United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2000
National Science Education Enhancement Act - Provides that nothing in this Act may be construed to authorize any Federal department, agency, officer, or employee to exercise any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum, program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational institution or school system. Title I: Amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 - Revises the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) with respect to teacher professional development activities to include support for mentoring activities for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology teachers. (Sec. 101) Includes information on model science, mathematics, engineering, and technology teacher mentoring programs among the information which the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education (Clearinghouse) is required to disseminate. Requires States, in their plans in applications for teacher professional development grants, to describe how they will: (1) administer a mentoring system to ensure consistent implementation of mentoring programs for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology teachers; (2) provide a structure for local mentoring program evaluation; (3) provide technical assistance to local mentoring programs; (4) ensure compliance by local mentoring programs with State teacher training requirements; and (5) provide incentives for local educational agencies (LEAs) to take mentoring into consideration in assessing instructional staff hiring needs. Requires local activities under the teacher professional development program to include mentoring programs for novice teachers of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. Requires States to include, in their accountability reports under the teacher professional development program, the impact of State and local mentoring programs on teaching quality and teacher retention rates. (Sec. 102) Revises ESEA provisions for the allocation and use of funds for the Clearinghouse. Requires such funds to be used to: (1) solicit and gather qualitative and evaluative materials and programs, review their evaluation, rank their effectiveness, and distribute results of reviews, as well as excerpts of materials and links to Internet sites and information on on-line communities of users to teachers; and (2) establish an Internet site offering a search mechanism to assist site visitors in identifying information on science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education instructional materials and programs, including electronic links to information on classroom demonstrations and experiments, teachers who have used materials or participated in programs, vendors, curricula, and textbooks. Directs the Clearinghouse to give particular attention to the effective use of materials and technology in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education. Directs the National Academy of Sciences to study and report on the Clearinghouse. (Sec. 103) Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants, from specified ESEA funds, for summer professional development institutes for teachers. Provides for such grants to be awarded to State agencies for higher education, working in conjunction with the State educational agency (if such agencies are separate). Requires the grantees to: (1) make subgrants to or cooperative agreements with various entities working in conjunction with an LEA or consortium of LEAs; and (2) give priority to applicants assuring use of a curriculum recognized by the working group established under specified provisions of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950. Sets forth requirements relating to such institutes and their activities and curricula. Requires peer review of grant applications under a process established by the Director of the National Science Foundation. Requires participants in such institutes to earn credit toward State continuing education requirements for teachers or a post-baccalaureate degree program at an institution of higher education. Revises provisions for allocation of certain appropriated amounts. Reserves specified funds for the summer institute program. (Sec. 104) Includes providing technology training software and instructional materials to teachers among local uses of ESEA school technology resource grants. (Sec. 105) Requires grant applicants, under the ESEA 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, to assure that they will use at least five percent of the grant amount to provide after-school day care services that focus on science activities. (Sec. 106) Includes after-school day care services that focus on science activities for children in kindergarten through sixth grade among uses of grants under the ESEA 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. Title II: Other Provisions - Revises the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to treat technology training, tutoring teachers in the uses of classroom technology, as community service by college students under the work-study program. Increases funding for such program and reserves the amount of such increase to compensate students employed in technology training or tutoring teachers in the uses of classroom technology. (Sec. 202) Directs the Secretary of Commerce to study: (1) the feasibility and effectiveness of various incentives, including tax credits, for businesses to provide personnel with regular compensation for time spent as volunteers engaged in the technological training of teachers and facilities for such training; (2) alternative methods of providing financial support, through income tax credits, loan forgiveness, or otherwise, to individuals seeking training or retraining in mathematics, science, and technology education; (3) the effectiveness of higher education institutions in training teachers who can use technology and integrate it into lesson plans, curricula, and distance learning; (4) methods to coordinate working alliances at various levels of government between the business and academic community; and (5) other means of improving the efficiency of the technological training of teachers. (Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary of Commerce to report to Congress on such study, including proposals for a comprehensive approach to providing technologically competent teachers to the Nation's schools.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2000
National Museum of the American Indian Commemorative Coin Act of 2000, or American Buffalo Coin Commemorative Coin Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue a maximum of 500,000 $1 dollar coins in commemoration of the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian Institution. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Mint Facility in Denver, Colorado, should strike such coins unless the Secretary determines that it would be technically or cost-prohibitive. Mandates that the proceeds from sales surcharges be paid promptly to the National Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian Institution to: (1) commemorate the opening of the Museum; and (2)supplement the Museum's endowment and educational outreach funds. Subjects the Museum to certain Federal audit requirements. Instructs the Secretary to take actions to ensure that coin minting and issuance will not result in any net cost to the Government.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2000
Summer Fill and Fuel Budgeting Act of 2000 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to direct the Secretary of Energy, upon request of the chief executive officer of a State, to provide information, technical assistance, and funding to: (1) develop consumer education and outreach programs to encourage consumers to fill their storage facilities for kerosene, propane, and heating oil during the summer months; and (2) promote the use of budget contracts, price cap contracts, and fixed price contracts, and other advantageous financial arrangements; and (3) give preference to States that contribute public funds or leverage private funds to develop State summer fill and fuel budgeting programs. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2000
Home Health Fairness Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate a specified 15 percent reduction in cost and per beneficiary limits with respect to payment rates for home health services under the Medicare prospective payment system. Makes this Act effective as if included in the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2000
Great Lakes Ecology Protection Act of 2000 - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations to prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic nuisance species within the Great Lakes. Calls upon such regulations to require, among other things, the use of environmentally sound treatment methods for ballast water and ballast sediments, such as sterilization, in preventing and controlling infestations of aquatic nuisance species. Sets forth provisions requiring maximum public participation in, and advance notice of, proposed rulemaking with respect to such regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2000
Innocence Protection Act of 2000 - Title I: Exonerating the Innocent through DNA Testing - Amends the Federal judicial code to authorize a person in custody pursuant to the judgment of a court established by an Act of Congress, at any time after conviction, to apply to the court that entered the judgment for forensic DNA testing of any biological material that: (1) is related to the investigation or prosecution that resulted in the judgment; (2) is in the actual or constructive possession of the Government; and (3) was not previously subjected to DNA testing, or can be subjected to retesting with new DNA techniques that provide a reasonable likelihood of more accurate and probative results. Sets forth procedures regarding notice to the Government and preservation of remaining biological material. Directs the court to order DNA testing pursuant to such application upon a determination that testing may produce non-cumulative, exculpatory evidence relevant to an applicant's claim that the applicant was wrongfully convicted or sentenced. Specifies that the cost of DNA testing shall be borne by the Government or the applicant, as the court may order in the interests of justice, if it is shown that the applicant is not indigent and possesses the means to pay. Authorizes the court at any time to appoint counsel for an indigent applicant. Establishes post-testing procedures, including ordering a hearing and entering any order that serves the interests of justice, including an order setting aside the judgment or granting a new trial or re-sentencing if the results of the DNA testing are favorable to the applicant. Requires the Government to preserve any biological material secured in connection with a criminal case for such period as any person remains incarcerated in connection with that case, with exceptions. (Sec. 103) Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (Safe Streets Act) to include among the requirements for DNA identification grants, and for drug control and system improvement (Byrne) grants, that the State will: (1) preserve all biological material secured in connection with a State criminal case for not less than the period of time that biological material is required to be preserved under this Act in the case of a person incarcerated in connection with a Federal criminal case (biological material preservation requirements); and (2) make DNA testing available to any person convicted in State court to the same extent, and under the same conditions, that DNA testing is available under this Act to any person convicted in a court established by an Act of Congress. Makes DNA samples obtained by, and DNA analyses performed at, a forensic laboratory accessible for criminal defense purposes to a defendant, who shall have access to samples and analyses performed in connection with the case in which such defendant was charged or convicted. Requires applications for public safety and community policing grants, if any part of funds received from such a grant is to be used to develop or improve a DNA analysis capability in a forensic laboratory, or to obtain or analyze DNA samples for inclusion in the Combined DNA Index System, to make specified certifications including that: (1) DNA analyses performed at such laboratory will satisfy or exceed the current standards for a quality assurance program for DNA analysis issued by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation under the DNA Identification Act of 1994; (2) DNA samples and analyses obtained and performed by such laboratory will be accessible only consistent with specified requirements; (3) the laboratory and each analyst performing DNA analyses at the laboratory will undergo, at regular intervals not exceeding 180 days, external proficiency testing by a DNA proficiency testing program that meets certain standards; and (4) the State will meet biological material preservation requirements. (Sec. 104) Prohibits a State from denying a request, made by a person in custody resulting from a State court judgment, for DNA testing of biological material that: (1) is related to the investigation or prosecution that resulted in the conviction of the person or the sentence imposed on the person; (2) is in the actual or constructive possession of the State; and (3) was not previously subjected to DNA testing, or can be subjected to retesting with new DNA techniques that provide a reasonable likelihood of more accurate and probative results. Makes an exception upon a judicial determination that testing could not produce non-cumulative evidence establishing a reasonable probability that the person was wrongfully convicted or sentenced. Bars a State from relying upon a time limit or procedural default rule to deny a person an opportunity to present non-cumulative, exculpatory DNA results in court, or in an executive or administrative forum in which a decision is made in accordance with procedural due process. Authorizes a person to enforce this section in a civil action for declaratory or injunctive relief, filed either in a State court of general jurisdiction or in U.S. district court. Specifies that no State or State executive or judicial officer shall have immunity from such actions. Title II: Ensuring Competent Legal Services in Capital Cases - Amends the Safe Streets Act (regarding Byrne grant programs) to require that State applications include, if the State prescribes, authorizes, or permits the death penalty for any offense, a certification that the State has established and maintains an effective system for providing competent legal services to indigents at every phase of a State criminal prosecution in which a death sentence is sought or has been imposed, up to and including direct appellate review and post-conviction review in State court. Requires the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to promulgate regulations specifying the elements of an "effective system" including: (1) a centralized and independent appointing authority which shall have authority and responsibility to undertake specified activities, such as to recruit attorneys who are qualified to represent indigents in capital proceedings, draft and annually publish a roster of such attorneys, draft and annually publish qualifications and performance standards for such attorneys, and periodically review the roster, monitor attorney performance, provide a mechanism by which members of the Bar may comment on the performance of their peers, and delete the name of any attorney who fails to meet specified requirements; and (2) specified compensation and reimbursement requirements of private attorneys and public defender organizations. Requires applications for discretionary (justice system improvement) grants to include satisfying such certification requirement. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Justice to include in a report to Congress on such grants to each State a description and a comparative analysis of the systems established by each State in order to satisfy the certification requirement, including qualifications and performance standards, rates of compensation, and rates of reimbursement. (Sec. 202) Amends the judicial code to direct the court, in a proceeding instituted by an indigent applicant under sentence of death, to neither presume a finding of fact made by a State court to be correct nor decline to consider a claim on the ground that the applicant failed to raise such claim in State court at the time and in the manner prescribed by State law, unless: (1) the State provided the applicant with legal services at the stage of the State proceedings at which the State court made the finding of fact or the applicant failed to raise the claim; and (2) the legal services the State provided satisfied the regulations promulgated by the Director of the Administrative Office pursuant to the Safe Streets Act. (Sec. 203) Amends the Federal criminal code to require the Director of the Administrative Office to: (1) award grants to, or enter into contracts with, public or private nonprofit organizations for the purpose of providing defense services in capital cases; and (2) develop guidelines to ensure that defense services provided by recipients of such grants and contracts are consistent with applicable legal and ethical proscriptions governing the duties of counsel in capital cases. Title III: Compensating the Unjustly Condemned - Rewrites judicial code provisions regarding compensation for unjust imprisonment. Limits the amount of damages awarded to $50,000 for each 12-month period of incarceration, except that a plaintiff who was unjustly sentenced to death may be awarded not more than $100,000 for each 12-month period of incarceration. Directs the court, in assessing damages, to consider: (1) the circumstances surrounding the unjust conviction, including any misconduct by Federal officers or employees; (2) the length and conditions of the unjust incarceration; and (3) family circumstances, loss of wages, and pain and suffering of the plaintiff. (Sec. 302) Amends the Safe Streets Act to require applicants for criminal justice facility construction grants to provide reasonable assurance that the applicant, or the State in which it is located, does not prescribe, authorize, or permit the death penalty for any offense, or: (1) has established and maintains an effective procedure by which any person unjustly convicted of an offense against the State and sentenced to death may be awarded reasonable damages upon substantial proof that the person did not commit any of the acts with which the person was charged; and (2) the conviction of that person was reversed or set aside on the ground that the person was not guilty of the offense or offenses of which the person was convicted, the person was found not guilty of such offenses on new trial or rehearing, or the person was pardoned upon the stated ground of innocence and unjust conviction. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the criminal code to prohibit the Government from seeking the death penalty in any case initially brought before a U.S. district court that sits in a State that does not prescribe, authorize, or permit the imposition of such penalty for the alleged conduct, except upon written certification of the Attorney General (or designee) that: (1) the State does not have jurisdiction or refuses to assume jurisdiction over the defendant with respect to the alleged conduct; (2) the State has requested that the Government assume jurisdiction; or (3) the offense charged is one of certain listed offenses, including destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities, assassination, kidnapping, and assault of specified Government officials. (Sec. 402) Rewrites Controlled Substances Act provisions regarding continuing criminal enterprises to direct the court, upon a recommendation that the defendant should be sentenced to death or life imprisonment without possibility of release, to sentence the defendant accordingly (otherwise, the court shall impose any lesser sentence that is authorized by law). (Sec. 403) Rewrites provisions of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 regarding Violent Offender Incarceration and Truth-In-Sentencing Incentive Grants to require State applicants to provide assurances to the Attorney General that: (1) the State has implemented policies that provide for the recognition of the rights and needs of crime victims; and (2) in any capital case in which the jury has a role in determining the sentence imposed on the defendant, the court, at the defendant's request, shall inform the jury of all statutorily authorized sentencing options in the particular case, including applicable parole eligibility rules and terms. (Sec. 404) Requires the Attorney General, within two years and annually thereafter, to prepare and transmit to Congress a report concerning the administration of capital punishment laws by the Government and the States. Directs the Attorney General or the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, as appropriate, to ensure that the reports are: (1) distributed to national print and broadcast media; and (2) posted on an Internet website maintained by the Department of Justice. (Sec. 405) Amends the judicial code to provide that, regarding exhaustion of remedies available in State courts, if the highest court of a State has discretion to decline appellate review of a case or a claim, a petition asking that court to entertain a case or a claim is not an available State court procedure. (Sec. 406) Expresses the sense of the Senate that the death penalty is disproportionate and offends contemporary standards of decency when applied to a person who is mentally retarded or who had not attained age 18 at the time of the offense.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2000
America's Better Classroom Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a limited credit for qualified public school modernization bonds (qualified school construction bonds and qualified zone academy bonds). Amends the General Education Provisions Act to provide for the application of certain labor standards to projects financed under this Act. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish provisions concerning employment and training activities related to the construction or reconstruction of public school facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2000
Stop Tuberculosis (TB) Now Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to declare that a major objective of the foreign assistance program of the United States is to control tuberculosis and that consequently Congress expects the agency primarily responsible for the administration of tuberculosis control health programs to focus upon implementation of Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course (DOTS), or other internationally accepted primary tuberculosis control strategies developed in consultation with the World Health Organization and other designated organizations. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2000
IDEA Full Funding Act of 2000 - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to authorize funding to reach the Federal Government's goal of providing 40 percent of the national average per pupil expenditure to assist States and local educational agencies with the excess costs of educating children with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations for IDEA part B programs of assistance for education of all children with disabilities, in specified amounts for FY 2001 through 2010, and as necessary thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2000
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2000 - Amends the matching grant program for law enforcement armor vests under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to direct that the matching portion equal 50 percent if: (1) such grant is to a unit of local government with fewer than 100,000 residents; (2) the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance determines that the quantity of vests to be purchased with such grant is reasonable; and (3) such portion does not cause such grant to violate certain maximum amount requirements. Directs that: (1) funds available be awarded, without regard to specified "preferential consideration" provisions, to each qualifying unit of local government with fewer than 100,000 residents; and (2) any remaining funds available be awarded to other qualifying applicants. Provides that if an application is submitted in conjunction with a transaction for the purchase of armor vests, grant amounts may not be used to fund any portion of that purchase unless, before the application is submitted, the applicant: (1) receives clear and conspicuous notice that receipt of the grant amounts requested in the application is uncertain; and (2) expressly assumes the obligation to carry out the transaction regardless of whether such amounts are received. Redefines "armor vest" to include body armor which has been tested through a specified voluntary compliance testing program, and found to meet or exceed the requirements of NIJ Standard 0115.00, or any subsequent revision of such standard. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2000
Helping to Improve Technology Education and Achievement Act of 2000 - Title I: Provisions Relating to Employment-Based Immigration - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make employment-based visas available on a quarterly basis without regard to per-country limitations if unused visas are available. (Sec. 102) Directs the Secretary of Labor to take into account Internet recruiting in determining whether an employer has undertaken required efforts to recruit U.S. workers. (Sec. 103) Directs the Attorney General and the Secretary to establish an Internet-based system that will permit tracking of benefit filings required under such Act. Directs the Attorney General to conduct an on-line filing feasibility study. Directs the Attorney General and the Secretaries of Labor and Commerce to jointly establish a related Technology Advisory Committee. Title II: Provisions Relating to H-1B Nonimmigrants - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to increase available nonimmigrant H-1B specialty occupation visas for FY 2001 through 2003, with specified visa reservations for: (1) aliens with master's or higher degrees; and (2) institutions of higher education and other research organizations. Makes additional visas available for FY 1999 under specified conditions. (Sec. 202) Requires employers to file W-2 forms for H-1B employees. (Sec. 203) Provides one-year extensions of authorized H-1B stay pending specified status adjudications. Title III: Collection and Use of H-1B Nonimmigrant Fees - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to increase H-1B petition fees. (Sec. 302) Obligates specified amounts from the H-1B Nonimmigrant Petitioner Account for: (1) student loan forgiveness; (2) upward bound; and (3) regional skills training alliances. Eliminates obligations for job training. Decreases obligations for low-income scholarships. Amends the Higher Education Act to establish an educational loan forgiveness program for mathematics and science teachers. Amends the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 to direct the Secretary of Commerce to provide matching grants to: (1) eligible entities for job skills training in specific industries; and (2) States for consortia planning assistance. (Sec. 306) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to increase certain H-1B administrative fees.
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Harriet Tubman Special Resource Study Act - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study and report to Congress on the national significance, long-term preservation, and public use of the following sites in Auburn, New York, associated with Harriet Tubman: (1) Harriet Tubman's home, located at 182 South Street; (2) the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged, located at 180 South Street; (3) the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, located at 33 Parker Street; (4) Harriet Tubman's grave at Fort Hill Cemetery, located at 19 Fort Street; and (5) William Henry Seward's home, located at 33 South Street. Requires the Secretary's analysis and recommendations regarding the suitability and feasibility of incorporating the sites into the National Park System to be included in the study.
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Medicaid Safety Net Hospital Preservation Act of 2000 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, with respect to adjustments in payments for inpatient hospital services furnished by disproportionate share (DSH) hospitals, to require DSH allotments for FY 2002 to be equal to the State allotment for FY 2000. Sets the DSH allotment for FY 2001 and for FY 2002 at the FY 2000 level.
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
High-Speed Rail Investment Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a limited tax credit to holders of qualified intercity passenger rail carrier bonds. Sets forth definitions, State matching requirements, and other rules.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
Thomas Navarro FDA Patient Rights Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from placing a clinical hold on an investigation of a drug on the basis that the Secretary has determined that: (1) there is another drug (including another investigational drug) that is or may be a safe and effective therapy for the disease or condition involved; or (2) there is a comparable or satisfactory alternative therapy available for a patient who is receiving or will receive the drug as a clinical subject in the investigation, subject to exception.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
2002 Winter Olympic Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue five dollar gold coins and one dollar silver coins emblematic of the participation of American athletes in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Mandates that coin design be selected by the Secretary after consultation with: (1) the Commission of Fine Arts; (2) the United States Olympic Committee; and (3) Olympic Properties of the United States-Salt Lake 2002 (created and owned by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee). States that all surcharges from the coin sales ($35 for a $5 coin and $10 for a $1 coin) shall be distributed by the Secretary to: (1) Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games of 2002; and (2) the United States Olympic Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2000
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income payments made under Department of Defense education loan repayment programs to members of the armed forces and Selected Reserve with specified military and critical specialties and specified health and critical medical skills.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Authorizes the President, on behalf of Congress, to present a gold medal to Charles M. Schulz, in recognition of his lasting artistic contributions to the Nation and the world. Authorizes a specified amount to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund to pay for the costs of such medals. Mandates that sales proceeds from duplicate bronze medals be deposited into such Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Rural Local Broadcast Signal Act - Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to authorize the Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service to make loan guarantees (through a specified date) to providers of multichannel video services, including direct broadcast satellite licensees, to improve access to local television broadcasting to all households desiring such service in unserved and underserved rural areas. Requires loan guarantee approval by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Sets forth satellite carrier loan guarantee qualifications. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth conditions under which a borrower shall be obliged to carry local broadcast signals without charge.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Consumers' Home Improvement Protection Act - Amends the National Housing Act to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to take the following actions to prevent rehabilitation loan program fraud: (1) prohibit identity of interest of borrowers (including nonprofit organizations), lenders, consultants, real estate agents, inspectors, or appraisers; (2) establish nonprofit organization participation standards; (3) prohibit final loan disbursement until rehabilitation completion; and (4) require consultant certification and contractor qualification (for projects of $25,000 or more). Directs the Secretary report on nonprofit organization program participation.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2000
Home Heating Oil Price Stability Act - Instructs the Secretary of Energy to immediately create a fuel oil reserve containing two million barrels of heating oil in leased storage facilities in the New York Harbor area and 4.7 million barrels in one of the four Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) caverns in the Gulf Coast. Permits the Secretary to fill such heating oil reserve by trading SPR crude oil for heating oil. Authorizes the President to immediately draw down the Fuel Oil Product Reserve only when domestic fuel oil prices rise sharply because of anticompetitive activity, during a fuel oil shortage, or during periods of extreme winter weather. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2000
Installment Tax Correction Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (as amended by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999) to repeal revisions to the Code (made by the Act) which repealed the use of the installment method of accounting for accrual method taxpayers and modified the pledge rules of installment obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2000
Authorizes presentation of a gold medal on behalf of Congress to former President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy Reagan. Authorizes specified sums to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund for medal costs. Mandates that sale proceeds from duplicate bronze medals be deposited into such Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2000
Hospital Preservation and Equity Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 with regard to the one year sole community hospital payment increase, to reset the applicable percentage increase for FY 2001 and each subsequent fiscal year to the market basket percentage increase for hospitals in all areas for purposes of updating payments to prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals for inpatient hospital services.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2000
Student Athlete Protection Act - Amends the Federal judicial code to include as unlawful sports gambling a lottery, sweepstakes, or other betting, gambling, or wagering scheme based, directly or indirectly, on one or more: (1) competitive games in which high school or college athletes participate; (2) performances of high school or college athletes in competitive games; or (3) competitive games at the Summer or Winter Olympics.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2000
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Includes as an employee, for purposes of Federal provisions authorizing enrollment under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: (1) a member of the armed forces who began service before June 7, 1956, and retired after a minimum of 20 years of such service or by reason of a service-connected disability; and (2) the surviving widow or widower of such member. Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide FEHB coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member of such member. Repeals a provision prohibiting coverage under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services for persons entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2000
Recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Korean War, and expresses the gratitude of the American people for the service of members of the armed forces during such War.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2000
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a congressional gold medal to John Cardinal O'Connor, Archbishop of New York, in recognition of his accomplishments as a priest, a soldier, and a humanitarian. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2000
Pope John Paul II Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the presentation of a gold medal to Pope John Paul II in recognition of his contributions to peace and religious understanding. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates that proceeds from duplicate bronze medal sales be deposited in the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2000
Urges the Nobel Commission to award the year 2000 Nobel Prize for Peace to former United States Senator George J. Mitchell for his dedication to fostering peace in Northern Ireland.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 1999
United States Training on and Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide Resolution - Calls upon the President: (1) to provide for appropriate training and materials to all Foreign Service officers, officials of the Department of State, and any other executive branch employee involved in responding to issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide by familiarizing them with the U.S. record relating to the Armenian Genocide and the consequences of the failure to enforce the judgments of the Turkish courts against the responsible officials; and (2) in his annual message commemorating the Armenian Genocide issued on or about April 24, to characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide and to recall the proud history of U.S. intervention in opposition to the Armenian Genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 1999
Convicted Offender DNA Index System Support Act - Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to: (1) develop a plan to assist States in performing deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analyses of DNA samples collected from convicted offenders, aimed at eliminating the backlog of convicted offender DNA samples awaiting analysis in State or local forensic laboratory storage in an efficient, expeditious manner that will provide for their entry into the Combined DNA Indexing System (CODIS); and (2) give preference in assistance to those States that have developed a comprehensive program for the DNA analysis of crime scene evidence in casework for which there are no suspects. Sets forth provisions regarding plan conditions and plan implementation. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 3) Directs the Attorney General to develop a plan to assist States in performing DNA analyses of crime scene evidence in casework for which there are no suspects aimed at eliminating the backlog of crime scene evidence awaiting DNA analysis in State or local forensic laboratory storage, including evidence that needs to be re-analyzed using upgraded methods, in an efficient, expeditious manner that will provide for the entry of those analyses into CODIS. Sets forth provisions regarding plan conditions and plan implementation. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 4) Requires the FBI Director to develop a plan to effectively eliminate the backlog of crime scene evidence awaiting DNA analysis in forensic laboratory storage of the Bureau, including evidence that needs to be re-analyzed using upgraded methods, in an efficient, expeditious manner that will provide for the entry of those analyses into CODIS. Sets forth provisions regarding plan conditions and plan implementation. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 5) Requires the FBI Director to expand CODIS to include information on missing persons, including analyses of DNA samples voluntarily contributed from relatives of missing persons. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 6) Revises the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 to authorize the Director of the FBI to expand CODIS to include information on DNA identification records and analyses related to criminal offenses and acts of juvenile delinquency under Federal law, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and the District of Columbia (DC) Code. Modifies the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (VCCLEA) to authorize the Director to establish an index of individuals convicted of criminal offenses or adjudicated delinquent for acts of juvenile delinquency, including specified qualifying offenses, and an index of analyses of DNA samples voluntarily contributed from relatives of missing persons. Directs that the index include only information on DNA identification records and DNA analyses that undergo semiannual external proficiency testing and that meet other specified requirements. Requires the Director to establish a list of qualifying offenses, including each criminal offense or act of juvenile delinquency under Federal law that constitutes a crime of violence (or, in the case of an act of juvenile delinquency, would, if committed by an adult, constitute a crime of violence), and each criminal offense under the DC Code that would, if committed in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, constitute a crime of violence. Requires: (1) the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to collect a DNA sample from each individual in the custody of the Bureau who has been convicted of or adjudicated delinquent for a qualifying offense, and to specify the time and manner of collection of DNA samples; and (2) the agency responsible for the supervision under Federal law of an individual on supervised release, parole, or probation to collect a DNA sample from each individual who has been convicted of or adjudicated delinquent for a qualifying offense, and to specify the time and manner of collection of DNA samples. Authorizes the Government of DC to: (1) identify one or more categories of individuals who are in the custody of, or under supervision by, DC as a result of a conviction of a qualifying offense, from whom DNA samples should be collected; and (2) collect a DNA sample from each such individual. Directs the Director of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for DC, or the Trustee appointed under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, as appropriate, to collect a DNA sample from each individual under Agency or Trustee supervision who is on supervised release, parole, or probation and who has been convicted of or adjudicated delinquent for a qualifying offense, and to specify the time and manner of collection of DNA samples. Directs the Secretary of Defense to: (1) prescribe regulations that specify categories of conduct punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (qualifying military offenses) that are comparable to qualifying offenses, and sets forth standards and procedures for the analysis of DNA samples collected from individuals convicted of a qualifying military offense, their inclusion in an index, and the expungement of DNA identification records and such DNA analyses from the index in any circumstance in which the underlying conviction for the qualifying military offense has been reversed or the underlying record has been expunged for any other reason; and (2) specify the time and manner of collection of DNA samples. Sets criminal penalties for individuals from whom the collection of a DNA sample is required or authorized who fail to cooperate in the collection of that sample. Requires such cooperation as a condition of probation, supervised release, or release generally. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth report and evaluation requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1999
Authorizes the American Battle Monuments Commission to place within the Vietnam Veterans Memorial a plaque to honor those Vietnam veterans who died after service in the Vietnam War, but as a direct result of such service, and whose names are not otherwise eligible for placement on the Memorial wall.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1999
Long Island Sound Restoration Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the office established to assist the Management Conference of the Long Island Sound Study (Management Conference) to assist in efforts to establish a system for trading nitrogen credits within the process for granting watershed general permits. Authorizes States, in making assistance available for the upgrading of wastewater treatment facilities under provisions regarding the Long Island Sound, to give priority to a distressed community. Provides for negative interest rates on loans made to such communities for implementation of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Long Island Sound (Plan). Extends through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) carrying out the Management Conference; and (2) making grants for projects and studies to implement the Plan. Increases the maximum amount available for such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1999
Children's Health Research and Prevention Amendments of 1999 - Title I: Revision and Extension of Programs - Subtitle A: Pediatric Research Initiative - Pediatric Research Initiative Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act (the Act) to mandate establishment, in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), of a Pediatric Research Initiative. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) (Secretary) to make available within the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development enhanced support for extramural activities relating to the training and career development of pediatric researchers. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle B: Other Programs - Extends through FY 2003 programs under the Act for: (1) immunizations; (2) screenings, referrals, and education regarding lead poisoning; and (3) the prevention and control of injuries, including traumatic brain injury. Title II: Children's Health Research and Prevention Activities - Subtitle A: Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Treatment Regarding Hearing Loss in Infants - Newborn and Infant Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 1999 - Mandates grants or cooperative agreements to: (1) develop statewide newborn and infant hearing screening, evaluation, and intervention programs and systems; and (2) provide technical assistance to State agencies to complement an intramural program and to conduct applied research related to newborn and infant hearing screening, evaluation, and intervention programs and systems. Requires NIH to continue a program of research and development on the efficacy of new screening techniques and technology. Mandates Federal coordination and collaboration with State and local agencies, consumer groups, national medical, health, and education specialty organizations, deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals and their families, qualified professional personnel, and related commercial industries. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle B: Autism - Chapter 1: Surveillance and Research Regarding Prevalence and Pattern of Autism - Autism Statistics, Surveillance, Research, and Epidemiology Act of 1999 (ASSURE) - Authorizes grants and cooperative agreements for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on autism and pervasive developmental disabilities. Mandates establishment, through grants or cooperative agreements, of three to five centers of excellence in autism and pervasive developmental disabilities epidemiology to collect and analyze autism information. Requires that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) serve as the coordinating agency for autism and pervasive development disabilities surveillance through the establishment of a clearinghouse for data generated from the monitoring programs created under this chapter. Mandates establishment of an Advisory Committee for Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disabilities Epidemiology Research. Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 2: Expansion, Intensification, and Coordination of Activities of Department of Health and Human Services With Respect to Autism - Advancement in Pediatric Autism Research Act of 1999 - Directs the NIH Director to expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of NIH with respect to autism. Requires such Director, among other things, to make awards of grants or contracts to public or nonprofit entities for centers of excellence regarding research on autism. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make awards of grants and cooperative agreements for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on autism and pervasive developmental disabilities. Directs the Secretary to establish no less than three regional centers of excellence in autism and pervasive developmental disabilities epidemiology to collect and analyze information on the number, incidence, correlates, and causes of autism and related developmental disabilities. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a clearinghouse within the CDCP for the collection and storage of such data; and (2) coordinate the Federal response to requests for assistance regarding potential or alleged autism or developmental disability clusters. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary to establish a program to provide information and education on autism to health professionals and the general public. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to establish an Autism Coordinating Committee to coordinate HHS efforts concerning autism. Subtitle C: Poison Control Center Enhancement and Awareness - Poison Control Center Enhancement and Awareness Act - Directs the Secretary to provide coordination and assistance to regional poison control centers for the establishment of a nationwide toll-free telephone number to be used to access such centers. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates a national media campaign to educate the public about poison prevention and the availability of local poison control resources and to conduct advertising campaigns concerning the nationwide toll-free number. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates grants for certified regional poison control centers to achieve financial stability and to prevent, and provide treatment recommendations for, poisoning. Mandates other grant uses. Sets forth center certification requirements. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle D: Birth Defects Prevention Activities - Chapter 1: Folic Acid - Folic Acid Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary to carry out a program, directly or through grants or contracts, for professional and public education and training, research, and epidemiological activities regarding folic acid and birth defects. Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 2: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities - Establishes a National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities to: (1) collect, analyze, and make available date on birth defects; (2) conduct applied epidemiological research on prevention of such defects; and (3) provide birth defect prevention information and education to the public. Transfers to such Center all activities, budgets, and personnel of the National Center for Environmental Health that relate to birth defects, folic acid, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, child development, newborn screening, autism, fragile X syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, pediatric genetics, and disability prevention. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle E: Safe Motherhood Monitoring and Prevention Research - Safe Motherhood Monitoring and Prevention Research Act - Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) establish a national monitoring and surveillance program to identify and promote the investigation of deaths and severe complications that occur during pregnancy; (2) expand the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System to provide surveillance and collect data in each State; and (3) expand the Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Program to provide technical support, financial assistance, or the time-limited assignment of senior epidemiologists to maternal and child health programs in each State. Authorizes appropriations. Permits the Secretary to carry out specified activities to promote safe motherhood. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle F: Pregnant Mothers and Infants Health Promotion - Pregnant Mothers and Infants Health Protection Act - Requires the Secretary to: (1) collect, analyze, and make available data on prenatal smoking and alcohol and illegal drug usage; (2) conduct applied epidemiological research on the prevention of prenatal and postnatal smoking and alcohol and illegal drug usage; (3) support, conduct, and evaluate the effectiveness of educational and cessation programs; and (4) provide information and education to the public on the prevention and implications of prenatal and postnatal smoking and alcohol and illegal drug usage. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle G: Utilization of Preventive Health Services - Directs the Secretary to make grants to public or nonprofit entities to establish and operate regional centers for identifying particular populations of patients and to facilitate the appropriate utilization of preventive health services by such patients. Requires the Secretary to give priority to various populations of infants, young children, and their mothers. Requires the evaluation of strategies developed through grant funding. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle H: Research and Development Regarding Fragile X - Fragile X Research Breakthrough Act of 1999 - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to: (1) expand, intensify, and coordinate the Institute's activities respecting research on the mental retardation disease known as fragile X; and (2) make grants to, and enter into contracts with, public or private nonprofit entities for the development and operation of at least three centers for fragile X research. Requires each center to conduct basic and clinical research, which may include clinical trials of new or improved diagnostic methods and drugs or other treatment approaches. Allows such centers to use grant funds to provide fees to individuals serving as subjects in clinical trials. Requires the Director to provide for the coordination of the centers' activities, including the exchange of information. Requires each center to use the facilities of a single institution, or be formed from a consortium of cooperating institutions. Allows support to be provided to a center for up to five years, with authorized extensions. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary to enter into contracts with qualified health professionals who agree to conduct fragile X research in return for repayment (up to $35,000 for each year of service) of such health professionals' educational loans. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle I: Children and Epilepsy - Directs the Secretary, through grants to or contracts with public or nonprofit private entities, to develop and implement public health surveillance, education, research, and intervention strategies to improve the lives of persons with epilepsy, with a particular emphasis on children. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to State and local governments for carrying out demonstration projects to improve access to health and other services regarding seizures to encourage early detection and treatment in children and others residing in medically underserved areas. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle J: Asthma Treatment Services for Children - Children's Asthma Relief Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary to award grants to eligible entities to establish an asthma treatment grants program providing comprehensive asthma services for children and other individuals. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to encourage States to implement plans to carry out activities to assist children with asthma in accordance with the guidelines of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Institute). Provides that if a State child health plan under title XXI (Children's Health Insurance) of the Social Security Act provides for such activities to the Secretary's satisfaction, the Secretary shall make a grant to assist the State in carrying them out. Sets forth certain matching funds requirements. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Act to include, within the preventive health and health services block grant, any system for reducing asthma and asthma-related illnesses, especially with regard to children, through urban cockroach pest management in public facilities through a combination of biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools that minimizes economic, health, and environmental risks. Requires the Institute Director to: (1) identify all Federal programs carrying out asthma-related activities; (2) develop a Federal plan for responding to asthma; and (3) submit recommendations to Congress on ways to strengthen and improve Federal coordination of such activities. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the CDCP Director to: (1) conduct local asthma surveillance activities to collect data on the prevalence and severity of asthma and the quality of asthma management; and (2) compile and publish annually data on the prevalence of children suffering from asthma in each State and the childhood mortality rate associated with asthma nationally and in each State. Subtitle K: Juvenile Arthritis and Related Conditions - Requires the Directors of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases to expand and intensify their respective programs of research and related activities concerning juvenile arthritis and related conditions. Requires the NIH Director, through a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract, to establish an information resource center on arthritis and related conditions. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle L: Childhood Skeletal Malignancies - Directs the Secretary to: (1) study environmental and other risk factors for childhood skeletal cancers; (2) carry out projects to improve outcomes among children with such cancers and related secondary conditions; and (3) ensure that such activities are coordinated with other Public Health Service activities focused on childhood cancers and limb loss. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle M: Reducing Burden of Diabetes Among Children and Youth - Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop a system to collect data on juvenile diabetes, including its incidence and prevalence, and to establish a national database for such data; (2) conduct or support long-term epidemiological studies concerning juvenile diabetes; (3) implement a national public health effort to address type 2 diabetes in youth; (4) support regional clinical centers for the cure of juvenile diabetes; and (5) implement a national effort to develop a vaccine for type 1 diabetes. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle N: Miscellaneous Provisions - Requires the NIH Director to report to Congress concerning research activities with respect to rare diseases in children.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 1999
Women's Health and Cancer Rights Conforming Amendments of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require group health plans to provide coverage for post-mastectomy reconstructive surgery.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 1999
Duty to Assist Veterans Act of 1999 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, with respect to any veterans' benefits claim filed on or after July 14, 1999, to assist such claimant in developing information pertinent to a decision on the claim, including by informing the claimant of any medical or lay evidence needed and by providing a medical examination to determine the current disability of the veteran concerned.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 1999
Hunger Relief Act of 1999 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to remove specified restrictions on qualified aliens' eligibility for food stamp and supplemental security income benefits. Exempts food stamp provisions respecting aliens from: (1) the five-year waiting period for Federal means-tested public benefits eligibility; (2) inclusion of sponsor income and resources to an alien for State benefits eligibility; and (3) sponsor reimbursement requirements in cases of hardship. Sets forth effective dates for: (1) aliens; and (2) refugees and asylees. (Sec. 3) Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to authorize a State to use an alternative State auto valuation rather than the Federal one in order to provide a lower household resource attribution for food stamp program purposes. (Sec. 4) Increases, and indexes for inflation, the food stamp excess shelter deduction. (Sec. 5) Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to authorize additional appropriations for commodity purchases under the emergency food assistance program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1999
Expresses support for the goals and ideas of Italian-American Heritage Month and recognizes the significant contributions that Italian Americans have made to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 1999
Requires: (1) the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act that authorize States to establish hunting seasons for double-crested cormorants; and (2) such regulations to limit the number of cormorants that a person may take per day (10) or possess from a hunting season (20).
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 1999
Amends Federal rail transportation law to prohibit a railroad carrier (including its officers and agents) from requiring a train employee who has been on duty or available for it for any portion of each of seven consecutive days to go on duty or be available for it until at least 72 consecutive hours have passed after the employee is released from duty or availability.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 1999
DNA Backlog Elimination Act - Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to develop a voluntary plan to assist State and local forensic laboratories in performing deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analyses of DNA samples collected from convicted offenders and in analyzing all casework evidence for unsolved crimes in a manner that will provide for their entry into the Combined DNA Indexing System. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 1999
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the Federal Government has a responsibility to continue to increase diabetes research funding, endeavor to raise awareness of the importance of the early detection and proper treatment, and consider ways to improve access to, and the quality of, health care services for diagnosing and treating diabetes; (2) all Americans should take an active role in fighting diabetes by using all the means available; and (3) national and community organizations and health care providers should endeavor to promote awareness of diabetes and its complications, and encourage early detection.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1999
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for the treatment of certified diabetes educators recognized by the National Certification Board of Diabetes Educators as certified providers for purposes of outpatient diabetes education services under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act.