.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1997
Veterans Medicare Reimbursement Demonstration Act of 1997 - Directs the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) to jointly carry out a demonstration project, during the three-year period beginning on January 1, 1998, under which the HHS Secretary provides the VA with reimbursement from the Medicare program (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) for health-care services provided to targeted Medicare-eligible veterans in or through selected VA facilities. Provides for: (1) the waiver of certain Medicare requirements in order to carry out the project; and (2) selection of participating VA facilities (requires the VA Secretary to designate up to three geographic service areas from which such facilities are to be selected and to establish a selection plan). Requires at least one facility selected to be in the same catchment area as a military medical facility which was closed pursuant to a defense base closure law. Requires project participation to be voluntary. Directs the VA Secretary to establish requirements for participating veterans. Requires project reimbursement at a rate equal to 95 percent of amounts that would otherwise be payable under the Medicare program if the facility were not a Federal facility, were participating in the project, and imposed charges for such services. Requires reimbursement payments periodically from Medicare trust funds, with an annual Medicare payment limit of $50 million. Requires reductions in such payments when the amount of actual VA medical expenditures for targeted veterans is less than the amount of the maintenance of effort level (as defined under this Act) for such fiscal year. Directs the Secretaries to compare the expenditures made under the project to the expenditures that would have been made for such veterans if the project had not been conducted, and to take appropriate steps if the expenditures under the Medicare program increased as a result of the project. Requires annual audits by the Comptroller General. Requires: (1) an independent entity to undertake an ongoing project evaluation and report results to the Secretaries and appropriate congressional committees; and (2) a report from the Secretaries to the Congress on possible project extension and expansion. Directs the Secretaries to submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the feasibility and advisability of establishing a new demonstration project to reimburse the VA Secretary for health care services furnished to targeted Medicare-eligible veterans enrolled in managed health care plans established by such Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1997
Imported Meat Labeling Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to require country of origin (where an animal is raised before slaughter) labeling of imported meat or U.S.-prepared meat food products containing foreign meat.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income (under the qualified scholarship provisions) certain amounts provided by an employer to the child of an employee.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1997
Amends the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) to allow certain eligible covered beneficiaries to enroll in any health benefits plan under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHB) offering medical and dental care comparable to that offered under CHAMPUS. Includes as an eligible covered beneficiary any member or former member of the armed forces, and any dependent of such member, who: (1) is not guaranteed access under CHAMPUS or TRICARE Standard (a Department of Defense managed care program) to health and dental care comparable to the highest level provided under the FEHB; (2) is eligible to enroll in the TRICARE Program but is not so enrolled because of geographical inaccessibility, enrollment limitations, or any other reason; or (3) is entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. States that any such beneficiary shall not be required to satisfy any FEHB eligibility criteria as a condition for enrollment. Provides for: (1) enrollment contributions; (2) participation management by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM); and (3) annual reports from the Secretary of Defense and the OPM Director concerning the provision of such care. Requires the health and dental care benefits provided under CHAMPUS and TRICARE Standard, as well as the rates prescribed for the reimbursement of providers under such programs, to be comparable to the highest level of benefits provided under the FEHB. Requires the Secretary to begin offering the health benefits option of this Act no later than November 1, 1997.
![Official portrait of Rep. Thurman, Karen L. [D-FL-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/t000253_200.jpg)