United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
Guam Judicial Empowerment Act of 1997 - Amends the Organic Act of Guam to provide, in addition to the current District Court of Guam, for a unified judicial system including an appellate court (Supreme Court of Guam), a trial court (Superior Court of Guam), and such other lower local courts as may have been or shall hereafter be established by the laws of Guam. Authorizes the Government of Guam to establish by law an Office of the Attorney General of Guam and whether the Attorney General shall be appointed (by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the legislature) or elected by the people of Guam.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1997
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.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1997
Disabled Veteran's Access Act of 1997 - Provides military commissary and exchange privileges to veterans with service-connected disabilities, as well as their dependents, on the same basis as provided for members of the armed forces entitled to retired pay.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1997
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the health, safety, and general welfare of the residents of the Nation's coalfields should continue to be enhanced by the implementation of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 by State and Federal regulatory authorities; and (2) the Congress hereby reaffirms the goals of the Act on its 20th anniversary, August 3, 1997.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1997
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Deep Ocean Outfall Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize the owner or operator of the Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, publicly owned treatment works to initiate, expand, or continue a study of the marine environment of coastal areas in the Mayaguez area to determine the feasibility of constructing a deep ocean outfall for the treatment works. Authorizes the owner or operator of such treatment works to submit an application for modification of secondary treatment requirements. Prohibits the filing of such application unless the applicant has entered into a binding consent decree with the United States that includes certain minimum requirements for schedules of compliance, milestones, and a commitment to contribute a minimum amount to the Mayaguez Watershed Initiative. Makes a modification effective only if the outfall is operational within four and a half years of the date of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency's initial determination on the application. Sets forth requirements regarding application fees.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1997
Guam War Restitution Act - Amends the Organic Act of Guam to set forth award and benefit eligibility requirements for living Guamanians, or the heirs or next of kin of deceased Guamanians, who suffered a compensable injury during the occupation of Guam in World War II. Defines "compensable injury" as: (1) death; (2) personal injury; or (3) forced labor, forced march, or internment. Establishes the Guam Trust Fund and the Guam Trust Fund Commission. Authorizes the Commission to make disbursements from the Fund to: (1) make awards available to Guamanians who personally received the compensable injury, or to their heirs or next of kin in claims for death; (2) make benefits (including scholarships, medical expenses, or first-time home ownership grants) available to Guamanians who are heirs or next of kin of the decedent Guamanian who received the compensable injury that is the basis for a claim if the claim is for a compensable injury other than death; (3) sponsor research and public educational activities to commemorate the events surrounding the wartime experiences and losses of the Guamanian people; and (4) pay the Commission's administrative expenses. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the President to submit to the Congress a list of recommended spending cuts or other measures that would provide, over the next five years, enough savings to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1997
Women's Cardiovascular Diseases Research and Prevention Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to mandate expansion, intensification, and coordination of research and related activities of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute with regard to cardiovascular diseases in women. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1997
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Research, Treatment, and Assistance Act of 1997 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for a waiver of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage for individuals disabled by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to provide for Medicare coverage of any drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the treatment or alleviation of ALS-related symptoms. Authorizes appropriations, in addition to any already available, for ALS research through the National Institutes of Health.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1997
Celebrates the accomplishments of: (1) title IX of the Education Act Amendments of 1972 in increasing opportunities for women and girls in all facets of education; and (2) the magnificent accomplishments of women and girls in sports.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1997
Children's Privacy Protection and Parental Empowerment Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit and set penalties for specified activities relating to personal information about a child (defined as a person under age 16), including knowingly: (1) selling such information (by a list broker) without the written consent of a parent of that child, knowing that such information pertains to a child; (2) using prison inmate labor for data processing of personal information about children; and (3) distributing or soliciting any such information, knowing or having reason to believe that the information will be used to abuse or physically harm the child. Sets penalties for contacting that child or a parent of that child (by a person who uses personal information about a child that was obtained for commercial purposes) to offer a commercial product or service to that child and knowingly failing to comply with a parent's request to: (1) disclose the source of such information, all information that has been sold or otherwise disclosed by that list broker about that child, and the identity of all persons to whom such information has been disclosed; or (2) discontinue providing such information to third parties. Sets penalties for knowingly releasing personal information about another person's child to any entity that intends to use the information to solicit the sale of a product or service, without the permission of that child's parent. Authorizes civil actions by a child or a parent with respect to whom a violation of this Act occurs. Directs the court to award a prevailing plaintiff a reasonable attorney's fee as part of the costs. Specifies that nothing in this Act affects the sale of lists to: (1) the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (the Center); (2) accredited colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning; (3) the U.S. military; or (4) local, State, or Federal law enforcement agencies. Declares that it shall be the duty of each list broker operating in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce to make that broker's databases available twice annually, without charge, to the Center to allow the Center to match it with the database of missing children held by the Center.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1997
Point Reyes National Seashore Farmland Protection Act of 1997 - Amends Federal law to include the Farmland Protection Area in the Point Reyes National Seashore, California, with the primary objective being to protect private agricultural land from nonagricultural development by conservation easements. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make farmland acquisitions within the Area. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1997
Personal Information Privacy Act of 1997 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to redefine the term "consumer report" to exclude identifying information listed in a local telephone directory (thereby ensuring that the personal identification information in the credit headers accompanying credit reports of unlisted individuals remains confidential). Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to prohibit the commercial acquisition or distribution of an individual's social security number (or any derivative of it), as well as its use as a personal identification number, without the individual's written consent. Provides for a civil action in a U.S. District Court by any individual aggrieved by any violation of this prohibition. Provides for civil money penalties for violations as well. Amends the Federal criminal code to require the uses of social security numbers by State departments of motor vehicles to be consistent with the uses authorized by the Social Security Act, the Privacy Act, and by any other statutes explicitly authorizing their use. Prohibits the use of social security numbers by marketing companies.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1997
Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to conduct a demonstration project under which covered members and beneficiaries under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) who are or become entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act will be eligible to enroll in health benefits plans offered through the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program. Requires the demonstration project to be conducted in two geographic areas and to last at least two, but not more than three, contract years. Provides for: (1) management of participation in the project; (2) Government contributions for beneficiary coverage under the FEHB program; and (3) reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1997
Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure that any program to make prescription pharmaceuticals available by mail to covered beneficiaries under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) does not exclude covered beneficiaries who are also entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1997
Agricultural Land Preservation Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross estate, if the executor so elects, the value of land subject to a qualified conservation easement, except for any debt-financed portion and reduced by any deduction taken under provisions relating to transfers for public, charitable, and religious use. Provides for the treatment of any retained development right. Adds references to such property to provisions controlling the basis of property acquired from a decedent. Prohibits treating the transfer by gift of land subject to a qualified conservation easement as a transfer of property by gift for purposes of provisions relating to gift taxes. Amends provisions relating to the valuation of certain farm and other real property to prohibit a qualified conservation contribution (as defined in provisions relating to charitable contributions) from being deemed a disposition unless it is subject to a conservation easement. Declares that, if property is otherwise qualified real property, being subject to a conservation easement does not disqualify it. Allows a contribution to be treated as exclusively for conservation purposes if the surface estate and mineral interests have been and remain separated (currently, if the surface estate and mineral interests were separated before June 13, 1976, and remain separated) and if the probability of surface mining is so remote as to be negligible.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1997
Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to provide for off-budget treatment of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and of special accounts containing admission and special recreational use fees collected from national parks and other specified national public use and recreational areas by prohibiting the receipts and disbursements of the Fund and such accounts from being counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surplus for purposes of: (1) the Federal budget; (2) the congressional budget; or (3) the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). Exempts such receipts and disbursements from any general statutory budget limitation imposed on expenditures and budget outlays.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1997
Medicare Cancer Clinical Trial Coverage Act of 1997 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a demonstration project which provides for payment under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act of routine patient care costs for Medicare beneficiaries with cancer who are enrolled in an approved clinical trial program, while still applying the beneficiary cost sharing provisions of such program to project participants. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the impact on Medicare of covering such costs as well as the cost of extending routine patient care coverage to Medicare beneficiaries with a diagnosis other than cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1997
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1997 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to establish in the National Park Service (NPS) a program to be known as the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom under which the Secretary shall: (1) produce and disseminate educational materials about the Railroad; (2) provide technical assistance to other government agencies, private entities, or the Governments of Canada, Mexico, or any appropriate Caribbean country to ensure coordination of Federal and non-Federal elements of the Network; and (3) regulate use of an official symbol for the Network. Includes within the Network: (1) NPS units or programs pertaining to the Railroad; (2) Federal, State, local, or privately-owned properties pertaining to the Railroad that have a verifiable connection to it and that are included or eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places; and (3) governmental or nongovernmental facilities or programs of educational, research, or interpretive natures that are directly related to such Railroad. Prohibits amounts from being appropriated for the purposes of this Act except to the Secretary for carrying out his or her responsibilities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1997
Declares that any final rule that prohibits States from granting exceptions for not-for-hire intrastate transportation by farmers and farm-related service industries shall not take effect before October 1, 1999, or until authorization of appropriations for fiscal year 1998 to carry out chapter 51 of title 49, United States Code (relating to transportation of hazardous materials), whichever comes later.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1997
Amends the Federal judicial code to make an exception to the jurisdictional immunity of a foreign state in certain cases where money damages are sought for the personal injury of a U.S. citizen caused by an act of genocide occurring during World War II in the predecessor states of the Federal Republic of Germany, or in any territories or areas occupied, annexed, or otherwise controlled by those states. Sets the venue for such cases. Makes an exception to immunity from attachment with respect to such claims.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1997
Public Schools Renewal and Improvement Act of 1997 - Establishes a procedure by which a local schools consortium shall request, through the State Governor, a declaration by the President that a public schools renewal effort is underway in its community. Requires such request to: (1) include the three-year plan for public schools renewal and improvement; (2) describe the nature and amount of State and local resources which have been or will be committed to such renewal and improvement; and (3) certify that State or local government obligations and expenditures will comply with all applicable matching requirements established pursuant to this Act. Authorizes the President to: (1) make such a requested declaration; and (2) authorize the Department of Education and other Federal agencies to provide assistance under this Act. Requires the consortium to make annual: (1) amendments to the request to include additional initiatives and approaches to improve academic effectiveness and school safety; and (2) progress reports to the Secretary of Education. (Sec. 5) Sets forth required elements of such public schools renewal and improvement plans, including specification of certain adverse conditions and certain assurances. (Sec. 6) Authorizes the President to provide for various forms of allowable Federal assistance under this Act. Directs the Secretary to distribute such funds and resources. (Sec. 7) Sets forth requirements for use of such assistance for various student-targeted resources, classroom-focused school development, accountability reforms, and other, similar types of public school reforms. (Sec. 8) Allows such assistance to be provided for each of FY 1998 through 2000. (Sec. 9) Requires the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on this Act's effectiveness. (Sec. 10) Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth matching requirements for States or localities, which the President may waive upon the Secretary's recommendation.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1997
College Access and Affordability Act of 1997 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to extend and set forth the maximum Federal Pell Grant award for academic year 1998-1999 and each of the four succeeding academic years. Establishes a maximum Pell grant amount of $3,300 for academic year 1998-1999 which is lower than the maximum $4,500 for 1997-1998; and provides for incremental increases until $4,500 is reached as the maximum for academic year 2002-2003. (Sec. 2) Specifies sums that shall be available to the Secretary of Education annually to provide funds for such grants. Authorizes the Secretary, in case of insufficient funds to pay all such grants as specified, to reduce them by either a fixed or variable percentage reduction or by a fixed dollar reduction. (Sec. 3) Provides for forgiveness of student loans for those who do specified types of teaching service for certain periods. (Sec. 4) Makes any institution exempt from the cohort default rate trigger also exempt from administrative action by the Secretary based solely on such institution's cohort default rate under provisions appearing in the Code of Federal Regulations. (Sec. 5) Adjusts specified student aid need analysis formulas. Revises the income protection allowance (IPA) for dependent students and for independent students without dependents (other than a spouse). Permits updating IPA calculations to reflect inflation. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary to recall to the Treasury from the reserve funds held by guaranty agencies specified minimum amounts in FY 1998 through 2002. Requires each guaranty agency to transfer all non-recalled reserve funds to a restricted account and invest them in U.S. Government securities specified by the Secretary. Prohibits a guaranty agency (except for FY 1998 operational expenses) from using any restricted account funds without the express permission of the Secretary. (Sec. 7) Provides borrowers under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program with certain extended and graduated repayment options currently available to Direct Loan program borrowers, including the option to change repayment plans. Directs the Secretary to ensure that the repayment plans offered to FFEL borrowers are comparable to Direct Loan repayment plans. (Sec. 8) Reduces the applicable interest rate on all subsidized and unsubsidized FFEL and Direct Loans during in-school, grace, and deferment periods to the same rate as the borrowing rate of the Department of Education, but retains current cap levels on such interest rates. (Sec. 9) Reduces the lenders' insurance rate from 98 to 95 percent. (Sec. 10) Eliminates the one percent insurance premium charged to a FFEL borrower at the time of loan origination on or after July 1, 1998. Reduces FFEL origination fees on subsidized FFELs. Reduces the loan fees charged on various types of subsidized and unsubsidized direct loans over a specified phaseout period. Prohibits the Secretary from charging borrowers origination fees on any direct loan made after the calendar year 2001. (Sec. 11) Revises the role of the guaranty agency in the FFEL program. Makes the Secretary the sole guarantor of FFELs. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with a guaranty agency to insure loans, with the guaranty agency acting as the Secretary's agent. Replaces outstanding loan insurance issued by the guaranty agency by loan insurance issued by the Secretary. Makes new guaranty agreements effective for five years, renewable by the Secretary for successive five-year periods, but terminable by the Secretary before expiration under certain circumstances. Authorizes the Secretary, after the initial agreement has ended, to enter into: (1) another agreement with that guaranty agency; (2) an alternate agreement with a different guaranty agency; or (3) one or more contracts under which contractors would carry out one or more of the functions formerly performed by the guaranty agency. Authorizes the Secretary to permit a guaranty agency to engage in other businesses, previously purchased or developed with reserve funds, that relate to the FFEL program. Provides that, under such agreements, guaranty agencies shall receive specified fees and revenues. Permits guaranty agencies to retain a share of their net revenues for activities in support of postsecondary education. Establishes fines for guaranty agencies that fail to achieve a specified level of performance on one or more performance standards. Grants an exemption to lenders with small FFEL portfolios, by requiring only eligible lenders that originate or hold more than $5 million in FFELs during an annual audit period to submit to compliance audit for that period. Requires an eligible lender to pay a guaranty agency, to which the lender referred a delinquent loan, a default prevention fee of up to $100 per borrower account if the agency succeeds in bringing such loan into current repayment status. (Sec. 12) Repeals the requirement that a State pay the Secretary an annual amount representing the State's share of risk for high default rates at institutions within the State. (Sec. 13) Revises certain requirements for FFEL consolidation loans. (Sec. 14) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into one or more contracts to carry out any of the functions that otherwise would be carried out by a guaranty agency. (Sec. 15) Revises the definition of an eligible lender to exclude lenders that do not offer uniform terms and conditions to all borrowers taking out the same type of FFEL loans. (Sec. 16) Requires computation of special allowance rates at the same time and in the same manner as student loan interest rates (annually rather than quarterly). (Sec. 17) Revises the formula for computation of the Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae) offset fee on loans it holds. (Sec. 18) Limits the payment of the direct loan transition fee to: (1) institutions or consortia in their first year of participation in the direct loan program; and (2) an amount not more than an average of $10 per borrower at such institutions. (Sec. 19) Authorizes funds through FY 2002 for mandatory administrative expenses for the student financial aid programs, including the direct loan program. (Sec. 20) Extends the FFEL program and certain other HEA title IV student assistance programs through FY 2002.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1997
Patient Access to Responsible Care Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require a health insurance issuer to: (1) assure that covered items and services are available and accessible to each enrollee; (2) assure the availability and accessibility of emergency services and urgent care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; (3) not require prior authorization for emergency services; and (4) cover emergency and urgent (and related ancillary) services. Requires an issuer offering network coverage to show that enrollees have access to specialized treatment. Regulates network incentive plans. Requires an issuer to: (1) permit each network enrollee to select a personal health professional from participating professionals; (2) cover nonparticipating providers, regulating premiums and cost sharing; (3) avoid undue enrollee burden from care coordination and cost control processes; (4) ensure direct specialist access; (5) provide for continuity of care for those with special needs or a chronic condition; and (6) provide for continued coverage in certain circumstances. Prohibits issuer discrimination on the basis of specified factors against individuals or providers. Prohibits any issuer-professional agreement from restricting the professional from engaging in medical communications with the professional's patient. Sets forth requirements regarding utilization review, an appeals process, and the process by which health professionals and providers become participants. Requires issuers to: (1) disclose certain information to enrollees and prospective enrollees; (2) comply with Federal and State confidentiality laws; (3) meet State solvency-related requirements; and (4) establish a quality improvement program. Requires issuers to comply with this Act regarding group and individual coverage. Declares that the requirements of this Act do not preempt any State law providing equivalent or stricter protections for individuals. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to require a group health plan and an issuer offering coverage under such a plan to comply with the requirements of this Act. Declares that this Act does not preempt any State: (1) law providing equivalent or stricter protections for individuals; or (2) cause of action for personal injury or wrongful death damages that provides insurance or administrative services to or for an employee welfare benefit plan maintained to provide health benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1997
Expresses the sense of the Congress that certain provisions of the Merchant Marine Act, 1920 relating to transportation of merchandise between U.S. points in other than domestically built or rebuilt and documented vessels and to incineration of hazardous waste at sea (those provisions popularly known as the Jones Act) and related statutes are critically important components of our Nation's economic and military security and should be fully and strongly supported.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income (under the qualified scholarship provisions) certain amounts provided by an employer to the child of an employee.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1997
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) endorses the efforts of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to upgrade the currency for security reasons; and (2) strongly encourages the Secretary of the Treasury and the Bureau to incorporate cost-effective, tactile features into the design changes, thereby including the blind and visually impaired community in independent currency usage.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1997
Amends the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) to allow certain eligible covered beneficiaries to enroll in any health benefits plan under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHB) offering medical and dental care comparable to that offered under CHAMPUS. Includes as an eligible covered beneficiary any member or former member of the armed forces, and any dependent of such member, who: (1) is not guaranteed access under CHAMPUS or TRICARE Standard (a Department of Defense managed care program) to health and dental care comparable to the highest level provided under the FEHB; (2) is eligible to enroll in the TRICARE Program but is not so enrolled because of geographical inaccessibility, enrollment limitations, or any other reason; or (3) is entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. States that any such beneficiary shall not be required to satisfy any FEHB eligibility criteria as a condition for enrollment. Provides for: (1) enrollment contributions; (2) participation management by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM); and (3) annual reports from the Secretary of Defense and the OPM Director concerning the provision of such care. Requires the health and dental care benefits provided under CHAMPUS and TRICARE Standard, as well as the rates prescribed for the reimbursement of providers under such programs, to be comparable to the highest level of benefits provided under the FEHB. Requires the Secretary to begin offering the health benefits option of this Act no later than November 1, 1997.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1997
Requires each Member and employing authority of the House of Representatives to comply with the Office Recycling Program of the Office of the Architect of the Capitol (AOC). Directs the AOC to: (1) ensure that all House employees with custodial duties are adequately trained in Program implementation; and (2) require any House contractor carrying out the Program to ensure that all personnel are trained in Program implementation; and (3) report semiannually to the Committee on House Oversight on Program compliance.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1997
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to transfer to the University of Puerto Rico, without consideration, title to the Federal real property and improvements that constitute a center for research on primates that is located in the vicinity of Sabana Seca, in Puerto Rico. Directs the Secretary of the Navy to transfer to the University of Puerto Rico, without consideration, title to the Federal real property and improvements that are under permit from the Navy Department to NIH and that are located in close proximity to the center.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 1997
Post Office Relocation Act of 1997 - Modifies Federal postal provisions to require a 60-day notice before the renovation, relocation, closing, or consolidation (currently, the closing or consolidation) of a post office. Requires such notice to be: (1) hand delivered or delivered by mail; and (2) published in one or more newspapers of general circulation within the zip codes served by such post office. Sets forth provisions which: (1) allow any person served by the post office to offer an alternative renovation, relocation, consolidation, or closing proposal within such 60-day period; and (2) require the Postal Service to conduct a hearing to allow the individual to present oral or written testimony. Revises the factors to be considered in deciding whether or not to renovate, relocate, close, or consolidate a post office to include: (1) the extent to which the post office is part of a core downtown business area; (2) the sentiment of the community; (3) whether postal officials negotiated with persons served; (4) whether management of the post office contributed to a desire to relocate; and (5) the adequacy of the existing post office. Requires the Postal Service to follow a community's public participation procedures to address the renovation, relocation, closing, or consolidation of buildings in the community if participation requirements of such procedures are more stringent than those provided in this Act. Requires the Postal Service, in making a determination to renovate, relocate, close, or consolidate any post office, to comply with any zoning, planning, or land use regulations or building codes applicable to State or local public entities, including the zoning authority of the local jurisdiction. Includes within the Postal Service policy with respect to planning and building new postal facilities that the Service consider the effect a new facility may have on the community.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Tax Provisions Title II: Student Financial Aid Provisions Hope and Opportunity for Postsecondary Education Act of 1997 - Title I: Tax Provisions - Higher Education Tax Incentive Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a tax credit of up to $1,500 for qualified higher education expenses. Allows the credit: (1) for only the first two years of postsecondary education; and (2) only if an individual is an eligible student for at least one academic period during the year. Reduces such credit: (1) by the amount of any non-taxable Federal scholarship or grant assistance received; and (2) if adjusted gross income exceeds specified levels. Sets forth other rules concerning the credit, including denying the credit to an individual: (1) convicted of a drug offense; and (2) failing to maintain grade point average requirements. Prohibits the credit after December 31, 2000. (Sec. 103) Permits a limited deduction for qualified higher education expenses based on modified adjusted gross income for qualified higher education expenses. Prohibits taking both such deduction and the above credit. Prohibits the deduction after December 31, 2000. (Sec. 104) Revises provisions concerning the cancellation of certain student loans. (Sec. 105) Terminates, after December 31, 2000, the exclusion from gross income of employer-provided educational assistance. (Sec. 106) Includes in the general business credit, until December 31, 2000, a small business educational assistance credit equal to ten percent of qualified educational assistance expenses. Prohibits a deduction for that portion of such expenses otherwise allowable as a deduction which is equal to such credit. Permits election of a reduced credit. Title II: Student Financial Aid Provisions - Student Financial Aid Improvements Act of 1997 - Part A: Pell Grants - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to increase the maximum Pell grant award from $2,700 to $3,000, subject to specified award rules. Part B: Student Loan Provisions - Directs the Secretary of Education to recall from the reserve funds held by guaranty agencies specified minimum amounts in FY 1998 through 2002. Requires such recalled amounts to be: (1) in proportion to each guaranty agency's share of the total reserve funds held by guaranty agencies as of September 30, 1996; and (2) deposited in the Treasury. Requires each guaranty agency to transfer all reserve funds that it holds to a restricted account and invest those funds in U.S. Government securities specified by the Secretary. Prohibits a guaranty agency from using any restricted account funds for any purpose without the express permission of the Secretary, with specified exceptions for limited amounts of working capital to use for certain operational expenses. Provides that non-liquid reserve fund assets, as well as any liquid assets remaining in a guaranty agency's restricted account after the recalls, remain U.S. property, may only be used for purposes that the Secretary determines are appropriate, and are be subject to recall by the Secretary. (Sec. 222) Provides borrowers under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program with certain extended and graduated repayment options currently available to Direct Loan program borrowers, including the option to change repayment plans. Directs the Secretary to ensure that the repayment plans offered to FFEL borrowers are comparable to Direct Loan repayment plans. (Sec. 223) Reduces the applicable interest rate on all subsidized and unsubsidized FFEL and Direct Loans during in-school, grace, and deferment periods to the same rate as the borrowing rate of the Department of Education, but retains current cap levels on such interest rates. Specifies that the interest rate used to determine the rebate of excess interest under specified HEA is not to be used to change special allowance payments for the period affected by the rebate. (Sec. 224) Revises specified HEA provisions to reduce the lenders' insurance rate from 98 to 95 percent. (Sec. 225) Eliminates the one percent insurance premium charged to a FFEL borrower at the time of loan origination. Reduces FFEL origination fees on subsidized FFELs from three percent to two percent. Reduces the loan fee charged on Direct Loans from four percent to three percent for unsubsidized Direct Loans, and from four percent to two percent for subsidized Direct Loans. (Sec. 226) Revises HEA provisions relating to the role of the guaranty agency in the FFEL program. Declares that the Secretary is the sole guarantor of FFELs. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with a guaranty agency to insure loans, with the guaranty agency acting as the agent of the Secretary. Allows any guaranty agency that had an agreement with the Secretary under specified provisions on the day before the date of enactment of this Act to enter into an initial agreement with the Secretary. Makes all existing guaranty agency agreements expire within 180 days of such date of enactment. Replaces outstanding loan insurance issued by the guaranty agency by loan insurance issued by the Secretary. Relieves the guaranty agency of any further liability on the loans. Authorizes interim administration measures necessary for the efficient transfer of such loan insurance function. Makes the new guaranty agreements effective for five years, and renewable by the Secretary for successive five-year periods, but authorizes the Secretary to terminate the agreements prior to expiration under certain circumstances. Authorizes the Secretary, after the initial agreement has ended, to enter into: (1) another agreement with that guaranty agency; (2) an alternate agreement with a different guaranty agency; or (3) one or more contracts under specified provisions, under which contractors would carry out one or more of the functions formerly performed by the guaranty agency. Requires the agreement between the Secretary and a guaranty agency to specify the responsibilities of the guaranty agency, if any, with respect to certain functions. Authorizes the Secretary to permit a guaranty agency to engage in other businesses, previously purchased or developed with reserve funds, that relate to the FFEL program. Provides that, under such agreements, guaranty agencies shall receive specified fees and revenues. Permits guaranty agencies to retain a share of their net revenues for activities in support of postsecondary education. Requires such share to be calculated and approved by the Secretary after determining an adequate level of economic incentive for guaranty agencies to maximize their efficiency, in an amount not to exceed 50 percent of guaranty agency net revenues. Requires guaranty agencies to carry out their responsibilities under the agreement in accordance with performance standards set by the Secretary and uniformly applied to all guaranty agencies. Directs the Secretary to compare the performance of the guaranty agencies with one another, and publicly disseminate such comparison. Establishes fines for guaranty agencies that fail to achieve a specified level of performance on one or more performance standards. Requires the guaranty agency, if its failure resulted in a financial loss to the United States, to indemnify the Secretary for that loss. Termination of a guaranty agency's agreement prior to the expiration date either automatically under certain circumstances or upon the Secretary's determination that the guaranty agency has substantially failed to achieve an acceptable level of performance. Grants an exemption to lenders with small FFEL portfolios, by requiring only eligible lenders that originate or hold more than $5 million in FFELs during an annual audit period to submit to compliance audit for that period. (Sec. 227) Repeals specified HEA provisions which require a State to pay to the Secretary an annual amount that represents the State's share of risk for high default rates at institutions within the State. (Sec. 228) Revises HEA provisions relating to FFEL consolidation loans. (Sec. 229) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into one or more contracts to carry out any of the functions that otherwise would be carried out by a guaranty agency. (Sec. 230) Revises the definition of an eligible lender to require lenders to offer uniform terms and conditions to all borrowers taking out the same type of FFEL loans. (Sec. 231) Requires computation of special allowance rates at the same time and in the same manner as student loan interest rates (annually rather than quarterly). (Sec. 232) Revises provisions relating to the Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae) and its payment of an offset fee on loans it holds. (Sec. 233) Limits the payment of a specified transition fee to: (1) institutions or consortia in their first year of participation in the Direct Loan program; and (2) an amount not more than an average of $10 per borrower at such institutions. (Sec. 234) Sets funding levels through FY 2002 for mandatory administrative expenses for the student financial aid programs, including the Direct Loan program, at levels lower than the current baseline. Part C: Need Analysis and General Provisions - Revises provisions for calculation of a postsecondary student's need for assistance under HEA title IV. (Provides, in various ways, that students' future eligibility for title IV assistance not be affected by their families' use of the HOPE Scholarship tax credit or the education and training tax deduction.) (Sec. 242) Makes the income protection allowance (IPA) for independent students without dependents (other than a spouse) comparable to those used for parents of dependent students and for independent students with dependents. Permits updating IPA calculation to reflect inflation. (Sec. 243) Requires the Secretary to define certain education-related terms for purposes of the HOPE Scholarship tax credit and the education and training tax deduction provided under specified provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Makes inapplicable to such regulations specified HEA provisions relating to a deadline for publication of regulations in final form. (Sec. 244) Extends the FFEL program and certain other HEA title IV student assistance provisions through FY 2002. Part D: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for specified provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 1997
Stop Arming Felons (SAFe) Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to: (1) deny natural persons the opportunity to seek administrative relief from prohibitions against possessing, shipping, transporting, or receiving firearms or ammunition; (2) require publication of additional information about such administrative relief granted to any person; and (3) prohibit the possession of, or transactions in, firearms by any natural person convicted of a serious drug offense or violent felony, regardless of any expungement of the conviction or restoration of other civil rights.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: General Programs Regarding Prevention of HIV Infection Title II: Preventive Health Programs Regarding Women and HIV Infection Title III: General Provisions William A. Bailey Comprehensive HIV Prevention Act of 1997 - Title I: General Programs Regarding Prevention of HIV Infection - Amends the Public Healht Service Act to replace title XXV (Prevention of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) with a new title (Prevention of HIV Infection). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to plan, coordinate, and evaluate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection prevention activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Indian Health Service, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (designated agencies). Directs the Secretary to establish the Secretary's Advisory Council on HIV Prevention. Mandates, for each designated agency, a comprehensive plan and certain implementation activities regarding the conduct and support of all HIV prevention activities. Requires annual budget requests by the Secretary and each designated agency. Requires each designated agency (except NIH) to establish an office to carry out HIV prevention activities. Requires that the remainder of this title be carried out through the CDCP. Authorizes HIV epidemiology and surveillance activities. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes financial assistance to health departments of States and subdivisions for HIV prevention projects in communities of at-risk individuals. Mandates local and statewide HIV community planning groups. Allows use of assistance for: (1) certain counseling and testing; and (2) counseling and treatment for any victim of a crime involving force or the threat of force to compel sexual activity. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary, directly or through financial assistance, to carry out HIV public education. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes HIV prevention activities regarding specific populations identified by the Secretary. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes HIV prevention activities regarding adolescents, including through school-based programs. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes, directly or through financial assistance, the conduct of HIV prevention research and the carrying out of demonstration projects. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes, directly or through financial assistance, HIV prevention activities in addition to those specified above in this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Preventive Health Programs Regarding Women and HIV Infection - Women and HIV Outreach and Prevention Act - Amends Public Health Service Act provisions (as amended by title I of this Act) relating to the CDCP to authorize grants, with regard to women (and their partners) and HIV, for preventive health services, referrals, follow-ups, outreach, and training on the effective provision of such services. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes grants to provide HIV prevention education to women. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to provide: (1) substance abuse treatment to women; (2) counseling to women who engage in substance abuse on the prevention of infection with, and the transmission of, the etiologic agent for AIDS; and (3) such counseling to women who are the partners of individuals who abuse substances. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations for grants under existing provisions to provide early intervention services for women and related technical assistance. Title III: General Provisions - Authorizes technical assistance to applicants and recipients under provisions of this Act relating to the CDCP.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1997
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 1997 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or local governments. Requires States to grant 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. Specifies related requirements for public safety employers. Requires the Director the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) to issue regulations establishing collective bargaining procedures for public safety employers and employees in States that fail to comply with the requirements of this Act. Gives the FMCS the same authority as a State Labor Relations Board (or of the National Labor Relations Board where no such State Board exists) for public safety employers and employees covered by this Act. Grants a public safety employer, employee, or labor organization the right to seek enforcement of such regulations through appropriate State courts. Prohibits public safety employers, employees, and labor organizations from engaging in lockouts or strikes. Provides that existing collective bargaining units and agreements shall not be invalidated by this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1997
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1997
Honors Cesar E. Chavez for his commitment to improve the plight of farm workers and the poor. Urges that a Federal holiday be recognized throughout the United States in his honor. Encourages all Americans to commit themselves to working for justice through nonviolence in their communities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1997
Merchant Mariners Fairness Act of 1997 - Provides that certain qualified service of a member of the U.S. merchant marine, including a vessel crewmember of the U.S. Army or Naval Transport Service, during World War II constituted active military service for purposes of eligibility for various veterans' benefits under the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977. Requires the Secretary of Defense to issue an honorable discharge under such Act to each merchant marine member whose qualified service warrants such a discharge. Prohibits the payment of any retroactive benefits under this Act. Mandates a processing fee for any benefit application of a member possessing such qualified service.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Research on Lupus Title II: Delivery of Services Regarding Lupus Lupus Research and Care Amendments of 1997 - Title I: Research on Lupus - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to expand and intensify research and related activities of the Institute with respect to lupus. Requires the Director to: (1) coordinate such activities with similar activities conducted by other national research institutes and agencies of the National Institutes of Health; and (2) conduct or support research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and to find a cure for, lupus, including research to determine the reasons underlying the elevated prevalence of the disease among African-American and other women. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Delivery of Services Regarding Lupus - Mandates grants for the establishment, operation, and coordination of effective and cost-efficient systems for the delivery of essential services to individuals with lupus and their families. Regulates fees imposed by grantees on service recipients. Authorizes technical assistance. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1997
Domestic Violence Legal Services Eligibility Act - Amends the Legal Services Corporation Act to require the Legal Services Corporation, in establishing income levels to determine if a client who is the victim of domestic violence is eligible for assistance, to prescribe that only that client's income will be considered in making such determination.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1997
Federal Jobs Opportunity Act - Amends Federal law concerning Government organizations and employees to entitle an individual who receives a passing grade in an examination for entrance into the competitive service, and, on the date of taking such examination or at any time within the 14-day period immediately preceding such date, is a welfare recipient, to three additional points above the rating earned by such individual. Requires that any entitlement of an individual to additional points under the preceding in connection with a particular examination shall terminate: (1) upon the termination of the individual's entitlement to welfare benefits or within a reasonable period thereafter as may be provided for under any regulations to carry out this Act; or (2) if later, upon the expiration of the 12-month period beginning on the date of the examination (non-applicable if the welfare benefits are terminated by reason of fraud or for other similar reasons). Directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to prescribe any regulations necessary to carry out this Act, including provisions relating to: (1) how an individual may demonstrate that he or she qualifies as a welfare recipient for purposes of this Act; and (2) procedures under which OPM, an appointing authority, or another official or agency shall be notified in the event of a termination of welfare benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Hemophilia Relief Fund Title II: Treatment of Certain Private Settlement Payments in Hemophilia-Clotting-Factor Suit under the Medicaid and SSI Programs Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1997 - Title I: Hemophilia Relief Fund - Establishes in the Treasury the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 103) Specifies that any individual who has a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection shall receive $125,000 from amounts available in the Fund if the individual meets one of the following conditions: (1) has a blood-clotting disorder and was treated with blood-clotting agents between July 1, 1982, and December 31, 1987; (2) is the lawful spouse of such individual or the former lawful spouse and was the lawful spouse of the individual at any time after a date within such period on which the individual was treated; or (3) acquired the HIV infection through perinatal transmission from a parent who is such an individual. Requires that the following conditions be met with respect to such individual: (1) the individual submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services written medical documentation that the individual has an HIV infection; (2) a petition for payment be filed with the Secretary by or on behalf of such individual; and (3) that the Secretary determine that the claim meets the requirements of this Act. (Sec. 105) Specifies that any right under this Act shall not be assignable or transferable. Sets limits regarding the number of claims per victim. (Sec. 106) Prohibits the Secretary from making any payment with respect to any petition filed under this Act unless the petition is filed within three years after the enactment of this Act. Title II: Treatment of Certain Private Settlement Payments in Hemophilia-Clotting-Factor Suit under the Medicaid and SSI Programs - Prohibits a settlement payment from being considered income or resources in determining a class member's eligibility for, or the amount of: (1) medical assistance under the Medicaid program; or (2) benefits under the Supplemental Security Income program. Defines the terms: (1) "class member"; and (2) "settlement payment."
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Termination of Provisions of Public Law 104-193 Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits for Legal Immigrants Title II: Tax Provisions Immigrant Fairness Act of 1997 - Title I: Termination of Provisions of Public Law 104-193 Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits For Legal Immigrants - Repeals title IV (Restricting Welfare and Public Benefits for Aliens) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Title II: Tax Provisions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to: (1) tax provisions on expatriation, including coordination with estate and gift tax and health insurance portability rules; (2) basis of assets of nonresidents who become U.S. citizens or residents; (3) foreign income exclusions; (4) treatment of domestic corporation stock dispositions by certain foreign shareholders as effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, and related withholding requirements; and (5) imposition of an alternative minimum tax on corporations importing products into the United States at artificially inflated prices.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1997
Civil Rights Procedures Protection Act of 1996 - Amends specified Federal civil rights statutes (including title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, the equal pay requirement under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993) to prevent the involuntary application of arbitration to claims that arise from unlawful employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the post-1987 reduction in the State ceiling on private activity bonds. Provides, beginning in 1999, for cost-of-living adjustments in the State ceiling on such bonds.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1997
Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 - Provides limited tort claim liability protection for nonprofit or governmental volunteers acting in good faith and within the scope of their duties. Sets forth discretionary State conditions and exceptions to such liability protection. Increases Social Services Block Grant Program allotments under title XX of the Social Security Act to a State that has adopted a similar measure within a specified time and conditions such increase upon an annual certification that the State law remains in effect.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1997
Women's Health Office Act of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Social Security Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to establish an Office of (or on) Women's Health and a related coordinating committee in the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, the Health Care Resources and Services Administration, and the Office of the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to, and enter into cooperative agreements, contracts, and interagency agreements with public and nonprofit private entities, agencies, and organizations. Requires that the Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall directly or through contracts with public and private entities, agencies, and organization, provide for evaluations of projects carried out with financial assistance provided under the grants and for the dissemination of information developed as a result of such projects. Transfers to such Office all functions exercised by the Office on Women's Health of the Public Health Service prior to the enactment of this Act, including all personnel and compensation authority, all delegation and assignment authority, and all remaining appropriations. Authorizes appropriations of such sums as may be necessary for FY 1998 through 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1997
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the transport of nuclear waste to and its storage on any U.S. territory or possession, including Wake Island and Palmyra Atoll, should continue to be prohibited.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
Morris K. Udall Wilderness Act of 1997 - Designates specified lands in Alaska as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
United States-Puerto Rico Political Status Act - Declares it is the policy of the Congress that: (1) English shall be the common language of mutual understanding in the United States, and this policy shall apply in all of the States freely admitted to the Union; and (2) if the referenda under this Act result in approval of sovereignty leading to Statehood for Puerto Rico, it is anticipated that English would become the official language of the Federal Government in Puerto Rico. Declares that Congress has the authority to expand existing English language requirements in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Requires a referendum to be held by December 31, 1998, on Puerto Rico's political status, for either: (1) retention of its present Commonwealth status; (2) full self-government through separate sovereignty leading to independence or free association; or (3) full self-government through U.S. sovereignty leading to statehood. Requires the President to develop and submit to the Congress for approval legislation for: (1) a transition plan of at least ten years which leads to full self-government for Puerto Rico; and (2) a recommendation for the implementation of such self-government consistent with Puerto Rico's approval. Requires the transition plan, if the vote favors statehood, to include proposals and incentives to increase the opportunities of the people of Puerto Rico to learn English, including the teaching of English in public schools, fellowships, and scholarships. Requires another referendum within four years, and every four years thereafter (but not in a general election year), if the referendum conducted under this Act, and any subsequent referendum, does not result in a majority vote for separate sovereignty or statehood. Sets forth specified requirements with respect to the referendum and congressional procedures for consideration of legislation. Makes funds available for the referendum, including those derived from the Federal excise tax on foreign rum. Requires the Government of Puerto Rico to make grants to the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico for referenda held under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Commemorative Coins Title II: Circulating Coins Marian Anderson Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Title I: Commemorative Coins - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) mint and issue one-dollar and half-dollar coins in commemoration of the centennial of the birth of Marian Anderson; and (2) allocate sales surcharges to the Smithsonian Institution, the Public Broadcasting Fund, and the National Museum of American History for the support of the National Numismatic Collection. Title II: Circulating Coins - Amends Federal currency law to provide that at the Secretary's discretion, half-dollar coins minted after specified dates may bear the same design as the commemorative coins minted under this Act.
![Official portrait of Rescom. Romero-Barcelo, Carlos A. [D-PR-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000417_200.jpg)