United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2001
Microloan Program Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends provisions of the Small Business Act concerning the Microloan program (a program of start-up loans to small businesses) to: (1) remove the requirement that such loans be short-term; (2) allow up to 35 (currently 25) percent of grant funds made to intermediaries to be used to provide technical assistance to small businesses who are prospective borrowers under the program; and (3) authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to use up to $1 million of the annual appropriations for technical assistance grants to subcontract with one or more national trade associations of eligible intermediaries or other knowledgeable entities to provide peer-to-peer capacity building and training to lenders and organizations seeking to become lenders under the program.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2001
Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2001 - Permits retired members of the armed forces with service-connected disabilities to be paid both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation. Repeals a special compensation program for certain severely disabled military retirees.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2001
Repeals specified sections of the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 prohibiting: (1) U.S. Government assistance, including foreign and export assistance, U.S. credit or guarantees for exports to Cuba or for commercial exports to Iran, Libya, North Korea, or Sudan; and (2) the export of agricultural commodities (including the financing of their sale), medicine, or medical devices, and travel, to Cuba (effectively allowing the export of such commodities and travel to such country).
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2001
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) eliminate the 60-month limit on student loan interest deductions; and (2) increase the student loan interest deduction income limitation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2001
Entitles to an annuity under either the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees' Retirement System a military reserve technician who is separated from service as a technician after either: (1) becoming 50 years of age and completing 20 (currently, 25) years of such service; or (2) completing 25 years of such service.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Employee Educational Assistance Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) permanently extend the exclusion from gross income of employer-provided educational assistance; and (2) restore the exclusion for such assistance on the graduate level.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Low Income Housing Tax Credit for Native Americans Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disregard certain Native American housing assistance in determining whether a building is federally subsidized for low-income housing credit purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act of 2001 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer providing group coverage, from: (1) excluding or restricting benefits for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services; (2) denying eligibility based on use or potential use of such items or services; (3) providing monetary payments or rebates to a covered individual to encourage acceptance of less than the minimum protections available; (4) penalizing, reducing, or limiting a professional's reimbursement because the professional prescribed such drugs or devices or provided such services; or (5) providing incentives to a professional to induce the professional to withhold drugs, devices, or services. Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply those prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Working Family Tax Relief Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make revisions under which: (1) a husband and wife may make a combined return with separate rates; (2) estate taxes will be reduced; (3) there will be a deduction for qualified higher education expenses; (4) greater benefits will be applicable towards child care expenses; (5) there will be a credit for givers of long-term care to family members; (6) the earned income credit will be increased for two or more qualified children and other modifications will be made to the credit; (7) 100 percent of the health insurance costs of the self-employed will be deductible; (8) credits for pension plans will be increased; and (9) the adoption credit will be expanded.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Loan Forgiveness for Head Start Teachers Act of 2001 - Amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend to Head Start teachers loan forgiveness for certain student loans.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Broadband Internet Access Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the broadband credit which shall be the sum of: (1) the current generation broadband credit; plus (2) the next generation broadband credit. Defines terms.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Securing a Future for Independent Agriculture Act of 2001 - Sets forth prohibitions against unfair practices involving agricultural commodity transactions. Establishes a related Family Farmer and Rancher Claims Commission. Requires an agricultural contract to carry an obligation of good faith. Sets forth specified agricultural contract-related provisions. Revises the Agricultural Fair Practices Act of 1967. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize private investors to establish the National Rural Cooperative and Business Equity Fund to raise and provide capital to rural businesses. Amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require retailers of covered commodities to inform consumers at the final point of sale of the commodity's country of origin. Amends the Agricultural Market Transition Act to set forth marketing loan rates for feed grains, upland and extra long staple cotton, rice, and oilseeds. Amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to revise the farmland protection program. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Agriculture should take necessary actions to ensure the participation of socially disadvantaged farmers in Department of Agriculture programs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Outpatient Prescription Drug Benefit Program) (OPDBP) to provide Medicare coverage of certain outpatient prescription drugs and biological products for individuals entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) or enrolled under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for an outpatient prescription drug benefit program for eligible Medicare beneficiaries. Outlines premiums and cost-sharing provisions, including those for a $250 deductible waivable for generic drugs, as well as coinsurance provisions. Sets out patient protections. Authorizes the Secretary to develop and implement an Employer Incentive Program that encourages sponsors of employment-based health care coverage to provide adequate prescription drug benefits to retired individuals. Establishes a Medicare Pharmacy and Therapeutics Advisory Committee. Amends SSA title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) to require each Medicare+Choice plan, with specified exceptions, to provide enrolled members items and services for which benefits are available under new part D. Amends SSA title XVIII part D to exclude Medicare part D costs from determination of the part B monthly premium. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to: (1) include in Medicare cost-sharing for qualified Medicare beneficiaries premiums under OPDBP; and (2) provide for expanding medical assistance with regard to OPDBP coinsurance and deductible. Sets at 100 percent the Federal Medicaid percentage with respect to such medical assistance. Amends SSA title XI to increase Medicaid payments to territories. Amends SSA title XVIII to revise requirements for benefit packages for Medicare supplemental policies, and with regard to comprehensive immunosuppressive drug coverage for transplant patients. Directs the Secretary to study whether to: (1) establish a uniform format for pharmacy benefit cards provided to beneficiaries by eligible entities under OPDBP; and (2) develop systems to transfer prescriptions electronically under OPDBP from the prescriber to the pharmacist. Outlines provisions for General Accounting Office and Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) studies involving OPDBP.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Self-Employed Health Insurance Fairness Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction for 100 percent of a self-employed individual's health insurance costs for himself or herself, spouse, and dependents, unless such individual participates in an employer-maintained health plan. (Current law provides for a phased-in 100 percent deduction and disallowance upon participation eligibility.)
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
States that Congress should: (1) enact a new farm bill during the first session of the 107th Congress; (2) include in the budget resolution for FY 2002 sufficient funds to provide an adequate farm income safety net and eliminate the need for off-budget, emergency spending; (3) ensure that all farm-related payments are allocated fairly and reasonably and in relation to need; and (4) provide such additional sums as are necessary to fund other farm bill priorities, such as priorities involving rural development and telecommunication, conservation, research, nutrition, and food safety.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2000
PILT and Refuge Revenue Sharing Permanent Funding Act - Provides permanent funding for the following programs: (1) Bureau of Land Management Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT); and (2) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Refuge Revenue Sharing.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2000
Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to prohibit employer discrimination, during and at the conclusion of labor disputes, against employees who participate in such disputes. Prohibits employers from offering: (1) permanent replacement status to individuals who replace strikers or otherwise work or express a willingness to work during such disputes; or (2) certain employment preferences to such individuals over striking workers who have returned or have made unconditional offers to return to work.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2000
Peace Through Negotiations Act of 2000 - Declares it to be U.S. policy to oppose the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, to withhold diplomatic recognition of any Palestinian state that is unilaterally declared, and to encourage other countries and international organizations to withhold diplomatic recognition of any Palestinian state that is unilaterally declared. Sets forth certain measures that shall be applied in the event that a Palestinian state is unilaterally declared, including: (1) to make it unlawful for the government of any unilaterally declared Palestinian state, the Palestinian Authority, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), or any successor entities to establish an office in the United States; (2) to bar of U.S. assistance to the government of any unilaterally declared Palestinian state, the Palestinian Authority (or to any successor entity), and any programs or projects in the West Bank or Gaza (except humanitarian assistance); (3) to withhold a specified percentage of the U.S. contribution to any international organization that recognizes a unilaterally declared Palestinian state; and (4) to oppose such state's membership in any international financial institution or the extension by such institution of any loan or other financial assistance to it. Authorizes the President to suspend, for one year, the application of a specified number of such measures provided he determines and certifies to specified congressional committees that such suspensions are in the national security interests of the United States or the application of such measures would significantly hinder the prospects for a negotiated peace agreement in the Middle East.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2000
Harmful Nonnative Weed Control Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program to provide financial assistance through States to eligible weed management entities to control or eradicate harmful, nonnative weeds on public and private land. Prohibits such assistance from being used to carry out projects to control or eradicate aquatic noxious weeds or animal pests.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2000
Integrity of the United States Courts Act of 2000 - Amends the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Implementation Act to permit a party or person to file with the U.S. Court of International Trade an appeal of an antidumping or countervailing duty determination of a binational panel, alleging that: (1) it was based on a misrepresentation of U.S. law; (2) a member of a binational panel is guilty of gross misconduct, bias, or serious conflict of interest, or the panel seriously departed from a fundamental rule of procedure or exceeded its own authority; and (3) such actions have materially affected such panel determinations and threaten the integrity of the panel review process. Sets forth provisions permitting a party to file an appeal of such determinations with the Court in cases where the panel does not act or is not convened. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to grant the U.S. Court of International Trade jurisdiction over the review of a final determination of such a binational panel. Declares that the amendments made by this Act shall apply with respect to goods from Canada and Mexico.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2000
National Rural Development Partnership Act of 2000 - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to establish the National Rural Development Partnership composed of the National Rural Development Council (established by this Act) and State and rural development councils (authorized by this Act). Includes among Partnership purposes: (1) enhancement of State and local rural development capacities; and (2) engagement of Federal, State, local, tribal, and private and nonprofit sectors in such efforts. Authorizes appropriations. Provides for State rural development council matching requirements. Terminates the Partnership five years after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2000
Environmental Streamlining Improvement Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation, taking into consideration comments submitted during certain proposed rulemaking proceedings regarding transportation projects (notice published on May 25, 2000, 65 Fed. Reg. 33922, 33960), to publish in the Federal Register for public comment revised notices of proposed rulemaking to: (1) implement the planning and environmental streamlining provisions of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century; and (2) address the other matters covered by such notices of proposed rulemaking published on May 25, 2000. Prohibits the Secretary from promulgating final rules (including interim final rules) to implement such provisions and other matters until on or after May 1, 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2000
Community Renewal and New Markets Act of 2000 - Title I: Incentives for Distressed Communities - Subtitle A: Designation and Treatment of Renewal Zone s- Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to provide for the designation of up to 30 renewal zones. Treats a renewal zone as an empowerment zone. Subtitle B: Modification of Incentives for Empowerment Zones - Revises provisions concerning empowerment zones, including: (1) extending empowerment zone treatment through 2009; (2) a 15 percent employment credit for all empowerment zones; (3) increased expensing under section 179 (election to expenses certain depreciable assets); (4) exclusion from gross income of limited amounts capital gain from the sale or exchange of a qualified empowerment zone asset; and (5) funding. Subtitle C: Modification of Tax Incentives for DC Zone - Extends and expands IRC District of Columbia Enterprise Zone provisions. Subtitle D: New Markets Tax Credi t- Establishes a new markets tax credit. Subtitle E: Modification of Tax Incentives for Puerto Rico - Revises the of Puerto Rico economic activity tax credit. Subtitle F: Individual Development Accounts - Permits any qualified financial institution, qualified nonprofit organization, or Indian tribe to establish one or more qualified individual development account programs. Defines such an account as an account established for an eligible individual as part of a qualified individual development account program. Sets forth provisions concerning such accounts, including: (1) the structure and administration of account programs; (2) procedures for opening an account and qualifying for matching funds; (3) account contributions and withdrawals; and (4) disregarding account funds of program participants for purposes of certain means-tested Federal programs. Subtitle G: Additional Incentives - Provides for, among other things: (1) the exclusion of certain amounts received under the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program and the F. Edward Hebert Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship and Financial Assistance Program; (2) the extension of enhanced deduction for corporate donations of computer technology; (3) the extension of the adoption tax credit; and (4) the treatment of Alaska Native Settlement Trusts and Indian tribal governments under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act. Title II: Tax Incentives for Affordable Housing - Subtitle A: Low-Income Housing Credit - Modifies the low-income housing credit. Subtitle B: Historic Homes - Establishes a credit equal to 20 percent of the qualified rehabilitation expenditures made by a taxpayer with respect to a qualified historic home. Subtitle C: Forgiven Mortgage Obligations - Excludes from gross income certain forgiven residential mortgage obligations. Subtitle D: Mortgage Revenue Bonds - Provides: (1) for an increase in the purchase price limitation under mortgage subsidy bond rules based on median family income; (2) revised rules for residences located in presidentially declared disaster areas. Subtitle E: Property and Casualty Insurance - Exempts from income tax State-created organizations providing property and casualty insurance for property for which such coverage is otherwise unavailable. Title III: Tax Incentives for Urban and Rural Infrastructure - Increases the State ceiling on private activity bonds. Modifies the expensing of environmental remediation costs. Provides credits for: (1) broadband internet access; and (2) holders of qualified Amtrak bonds. Includes customer connection fees (including fees to connect a customer's line to or extend a main water or sewer line) as an excludable corporate income item within the definition of "contribution in aid of construction." Includes qualified leasehold improvement property as 15 year property for purposes of the accelerated cost recovery depreciation rules. Title IV: Tax Relief for Farmers - Set forth provisions concerning farmers, including: (1) providing specified deductions and credits (including a deduction for cash paid to a Farm, Fishing, and Ranch Risk Management Accounts; (2) exempting agricultural bonds from the State volume cap; and (3) income averaging. Title V: Tax Incentives for the Production of Energy - Sets forth provisions concerning the production of energy, including: (1) expensing geological and geophysical expenditures; (2) a credit for marginal domestic oil and natural gas well production; and (3) the definition of "foreign base company oil related income." Title VI: Tax Incentives for Conservation - Sets forth provisions concerning conservation, including: (1) the exclusion of 50 percent of gain on certain sales of land or interests in land or water to qualified entities for conservation purposes; (2) a deduction for the certain energy efficient commercial property expenditures; (3) modification of the credit for electricity produced from biomass; and (4) a credit for certain hybrid automobiles. Title VII: Additional Tax Provisions - Revises provisions concerning: (1) the nonaccrual experience method of accounting; (2) the exemption from personal holding company tax for lending or finance companies; (3) a deduction for certain expenses incurred in support of Native Alaskan subsistence whaling; and (4) an excise tax on persons who acquire structured settlement payments in factoring transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2000
Wheat Protein Mismeasurement Compensation Act - Directs: the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) compensate eligible wheat producers and elevator operators for lost revenues resulting from certain erroneous Federal Grain Inspection Service protein measurement standards; and (2) negotiate a class settlement agreement. Sets forth settlement provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2000
Rural Heritage Conservation Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a limited credit to an eligible farmer or rancher for a qualified conservation contribution; (2) treat such a farmer or rancher as an individual with respect to any such contribution with respect to the charitable contribution limit; and (3) expand, for estate tax purposes, the definition of land which may qualify for a conservation contribution.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2000
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, with respect to sugars, syrups, and molasses (excluding cane or beet sugar) that are entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption during any fiscal year under certain quantitative import restrictions (tariff-rate quotas), to establish a duty on such articles and other articles if they are subsequently used for the commercial extraction or production of sugar, or such articles are used in any manner that circumvent any quota imposed under the Schedule.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2000
Native American Telecommunications Improvement and Value Enhancement Act - Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program to make loans to eligible Indian tribes, or tribal entities that have entered into a partnership with a telecommunications carrier, to enable such tribes to provide for the development of telecommunications infrastructure (wireline or wireless) on lands under their jurisdiction. Outlines tribal eligibility requirements, including submission of a telecommunications plan. Establishes in the Treasury the Native American Telecommunications Improvement Revolving Fund to make loans and award grants to eligible tribes. Limits loan interest rates dependent upon tribal per capita income. Directs the Secretary to award grants to enable tribes to conduct feasibility studies with respect to telecommunications projects. Limits grants to $200,000. Authorizes appropriations for such loans and grants. Terminates the program on the earlier of: (1) ten years after the first loan is made; or (2) the date on which the Secretary determines that the telecommunications penetration rate is at least 90 percent of all households on reservation lands.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2000
Health Care Safety Net Oversight Act of 2000 - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act to add a new part D to establish the Safety Net Organizations and Patient Advisory Commission to: (1) study the health care safety net programs; and (2) report annually to Congress, the Comptroller General, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the health care needs of the uninsured and the financial and infrastructure stability of the core health care safety net of the United States based on such review. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2000
Radio Broadcasting Preservation Act of 2000 - Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to modify its rules authorizing the operation of low-power FM radio stations to: (1) prescribe minimum distance separations for third-adjacent channels (as well as co-channels and first- and second-adjacent channels); and (2) prohibit any applicant from obtaining a low-power FM license if such applicant has engaged in the unlicensed operation of any radio station in violation of FCC radio licensing requirements. Prohibits the FCC, without specific authorization by Congress, from: (1) eliminating or reducing such minimum distance separations for third-adjacent channels; or (2) extending the eligibility for low-power FM stations beyond those organizations and entities proposed in MM Docket No. 99-25. Invalidates any previously issued low-power FM station license that does not comply with such rule modifications. Directs the FCC to conduct an experimental program to test whether low- power FM stations will result in harmful interference to existing FM radio stations if such stations are not subject to the minimum distance separation requirements. Requires the FCC to: (1) publish test results and allow an opportunity for public comment; and (2) report test results and FCC recommendations on reducing or eliminating minimum distance standards to specified congressional committees.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2000
Unilateral Palestinian Statehood Disapproval Act of 2000 - Declares it to be U.S. policy not to recognize: (1) a unilaterally declared Palestinian state; or (2) any document or other instrument of a unilaterally declared Palestinian state, including any passport or postage. Urges other specified action (including diplomatic and economic sanctions) by the United States with respect to its nonrecognition of a unilaterally declared Palestinian state. Urges the President to expedite and upgrade his ongoing review of strategic relations between the United States and Israel. Authorizes the President to waive the requirements of this Act if it is in the national security interest of the United States or advances the peace process.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Community Character Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish a program to provide grants to States to assist in the development or revision of land use planning legislation and the creation or revision of State comprehensive land use plans or plan elements. Requires grant funds to be used to obtain technical assistance in: (1) drafting such legislation; (2) research and development for land use planning programs and requirements relating to the development of State guide plans; (3) conducting workshops, educating and consulting policy makers, and involving citizens in the planning process; and (4) integrating State and regional concerns and land use plans with such Federal plans. Requires each Federal land management agency to designate, provide information to, and participate in community events as requested by, a coordinator to work with State planning directors on funded projects.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Restoring Essential Access to Care in the Home (REACH) Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for reimbursement for home health services furnished by essential access home health providers, exempting such services from specified home health interim and prospective payment systems.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Tribal College or University Teacher Loan Forgiveness Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for the cancellation of a specified percentage of the total amount of any Federal Perkins loan, Federal Family Education loan, or direct student loan for each year of employment (up to five) as a full-time teacher at a tribal college or university if the borrower is not in default on such loan. Prohibits a borrower from receiving, for the same service, such a benefit and a national service educational award.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2000
Wage Awareness Protection Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit employer retaliation and certain confidentiality policies relating to disclosure of employee wages.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2000
Resource Efficient Appliance Incentives Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a limited credit, for a limited time period, for producers of qualified energy efficient clothes washers and energy efficient refrigerators.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2000
FamilyCare Act of 2000 - Renames the State Children's Health Insurance program (SCHIP) under title XXI of the Social Security Act (SSA) as the FamilyCare program to provide for: (1) FamilyCare coverage of parents under Medicaid (SSA title XIX) as well as new SSA title XXI; (2) optional FamilyCare coverage of parents of targeted low-income children; (3) automatic eligibility for FamilyCare coverage of children born to a parent on Family Care assistance; (4) optional coverage of legal immigrants and of children through age 20 under both Medicaid and FamilyCare; (5) application of simplified FamilyCare procedures under Medicaid; (6) increased welfare-to-work transition (from six months to 12 months) under FamilyCare; (7) elimination of the 100 hour rule and other SSA title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) related eligibility restrictions under FamilyCare; (8) limitations on specified conflicts of interests under SSA titles XIX and XXI; (9) increased FamilyCare allotment for FY 2002 through 2004; and (10) authority to pay Medicaid expansion costs from the FamilyCare appropriation. Makes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to award demonstration grants to States to allow them to demonstrate the effectiveness of innovative ways to increase access to health insurance through market reforms and other innovative means. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to award demonstration grants to a limited number of States to conduct innovative programs designed to improve outreach to homeless individuals and families under specified programs for the homeless (including SCHIP) with respect to enrollment of such individuals and families under such programs and the provision of services under such programs. Makes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2000
Creating New Markets and Empowering America Act of 2000 - Title I: New Markets Tax Credit - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) to provide a limited new markets tax credit for taxpayers holding a qualified equitable investment for amounts paid to a qualified community development entity for authorized investments. Title II: America's Private Investment Companies - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to license America's Private Investment Companies (for-profit investment entities qualifying as community development entities). Title III: Community Development and Venture Capita l- Subtitle A: New Markets Venture Capital Program - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to establish a New Markets Venture Capital Program under which the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) is authorized to make grants to new market venture capital companies (NMVCs) and specialized small business investment companies and to guarantee debentures issued by NMVCs. Subtitle B: Community Development Venture Capital Assistance - Authorizes the SBA Administrator to: (1) contract with one or more community development organizations to carry out training and research activities for individuals in community development venture capital organizations (privately-controlled organizations which promote community development in low-income communities through investment in private businesses); and (2) make grants to community development organizations for the cost of such training and research activities and to intermediary organizations to provide intense marketing, management, and technical assistance and training to community development venture capital organizations. Subtitle C: Business LINC - Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to, and enter into cooperative agreements with, any coalition of private or public sector participants that: (1) expand business-to-business relationships between large and small businesses; and (2) provide businesses with information about companies interested in mentor-protegee programs or community-based, Statewide, or local business development programs. Title IV: Expansion and Extension of Empowerment Zone Tax Incentives - Provides for the designation of additional empowerment zones and increased empowerment zone tax incentives. Title V: American Community Renewal - Amends the Code to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to designate (upon local or State nomination) up to 40 renewal communities (based on degree of poverty), of which at least 20 percent shall be in rural areas. Title VI: Homeownership and Revitalization - Revises the low-income housing credit. Establishes a home ownership tax credit which shall be allocated, through State housing finance agencies, to qualified lenders making qualified home ownership loans to certain low-income households. Establishes a credit for renovating historic homes. Amends the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 to direct the Secretary to transfer ownership of qualified HUD-held properties (substandard or unoccupied multifamily or unoccupied single family properties) to local governments and community development corporations under specified conditions. Title VII: Trade-Affected Communities Relief - Authorizes a trade-affected community, a group of such communities, or the Governor of a State on behalf of such communities to petition the Secretary of Commerce for eligibility certification for community-based economic development assistance. Title VIII: Delta Regional Authority - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to establish the Delta Regional Authority to: (1) develop comprehensive and coordinated plans and programs, establish priorities, and approve grants for the economic development of the Mississippi Delta region (parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee surrounding such Delta); (2) provide for research, demonstration, investigation, assessment and evaluation of such region's assets and needs; (3) encourage the formation and capacity of local development districts and private investment in industrial, commercial, and other economic development projects; and (4) provide a forum for the consideration of problems and possible solutions of the region. Title IX: Federal Grant Program Participation Expansion - Directs The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure an equal opportunity for religious and other community organizations to provide assistance under the programs administered by such Administration by providing information and contact for such programs to such organizations in a manner similar to that developed by the Office of Community Faith-Based Organizations in the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Title X: New Millennium Classrooms - Establishes a limited credit for the donation of computers to schools, senior centers, public libraries, and other training centers located in a renewal community, empowerment zone or enterprise community, Indian reservation, or defined low-income community.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2000
Energy Security Tax and Policy Act of 2000 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, the National Energy Conservation Policy Act, and other Federal laws to establish and revise programs and tax credits and deductions concerning both business and nonbusiness energy uses (as well as programs for Indian tribes), including those involving: (1) alternative fuels; (2) transportation; (3) clean coal technologies; (4) oil and gas production; (5) methane recovery; (6) renewable power generation; (7) energy efficiency; (8) steelmaking; (9) electricity; and (10) energy emergencies.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2000
United States-Cuba Trade Act of 2000 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should promote democratic change and economic reform by normalizing trade relations with Cuba; and (2) upon the enactment of this Act, it will no longer be necessary for the United States to continue to use Article XXI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 with respect to Cuba, understanding that the President retains full authority to invoke such Article XXI and comparable provisions in other Uruguay Round Agreements in the future in all appropriate circumstances. Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to extend nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations) to the products of Cuba.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2000
National Wildlife Refuge System Centennial Commemoration Act of 2000 - Establishes the National Wildlife Refuge System Centennial Commission to, among other things: (1) carry out a plan to commemorate, on March 14, 2003, the centennial of the beginning of the System; and (2) make recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior on a long-term plan for the System and measures to enhance natural resources stewardship and expand public enjoyment of the System. Directs the Secretary to develop a long-term plan for the System to address: (1) priority staffing and operational needs; (2) priority maintenance and construction needs; and (3) any transition costs in conducting analyses of newly acquired refuge lands. Designates 2003 as Year of the Wildlife Refuge. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2000
Geographic Adjustment Fairness Act of 2000 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to the payment formula of the prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient hospital services, to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to adjust the proportion of each hospital's costs attributable to wages and wage-related costs (labor cost component) on the basis of the most recent data available on the hospital. (Currently the Secretary is required to make such adjustment based only on an estimate of the labor cost proportion of all hospitals involved (subsection (d) hospitals).) Exempts hospitals in Puerto Rico from the changes made by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2000
Authorizes the President, on behalf of Congress, to present a gold medal to General Wesley K. Clark, in recognition of his outstanding leadership and service as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during the military operations against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro). Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2000
Water Resources Development Act of 2000 - Title I: Water Resources Projects - Authorizes the Secretary of the Army (Secretary) to carry out: (1) a specified project for navigation, New York-New Jersey Harbor; and (2) specified water resources projects (subject to completion of a favorable final report of the Chief of Engineers by December 31, 2000) in Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana and Kentucky, Louisiana to the Gulf of Mexico, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Wyoming and on the Ohio River. (Sec. 102) Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of, and authorizes the Secretary, if the Secretary determines that a project is feasible, to authorize the Secretary to carry out, a project, for: (1) beach restoration and protection at Lake Palourde and St. Bernard, Louisiana; (2) navigation at Houma Navigation Canal and Vidalia Port, Louisiana; (3) removal of snags and clearing and straightening of channels for flood control at Bayou Manchac and Black Bayou and Hippolyte Coulee, Louisiana; (4) emergency streambank protection at specified locations in Louisiana; (5) flood damage reduction or control at various locations in Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee; and (6) improvement of the quality of the environment at various locations in Louisiana and Ohio. (Sec. 108) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out projects regarding: (1) beneficial uses of dredged material at specified locations in Louisiana and Ohio; and (2) aquatic ecosystem restoration at specified locations in Louisiana, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Oregon. (Sec. 110) Amends the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1999 to: (1) include Perry Creek, Iowa, among appropriate locations to be examined with respect to the flood mitigation and riverine restoration program; and (2) authorize the Secretary to design and construct a shore protection project at Fort Canby State Park, Benson Beach, Washington, including beneficial use of dredged material from Federal navigation projects. Title II: General Provisions - Modifies provisions of the Flood Control Act of 1970 regarding water resources projects to provide that an agreement entered into by a State may reflect that it does not obligate future appropriations (currently, future State legislative appropriations) for performance and payment when obligating future appropriations would be inconsistent with State constitutional or statutory limitations of the State or a body politic of the State. (Sec. 202) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to remove provisions authorizing a study of water resources needs of river basins and regions. Authorizes the Secretary to assess the water resources needs of river basins and watersheds of the United States, including needs relating to: (1) ecosystem protection and restoration; (2) flood damage reduction; (3) navigation and ports; (4) watershed protection; (5) water supply; and (6) drought preparedness. Directs the Secretary, in selecting river basins and watersheds for assessment, to give priority to the Delaware River basin. Authorizes the Secretary to accept contributions from Federal, tribal, State, interstate, and local governmental entities to the extent that such contributions will facilitate completion of the assessment. Sets forth cost-sharing requirements. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 203) Authorizes the Secretary to study and determine the feasibility of carrying out water resources development projects that: (1) will substantially benefit Indian tribes; and (2) are located primarily within Indian country or in proximity to Alaska Native villages. Requires the Secretary to: (1) consult with the Secretary of the Interior concerning such studies; (2) integrate civil works activities of the Department of the Army (the Department) with activities of the Department of the Interior; and (3) consider the authorities and programs of the Department of the Interior and other Federal agencies in any recommendations concerning carrying out projects studied. Sets forth provisions regarding priority projects and cost sharing. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 204) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to make any cost-sharing agreement for a feasibility study, or for construction of an environmental protection and restoration project (currently limited to flood control or agricultural water supply projects), subject to the ability of the non-Federal interest to pay. Modifies provisions regarding determination of the ability of a non-Federal interest to pay. Directs the Secretary to promulgate revised criteria and procedures governing such ability within 18 months. Authorizes the Secretary, in revising criteria, to consider criteria relating to: (1) the financial ability of the non-Federal interest to carry out its cost-sharing responsibilities; or (2) additional assistance that may be available from other Federal or State sources. (Sec. 205) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) carry out a program to reduce vandalism and destruction of property at water resources development projects under the jurisdiction of the Department, including by providing rewards to individuals who furnish information or evidence leading to the arrest and prosecution of individuals causing damage to Federal property; and (2) participate in the National Recreation Reservation Service on an interagency basis and pay the Department's share of activities required to implement, operate, and maintain the Service. (Sec. 207) Amends the WRDA of 1990 to: (1) provide that activities currently performed by personnel under the direction of the Secretary in connection with the operation and maintenance of hydroelectric power generating facilities at Corps of Engineers water resources projects are to be considered as inherently governmental functions and not commercial activities (current law) in cases in which the activities require specialized training relating to hydroelectric power generation; and (2) double the amount authorized to be appropriated for interagency and international support to address problems of national significance to the United States. (Sec. 209) Authorizes the Secretary, in consultation with affected Indian tribes, to identify and set aside areas at Department civil works projects that may be used to re-bury Native American remains that have been: (1) discovered on project land; and (2) rightfully claimed by a lineal descendant or Indian tribe in accordance with applicable Federal law. Permits the Secretary, in consultation with and with the consent of the lineal descendant or the affected tribe, to recover and re-bury, at full Federal expense, the remains at the areas identified and set aside. Authorizes the Secretary to convey to a tribe for use as a cemetery an area at a civil works project that is so identified and set aside. Directs the Secretary to retain any right-of-way, easement, or other property interest that the Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out the authorized purposes of the project. (Sec. 210) Amends the river and harbor Act of March 3, 1899, to provide that the approval required of the location and plans, or any modification of plans, of any dam or dike applies only to a dam or dike that, if constructed, would completely span a waterway used to transport interstate or foreign commerce in such a manner that actual, existing interstate or foreign commerce could be adversely affected. Specifies that any other dam or dike that is proposed to be built in any other navigable water of the United States shall not be subject to the approval requirements of this section. (Sec. 211) Rewrites provisions of the WRDA of 1986 regarding project deauthorizations to direct the Secretary to annually submit to Congress a list of projects and separable elements thereof (projects) that are authorized for construction and for which no Federal funds were obligated for construction during the four preceding fiscal years. Directs that any water resources project authorized for construction be deauthorized effective at the end of the seven-year period beginning on the date of the most recent authorization or reauthorization of the project unless Federal funds have been obligated for construction by the end of that period. Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress annually a list of authorized projects for which no Federal funds have been obligated for construction and for which no Federal funds have been obligated for construction of the project during the two full fiscal years preceding the date of submission of the list. Directs that any water resources project for which Federal funds have been obligated for construction be deauthorized effective at the end of any five-fiscal year period during which Federal funds specifically identified for construction of the project have not been obligated for construction. Defines "construction" and "physical work under a construction contract." Directs the Secretary: (1) upon submission of the lists, to notify each Senator in whose State, and each Member of the House of Representatives in whose district, the affected project is or would be located; and (2) to publish annually in the Federal Register a list of all projects deauthorized under this section. (Sec. 212) Amends the WRDA to: (1) require that guidelines for preparation of flood plain management plans by non-Federal interests address potential measures, practices, and policies (current law) that non-Federal interests shall adopt and enforce to reduce loss of life, injuries, and specified other adverse impacts and to preserve and enhance natural flood plain values; and (2) require non-Federal interests to take measures to preserve the level of flood protection provided by such a project. Makes this section applicable to any project with respect to which the Secretary and the non-Federal interest have not entered a project cooperation agreement on or before the date of this Act's enactment. (Sec. 213) Amends the WRDA of 1990 to provide that, with respect to environmental dredging projects, a non-Federal sponsor may include a nonprofit entity, with the consent of the affected local government. Title III: Project-Related Provisions - Directs the Secretary to credit toward the non-Federal share of the costs of the study to determine the feasibility of the reservoir and associated improvements in the vicinity of Boydsville, Arkansas, authorized by the WRDA of 1999, not more than $250,000 of the costs of the relevant planning and engineering investigations carried out by State and local agencies if the Secretary finds that the investigations are integral to the scope of the feasibility study. (Sec. 302) Amends the WRDA of 1999 regarding the White River Basin project, Arkansas and Missouri, to authorize the Secretary to reallocate the amounts of project storage that are recommended by the report to Congress. Prohibits obligating funds to carry out work unless it does not significantly impact other authorized project purposes. Extends the deadline for submission of the report until July 30, 2002. Requires the report to include determinations concerning whether project storage should be reallocated to sustain the tail water trout fisheries. (Sec. 303) Modifies the project for shore protection, Gasparilla and Estero Island segments, Lee County, Florida, to authorize the Secretary to enter into agreement with the non-Federal interest to carry out the project in accordance with provisions of the WRDA of 1992 if the Secretary determines that the project is technically sound, environmentally acceptable, and economically justified. (Sec. 304) Directs the Secretary to carry out planning, engineering, and design of an adaptive ecosystem restoration, flood damage reduction, and erosion protection project along the upper Snake River within and adjacent to the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, Idaho, provided that the Shoshone-Bannock Indian Tribe provide land, easements, and rights-of-way necessary for implementation of the project. Authorizes the Secretary to construct and adaptively manage for ten years, at full Federal expense, a project if the Secretary determines that the project: (1) is a cost-effective means of providing ecosystem restoration, flood damage reduction, and erosion protection; (2) is environmentally acceptable and technically feasible; and (3) will improve the economic and social conditions of the Shoshone-Bannock Indian Tribe. (Sec. 305) Directs the Secretary to credit toward the non-Federal share of the costs of the study to determine the feasibility of improvements to the upper Des Plaines River and tributaries, phase 2, Illinois and Wisconsin, authorized by the WRDA of 1999, the costs of work carried out by the non-Federal interests in Lake County, Illinois, before the date of execution of the feasibility study cost-sharing agreement, if: (1) the Secretary and the non-Federal interests enter into a feasibility study cost-sharing agreement; and (2) the Secretary finds that the work is integral to the scope of the study. (Sec. 306) Directs the Secretary to credit toward the non-Federal share of the project costs of the Mississippi River and tributaries, Morganza, Louisiana, to the Gulf of Mexico project the cost of any work carried out by the non-Federal interests for interim flood protection after March 31, 1989, if the Secretary finds that the work is compatible with, and integral to, the project. (Sec. 307) Modifies the project for mitigation of fish and wildlife losses, Red River Waterway, Louisiana, to authorize the purchase of mitigation land from willing sellers in any of the parishes that comprise the Red River Waterway District. (Sec. 308) Authorizes the Secretary to provide design and construction assistance for recreational facilities in the State of Maryland at the William Jennings Randolph Lake (Bloomington Dam), Maryland and West Virginia, project. Directs the Secretary to require the non-Federal interest to provide 50 percent of the costs of designing and constructing the recreational facilities. (Sec. 309) Authorizes the project for navigation, New Madrid County Harbor, Missouri. (Sec. 310) Directs the Secretary, regarding the project for navigation, Pemiscot County Harbor, Missouri, to provide credit to the Pemiscot County Port Authority, or an agent of the Authority, for costs incurred by the Authority or agent in carrying out construction work for the project after December 31, 1997, if the Secretary finds that the construction work is integral to the project. (Sec. 311) Provides for an exchange between the United States and S.S.S., Inc., of lands located in Pike County, Missouri, subject to specified conditions. (Sec. 312) Directs the Secretary to carry out a project at Fort Peck Lake, Montana, for the design and construction of a fish hatchery and such associated facilities as are necessary to sustain a multi-species fishery. Sets forth cost sharing provisions. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 313) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out: (1) dredging of Mines Falls Park, New Hampshire (and authorizes appropriations); and (2) maintenance dredging of the Sagamore Creek Channel, New Hampshire. (Sec. 315) Modifies the project for flood control, Passaic River, New Jersey and New York, to emphasize non-structural approaches for flood control as alternatives to the construction of the Passaic River tunnel element, while maintaining the integrity of other separable mainstream project elements, wetland banks, and other independent projects that were authorized to be carried out in the Passaic River Basin before this Act's enactment date. Directs the Secretary to review: (1) the Passaic River Floodway Buyout Study, dated October 1995, to calculate the benefits of a buyout and environmental restoration using a specified method used to calculate the benefits of structural projects under the WRDA of 1990; and (2) the Passaic River Buyout Study of the ten-year floodplain beyond the floodway of the Central Passaic River Basin, dated September 1995, to calculate the benefits of a buyout and environmental restoration using such method. Requires the Secretary: (1) to reevaluate the acquisition, from willing sellers, for flood protection purposes, of wetlands in the Central Passaic River Basin to supplement a wetland acquisition authorized by the WRDA of 1990; and (2) upon determining that the acquisition is cost-effective, to purchase the wetlands, with the goal of purchasing not more than 8,200 acres. Directs the Secretary to review relevant reports and conduct a study to determine the feasibility of carrying out a project for environmental restoration, erosion control, and streambank restoration along the Passaic River from Dundee Dam to Kearny Point, New Jersey. Directs the Secretary to establish the Passaic River Flood Management Task Force to provide advice to the Secretary concerning all aspects of the Passaic River flood management project. Requires the task force to submit annually to the Secretary and to the non-Federal interest a report describing the achievements of the project in preventing flooding and any impediments to completion of the project. Amends provisions of the WRDA of 1986 regarding the Passaic River Basin to direct the Secretary to carry out such provisions in a manner that is consistent with New Jersey's Blue Acres Program. Authorizes the Secretary to study the feasibility of conserving land in the Highlands region of New Jersey and New York to provide additional flood protection for residents of the Passaic River Basin. Prohibits the Secretary from obligating any funds to carry out design or construction of the tunnel element of the Passaic River flood control project. (Sec. 316) Modifies the project for shoreline protection, Rockaway Inlet to Norton Point (Coney Island Area), New York, to authorize the Secretary to construct T-groins to improve sand retention down drift. Specifies the Federal and non-Federal share. (Sec. 317) Extinguishes the reversionary interests and use restrictions relating to port or industrial purposes with respect to specified deeds on properties located on the John Day Pool in Oregon and Washington. Extinguishes the human habitation or other building structure use restriction in each area where the elevation is above the standard project flood elevation. Authorizes the use of fill material to raise low areas above the standard project flood elevation, except in any low area constituting wetland for which a permit under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act would be required. (Sec. 318) Amends the WRDA of 1999 to require that the non-Federal interest for the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier project, Providence, Rhode Island, receive credit toward the non-Federal share of project costs, or reimbursement, for the Federal share of the costs of repairs authorized that are incurred by the non-Federal interest before the date of execution of the project cooperation agreement. (Sec. 319) Requires that: (1) the Secretary enter into an agreement for the city of Grand Prairie, Texas, to assume all responsibilities of the Trinity River Authority under a specified contract, other than financial responsibilities, except that the Authority shall be relieved of all financial responsibilities under the contract as of the date on which the Secretary enters into the agreement with the city; (2) the city pay the Federal Government $4,290,000 in two installments in consideration of the agreement; and (3) the agreement include a provision requiring the city to assume responsibility for all costs associated with operation and maintenance of the recreation facilities included in the contract. (Sec. 320) Authorizes the Secretary to participate in critical restoration projects in the Lake Champlain watershed, New York and Vermont. Sets forth provisions regarding the types of projects eligible for assistance, a public ownership requirement, project selection, and cost sharing. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 321) Modifies the project for sediment control, Mount St. Helens, Washington, to authorize the Secretary to maintain for Longview, Kelso, Lexington, and Castle Rock on the Cowlitz River specified flood protection levels. (Sec. 322) Authorizes the Secretary to participate in critical restoration projects in the area of Puget Sound, Washington, and adjacent waters. Sets forth provisions regarding project selection, prioritization of projects, and cost sharing. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 323) Amends the WRDA of 1992 to provide that, with regard to the Fox River System, Wisconsin, the terms and conditions may include one or more payments to assist the State of Wisconsin in paying the costs of repair and rehabilitation of the transferred locks and appurtenant features. (Sec. 324) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to increase appropriations for projects of alternative or beneficially modified habitats for fish and wildlife. Directs that such projects include the construction of reefs and related clean shell substrate for fish habitat, including manmade three-dimensional oyster reefs, in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries in Maryland and Virginia, which reefs shall be preserved as permanent sanctuaries by the non-Federal interests. Requires the Chief of Engineers to solicit participation by, and the services of, commercial watermen for assistance in the construction of such reefs. (Sec. 325) Directs the Secretary, in operating and maintaining Federal channels and harbors of, and the connecting channels between, the Great Lakes to conduct such dredging as is necessary to ensure minimal operation depths consistent with the original authorized depths of the channels and harbors when water levels in the Great Lakes are, or are forecast to be, below the International Great Lakes Datum of 1985. (Sec. 326) Directs the Secretary, within one year, to develop a plan for activities of the Corps of Engineers that support the management of Great Lakes fisheries. Requires that the plan make use of and incorporate documents that relate to the Great Lakes and that are in existence on the date of this Act's enactment, such as lake-wide management and remedial action plans. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop the plan in cooperation with the signatories to the Joint Strategic Plan for Management of the Great Lakes Fisheries and other affected interests; (2) plan, design, and construct projects to support the restoration of the fishery, ecosystem, and beneficial uses of the Great Lakes; and (3) develop a program to evaluate the success of such projects. Sets forth provisions regarding cooperative agreements, relationship to other Great Lakes activities, and cost sharing. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 327) Amends provisions of the WRDA of 1990 regarding Great Lakes remedial action plans and sediment remediation to decrease, from 50 to 35, the percentage of project costs that non-Federal interests shall contribute. Authorizes appropriations at an increased level. (Sec. 328) Amends provisions of the WRDA of 1996 regarding sediment management to set the non-Federal share of the costs of developing a tributary sediment transport model at 50 percent. Authorizes additional appropriations. (Sec. 329) Directs the Secretary, by December 31, 2002, to carry out a demonstration project for the use of innovative sediment treatment technologies for the treatment of dredged material from Long Island Sound. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 330) Directs the Secretary to perform an assessment of the condition of water resources and related ecosystems in New England to identify problems and needs for restoring, preserving, and protecting water resources, ecosystems, wildlife, and fisheries, including: (1) development of criteria for identifying and prioritizing the most critical problems and needs; and (2) a framework for development of watershed or regional restoration plans. Requires the Secretary: (1) to develop and make available for public review and comment criteria for identifying and prioritizing critical problems and needs and a framework for development of watershed or regional restoration plans; (2) to submit to Congress a report on the assessment; (3) to develop and submit to Congress a comprehensive plan for restoring, preserving, and protecting the water resources and ecosystem in each watershed and region in New England; and (4) to identify critical restoration projects that will produce independent, immediate, and substantial restoration, preservation, and protection benefits. Sets forth provisions regarding agreements with non-Federal interests, project justification, time and cost limitations, and cost sharing. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 331) Deauthorizes specified navigation projects at: (1) Kennebunk River, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, Maine; and (2) Wallabout Channel, Brooklyn, New York. Title IV: Studies - Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of carrying out beach erosion control, storm damage reduction, and other measures along the shores of Baldwin County, Alabama. (Sec. 402) Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of: (1) a reservoir and associated improvements to provide for flood control, recreation, water quality, and fish and wildlife in the vicinity of Bono, Arkansas; (2) modifying the project for flood control, Cache Creek Basin, California, to authorize construction of features to mitigate impacts of the project on the storm drainage system of the city of Woodland, California, that have been caused by construction of a new south levee of the Cache Creek Settling Basin; and (3) constructing flood control measures in the Estudillo Canal watershed, San Leandro, California, and the Laguna Creek watershed, Fremont, California, to provide a 100-year level of flood protection. (Sec. 406) Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a special study of plans to: (1) mitigate for the erosion and other impacts resulting from the construction of Camp Pendleton Harbor, Oceanside, California, as a wartime measure; and (2) restore beach conditions along the affected public and private shores to the conditions that existed before the construction of such harbor. (Sec. 407) Authorizes the Secretary to conduct: (1) a watershed study for the San Jacinto watershed, California (and authorizes appropriations); (2) a reconnaissance study to determine the Federal interest in dredging the mouth of the Choctawhatchee River, Florida, to remove the sand plug; (3) a study to determine the feasibility of stabilizing the historic fortifications and beach areas of Egmont Key, Florida, that are threatened by erosion; (4) a re-study of flooding and water quality issues in the upper Ocklawaha River basin, south of the Silver River, and the Apopka River and Palatlakaha River basins; (5) a study to determine the feasibility of carrying out multi-objective flood control activities along the Boise River, Idaho; and (6) a reconnaissance study to determine the Federal interest in carrying out multi-objective flood control and flood mitigation planning projects along the Wood River in Blaine County, Idaho. (Sec. 413) Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of: (1) carrying out projects for water-related urban improvements, including infrastructure development and improvements, in Chicago, Illinois; (2) deepening the navigation channel of the Atchafalaya River and Bayous Chene, Boeuf and Black, Louisiana, from 20 to 35 feet; (3) constructing navigation improvements for ingress and egress between the Port of Iberia, Louisiana, and the Gulf of Mexico, including channel widening and deepening; (4) constructing projects for hurricane protection in the coastal area of the State of Louisiana between Morgan City and the Pearl River; (5) constructing urban flood control measures on the east bank of the Mississippi River in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana; (6) redesigning as anchorage a portion of the 11-foot channel of the project for navigation, Narraguagus River, Milbridge, Maine, and of reauthorizing for the purpose of maintenance as anchorage of portion of that project lying adjacent to and outside the limits of the 11-foot and the nine-foot channel; and (7) modifying the project for navigation, Portsmouth Harbor and Piscataqua River, Maine and New Hampshire, to increase the authorized width of turning basins in the Piscataqua River to 1000 feet. (Sec. 420) Authorizes the Secretary to conduct: (1) a comprehensive study of the water resources needs of the Merrimack River basin, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, taking into consideration studies conducted by the University of New Hampshire on environmental restoration of the Merrimack River System; (2) a study to determine the feasibility of modifying the project for navigation, Gulfport Harbor, Mississippi, to widen the channel from 300 to 450 feet and to deepen the South Harbor channel from 36 to 42 feet and the North Harbor channel from 32 to 36 feet. (Sec. 422) Authorizes the Secretary, in conjunction with the State of New Hampshire, to conduct a study to identify and evaluate potential upland disposal sites for dredged material originating from harbor areas located within the State. (Sec. 423) Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of conveying to the Secretary of the Interior land that was acquired by the Secretary to carry out the Pick-Sloan Missouri River Basin Program and that is located within the external boundaries of specified reservations in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, to be held in trust for the benefit of the Indian tribes involved. (Sec. 424) Rewrites provisions of the WRDA of 1996 regarding the Cuyahoga River, Ohio, to authorize the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study to evaluate the structural integrity of the bulkhead system located on the Federal navigation channel along the Cuyahoga River near Cleveland, Ohio; and (2) provide to the non-Federal interest design analysis, plans and specifications, and cost estimates for repair or replacement of the bulkhead system. Sets the non-Federal share of the cost of the study at 35 percent. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 425) Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of carrying out projects for water supply and environmental restoration at the Ballville Dam on the Sandusky River at Fremont, Ohio. (Sec. 426) Authorizes the Secretary to evaluate the backwater effects specifically due to flood control operations on land around Grand Lake, Oklahoma and report to Congress on whether Federal actions have been a significant cause of such effects. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of: (1) addressing the backwater effects of the operation of the Pensacola Dam, Grand/Neosho River basin; and (2) purchasing easements for any land that has been adversely affected by backwater flooding in the Grand/Neosho River basin. Sets a 100 percent Federal cost share of the feasibility study if the Secretary determines that Federal actions have been a significant cause of the backwater effects. (Sec. 427) Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of designating a permanent site in the State of Rhode Island for the disposal of dredged material. (Sec. 428) Directs the Secretary to use $200,000 from funds to be transferred from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to prepare a report of the Chief of Engineers for a replacement lock at Chickamauga Lock and Dam, Tennessee. (Sec. 429) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study to determine the feasibility of carrying out a project for flood control and related purposes along Miller Farms Ditch, Howard Road Drainage, and Wolf River Lateral D, Germantown, Tennessee; and (2) include environmental and water quality benefits in the justification analysis for the project. Sets forth provisions regarding the Federal and non-Federal share. (Sec. 430) Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of: (1) modifying the project for flood control, Horn Lake Creek and Tributaries, Tennessee and Mississippi, to provide a high level of urban flood protection to development along Horn Lake Creek (and requires that the study include a limited reevaluation of the project to determine the appropriate design, as desired by the non-Federal interests); (2) constructing a 12 foot deep and 125 foot wide channel from the Houston Ship Channel to Cedar Bayou, mile marker 11, Texas; (3) constructing barge lanes adjacent to both sides of the Houston Ship Channel from Bolivar Roads to Morgan Point, Texas, to a depth of 12 feet; and (4) modifying the project for San Antonio Channel improvement, Texas, to add environmental restoration and recreation as project purposes. (Sec. 434) Authorizes the Secretary to review the report of the Chief of Engineers on the Upper Puyallup River, Washington, and other specified reports to determine whether modifications to the recommendations contained in the reports are advisable to provide improvements to the water resources and watershed of the White River watershed downstream of Mud Mountain Dam, Washington. (Sec. 435) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study to determine the feasibility of providing coastal erosion protection for the Tribal Reservation of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe on Willapa Bay, Washington; and (2) construct and maintain a project to provide coastal erosion protection for such reservation, at full Federal expense, if the Secretary determines that the project: (1) is a cost-effective means of providing erosion protection; (2) is environmentally acceptable and technically feasible; and (3) will improve the economic and social conditions of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe. Requires the Tribe, as a condition of the project, to provide land, easements, right-of-way, and dredged material disposal areas necessary for the implementation of the project. Title V: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends provisions of the WRDA of 1992 regarding visitors centers to direct the Secretary to: (1) construct a visitors center for the Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Smith, Arkansas (currently, Arkansas River) on land provided by the city of Fort Smith; and (2) establish and operate the Lower Mississippi River Museum and Riverfront Interpretive Site on property between the Mississippi River Bridge and the waterfront in downtown Vicksburg, Mississippi (currently, in the vicinity of that Bridge). (Sec. 502) Authorizes the Secretary to participate with the appropriate Federal and State agencies in the planning and management activities associated with the CALFED Bay-Delta Program. Directs the Secretary to integrate the activities of the Corps of Engineers in the San Joaquin and Sacramento River basins with the long-term goals of the Program. Sets forth provisions regarding cooperative activities and the area covered by the Program. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 503) Authorizes the Secretary to convey to the Ontonagon County Historical Society, at full Federal expense: (1) the lighthouse at Ontonagon, Michigan; and (2) the land underlying and adjacent to the lighthouse that is under the Secretary's jurisdiction. Directs the Secretary to determine the extent of the land conveyance and the exact acreage and legal description of the land to be conveyed and to prepare a map that clearly identifies any land to be conveyed. Authorizes the Secretary to obtain all necessary easements and rights-of-way and to impose such terms, conditions, reservations, and restrictions on the conveyance as the Secretary determines to be necessary to protect the public interest. Makes: (1) the Secretary responsible for any necessary environmental response required as a result of the prior Federal use or ownership of the land and improvements conveyed; and (2) the Ontonagon County Historical Society responsible, after the conveyance of the land, for any additional operation, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, or replacement costs associated with the lighthouse or the conveyed land and improvements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2000
Restoring the Everglades, an American Legacy Act - Approves the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan contained in the "Final Integrated Feasibility Report and Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement" dated April 1, 1999, as modified by this Act (the Plan) as a framework for modifications and operational changes to the Central and Southern Florida Project that are needed to: (1) restore, preserve, and protect the South Florida ecosystem; (2) provide for the protection of water quality in, and the reduction of the loss of fresh water from, the Everglades; and (3) provide for the water-related needs of the region. Directs the Secretary of the Army (the Secretary): (1) in carrying out the Plan, to integrate such activities with ongoing Federal and State projects and activities; (2) to carry out specified listed projects included in the Plan, taking into account the protection of water quality by considering applicable State water quality standards and including features necessary to ensure that all ground water and surface water discharges from any authorized project feature will meet all applicable water quality standards and applicable water quality permitting requirements; and (3) in developing the projects authorized, to provide for public review and comment in accordance with applicable Federal law. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) specified pilot projects and initial projects included in the plan that are authorized for implementation; (2) conditions (i.e., reporting requirements, funding contingent on approval, modified water delivery, maximum costs of projects) for project implementation; and (3) the maximum cost of authorized project features. Sets forth provisions regarding additional program authority, authorization of future projects, project evaluation, and exclusions and limitations from the Plan. States that the overarching objective of the Plan is the restoration, preservation, and protection of the South Florida Ecosystem while providing for other water-related needs of the region, including water supply and flood protection. Directs that the Plan be implemented to ensure the protection of water quality in, the reduction of the loss of fresh water from, and the improvement of the environment of, the South Florida Ecosystem and to achieve and maintain the benefits to the natural system and human environment described in the Plan and required pursuant to this Act, for as long as the project is authorized. Prohibits any appropriation from being made for the construction of a project contained in the Plan until the President and the Governor of the State ensure, by regulation or other appropriate means, that water made available under the Plan for the restoration of the natural system is available as specified in the Plan. Authorizes any person or entity that is aggrieved by a failure of the President or the Governor to comply with any provision of the agreement to bring a civil action in U.S. district court for an injunction or other appropriate relief, subject to specified limitations. Directs the Secretary, within two years, after notice and opportunity for public comment, and with the concurrence of and consultation with specified parties, to promulgate regulations which shall establish a process to: (1) provide guidance for the development of project implementation reports, project cooperation agreements, and operating manuals that ensure that Plan goals and objectives are achieved; (2) ensure that new information resulting from changed or unforeseen circumstances, new scientific or technical information or information that is developed through the principles of adaptive management contained in the Plan, or future authorized changes to the Plan are integrated into implementation of the Plan; (3) ensure protection of the natural system consistent with Plan goals and purposes; and (4) include a mechanism for dispute resolution to resolve any conflicts between the Secretary and the non- Federal sponsor.. Directs the Secretary and the non-Federal sponsor (subject to specified requirements) to: (1) develop project implementation reports in accordance with the Plan; (2) execute project cooperation agreements in accordance with the Plan; and (3) develop and issue, for each project or group of projects, an operating manual that is consistent with the water reservation or allocation for the natural system described in the project implementation report and cooperation agreement for the project or group of projects. Requires that the Secretary ensure that Plan implementation, including physical or operational modifications to the Central and Southern Florida Project, does not cause significant adverse impact on existing legal water users. Prohibits the Secretary from eliminating existing legal sources of water until a new source of water supply of comparable quantity and quality is available to replace the water to be lost as a result of implementation of the Plan. Directs the Secretary to maintain authorized levels of flood protection in existence on the date of this Act's enactment. Directs the Secretary, the Secretary of the Interior, and the State to establish an independent scientific review panel convened by a body such as the National Academy of Sciences to review the Plan's progress toward achieving the natural system restoration goals of the Plan. Requires the panel to produce a biennial report to Congress, the Secretary, the Secretary of the Interior, and the State of Florida that includes an assessment of ecological indicators and other measures of progress in restoring the ecology of the natural system, based on the Plan. Directs the Secretary to ensure that: (1) in executing the Plan, small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals are provided opportunities to participate; and (2) impacts on socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, including individuals with limited English proficiency, and communities are considered during Plan implementation and that public outreach and educational opportunities are provided to individuals of South Florida. Sets forth reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2000
Foreign Government Investment Act of 2000 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit any broadcast license, permit, or operating authority from being granted to or held by a corporation, joint venture, partnership, other business organization, or trust controlled by a foreign government or its representatives. Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission from waiving the application of such prohibition. Provides for an entity to be considered to be controlled by a foreign government or its representatives if more than 25 percent of the ownership, voting rights, capital stock, or other pecuniary interest in that entity is owned, held, or controlled by such a government or its representatives.
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