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United States · Official source
1,767 records where Rep. Weller, Jerry [R-IL-11] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1999
Amends the Animal Welfare Act to eliminate the provision permitting interstate movement of live fighting birds if the fighting venture is to take place in a State allowing such fights.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1999
Social Security and Medicare Safe Deposit Box Act of 1999 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to provide a point of order in the House or the Senate against consideration of any concurrent budget resolution or conference report or amendment pertaining thereto that would cause or increase an on-budget deficit for any fiscal year. Makes it out of order in the House or the Senate to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report if the enactment of the reported bill or resolution, the adoption and enactment of an amendment, or the enactment of a bill or resolution in the form recommended in the conference report would cause or increase an on-budget deficit for any fiscal year. Makes such point of order inapplicable to social security or Medicare reform legislation (defined as legislation enacted into law that specifies that it is reform legislation for purposes of this Act). Includes the receipts, outlays, and surplus or deficit in the Federal Old-Age and Survivors and Disability Insurance Trust Funds within the content of the concurrent budget resolution. Authorizes a waiver or suspension in the Senate of points of order under this Act only with a three-fifths majority. Requires the same majority to sustain an appeal on a ruling on such points of order. Requires any official Federal Government statement of the Federal or congressional budget surplus or deficit totals to exclude the outlays and receipts of the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Program under the Social Security Act. Requires such outlays and receipts to be submitted in separate social security budget documents. Terminates the point of order and budget resolution content amendments made by this Act upon enactment of social security and Medicare reform legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the definition of a private activity bond to include a bond issued for the construction or acquisition of a governmental electric output facility, except for a bond issued for the construction or acquisition of a local governmental electric output facility (as defined). Subjects to taxation income derived by any governmental utility from sales of electric energy services to persons: (1) not within a qualified governmental service area of such utility; and (2) for resale if such resale is to persons outside such service area. Sets forth exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1999
Enhancement of Trade, Security, and Human Rights Through Sanctions Reform Act - Declares that it is the purpose of this Act to establish an effective framework for consideration by the legislative and executive branches of unilateral economic sanctions in order to ensure coordination of U.S. policy with respect to trade, security, and human rights. (Sec. 3) Declares that it is U.S. policy to: (1) pursue U.S. interests through vigorous and effective diplomatic, political, commercial, charitable, educational, cultural, and strategic engagement with other countries, while recognizing that U.S. national security interests may sometimes require the imposition of economic sanctions on other countries; (2) foster multilateral cooperation on vital matters of U.S. foreign policy, including promoting human rights and democracy, combating international terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and international narcotics trafficking, and ensuring adequate environmental protection; (3) promote U.S. economic growth and job creation by expanding exports of goods, services, and agricultural commodities, and by encouraging investment that supports the sale abroad of U.S. products and services; (4) maintain the reputation of U.S. businesses and farmers as reliable suppliers to international customers of quality products and services; (5) avoid the use of restrictions on exports of agricultural commodities as a foreign policy weapon; and (6) oppose policies of other countries designed to discourage economic interaction with countries friendly to the United States or with any U.S. national, and to avoid use of such measures as instruments of U.S. foreign policy. States that when economic sanctions are necessary, it is U.S. policy to: (1) target them as narrowly as possible on those foreign governments, entities, and officials that are responsible for the conduct being targeted, thereby minimizing unnecessary or disproportionate harm to individuals who are not responsible for such conduct; and (2) to the extent feasible, avoid any adverse impact of economic sanctions on the humanitarian activities of the United States and foreign nongovernmental organizations in a country against which sanctions are imposed. (Sec. 5) Expresses the sense of Congress that any bill or joint resolution imposing or authorizing the imposition of a unilateral economic sanction by the executive branch, and considered by the House of Representatives or the Senate, should: (1) state the U.S. foreign policy or national security objective; (2) terminate after two years unless specifically reauthorized; (3) provide for contract sanctity; (4) provide presidential authority to adjust or waive the sanction in the national interest; (5) target the sanction as narrowly as possible against the parties responsible for the conduct being targeted (without restricting medicine, medical equipment, or food, disaster relief or refugee assistance, or other specified foreign assistance); and (6) provide for expanded export promotion programs if sanctions are likely to target an export market for American farmers. (Sec. 6) Sets forth a procedure for congressional consideration of any bill or joint resolution that imposes, or authorizes the imposition of, any unilateral economic sanction by the executive branch. Requires specified reports: (1) from the President assessing the likelihood that the proposed unilateral economic sanction will achieve its stated objective within a reasonable period of time, as well as the impact of the proposed unilateral economic sanction on U.S. foreign policy, national security, and humanitarian activities; and (2) from the Secretary of Agriculture assessing the extent to which any country or countries proposed or likely to be sanctioned are markets that accounted for more than three percent of all U.S. agricultural export sales in the preceding calendar year, as well as the likelihood that U.S. agricultural exports will be affected by the proposed sanction or by retaliation by any country proposed or likely to be sanctioned, and specific commodities which are most likely to be affected. Considers any bill or joint resolution that imposes any unilateral economic sanction to include a Federal private sector mandate for purposes of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995. Requires the Congressional Budget Office, in its report pursuant to such Act, to assess the likely short- and long-term costs of the proposed sanction to the U.S. economy. (Sec. 7) Requires the President to publish notice in the Federal Register at least 45 days in advance of the imposition of a unilateral economic sanction of his intention to implement such sanction. Authorizes the President to waive such notice in cases where the sanction involves freezing the assets of a foreign country or entity, if it is determined that U.S. national interest would be jeopardized. Requires any executive sanction to include an assessment of whether the sanction is likely to achieve a specific U.S. foreign policy or national security objective within a reasonable and specified period of time. Requires, before imposition of a unilateral economic sanction, that the President and the Secretary of Agriculture report to appropriate congressional committees the same assessments required in connection with any bill or joint resolution imposing or authorizing the imposition of a unilateral economic sanction by the executive branch. Requires the President to request a report by the U.S. International Trade Commission on the likely short- and long-term costs of the proposed sanction to the U.S. economy, including the potential impact on U.S. competitiveness. Provides, in the case of a national emergency, for allowing the President temporarily to waive most of the requirements for executive action in order to act immediately, generally requiring the waived requirements to be met within 60 days after imposition of the sanction (which shall terminate after 90 days if such requirements are not met). Establishes within the executive branch an interagency Sanctions Review Committee to coordinate U.S. policy regarding unilateral economic sanctions and provide appropriate recommendations to the President. (Sec. 8) Authorizes the President to waive any sanction or prohibition contained in specified sections of the Arms Export Control Act, the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, or the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 for periods of six months each if it is determined that it would advance the purposes of such Acts or the national security interests of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1999
Teachers for the 21st Century Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide grants to up to ten high-need local educational agencies or eligible consortium, one in each of the ten regions established by the Department of Education, to establish or expand National Teachers Academies. Requires each Academy to promote teacher training, professional development and recruitment, and curriculum development. Sets forth eligibility requirements for grant awards and renewals. Lists permitted uses of grant funds. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1999
Department of Veterans Affairs Nurses Appreciation Act of 1999 - Amends Federal provisions relating to the pay of health care personnel within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide that, effective October 1, 1999, pay adjustments for registered nurses and certain other positions within the VHA shall be made in the same manner as those generally applicable to Federal employees. Provides that, effective October 1, 2002, whenever the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines that such rates of pay are inadequate to recruit or retain high-quality health care personnel at such a facility, the Secretary shall adjust such pay to achieve consistency with the rate of compensation for corresponding health-care professionals in the Bureau of Labor Statistics labor market area of that facility.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1999
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to modify the formula for determining the amount of reduced monthly OASDI benefits payable to a spouse, surviving spouse, or parent receiving monthly payments from a Federal or State pension plan. Declares that such benefit reductions shall be equal to the lesser of: (1) the amount by which the total amount of the combined monthly benefit (before reduction) and monthly pension exceeds $1,200, adjusted for inflation; or (2) an amount equal to two-thirds of the amount of any such monthly pension plan payment.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1999
Designates the facilities of the U.S. Postal Service located in Chicago, Illinois, at: (1) 433 West Harrison Street as the Cardiss Collins Post Office Building; (2) 2302 South Pulaski Street as the Otis Grant Collins Post Office Building; (3) 4222 West Madison Street as the Mary Alice (Ma) Henry Post Office Building; and (4) 50001 West Division Street as the Robert LeFlore, Jr. Post Office Building.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1999
Pension Right to Know Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to set forth notice requirements for large pension plans which significantly reduce future benefit accruals.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1999
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 the National Institutes of Health 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.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow small businesses (corporations, or S corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships meeting C corporation requirements) an increased deduction for meal and entertainment expenses. Waives the current limitation of such deduction to 50 percent of such expenses. Applies to small businesses the applicable percentage currently restricted to certain individuals subject to the hours of service limitations of the Department of Transportation, which ranges from 55 percent for taxable years beginning in 1998 or 1999 up to 80 percent for taxable years beginning in 2008 or thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1999
Country-of-Origin Meat Labeling Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to require a packer or processor of domestic or imported livestock or meat offered for U.S. sale to affix and maintain throughout the chain of distribution country-of-origin labeling until sale to a consumer, food-serving institution, or restaurant. States that food-serving institutions and restaurants shall not be required to notify customers of the country-of origin of meat and meat food products served. Restricts the use of "U.S. meat" label to a carcass or part, meat, or meat food product, consisting entirely of domestic meat. Includes country-of-origin requirements in the definition of misbranded under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1999
Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement (FIRE) Act - Authorizes the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to make grants on a competitive basis to a variety of fire departments for any of a number of specified purposes, including: (1) hiring additional firefighting personnel; (2) training them; (3) funding creation of rapid intervention teams to protect firefighting personnel at the scenes of fires and other emergencies; (4) certifying fire inspectors; (5) establishing wellness and fitness programs for firefighting personnel; (6) funding emergency medical services; (7) acquiring additional firefighting vehicles and equipment, including personal protective equipment required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; (8) modifying fire stations, fire training facilities, and other facilities; (9) enforcing fire codes; (10) funding fire prevention programs; and (11) educating the public about arson prevention and detection. Requires the FEMA Director to establish an office to set specific criteria for the selection of grant recipients and administer the grants. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce from 24 to 12 months the holding period used to determine whether horses are section 1231 (property used in the trade or business and involuntary conversions) assets.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1999
Historic Homeownership Assistance Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for 20 percent of the qualified rehabilitation expenditures made by a taxpayer with respect to a qualified historic home which has been substantially rehabilitated and which is owned by the taxpayer and used as his or her principal residence. Allows the credit for such expenditures to be taken by a purchaser of the rehabilitated home. Permits, in lieu of the credit, a historic rehabilitation mortgage credit certificate, which may be transferred to a lender in exchange for a reduction in the rate of interest on the loan secured by the building.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Expanding Coverage Title II: Enhancing Fairness for Women and Children Title III: Increasing Portability for Participants Title IV: Strengthening Pension Security and Enforcement Title V: Reducing Regulatory Burdens Comprehensive Retirement Security and Pension Reform Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) with respect to pensions. Title I: Expanding Coverage - Restores the amounts of certain limitations formerly in effect under the Code for: (1) defined benefit plans; (2) defined contribution plans; (3) qualified trusts; (4) elective deferrals; (5) deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations; (6) simple retirement accounts; and (7) cost-of-living adjustments. (Sec. 102) Amends the Code and ERISA to revise requirements relating to plan loans for subchapter S owners, partners, and sole proprietors. (Sec. 103) Allows employers to elect salary reduction only arrangements under Code requirements for simple plans. (Sec. 104) Revises specified top-heavy rules. Repeals family aggregation rules. Revises the definition of key employee. Provides that, at the election of the employer, any employee elective contribution to a plan shall not be taken into account for purposes of determining: (1) whether a plan is a top-heavy plan (or whether any aggregation group which includes such plan is a top-heavy group); or (2) compensation. Requires that employer matching contributions be taken into account for purposes of minimum contribution requirements. Revises requirements for qualifications. Provides for distributions during the last year before a determination date is taken into account. Excludes from the definition of top-heavy plan: (1) cash or deferred arrangements using alternative methods of meeting nondiscrimination requirements; and (2) defined contribution plans using alternative methods of meeting nondiscrimination requirements. Provides that elective deferrals will not be taken into account for purposes of a special rule where the maximum contribution is less than three percent. (Sec. 105) Provides that qualified staffing firms are to be considered employers for purposes of: (1) specified employment taxes; and (2) providing employee benefits. Provides for coverage of leased employees in employment benefit plans by: (1) applying to leased employees certain requirements concerning cash or deferred arrangements, matching contributions, and employee contributions; and (2) setting forth special rules for the leasing organization's plan. Revises safe harbor plan requirements. (Sec. 106) Provides that elective deferrals shall not be taken into account for purposes of limits on certain plan contributions. (Sec. 107) Amends ERISA to provide for a phase-in of an additional premium for new plans to pay to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). (Sec. 108) Repeals specified coordination requirements under the Code for deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations. (Sec. 109) Eliminates user fee requirements for requests to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) concerning the status of pension plans. (Sec. 110) Sets forth an alternative method of meeting nondiscrimination requirements for automatic contribution trusts. (Sec. 111) Revises certain deduction limits for stock bonus and profit sharing trusts and for defined contribution plans. (Sec. 112) Provides for optional treatment of elective deferrals as plus contributions. (Sec. 113) Establishes a tax credit for pension plan startup costs of small employers. Title II: Enhancing Fairness for Women and Children - Allows additional salary reduction catch-up contributions for those approaching retirement under Code requirements relating to: (1) elective deferrals; (2) simple retirement accounts; and (3) deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations. (Sec. 202) Sets forth requirements relating to equitable treatment for contributions of employees to defined contribution plans. Requires that certain contributions by church plans are not to be treated as exceeding a specified limit. (Sec. 203) Provides for faster vesting of certain employer matching contributions under the Code and ERISA. (Sec. 204) Amends Federal civil service law to revise requirements for deferred annuities for surviving spouses of Federal employees under both the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). (Sec. 205) Revises minimum distribution rules under the Code. Revises requirements for actuarial adjustment of benefit under a defined benefit plan. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) simplify and finalize the regulations relating to minimum distribution requirements; and (2) modify such regulations to reflect increases in life expectancy, and revise required distribution methods so that, under reasonable assumptions, the amount of the required minimum distribution does not decrease over a participant's life expectancy. Provides that, during the first year that such revised regulations are in effect, required distributions for future years may be redetermined, with the opportunity to choose a new designated beneficiary and to elect a new method of calculating life expectancy. Excludes specified amounts from minimum distribution requirements. Repeals a rule relating to distributions begun before death occurs. (Sec. 206) Revises requirements relating to tax treatment of division of section 457 plan benefits upon divorce. (Sec. 207) Amends Federal civil service law to eliminate certain percentage limitations on contributions to the Thrift Savings Fund (TSF) under FERS and CSRS. (Sec. 208) Allows certain contributions to TSF of eligible rollover distributions of eligible retirement plans. (Sec. 209) Eliminates certain waiting periods for purposes of contributions to TSF. Title III: Increasing Portability for Participants - Permits rollovers from and to various types of plans under the Code. (Sec. 302) Permits individual retirement plan (IRA) rollovers only if certain conditions are met. (Sec. 303) Permits rollover of after-tax contributions in an exempt trust under specified conditions. Sets forth a hardship exception to the 60-day rule. (Sec. 304) Sets forth requirements for treatment of forms of distribution available under transferor and transferee plans, under both the Code and ERISA. (Sec. 305) Revises restrictions on distributions, including the same desk exception. Repeals business sale requirements. (Sec. 306) Authorizes trustee-to-trustee transfers to purchase permissive service credit with respect to governmental defined benefit plans. (Sec. 307) Allows employers to disregard rollovers for purposes of cash-out amounts, under retirement plan provisions of the Code and ERISA. Title IV: Strengthening Pension Security and Enforcement - Amends the Code and ERISA to revise the percentage of current liability funding limit. Revises maximum contribution deduction rules and applies them to all defined benefit plan under the Code. (Sec. 402) Amends ERISA to revise requirements relating to missing participants. Direct the PBGC to prescribe rules relating to missing participants for multiemployer plans covered by the PBGC that terminate. Allows the administrator of a plan not otherwise subject to such PBGC regulation to elect to transfer a missing participant's benefits to the PBGC upon termination of the plan, under specified conditions. (Sec. 403) Amends ERISA to revise requirements for periodic pension benefits statements. (Sec. 404) Amends ERISA to make discretionary the imposition and amount of civil penalties for breach of fiduciary responsibility. Revises requirements for the applicable recovery amount and related rules. (Sec. 405) Amends the Code to allow an employer, in determining the amount of nondeductible contributions for any taxable year, to elect not to take into account any contributions to a defined benefit plan except to the extent that they exceed the full-funding limitation. (Sec. 406) Amends the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 to make specified amendments inapplicable to elective deferrals used to pay indebtedness, incurred before a certain date, on plan acquisition of employer securities or real property. (Sec. 407) Amends ERISA to revise requirements for notice of significant reductions in plan benefits. Title V: Reducing Regulatory Burdens - Amends the Code to provide intermediate sanctions for inadvertent failures. Provides for protection from disqualification upon timely correction or payment of fine under requirements for: (1) qualified pension, profit-sharing, and stock bonus plans; (2) qualified cash or deferred arrangements (section 401(k) plans); and (3) annuity contracts. Provides that, under requirements relating to taxability of the beneficiary of a nonexempt trust, income inclusion for disqualification is not applicable to nonhighly compensated employees. (Sec. 502) Repeals a multiple use test. Directs the Secretary prescribe regulations permitting appropriate aggregation of plans and contributions. (Sec. 503) Directs the Secretary to provide by regulation that a plan shall be deemed to satisfy specified requirements of the Code if it satisfies a certain facts and circumstances test, under specified conditions. (Sec. 504) Revises line of business rules to: (1) repeal a gateway test; and (2) provide a line of business exception. Directs the Secretary to modify regulations relating to special rules for separate lines of business under the Code to: (1) simplify the administrability of the rules for both the Secretary and plans; and (2) permit employees to be allocated among lines of business based on all the facts and circumstances. (Sec. 505) Grants the Secretary discretion in applying a specified coverage test to a plan. (Sec. 506) Amends the Code and ERISA to provide for an annual inflation adjustment to increase the retirement plan cash-out amount. (Sec. 507) Amends the Code and ERISA to revise requirements relating to timing of plan valuations. (Sec. 508) Makes inapplicable to certain mirror plans specified Code requirements relating to deferred compensation plans of State and local governments and tax-exempt organizations. (Sec. 509) Amends ERISA rules for substantial owners relating to plan terminations to revise: (1) the phase-in of the guarantee; and (2) the allocation of assets. (Sec. 510) Amends Code requirements for applicable dividends to allow dividends of employee stock ownership plans to be reinvested without loss of dividend deduction. (Sec. 511) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to modify the regulations regarding the exclusion allowance to render void the requirement that contributions to a defined benefit pension plan be treated as previously excluded amounts. (Sec. 512) Provides for a special limitation rule for multiemployer plans as well as governmental plans. (Sec. 513) Eliminates partial termination rules for multiemployer plans. (Sec. 514) Revises the notice and consent period regarding distributions. Directs the Secretary to modify certain regulations under the Code to provide that the description of a participant's right, if any, to defer receipt of a distribution shall also describe the consequences of failing to defer such receipt. (Sec. 515) Sets forth conforming amendments relating to election to receive taxable cash compensation in lieu of nontaxable parking benefits. (Sec. 516) Extends to international organizations the moratorium on application of certain nondiscrimination rules applicable to State and local plans. (Sec. 517) Directs the Secretary to modify certain regulations with respect to certain plan participation by employees of tax-exempt entities under the Code. (Sec. 518) Provides for permissive aggregation of collective bargaining units in specified circumstances relating to plan participation under the Code. (Sec. 519) Repeals a transition rule relating to certain highly compensated employees under the Tax Reform Act of 1986. (Sec. 520) Treats the provision of certain retirement planning services by an employer to an employee as a de minimis fringe benefit to the extent it is not treated as a working condition fringe. Prohibits including an amount in an employee's gross income solely because the employee may choose between any retirement planning fringe and compensation otherwise includible in gross income, providing such choices are available in a way that does not discriminate in favor of highly compensated employees. (Sec. 521) Revises ERISA requirements for annual report dissemination. (Sec. 522) Revises the ERISA definition of an excess benefit plan. (Sec. 523) Directs the Secretary of Labor to modify a regulation requiring a benefit suspension notification to allow such notification to: (1) be included in the summary plan description, rather than in a separate notice; and (2) not include a copy of the relevant plan provisions. (Sec. 524) Prescribes requirements for plan amendments or annuity contract amendments under the Code and ERISA. (Sec. 525) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide simplified annual filing requirements for: (1) one-participant (an owner and spouse) retirement plans with assets below a specified amount; or (2) retirement plans for fewer than 25 employees. (Sec. 526) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue model defined contribution and benefit plans that fit the needs of small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to give States the option of making medical assistance for breast and cervical cancer-related treatment services available during a presumptive eligibility period to certain low-income women without creditable coverage who have already been screened for such cancers under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention breast and cervical cancer early detection program and need treatment. Provides for an enhanced match with regard to such Medicaid treatment services.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 1999 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or local governments. Directs the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to determine whether State law provides specified rights and responsibilities for public safety officers, including: (1) granting public safety employees the right to form and join a labor organization which excludes management and supervisory employees, and which is, or seeks to be, recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for such employees; and (2) requiring public safety employers to recognize and agree to bargain with the employees' labor organization. (Sec. 5) Requires the FLRA to issue regulations establishing collective bargaining procedures for public safety employers and employees in States that do not substantially provide for such public safety employee rights and responsibilities. Directs the FLRA, in such cases, to: (1) determine the appropriateness of units for labor organization representation; (2) supervise or conduct elections to determine whether a labor organization has been selected as an exclusive representative by a majority of the employees in an appropriate unit; (3) resolve issues relating to the duty to bargain in good faith; (4) conduct hearings and resolve complaints of unfair labor practices; and (5) resolve exceptions to arbitrator's awards. Grants a public safety employer, employee, or labor organization the right to seek enforcement of such FLRA regulations and authority through appropriate State courts. (Sec. 6) Prohibits public safety employers, employees, and labor organizations from engaging in lockouts or strikes. (Sec. 7) Provides that existing collective bargaining units and agreements shall not be invalidated by this Act. (Sec. 9) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Expanded Availability of Health Care Services Title II: Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program Title III: Technical Amendments Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Act of 1999 - Title I: Expanded Availability of Health Care Services - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for expanding State options under Medicaid for workers with disabilities, namely by creating State options to eliminate income, assets, and resource limitations for workers with disabilities who buy into Medicaid and to expand opportunities for such workers to make such a buy. Provides that Federal funds paid to a State for medical assistance provided to certain working disabled individuals must be used to supplement but not supplant the level of State funds expended as of FY 1999 for programs to enable working disabled individuals to work. (Sec. 102) Extends Medicare (SSA title XVIII) coverage for OASDI (SSA title II) disability benefit recipients who are using tickets to work and self-sufficiency (TWSS). (Sec. 103) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) award grants to eligible States to support establishment of State infrastructures to support the working disabled as well as to enable State outreach campaigns on infrastructure existence; and (2) submit a recommendation to specified congressional committees on whether such grant program should be continued after FY 2010. Authorizes and makes appropriations. (Sec. 104) Authorizes State demonstration projects under which Medicaid coverage equal to that afforded under the State option provided for above for eliminating income, assets, and resource limitations for disabled workers buying into Medicaid is provided for up to a specified maximum number of workers with a potentially severe disability. Authorizes and makes appropriations. Title II: Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program - Amends part A (General Provisions) of SSA title XI to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to establish a Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program (TWSSP) under which a disabled beneficiary may use a TWSS issued by the Commissioner under a described system, designed to ensure quality assurance, to obtain employment, vocational rehabilitation, or other support services, pursuant to an appropriate individual work plan meeting specified requirements, at the Commissioner's expense, from a participating employment network, public or private, which: (1) meets specified qualifications and is under an agreement with the Commissioner who must select a program manager to assist in administering TWSSP; (2) is chosen by the beneficiary, and (3) is willing to accept assignment of the beneficiary's TWSS. Allows State agencies administering or supervising the administration of the State plan under title I of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to elect to participate as an employment network. Sets forth special requirements applicable to cross-referral to certain State agencies and requirements relating to provision of services. Describes employment network payment systems. Provides that during any period for which an individual is using a TWSS, the Commissioner and any applicable State agency may not initiate a continuing disability or similar review with regard to whether the individual is or is not disabled. Authorizes to be transferred from the social security trust funds each fiscal year such sums as may be necessary to carry out this title with respect to SSA title II disability beneficiaries. Directs the Commissioner to establish a corps of trained, accessible, and responsive work incentive specialists to specialize in SSA title II and title XVI disability work incentives for the purpose of disseminating accurate information to disabled beneficiaries with respect to inquiries and issues relating to work incentives. (Sec. 204) Establishes within the executive branch the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Advisory Panel to advise the Commissioner with respect to TWSSP, and furnish progress on TWSSP to the President and Congress. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 205) Directs the Commissioner to conduct certain demonstration projects designed to provide for specified reductions in disability insurance benefits based on earnings. Requires expenditures for such demonstration projects to come out of the social security and Medicare trust funds to the extent provided in advance in appropriation acts. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct and report to Congress on various described studies concerning existing disability-related employment incentives and coordination of the OASDI disability insurance program and the SSI program as they relate to individuals entering or leaving concurrent entitlement under such programs. Title III: Technical Amendments - Amends the Contract with America Advancement Act of 1996 with respect to: (1) final adjudication of denied claims by drug addicts and alcoholics for SSA title II disability benefits; and (2) the effective dates of certain requirements concerning representative payees and treatment referrals for drug addicts and alcoholics. (Sec. 302) Amends SSA title II to: (1) provide for payments to State and local prisons for monthly reports on the identities of inmates whose OASDI benefits are determined by the Commissioner not to be payable as a result of such reports; (2) provide for a 50 percent reduction in such payments under SSA titles II and XVI in cases involving a comparable payment under the other title with respect to the same prisoner; (3) exempt from the Privacy Act of 1974 any agreements with State and local prisons to supply such information; (4) transfer from the social security trust funds any sums necessary to enable the Commissioner to make such payments; (5) eliminate the requirement that confinement stem only from a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year (thus denying OASDI benefits to individuals confined for any criminal offense); and (6) provide for continued denial of benefits to sex offenders remaining confined to public institutions upon completion of prison term. (Sec. 303) Provides for a two-year open season for members of the clergy who wish to revoke their exemption from social security coverage . (Sec. 304) Amends SSA title XI to make a miscellaneous technical amendment relating to cooperative research or demonstration projects under SSA titles II and XVI. (Sec. 305) Amends SSA title XI to make miscellaneous technical amendments to provisions concerning the requirements of State income and eligibility verification systems to, among other changes, allow a State to permit certain employers that make returns with respect to domestic service employment taxes on a calendar year basis to instead make such reports on an annual basis.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Family Relief Subtitle A: Tax Relief Subtitle B: Relief from Social Security Earning Test Title II: Business Relief Title III: Savings and Investment Title IV: Education Lifetime Tax Relief Act of 1999 - Title I: Family Relief - Subtitle A: Tax Relief - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to: (1) set the basic standard deduction for married individuals at twice the deduction for unmarried individuals; (2) increase the personal exemption from $2,000 to $3,500; (3) reduce individual income taxes by increasing the amounts of income subject to tax at the 15 percent rate; and (4) fully allow nonrefundable personal credits against regular tax liability during 1999 and 2000 (currently, 1998). Subtitle B: Relief From Social Security Earning Test - Eliminates the earnings test for individuals of retirement age. Title II: Business Relief - Provides for the phaseout of subtitle B (Estate and Gift Taxes) of the IRC with the total repeal of such subtitle being effective January 1, 2010. Makes permanent the: (1) research credit; (2) work opportunity credit; and (3) subpart F (relating to special rule for income derived in the active conduct of banking, financing, or similar businesses) exemption for active financing income. Provides for the deduction of 100 percent of the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals. Increases from 50 to 100 percent the amount of gain excluded from the sale certain small business stock. Reduces from five to three years the holding period applicable to such a sale. Makes such exclusion available to corporations. Makes the stock of larger businesses eligible. Doubles the annual limitation on incentive stock options. Title III: Savings and Investment - Excludes from the gross income of an individual up to $1,000 of net capital gain. Increases the maximum amount of the IRA deduction to $3,000. Doubles the elective deferral limit if an employee's spouse is not participating in elective deferral plans. Title IV: Education - Set forth provisions concerning: (1) financing school construction; (2) the exclusion from income of education distributions from qualified tuition programs; and (3) coverage of private tuition programs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1999
Constitutional Amendment - Requires that any bill, resolution, or other legislative measure changing the internal revenue laws shall require for final adoption in each House the concurrence of two-thirds of the Members of that House voting and present, unless the bill is determined at the time of adoption, in a reasonable manner prescribed by law, not to increase the internal revenue by more than a de minimis amount. States that for purposes of determining any increase, there shall be excluded any increase resulting from the lowering of an effective rate of any tax. Requires journal entry of any vote. Permits the waiver of such requirement, for up to two years, if there is a declaration of war or if the United States is engaged in a military conflict which causes an imminent and serious threat to national security and is so declared by a joint resolution which becomes law.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1999
Military Family Food Stamp Tax Credit Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to annually allow a $500 refundable credit to certain low-income members of the uniformed services.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1999
Farm Independence Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to exclude net earnings from a lease agreement (currently, an arrangement) from income with respect to farmland.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
Directs the President to impose quotas, tariff surcharges, or negotiate enforceable voluntary export restraint agreements in order to ensure that the volume of imported steel products (semifinished, plates, sheets and strips, wire rods, wire and wire products, rail type products, bars, structural shapes and units, pipes and tubes, iron ore, and coke products) during any month does not exceed the average volume of imported steel for the 36-month period preceding July 1997. Directs the Secretaries of the Treasury and of Commerce to implement a program for administering and enforcing the restraints on such imports. Authorizes the Customs Service to refuse entry into the U.S. customs territory for a three year period of any steel products that exceed the allowable levels of such products. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish and implement a steel import notification and monitoring program. Requires any person who intends to import steel products into the United States to first obtain an import notification certificate. Sets forth specified import notification certificate requirements. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to publish on a weekly basis through the Internet certain information obtained from steel import notification certificate applications regarding imported steel, including country of origin, the port of entry, quantity, value of steel imported, single producer or exporter countries, and whether such imports are entered into a bonded warehouse or foreign trade zone. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to charge reasonable fees to defray the costs of carrying out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
Advancement in Pediatric Autism Research Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of NIH with respect to autism. Requires the Director, among other things, to make awards of grants and contracts to public or nonprofit entities for centers of excellence regarding research on autism. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) 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.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
Medicare Psychiatric Hospital Prospective Payment System Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) provide for a prospective payment system for inpatient psychiatric facility hospital services; and (2) exempt such services from certain reductions under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA'97), and, instead limit payment to not less than a certain applicable percentage of the amount that would have been paid if such reductions did not apply. Provides that the amendments made by this Act shall apply as if included in the enactment of BBA'97.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
Transportation Tax Equity and Fairness Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the special fuel excise tax on railroads and inland waterway transportation. Subjects diesel fuel used in trains to the additional tax for the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1999
Accounting Fairness for Dentists and Physicians Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a physician or dentist to use the cash basis of accounting.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1999
Requires December 7 each year to be treated for all purposes related to Federal employment in the same manner as November 11.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1999
Giving Incentive and Volunteer Empowerment (GIVE) Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase (to a specified percentage above the regularly allowed amount) the tax deduction for charitable contributions by allowing a taxpayer to elect to treat a contribution made not later than the tax return filing date for the taxable year as made on the last day of such taxable year. Allows individuals who do not itemize deductions a charitable contribution deduction to the extent the amount claimed exceeds $1,000 ($2,000 in the case of a joint return). Excepts charitable contribution deductions from the overall limitation on itemized deductions.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1999
Farm and Ranch Risk Management Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual engaged in an eligible farming business to deduct a limited amount from gross income for amounts paid into an interest-bearing Farm and Ranch Risk Management (FARRM) Account, created for the taxpayer's exclusive benefit. Requires withdrawal of contributions within five years, upon which they are taxable as ordinary income in the year of withdrawal. Prescribes penalties on amounts not distributed within five years.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1999
No Second Chances for Murderers, Rapists, or Child Molesters Act of 1999 or Aimee's Law - Expresses the sense of the Congress that any individual convicted of: (1) murder should receive the death penalty or be imprisoned for life without the possibility of parole; and (2) rape or a dangerous sexual offense involving a child under age 14 should be imprisoned for life without the possibility of parole. Requires the Attorney General to transfer the following amounts from Federal law enforcement assistance funds that have been allocated to but not distributed to the State that convicted a person of a first offense of murder, rape, or a dangerous sexual offense to a State that convicts that person for a subsequent such offense: (1) up to $100,000 for transfer to each victim of the subsequent offense; and (2) the cost of incarceration, prosecution, and apprehension of such person. Sets forth provisions regarding situations where a person has a prior conviction in more than one State. Directs the Attorney General to seek to obtain information for each calendar year, starting with calendar year 1999, about the number of convictions for murder, rape, and any sex offenses in the United States: (1) where the victim has not attained age 14 and the offender has attained age 18; and (2) that are second or subsequent convictions of the defendant for such a crime. Sets forth reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1999
American Land Sovereignty Protection Act - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act Amendments of 1980 to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from nominating any Federal lands for inclusion on the World Heritage List pursuant to the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage unless: (1) the Secretary publishes a finding that commercially viable uses of nominated lands and lands within ten miles of them will not be adversely affected by such inclusion; (2) the Secretary has reported to the Congress on the lands' natural resources and the impact that the inclusion would have on existing and future uses of such lands; and (3) such nomination is specifically authorized by a law. Authorizes the President to submit proposals for legislation authorizing such a nomination after publication of the Secretary's finding. Requires the Secretary to object to the inclusion of any property in the United States on the list of World Heritage in Danger (established under the Convention) unless the Secretary: (1) has reported to the Congress on the necessity for such inclusion, the natural resources associated with the property, and the impact such inclusion would have on existing and future uses of such property; and (2) is specifically authorized to assent to the inclusion by a joint resolution of the Congress enacted after the report is submitted. Directs the Secretary to submit an annual report to specified congressional committees on the management of each World Heritage Site within the United States. (Sec. 4) Prohibits any Federal official from nominating any lands in the United States for designation as a Biosphere Reserve under the Man and Biosphere Program of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Provides that any such designation before enactment of this Act shall not have any force or effect, unless the Biosphere Reserve: (1) is specifically authorized by a law enacted before December 31, 2000; (2) consists solely of federally owned lands; and (3) is subject to a management plan that specifically ensures that the use of intermixed or adjacent non-Federal property is not limited or restricted as a result of that designation. Directs the Secretary of State to report annually to specified congressional committees information on the management of each Biosphere Reserve within the United States. (Sec. 5) Prohibits any Federal official from nominating, classifying, or designating any Federal land located within the United States for a special or restricted use under any international agreement for conserving, preserving, or protecting the terrestrial or marine environment, flora, or fauna (with specified exceptions) unless specifically authorized by law, but authorizes the Secretary to submit proposals for authorizing legislation. Provides that any such nomination, classification, or designation of private or State or local lands shall have no force or effect without the owner's consent or specific authorization by State or local law, respectively.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1999
Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act of 1999 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal the limitation on the amount of outside income which beneficiaries who have attained retirement age may earn (earnings test) without incurring a reduction in benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1999
Freedom to E-File Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish in the Department of Agriculture a public use electronic filing and information retrieval system.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1999
Security and Freedom through Encryption (SAFE) Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to permit any person within any State and any U.S. person in a foreign country to use, and any person within any State to sell in interstate commerce, any encryption, regardless of the encryption algorithm selected, encryption key length chosen, or implementation technique or median use. Provides that neither the Federal Government nor a State may require that, or condition any approval on a requirement that, a key, access to a key, key recovery information, or any other plaintext access capability be: (1) built into computer hardware or software for any purpose; (2) given to any other person, including a Federal Government agency or an entity in the private sector that may be certified or approved by the Federal Government or any State to receive it; or (3) retained by the owner or user of an encryption key or any other person, other than for encryption products for use by the Federal Government or a State. Makes exceptions with respect to investigative or law enforcement officers and members of the intelligence community. Provides that neither the Federal Government nor a State may require the use of encryption products, standards, or services (products) for: (1) confidentiality purposes, as a condition of the use of such products for authenticity or integrity purposes; or (2) authenticity or integrity purposes, as a condition of the use of such products for confidentiality purposes. Sets penalties for the unlawful use of encryption in furtherance of a criminal act. Specifies that the use of encryption shall not be the sole basis for establishing probable cause with respect to a criminal offense or a search warrant. (Sec. 3) Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to grant the Secretary of Commerce exclusive authority to control exports of all computer hardware, software, computing devices, customer premises equipment, communications network equipment, and technology for information security (including encryption), except that which is specifically designed or modified for military use. Provides that after a one time, 50-day technical review by the Secretary, no export license may be required (with exceptions) for or in the export of specified computer hardware, software, computing devices, telecommunication devices, technical assistance and data, and encryption hardware, software, or computing devices. Authorizes the Secretary, after a one time, 15-day technical review, to authorize the export or reexport of computer hardware, software, or computing devices with encryption capabilities for nonmilitary and end uses in any country: (1) to which exports of computer hardware, software, or computing devices of comparable strength are permitted for use by financial institutions not controlled in fact by United States persons, unless there is substantial evidence that such computer equipment will be diverted to a military end-use or an end-use supporting international terrorism, modified for military or terrorist end-use, or reexported without authorization by the United States; or (2) if the Secretary determines that a computer hardware, software, or computing device offering comparable security is commercially available outside the United States from a foreign supplier, without effective restrictions. Directs that any encryption product not requiring an export license as of this Act's enactment date, as a result of administrative decision or rulemaking, shall not require an export license on or after such date. (Sec. 4) Directs: (1) the Attorney General to compile, and maintain in classified form, data on the instances in which encryption has interfered with, impeded, or obstructed the ability of the Department of Justice to enforce U.S. criminal laws; and (2) that such information be made available, upon request, to any Member of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1999
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to: (1) restrict the application of the windfall elimination provision to individuals whose combined monthly income from the individual's primary insurance amount under such title and the portion of the monthly periodic payment attributable to noncovered service performed after 1956 exceeds $2,000; and (2) provide for a graduated implementation of such provision by specified percentages with respect to incremental amounts above such threshold, up to 100 percent for combined amounts over $3,000.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1999
State and Local Investment Opportunity Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the State ceiling on private activity bonds. Provides for inflation adjustment.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1999
Death Tax Elimination Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to phase-out the estate and gift tax over a ten-year period.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1999
Combined Sewer Overflow Control and Partnership Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require each permit, order, or decree issued pursuant to such Act for a discharge from a combined storm and sanitary sewer to conform to the Combined Sewer Overflow Control Policy signed by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency on April 11, 1994. Authorizes the Administrator, notwithstanding specified compliance schedules and permit limitations, to issue or execute a permit, order, or decree for discharges from such sewers that includes a schedule for compliance with a long-term control plan for a term of up to 15 years. Provides for extensions of such term, as appropriate. Modifies any administrative or judicial decree or order issued before this Act's enactment date that establishes any deadline or schedule for the construction of treatment works for control of any discharge from a municipal combined sewer system to extend such deadlines or schedules to conform with this Act, at the request of the municipal owner or operator. Prohibits any permit, order, or decree issued pursuant to the Act from requiring compliance with water quality based requirements contained in a long-term control plan under the Control Policy unless the Administrator has completed the water quality standards-designated use review process called for in the Control Policy. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to municipalities for planning, design, and construction of facilities to intercept, transport, control, or treat combined storm and sanitary sewer flows. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2002. Directs the Administrator to report biennially to the Congress on recommended funding levels for the two fiscal years following the date of a report on activities relating to combined storm and sanitary sewer flows.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1999
Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1999 - Title I: Consumer Bankruptcy Provisions - Subtitle A: Needs Based Bankruptcy - Amends Federal bankruptcy law to revamp guidelines governing dismissal or conversion of a Chapter 7 liquidation petition (complete relief in bankruptcy), to one under Chapter 13 (Adjustment of Debts of an Individual with Regular Income). Allows a bankruptcy panel trustee and any party in interest to move for such dismissal or conversion (current law prohibits such party in interest from such motions). Lowers the "substantial abuse" standard for dismissal or conversion to one of simple abuse. Replaces the presumption in favor of granting the relief sought by the debtor with a presumption that abuse exists if the debtor's current monthly income exceeds specified formulae. Provides that the presumption of abuse may be rebutted only with detailed documentation of extraordinary circumstances requiring additional expenses or adjustment of currently monthly total income. (Sec. 102) Requires debtor's counsel to: (1) reimburse the bankruptcy trustee for legal fees in prosecuting a dismissal or conversion motion if the court finds that counsel's filing under chapter 7 was not substantially justified; and (2) pay a civil penalty for the violation of certain bankruptcy rules. (Sec. 103) Revises procedural guidelines to mandate written notice to the individual consumer debtor before commencement of a case that credit counseling services approved by the United States Trustee are available. (Sec. 104) Instructs the Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees to: (1) develop a financial management training curriculum and materials to educate individual debtors on how to better manage their finances; and (2) evaluate and report to the Congress on the curriculum's efficacy. Subtitle B: Consumer Bankruptcy Petitions - Mandates specified notices and disclosures to a debtor by a debt relief counseling agency. (Sec. 107) Sets forth a debtor's bill of rights which such agency must observe. (Sec. 108) Declares invalid any waiver of debtor protections by the assisted person. Prescribes enforcement guidelines. (Sec. 109) Expresses the sense of the Congress that States should develop curricula relating to the subject of personal finance, designed for use in elementary and secondary schools. (Sec. 110) Modifies debt reaffirmation guidelines governing wholly unsecured consumer debts to mandate additional disclosures for dischargeable debt agreements. (Sec. 111) Cites circumstances under which the court may reduce by up to 20 percent a claim based upon unsecured consumer debts if the debtor can show by clear and convincing evidence that the claim was filed by a creditor who unreasonably refused to negotiate a reasonable alternative repayment schedule proposed by an approved credit counseling agency acting on the debtor's behalf. (Sec. 112) Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Board) to study and report to the Congress on: (1) whether a consumer engaging in either an open-end or closed-end credit transaction secured by the consumer's principal dwelling receives adequate information under Federal law regarding the tax deductibility of interest paid on such transaction; and (2) specifically consider whether additional disclosures are necessary in such transactions where the amount of credit extended exceeds the fair market value of the dwelling. (Sec. 113) Instructs the Board to study and publicize existing protections limiting consumer liability for unauthorized use of a debit card or similar access device. (Sec. 114) Amends the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to prescribe disclosures regarding initial and annual minimum payments under an open-end credit plan. Instructs the Board to study and report to the Congress on whether consumers have adequate information about borrowing activities which may result in financial problems. (Sec. 115) Amends bankruptcy law to exempt from the property of the bankrupt estate specified postsecondary education accounts placed in a qualified tuition program, or in an education individual retirement account. (Sec. 116) Modifies guidelines governing the discharge of a debtor's liability, as well as the automatic stay, to entitle an individual who is injured by the willful failure of a creditor to credit payments received to bring an action for actual damages and legal fees. (Sec. 118) Modifies exceptions to a discharge in bankruptcy to prohibit discharge of a filing fee imposed by any court upon a prisoner. (Sec. 119) Terminates the automatic stay 30 days after filing of a petition if a chapter 7, 11, or 13 petition was pending and dismissed the previous year, unless the subsequent filing is in good faith. Delineates conditions under which a history of previous petitions in bankruptcy give rise to a rebuttable presumption that the case is not filed in good faith. (Sec. 120) Directs the court to grant relief from the automatic stay upon request of a party in interest with respect to certain real property actions if the court finds that filing the bankruptcy petition was part of a scheme to delay, hinder, and defraud creditors. Denies automatic stay protections regarding certain creditors' enforcement actions against real property for a specified period following a prior order in bankruptcy which forbade the debtor from being a debtor in another bankruptcy case. (Sec. 121) Modifies debtor's duties to mandate specified affirmative actions to be taken by a chapter 7 debtor, including reaffirmation of the debt, or redemption of the property within 45 days, in order to retain possession of personal property. Allows a creditor to take action with respect to such property under nonbankruptcy law if the debtor fails to act within 45 days, unless the court determines upon trustee motion that such property is consequential value or benefit to the estate. (Sec. 122) Declares that the automatic stay is terminated regarding property of the debtor's estate securing a claim or subject to an unexpired lease, if the debtor fails to complete an intended surrender of consumer debt collateral within a revised, accelerated time frame (unless the court determines upon trustee motion that such property is of consequential value or benefit to the estate). (Sec. 123) Instructs the bankruptcy court to confirm a chapter 13 plan if it provides that the holder of a secured allowed claim shall retain the attendant lien until payment or discharge of all debts. Provides that if a chapter 13 proceeding is dismissed or converted without completion of the plan, the holder shall retain such lien to the extent recognized by applicable nonbankruptcy law. (Sec. 124) Requires that the value of personal property collateral be at least equal to the outstanding balance of the purchase price, including interest and charges, where the property was acquired by the debtor within five years of filing the petition in bankruptcy. (Sec. 125) Declares that, in the case of chapter 7 and chapter 13 debtors, the personal property securing an allowed claim shall be the replacement value as of the date the petition is filed without deduction for costs of sale or marketing. (Sec. 126) Increases from 180 to 730 days the length of a debtor's location of domicile for purposes of determining which State law governs the debtor's selection of property exempt from the bankrupt estate. (Sec. 127) Revises guidelines exempting property from the bankrupt estate to reduce the value of an interest in certain property used as a residence or burial plot to the extent that such value is attributable to any portion of property disposed by the debtor during a specified period with the intent to hinder, delay, or defraud a creditor and that the debtor could not have exempted had the property been held on the petition filing date. (Sec. 128) Revises circumstances under which enforcement of rights and remedies of a secured party in either rolling stock equipment, or aircraft equipment and vessels, is subject to the automatic stay. (Sec. 129) Revamps Chapter 13 debt discharge guidelines. Prohibits discharge from a debt for restitution or damages awarded in a civil action against the debtor for willful or malicious injury that caused personal injury or death of an individual. (Sec. 130) Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 1999 - Amends the Federal judicial code to mandate appointments for additional temporary bankruptcy judgeships in California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia. Provides that the first vacancy occurring in such a district five years or more after a judge is appointed under this Act shall not be filled. Extends temporary bankruptcy judgeship positions authorized for the northern district of Alabama, the eastern district of Tennessee, and the districts of Delaware, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina. Directs each chief bankruptcy judge to report annually to the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts on the travel expenses of each bankruptcy judge assigned to the applicable district. (Sec. 131) Places in the tenth order of prioritized claims against the bankrupt estate any death or personal injury claims resulting from the unlawful operation of a motor vehicle or vessel because the debtor was drug or alcohol-impaired. (Sec. 133) Revises requirements governing a stay of action against a chapter 13 codebtor who did not receive the consideration for a claim to provide a maximum 30-day automatic stay to the extent that the creditor proceeds against: (1) the individual that received the consideration; or (2) the property not in the possession of the debtor that secures that claim. States that such stay shall apply in any case in which the debtor is primarily obligated to pay under a legally binding separation or property settlement agreement or divorce or dissolution decree. (Sec. 134) Denies a debtor an automatic stay of the commencement of an investigation or action by a securities self-regulatory organization to enforce compliance with its regulations, or of the enforcement of any order or decision obtained by such an organization, other than for monetary sanctions. (Sec. 135) Reduces from $1,000 to $250 the threshold amount of luxury goods and consumer credit cash advances presumed nondischargeable in bankruptcy, if acquired within 90 days (currently 60 days) before an order for relief. (Sec. 136) Provides for a chapter 7 debtor's assumption of executory contracts and unexpired leases of personal property. Declares that in a chapter 11 case in which the debtor is an individual, and in a chapter 13 case, if the lease is not assumed in the plan, it is rejected (and no longer subject to an automatic stay) as of the plan's confirmation date. (Sec. 137) Delineates a cash payment plan for chapter 13 debtors for payments to any lessor of personal property and to any creditor holding a claim secured by personal property to the extent such claim is attributable to the debtor's purchase of such property. (Sec. 139) Precludes an automatic stay of any transfer that is not avoidable in: (1) cases where the trustee serves as lien creditor and successor to certain creditors and purchasers; and (2) postpetition transactions. Precludes an automatic stay of any eviction, unlawful detainer action, or similar proceeding by a lessor against a debtor involving residential real property in which: (1) the debtor resides and has not paid rent after the commencement and during the course of the case; (2) the rental agreement has terminated; or (3) the debtor has previously filed within the last year and failed to pay post-petition rent during the course of that case. or (4) Precludes an automatic stay of any eviction actions based on endangerment to property or person or the use of illegal drugs. (Sec. 140) Extends the period between chapter 7 discharges to eight years, and between chapter 13 discharges to five years. (Sec. 142) Revises chapter 7 priority payment guidelines to place within the first priority claim category certain claims for domestic support obligations, on the condition that funds received by a governmental unit be applied in a prescribed order. (Sec. 143) Conditions court confirmation of a chapter 11 or chapter 13 plan (and its consequent discharge of debts) upon certification of debtor's payment of domestic support obligations that are due after the petition filing date. (Sec. 144) Excepts from an automatic stay specified choses-in- action pertaining to domestic support obligations, including: (1) establishment of paternity; (2) suspension of drivers' licenses and professional licenses; (3) interception of tax refunds; and (4) enforcement of medical obligations under title IV, part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of the Social Security Act. (Sec. 146) Modifies guidelines governing property exempt from the bankruptcy estate to declare such property liable for domestic support obligations. (Sec. 147) Precludes the bankruptcy trustee from avoiding a transfer that is a bona fide payment of a debt for a domestic support obligation. (Sec. 149) Declares nondischargeable in bankruptcy: (1) debts intentionally incurred to pay a nondischargeable debt with the intent to discharge the newly-created debt; and (2) all debts incurred to pay nondischargeable debts, without regard to intent, if incurred within 90 days of the filing of the petition. Title II: Discouraging Bankruptcy Abuse - Reenacts chapter 12 (Adjustment of Debts of a Family Farmer with Regular Annual Income). (Sec. 202) Authorizes the bankruptcy court, upon request of a party in interest, to order that the U.S. trustee not convene a meeting of creditors or equity security holders if the debtor has filed a plan for which acceptances have been solicited before commencement of the case. (Sec. 203) Permits an individual debtor to exempt from the property of the bankrupt estate certain tax-exempt retirement funds that have not been obligated in connection with any extension of credit. Exempts from either an automatic stay or a discharge in bankruptcy specified income withheld from the debtor pursuant to pension or profit sharing plans sponsored by such debtor's employer to pay certain loans from such plans. (Sec. 205) Amends guidelines for rejection and surrender of executory contracts and unexpired leases. (Sec. 207) Prohibits the bankruptcy trustee from avoiding a warehouseman's lien for costs incidental to the storage and handling of certain goods. (Sec. 209) Directs the bankruptcy court to treat the compensation awarded a trustee as a commission based on the results achieved. (Sec. 210) States that acceptance or rejection of a chapter 11 plan may be solicited from a holder of a claim or interest if: (1) the solicitation complies with applicable nonbankruptcy law; and (2) it was made before commencement of the case in a manner complying with applicable nonbankruptcy law. (Sec. 211) Prohibits the bankruptcy trustee from avoiding a transfer if, in a case filed by a debtor whose debts are not primarily consumer debts, the aggregate value of all property that constitutes or is affected by such transfer is less than $5,000. (Sec. 213) Limits the extensions of time permitted for filing a chapter 11 reorganization plan. (Sec 214) Denies a discharge in bankruptcy for a debt for a fee or assessment arising from a debtor's interest in a lot in a homeowners association for as long as the debtor retains specified interests in such lot. (Sec. 215) Modifies guidelines governing cases ancillary to foreign proceedings to prohibit the court from granting relief with respect to any security required or permitted under State insurance law for the benefit of claim holders in the United States. (Sec. 215 (sic)) Revises guidelines governing assumption of executory contracts and unexpired leases by the bankruptcy trustee. Exempts from mandatory cure by such trustee certain defaults arising from nonmonetary obligations under an unexpired lease of real property (excluding executory contracts that transfer a right or an interest under a filed or issued patent, copyright, trademark, trade dress, or trade secret), if it is impossible for the trustee to cure such default by performing nonmonetary acts at or after the time of assumption. Title III: General Business Bankruptcy Provisions - Removes investment bankers from the definition of "disinterested person." (Sec. 302) Denies bankruptcy eligibility to an individual unless the individual has received specified credit counseling within 90 days before petition filing. Authorizes the court to waive such prerequisite in specified circumstances. Grants the U.S. Trustee exclusive right to move for case dismissal for debtor non-compliance. Predicates a chapter 7 or chapter 13 discharge upon debtor's completion of an instructional course concerning personal financial management. Title IV: Small Business Bankruptcy Provisions - Sets forth mandatory factors for court consideration in determining whether the disclosure statement regarding a small business reorganization plan provides adequate information. (Sec. 402) Defines a small business debtor, generally, as a person (including a debtor affiliate) with not more than $4 million in aggregate non-contingent, liquidated secured and unsecured debts as of the date of the petition or the order for relief (excluding debts owed to one or more affiliates or insiders). (Sec. 403) Directs the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules of the Judicial Conference (Advisory Committee) to propose for adoption standardized disclosure statements and plans of reorganization for small business debtors. (Sec. 404) Sets forth uniform national reporting requirements for small business debtors. (Sec. 405) Directs the Advisory Committee to propose for adoption revisions to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure and Official Bankruptcy Forms enabling small business debtors to comply with such uniform national reporting requirements. (Sec. 406) Sets forth duties and administrative procedures in small business reorganization cases, including serial filer provisions and expanded grounds for dismissal or conversion and appointment of a trustee. (Sec. 414) Directs the Small Business Administration to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the factors that cause small businesses to become debtors in bankruptcy; and (2) how Federal bankruptcy laws can be made more efficient in assisting small businesses to retain their viability. (Sec. 415) Revises the circumstance where a debtor has commenced monthly payments to each secured interest creditor to allow the debtor, in the debtor's sole discretion, to make such payments from rents or other income generated before or after the commencement of the case by or from the property. Requires such payments in an amount equal to the interest on the value of the creditor's interest in the real estate, determined at the then-applicable contract rate of interest (currently, at the fair market rate). Title V: Municipal Bankruptcy Provisions - Makes technical amendments to requirements for a municipal bankruptcy petition. Title VI: Streamlining the Bankruptcy System - Authorizes a creditor holding a consumer debt to participate in a meeting of creditors in a chapter 7 or 13 case, either alone or in conjunction with an attorney. (Sec. 602) Requires each U.S. trustee to report to the Attorney General on audit results. Requires the Attorney General to establish random audits of individual cases. (Sec. 603) Prescribes notice procedures for chapter 7 and chapter 13 creditors. Expands debtor's duties to require filing with the bankruptcy court: (1) all tax returns; (2) evidence of payments received; (3) monthly net income projections; and (4) anticipated debt or expenditure increases. Permits a chapter 7 or chapter 13 creditor to request the debtor's petition, schedules and statement of affairs, including the debt adjustment plan filed by the debtor. Mandates debtor compliance within five days of such request. Mandates that, at the time of filing with the taxing authority, a chapter 7 or 13 debtor file with the bankruptcy court specified tax documentation pertaining to the period from case commencement until case termination. Requires a chapter 13 debtor to file with the court a statement of income and expenditures in the preceding tax year, and monthly net income, showing how calculated. Makes debtor's mandatory documentation available for inspection and copying to certain bankruptcy officers and any party in interest. Requires debtors to furnish driver's license, passport or other photograph-containing documentation establishing debtor identification. (Sec. 604) Provides for automatic dismissal if a chapter 7 debtor fails to furnish all mandatory information, or fails to timely file the requisite schedules. Requires the court to order dismissal within five days of a request by a party in interest for the debtor's failure to timely submit requisite documentation. (Sec. 605) Prohibits a Chapter 13 confirmation hearing from being held less than 20 days after the first meeting of creditors if there is an objection. Mandates filing of a chapter 13 debt readjustment plan within 90 days of the order for relief. (Sec. 606) Revises the current three-to-five-year length of a payment plan to set a maximum five year payment period under a chapter 13 plan for any individual debtor (or in a joint case, an individual and spouse combined) with a current monthly total income of not less than the highest national median household income reported for a family of equal or lesser size (or, in a household of one person, not less than the national median household income for one earner). Reserves the current three-to-five-year payment period to cases involving debtors (or in a joint case, an individual and spouse combined) with a current monthly total income less than the highest national median household income reported for a family of equal or lesser size (or, in a household of one person, less than the national median household income for one earner). Revises the maximum duration for a plan modified after confirmation. (Sec. 607) Expresses the sense of the Congress that rule 9011 of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure should include a requirement that all debtors' documents be submitted to the court only after debtors have made reasonable inquiry to verify that all information therein is well grounded in fact, and warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for extension, modification or reversal of existing law. (Sec. 608) Amends the Federal judicial code to revise the requirement that a chapter 11 debtor pay quarterly fees to the U.S. Trustee for disbursements made during a quarter. Requires debtors with disbursements of less than $300,000 to pay such fee only until the case is converted or plan confirmation is obtained, whichever occurs first. (Sec. 609) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the Congress and the President on the impact that credit extended to dependents enrolled in post-secondary educational institutions has upon the rate of cases filed in bankruptcy. (Sec. 610) Revises automatic stay guidelines to provide that in the case of an individual filing under chapters 7, 11, or 13, the automatic stay shall terminate 60 days after a request for its release by a party in interest, unless the court orders or the parties agree to a longer time. (Sec. 611) Revamps prescriptions governing the effects of conversion from chapter 13 to another chapter. Declares that: (1) valuations of property and of allowed secured claims in a chapter 13 case shall not apply in a case converted to chapter 7; and (2) with respect to cases converted from chapter 13, the claim of any creditor holding security as of the date of the petition shall continue to be secured by that security unless the full amount of that claim, as determined under applicable nonbankruptcy law, has been paid in full as of the date of conversion. States that a prebankruptcy default shall have the effect given under applicable nonbankruptcy law unless it has been fully cured pursuant to the plan at the time of conversion. Title VII: Bankruptcy Data - Amends the Federal judicial code to require the clerk of each district to compile bankruptcy statistics for individual debtors with primarily consumer debts seeking relief under chapters 7, 11, and 13. Directs the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (Administrative Office) to make such statistics public and to report them annually to the Congress. (Sec. 702) Instructs the Attorney General to promulgate requirements for uniform forms for: (1) final reports by trustees in cases under chapters 7, 12, and 13; and (2) periodic reports by chapter 11 debtors or trustees in possession. Prescribes report contents. (Sec. 703) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the national policy should be that: (1) all public record data held in electronic form by bankruptcy clerks should be released in electronic form in bulk to the public subject to appropriate privacy concerns and safeguards as the Judicial Conference of the United States may determine; and (2) a bankruptcy data system should be established in which a single set of data definitions are used to collect data nationwide, and in which all data for any particular bankruptcy case are aggregated in the same electronic record. Title VIII: Bankruptcy Tax Provisions - Amends the bankruptcy code to modify the treatment of certain tax liens. (Sec. 802) Requires a debtor indebted to a governmental unit to furnish specified information concerning such debt, including the underlying basis for the governmental unit's claim. Requires the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules of the Judicial Conference to propose for adoption enhanced rules for providing notice to Federal, State, and local government units that have regulatory authority over the debtor or which may be creditors in the debtor's case. (Sec. 804) Prescribes the rate of interest to be paid on mandatory interest payments on tax claims. (Sec. 805) Revises the specifications for income tax claims receiving eighth priority (allowed unsecured claims of governmental units). Provides for tolling of the time periods covering such tax claims for stays of proceedings in a prior bankruptcy case, and the pendency or effect of offers in compromise or installment agreements. (Sec. 808) States that confirmation of a bankruptcy plan does not discharge a corporate debtor from any debt for a tax or customs duty with respect to which the debtor made a fraudulent return or willfully attempted to evade or defeat such tax. (Sec. 809) Amends the automatic stay of U.S. Tax Court proceedings concerning the debtor to restrict such stay to tax liability for a taxable period ending before the order for relief. States that the filing of a bankruptcy petition does not operate as a stay of an appeal from a judicial or administrative determination of the debtor's tax liability without regard to whether such determination was made prepetition or postpetition. (Sec. 810) Includes among the requirements for court confirmation of a chapter 11 bankruptcy plan which includes tax claims, that the debtor, at the minimum, make regular cash installment payments, but in no case with a balloon provision, and no more than three months apart, beginning no later than the effective date of the plan and ending on the earlier of five years after the petition date or the last date payments are to be made under the plan to unsecured creditors. (Sec. 811) Prohibits the avoidance of statutory tax liens by certain purchasers. (Sec. 812) Amends the Federal judicial code to require officers and agents conducting any business under court authority to pay all Federal, State and local taxes when due in the course of the business, unless it is a property tax secured by a lien against estate property which is abandoned by the bankruptcy trustee, or payment of the tax is excused under a specific bankruptcy law. Cites circumstances in which payment of such taxes may be deferred in a case pending under chapter 7 until final distribution is made. Entitles to administrative expense priority payment certain secured and postpetition unsecured taxes incurred by the bankruptcy estate, including ad valorem property taxes. Declares that a governmental unit shall not be required to file a request for the payment of administrative expenses relating to a tax liability or tax penalty. Allows a trustee to recover from property securing a claim for the payment of all ad valorem property taxes relating to such property. (Sec. 813) Requires as a condition for payment of tardily filed priority tax claims that they be filed either before the trustee commences distribution or ten days following the mailing to creditors of the summary of the trustee's final report, whichever is earlier (currently, before the trustee commences distribution of the estate). (Sec. 814) Makes nondischargeable any obligations based on income tax returns prepared by tax authorities. (Sec. 815) Declares that an estate's liability for unpaid tax is discharged upon payment of such tax according to certain requirements. (Sec. 816) Conditions court confirmation of a chapter 13 bankruptcy plan upon filing by the debtor: (1) of all prepetition tax returns; and (2) before the day on which the first meeting of the creditors is convened, of all tax returns for taxable periods ending in the three-year period that ends on the date of the filing of the petition. Authorizes the court to dismiss a plan, or to convert the case to a chapter 7 case, if a chapter 13 debtor fails to comply with such time frame. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules of the Judicial Conference should propose for adoption amended Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure pertaining to objections to tax claims and to plan confirmation. (Sec. 817) Redefines "adequate disclosure," for postpetition disclosure and solicitation purposes, to include full discussion of the potential material Federal and State tax consequences of the plan to the debtor and to a hypothetical investor domiciled in the State in which the debtor resides or has its principal place of business typical of the holders of claims or interests in the case. (Sec. 818) Denies an automatic stay, unless specified conditions are met, to the setoff of an income tax refund for a taxable period which ended before the order for relief against an income tax liability for a taxable period which also ended before the order for relief. Title III: Ancillary and Other Cross-Border Cases - Expands the scope of bankruptcy law to incorporate the Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency, and to establish a statutory mechanism for: (1) dealing with cases of cross-border insolvency; and (2) cooperation between U.S. courts, trustees, and debtors and their foreign counterparts. Prescribes guidelines for: (1) access by foreign representatives and creditors to Federal and State courts; (2) recognition of a foreign proceeding and relief; (3) cooperation and direct communication with foreign courts and representatives; and (4) concurrent proceedings and the coordination of foreign and domestic proceedings. Title X: Financial Contract Provisions - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to redefine specified contracts, agreements, and transfers entered into with an insolvent insured depository institution before the appointment of a conservator or receiver for it. (Sec. 1002) Declares that no person shall be stayed or prohibited from exercising any right to cause the acceleration of any qualified financial contract with an insured depository institution which arises upon the appointment of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver at any time after such appointment. (Sec. 1002) Declares that no provision of law shall be construed as limiting the right or power of the FDIC, or authorizing any court or agency to limit or delay, in any manner, the FDIC's right or power to transfer, disaffirm, or repudiate any qualified financial contract of a failed institution. Prohibits enforcement of a walkaway clause in a qualified financial contract of a failed insured depository institution (a clause that either does not create a payment obligation of a party, or extinguishes it solely because of such party's status as a nondefaulting party). (Sec. 1003) Revises guidelines governing transfers of qualified financial contracts of an insolvent institution to include: (1) transfers to a foreign bank or foreign financial institution (including its branch or agency) (but only when the contractual rights of the parties to such qualified financial contracts are enforceable substantially to the same extent as permitted under such Act); and (2) transfers of contracts subject to the rules of a clearing organization. Defines financial institution to include a broker or dealer, a depository institution, a futures commission merchant, or any other institution as determined by FDIC regulation. Suspends certain termination rights of counterparties to a qualified financial contract with an insolvent insured depository institution until after the receiver's appointment, or after receipt of notice that the contract has been transferred. Declares that none of the following institutions shall be considered a financial institution for which a conservator, receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, or other legal custodian has been appointed or which is otherwise the subject of a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding: (1) a bridge bank; or (2) an FDIC-organized depository institution for which a conservator is appointed either immediately upon organization, or at the time of a purchase and assumption transaction between such institution and the FDIC as receiver for a depository institution in default. (Sec. 1004) Prescribes guidelines for: (1) the disaffirmance or repudiation of qualified financial contracts by the conservator or receiver for a failed depository institution; and (2) the treatment of a master agreement as a single agreement and a single qualified financial contract. (Sec. 1006) Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 to make conforming amendments with respect to: (1) bilateral netting contracts; (2) security agreements; (3) clearing organization netting contracts; (4) contracts with uninsured national banks; and (5) contracts with uninsured Federal branches or agencies. (Sec. 1007) Amends the Federal Bankruptcy Code to reflect the changes made by this Act and to: (1) deny an automatic stay to set-offs under certain swap agreements and netting agreements; and (2) restrict the avoidance power of the bankruptcy trustee regarding certain master netting agreement transfers to those transfers that are fraudulent in nature. Sets forth statutory guidelines for: (1) the termination or acceleration of designated contracts and agreements; and (2) commodity broker and stockbroker liquidation with respect to the priority of unsecured claims, or customer property or distributions. (Sec. 1008) Amends the FDIA to authorize the FDIC to prescribe more detailed recordkeeping requirements for qualified financial contracts (including market valuations) by insured depository institutions. (Sec. 1009) Exempts specified collateralization agreements from the contemporaneous execution requirement that renders invalid certain agreements against FDIC interests in certain asset acquisitions. (Sec. 1010) Amends Federal bankruptcy law to specify the date for the measure of damages in connection with: (1) rejection by the bankruptcy trustee of designated contracts and agreements relating to executory contracts and unexpired leases; or (2) the liquidation, acceleration, or termination of such contracts and agreements. (Sec. 1011) Amends the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 to provide that neither the filing of a protective decree by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, nor any court protective order, shall operate as a stay of a creditor's contractual rights to liquidate, terminate, or accelerate designated contracts and agreements. Allows such application, order, or decree, however, to operate as a stay of foreclosure on securities collateral pledged by the debtor, whether or not with respect to one or more of such contracts, agreements, or securities sold by the debtor under a repurchase agreement. (Sec. 1012) Declares that property of the bankrupt estate does not include any eligible asset (or its proceeds) to the extent that it was transferred by the debtor before commencement of the case to an eligible entity in connection with an asset-backed securitization (except to the extent that such asset, or its proceeds or value, may be recovered through avoidance by the bankruptcy trustee). (Sec. 1013) Amends the Federal Reserve Act to increase the types of acceptances eligible to meet Federal Reserve collateral requirements. Title XI: Technical Corrections - Makes technical corrections to Federal bankruptcy, judicial, and criminal law. (Sec. 1101) Redefines single asset real estate to exclude family farms and to repeal the $4 million ceiling on the amount of noncontingent, liquidated secured debts on such property. Defines the term "transfer" to include: (1) creation of a lien; (2) retention of title as a security interest; (3) foreclosure of the debtor's equity of redemption; and (4) every mode of disposing of property or parting with an interest in property. (Sec. 1102) Requires triennial adjustment of: (1) the $5,000 value of certain implements, professional books, tools of the trade, farm animals, and crops which a debtor may exempt from the property of the estate (protecting them from creditors' liens); and (2) the national median household income calculated monthly. (Sec. 1106) Provides that a trustee or a creditors' and equity security holders' committee may pay a professional person they employ on a fixed or percentage fee basis, as well as on other bases already permitted. (Sec. 1111) Excludes from compensable professional services any expenses incurred by an individual member of a creditors' and equity security holders' committee. (Sec. 1113) Revises the prohibition against debtor avoidance of certain judicial liens in connection with a liability designated as, and actually in the nature of, alimony, maintenance, or support. (Sec. 1114) Declares nondischargeable in bankruptcy a debt for death or personal injury caused by the debtor's operation of a watercraft or aircraft while intoxicated from alcohol, a drug, or other substance. Limits the nondischargeability of fees imposed by a court to fees so imposed on a prisoner. (Sec. 1119) Revises guidelines governing preferences to provide that, if the trustee avoids a security interest given between 90 days and one year before the date of the filing of the petition, by the debtor to a non-insider for the benefit of a creditor that is an insider, then such security interest shall be considered to be avoided only with respect to the insider creditor. (Sec. 1125) Requires the U.S. trustee in a chapter 11 (Reorganization) case to file a report certifying the election of an eligible, disinterested trustee at a meeting of creditors. Declares that upon such filing: (1) the trustee elected shall be considered to have been selected and appointed; and (2) the service shall terminate of any trustee previously appointed to fill the term of specified ineligible or incapacitated trustees. (Sec. 1127) Permits the bankruptcy trustee to sell, use, or lease property in accordance with nonbankruptcy law governing the transfer of property by nonprofit charitable corporations, if doing so is not inconsistent with certain relief granted under the automatic stay. (Sec. 1128) Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a creditor under an open end consumer credit plan from terminating an account before its expiration date solely because the consumer has not incurred finance charges. (Sec. 1129) Extends from 20 to 30 days the length of time after a debtor receives possession of property for perfection of a security interest in such property created by a transfer which the trustee may not avoid. (Sec. 1130) Amends the Federal judicial code to allow a U.S. trustee whose appointment to a panel or as a standing trustee is terminated or who ceases to be assigned to cases filed under the Federal bankruptcy code to obtain judicial review of the final agency decision by commencing an action in U.S. district court for the district in which the panel member or standing trustee resides, after exhausting all available administrative remedies which, if the trustee so elects, shall also include an administrative hearing on the record. Deems the trustee to have exhausted such remedies, unless the trustee elects to have an administrative hearing on the record, if the agency fails to make a final agency decision within 90 days after the trustee requests administrative remedies. Requires the agency decision to be affirmed unless it is unreasonable and without cause based upon the administrative record before the agency. Authorizes a standing trustee to obtain judicial review of final agency action to deny a claim of actual, necessary expenses by commencing an action in U.S. district court in the district where the individual resides. Requires the agency decision to be affirmed unless it is unreasonable and without cause based upon the administrative record before the agency. Directs the Attorney General to prescribe procedures to implement such provisions. Title XII: General Effective Date; Application of Amendments - Sets forth the effective date of this Act and the application of its amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1999
United States Agricultural Trade Act of 1999 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the principal agricultural trade negotiating objectives of the United States for future multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations, including the World trade Organization (WTO), shall be to achieve, on an expedited basis, and to the maximum extent feasible, more open and fair conditions for trade in agricultural commodities by: (1) developing, strengthening, and clarifying rules for agricultural trade, including disciplines on restrictive or trade-distorting import and export practices; (2) increasing U.S. agricultural exports by eliminating barriers to trade (including transparent and nontransparent barriers) and other constraints to fair and more open markets access in foreign markets, such as export subsidies, quotas, and other non-tariff import barriers; (3) developing, strengthening, and clarifying rules that address practices that unfairly limit U.S. market access opportunities or distort agricultural markets to the detriment of the United States; (4) ensuring that there are reliable suppliers of agricultural commodities international commerce by encouraging countries to treat foreign buyers no less favorably than domestic buyers of the commodity involved; and (5) eliminating barriers for meeting the food needs of the world through the use of biotechnology by ensuring access to U.S. commodities derived from biotechnology that is scientifically defensible, opposing the establishment of protectionist trade measures disguised as health standards, and protecting continual delays by other countries in their approval processes which constitute nontariff trade barriers. (Sec. 4) Authorizes the President, if it is determined that the exemption of certain agricultural food programs should not apply to unilateral economic sanctions for reasons of foreign policy or national security, to include such programs in such sanctions. Requires the President to report to specified congressional committees if it is determined that such programs are not exempt from such sanctions. (Sec. 5) Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to establish a Congressional Oversight Group for Agricultural Negotiations that shall provide oversight and guidance with respect to agricultural trade policy and negotiation of agricultural trade issues. (Sec. 6) Expresses the sense of Congress that a certain amendment made to the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 was intended to allow the sale or barter of U.S. agricultural commodities included in U.S. food assistance only within the recipient country or countries adjacent to the recipient country, unless it: (1) is not practicable; and (2) will not disrupt commercial markets for the agricultural commodity involved. (Sec. 7) Directs the United States Trade Representative (USTR), not later than 30 days after the submission of the National Trade Estimate report, to identify those foreign countries that: (1) engage in unfair trade practices with respect to U.S. agricultural commodities, or unreasonably delay or preclude implementation of a report of a dispute panel of the World Trade Organization (WTO); or (2) are determined by the USTR to be priority foreign countries. Sets forth special rules with respect to such identification. Directs the USTR to report annually to specified congressional committees on actions taken under this Act to achieve fair and equitable market access for U.S. agricultural commodities. Authorizes the USTR with respect to those identified countries to: (1) take specified trade action; and (2) request that the secretary of Agriculture target the use of existing U.S. export programs that are administered within the Department of Agriculture to the commodity that is subject to the unfair trade practice by the priority foreign country. (Sec. 8) Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to declare that the Department of Agriculture shall be the lead agency for sanitary and phytosanitary issues that affect agricultural exports. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to identify sanitary and phytosanitary measures currently negatively affecting agricultural exports, by country and commodity, noting: (1) whether such measures are consistent with the WTO sanitary and phytosanitary agreement; and (2) whether issues arising from such measures are being addressed and resolved. Directs the Secretary to report the findings to Congress not later than July 31, 1999.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Designation of and Tax Incentives for Renewal Communities Title II: Additional Provisions American Community Renewal Act of 1999 - Title I: Designation of and Tax Incentives for Renewal Communities - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to designate (upon local or State nomination) up to 100 renewal communities, of which at least 20 percent shall be in rural areas. Requires for nomination purposes that: (1) the area be experiencing high rates of poverty and unemployment and general distress; and (2) State and local governments enter into written contracts with community organizations to promote specified economic growth and employment activities. Excludes from gross income capital gains on the sale or exchange of a qualified community asset (stock, business property, or partnership interest) held for more than five years. Allows a specified deduction for amounts paid into a family development account on behalf of an individual or another qualified individual who is a renewal community resident. Excludes from gross income account distributions used for qualified family development expenses (postsecondary education, first-home purchase, business capitalization, medical, and rollovers). Provides a penalty (with exceptions) in addition to inclusion as gross income for nonqualifying distributions. Provides for designation of up to five qualifying renewal communities as matching demonstration areas eligible to receive family development account matching contributions. Authorizes: (1) designation of earned income tax credit payments for family development account deposit; (2) a commercial building revitalization tax credit; (3) increased first year expensing for renewal community businesses; (4) extension of environmental remediation cost expensing and the work opportunity credit for renewal communities; and (5) similar tax treatment of renewal communities and enterprise zones for specified youth residence requirements. (Sec. 104) Permits a deduction for contributions to a family development account whether or not a taxpayer itemizes. Makes conforming amendments to provisions respecting: (1) tax on excess contributions and prohibited transactions; (2) trust and annuity information; (3) tax exemption applications; and (4) the commercial revitalization credit. (Sec. 105) Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec. 106) Directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget not to make any estimates of changes in receipts under the pay-as-you-go estimate provisions of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 resulting from the enactment of this Act. Title II: Additional Provisions - Provides for local government transfer of unoccupied and substandard Department of Housing and Urban Development multifamily and single family housing in renewal communities, with subsequent disposition priority to be given to community development corporations. (202) Amends the Public Health Service Act to declare that the amendments made by this Act apply to each program that makes awards of Federal financial assistance to prevent or treat substance abuse. Allows, notwithstanding any other provision of law, a religious organization to be an award recipient, make subawards, provide services through vouchers, or accept vouchers for providing services. Makes religious organizations eligible on the same basis as any other nonprofit private organization. Prohibits Federal or State: (1) discrimination against an organization on the basis that the organization has a religious character; and (2) requirements that a religious organization, in order to be a program participant, remove religious art, icons, scripture, or other symbols. Requires a religious organization to arrange for services through an alternative entity if an individual objects to the religious organization. Allows a religious organization to require a beneficiary who has elected to receive services from the organization to actively participate in religious practice, worship, and instruction. Prohibits using funds for sectarian worship or instruction, unless the beneficiary may choose where the assistance is redeemed or allocated. Declares that assistance to or on behalf of a beneficiary is aid to the beneficiary and not to the organization. Requires, if a State law or constitution would prevent the expenditure of State or local funds by religious organizations, that the Federal funds shall be segregated from State or other public funds. Requires, for personnel working in religious organization drug treatment programs, giving credit for religious education and training equivalent to credit given for secular course work. Mandates waiver of educational requirements if the religious organization has a record of successful drug treatment and the State or local government fails to demonstrate empirically that the educational qualifications are necessary. (Sec. 203) Amends the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 to provide that a financial institution's investments in community development organizations located in renewal communities may be considered in evaluations under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the credit for increasing research activities. Increases the alternative incremental credit rates.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify qualified leasehold improvement property (defined as certain improvements made to an interior portion of nonresidential real property) as ten-year property for depreciation purposes under the Accelerated Cost Recovery System.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1999
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the U.S. flag.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Uniform Prelitigation Procedures for Year 2000 Actions Title II: Year 2000 Actions Involving Contracts Title III: Year 2000 Actions Involving Tort and Other Noncontractual Claims Title IV: Year 2000 Class Actions Title V: Client Protection in Connection with Year 2000 Actions Title VI: Assistance to Small Businesses for Preventing Year 2000 computer Failures Year 2000 Readiness and Responsibility Act - Makes this Act inapplicable to any claim based on personal injury. Title I: Uniform Prelitigation Procedures for Year 2000 Actions - Requires a prospective plaintiff, before filing a year 2000 action, except in an action that seeks only injunctive relief, to provide to each prospective defendant a written notice that identifies with particularity: (1) any symptoms of a material defect alleged to have caused injury; (2) the injury allegedly suffered; (3) the facts that led the prospective plaintiff to hold such person responsible for both the defect and the injury; and (4) the relief or action sought. Bars a prospective plaintiff from commencing an action in Federal or State court until the expiration of 90 days after the date on which such notice is provided. Excludes such 90-day period in the computation of any applicable statute of limitations. Sets forth provisions regarding response to notice, failure to respond, failure to provide notice, the effect of contractual waiting periods, sanctions for frivolous invocation of the stay provision, and time computations. (Sec. 102) Allows either party, at any time during the 90-day period, to request the other to use alternative dispute resolution. (Sec. 103) Requires the complaint, in any year 2000 action: (1) that seeks the award of money damages, to state with particularity the nature and amount of each element of damages and the factual basis for the damages calculation; and (2) in which the plaintiff alleges that a product or service was defective, to identify with particularity the symptoms of the material defects and to state with particularity the facts supporting the conclusion that the defects were material. Sets forth provisions regarding state of mind, motion to dismiss, stay of discovery, and preservation of evidence. (Sec. 104) Prohibits recovery in any year 2000 action on account of injury that the plaintiff could reasonably have avoided in light of any disclosure or other information of which the plaintiff was, or reasonably could have been, aware. Excludes from damages awarded in any such action any that the plaintiff reasonably could have avoided. Title II: Year 2000 Actions Involving Contracts - Makes fully enforceable in any year 2000 action all written contractual terms, including limitations or exclusions of liability or disclaimers of warranty, with exceptions. (Sec. 202) Allows the party against whom a claim of breach of contract is asserted to offer evidence that its implementation of, or its efforts to implement, the contract were reasonable in light of the circumstances for the purpose of limiting or eliminating the defendant's liability. Sets forth provisions regarding impossibility and commercial impracticability. (Sec. 203) Prohibits the court, in any year 2000 action involving a breach of contract or a claim related to the contract, from awarding any damages unless such damages are provided for by the express terms of the contract (or, if the contract is silent on such damages, by operation of the applicable Federal or State law that governed interpretation of the contract at the time the contract was entered into). Title III: Year 2000 Actions involving Tort and Other Noncontractual Claims - Makes a person against whom a final judgment is entered in a year 2000 action, except with respect to claims involving personal injury, liable solely for the portion of the judgment that corresponds to the percentage of liability of the person, as determined under this title. Directs the court to instruct the jury to answer special interrogatories or, if there's no jury, make findings, with respect to each defendant and plaintiff, and each of the other persons claimed by any of the parties to have caused or contributed to the loss incurred by the plaintiff, concerning the percentage of responsibility of the defendant, the plaintiff, and each such person, measured as a percentage of the total fault of all persons who caused or contributed to the total loss incurred by the plaintiff. (Sec. 302) Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the defendant's state of mind as to year 2000 failure, injury to plaintiff, and foreseeability; (2) a reasonable efforts defense; (3) limits on damages; and (4) liability of officers and directors. Title IV: Year 2000 Class Actions - Provides that in any year 2000 action involving a claim that a product or service is defective, the action may be maintained as a class-action in Federal or State law as to that claim only if it satisfies all other prerequisites established by applicable Federal or State law and if the court also finds that the alleged defect in the product or service was a material defect as to a majority of the members of the class. (Sec. 402) Sets forth provisions regarding notification, dismissal prior to certification, Federal jurisdiction in year 2000 class actions, and removal of class actions. Title V: Client Protection In Connection with Year 2000 Actions - Makes this title applicable to any year 2000 claim or action asserted or brought in Federal or State court. (Sec. 503) Allows a plaintiff who retains an attorney with respect to a year 2000 claim or action to elect whether to compensate the attorney's services on an hourly or contingent fee basis, with exceptions. (Sec. 504) Sets forth provisions regarding the consumer's right to up-front disclosure of information regarding fees and settlement proposals, information after the initial meeting, the consumer's right to timely updated information about settlement proposals and a detailed statement of hours and fees, class actions, and enforcement of consumer protection rules in year 2000 claims and actions. Title VI: Assistance to Small Businesses for Preventing Year 2000 Computer Failures - Small Business Year 2000 Readiness Act - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a pilot program under which it shall guarantee loans made by eligible lenders to small business concerns to allow them to address year 2000 computer failures and to notify eligible lenders of the establishment of such program. Sets forth provisions regarding the use of funds, maximum loan amounts, guarantee limits, and reporting requirements. (Sec. 604) Amends such Act to direct the SBA to notify specified committees not later than 30 days before initiating any new pilot program of any change in the pilot program that may affect the subsidy rate estimates for the loan program. Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec. 605) Directs the Administrator of the SBA to establish one point of contact to act as a liaison between the SBA and small business concerns regarding problems arising out of year 2000 failures and compliance with Federal requirements regarding the collection of information. Prohibits any Federal agency from imposing a civil penalty on a business concern for a first-time violation, with exceptions. Allows a Federal agency to waive a civil penalty imposed if the violation is corrected within 30 days after the agency provides written notice of the violation. Sets forth standards for waiver and a congressional notification requirement. Prohibits a State from imposing on a small business concern any civil penalty inconsistent with this section.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1999
Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 1999 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), after July 1, 1999, from making any reallocations of amateur radio service and amateur satellite service frequency bands, diminishing the secondary allocations of such bands or making additional allocations within such bands that would substantially reduce their utility unless at the same time the FCC provides equivalent replacement spectrum.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1999
Defense Jobs and Trade Promotion Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the limitation on the amount of receipts attributable to military property which may be treated as exempt foreign trade income.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1999
Supports the National Railroad Hall of Fame, Inc., of Galesburg, Illinois, in its endeavor to erect the National Railroad Hall of Fame.