United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1999
Medicare Puerto Rico Hospital Payment Parity Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the formula for determining the amount of Medicare payment with respect to the operating costs of inpatient hospital services of certain Puerto Rico hospitals, gradually increasing the national payment rate to 100 percent by FY 2002.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1999
Declares that it is U.S. policy to: (1) promote the development in the Republic of Bulgaria of a market-based economy and a democratic government that respects the rights of all its citizens; (2) support the territorial integrity of Bulgaria; (3) insist that its territorial integrity be respected by neighboring countries and by all political movements; and (4) support Bulgarian integration into pan-European and trans-Atlantic economic and security institutions. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Government of Bulgaria: (1) is to be commended for its efforts to ensure proper treatment of all of its citizens, for its efforts to accelerate the privatization of state-owned enterprises in a fair and transparent process, for its establishment of a currency board, and for its efforts to combat corrupt and criminal activities; (2) should continue to implement programs that may qualify Bulgaria for entrance into the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and is to be commended for its continuing support of the NATO effort to ensure stability and democratization across Europe; (3) should ensure the ratification of all bilateral treaties that have been negotiated with the Government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia;(4) should halt any illicit transfer of arms and military equipment that may occur in Bulgaria or may cross Bulgarian territory; and (5) should play a central role in any NATO effort to create a joint peacekeeping military unit involving personnel from throughout the countries of southeastern Europe or in the creation of facilities in support of such a unit. Calls for the United States to join other official creditors of Bulgaria in providing Bulgaria with debt relief.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1999
Declares that it is U.S. policy to: (1) promote the development in the Slovak Republic of a market-based economy and a democratic government that respects the rights of all of its citizens, regardless of ethnic background; and (2) support the eventual integration of the Slovak Republic into pan-European and trans-Atlantic economic and security institutions. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Government of the Slovak Republic formed after the September 1998 elections is to be commended for: (1) its efforts to address the issue of proper treatment of its citizens, regardless of ethnic background; (2) its efforts to improve the economic situation in the Slovak Republic and to accelerate the privatization of state-owned enterprises in a fair and transparent process; (3) its support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); and (4) its continued support of the NATO effort to ensure stability and democratization across Europe. Calls for such Government to continue to implement programs that may qualify the Slovak Republic for entrance into the European Union and NATO. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should support efforts for the eventual integration of the Slovak Republic into pan-European and trans-Atlantic institutions, and should view such integration as an important factor in consolidating democratic government and economic stability in the Slovak Republic.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1999
Medicare Home Health Improvement Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA '97) to eliminate the 15 percent automatic reduction in payment amounts to home health agencies furnishing home health services under the Medicare program. Allows home health agencies to elect to repay certain overpayments made by the Secretary of Health and Human Services over a 36-month no-interest grace period. Makes such an election effective as if included in BBA '97.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1999
Older American's Protection From Violence Act of 1999 - Title I: Violence Against Women Act of 1994 - Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to direct the Attorney General to: (1) make grants to law school clinical programs to fund inclusion of cases addressing issues of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including domestic violence and sexual assault against older or disabled individuals; and (2) develop curricula and training programs to assist prosecutors and Federal and State law enforcement personnel (including local courts) in recognizing, investigating, and prosecuting instances of such abuse. (Sec. 101) Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act - Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to instruct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to include, within grants for State domestic violence coalitions, funds to develop outreach, support groups, and counseling targeted towards victims of elder domestic abuse. (Sec. 204) Expands the eligibility criteria for community initiative demonstration grants to include adult protective services entities. Title III: Older Americans Act of 1965 - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to direct the Assistant Secretary for Aging to consider the importance of research about the sexual assault of women who are older or disabled individuals when establishing research priorities. (Sec. 304) Expands the scope of eligible demonstration projects to include domestic violence shelters and programs for elder and disabled individuals. (Sec. 305) Authorizes appropriations without fiscal year limitation to implement the ombudsman program and the elder abuse prevention program. (Sec. 306) Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants to nonprofit private organizations to support local community initiatives to coordinate activities concerning intervention and prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including domestic violence and sexual assault against older or disabled individuals; (2) develop and implement outreach programs for assisting older or disabled victims of such abuse; and (3) implement continuing education training programs for adult protective service workers, persons carrying out a State Long-Term Care Ombudsman program, health care providers, and community-based social service providers to improve recognition and treatment of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including domestic violence and sexual assault against older or disabled individuals. Title IV: Public Health Service Act - Elder Abuse Identification and Referral Act of 1998 (sic) - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary, in awarding grants or contracts to health professions entities under such Act, to give preference to an entity that has in effect a requirement that each student receiving a degree or certificate from such entity has had significant training as a provider of health care in the identification and referral of victims of elder abuse and neglect. Title V: Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978 - Amends the Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978 to ensure that nothing in title XI of the Act shall preclude a financial institution, officer, employee, or agent from reporting suspected financial exploitation of an older or disabled individual to State, Federal, or local law enforcement authorities, or to government-regulated adult protective services entities. Protects such individuals from liability for such disclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1999
Veterans Burial Plot Allowance Improvement Act of 1999 - Increases from $150 to $300 the veterans' burial plot allowance (a benefit provided to the survivors of veterans to cover burial and funeral costs).
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1999
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of the Olympics. Calls upon the President to issue a proclamation recognizing the anniversary of the founding of the modern Olympic movement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1999
Immigration Reorganization and Improvement Act of 1999 - Establishes in the Department of Justice: (1) the Bureau of Immigration Services; and (2) the Bureau of Immigration Enforcement. Sets forth provisions respecting the transfer of functions, personnel, and appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1999
Folic Acid Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to carry out a program, directly or through grants or contracts, for professional and public education and training, research, and epidemiological activities regarding folic acid and birth defects. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1999
Science and Educational Networking Act - Amends the High- Performance Computing Act of 1991 to require the Director of the National Science Foundation to submit to Congress a report that: (1) identifies the most appropriate, effective, and economical means of providing all public elementary and secondary schools and libraries in the United States with high-speed, large bandwidth capacity access to the Internet, the ability to transmit and receive data, voice, and other types of communication media, and distance learning; (2) identifies how such Internet access can be available at individual workstations within each school and library; (3) considers the effect that specific or regional circumstances may have on the appropriateness of using different methods and technologies to achieve such goals for different schools or libraries; and (4) includes options and recommendations for achieving such goals and a plan for implementing such recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1999
Educating America's Girls Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to: (1) ensure education technology and teacher training programs are targeted in a manner that addresses the unique needs and different learning styles of all students, including girls; (2) provide schools with resources for programs to prevent sexual harassment and abuse; (3) provide for collection of data on high school athletic participation by girls; (4) establish dropout prevention programs to keep pregnant and parenting teens in school; and (5) reauthorize the Women's Educational Equity Act (WEEA). (Sec. 2) Requires that attention be given to the incorporation and use of technology to enhance teaching and learning, under specified ESEA requirements relating to school improvement, professional development, teacher training, and educational innovation. Requires schools to give attention to professional development that incorporates technology used to improve teaching and learning. Requires professional development activities to include instruction in the use of technology. Adds technology to the list of core subject areas for the National Teacher Training Project grants program. Requires authorized professional development activities to incorporate effective technology for meeting the educational needs of diverse groups of students. Includes technological innovation as a higher education activity to improve teacher education programs. Directs the Secretary of Education to take into special consideration the different learning needs for and exposures to technology for all students, including girls and students who have economic and educational disadvantages, in carrying out ESEA titles I (Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards), II (Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program), and III (Technology for Education). Requires the Secretary, as well as applicants and grantees, to provide for such special consideration to be given under specified programs, including: (1) such Technology for Education programs as national challenge grants, regional technical support and professional development, educational technology product development, and Star Schools grants; and (2) the Fund for the Improvement of Education (part A of ESEA title X Programs of National Significance). (Sec. 3) Authorizes the Secretary, through the Office of Educational Technology, to award matching grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible consortia to develop or redesign programs to prepare prospective elementary and secondary school teachers to use technology effectively in their classrooms. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 4) Getting Our Girls Ready for the 21st Century Act (Go Girl Act) - Amends ESEA to authorize the Secretary to make grants to, and contracts and cooperative agreements with, local educational agencies to provide subgrants to elementary and secondary schools for services that: (1) encourage the ongoing interest of girls in science, mathematics, and technology; and (2) prepare girls to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees and careers in those fields. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 5) Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Grants Act - Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to State and local educational agencies (SEAs and LEAs) or other public or private entities to train teachers and administrators in identifying and preventing sexual harassment. Authorizes appropriations. Amends ESEA title IV (the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994) to include high rates of reported incidences of sexual harassment and abuse on the list of examples of objective data which an SEA is required to consider in determining which LEAs have the greatest need for additional funds. Includes, under authorized uses of grants and contracts under Governors' programs, developing and implementing strategies and programs to greatly reduce the incidence of sexual harassment and abuse and to encourage positive and respectful interactions between girls and boys. Requires LEA drug and violence prevention programs to be designed, for all students and employees, to greatly reduce the incidence of sexual harassment and abuse. Includes sexual harassment and abuse among the types of school violence for which the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is required to collect data to determine frequency, seriousness, and incidence. (Sec. 6) Amends the National Education Statistics Act of 1994 to require NCES to collect and disseminate statistics on the participation, by gender, of secondary school students in elective physical education and athletic programs. (Sec. 7) Amends ESEA title V part C (the School Dropout Assistance Act) to direct the Secretary to give additional special consideration to grant applications that include provisions that emphasize mentoring and other support services for pregnant and parenting teenagers. Revises implementation or expansion plans for ESEA title XI coordinated services projects to include: (1) an assessment of the needs of children requiring specialized comprehensive services such as students who are pregnant or parenting; and (2) strategies to ensure addressing the health and welfare needs of families with pregnant or parenting children in school. (Sec. 8) Women's Educational Equity Act of 1999 - Renames, reauthorizes, and revises ESEA title V part B (currently the Women's Educational Equity Act of 1994) (WEEA). Directs the Secretary to report: (1) to the President and Congress on the status of educational equity for girls and women in the Nation; and (2) to Congress on evaluation, materials, and programs under WEEA. Extends the authorization of appropriations for WEEA programs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1999
Cardiac Arrest Survival Act of 1999 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) assist in providing for an improvement in the survival rates of individuals who experience cardiac arrest in Federal buildings by publishing in the Federal Register for public comment recommendations with respect to placing automatic external defibrillators in such buildings; and (2) assist Federal agencies in implementing programs for such placement. Requires the Secretary to determine criteria for: (1) the selection of the Federal public buildings in which defibrillators should be placed; (2) defibrillator maintenance; and (3) the coordination of the use of the defibrillators in public buildings with emergency medical services providers for the geographic areas in which the buildings are located. Provides that any person who provides emergency medical care through the use of a defibrillator, any person who maintained, tested, or provided training in the use of the device, any physician who provided medical oversight of the device, and the person who acquired the device (if specified conditions have been met) is immune from civil liability for any personal injury or wrongful death resulting from the provision of such care, unless the person engaged in gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct under the applicable circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1999
Genetic Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance and Employment Act of 1999 - Title I: Prohibition of Health Insurance Discrimination on the Basis of Predictive Genetic Information - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) (regarding a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer offering group insurance through a group plan), the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) (regarding such a plan or issuer, and with regard to an issuer offering health insurance in the individual market), the Internal Revenue code (IRC) (regarding a group health plan), and title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) (regarding Medicare supplemental policies) to prohibit, with respect to genetic information: (1) discriminating in individual enrollment; (2) discriminating in group eligibility or group premium or contribution rates; (3) requesting or requiring test performance; and (4) requesting, requiring, collecting, purchasing, or disclosing information, unless authorized by the individual. Allows a plan or issuer: (1) regarding payment for genetic services, to request evidence that the services were performed; and (2) regarding payment for other benefits, to request predictive genetic information in certain circumstances. Allows a court, for violations, to award any appropriate legal or equitable relief, attorney's fees and costs, and expert witness costs. Allows civil monetary penalties. Applies the requirements of this paragraph to plans that have fewer than two participants who are current employees. Amends ERISA and the PHSA to: (1) declare that the provisions of paragraph above do not preempt any provision of State law that protects genetic information confidentiality or privacy, or prohibits genetic discrimination, more completely than ERISA's and the PHSA's group health plan provisions; and (2) apply the requirements of the paragraph above to Medicare supplemental health insurance and similar supplemental coverage, if provided under a separate policy, certificate, or contract of insurance. Amends the IRC to apply the requirements of this title to apply the requirements of this title to any governmental plan. Title II: Prohibition of Employment Discrimination on the Basis of Predictive Genetic Information - Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or training program to discriminate because of predictive genetic information, including making it unlawful to request, require, collect, or purchase such information. Allows an employer to request, require, collect, or purchase such information: (1) where used for genetic monitoring of biological effects of workplace toxic substances; or (2) with consent of the employee, if results are received only by the employee (or the employee's family). (Sec. 206) Requires employers possessing such information to treat and maintain the information as part of the employee's confidential medical records. Prohibits disclosure, subject to exception. (Sec. 207) Empowers one or more employees, labor organization members, or training participants to bring an action in Federal or State court for violations. Applies to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), for enforcement of this title, the powers, remedies, and procedures under specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Allows a court to award any appropriate legal or equitable relief, attorney's fees and costs, and costs of experts. (Sec. 209) Authorizes appropriations to carry out this title.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1999
Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Amendments of 1999 - Declares that Congress: (1) recognizes the generous contribution made by each living individual who has donated an organ to save a life; and (2) acknowledges the advances in medical technology that have enabled organ transplantation with organs donated by living individuals to become a viable treatment option for an increasing number of patients. Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend programs relating to organ procurement and transplantation, among other changes requiring the Organ Procurement and Transportation Network to: (1) carry out studies and demonstration projects to improve procedures for organ procurement and allocation; and (2) develop a peer review system to assure that members of the Network comply with appropriate medical and other specified criteria. Mandates that the Secretary of Health and Human Services establish additional procedures for providing oversight of, and public accountability for, operation of the Network. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants or contracts for: (1) payment of travel and subsistence expenses incurred toward living organ donation; and (2) studies and demonstration projects. Directs the Secretary to carry out a program to educate the public about organ donation. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1999
Oceans Act of 1999 - Directs the President: (1) to develop and maintain a coordinated, comprehensive, and long-range national policy, consistent with U.S. international obligations, on ocean and coastal activities; (2) with regard to Federal agencies and departments, to review ocean and coastal activities, plan and implement an integrated and cost-effective program of ocean and coastal activities, designate responsibility for funding and conducting ocean and coastal activities, and ensure cooperation and resolve differences arising from laws and regulations applicable to ocean and coastal activities; and (3) transmit to Congress biennially a report that includes a detailed listing of all existing Federal programs relating to ocean and coastal activities, including a description of each program, the current funding for the program, and a projection of the funding level for the program for the following five fiscal years. Requires each agency or department involved in ocean and coastal activities to include with its annual request for appropriations a report identifying significant elements of the proposed agency or department budget relating to ocean and coastal activities. (Sec. 4) Directs the President to establish the National Ocean Council to assist the Commission on Ocean Policy in completing its report, to serve as the forum for developing an implementation plan for a national ocean and coastal policy and program, and to improve coordination and cooperation among Federal agencies on ocean and coastal activities. Terminates the Council one year after the Commission submits its final report. (Sec. 5) Establishes the Commission on Ocean Policy which shall report to the President and the Congress on U.S. ocean policy, including: (1) recommendations for the responsible use and stewardship of ocean and coastal resources; and (2) comments from the Governor of any coastal State to which such recommendations apply. Requires the Commission, before submitting its final report, to: (1) publish a notice in the Federal Register that a draft report is available for public review; and (2) provide a copy of the draft report to the Governor of each coastal State and to specified congressional committees. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1999
Smart Classrooms Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise and rename title II as Smart Classrooms (replacing the current title II Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program). (Sec. 2) Sets forth a new title II part A Qualified Teachers in Every Classroom program of grants to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Authorizes appropriations for State and Local Activities and National Activities for the Improvement of Teaching and School Leadership. Directs the Secretary of Education to make State and Local Activities grants to States according to certain hold-harmless provisions and allotment formulas. Requires States to distribute such grant funds as follows: (1) 92 percent for subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) according to specified formulas, with 20 percent of that LEA subgrant total amount reserved for competitive subgrants; (2) at least two percent for competitive subgrants to eligible partnerships; and (3) up to six percent for authorized State activities. Sets forth requirements for LEA applications for formula subgrants and for competitive subgrants. Requires LEAs to use all funds from such subgrants, up to a specified amount, for professional development activities in mathematics and science, in an amount at least equal to that under the current Eisenhower Program (unless given a State waiver). Allows LEA use of such funds for interdisciplinary activities that focus on more than one core academic subject if those activities focus predominantly on improving instruction in mathematics or science. Requires that any use of such funds for professional development, when it is in areas other than mathematics or science, be in core academic subjects. Requires LEAs receiving subgrants to: (1) report annually to SEAs on activities funded by subgrants; and (2) provide parents information regarding the professional qualifications of students' classroom teachers. Sets forth requirements for SEA technical assistance to LEAs, corrective actions, and limitations on use of funds. Sets forth certain national activities for the improvement of teaching and school leadership. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out such activities through grants to, and contracts and agreements with, various entities. Includes among such activities support for: (1) the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; (2) recruitment and retention of fully qualified teachers and principals in high-poverty LEAs and low-performing LEAs; and (3) improvement of teaching and school leadership in the Nation's schools. Authorizes the Secretary to reserve a specified amount to make competitive grants for professional development for principals as leaders of school reform to eligible partnerships of institutions of higher education (IHEs), LEAS, and other entities. Authorizes the Secretary to reserve a specified amount to make competitive grants for school technology centers to eligible partnerships of IHEs, technology-deficient LEAS, technology-proficient LEAs, and other entities. Authorizes the Secretary to make a grant or contract to continue the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education. Directs the Secretary to gather and disseminate information related to comprehensive, research-based professional development. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to establish or expand elementary and secondary school counseling programs. Provides for a program for transition of career-changing professionals to teaching and for the Troops-to-Teachers Program. Authorizes the Secretary to use specified funds for a program to recruit qualified math and science teachers for high-need school systems, following the model of the Troops-to-Teachers teacher placement program. Authorizes program grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to higher education institutions and public and private nonprofit entities. Authorizes continuation of the Troops-to-Teachers Program under specified conditions. Authorizes appropriations. Establishes a class-size reduction program to help States and LEAs recruit, train, and hire 100,000 additional teachers over a seven-year period in order to: (1) reduce class sizes nationally, in grades one through three, to an average of 18 students per classroom; and (2) improve teaching in the early grades so that all students can learn to read independently and well by the end of the third grade. Authorizes appropriations. Redesignates as part D the Professional Development Demonstration Project (currently part C). Extends the authorization of appropriations for the National Writing Project (NWP). Provides for sabbatical leave for professional development. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to SEAs and LEAs to pay one-half of amount of the salary that otherwise would be earned by an eligible teacher who completes a course of study during a sabbatical term. Authorizes appropriations. Prescribes program performance indicators. (Sec. 3) Extends the authorization of appropriations for the Reading Excellence Act (REA) program under ESEA.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1999
National Center for Research on Domestic Health Disparities Act - Amends title IV (National Research Institutes) of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), as amended by the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999, to establish, as another agency of the National Institutes of Health, a National Center for Research on Domestic Health Disparities to conduct and support basic and clinical research, training, and dissemination of health information, and other programs with respect to minority health. Directs the Director of the Center to assist in the administration of certain PHSA clinical research requirements with respect to the inclusion of minority groups as clinical research subjects. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an advisory council to assist the Director. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1999
Comprehensive HIV Prevention Act of 1999 - Title I: General Programs Regarding Prevention of HIV Infection - Amends the Public Health Service Act to replace title XXV (Prevention of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) with a new title (Prevention of HIV Infection). (Sec. 101) 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), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (designated agencies), and other specified agencies and offices. 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. (Sec. 102) Requires each designated agency (except NIH) to establish an office to carry out HIV prevention activities. (Sec. 103) 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 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, including minority groups and adolescents 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. (Sec. 202) 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. (Sec. 203) 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, subject to certain requirements for States regarding partner counseling and referrals and epidemiological activities. Authorizes grants for State programs for partner counseling and referral. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1999
Expresses congratulations and thanks to U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops for fighting for the safety and protection of Kosovar Albanians and bringing peace to Kosovo.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1999
Transition to Teaching Act - Establishes a Transition- to-Teaching program, and continues the Troops-to-Teachers program, to address the need of high-poverty school districts for highly qualified teachers in subject areas such as mathematics, science, foreign languages, bilingual education, and special education needed by those school districts. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to use funds under this Act to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to institutions of higher education (IHEs) and public and private nonprofit entities to carry out Transition-to-Teaching programs. Requires the Secretary, before making such awards, to: (1) consult with the Secretaries of Defense and of Transportation with respect to the appropriate amount of funding necessary to continue and enhance the Troops-to-Teachers program; and (2) transfer such amount to the Department of Defense to carry out such program. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a written agreement with the Departments of Defense and of Transportation, or take other appropriate steps to ensure effective continuation of such program. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth requirements for applications for Transition-to-Teaching program assistance. Authorizes use of such funds for: (1) recruitment of program participants; (2) training stipends and other financial incentives for program participants; (3) assistance to IHEs or other teacher training providers to meet particular needs of professionals changing their careers to teaching; (4) placement activities, including identifying high-poverty local educational agencies (LEAs) with needs for particular skills and characteristics of the newly trained program participants and assisting those participants to obtain employment in those LEAs; and (5) post-placement induction or support activities for program participants. Requires program participants who complete training to teach in a high-poverty LEA for at least three years, or else repay all or a portion of their training stipend or other incentive.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1999
Amends titles XI and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) disregard Medicaid payments for certain Medicare (SSA title XVIII) cost-sharing and for veterans in applying provisions for fiscal year Medicaid payments to Puerto Rico and certain other territories; and (2) remove the limitation on the Federal medical assistance percentage for such cost-sharing and for veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1999
Medicare and Medicaid Surety Bond Reform Act of 1999 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to revise requirements for surety bonds of home health agencies, durable medical equipment suppliers, and other providers under the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1999
History of the House Awareness and Preservation Act - Directs the Librarian of Congress to: (1) prepare a new and complete written history of the U.S. House of Representatives; (2) in preparing the history, consult, commission, or engage the services or participation of eminent historians and Members or former Members of the House; (3) arrange for the printing of the history and the dissemination of excerpts of the history over the Internet; (4) make the history available for sale to the public; and (5) make available, free of charge, a limited number of copies to each Member of the House of Representatives and to the Senate. Sets forth guidelines for the history. Authorizes the Librarian to solicit and accept private funding for the publication, marketing, and public distribution of the history. Directs the Librarian to accept for deposit, preserve, maintain, and make accessible, an oral history of the House as told by its Members and former Members, compiled and updated (on a voluntary or contract basis) by the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress or other outside organization. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) orientation programs for freshman Members of the House should contain a seminar on the history of the House; and (2) the Speaker of the House should conduct a series of forums on the topic of such history.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1999
Prohibits any individual who is serving as the chairman or co-chairman chairman of, or in any other senior-level management position with, a political committee for a Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate or a national committee of a political party from being appointed or from serving as a member or staff member of the Census Monitoring Board or from entering into any contract with the Board.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1999
Expresses the sense of Congress that all people in the United States should reach out across our differences in ethnicity, race, and religion to respect each other and to celebrate, in friendship and unity, one America.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1999
Fairness to Immigrant Veterans Act of 1999 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (transitional rules) to make certain aliens who are on active armed forces duty or honorably discharged veterans eligible for: (1) release from (criminal alien) detention; (2) cancellation of removal; and (3) judicial review of certain orders of removal.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income (under the qualified scholarship provisions) certain amounts provided by an employer to the child of an employee.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1999
Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) all American men should take an active role in the fight against prostate cancer by all available means, including regular testing and medical examinations; and (2) the role played by national and community organizations and health care providers in promoting regular examinations and testing, and in providing related information, support, and access to services, should be applauded. Declares that the Federal Government has a responsibility to: (1) try to raise awareness about the importance of early detection and proper treatment; (2) continue to fund research into the causes of, and improved treatment for, such cancer; and (3) continue to consider ways to improve access to, and the quality of, health care services for detecting and treating it.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1999
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) any premium support, privatization, or voucher plan for the Medicare program (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) should be rejected; (2) the eligibility age for Medicare should not be increased; (3) no copayment should be imposed on home health care; (4) specified changes should be made to Medicare to improve and extend it; and (5) the current guarantee of Medicare benefits should not be eliminated.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1999
Declares that Congress supports the goals and ideas of In Memory Day to honor the men and women of the United States whose deaths had a basis in their service in Vietnam during the Vietnam conflict and who are thereby true examples of patriotism and sacrifice to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1999
Medicare Early Access Act of 1999 - Title I: Access to Medicare Benefits for Individuals 62-to-65 Years of Age - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals Age 62-to-65 Years of Age). Makes eligible to enroll in Medicare during a specified period individuals between the ages of 62 and 65 who: (1) are not eligible for coverage under group health plans or Federal health insurance; but (2) would be Medicare-eligible if age 65. Requires prior notification of each individual seeking to enroll of the deferred monthly premium amount for which the individual will be liable upon attaining age 65. (Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to determine rates for: (1) the base monthly premium; (2) the base annual premium for individuals age 62 or older, adjusted appropriately for each premium area; as well as the maximum amount of such premium; and (3) the deferred premium for such individuals. Directs the Secretary to provide for payment and collection of the base monthly premium. Makes the enrollee liable for the deferred monthly premium payment. Requires collection of both premiums in the same manner as for the payment of monthly premiums under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Creates in the Treasury the Medicare Early Access Trust Fund (Trust Fund) to hold collected premiums. Directs: (1) the Trust Fund's Board of Trustees to report annually to Congress on the need for adjustments in the new program in order to maintain its financial solvency; and (2) the Comptroller General to report periodically to Congress on the adequacy of program financing along with appropriate recommendations to accomplish such end. Requires: (1) individuals enrolled under the new part D program to be treated for Medicare purposes as though they were entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and enrolled under Medicare part B; and (2) new part D program benefits to be payable under Medicare to such individuals in the same manner as if they were so entitled and enrolled. Provides that the new part D program shall not be treated as Medicare for purposes of the Medicaid program (SSA title XIX), including the provision of Medicare cost-sharing assistance, nor for purposes of COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) continuation requirements of the Public Health Service Act. Title II: Access to Medicare Benefits for Displaced Workers 55-to-62 Years of Age - Amends SSA title XVIII part D to rename the newly established part D program the Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals Age 55-to-65 Years of Age. Provides for part D coverage for certain displaced workers and spouses between the ages of 55 and 62 under arrangements similar to those in title I. Directs the Secretary to provide for continued enrollment of displaced workers who attain 62 years of age. Title III: COBRA Protection for Early Retirees - Subtitle A: Amendments to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to extend specified group health plan insurance continuation coverage under COBRA to qualified retirees and their dependents, in cases of substantial reduction or termination of a retiree group health plan. Sets forth a special rule for certain dependents in case of termination or substantial reduction of retiree health coverage. Permits an increased level of premiums in the case of an individual provided continuation coverage by reason of the qualifying event. Subtitle B: Amendments to the Public Health Service Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend specified group health plan insurance continuation coverage under COBRA to qualified retirees and their dependents, in cases of substantial reduction or termination of a retiree group health plan. Sets forth a special rule for certain dependents in case of termination or substantial reduction of retiree health coverage. Permits an increased level of premiums in the case of an individual provided continuation coverage by reason of the qualifying event. Subtitle C: Amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend specified group health plan insurance continuation coverage under COBRA to qualified retirees and their dependents, in cases of substantial reduction or termination of a retiree group health plan. Sets forth a special rule for certain dependents in case of termination or substantial reduction of retiree health coverage. Permits an increased level of premiums in the case of an individual provided continuation coverage by reason of the qualifying event. Title IV: Financing - Provides that any increase in payments under SSA title XVIII resulting from enactment of this Act shall be offset by reductions in payments under such program pursuant to the anti-fraud and anti-abuse provisions enacted as part of the Medicare Fraud and Reimbursement Reform Act of 1999.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1999
Declares that Congress recognizes: (1) the severity of the issue of colorectal cancer; (2) such disease's preventable nature; and (3) the importance of the Screen for Life Campaign. Calls on health educators, elected officials, and the people of the United States to: (1) broaden the message of the Screen for Life Campaign to reach all individuals; and (2) learn about colorectal cancer and its preventable nature and learn to recognize the risk factors and symptoms which enable early detection and treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Bear Protection Act of 1999 - Prohibits any person from: (1) importing bear viscera into, or exporting it from, the United States; or (2) selling bear viscera, bartering, offering it for sale or barter, or purchasing, possessing, transporting, delivering, or receiving it in interstate or foreign commerce. Subjects persons who violate such prohibitions to specified penalties. Waives such prohibition for wildlife law enforcement purposes where a valid permit has been issued. Requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of State to discuss issues involving such trade with the appropriate representatives of countries that are the leading importers, exporters, or consumers of such products. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to report to Congress on the progress of efforts to end illegal trade in bear viscera.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Puerto Rico Economic Activity Credit Improvement Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the Puerto Rico economic activity credit and make it available to claimants other than existing claimants.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Young American Workers' Bill of Rights - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to revise and increase requirements relating to child labor standards, including: (1) reporting, recordkeeping, and certification; (2) orders and regulations; (3) penalties; (4) coverage regardless of sales volume; (5) civil actions; and (6) migrant or seasonal agricultural labor. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) compile (jointly with the Census Bureau) annual child labor data with respect to individuals under age 18; (2) provide for coordination among enforcement personnel for Federal and State labor standards, occupational health and safety laws, and Federal immigration laws; (3) establish an Advisory Committee for Child Labor; and (4) publicize violators of child labor laws. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Abolishment of Obsolete Agencies and Federal Sunset Act of 1999 - Establishes the Federal Agency Sunset Commission to: (1) submit to Congress a schedule for review by the Commission, at least once every 12 years, of the abolishment or reorganization of each agency; (2) review and evaluate the efficiency and public need for each agency; and (3) recommend whether each agency should be abolished or reorganized. Requires the abolishment of any agency within one year of the Commission's review, unless the agency is reauthorized by Congress. Authorizes the deadline to be extended for an additional two years if enacted by a super majority of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Sets forth criteria for such review. Directs the Comptroller General and the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, in cooperation with the Director of the Congressional Research Service, to prepare an inventory of Federal programs within each agency for the purpose of advising and assisting Congress and the Commission in carrying out the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require, for the five-year period beginning after September 30, 1999, the treasury of Puerto Rico to make a Conservation Trust Fund transfer within 30 days from the date of each cover over payment made during such period to such treasury under provisions of the Code concerning shipments to the United States. Defines terms.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the research and development tax credit to research in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and U.S. possessions.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1999
Expresses congratulations and thanks to U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops for bringing peace to Kosovo and ensuring the safety of Kosovar Albanians.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1999
Exploration of the Seas Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to establish a Coordinated Oceanography Program Advisory Panel to report to the House Committee on Resources and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on the feasibility and social value of a coordinated oceanography program. Directs the Panel to convene an international workshop with participation from interested nations and a broad range of persons representing scientists, engineers, policy makers, regulators, industry, and other interested parties to assist it in making its feasibility determination. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1999
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that all fire fighters who risk their lives and die in the line of duty should be honored and recognized.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1999
Medicare Patient Access to Technology Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for: (1) establishment of the Medicare Payment and Coding Advisory Committee and the Medicare Access to Technology Advisory Committee; and (2) annual adjustments to Medicare payment systems for changes in technology and medical practice. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) accept recommendations for Health Care Financing Administration Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) level II code modifications yearly from the public; (2) cause determinations on recommendations received during the three months immediately preceding the last month of a calendar quarter to be made not later than the first day of the following calendar quarter; and (3) incorporate approved modifications to HCPCS level II codes into the payment systems established under Medicare not later than 180 days after the determination approving a modification was made. Prohibits the Secretary from requiring a minimum period of marketing experience with respect to a drug or device as a condition of consideration or approval of a recommendation for a HCPCS level II modification for such drug or device. Directs the Secretary to maintain and continue the use of HCPCS level III codes (as in effect on June 1, 1999), and to make them available to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1999
Bone Marrow Blood Testing Coverage Act of 1999 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act to provide coverage of human (leukocyte) antigen (bone marrow blood) testing under specified conditions. Gives the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Health and Human Services oversight authority under the respective Acts with regard to the administration and enforcement of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 1999 - Amends Federal provisions concerning the military Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) to adjust the basic SBP annuity amount for surviving spouses age 62 or over of former military personnel to: (1) 35 percent of the retired pay of the decedent, for months beginning on or before the enactment of this Act (current law); (2) 40 percent of such pay, for months beginning after the date of enactment of this Act until October 2004; and (3) 45 percent of such pay, for months beginning on or after October 2004. Adjusts similarly the percentage amounts of SBP supplemental annuity authorized to be provided for such surviving spouses. Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure appropriate adjustments in the computation of retired pay reductions for such supplemental annuities made necessary by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Declares that: (1) no Member of Congress or any other American should generalize or stereotype the actions of an individual to an entire group of people; (2) Americans of Asian ancestry are entitled to all rights and privileges afforded to all Americans; and (3) the Attorney General, the Secretary of Energy, and the Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission should, within their respective jurisdictions, vigorously enforce the security of the national laboratories and investigate all allegations of discrimination in public or private workplaces.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 1999
Commends the bravery and honor of the citizens of Remy, France, for their actions with respect to the American fighter pilot Lieutenant Houston Braly during and after August 1944. Recognizes the efforts of the surviving members of the U.S. 364th Fighter Group to raise funds to restore the stained glass windows of Remy's 13th century church.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards Part A: Basic Grants Part B: Even Start Part C: Education of Migratory Children Part D: Neglected and Delinquent Children Part E: Federal Evaluations, Demonstrations, and Transition Projects Part F: General Provisions Part G: Reading Excellence Title II: High Standards in the Classroom Part A: Teaching to High Standards Title III: Technology for Education Part A: Federal Leadership and National Activities Part B: Special Projects Part C: Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology Part D: Regional, State, and Local Educational Technology Resources Title IV: Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Title V: Promoting Equity, Excellence, and Public School Choice Title VI: Class-Size Reduction Title VII: Bilingual Education Act Title VIII: Impact Aid Title IX: Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education Part A: Indian Education Part B: Native Hawaiian Education Act Part C: Alaska Native Education Title X: Programs of National Significance Title XI: General Provisions, Definitions, and Accountability Title XII: Amendments to Other Laws; Repeals Part A: Amendments to Other Laws Part B: Repeals Educational Excellence for All Children Act of 1999 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise and reauthorize ESEA programs through FY 2005. (Sec. 3) Renames the National Education Goals (currently in title I of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act), as America's Education Goals, revises such Goals, and includes them under ESEA. Title I: Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards - Extends the authorization of appropriations for the following ESEA title I programs: (1) part A basic grants to States for improving programs of local educational agencies (LEAs); (2) part B Even Start program; (3) part C education of migratory children; (4) part D State agency programs for neglected or delinquent children; (5) part E Reading Excellence program (transferred from title II); and (6) part F Federal activities. (Sec. 103) Requires each State educational agency (SEA) to: (1) reserve a portion (2.5 percent in FY 2001 and 2002, 3.5 percent in subsequent fiscal years) of its annual basic grant under part A of title I to carry out certain LEA assistance and school improvement activities; and (2) allocate at least 70 percent of such reserved amount directly to LEAs in accordance with specified priorities, or use at least that portion of the reserved amount to carry out an alternative system of school and LEA improvement and corrective action described in the State plan and approved by the Secretary of Education. Part A: Basic Grants - Revises requirements for State plans. (Sec. 111) Requires State plan coordination with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 (VTEA). Revises provisions relating to assessments of limited English proficient (LEP) children. Requires submission of accountability plans and establishment of accountability systems that are based on challenging standards, include all students, promote continuous improvement, and include rigorous criteria for identifying and intervening in schools and districts in need of improvement. Eliminates a requirement that States identify languages other than English that are present in the participating school population, indicate the languages for which assessments are not available, and make every effort to develop those assessments. Directs the Secretary to include experts on educational standards, assessments, accountability, and the diverse educational needs of students in the peer-review process used to review State plans. (Sec. 112) Revises requirements for LEA plans. Requires LEA plan coordination with IDEA and VTEA. Requires LEA plans to describe any assessments that they will use to determine the literacy levels of first graders and their need for interventions and how they will ensure that those assessments: (1) are developmentally appropriate; (2) use multiple measures to provide information about the variety of relevant skills; and (3) are administered to students in the language most likely to yield valid results. Requires LEA professional development strategies under title I part A to be components of their professional development plans under the new title II, if they receive title II funds. Includes Indian children served under title IX of ESEA among those for whom LEA plans must describe coordination of title I services with other educational services. Requires LEA plans to include descriptions of: (1) the actions an LEA will take to assist its low-performing schools, if any, in making the changes needed to educate all children to the State standards; and (2) how the LEA will promote the use of extended learning time, such as an extended school year, before- and after-school programs, and summer programs. Requires LEA assurances regarding: (1) annual assessment of the English proficiency of all LEP children participating in part A programs, using assessment results to help guide and modify instruction in the content areas, and providing those results to the children's parents; and (2) compliance with specified requirements regarding teacher qualifications and the use of paraprofessionals. Requires States to use a peer-review process in reviewing LEA plans. (Sec. 113) Revises provisions relating to eligible school attendance areas. Authorizes an LEA to: (1) continue serving an attendance area for one year after it loses its eligibility; and (2) allocate greater per-child amounts of title I funds to higher-poverty areas and schools than it provides to lower-poverty areas and schools. Requires LEAs to reserve sufficient funds to serve homeless children who do not attend participating schools. (Sec. 114) Revises provisions for schoolwide programs. Allows use of IDEA funds for such programs under certain conditions. Requires peer review and LEA approval of a schoolwide plan before implementation. (Sec. 115) Revises provisions for targeted assistance schools. Allows preschool children of any age to be served under part A if they can benefit from an organized instructional program. Provides that children who, within the prior two years, had received title I preschool services are eligible for services under part A (as are children who participated in a Head Start or Even Start program in such period). (Sec. 116) Revises provisions relating to assessment and LEA and school improvement. Sets forth examples of criteria to be used by SEAs in designating Distinguished Schools. Requires each participating school identified by an LEA as being in need of improvement, to develop or revise a school plan, in consultation with parents, school staff, the LEA, and a State school support team or other outside experts. Requires an LEA to take at least one of a number of specified corrective actions in the case of a school that fails to make progress within three years of its identification as being in need of improvement. Requires an LEA that has been identified by the SEA as needing improvement to submit a revised part A plan to the SEA for peer review and approval. Requires an SEA to take certain corrective actions in the case of an LEA that fails to make sufficient progress within three years of being identified as in need of improvement. (Sec. 117) Revises provisions for State assistance for school support and improvement. Requires SEAs to provide such assistance according to the following order of priorities: first, to LEAs identified for corrective action and to individual schools for which an LEA has failed to carry out certain responsibilities; next, to other LEAs identified as in need of improvement, but not identified as in need of corrective action; and finally, to other LEAs and schools that need those services in order to achieve the purpose of part A. Directs SEAs to use for such State assistance certain funds available for technical assistance and support. Authorizes SEAs also to use for such State assistance certain State administrative funds. (Sec. 118) Applies to all part A activities the requirement to provide full opportunities for participation by parents with limited English proficiency and parents with disabilities. (Sec. 119) Requires each participating LEA to: (1) hire qualified instructional staff; (2) provide high-quality professional development to staff members; and (3) use for such professional development at least five percent of its part A grant for FY 2001 and 2002, and ten percent of such grant for subsequent fiscal years. Sets forth minimum qualifications for teachers and paraprofessionals in programs supported with part A funds. Revises a list of professional development activities. Includes child-care providers among those with whom an LEA could choose to conduct joint professional development activities. (Sec. 120) Revises provisions for program participation of children enrolled in private schools. Allows LEAs to determine the number of poor children in private schools every year or every two years. Revises provisions relating to consultation with private school officials regarding provision of program services to children. (Sec. 120A) Revises criteria for determining the required comparability of services that a participating LEA provides in title I schools, from State and local sources, with those it provides in its other schools. Requires LEAs to update their records documenting compliance with such comparability requirement annually. (Sec. 120B) Sets forth additional requirements for quality assurance by preschool programs carried out with part A funds. (Sec. 120C) Revises formulas and other requirements for allocations of part A basic grant funds to territories, States, and LEAs. (Sec. 120D) Requires States to report annually to the Secretary on specified program indicators relating to schools participating in the part A program. Part B: Even Start - Revises the ESEA title I part B Even Start program. (Sec. 121) Requires Even Start programs to be based on the best available research on language development, reading instruction, and prevention of reading difficulties. (Sec. 122) Directs the Secretary to reserve five percent of program funds to support national demonstration and model projects for isolated and especially hard-to-reach populations, including projects for: (1) children of migratory workers; (2) the outlying areas; (3) Indian tribes and tribal organizations; and (4) other populations, such as families that are homeless, that have children with severe disabilities, or that include incarcerated mothers of young children. Limits to not more than one percent of program funds the amount which may be reserved to provide technical assistance, program improvement, and replication activities. Makes discretionary, rather than mandatory, the Secretary's making of competitive grants for interagency coordination of statewide family literacy initiatives. Allows for-profit, as well as nonprofit, organizations to qualify as providers of technical assistance. (Sec. 123) Requires States applying for Even Start grants to submit State plans, including State indicators of program quality. (Sec. 124) Includes family literacy services among permissible uses of Even Start program funds. (Sec. 125) Revises required elements of Even Start programs. Allows career counseling and job placement services to be offered to accommodate participants' work schedules and other responsibilities. Requires instructional programs to integrate all elements of family literacy services. Sets forth requirements relating to: (1) qualifications of instructional staff and paraprofessionals; and (2) staff training to obtain certification in relevant instructional areas, as well as necessary skills. Includes individuals with disabilities among those who may be most in need of program services. Revises various provisions relating to retention of families in Even Start programs. (Sec. 126) Includes as eligible for Even Start program participation teenage parents who are attending school, but who are above the State's age for compulsory school attendance. (Sec. 127) Revises application provisions relating to local Even Start plans to require: (1) program improvement emphasis; (2) outcome goals for participating children and families that are consistent with the State's program indicators; (3) addressing of specified program elements; and (4) evaluation plans. (Sec. 128) Revises subgrant award provisions to require a State's review panel to include an individual with expertise in family literacy programs. Makes optional, rather than mandatory, the inclusion of one or more of other specified types of individuals on such panels. Authorizes each State to continue Even Start funding, for up to two years beyond the eight-year limit, for up to two exemplary projects in the State that have been highly successful and that show substantial potential to serve as models for other projects throughout the Nation and as mentor sites for other family literacy projects in the State. (Sec. 130) Sets the end of FY 2000 as the deadline for States to develop certain required indicators of program quality. Adds to such required indicators others relating to the levels of intensity of services and the duration of participating children and adults needed to reach the outcomes the State specifies. (Sec. 130A) Repeals specified provisions relating to research. Part C: Education of Migratory Children - Revises part C title I ESEA provisions for education of migratory children. (Sec. 131) Revises formulas and other requirements for allocation of funds to the States and Puerto Rico. Establishes minimum and maximum annual State allocation amounts. (Sec. 132) Revises State application requirements to include certain elements of the separate comprehensive service-delivery plan requirements removed by this Act. (Sec. 133) Revises authorized activities. Removes requirements that a State develop a comprehensive service-delivery plan that is separate from its application for funds. (Sec. 134) Makes for-profit entities (as well as nonprofit entities) eligible for awards of funds to carry out various activities to support the interstate and intrastate coordination of migrant-education activities. Increases the maximum amount that may be reserved each year from the appropriation for the Migrant Education program to support coordination activities. Authorizes awarding of incentive grants to States that form consortia to improve the delivery of services to migratory children whose education is interrupted. (Current law makes such grant awards mandatory and competitive.) Increases the maximum amount that may be reserved for such grant awards. Part D: Neglected and Delinquent Children - Revises and renames part D title I ESEA as State Agency Programs for Children and Youth Who Are Neglected or Delinquent. (Sec. 143) Revises requirements for payments for part D programs. (Sec. 144) Revises requirements for allocation of part D funds to the States and Puerto Rico. (Sec. 145) Requires State plans to provide that participating children will be held to the same challenging academic standards, as well as given the same opportunity to learn, as they would if they were attending local public schools. (Sec. 147) Repeals provisions for Local Agency Programs. (Sec. 148) Revises program evaluation provisions to require that an SEA to use multiple measures of student progress that are: (1) appropriate for the students and feasible for the SEA; and (2) consistent with the requirement to provide participating children the same opportunities to learn, and to hold them to the same standards that would apply if they were attending local public schools. Part E: Federal Evaluations, Demonstrations, and Transition Projects - Revises provisions relating to evaluations, management information, demonstrations of innovative practices and other Federal activities. Part F: General Provisions - Repeals certain requirements relating to rulemaking and issuance of a program assistance manual. Part G: Reading Excellence - Transfers the Reading Excellence Act program (currently part C of title II of ESEA) to a new part E of title I of ESEA. (Sec. 171) Revises provisions for reading and literacy activities grants to allow an SEA to apply for and receive a subsequent grant. Requires SEA grant applications to include the process and criteria to be used to review and approve LEA applications for local reading improvement subgrants and tutorial assistance subgrants, including a peer-review process with individuals with relevant expertise. (Sec. 172) Requires SEAs receiving part G grants to use such funds as follows: (1) not more than five percent for State administrative costs, including a specified two percent maximum for such costs with respect to a specified program; and (2) award up to 15 percent through at least one tutorial assistance subgrant. (Sec. 173) Limits eligibility for local reading improvement subgrants to LEAs that operate schools for grades one through three. Requires that the schools in which such reading instruction activities are provided serve children in the third grade or below. (Sec. 174) Limits eligibility for tutorial assistance subgrants to LEAs that serve children for grades one through three. Requires that such grant funds serve children in the third grade or below. (Sec. 176) Authorizes the National Institute for Literacy to use a specified amount to pay for the costs of administering information dissemination activities. Authorizes the Secretary to reserve a specified amount for the Reading Excellence program for technical assistance, program improvement, and replication activities. (Sec. 177) Repeals an authorization of appropriations (but transfers the authorization of appropriations for the Reading Excellence program to another part of ESEA). (Sec. 178) Transfers the authority for the Reading Excellence program (currently in part C of title II of ESEA) to part E of title I of ESEA. Title II: High Standards in the Classroom - Revises and renames title II of ESEA as High Standards in the Classroom. Part A: Teaching to High Standards - Authorizes a new program by consolidating the Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program (current title II ESEA) and Innovative Education Program Strategies (current title VI ESEA) and the current title III of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. (Sec. 201) Authorizes appropriations for the following part A programs: (1) State and local activities (subpart 2); and (2) national activities for the improvement of teaching and school leadership (subpart 3). Sets forth subpart 2 provisions for State and Local Activities. Sets forth formulas for allocations to the States, the outlying areas, and schools operated or funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Requires priority use of part A funds for professional development in mathematics and science. Increases the amount of the current Eisenhower program's set-aside amount for professional development in mathematics and science. Allows such professional development in mathematics and science to include interdisciplinary activities, as long as these activities include a strong focus on mathematics and science. Requires funds in excess of the set-aside amount to be used in one or more of the core academic subjects, including mathematics and science. Sets forth State application requirements. Requires States to submit annual reports to the Secretary on their own program activities and on the progress of subgrant recipients against program performance indicators. Sets forth requirements relating to funds for: (1) State-level activities, program evaluations, and administration, including certain amounts for the State higher education agency (SHEA); and (2) within-State allocations for formula and competitive grants to LEAs. Sets forth authorized State-level activities to promote high-quality instruction. Allows SHEAs to reserve a portion of their allocation for administrative activities and program evaluations and require them, in cooperation with SEAs, to award competitive subgrants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, institutions of higher education (IHEs) or nonprofit organizations to provide professional development in the core academic subjects. Requires priority to be given to projects that focus on teacher induction programs. Requires awards to be made only to projects that include an LEA, are coordinated with related activities under title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), and involve the IHE's school or department of education and the school or departments in the specific disciplines in which the professional development will be provided. Sets forth program activities and reporting requirements. Requires SEAs to award competitive subgrants to LEAs, using a peer-review process that includes reviewers knowledgeable in the academic content areas. Requires SEAs to adopt strategies to ensure that LEAs with the greatest need are provided a reasonable opportunity to receive an award. Sets a three-year subgrant period, allowing extension for an additional two years if the SEA determines that the LEA is making substantial progress toward meeting the goals in the LEA's district-wide plan for raising student achievement against State standards and against the performance indicators identified by the Secretary. Sets forth requirements for LEA applications to SEAs for formula or competitive subgrants. Requires a district-wide plan that describes how the LEA will raise student achievement against State standards by: (1) supporting the alignment of curricula, assessments, and professional development to challenging State and local content standards; (2) providing professional development in the core academic content areas; (3) carrying out activities to assist new teachers during their first three years in the classroom; and (4) ensuring that teachers employed by the LEA are proficient in teaching skills and content knowledge. Requires the LEA application also to identify specific goals for achieving program purposes, assure collection of data that measures progress toward program performance indicators, and describe how it will: (1) address the needs of high-poverty, low-performing schools, and of teachers of students with limited English proficiency and other students with special needs; (2) coordinate program funds with professional development activities funded through other State and Federal programs, use its formula subgrant funds to address the items in the district-wide plan, and use any additional funds from a competitive subgrant to implement that plan. Sets forth authorized uses of program funds by LEAs to implement their district-wide plans. Requires LEAs to submit program reports to SEAs. Sets forth formulas for Federal and local shares of program costs. Prohibits subgrantees from using program funds for equipment, computer hardware, textbooks, telecommunications fees, or other items, that would otherwise be provided by the LEA or State, or by a private school whose students receive services under the program. Directs the Secretary to identify indicators of program performance against which recipients would report their progress. Sets forth subpart 3 provisions for National Activities for the Improvement of Teaching and School Leadership. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to, and contracts with LEAs, SEAs, SHEAs, IHEs, educational service agencies, and other public and private nonprofit entities to support: (1) activities of national significance that are not supported through other sources and that will contribute to the improvement of teaching and school leadership in the Nation's schools; (2) activities of national significance that will contribute to the recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers and principals in high-poverty LEAs; and (3) a national evaluation of the part A program. Directs the Secretary to support: (1) the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; and (2) the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education (Clearinghouse). Authorizes the Secretary to make a grant or contract to continue the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education. Sets forth part B provisions for the Transition-to-Teaching program, and the Troops-to-Teachers program, to address the need of high-poverty school districts for highly qualified teachers in subject areas such as mathematics, science, foreign languages, bilingual education, and special education needed by those school districts. Authorizes the Secretary to use part B funds to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to IHEs and public and private nonprofit entities to carry out part B Transition-to-Teaching programs. Requires the Secretary, before making such awards, to: (1) consult with the Secretaries of Defense and Transportation with respect to the appropriate amount of funding necessary to continue and enhance the Troops-to-Teachers program; and (2) transfer such amount to the Department of Defense to carry out such program. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a written agreement with the Departments of Defense and of Transportation, or take other appropriate steps to ensure effective continuation of such program. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth part B requirements for applications. Authorizes use of part B funds for: (1) recruitment of program participants; (2) training stipends and other financial incentives for program participants; (3) assistance to IHEs or other teacher training providers to meet particular needs of professionals changing their careers to teaching; (4) placement activities, including identifying high-poverty LEAs with needs for particular skills and characteristics of the newly trained program participants and assisting those participants to obtain employment in those LEAs; and (5) post-placement induction or support activities for program participants. Requires program participants who complete training to teach in a high-poverty LEA for at least three years, or else repay all or a portion of their training stipend or other incentive. Sets forth part C provisions for Early Childhood Educator Professional Development. Directs the Secretary to make competitive grants to eligible partnerships consisting of: (1) at least one IHE (or another public or private, nonprofit entity) that provides professional development for early childhood educators who work with children from low-income families in high-need communities; and (2) one or more public agencies (including LEAs, SEAs, State human services agencies, and State and local agencies administering programs under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990), Head Start agencies, or private nonprofit entities. Gives priority to applications from partnerships that include one or more LEAs that operate early childhood programs for children from low-income families in high-need communities. Sets forth requirements for applications, selection of grantees, uses of funds, allowable activities, technologies, and data collection, evaluation, and reporting activities necessary to meet program accountability requirements, performance indicators, reports, and cost-sharing. Directs the Secretary (of Education) and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to coordinate activities of this program and other early childhood programs that they administer. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth part D provisions for technical assistance programs, including the following subparts: (1) strengthening the capacity of SEAs and LEAs to become effective, informed consumers of technical assistance; (2) technical assistance centers serving special needs; (3) technology-based technical assistance information dissemination; and (4) national evaluation activities. Sets forth requirements for allocation of subpart 1 funds, formula grants to SEAs, State applications and uses of funds, direct formula grants to large LEAs, local applications and uses of funds, and equitable services for private schools. Directs the Secretary to establish, through one or more contracts, an independent source of consumer information regarding the quality and effectiveness of technical assistance activities and providers available to States, LEAs, and other recipients of funds under ESEA, in selecting technical assistance activities and providers for their use. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth subpart 2 provisions for technical assistance centers serving special needs. Sets forth general requirements applicable to all technical assistance providers that receive funds under this subpart 2, all consortia that receive funds under subpart 2 part B title III ESEA, and the educational laboratories, and clearinghouses of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), supported under the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to public or private nonprofit entities (or consortia of those entities) to operate two centers for technical assistance on the needs of special populations. Requires such centers to provide training and technical assistance to SEAs, LEAs, schools, tribes, community-based organizations, and other recipients of funds under ESEA on: (1) addressing specific linguistic, cultural, or other needs of limited English proficient, migratory, Indian, and Alaska Native students; and (2) educational strategies to enable those students to meet challenging State academic content and performance standards. Requires each center to give priority to providing services to schools, including BIA-funded schools, that educate such students and have the highest percentages or numbers of children in poverty and the lowest student achievement levels. Sets forth accountability requirements. Authorizes appropriations for such centers. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements for Parental Information and Resource Centers (PIRCs) (currently authorized under Title IV of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act). Provides for such awards to nonprofit organizations that serve parents, particularly those organizations that make substantial efforts to reach low-income, minority, or limited English proficient parents. Requires PIRCs to: (1) coordinate the efforts of Federal, State, and local parent education and family involvement initiatives; and (2) provide training, information, and support to SEAs, LEAs, schools, and organizations that support family-school partnerships. Sets forth requirements for applications, matching funds, and uses of funds. Increases from 50 percent to 75 percent the minimum portion of its award which each recipient of such funds must use to support activities that serve areas with large numbers or concentrations of low-income families. Authorizes the Secretary to reserve a portion of program funds for technical assistance to the PIRCs and evaluations of program activities. Sets forth reporting and general program provisions. Authorizes appropriations for the PIRC program. Revises and authorizes provisions for the Eisenhower Regional Mathematics and Science Education Consortia (currently authorized under part C title XIII ESEA). Authorizes appropriations for the Eisenhower Consortia. Sets forth subpart 3 provisions for technology-based technical assistance information dissemination. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out, through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements, a national system, through the Worldwide Web and other advanced telecommunications technologies, that supports interactive information sharing and dissemination about ways to improve educational practices throughout the Nation. Directs the Secretary, in designing and implementing such system, to create opportunities for the continuing input of students, teachers, administrators, and other individuals who participate in, or may be affected by, the Nation's educational system. Requires such system to include information on: (1) stimulating instructional materials that are aligned with challenging content standards; and (2) successful and innovative practices in instruction, professional development, challenging academic content and student performance standards, assessments, effective school management, and other appropriate areas. Authorizes the Secretary to require certain technical assistance providers funded under ESEA or the ERIC educational laboratories and clearinghouses to participate in such information dissemination system in specified ways. Directs the Secretary to ensure that such system's dissemination activities are integrated with those of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), and that the public has access, through this system, to the latest research, statistics, and other information supported by, or available from, OERI. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out additional activities to assist LEAs, SEAs, tribes, and other ESEA recipients in meeting the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. Authorizes appropriations for subpart 3. Sets forth subpart 4 provisions for national evaluation activities. Directs the Secretary to conduct, directly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements, activities necessary to: (1) determine what constitutes effective technical assistance; (2) evaluate the effectiveness of the technical assistance and dissemination programs authorized by, or assisted under, part E title II ESEA, and the ERIC educational laboratories, and clearinghouses; and (3) increase the effectiveness of those programs. Title III: Technology for Education - Technology for Education Act - Revises and reorganizes title III of ESEA to change its short title to the Technology for Education Act. (Sec. 304) Requires recipients to use title III funds only to supplement, and not to supplant, those non-Federal funds or resources. Part A: Federal Leadership and National Activities - Revises and renames part A title III ESEA as Federal Leadership and National Activities. (Sec. 311) Repeals authority for the Product Development program. (Sec. 312) Directs the Secretary to update the national long-range technology plan and to broadly disseminate the updated plan. Includes among requirements for such plan descriptions of how the Secretary will promote or encourage: (1) full integration of technology into learning, including the creation of new instructional opportunities through access to challenging courses and information that would otherwise not have been available, and independent learning opportunities for students through technology; (2) creation of opportunities for teachers to develop, through the use of technology, their own networks and resources for sustained and intensive, high-quality professional development; and (3) commercial development of effective, high-quality, cost-competitive educational technology and software. (Sec. 313) Replaces the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Systems with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on the list of agencies with which the Secretary consults under the program for Federal leadership in promoting the use of technology in education. Authorizes the Secretary to develop a national repository of information on the effective uses of educational technology, including its use for sustained and intensive, high-quality professional development, and the dissemination of that information nationwide. (Sec. 314) Eliminates a requirement that funds be used for a discretionary grant program when appropriations for part A of title III of the ESEA are less than a specified amount, and for a State formula grant program when the appropriation exceeds that amount. Directs the Secretary to develop and carry out a strategy for an ongoing National Evaluation of Education Technology. Authorizes appropriations for the national evaluation strategy, national plan, and Federal leadership activities. Part B: Special Projects - Repeals the following ESEA title III provisions: (1) part B, the Star Schools Program; and (2) part E, the Elementary Mathematics and Science Equipment Program. (Sec. 321) Redesignates and renames the following ESEA title III provisions: (1) part C, Ready-To-Learn Television, as subpart 2 part B title III ESEA, Ready-to-Learn-Digital-Television; and (2) part D, Telecommunications Demonstration Project for Mathematics, as subpart 3 part B title III ESEA. Establishes a program of Next-Generation Technology Innovation Awards, as subpart 1 part B title III ESEA. Authorizes the Secretary, through the Office of Educational Technology (OET), to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements on a competitive basis to eligible applicants, which are consortia that include: (1) at least one SEA or LEA; and (2) at least one IHE, for-profit business, museum, library, other public or private entity with appropriate expertise. Sets forth requirements for applications, plans, priorities, uses of funds, and evaluation. Authorizes appropriations for subpart 1, Next-Generation Technology Innovation Awards. (Sec. 322) Authorizes appropriations for the revised subpart 2, Ready-to-Learn-Digital-Television. (Sec. 323) Authorizes appropriations for the Telecommunications Program for Professional Development in the Core Content Areas. (Sec. 324) Establishes a program for Community Technology Centers, as subpart 4 part B title III ESEA. Authorizes the Secretary, through OET, to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible applicants to create or expand community technology centers that expand access to information technology and related training for disadvantaged residents of distressed urban or rural communities or to provide technical assistance and support to such centers. Sets forth requirements for eligibility, applications, required and permissible uses of funds, and cost-sharing. Authorizes appropriations for subpart 4, Community Technology Centers. Part C: Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology - Establishes a part C title III ESEA program, Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology. (Sec. 331) Authorizes the Secretary, through OET, to award competitive grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to develop or redesign teacher preparation programs to enable prospective teachers to use technology effectively in their classrooms. Requires applicants to be consortia that include at least one IHE that offers a baccalaureate degree and prepares teachers for their initial entry into teaching, at least one SEA or LEA, and at least one other of specified types of entities with the capacity to contribute to the technology-related reform of teacher preparation programs. Sets forth requirements for applications, matching funds, required and permissible uses of funds. Authorizes appropriations. Part D: Regional, State, and Local Educational Technology Resources - Establishes a part D title III ESEA program, Regional, State, and Local Educational Technology Resources, including: (1) subpart 1, the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund (TLCF); and (2) subpart 2, Regional Technology in Education Consortia (RTEC). (Sec. 342) Revises provisions for allotment and reallotment of TLCF funds to include the BIA as a State educational agency for such purposes. Revises provisions for minimum TLCF grant amounts for States and outlying areas. (Sec. 343) Revises requirements under the subpart 1 TLCF, including: (1) State use of grant funds to make subgrants to LEAs; (2) State and local applications; and (3) local uses of funds. (Sec. 347) Repeals a current part D program for National Challenge Grants for Technology in Education (but establishes a similar program, the Next-Generation Technology Innovation Awards program, as the new subpart 1 part C title III ESEA). (Sec. 348) Adds certain definitions to target subpart 1 funds to low-performing schools in needy areas. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 349) Revises requirements under the subpart 2 RTEC. Directs the Secretary to make subpart 2 grants to, or enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, consortia that meet specified requirements. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act - Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act - Revises ESEA title IV to change the short title (currently, Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994). Revises Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) programs to require: (1) emphasis on environments in and around schools; (2) competitive, as well as non-competitive, awarding funds to LEAs under certain conditions; and (3) increased coordination among related programs. (Sec. 401) Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth title IV part A provisions for State grants for drug and violence prevention programs. Revises requirements for reservations and allotments. Prohibits outlying areas from consolidating SDFSC funds with other Federal education funds. Requires State applications to be jointly submitted by the SEA and Governor and to include descriptions of: (1) procedures the SEA will use for reviewing applications and awarding funds to LEAs competitively, based on need and quality of the ESEA, those the SEA will use for reviewing applications and awarding funds to LEAs non-competitively, based on need and quality; (2) procedures the Governor will use for reviewing applications and awarding funds to eligible applicants competitively, based on need and quality; (3) SEA's and Governor's proposed use of funds reserved for coordinated capacity-building, technical assistance, and program accountability services and activities at the State and local levels; and (4) proposed SEA technical assistance for LEAs not receiving SDFSC State grant funds to improve their programs. Requires part A funds to be used for SEA and LEA programs and activities designed to create and maintain drug-free, safe, and orderly learning environments for learning in and around schools. Requires SEAs to reserve between ten percent and 20 percent of their part A allocations for State-level activities. Authorizes SEAs to use such reserved funds to plan, develop, and implement, jointly with the Governor, capacity building and technical assistance and accountability services to support the effective implementation of local drug and violence prevention activities throughout the State and promote program accountability and improvement. Revises provisions for State administrative costs. Authorizes SEAs and Governors to provide emergency intervention services to schools and communities following a traumatic crisis, such as a shooting or major accident that has disrupted the learning environment. Requires SEAs to: (1) use at least 80 percent of part A funds for local-level activities; (2) use at least 70 percent of their total SDFSC State grant funding for competitive awards to LEAs that the SEA determines have need for assistance; (3) base their competition on the quality of an LEA's proposed program and how closely it is aligned with specified principles of effectiveness; (4) make competitive awards to no more than 50 percent of the LEAs in the State, with certain exceptions; and (5) make their competitive awards to LEAs of sufficient size to support high-quality, effective programs and activities that are designed to create safe, disciplined, and drug- free learning environments in schools, and that are consistent with the needs, goals, and objectives identified in the State's plan. Allows SEAs to use up to ten percent of their total SDFSC State grant funding for non-competitive awards to LEAs with the greatest need for assistance that did not receive a competitive award. Requires, in order for an SEA to make a non-competitive award to an LEA, the SEA must assist the LEA in meeting the information requirements pertaining to LEA needs assessment, results-based performance measures, comprehensive safe and drug-free schools plan, evaluation plan, and assurances, and provide continuing technical assistance to the LEA to build its capacity to develop and implement high-quality, effective programs. Sets forth authorized services and activities of local drug and violence prevention programs. Requires each LEA receiving SDFSC funding to use such funds to support research-based drug and violence prevention services and activities consistent with specified principles of effectiveness. Allows an LEA to use such funds for additional activities other than research-based programming, under specified conditions. Authorizes SEAs to waive, under certain conditions, a 20 percent cap on SDFSC subgrant funds that LEAs may spend for the acquisition or use of metal detectors and security personnel. Requires Governors to: (1) use Governor's Programs funds (20 percent of the State allocation) to support community efforts that directly complement the efforts of LEAs to foster drug-free, safe, and orderly learning environments for learning in and around schools; (2) reserve between ten percent and 20 percent of their allocations for State-level activities to plan, develop, and implement, jointly with the SEA, capacity building, technical assistance, and accountability services to support the effective implementation of local drug and violence prevention activities throughout the State and promote program accountability and improvement; (3) use at least 80 percent of SDFSC State grant funding to make competitive subgrants to community-based organizations, LEAs, and other public entities and private non-profit organizations to support community efforts that directly complement the efforts of LEAs to foster drug-free, safe, and orderly learning environments in and around schools; and (4) base competition for subgrants on the quality of the applicant's proposed program and how closely it is aligned with the principles of effectiveness, and on objective criteria, determined by the Governor, on the needs of the schools or LEAs to be served. Allows subgrants made by Governors to support community efforts on a Statewide, regional, or local basis and the efforts of LEAs and schools that do not receive subgrants. Allows use of such funds to support research-based drug and violence prevention services and activities consistent with the principles of effectiveness, and for additional activities other than research-based programming, under specified conditions. Revises local application requirements to emphasize the applicant's need for assistance and the quality of its proposed programming. Requires each applicant LEA for SEA competitive and formula grants to include assurances that it: (1) has a policy, consistent with State law, that requires the expulsion of students who possess a firearm at school consistent with the Gun-Free Schools Act; (2) has, or will have, a full- or part-time program coordinator whose primary responsibility is planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating the applicant's programs (unless the applicant demonstrates in its application, to the satisfaction of the SEA, that such a program coordinator is not needed); (3) will evaluate its program every two years to assess its progress toward meeting its goals and objectives, and will use the results of its evaluation to improve its program and refine its goals and objectives, as needed; and (4) has, or the schools to be served have, a comprehensive Safe and Drug-Free Schools plan that includes specified elements. Requires any eligible entity that applies to the Governor for a subgrant to include in its application: (1) a description of how the services and activities to be supported will be coordinated with relevant SDFSC State grant programs that are supported by SEAs, including how recipients will share resources, services, and data; (2) a description of how the applicant will coordinate its activities under this part with those implemented under the Drug-Free Communities Act, if any; and (3) an assurance that it will evaluate its program every two years to assess its progress toward meeting its goals and objectives, and will use the results of its evaluation to improve its program and refine its goals and objectives as needed (if the applicant is not an LEA, or other specified assurances if the applicant is an LEA). Requires SEAs to use a peer review process, but allows Governors to use other methods, for reviewing local applications to ensure that SDFSC subgrants are made on the basis of need and quality. Revises national evaluation and data collection requirements under title IV. Directs the Secretary and the Attorney General to publish an annual report on school safety. Revises the State and local report requirements to focus on progress toward attaining performance indicators for achieving drug-free, safe, and orderly learning environments in schools. Requires States to report to the Secretary all school-related suicides and homicides within the State within 30 days of the incident. Requires LEAs to report to SEAs any problems in SDFSC program implementation that warrant provision of SEA technical assistance. Requires SEAs to: (1) review annual LEA reports; and (2) terminate funding for the second or third year of an LEA's program unless the LEA is making reasonable progress toward meeting its objectives. Sets forth annual progress report and program funding review requirements for Governor's award recipients. Sets forth title IV part B provisions for National Programs. Revises the list of authorized national program activities. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out programs for students that promote lifelong physical activity. Establishes a title IV part C program, School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV), to provide education-related services to LEAs in which the learning environment has been disrupted due to a violent or traumatic crisis, such as a shooting or major accident. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out Project SERV directly, through contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements with public and private organizations, agencies, and individuals, or through agreements with other Federal agencies. Sets forth authorized activities under Project SERV. Directs the Secretary to establish criteria and application requirements as may be needed to select which LEAs are assisted under Project SERV. Authorizes the Secretary to establish reporting requirements for uniform data and other information from all LEAs assisted under Project SERV. Requires the establishment of a Federal Coordinating Committee on school crises, to coordinate the Federal responses to crises that occur in schools or directly affect the learning environment in schools. Requires the Committee to be composed of the Secretary (who shall serve as Chair), the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and such other members as the Secretary shall determine. Gun-Free Schools Act - Revises and transfers to ESEA title IV part D the provisions of the Gun-Free Schools Act (currently under ESEA title XIV part F). Requires each State receiving Federal funds under ESEA to have in effect a State law that: (1) requires LEAs to expel from school, for a period of not less than one year, a student who is determined to have possessed a firearm at school under the jurisdiction of the LEA in that State; and (2) allows the chief administering officer of that LEA to modify the expulsion requirement for a student on a case-by-case basis. Sets forth local and State reporting requirements. Prohibits awarding ESEA funds to any LEA unless it has a policy ensuring that: (1) any student who possesses a firearm at a school served by such agency is referred to the criminal justice or juvenile delinquency system; (2) students who possess a firearm at school are referred to mental health professionals for assessment as to whether they pose an imminent threat of harm to themselves or others and need appropriate mental health services before readmission to school; and (2) any student determined to pose such a threat receives appropriate mental health services, in addition to other services, before being permitted to return to school. Requires drug prevention programs supported under title IV ESEA convey a clear and consistent message that the illegal use of alcohol and other drugs is wrong and harmful. Prohibits the Secretary from prescribing the use of particular curricula for programs under title IV ESEA, but allows the Secretary to evaluate and disseminate information about the effectiveness of such curricula and programs. Prohibits use of title IV ESEA funds for: (1) construction (except for minor remodeling needed to accomplish the purposes of this part); and (2) medical services, drug treatment or rehabilitation, except for pupil services or referral to treatment for students who are victims of, or witnesses to, crime or who use alcohol, tobacco, or drugs. Sets forth a requirement for Drug-Free, Alcohol-Free, and Tobacco-Free Schools. Requires each SEA and LEA that receives title IV ESEA funds to have a policy that prohibits possession or use of tobacco, and the illegal use of drugs or alcohol, in any form, at any time, and by any person, in school buildings, on school grounds, or at any school-sponsored event. Requires LEA applications to include an assurance of compliance with such requirement. Requires annual SEA reports to the Secretary if any LEAs are not in compliance with such requirement. Requires that title IV funds supplement, not supplant, State, local, and other non-Federal funds. Title V: Promoting Equity, Excellence, and Public School Choice - Revises and renames ESEA title V as Promoting Equity, Excellence, and Public School Choice (currently Promoting Equity). (Sec. 502) Revises the Magnet Schools Assistance program under part A to emphasize projects that consider the diversity of the student populations and that have the capacity to continue after the Federal grant has run out. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 503) Revises the Women's Educational Equity program. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 504) Repeals the Assistance to Address School Dropout Problems program (currently in part C). (Sec. 505) Transfers Public Charter Schools provisions to part B (currently in title X part C). (Sec. 506) Establishes a part C program of Options: Opportunities to Improve Our Nation's Schools. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to SEAs and LEAs to support programs that promote innovative approaches to high-quality public school choice, including worksite and college-based schools. Authorizes appropriations. Title VI: Class-Size Reduction - Establishes a new title VI of ESEA, Class-Size Reduction. (Replaces the current title VI, Innovative Education Program Strategies.) (Sec. 601) Establishes a grants program to help States and LEAs recruit, train, and hire 100,000 additional teachers over a seven-year period in order to: (1) reduce class sizes nationally, in grades one through three, to an average of 18 students per classroom; and (2) improve teaching in the early grades so that all students can learn to read independently and well by the end of the third grade. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth program requirements for: (1) allotments to States; (2) within-State allocations; (3) local uses of funds; (4) cost-sharing; and (5) participation of teachers from private schools in professional development activities. Title VII: Bilingual Education Act - Revises the Bilingual Education Act, which is ESEA title VII (Bilingual Education, Language Enhancement, and Language Acquisition Programs). (Sec. 701) Makes it policy that limited English proficient students be tested in English after three consecutive years in U.S. schools. (Sec. 702) Authorizes appropriations for part A, Bilingual Education, including the following subparts: (1) bilingual education capacity and demonstration grants; (2) research, evaluation, and dissemination; (3) professional development; and (4) transition. (Sec. 703) Establishes a Program Development and Enhancement Grants program (which consolidates activities of the current Program Development and Implementation Grants program and Enhancement Grants program). Requires such grants to be used to: (1) develop and implement comprehensive, preschool, elementary, or secondary education programs for children and youth with limited English proficiency, that are aligned with standards-based State and local school reform efforts and coordinated with other relevant programs and services; (2) provide high-quality professional development; and (3) require annual assessment of student progress in learning English. Revises allowable activities to emphasize effective instructional practice and the use of technology in the classroom. Authorizes the Secretary to give priority to applicants that enroll fewer than 10,000 students and that have limited or no experience in serving limited English proficient students. (Sec. 704) Revises provisions for Comprehensive School Grants for school-wide instructional programs (in coordination with title I ESEA) for children and youth with limited English proficiency, to assist such children and youth to learn English and achieve to challenging State content and performance standards, and to improve, reform, and upgrade relevant programs and operations in schools with significant concentrations of such students or that serve significant numbers of them. Revises conditions for termination or continuation of grant awards. Limits to 90 days the period during which grant funds may be used for planning. Limit to two the number of schools that may be included in the grant. (Sec. 705) Revises provisions for Systemwide Improvement Grants for projects within an entire school district. Revises conditions for termination or continuation of grant awards. Sets forth required activities, including building school district capacity to continue to operate similar instructional programs once Federal funding is no longer available, aligning programs for limited English proficient students with school, district, and State reform efforts and coordinating with other relevant programs, and annually assessing student progress in learning English. Revises allowable activities to emphasize effective instructional practice, developing student proficiency in two languages, and the use of technology in the classroom. (Sec. 706) Revises application requirements with respect to program accountability and related matters. Adds priorities for applicants that experience a dramatic increase in the number of limited English proficient students enrolled and demonstrate that they have a proven record of success in helping children and youth with limited English proficiency learn English and achieve to high academic standards. (Sec. 707) Requires subpart 1 grantee evaluations to: (1) be conducted annually, rather than biennially; (2) use application data as the baseline against which to report academic achievement and gains in English proficiency for students; (2) report on the validity and reliability of all instruments used to measure student progress; (3) enable results to be disaggregated by such relevant factors as a student's grade, gender, and language group, and whether the student has a disability; and (4) include specified types of data, program implementation indicators, and coordination descriptions. Requires the Secretary to establish performance indicators to determine if comprehensive school grant and systemwide improvement grant programs are making continuous and substantial progress. Authorizes establishing such indicators to determine if program development and enhancement grant programs are making such progress. (Sec. 708) Eliminates the requirement that Bilingual Education Program research be conducted through the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in collaboration with the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs. Includes among allowable research activities: (1) data collection needed for compliance with the Government Performance and Results Act; and (2) identifying technology-based approaches that show effectiveness in helping limited English proficient students reach challenging State standards. (Sec. 709) Establishes a program of discretionary grants to States to make Academic Excellence Awards (which replaces current Academic Excellence provisions for grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements to promote the adoption of promising instructional and professional development programs). Authorizes the Secretary to make such grants to SEAs to assist them in recognizing LEAs and other public and non-profit entities whose programs have demonstrated significant progress in assisting limited English proficient students to learn English and to meet the same challenging State content standards expected of all children and youth, within three years. (Sec. 710) Revises the State Grant Program to require States to use such funds to: (1) assist LEAs with program design, capacity building, assessment of student performance, program evaluation, and development of data collection and accountability systems for limited English proficient students that are aligned with State reform efforts; and (2) collect data on limited English proficient populations in the State and the educational programs and services available to such populations. (Sec. 711) Renames the National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education as the National Clearinghouse on the Education of Children and Youth with Limited English Proficiency. Eliminates requirements that the Clearinghouse: (1) be administered as an adjunct to the Educational Resources Information Center Clearinghouse system; (2) develop a database management and monitoring system; and (3) develop, maintain, and disseminate a listing of bilingual education professionals. (Sec. 712) Revises provisions for grants to develop, publish, and disseminate instructional materials to include materials: (1) in other low-incidence languages in the United States for which instructional materials are not readily available; and (2) on State content standards and assessments for dissemination to parents of limited English proficient students. Requires the Secretary to give priority to applications for developing instructional materials in languages indigenous to the United States or to the outlying territories and for developing and evaluating instructional materials that reflect challenging State and local content standards, in collaboration with specified assisted activities. (Sec. 713) Revises subpart 3 Professional Development provisions to eliminate a reference to dissemination of information. (Sec. 714) Revises the Training for all Teachers Program to limit grants to ongoing professional development. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to LEAs or consortia of LEAs and IHEs, SEAs, or nonprofit organizations. Reduces the grant period from five to three years. Requires professional development activities to be of high-quality and long-term. Revises allowable activities to include induction programs, coaching by experienced teachers, and teacher use of education technologies. (Sec. 715) Revises the Bilingual Education Teachers and Personnel Grants program. Limits grants to IHEs for preservice professional development. Requires use of grant funds to put in place a course of study that prepares teachers to serve limited English proficient students, integrate course content relating to meeting the needs of limited English proficient students into all programs for prospective teachers, assign tenured faculty to train teachers to serve limited English proficient students, incorporate State content and performance standards into the institution's coursework, and expand clinical experiences for participants. Authorizes grantees to use funds for activities such as supporting partnerships with LEAs, restructuring higher education course content, assisting other institutions of higher education to improve the quality of relevant professional development programs, and expanding recruitment efforts for students who will participate in relevant professional development programs. (Sec. 716) Revises the Bilingual Education Career Ladder Program to authorize grants to consortia of one or more IHEs and one or more SEAs or LEAs to develop and implement bilingual education career ladder programs. Requires such programs to be designed to provide high-quality, pre-baccalaureate coursework and teacher training to educational personnel who do not have a baccalaureate degree, and to lead to timely receipt of a baccalaureate degree and certification or licensure of program participants as bilingual education teachers or other educational personnel who serve limited English proficient students. Requires grantees to coordinate with programs under title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965, and other relevant programs, for the recruitment and retention of bilingual students in postsecondary programs to train them to become bilingual educators, and make use of all existing sources of student financial aid before using grant funds to pay tuition and stipends for participating students. Eliminates certain special considerations. Requires the Secretary to give special consideration to applications that provide training in English as a second language, including developing proficiency in the instructional use of English and, as appropriate, a second language in classroom contexts. (Sec. 717) Revises the Graduate Fellowships in Bilingual Education Program to eliminate: (1) the authorization for fellowships at the post-doctoral level; and (2) the requirement that the Secretary make a specific number of fellowship awards in any given year. (Sec. 718) Requires SEAs to review and submit written comments on all applications for professional development grants, with the exception of those for fellowships, to the Secretary. (Sec. 719) Revises program evaluation requirements. Requires an annual evaluation. (Sec. 721) Continues the part C Emergency Immigrant Education Program. (Sec. 722) Authorizes States to use up to two percent of their grant for administrative costs if they distribute funds to LEAs within the State on a competitive basis. (Sec. 723) Revises provisions for competitive State grants to LEAs. Eliminates an appropriations trigger on, and a cap for, allowing States each year to reserve funds from their program allotments and award grants, on a competitive basis, to LEAs. (Sec. 724) Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 725) Defines reclassification rate, for purposes of Bilingual Education Program applications and evaluations under subpart 1 of part A, as the annual percentage of limited English proficient students who have met the State criteria for no longer being considered limited English proficient. (Sec. 726) Adds requirements for projects funded under subpart 1 Part A relating to: (1) parental notification of right to withdraw from programs at any time; and (2) the use of paraprofessionals or other instructional staff who are not certified in the field in which they teach. (Sec. 728) Repeals specified provisions under title VII, including a requirement that all professional development grants assist educational personnel in meeting State and local certification requirements. Title VIII: Impact Aid - Revises title VIII of ESEA, Impact Aid, to provide assistance to certain LEAs that are financially burdened as a result of activities of the Federal Government carried out in their jurisdictions, in order to help those LEAs provide educational services to their children, including federally connected children, so that they can meet challenging State standards. (Sec. 802) Revises the program of payments relating to Federal acquisition of real property, which authorizes the Secretary to partially compensate certain LEAs for revenue lost due to the presence of non-taxable Federal property in their jurisdictions. Requires that the Federal property claimed as the basis of eligibility have a current aggregate assessed value that is at least ten percent of the total assessed value of all real property in the LEA. Provides for a three-year phase-out of payments to LEAs that received such payments for FY 1999, but that would no longer be eligible because of the new requirement that Federal property constitute at least ten percent of the current assessed value of all real property in the LEA. (Sec. 803) Revises the program of payments for eligible federally connected children. Eliminates the various "(b)" categories of students. Continues payments with respect to "(a)" categories of students: (1) children of Federal employees who both live and work on Federal property; (2) children of military personnel (and other members of the uniformed services) living on Federal property; (3) children living on Indian lands; and (4) children of foreign military officers living on Federal property. Eliminates the requirement that an LEA have at least 400 eligible students (or that those students constitute at least three percent of its average daily attendance) in order to receive a basic support payment. Revises options for determining an LEA's local contribution rate (LCR), which is used to compute its maximum payment, to include a measure of the amount or proportion of funds that are provided at the local level. Provides that LCRs' local contribution rates are to be determined using data from the third preceding fiscal year. Revises the formula for computing each LEA's "learning opportunity threshold" (LOT), a factor used in determining actual payment amounts when sufficient funds are not available to pay the maximum amounts, to give priority to LEAs with high concentrations of federally connected students. Revises provisions for additional payments to LEAs on behalf of children with disabilities. Eliminates hold-harmless provisions relating to basic support payments. Revises provisions for additional payments to LEAs that are heavily impacted by the presence of federally connected children in their schools. Requires an LEA to meet the following criteria to qualify for a payment: (1) having federally connected children as at least 40 percent of its enrollment, and a tax rate for general-fund purposes of at least 100 percent of the average tax rate of comparable LEAs in the State (or being an LEA whose boundaries are the same as those of a military installation); (2) exercising due diligence to obtain financial assistance from the State and from other sources; and (3) having State aid made available to it on a basis at least as favorable as that for other LEAs. Sets forth a formula that, for each eligible LEA, factors in per-pupil expenditures, number of federally connected children, amount available to it from other sources for current expenditures, and amounts of basic support payments and supplemental payments for children with disabilities it receives. Directs the Secretary, in determining eligibility and payment amounts for heavily impacted LEAs, to use data from the second preceding fiscal year, if that data is provided by the affected LEA (or the SEA) within 60 days of being requested by the Secretary to do so. Prohibits an LEA from receiving a payment on behalf of federally connected children if Federal funds (other than Impact Aid funds) provide a substantial portion of their educational program. Eliminates the requirement that LEAs maintain their fiscal effort for education from year to year as a condition of receiving an impact aid payment. (Sec. 804) Revises requirements concerning LEAs that receive related Impact Aid payments carrying out specified activities to ensure: (1) equitable participation of children residing on Indian lands in LEA programs and activities; and (2) the participation of parents of Indian children and Indian tribes in determining the education of their children. (Sec. 805) Revises requirements for applications for Impact Aid payments. (Sec. 806) Repeals provisions for payments for sudden and substantial increases in attendance of military dependents. (Sec. 807) Revises provisions for grants to certain categories of LEAs to support the construction or renovation of schools. Limits such assistance to LEAs that receive basic support payments and in which children residing on Indian lands make up at least half of the average daily attendance. Requires applicants to include an assessment of their school-construction needs. Allocates grant funds to qualifying LEAs in proportion to their respective numbers of children residing on Indian lands. Sets the maximum Federal portion of the cost of an assisted project at 50 percent. Gives an LEA three years after its proposal is approved to demonstrate that it can provide its share of the project's cost. Allows an LEA to use such a grant only for the minimum initial equipment necessary for the operation of the new or renovated school, as well as for construction. (Sec. 808) Revises provisions relating to certain federally-owned school facilities used by LEAs to serve dependents of military personnel. (Sec. 809) Adds to preconditions for State consideration of Impact Aid payments a requirement that the average per-pupil expenditure in the State be at least 80 percent of that in the 50 States and the District of Columbia. (Sec. 813) Revises the definition of Federal property, as a basis of eligibility for Impact Aid payments, to eliminate special references to certain property not usually regarded as Federal property. (Sec. 814) Authorizes appropriations for Impact Aid programs. Title IX: Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education - Part A: Indian Education - Revises ESEA title IX part A (Indian Education) with respect to: (1) grants to LEAs; (2) amount of grants to schools operated or supported by the BIA; (3) applications, plans, local assessments, parent committees, and schoolwide programs; (4) authorized services and activities relating to curriculum development, creation and implementation of standards, improvement of student achievement, and gifted and talented education; (5) student eligibility forms and timing of child counts; (6) payments; (7) SEA review; (8) project applications for support for services and activities to improve educational opportunities for Indian children; and (9) professional development and training to perform related work that benefits Indian people, adding grants to consortia to provide in-service training to teachers in LEAs with substantial numbers of Indian children in their schools. (Sec. 911) Repeals specified provisions for fellowships for Indian students, gifted and talented education, tribal administrative planning and development, and adult education. (Sec. 913) Authorizes appropriations. Part B: Native Hawaiian Education Act - Revises ESEA title IX part B (Native Hawaiian Education) to replace a series of categorical programs serving Native Hawaiian children and adults with a single, more flexible authority for the Secretary to assist such program activities. (Sec. 921) Authorizes appropriations. Part C: Alaska Native Education - Revises ESEA title IX part C (Alaska Native Education) to replace a series of categorical programs serving Alaska Native children and adults with a single, more flexible authority for the Secretary to assist such program activities. (Sec. 921) Authorizes appropriations. Title X: Programs of National Significance - Revises ESEA title X Programs of National significance. (Sec. 1001) Revises part A (Fund for the Improvement of Education) with respect to: (1) authorized uses of funds; (2) application goals and objectives; (3) reports; (4) matching funds; and (5) limitation of competitions to particular types of entities, such as SEAs or LEAs. Requires each part A grant recipient to submit to the Secretary, by the mid-point of the program, and no later than one year after program completion, a comprehensive evaluation on the effectiveness of its program in achieving its goals and objectives, including the impact of the program on students, teachers, administrators, and parents. Revises provisions for character education. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out programs of: (1) grants for State and local character education; and (2) grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements for character education research, dissemination, and evaluation. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1002) Revises part B (Gifted and Talented Children) with respect to peer review, dissemination, and evaluation. Requires the National Center for Research and Development in the Education of Gifted and Talented Children to focus the dissemination of the results of its activities on schools with high percentages of economically disadvantaged students. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1003) Transfers and redesignates the International Education Exchange program (currently title VI of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act) as part C of title X of ESEA. Makes eligible for such program the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and any other emerging democracy in a developing country. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1004) Revises part D (Arts in Education) to include among authorized activities model arts and cultural programs in the arts for at-risk children and youth, particularly programs that use arts and culture to promote students' academic progress. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1005) Authorizes appropriations for part E (Inexpensive Book Distribution Program). (Sec. 1006) Revises part F (Civic Education) to repeal the civics, government, and law instruction program. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1007) Repeals the (current part G) Allen J. Ellender Program. (Sec. 1008) Revises and redesignates as part G the (current part I) 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to LEAs and community based organizations (CBOs) (with up to ten percent of the funds appropriated to carry out this part for any fiscal year) on behalf of public elementary or secondary schools in inner-cities, rural areas, and small cities. Limits such awards to schools or CBOs that serve communities with a substantial need for expanded learning opportunities due to: (1) high proportion of low-achieving students; (2) lack of resources to establish or expand community learning centers; or (3) other needs. Retains the current requirement for equitable distribution among the States and urban and rural areas of the United States, but eliminates the requirement for equitable distribution among urban and rural areas of a State. Lengthens the duration of such program grants from three years to five years. Changes the eligible applicant for such a grant from a school to an LEA (which would apply on behalf of one or more schools) or a CBO. Adds requirements relating to matching funds and maintenance of effort. Gives priority to applications that offer a broad selection of services that address community needs. Requires community learning centers to provide expanded learning opportunities, and allows them to also provide services that address health, social service, cultural, and recreational needs of the community. Requires a community learning center operated by an LEA (but not a CBO) to be located within a public elementary or secondary school building. Authorizes appropriations. Allows the Secretary to use part G funds to make continuation awards for projects that were funded with FY 1999 and 2000 funds, under the terms and conditions that applied to the original awards. (Sec. 1009) Repeals part J, Urban and Rural Education Assistance. (Sec. 1010) Establishes a new part H, High School Reform. Authorizes the Secretary to make competitive grants to LEAs to support: (1) planning and implementation of educational reforms in high schools, particularly in urban and rural high schools that educate concentrations of students from low-income families; (2) further development of educational reforms, designed specifically for high schools, that help students meet challenging State standards, and that increase connections between students and adults and provide safe learning environments; (3) positive incentives for serious change in high schools, by offering rewards to participating schools that achieve significant improvements in student achievement; (4) identification of the most effective approaches to high school reform and disseminating information on those approaches so that they can be adopted nationally; and (5) implementation of reforms in at least 5,000 U.S. high schools by the year 2007. Provides for equitable participation of personnel from private schools in any professional development carried out with part H funds. Requires grantees that use part H funds to develop curricular materials to make information about those materials available to private schools at their request. Directs the Secretary to reserve certain part H funds for certain activities relating to the program's purpose, including testing the effect of offering financial rewards to teachers and administrators in high schools if their students demonstrate significant gains in educational outcomes. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1011) Revises and redesignates the (current part B title VII ESEA) Elementary School Foreign Language Assistance Program to part I title X ESEA. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to SEAs and to LEAs for the Federal share of the cost of specified activities. Allows an SEA to receive a grant if it: (1) has established, or is establishing, State standards for foreign language instruction; or (2) requires the public elementary schools of the State to provide foreign language instruction. Allows an LEA to receive a grant if the program in its application: (1) shows promise of being continued beyond the grant period; (2) would demonstrate approaches that can be disseminated to, and duplicated by, other LEAs; (3) would include performance measurements and assessment systems that measure students' proficiency in a foreign language; and (4) would use a curriculum that is aligned with State standards, if the State has such standards. Requires grants to SEAs to be used to support programs that promote the implementation of high-quality foreign language programs in the elementary schools of the State, which may include specified activities. Requires that grants to LEAs to be used for activities to develop and implement high-quality, standards-based elementary school foreign language programs, which may include specified activities, including support for the expansion of secondary school instruction, so long as that instruction is part of an articulated elementary-through-secondary school foreign language program that is designed to result in student fluency in a foreign language. Authorizes the Secretary, in awarding such grants, to establish priorities, including ones for projects carried out by LEAs that include immersion programs in which instruction is in the foreign language for a major portion of the day or that promote the sequential study of a foreign language for students, beginning in elementary schools. Sets forth application, reporting, cost-sharing, and evaluation requirements. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1012) Revises and redesignates as part J the (current part K) National Writing Project. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct an independent evaluation of the Project. Authorizes appropriations. Title XI: General Provisions, Definitions, and Accountability - Revises ESEA title XIV (to be redesignated as title XI) (General Provisions) with respect to: (1) definitions; (2) administrative funds; (3) coordination of programs, including optional consolidated State plans and consolidated local plans; (4) waivers; and (5) uniform provisions. (Sec. 1106) Repeals ESEA title XIV part F (Gun Possession), which as the revised Gun-Free Schools Act is transferred to title IV of ESEA. (Sec. 1107) Revises and renames part G of title XIV ESEA as Evaluation and Indicators. Revises evaluation requirements to provide for: (1) national evaluation; (2) an independent review panel; (3) reports; and (4) technical assistance partnerships for performance information. Authorizes the Secretary to establish performance indicators, benchmarks, and targets for each program under ESEA (and under subtitle B of title VII-B of the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act) to assist in measuring program performance. Requires such indicators, benchmarks, and targets to be consistent with the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, strategic plans adopted by the Secretary under such Act, and specified ESEA provisions. (Sec. 1108) Revises and transfers ESEA title XI (Coordinated Services) to part I of title XI ESEA. Revises provisions for project development and implementation. Provides that an SEA need not require eligible entities to submit an application in order to permit them to carry out coordinated services projects. (Sec. 1109) Redesignates title XIV of ESEA as title XI of ESEA. (Sec. 1110) Revises and redesignates the Education Flexibility Partnership Act of 1999 (P.L. 106-25) Partnerships) as part G of title XI of ESEA. Revises provisions for: (1) State eligibility and accountability; (2) the Federal education programs that are subject to ED-Flex authority; (3) certain waivers. Allows the Secretary to grant an extension of ED-Flex authority, beyond five years, only upon determination that the State has made significant statewide gains in student achievement and is closing the achievement gap between low- and high-performing students. (Sec. 1111) Education Accountability Act of 1999 - Establishes a new part B, Improving Education Through Accountability, of title XI of ESEA. Requires States that receive ESEA assistance to develop and implement a statewide system for holding its LEAs and schools accountable for student performance, including a procedure for identifying LEAs and schools in need of improvement, intervention, and corrective actions. Requires such States to have in effect, at the time they submit accountability plans, State policies with certain required elements to ensure that: (1) students progress through school on a timely basis and master challenging material to reach high standards of performance, and the practices of social promotion and retention are ended; (2) there are qualified teachers in every classroom in the State; (3) its LEAs and schools have in place and implement sound and equitable discipline policies to ensure a safe, and orderly, and drug-free learning environment in every school; (4) requires the development and dissemination of annual report cards regarding the status of education and educational progress in the State and in its LEAs and schools. Requires such States to have on file with the Secretary an approved accountability plan on or after July 1, 2000, and to submit annual progress reports. Authorizes the Secretary to ensure accountability, upon determination that a State has failed substantially to carry out a requirement of this part or its approved accountability plan, or that its performance has failed substantially to meet a performance indicator in its accountability plan. Includes among authorized steps to ensure prompt compliance: (1) providing, or arranging for, technical assistance to the SEA; (2) requiring a corrective action plan; (3) suspending or terminating authority to grant waivers under applicable ED-Flex authority; (4) suspending or terminating eligibility to participate in competitive programs under the ESEA; (5) withholding, in whole or in part, State administrative funds or program funds under the ESEA; (6) imposing one or more conditions upon the Secretary's approval of a State plan or application under the ESEA; (7) taking other actions under part D of the General Education Priorities Act; and (8) taking other appropriate steps, including referral to the Department of Justice for enforcement. Requires the Secretary to take one or more additional steps to bring the State into compliance upon determination that previous steps have failed to correct the State's non-compliance. Directs the Secretary to establish a system to recognize and reward States that have demonstrated significant, statewide achievement gains in core subjects as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress for three consecutive years, are closing the achievement gap between low- and high-performing students, and have in place strategies for continuous improvement in reducing the practices of social promotion and retention. Allows rewards to include conferring a priority in competitive programs under the ESEA, increased flexibility in administering programs under the ESEA (consistent with maintaining accountability), and supplementary grants or administrative funds to carry out ESEA purposes. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to disseminate information regarding best practices, models, and other forms of technical assistance. (Sec. 1112) Renames the National Education Goals Panel as America's Education Goals Panel. Transfers provisions for the Panel from title II of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act to a new part C of title XI of ESEA. Eliminates certain provisions relating to voluntary national content standards, voluntary national student performance standards, and the resource and technical planning groups on school readiness. Authorizes appropriations for the Panel. (Sec. 1113) Repeals ESEA title XII (School Facilities Infrastructure Improvement, also known as the Education Infrastructure Act of 1994). Title XII: Amendments to Other Laws; Repeals - Part A: Amendments to Other Laws -Amends the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act with respect to: (1) providing that homelessness alone is not sufficient reason to separate students from the mainstream school environment; (2) grants for State and local activities for the education of homeless children and youth; (3) coordination at the State and local levels; (4) State plans; (5) parental involvement; (6) competitive subgrants to LEAs; and (7) national data collection, dissemination, and reports. (Sec. 1201) Authorizes appropriations for the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. (Sec. 1202) Amends various other Federal laws to reflect the revised ESEA, including specified provisions under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act, the higher Education Act of 1965, and the Pro-Children Act of 1994. Part B: Repeals - Repeals ESEA title XIII (Support and Assistance Programs to Improve Education) (new part D title II ESEA contains new technical assistance and information dissemination programs). (Sec. 1211) Repeals the following titles and parts of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act: I, National Education Goals; II, National Education Reform Leadership, Standards, and Assessments; III, State and Local Education Systemic Improvement; IV, Parental Assistance; VII, Safe Schools; VIII, Minority-focused Civics Education; and X-part B, Gun-free Schools. Repeals the following parts of the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994 (title IX of P.L. 103-227): F, Star Schools; G, Office of Comprehensive School Health Education; H, Field Readers; and I, Amendments to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act. Repeals title III, Partnerships in Education for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, of the Education for Economic Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1999
Calls for the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring the U.S. Submarine Force on its 100th anniversary.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Health Information Privacy Act - Title I: Protection of Health Information - Provides that use of protected health information by health information custodians (HICs) shall protect the reasonable expectation of privacy of protected individuals and shall be in accordance with fair information practices. Sets restrictions on such use and on disclosure. Requires an HIC to limit use of protected health information to the minimum amount and duration necessary to accomplish the use. Establishes the following: (1) standards for authorizations for use and disclosure; and (2) safeguards against misuse and prohibited disclosures, requiring an HIC to consider providing additional protections for mental health and other especially sensitive protected health information, as appropriate. Title II: Rights of Protected Individuals - Grants protected individuals the right to the following: (1) a reasonable opportunity to inspect and copy protected health information maintained by an HIC; (2) a reasonable opportunity to correct or amend protected health information maintained by an HIC; (3) a reasonable opportunity to review a history of the disclosures of protected health information about the individual made by an HIC: and (4) notice of the information practices of HICs and a reasonable opportunity to seek limitations on the use and disclosure of protected health information in addition to the limitations provided in such practices. Title III: Permissible Disclosures of Protected Health Information - Allows an HIC to disclose protected health information, without obtaining an authorization under title I of this Act, for the purpose of providing health care to an individual or paying for health care so provided. Prohibits HIC disclosure without such authorization to a health care payer, however, of protected health information created or received in the course of providing such care to an individual who pays for it himself or herself. (Sec. 302) Permits an HIC to disclose protected health information for the purpose of health oversight, without obtaining such an authorization. Requires the Secretary to permit an HIC to disclose protected health information to Federal, State, and local agencies (or affiliated persons) authorized by law to investigate, regulate, enforce laws relating to, or license, certify, or accredit persons engaged in, the provision of, or payment for, health care. (Sec. 303) Authorizes an HIC to disclose protected health information without obtaining such an authorization: (1) to a public health authority for public health purposes in disease or injury reporting, surveillance, or investigation or intervention; and (2) for health research. (Sec. 304) Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations that, among other things, and at a minimum require a person conducting health research to remove or destroy personal identifiers at the earliest opportunity consistent with the purpose of the research, unless it is determined otherwise that there is a health or research justification for retention of such identifiers and that they will be protected from improper use and disclosure. (Sec. 305) Authorizes an HIC to disclose protected health information to a law enforcement official for an appropriate inquiry if such official complies with the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. (Sec. 306) Sets forth provisions on judicial or administrative proceedings and disclosure of protected health information. (Sec. 307) Authorizes other specified disclosures without authorization, such as where it is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to an individual's health or safety. (Sec. 308) Authorizes an HIC who receives protected health information through a disclosure under this title to redisclose it to carry out the purposes for which the information was disclosed to the HIC. Prohibits protected health information received by an HIC through a disclosure under this title from being disclosed to any person for use in any administrative, civil, or criminal action or investigation directed against the protected individual who is the subject of the information, except under specified conditions. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Outlines various provisions pertaining to: (1) minors; (2) individuals exercising power of attorney to act for protected individuals; (3) deceased individuals; (4) obtaining or disclosing protected health information from an HIC or an affiliated person under false pretenses; (5) prohibiting on-the-job retaliation against an individual for reporting to a governmental agency conditions that may constitute a violation of this Act; and (6) mental health and other especially sensitive information (allowing the Secretary to limit an individual's access to his or her mental health information under certain conditions). (Sec. 405) Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to preempt, supersede, or modify the operation of the recent legally recognized psychotherapist-patient privilege. (Sec. 406) Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations to ensure the reasonable expectation of privacy of protected individuals in protected health information is maintained when HICs cease operations. (Sec. 407) Amends the Federal Privacy Act of 1974 to generally conform with the amendments made by this Act. Title V: General Provisions - Directs the Secretary to promulgate implementing regulations for this Act, including, at the Secretary's discretion, any necessary to protect the privacy of individually identifiable health information that is not protected health information. (Sec. 501) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) sponsor or carry out research and development activities related to the protection of the privacy of individually identifiable health information; (2) sponsor or carry out activities to inform protected individuals of their rights, or other persons of their rights or responsibilities, under this Act; and (3) hold hearings, administer oaths, and perform a variety of other specified tasks to ensure compliance with this Act or otherwise further its purposes. (Sec. 502) Outlines enforcement provisions, from allowing the Secretary to bring an action in an appropriate court to enjoin a violation of this Act, to providing for civil money and criminal penalties as well as civil actions. (Sec. 503) Provides that this Act shall not preempt, supersede, or modify the operation of: (1) any Federal, State, or local law that provides greater protection of protected health information or more rights to protected individuals regarding such information; or (2) any law that provides for the reporting of vital statistics such as birth or death information, that requires the reporting of abuse or neglect information or other information relating to violence against an individual, and other specified laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1999
Father Theodore M. Hesburgh Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a congressional gold medal to Father Theodore M. Hesburgh in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to civil rights, higher education, the Catholic Church, the Nation, and the global community. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates. Authorizes appropriations.
![Official portrait of Rescom. Romero-Barcelo, Carlos A. [D-PR-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000417_200.jpg)