United States · United States Congress · 27 October 1999
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the June 30, 1999, termination date for the research tax credit. Increases by one percent the alternative incremental tax credit for qualified research. Extends such credit to qualified research performed after December 31, 1999, in Puerto Rico or any other U.S. possession.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 1999
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the appropriate executive branch officials should implement the call for Japan to undertake a major regulatory reform in the telecommunications sector, namely the Telecommunications Big Bang; (2) the Telecommunications Big Bang must address fundamental legislative and regulatory issues within a defined timeframe, including putting competition first in order to encourage new and innovative businesses to enter the Japanese telecommunications market; (3) the Government of Japan should ensure that Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) and its affiliates (the NTT Group) are prevented from using their dominant position in the wired and wireless market in an anticompetitive manner; and (4) the Government of Japan should take specified steps to ensure that competitive carriers have reasonable, cost-based, and nondiscriminatory access to the rights-of-way, facilities, and services controlled by NTT, the NTT Group, other utilities, and the Government of Japan.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 1999
Good Samaritan Abandoned or Inactive Mine Waste Remediation Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, with the concurrence of the applicable State or Indian tribe, to issue an abandoned or inactive mined land waste remediation permit to a remediating party (the United States, States, Indian tribes, or municipalities) for discharges associated with remediation activity at abandoned or inactive mined land that modifies otherwise applicable requirements under provisions regarding the national effluent discharge elimination system and effluent limitations. Authorizes remediating parties to apply for such permits at abandoned or inactive mined land from which there is or may be a discharge of pollutants to U.S. waters. Prohibits such a party from applying for a permit if the party owns the land unless the land was purchased for the express purpose of remediating pollutant discharges related to past mining activities to improve water quality. Sets forth application requirements. Authorizes the Administrator to issue a permit if: (1) relative to the resources available to the remediating party for the proposed activity, such party has made a reasonable effort to identify current land owners, lessees, and claimants and other persons whose activities may have contributed to the discharge of pollutants; (2) no identifiable owner or operator exists; and (3) the applicant's remediation plan demonstrates that it will result in improved water quality to the maximum extent practicable. Authorizes enforcement actions against parties who fail to comply with permit conditions. Provides for permit termination under certain conditions and absolves parties whose permits are terminated from enforcement liability for any remaining discharges. Makes remediation plans under permits issued under this Act eligible for certain grants. Terminates the Administrator's authority to issue permits under this Act ten years after this Act's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1999
Food and Medicine for the World Act - Prohibits the President from imposing a unilateral agricultural sanction or unilateral medical sanction against a foreign country, except in specified circumstances, unless: (1) not less than 60 days before the sanction is proposed to be imposed, the President makes a specified report to Congress; and (2) Congress enacts a joint resolution approving the report.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 1999
Fuel Tax Equalization Credit for Substantial Power Takeoff Vehicles Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a $250 gasoline and special fuels credit for each qualified commercial power takeoff vehicle (certain highway vehicles designed to deliver ready mixed concrete or collect refuse or recyclables) owned by a taxpayer at the end of the year. Stipulates that such credit shall not be available for a vehicle used during the year by a governmental entity or a tax-exempt organization.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 1999
Providing Reliable Officers, Technology, Education, Community Prosecutors, and Training In Our Neighborhoods Act of 1999 or PROTECTION Act - Modifies provisions of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (the Act) regarding public safety and community policing ("cops on the beat" program, COPS) to authorize the Attorney General to use funding under COPS grants to: (1) increase prosecutor presence and to enhance law enforcement access to new technologies; (2) pay overtime to existing career law enforcement officers to the extent that such overtime is devoted to community policing efforts; and (3) promote higher education among in-service State and local law enforcement officers by reimbursing them for the costs associated with seeking a college or graduate school education. Includes among permitted additional grant projects: (1) specialized integrity and ethics training; (2) innovative proactive crime control and prevention programs involving school officials and religiously-affiliated organizations; (3) school-based partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and local school systems by using school resource officers who operate in and around elementary and secondary schools (current law) to serve as a law enforcement liaison with other Federal, State, and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies and to combat gang membership and criminal activity, firearms and explosives-related incidents, illegal use and possession of alcohol, and the illegal possession, use, and distribution of drugs; and (4) innovative programs that bring together a community's sheriff, police chief, and elderly residents to address the public safety concerns of older citizens. Authorizes the Attorney General to use up to five percent of appropriated funds for technical assistance and training to States, local governments, Indian tribal governments, and other public and private entities. Requires the technical assistance provided by the Attorney General to include the establishment and operation of regional community policing institutes training centers or facilities. Permits the functions of the centers or facilities to include instruction and seminars for specified individuals, including representatives of police labor and management organizations and community residents. Repeals provisions of the Act regarding: (1) termination of grants for hiring officers; and (2) preferential consideration of applications for certain grants. Allows grants to be used to assist: (1) police departments in employing specified professional, scientific, and technological advancements; and (2) State, local, or tribal prosecutors' offices in implementation of community-based prosecution programs that build on local community policing efforts. Reserves specified funds for units of local government with a population of less than 50,000. Authorizes the Attorney General to use no more than 50 percent of grant renewal funds to award grants targeted specifically for retention of police officers to grantees in good standing, with preference to those that demonstrate financial hardship or severe budget constraint that impacts the entire local budget and may result in the termination of employment for officers. Redefines: (1) "career law enforcement officer" to include sheriffs' deputies charged with supervising offenders who are released into the community but also engaged in local community policing efforts; and (2) "school resource officer" to mean a career law enforcement officer deployed in community-oriented policing and assigned to work in collaboration with schools and community-based organizations (as under current law) to engage in specified activities, including serving as a law enforcement liaison with other Federal, State, and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies to address and document crime and disorder problems, training students in conflict resolution and crime awareness, and assisting school administrators with the preparation of an annual report on the number of students expelled per year for bringing a weapon, firearm, or explosive to school. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 1999
Trails Willing Seller Act of 1999 - Amends the National Trails System Act to require Federal land purchases under such Act to be only with the owner's consent. Prohibits Federal funds from being expended for the acquisition of land or land interests for specified System trails without the owner's consent.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 1999
Agriculture Import Surge Relief Act - Amends the Trade Act of 1974, with respect to action the President much take to facilitate an industry's efforts to make a positive adjustment to certain import competition, to repeal the requirement that the cause (or threat) of serious injury be substantial to the domestic industry producing an article like or directly competitive with an article being imported into the United States in increased quantities. Defines "cause" to mean a cause that contributes significantly to serious injury (or threat) to the domestic industry but need not be equal to or greater than any other cause. (Sec. 2) Revises certain factors the International Trade Commission (ITC) must consider when investigating to determine whether an article is being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury (or threat) to the domestic industry producing an article like or directly competitive with the imported article. Repeals, similarly, the requirement that such injury be substantial. Directs the ITC, when a petition filed by an industry (or a request by the President, United States Trade Representative (USTR), a resolution of specified congressional committees, or on the ITC's own motion) requesting a positive adjustment to import competition alleges that critical circumstances exist, to make a serious injury (or threat) determination with respect to such competition not later than 45 days (currently 60 days) after such petition or request is filed. Requires the ITC with respect to petitions involving agriculture to make such determinations within 60 days (90 days if the petition alleges that critical circumstances exist) after the date the petition is filed, the request or resolution is received, or the motion is adopted. Requires the President within 20 days (currently, 30 days) after receiving an affirmative determination to provide provisional relief to prevent or remedy such injury. Requires with respect to the implementation of such provisional relief that it will not have an adverse impact on the United States substantially out of proportion to the benefits of such action. Requires provisional relief recommended by the ITC to take effect upon the enactment of a joint resolution of Congress within the 45 day (currently, 90 day) period beginning on the date that the President reports to Congress on what action, if any, is to be taken. (Sec. 3) Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to authorize an entity (including a trade association, firm, certified or recognized union, or group of workers which is representative of a domestic industry that produces an agricultural product that is like or directly competitive with an imported agricultural product) to file a request to monitor such imports, based on a petition that alleges that an article is being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to cause serious injury (or threat) to the domestic industry. Requires the President to determine whether to monitor within 45 days after receiving a request. (Sec. 4) Authorizes the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in order to facilitate the early identification of potentially disruptive import surges, to grant an exception to the publication dates established for the release of data on U.S. international trade in goods and services in order to permit public access to preliminary international trade import data, if the Director notifies Congress of the early release of such data. (Sec. 5) Amends the Customs Procedural Reform and Simplification Act of 1978 to establish an Agricultural Import Monitoring and Enforcement Program. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Commerce, and the ITC to establish a suffix to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States for merchandise that is subject to countervailing duty orders or antidumping duty orders. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary of Commerce to monitor, and report to Congress on, imports (including agricultural products and other import-sensitive products) on a quarterly basis for import surges and potential unfair trade through 2005. (Sec. 8) Directs the ITC to investigate, collect information, and report to specified congressional committees on anticompetitive practices in international trade of agricultural products. Requires the ITC's findings to be included in the National Trade Estimate report.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1999
Mothers and Newborns Health Insurance Act of 1999 - Amends title XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to give States, subject to specified guidelines, the authority to provide for: (1) optional coverage of pregnancy-related assistance for targeted low-income pregnant women under the State's CHIP plan; and (2) automatic eligibility and enrollment for child health assistance under the State's CHIP plan for children born to targeted low-income pregnant women receiving such pregnancy-related assistance when the child is born until the child attains one year of age. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to the transitional increased Federal matching rate for increased administrative costs related to Medicaid-eligibility determinations of individuals receiving aid or assistance under SSA title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF). Removes Medicaid- eligibility determinations with regard to TANF recipients from such provisions. Repeals the termination of authorization for the increased Federal matching rate. Includes as administrative expenditures those attributable to the administrative costs of CHIP-eligibility determinations with regard to children and pregnant women and outreach to such populations likely to be eligible for such benefits. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a procedure under which, if a State does not obligate available amounts, local and community-based organizations in CHIP and Medicaid, with State approval, may seek to have administrative costs relating to outreach and enrollment of children and pregnant women treated as State administrative costs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1999
Leif Ericson Millennium Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one-dollar silver coins, in conjunction with the simultaneous minting and issuance of commemorative coins by the Republic of Iceland, in commemoration of the millennium of the discovery of the New World by Leif Ericson. Mandates that all coin surcharges be paid to the Leifur Eirikson Foundation for the purpose of funding student exchanges between the United States and Iceland.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 1999
Disaster Mitigation Act of 1999 - Title I: Predisaster Hazard Mitigation - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Act) to authorize the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a program of technical and financial assistance to States and local governments that implement predisaster mitigation activities to reduce injuries and loss of life and property damage and destruction, including damage to critical infrastructures and facilities. Authorizes the Director to provide financial assistance from the National Predisaster Mitigation Fund (established under this Act) to each State and local government that has identified all natural disaster hazards in its jurisdiction and has demonstrated its ability to form effective public-private disaster mitigation partnerships, to be used: (1) principally to implement the predisaster hazard mitigation measures contained in proposals approved by the Director; (2) to support effective public-private partnerships; (3) to ensure that new community development and construction is disaster resistant; and (4) to improve the assessment of a community's natural hazards vulnerabilities or establish a community's mitigation priorities. (Sec. 103) Increases from 15 to 20 percent the maximum contribution for hazard mitigation costs with respect to a major disaster declared under the Act after the date of enactment of this Act. (Sec. 104) Directs the President to designate as a natural disaster mitigation zone each area in which commonly recurring natural hazards (floods, hurricanes and severe winds, seismic events) create a substantial likelihood of disasters that may require assistance under the Act. Requires flood and wind zones identified under the national flood insurance program to be so designated as such zones. Requires the President to direct all appropriate Federal agencies to integrate, or develop and maintain, comprehensive all-hazard maps using global information systems technology. Authorizes the President to identify appropriate disaster mitigation policies, requiring such policies to include certain wind impact standards. Requires Federal buildings to be designed and constructed in accordance with voluntary minimum building codes, test methods, specifications, and the mitigation policies identified by the President. Authorizes the President to provide certain incentives to encourage builders to implement such codes, specifications, and policies. (Sec. 105) Directs the President to establish an interagency task force to coordinate the implementation of predisaster mitigation programs administered by the Federal Government. Title II: Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Assistance - Amends the Act to direct the President to promulgate regulations under which States, communities, and other disaster assistance applicants are required to protect property through adequate levels of insurance or self-insurance. (Sec. 202) Directs the President to: (1) establish management cost rates for disaster preparedness and mitigation assistance grantees and subgrantees; (2) review such rates at least every three years; and (3) promulgate regulations to define costs to be included in such management costs. (Sec. 203) Authorizes the President to make contributions to: (1) a State or local government for the repair, restoration, reconstruction, or replacement of a public facility damaged or destroyed by a major disaster and for associated expenses; and (2) to the owner or operator of a private nonprofit facility for such purposes (with specified conditions). Limits the Federal share of assistance provided to 75 percent of such costs, with an authorized Federal share reduction for a facility: (1) that has previously been damaged on more than one occasion by the same type of event; and (2) has not implemented mitigation measures. Authorizes a State or local government or owner of a public nonprofit facility, in lieu of restoring a facility, to receive a Federal contribution (limited to a 75 percent Federal share) and to repair or restore other facilities, construct new facilities, or fund hazard mitigation measures. Provides funding limits. Provides for the determination of eligible costs and the modification of such costs. Requires the President, acting through the FEMA Director, to establish an expert panel for the determination of such costs. (Sec. 204) Rewrites temporary housing assistance provisions of the Act. Authorizes the President to provide financial assistance and, if necessary, direct services to households that, as a direct result of a major disaster, have necessary expenses and serious needs and are unable to meet such expenses and needs through other means, including insurance proceeds or loans or other financial assistance from the Small Business Administration (SBA) or another Federal agency. Authorizes the President to provide financial or other appropriate assistance (for up to 18 months) to households that are displaced or whose primary residences are rendered uninhabitable as a result of a major disaster. Authorizes the President to provide the following types of housing assistance: (1) financial assistance to households to rent alternate housing, existing rental units, manufactured housing, recreational vehicles, or other readily fabricated dwellings; (2) housing units directly to households who would be unable to use the financial assistance; (3) up to $5,000 each to households for emergency repairs necessary to return residences, utilities, and related infrastructure to a habitable or functioning condition; and (4) financial or direct assistance to construct permanent housing in insular areas outside the continental United States and other remote locations if no alternative housing resources are available, temporary housing assistance is unavailable or infeasible, and the household has applied and been determined ineligible for an SBA disaster loan. Sets forth terms and conditions governing the location and disposal of fabricated dwellings provided under this section. Authorizes the President to provide financial assistance: (1) on a temporary basis in the form of mortgage or rental payments to individuals or families who, because of financial hardship, are at risk of dispossession or eviction after a major disaster; (2) to meet disaster-related medical, dental, or funeral expenses; and (3) to address disaster-related personal property, transportation, and other expenses or needs. Requires the substantial involvement of affected States in administering assistance under this section. Limits to $25,000 the maximum amount of financial assistance that a household may receive for a single major disaster. (Sec. 205) Authorizes a State to apply to the President for delegation of the authority to administer the hazard mitigation grant program under the Act. (Sec. 206) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on an estimate of the reduction in Federal assistance that has resulted and is likely to result from the enactment of this Act. (Sec. 207) Authorizes the President to provide assistance to local governments (currently, only States) for the management and control of any fire on public or private forest land or grassland which threatens destruction that would constitute a major disaster. (Sec. 208) Requires the President to provide an opportunity for public comment before adopting any new or modified policy governing implementation of the FEMA-administered major disaster public assistance program. Requires consultation with program grantees. (Sec. 209) Prohibits major disaster community loans from exceeding $5 million. Prohibits further assistance to a community that is in arrears on payments under a previous loan. Title III: Miscellaneous - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to add, for purposes of eligibility for public safety officers' death benefits, individuals serving in a public agency, with FEMA, or with a State or local emergency management agency and performing official duties relating to a major disaster that are determined to be hazardous duties. (Sec. 304) Prohibits the initiation of an administrative action to recover any payment made to a State or local government for emergency or disaster assistance under the Act after three years from date of transmission of the final expenditure report for such emergency or disaster. Provides a rebuttable assumption that adequate records were maintained identifying the source and application of such funds. (Sec. 305) Designates Texas Task Force One in College Station, Texas, as a federally recognized member of the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1999
Medicare Beneficiary Access to Care Act of 1999 - Title I: Hospitals - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to: (1) multiyear transition to prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department services and a special rule for rural and cancer hospitals; (2) limitation in reduction of payments to disproportionate share (DSH) hospitals; (3) revision of criteria for designation as a critical access hospital; and (4) sole community and Medicare-dependent, small rural hospitals and the applicable percentage increase for FY 2000 and each subsequent fiscal year. (Sec. 103) Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to increase DSH hospital allotments for Minnesota, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA '97) to make the Medicaid DSH transition rule permanent. Title II: Graduate Medical Education - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to revision of multiyear reduction of indirect graduate medical education (GME) payments. (Sec. 202) Amends SSA title XVIII parts D (Miscellaneous) and C (Medicare+Choice) with respect to acceleration of payment to hospitals of indirect and direct GME costs for Medicare+Choice enrollees. (Sec. 203) Amends SSA title XVIII part C with respect to the exclusion of nursing and allied health education costs in calculating the Medicare+Choice payment rate. Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to: (1) payment to hospitals of nursing and allied health education program costs for Medicare+Choice enrollees; and (2) adjustments to limitations on the number of interns and residents and GME payments for certain interns and residents. Title III: Hospice Care - Amends SSA title XVIII to increase payments for routine home care and other services included in hospice care for a fiscal year after FY 1999. Title IV: Skilled Nursing Facilities - Provides that, for purposes of applying any formula under the PPS for covered skilled nursing facility services (SNFs) for services provided between April 1, 2000, and the end of FY 2001, the Secretary shall increase, by a specified applicable payment add-on, the adjusted Federal per diem rate otherwise determined for services provided to any individual during the period in which such individual is in a RUG III case mix category. (Sec. 402) Amends SSA title XVIII to exclude clinical social worker services and services performed under a contract with a rural health clinic or a Federally-qualified health center from the PPS for SNFs, as well as certain ambulance services, chemotherapy administration services, and other specified items, services, and devices, including swing beds in critical access hospitals. Title V: Outpatient Rehabilitation Services - Amends title XVIII to repeal for three years a specified financial limitation on outpatient physical therapy services, outpatient occupational therapy services, and outpatient speech-language pathology services covered under Medicare and furnished on or after January 1, 2000. Directs the Secretary to implement by January 1, 2003, a payment system for such services that takes into account the needs of Medicare beneficiaries for differing amounts of therapy based on certain factors. Title VI: Physicians' Services - Amends SSA title XVIII with respect to payment for physicians' services to revise the formula for determining the update adjustment factor and the formula for determining the sustainable growth rate for all physicians' services. (Sec. 602) Directs the Secretary to publish in the Federal Register an estimate of the single conversion factor to be used in the next calendar year for reimbursement of physicians' services, and data on which such estimate is based. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPac) to review annually and report to the Secretary and specified congressional committees on such estimates and data. Title VII: Home Health - Amends BBA '97 and SSA title XVIII to delay application of the 15 percent reduction in payment rates for home health services until one year after implementation of the PPS for home health services. (Sec. 702) Amends SSA title XVIII to increase the FY 2000 per visit limit for home health agencies furnishing home health services, but in such a way that has no effect on the PPS for home health services. (Sec. 703) Requires the Secretary to pay such excess reasonable cost to a home health services provider that furnishes services appropriate to an individual's condition at a reasonable cost which significantly exceeds the applicable per beneficiary limit because of unusual variations in the type or amount of medically necessary care required. (Sec. 704) Eliminates the 15-minute billing requirement for the payment of claims for home health services furnished on or after October 1, 1998. (Sec. 705) Provides that, in the case of an overpayment by the Secretary to a home health agency for services furnished during a cost reporting period beginning on or after October 1, 1997, as a result of certain payment limitations, the home health agency may elect to repay the amount of such overpayment ratably over a 36-month period beginning on the overpayment notification date. (Sec. 706) Amends SSA title XVIII to include medical supplies (but not durable medical equipment) as home health services for purposes of home health consolidated billing. Title VIII: Medicare+Choice - Amends Medicare part C to delay the submission of proposed premiums, adjusted community rates, and related information each Medicare+Choice organization is required to submit to the Secretary for each Medicare+Choice plan for the service area in which it is intended to be offered in the following year. (Sec. 802) Reduces from five years to three years the general exclusion period for Medicare+Choice organizations whose contract has been terminated. (Sec. 803) Authorizes enrollment in alternative Medicare+Choice plans and Medigap coverage in the event of an involuntary termination of Medicare+Choice enrollment. Guarantees access for certain Medicare beneficiaries to Medigap policies in case of such an involuntary termination. (Sec. 804) Removes certain age-related restrictions with respect to Medigap protection against medical condition or pre-existing condition discrimination. Permits an individual who develops end-stage renal disease while enrolled in a Medicare+Choice plan and remains so enrolled to elect to continue enrollment in another Medicare+Choice plan if the original enrollment is discontinued. (Sec. 805) Extends the Medicare+Choice disenrollment window for certain involuntarily terminated enrollees. (Sec. 806) Provides under the Medicare+Choice program for continuation of any State law that requires the comprehensive coverage of prescription drugs, or any regulation that carries out such a law if: (1) the State has a waiver in effect with respect to requiring such coverage under Medigap policies; or (2) the Secretary provides for a waiver for the State to impose such a requirement. (Sec. 807) Exempts certain frail elderly Medicare+Choice beneficiaries from the risk-adjustment system if they are enrolled in a specialized program for the frail elderly. Sets forth special rules for frail elderly Medicare+Choice beneficiaries enrolled in such specialized programs. Provides for continuous open enrollment for certain such beneficiaries. Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a program to measure the quality of care provided in specialized programs for the frail elderly in order to reflect their unique health aspects and needs. (Sec. 808) Extends for an additional three years Medicare community nursing and ambulatory care demonstration projects under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987. Title IX: Clinics - Amends SSA title XIX to establish a new PPS for Federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics under which the State Medicaid plan may provide for payment in any fiscal year to such a center or clinic for certain services in an amount exceeding the amount otherwise required to be paid under the PPS.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1999
Veterans Benefits Administration Improvement Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to the congressional veterans' committees, the Senate Majority Leader, and the Speaker of the House (the entities) a comprehensive plan for the improvement of the processing of claims for veterans' compensation and pension. Requires such plan to include the training of claims adjudicators and the enhancement of accountability standards to improve the timeliness and accuracy of such claims processing. Directs the Secretary to implement the plan within 60 days after its submission. Allows for plan modifications, but requires prior notification to the entities followed by a 30-day waiting period. Requires biannual reports from the Secretary to the entities assessing plan implementation.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1999
Urges the President to: (1) seek a global consensus supporting a permanent international moratorium on tariffs on electronic commerce, including a ban on special, multiple, and discriminatory taxation of electronic commerce and the Internet; (2) instruct the U.S. delegation to the November 1999 World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial meeting in Seattle, Washington, to seek to make permanent the moratorium on tariffs on electronic transmissions adopted by the WTO in May 1998; (3) seek adoption by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development of an international ban on special, multiple, or discriminatory taxation of electronic commerce and the Internet; and (4) oppose any proposal by any country, the United Nations, or any other multilateral organization to establish a bit tax on electronic transmissions.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1999
Authorizes the President to eliminate, or provide staged rate reductions on, any duties imposed on certain environmental products, provided: (1) the President determines that any existing duty or other import restriction of any country or the United States is unduly burdening or restricting U.S. trade with respect to such products; and (2) the United States enters into an agreement to eliminate or reduce such duty or remove such burden or restriction with respect to such product as part of a multilateral negotiation under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Requires that certain conditions be met before the President can take such action.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1999
Designates October 10 through October 16, 1999, as National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Week. Commits to increasing the quality of life for individuals with Cystic Fibrosis by promoting public knowledge and understanding in a manner that will result in earlier diagnoses, more fund raising efforts for research, and increased levels of support for Cystic Fibrosis sufferers and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1999
Condemns the repressive anti-Baha'i policies and actions of the Government of Iran. Continues to hold such Government responsible for upholding the rights of all its nationals in a manner consistent with Iran's obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and other international agreements guaranteeing the civil and political rights of its citizens. Expresses concern that individual Baha'is continue to suffer from severely repressive and discriminatory government actions, including executions and death sentences, solely on account of their religion. Urges the Government of Iran to: (1) permit Baha'i students to attend and Baha'i faculty to teach at Iranian universities, return property confiscated from the Baha'i Open University (OU), free imprisoned faculty members of OU, and permit OU to continue to function; (2) implement fully the conclusions and recommendations on the emancipation of the Iranian Baha'i community made by the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance, Professor Abdelfattah Amor, in his March 1996 report to the UN Commission of Human Rights; and (3) extend to the Baha'i community the rights guaranteed by UDHR and the international covenants of human rights. Calls upon the President to continue to: (1) assert the U.S. Government's concern regarding Iran's violations of the rights of its citizens, including members of the Baha'i community, along with expressions of its concern regarding the Iranian Government's support for international terrorism and its efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction; (2) emphasize that the United States regards the Iranian Government's human rights practices, particularly its treatment of such community and other religious minorities, as a significant factor in the development of the U.S. Government's relations with the Government of Iran; (3) emphasize the need for the UN Special Representative for Human Rights to be granted permission to enter Iran; (4) urge the Iranian Government to emancipate the Baha'i community by granting rights guaranteed by UDHR and the international covenants on human rights; and (5) encourage other governments to continue to appeal to the Iranian Government, and to cooperate with other governments and international organizations, including the UN, in efforts to protect the religious rights of the Baha'is and other minorities through joint appeals and other appropriate actions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1999
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act Amendments of 1999 - Amends the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (the Act) to expand the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's authority to accept and administer private gifts within the Departments of Commerce and the Interior. (Sec. 3) Increases the Foundation's Board of Directors from 15 to 25 members, including the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. (Sec. 4) Authorizes the Foundation to have its principal offices in Washington, D.C. (as currently provided), or in the bordering counties of Maryland or Virginia. Sets forth conditions for the Foundation to: (1) acquire and convey property, including agency approval; and (2) invest and deposit Federal funds. Revises provisions relating to agency approval of acquisitions of property and of conveyances and grants. Sets forth limitations relating to the Foundation's: (1) reconveyance of real property; and (2) expenditures for printing services or capital equipment. (Sec. 5) Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2004 for the Departments of Commerce and the Interior to carry out activities under the Act (conservation or management of fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources). Authorizes the Foundation to accept funds from a Federal agency under any other Federal law to further its conservation and management activities. Sets forth matching funds requirements. Prohibits Foundation grants from being used for litigation expenses or for lobbying Congress. Declares that nothing in this Act authorizes the Foundation to perform any function for which authority is provided to the National Park Foundation by specified Federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1999
Designates the Old Executive Office Building located at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in Washington, D.C., as the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1999
Agricultural Trade Fairness Act of 1999 - Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to take specified measures to protect the interests of producers of U.S. agricultural commodities and ensure the international competitiveness of U.S. agriculture if the European Union (EU) does not: (1) by January 1, 2002, reduce agricultural export subsidies by at least 50 percent of the level of such subsidies provided as of October 1, 1999; or (2) by January 1, 2003, enter into an agricultural trade agreement under which it agrees to eliminate such subsidies.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1999
Agricultural Trade Fairness Act of 1999 - Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to take specified measures to protect the interests of producers of U.S. agricultural commodities and ensure the international competitiveness of U.S. agriculture if the European Union (EU) does not: (1) by January 1, 2002, reduce agricultural export subsidies by at least 50 percent; or (2) by January 1, 2003, enter into an agricultural trade agreement under which it agrees to eliminate such subsidies.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1999
Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments (timber related funds plus other Treasury funds as necessary to meet specified payment levels) to: (1) States from Forest Service lands for affected counties to use for public education and transportation; and (2) counties from Bureau of Land Management lands for public safety, law enforcement, education, and other public purposes. Obligates funds from such payments for eligible States and counties for resource management and Federal land restoration. Sets forth eligibility provisions. Requires the establishment of an Investment Project Advisory Committee for each National Forest and Bureau of Land Management district managing Federal lands. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1999
Small Rural Provider Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exclude small rural providers from the prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department services. Makes this Act retroactive to the enactment of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1999
Establishes in Congress the Congressional Trade Office. Sets forth the purposes and functions of such Office, including to: (1) reassert the constitutional responsibility of Congress with respect to international trade; (2) assist Congress in providing more effective oversight of trade policy; (3) monitor compliance with major bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade agreements; (4) provide Congress with more analytical capability on trade issues; and (5) perform certain dispute resolution functions with respect to the World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement. Authorizes the Director of the Office, in carrying out his or her duties, to obtain information from, and use the services of, the General Accounting Office, the Library of Congress, and other congressional offices. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 1999
Risk Management for the 21st Century Act - Title I: Crop Insurance Coverage - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to provide that the Commodity Credit Corporation, with respect to prevented planting crop insurance, shall: (1) provide equal coverage levels for all covered commodities; (2) require area-wide conditions for payment; and (3) permit (noninsurable) substitute plantings. (Sec. 102) Directs the Corporation to develop alternative rates and methodologies for rating insurance plans, which shall take into account nonparticipating producers and producers participating only in catastrophic risk protection. Grants priority to commodities with the largest acreage and the lowest percentage of participating producers. (Sec. 103) Directs the Corporation to offer optional quality adjustment policies. (Sec. 104) Directs the Office of Risk Management to rewrite catastrophic risk protection rates. (Sec. 105) Revises payment price levels (expected market price) for each insured commodity. Provides for mandatory and discretionary partial premium payments by the Corporation. (Sec. 106) Directs the Corporation to provide premium discounts for qualifying risk-reducing production practices. (Sec. 107) Directs the Corporation to assign yields with respect to: (1) farmers who have not farmed the insured crop for more than two years; (2) new land; and (3) new crops. (Sec. 108) Defines "producer that has suffered a multiyear disaster." Permits such a producer to eliminate certain years from actual production history calculation. Requires the Corporation in such circumstances to pay specified premium portions. Terminates such exclusion authority when insurance is available to cover multiple crop year disaster losses. (Sec. 109) Amends the Agricultural Market Transition Act with respect to the noninsured crop disaster assistance program to: (1) authorize combining of crop types or varieties into a single eligible crop; (2) require producers to report annually; (3) eliminate area loss requirements; (4) set forth new eligible crop provisions; and (5) establish a service fee for each eligible crop, to be used for program administrative and operating costs. Title II: Pilot Programs - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to provide that: (1) the Specialty Crops Coordinator shall administer the gross revenue pilot programs for specialty crops; and (2) such programs shall be expanded to additional counties in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, and other States as the Coordinator determines. (Sec. 202) Directs the Corporation to carry out a low-risk producer pilot program. (Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a revenue insurance pilot program for hog and cattle producers in specified Iowa counties. Obligates funds for such program. (Sec. 204) Directs the Secretary to carry out a pilot program for coverage of specialty crops and uninsured commodities and livestock through whole farm revenue insurance. (Sec. 205) Amends the Agricultural Market Transition Act to include hog and cattle producers in the options pilot program. (Sec. 206) Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to obligate funds for pilot programs (other than the revenue insurance pilot program for hog and cattle producers ). Title III: Administration - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to revise the membership of the Corporation's Board of Directors. (Sec. 302) Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to place the Office of Risk Management under the Board. Authorizes the Office of Risk Management to enter into private and public entity partnerships to increase availability of risk management tools for specialty crop producers. Obligates funds for such activities. (Sec. 303) Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to direct the Secretary to establish an Office of Private Sector Partnership to provide specified Board-private sector liaison functions. Obligates funding for such activities. (Sec. 304) Increases monetary penalties for intentionally providing false insurance information. Authorizes disbarment from Department of Agriculture programs for such violations. (Sec. 306) Directs the Corporation to establish a crop insurance compliance monitoring program. (Sec. 307) Authorizes the Coordinator to make grants and enter into contracts for research and development activities for new or revised insurance policies for specialty crops. Directs the Corporation and the Coordinator to conduct a study of new insurance policies for specialty crops. (Sec. 308) Directs the Board to review insurance plans for adequacy of coverage, and recommend that the Office of Risk Management develop plans for inadequately covered commodities. (Sec. 309) Prohibits purchasing insurance for more than one crop per year on the same acreage unless the producer or the acreage has a previous history of double-cropping. (Sec. 310) Provides for State consultation concerning such policies of insurance offered in the State. (Sec. 311) Authorizes specified insurance plan fees. (Sec. 312) Requires reinsurance agreements to provide for risk sharing between the Corporation and the reinsured company. Title IV: Miscellaneous - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to define "program crop" and "specialty crop."
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 1999
Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. Government should pursue certain objectives regarding agriculture, services, industrial market access, and certain other trade-related issues (including World Trade Organization (WTO) institutional issues) in any negotiations undertaken with respect to the next round of multilateral trade negotiations at the WTO Ministerial Meeting in Seattle, Washington. Directs the United States Trade Representative to ensure that negotiations do not weaken existing agreements or create opportunities for imposition of new barriers in the areas of dumping and antidumping, competition policy, investment, and textiles and apparel.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Superfund Recycling Equity Act of 1999 - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to absolve persons (other than owners or operators) who arranged for the recycling of recyclable material from liability for environmental response actions. Deems transactions involving scrap paper, plastic, glass, textiles, or rubber (other than whole tires) to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that the following criteria were met: (1) the recyclable material met a commercial specification grade and a market existed for the material; (2) a substantial portion of the material was made available for use as a feedstock for the manufacture of a new saleable product; (3) the material (or product to be made from the material) could have been a replacement for a virgin raw material; and (4) with respect to transactions occurring 90 days after this Act's enactment, the person exercised reasonable care to determine that the facility where the material would be managed by another was in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations. Deems transactions involving scrap metal to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; (2) he or she complied with applicable standards regarding activities associated with the recycling of scrap metals; and (3) the scrap metal was not melted prior to the transaction. Deems transactions involving spent lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, or other batteries to be arranging for recycling if the person involved demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; and (2) he or she complied with applicable Federal environmental regulations or standards regarding such batteries. Makes the exemptions from liability under this Act inapplicable if the person: (1) had an objectively reasonable basis to believe at the time of the recycling transaction that the recyclable material would not be recycled or would be burned as fuel or for energy recovery or incineration or that the consuming facility was not in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations; (2) had reason to believe that hazardous substances had been added to the material for purposes other than processing for recycling; or (3) failed to exercise reasonable care with respect to the management of the material. Makes such exemptions inapplicable if the recyclable material contained polychlorinated biphenyls in excess of 50 parts per million or any new Federal standard.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1999
Community Open Space Bonds Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide a tax credit to holders of Community Open Space bonds (as defined), the proceeds of which are used for qualified environmental infrastructure projects (as defined); and (2) establish in the Executive Branch and authorize appropriations for, a Community Open Space Bonds Board.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 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 · 4 August 1999
Wildland Firefighters Pay Equity Act of 1999 - Amends Federal Civil Service provisions regarding the computation of overtime pay to provide that: (1) the overtime hourly rate of pay for U.S. Forest Service employees in the Departments of Agriculture and Interior engaged in emergency wildland fire suppression is an amount equal to one and one-half times the hourly rate of such employees' basic pay, whether such pay falls below, equals, or exceeds the minimum rate of basic pay for GS-10; and (2) all that amount is premium pay.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1999
Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities Enhancement Act of 1999 - Amends title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) of the Social Security Act to revise additional grants requirements, providing for: (1) additional State entitlements to grants for designated qualified empowerment zones and qualified enterprise communities as well as for strategic planning communities (currently not provided for); (2) specified funding for such additional designated qualified empowerment zone State grants (according to urban or rural status) as well as for additional designated qualified enterprise community State grants and strategic planning community State grants; (3) direct grants to the governing bodies of eligible Indian tribes or Alaska Native villages or regional or village corporations, subject to certain conditions; (4) use of grant funds for revolving loan fund loans to residents, institutions, organizations, or businesses that hire disadvantaged adults and youths; and (5) environmental review to ensure that the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and other applicable Federal law are most effectively implemented in connection with the expenditure of grant funds under SSA title XX additional grants provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1999
United States Capitol Visitor Center Commemorative Coin Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue ten-dollar bimetallic coins, one-dollar silver coins, half-dollar clad coins, and if the Secretary determines that the minting and issuance of bimetallic coins is not feasible, five-dollar gold coins emblematic of the first meeting of the United States Congress in the U.S. Capitol Building. Mandates that all surcharges received from the coin sales be deposited in the Capitol Preservation Fund and made available to the U.S. Capitol Preservation Commission to aid in the construction, maintenance, and preservation of a Capitol Visitor Center.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1999
Public School Modernization and Overcrowding Relief Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide a limited credit for qualified public school modernization bonds; (2) provide for qualified school construction bonds and qualified zone academy bonds and establish limits and allocation formulas for such bonds; (3) provide for the treatment of qualified public educational facility bonds as exempt facility bonds; (4) increase the amount by which certain governmental bonds used to finance public school capital expenditures may be exempted from specified arbitrage bond provisions; (5) revise provisions concerning advance refundings of bonds.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1999
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to require the U.S. Trade Representative to appear before specified congressional committees (including the Committee on Ways and Means of the House) to provide: (1) an analysis of the contents of the National Trade Estimate (identification of acts, policies, or practices of foreign countries which constitute significant barriers to U.S. goods or services, U.S. investment, and U.S. electronic commerce); and (2) an outline of the actions (or reasons for not taking action) to eliminate such acts, policies, or practices.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1999
Species Conservation Tax Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income payments received under the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. Allows, as a charitable deduction, a qualified conservation contribution which provides for the conservation of a designated endangered species. Excludes from the estate tax certain real property subject to an endangered species conservation agreement. Repeals specified property location restrictions on the estate tax exclusion for property subject to a qualified conservation easement.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1999
Calls upon the Senate, when it adjourns on July 19, 1999, to do so as a further mark of respect for the grieving families of John F. Kennedy, Jr., Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and Lauren Bessette.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1999
Father Theodore M. Hesburgh Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a 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.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1999
Single Point Tax Filing Act of 1999 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise a provision providing for the disclosure of tax return information for purposes of a demonstration project. Permits, under the revised provision, the disclosure of taxpayer identity information and signatures to any agency, body, or commission of any State for the purpose of carrying out a combined Federal and State employment tax reporting program.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1999
Safety Net Preservation Act of 1999 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish a new prospective payment system for federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1999
S. 01265 (rd) DGST MRL H.R. 01402 DGST MRL Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement the Class I milk price structure known as Option A as part of the final rule to consolidate Federal milk marketing orders.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1999
Elementary and Secondary School Library Media Resources, Training, and Advanced Technology Assistance Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to establish a program to provide for elementary and secondary school library media resources, including mandatory State allotments for library media resources and discretionary grants for school library access during non-school hours. Directs the Secretary of Education to make such allotments to applicant State educational agencies (SEAs) according to a specified formula. Allows the SEA and the Secretary to reserve specified amounts for certain statewide and national activities, including information dissemination. Requires SEAs to make allocations to applicant local educational agencies (LEAs) that have: (1) the greatest need for school library media improvement; and (2) the highest percentages of poverty. Sets forth authorized uses of such funds by LEAs, including: (1) acquisition of resources, including books; (2) acquisition of advanced technology; (3) resource-sharing among schools and their library media centers and public and academic libraries; (4) professional development for school library media specialists; and (5) collaboration between such specialists and teachers and administrators. Sets forth accountability requirements for continuation of funding. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to applicant LEAs to provide students with access to libraries in elementary schools and secondary schools during non-school hours, including the hours before and after school, weekends, and summer vacation periods. Requires that priority be given to LEAs that: (1) seek to provide activities that will increase reading skills and student achievement; (2) have effectively coordinated services and funding with entities involved in other Federal, State, and local efforts to provide programs and activities for students during non-school hours; and (3) have a high level of community support. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1999
Spaceport Investment Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide the same treatment for spaceports as is provided for airports under the exempt facility bond rules.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1999
Commends the armed forces, President Clinton, specified military and administration officials, and the NATO forces on the success of Operation Allied Force. Demands from Slobodan Milosevic the withdrawal of all Yugoslav and Serb forces from Kosovo, a permanent end to hostilities there, the return of Kosovo citizens to their homes, and unimpeded access to Kosovo for humanitarian relief operations. Urges the leadership of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) to ensure KLA compliance with ceasefire and demilitarization obligations. Calls for full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and assistance in bringing indicted war criminals, including Milosevic and other Serb military and political leaders, to justice.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1999
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers Act - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize a group of agricultural commodity producers to file with the Secretary of Labor a petition for a certification of eligibility to apply for trade adjustment assistance. Sets forth specified group eligibility requirements. Requires the Secretary to determine whether the petitioning group meets such requirements and, if so, to issue a certification of eligibility to apply for such assistance. Requires the International Trade Commission to notify the Secretary immediately whenever it begins an investigation into whether an agricultural commodity is being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause or threat of serious injury to a domestic industry producing an agricultural commodity like or directly competitive with the imported agricultural commodity. Requires the Secretary, upon such notification, to study and report to the President and the public on: (1) the number of agricultural commodity producers who have been or are likely to be certified as eligible for trade adjustment assistance; and (2) the extent to which the adjustment of such producers to the import competition may be facilitated through the use of existing programs. Directs the Secretary to provide agricultural commodity producers with information about trade adjustment assistance petition and application procedures, benefit allowances, training, and other employment services. Sets forth certain eligibility requirements for the payment of trade adjustment assistance to adversely affected agricultural commodity producers. Limits to $10,000 the maximum annual amount of cash benefits a producer may receive. Provides for the repayment and recovery of overpayments of trade adjustment assistance made to such producers due to fraud. Sets forth penalties. Authorizes appropriations.
![Official portrait of Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000243_200.jpg)