United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2001
Department of Energy Advanced Scientific Computing Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to support a program to advance the Nation's computing capability across a diverse set of grand challenge computationally based science problems. Amends the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 to instruct the Secretary to include as part of the National High-Performance Computing Program an integrated program of research, development, and provision of facilities to develop and deploy to scientific and technical users the high-performance computing and collaboration tools needed to fulfill the statutory missions of the Department of Energy in conducting basic and applied energy research. Directs the Secretary to ensure that such program is integrated and consistent with the National Nuclear Security Agency's Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative and with other national efforts related to advanced scientific computing for science and engineering.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States-Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement of 1996 should terminate with no extension; (2) the President should continue talks with Canada to promote open trade of softwood lumber between the two countries; and (3) the President should consult with consumers in future discussions regarding such trade.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2001
Postmasters Fairness and Rights Act - Amends Federal law to prescribe guidelines within which the Postal Service shall propose changes in pay policies, schedules, and fringe benefit programs affecting postmasters which are to be in effect during the period covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the Postal Service and certain recognized bargaining representatives. Grants certain qualified postmasters' organizations the right to participate in program planning and development pertaining to pay policies, schedules, and fringe benefits.
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
Technology for Teachers Act of 2001 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) with respect to ESEA title III technology for education. Requires local applications for school technology resource grants to demonstrate how local educational agencies will use portions of such funds for in-service teacher training. Establishes a program authorizing the Secretary of Education, through the Office of Educational Technology, to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible consortia for developing or redesigning teacher preparation programs to enable prospective teachers to use technology effectively in their classrooms.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2001
State Criminal Alien Assistance Program II and Local Medical Emergency Reimbursement Act - State Criminal Alien Assistance Program II Act of 2001 - Amends the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 to provide for the reimbursement of States for indirect costs of incarcerating illegal aliens. Defines such costs as: (1) court costs, county attorney costs, and non-trial criminal proceedings; (2) indigent defense; and (3) unsupervised probation costs. Provides for the reimbursement of States for costs of incarcerating juvenile aliens. Provides that reimbursement of States for incarcerating illegal aliens and certain Cuban nationals shall be allocated to give special consideration for any State that: (1) shares a border with Mexico or Canada; or (2) has a large number of undocumented aliens. Authorizes appropriations for allotments to States to be paid to local governments, hospitals, and other providers for emergency health services provided to undocumented aliens. Provides special consideration for providers: (1) in a border county with Mexico or Canada; or (2) in an area with a large number of undocumented aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2001
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a commemorative postage stamp should be issued by the U.S. Postal Service in honor of the U.S.S. Wisconsin and all those who served aboard her; and (2) the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend to the Postmaster General that such a postage stamp be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2001
Early Education Act of 2001 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish an early education program of grants to States to provide programs for at least half-day schooling during the academic year preceding kindergarten. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award such matching grants to not less than ten State educational agencies (SEAs) to expand the existing education system with programs that provide such early education. Requires each such assisted program to: (1) be carried out by one or more local educational agencies (LEAs), as selected by the SEA; (2) be carried out in a public school building, or in another facility by, or through a contract or agreement with, an LEA; (3) be available to all children served by the LEA carrying out the program; and (4) only involve licensed or certified instructors.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2001
Southwest Border Judgeship Act of 2001 - Directs the President to appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, specified: (1) permanent judgeships (five additional district judges for the southern district of California, one additional district judge for the district of New Mexico, one additional district judge for the southern district of Texas, and two additional district judges for the western district of Texas); and (2) temporary judgeships (four additional district judges for the district of Arizona, three additional district judges for the southern district of California, one additional district judge for the district of New Mexico, and one additional district judge for the Western district of Texas).
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2001
School Improvement Accountability Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise ESEA title I programs for helping disadvantaged schoolchildren, with respect to: (1) reservations of funds for schools identified for corrective action or improvement; (2) accountability for yearly progress under State plans, assessments, and improvement aid; and (3) financial incentives for comprehensive school reform. Revises ESEA title II teacher professional development programs to require: (1) State plans to include goals for increasing numbers of fully qualified teachers; and (2) local educational agencies (LEA) to notify parents of their right to information about teacher qualifications. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to certain congressional committees on progress in States' compliance in increasing the percentage of fully qualified teachers. Revises ESEA title VI innovative education programs to add requirements for State plans, sanctions, reports, standards, and assessment enhancements. Requires performance objectives for States and LEAs receiving funds for programs to assist limited English proficiency students under ESEA title VII. Directs the Secretary, under ESEA general provisions, to make: (1) grants to States for annual State, LEA, and school report cards on elementary and secondary educational quality; and (2) awards to States, for distribution to LEAs and schools, for high performance in education.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2001
SBP Benefits Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends Federal provisions concerning the military Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) to adjust the basic SBP annuity amount for surviving spouses age 62 or over of former military personnel to: (1) 35 percent of the retired pay of the decedent, for months beginning on or before the enactment of this Act (current law); (2) 40 percent of such pay, for months beginning after such date and before October 2004; (3) 45 percent, for months beginning after September 2004; and (4) 55 percent, for months beginning after September 2011. Adjusts similarly the authorized percentage amounts of SBP supplemental annuity authorized for such spouses. Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure appropriate adjustments in the computation of retired pay deductions for such supplemental annuities made necessary by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2001
Export Administration Act of 2001 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Commerce Control List. Specifies the kinds of export licenses the Secretary may require with respect to the export of an item on the Control List or otherwise subject to control under this Act. Provides, under specified circumstances, that a license shall not be required for the export of after-market service or replacement parts. Authorizes the President to prohibit, curtail, or require a license, or other authorization for the export of an item subject to the national security export control regimes under this Act. Sets forth the purposes of such controls, including restriction on the export of items (including weapons of mass destruction) that would contribute to the military potential of countries so as to be detrimental to the national security of the United States. Requires the Secretary to establish a National Security Control List as part of the Control List. Requires the Secretary (on a continuing basis, upon a request from the Office of Technology Evaluation, or upon receipt of a petition filed by an interested party) to review and determine the foreign availability and the mass-market status of any item for export control under this Act. Authorizes the President, subject to specified exceptions, to prohibit, curtail, or require a license, other authorization, recordkeeping, or reporting for the export of an item subject to the foreign policy export control regimes under this Act. Requires a license for the export to a terrorist-supporting country of any item that could make a significant contribution to the country's military potential, or could enhance its ability to support acts of international terrorism. Exempts agricultural commodities, medicine, and medical supplies from the foreign policy export controls imposed under this Act, except for any such items that are subject to the national security export controls of this Act or are listed on the U.S. Munitions List, or would otherwise be exported to a country against which an embargo is in effect under the Trading With the Enemy Act. Sets forth procedures for the processing of export license applications, including their screening, referral, approval or denial, and review. Declares it is U.S. policy to seek multilateral arrangements, and to continue to participate in existing and additional multilateral export control regimes, that: (1) support U.S. national security interests; and (2) establish fairer and more predictable competitive opportunities for U.S. exporters. Directs the President to issue regulations that prohibit, with specified exceptions, U.S. persons from supporting any boycott imposed by a foreign country against a country friendly to the United States that is not itself the object of a U.S. boycott. Sets forth both civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Provides, with specified exceptions, for the imposition of certain sanctions against U.S. and foreign persons who violate a multilateral export control regime or missile proliferation control regime, or contribute to the efforts of a country to develop or acquire chemical and biological weapons.
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
Veterans' Higher Education Opportunities Act of 2001 - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to change the amount of monthly veterans' educational assistance allowance under the Montgomery GI Bill from a fixed amount adjusted for inflation to an amount equal to the average monthly costs of tuition and expenses for commuter students at public institutions of higher education that award baccalaureate degrees (75 percent of such amount for veterans whose initial obligated period of active duty is two years). Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to determine such average monthly costs each year and to publish such amounts in the Federal Register.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2001 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to implement the oil and gas pipeline safety improvement recommendations in the Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General's Report (RT-2000-069). Requires each operator of a natural gas transmission pipeline and of a hazardous liquid pipeline, or, in the case of an intrastate pipeline facility operator, the appropriate State regulatory agency, to submit to the Secretary a plan designed to enhance the qualifications of pipeline personnel and reduce the likelihood of accidents and injuries. Amends Federal pipeline safety law to require the Secretary to issue regulations requiring operators of such pipelines to: (1) evaluate the risks to their pipeline facilities in environmentally sensitive areas and high-density population areas; and (2) adopt and implement a program for integrity management that reduces the risk of incident in those areas. Revises the public education program requirements for gas pipeline facility owners or operators, including specified items. Applies such requirements to owners or operators of a hazardous liquid pipeline facility. Requires an operator of a gas transmission or hazardous liquid pipeline facility to initiate and maintain liaison with the State emergency response commissions, and local emergency planning committees in the areas of pipeline right-of-way, established under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 (or, in the absence of a committee, local fire, police, and other emergency response agencies) in each State in which it operates. Increases from $25,000 to $500,000 the civil penalty for each facility operator failure to: (1) mark accurately the location of pipeline facilities in the vicinity of a demolition, excavation, tunneling, or construction; or (2) comply with safety standards, prepare and carry out an inspection and maintenance plan, allow access to records, or allow required entries or inspections. Increases the maximum civil penalty for a related series of violations from $500,000 to $1 million. Authorizes the Secretary, if a State pipeline safety program certification is accepted, to make an agreement authorizing a State authority to: (1) participate in the oversight of interstate pipeline transportation, including a plan for the State authority to participate in special investigations involving incidents or new construction, as well as (subject to specified requirements) other activities involving interstate pipeline transportation; or (2) assume additional inspection or investigatory duties. Requires any owner or operator of a hazardous liquid pipeline facility to report to the Secretary each release to the environment greater than five gallons of the hazardous liquid or carbon dioxide. Requires the Secretary, as part of the DOT research and development program, to direct research attention to the development of alternative technologies: (1) to expand the defect detection capabilities of internal inspection devices; (2) to inspect pipelines that cannot accommodate internal inspection devices available on the date of enactment; and (3) to develop innovative techniques measuring the structural integrity of pipelines. Sets forth whistle blower protections prohibiting discrimination by pipeline operators or contractors or subcontractors against employees who: (1) provide information, directly or indirectly, to the employer or the Federal Government about any alleged violation of Federal law or regulations relating to pipeline safety; (2) file a related Federal proceeding; or (3) testify or otherwise assist or participate in such a proceeding. Directs the DOT Inspector General to analyze and report to specified congressional committees on whether DOT assessment of pipeline fines and penalties are an effective deterrent for reducing safety risks. Authorizes the Secretary to study how best to preserve environmental resources in conjunction with maintaining pipeline rights-of-way.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Quality Teachers for All Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require any public elementary or secondary school that receives funds under ESEA to provide to the parents of each student information on: (1) professional qualifications of the student's teachers; and (2) minimum professional qualifications required by the State for teacher certification or licensure. Revises requirements for State plans under ESEA title I (Helping Disadvantaged Students Meet High Standards) part A (Improving Basic Programs Operated by State and Local Educational Agencies) to add teacher quality requirements. Eliminates certain part A professional development requirements with respect to instructional aides. Establishes an ESEA title I part A program of grants by the Secretary of Education to provide a Fully Qualified Teacher in Every Classroom. Authorizes States and LEAs, in order to meet the goal of a qualified teacher in every classroom, to carry out specified activities with such grants and also use for the same purpose funds received under: (1) ESEA title II (Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program); (2) ESEA title VI (Innovative Education Program Strategies); (3) title II (Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants for States and Partnerships) of the Higher Education Act of 1965; or (5) the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. Establishes a certification grants program. Authorizes the Secretary to make such grants to SEAs, LEAs, or schools that receive part A assistance, to pay for one-half of the cost of providing financial assistance to teachers in such schools who obtain certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. Prohibits the use of any ESEA funds for any professional development services for a teacher that are not directly related to the curriculum and content areas in which the teacher provides instruction.
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
Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors Act of 2001 - Requires each participating manufacturer of a covered outpatient drug to make it available for purchase by each pharmacy: (1) in an amount equal to the aggregate amount of the drug sold or distributed by the pharmacy to Medicare beneficiaries; and (2) at a price equal to the lower of either the lowest price paid for the drug by the Federal Government or the manufacturer's best price for the drug. Sets forth special provisions with respect to hospice programs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Department of Energy Nanoscale Science and Engineering Research Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy, through the Office of Science of the Department of Energy, to support a program of research and development (R&D) in nanoscience and nanoengineering, including efforts to further the understanding of the chemistry, physics, materials science, and engineering of phenomena on a scale of one to 100 nanometers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to soft money to prohibit: (1) a national committee of a political party from soliciting or receiving contributions or making expenditures not subject to FECA; (2) a national, State, district, or local committee of a political party from soliciting or donating funds to a tax-exempt organization; and (3) a candidate or an incumbent for Federal office from soliciting or receiving funds not subject to FECA, and from soliciting, receiving, directing, transferring, or spending funds in connection with any election other than an election for Federal office, or disbursing funds in connection with such an election unless the funds meet specified requirements. Establishes an individual annual limit of $10,000 for State committee contributions. Increases the aggregate individual contribution limit to $30,000. Requires national and State committees to report all receipts and disbursements. Repeals the building fund exception to the definition of contribution. Requires the filing of additional statements on electioneering communications with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). Sets out provisions with regard to electioneering communications, including rules prohibiting corporate and labor disbursements for such communications. Adds requirements for reporting certain independent expenditures to the FEC. Prohibits a committee of a political party from making both independent and coordinated expenditures for a nominee. Requires coordinated activities to be considered as contributions to and expenditures by a candidate. Lists the permitted and prohibited uses of amounts contributed by a candidate or an incumbent. Amends the Federal criminal code to revise the prohibition against campaign fundraising on Federal property. Amends FECA concerning contributions and donations by foreign nationals in connection with Federal, State, or local elections. Amends the National Labor Relations Act to codify the U. S. Supreme Court decision in Communications Workers of America et al. v. Beck et al.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Public Safety Medal of Valor Act- Authorizes the President to award, and present in the name of the Congress, a Medal of Valor to a public safety officer cited by the Attorney General, upon the recommendation of the Medal of Valor Review Board, for extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty. States that the Public Safety Medal of Valor is the highest national award for valor by a public safety officer. Establishes a Medal of Valor Review Board to select candidates to receive the Medal from among applications received by the National Medal Office. Establishes within the Department of Justice a National Medal Office to support the Board and establish criteria and procedures for the submission of nominee recommendations for the Medal. Repeals provisions of the Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 establishing the President's Award for Outstanding Public Safety Service and the Secretary of Commerce's Award for Distinguished Public Safety Service.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Dropout Prevention Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to set forth provisions for assistance to address school dropout problems, including a coordinated national strategy and a national school dropout prevention initiative. Authorizes the Secretary of Education, under the strategy, to: (1) collect systematic data on the participation of individuals, disaggregated by specified factors, in certain Federal programs; (2) establish and consult with an interagency working group; (3) carry out a national recognition and awards program for public middle and secondary schools that have made extraordinary progress in lowering school dropout rates; (4) conduct, through a non-Federal entity, a capacity building and design initiative to increase the types of proven strategies for dropout prevention and reentry that address the needs of an entire school population rather than a subset of students; and (5) provide support to eligible entities to enable them to provide training, materials, development, and staff assistance to schools assisted under the strategy. Directs the Secretary, under the initiative, to make allotments to States to award grants to public middle schools or secondary schools with school dropout rates in the highest one-third in the State, for startup and implementation costs of school dropout prevention program authorized activities. Sets forth initiative program requirements relating to: (1) school strategies and capacity building; (2) selection of schools; (3) school dissemination activities; (4) LEA progress incentives for schools; (5) school dropout rate calculation; (6) school reporting and accountability; and (7) SEA responsibilities for uniform data collection regarding school dropouts, attendance neutral funding policies, and suspension and expulsion policies.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Drug Free Borders Act of 2001 - Amends the Customs Procedural Reform and Simplification Act of 1978 to authorize appropriations for the United States Customs Service for: (1) noncommercial and commercial operations; (2) the air and marine interdiction program; (3) Customs Service automation modernization; and (4) the construction, improvement, and expansion of Customs Service facilities. Earmarks amounts for: (1) the acquisition and deployment of narcotics detection equipment (including maintenance and support of such equipment, training of personnel, new technologies, and certain internal management improvements) along the United States-Mexico border, the United States-Canada border, and the Florida and the Gulf Coast seaports; (2) additional new agents, inspectors, and canine enforcement officers (including, as deemed necessary, import specialists, entry specialists, intelligence analysts, and other administrative and support personnel) along such borders; and (3) Phase One and Phase Two of the Air and Marine Modernization Plan (air and marine drug interdiction operations). Directs the President to submit a plan for funding the acquisition and operation by the Customs Service of tethered aerostat radar systems currently operated by the Department of the Air Force and scheduled for replacement in FY 2002. Revises Federal customs provisions to provide for the appointment of the Commissioner of the Customs Service to a term of five years (with successive five year appointments thereafter). Directs the Commissioner to establish, within the Office of Internal Affairs of the Customs Service, an internal compliance program designed to enhance the performance of the Customs Service mission to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, and in particular, implementation of the Customs Modernization Act. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to revise certain country of origin marking requirements with respect to imported articles to subject any person who destroys, removes, alters, or obliterates such mark to a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 for each violation.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Access to High Standards Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish Advanced Placement (AP) programs of assistance to increase the access of low-income students to AP high school courses and AP tests to earn advanced placement and credits at institutions of higher education. Directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to: (1) State or local educational agencies (SEAs or LEAs) for activities to expand access for low-income individuals to AP incentive programs; (2) SEAs for subgrants to LEAs (especially those that serve high concentrations of low-income students, rural areas, and would not have such online access without assistance) to provide students with on-line AP courses; and (3) SEAs for AP incentive programs to reimburse low-income individuals for all or part of AP test fees.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Meeting America's Investment Needs in Small Towns Act of 2001- Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to prescribe a formula for periodic adjustments to the maximum amount of deposit insurance coverage ($100,000), including an inflation adjustment.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Direct Graduate Medical Education Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000, to establish a floor for the locality adjusted national average per resident amount of direct graduate medical education (DGME) payments during FY 2003 through 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal on behalf of Congress to former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter in recognition of their service to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Energy Efficient Cost Savings Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act with respect to Federal energy savings performance contracts to redefine "energy savings" and "energy savings contract" to include a reduction in the cost of energy by reason of construction and operation of replacement Federal buildings and facilities. Prescribes guidelines for cost-savings from operation and maintenance efficiencies in replacement facilities. Extends from October 1, 2003, to October 1, 2008, the authority to enter into Federal energy savings performance contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to revise remedies for and enforcement of prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages (such FLSA provisions are also known as the Equal Pay Act) to: (1) add nonretaliation requirements; (2) increase penalties; and (3) authorize the Secretary of Labor to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Directs the Secretary to provide for certain studies, information, national summit, and guidelines, awards, and assistance for employer evaluations of job categories based on objective criteria. Establishes the Alexis Herman National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect certain pay information.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Increases the authorized grade of the heads of the: (1) Army and Air Nurse Corps from brigadier general to major general; and (2) Navy Nurse Corps and Navy Medical Service Corps to rear admiral (upper half) and rear admiral (lower half), respectively.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Authorizes use of Department of Defense commissary and exchange stores by former prisoners of war who have been honorably separated from service and have a service-connected disability rated at 30 percent or more.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
National Electricity and Environmental Technology Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) identify technology costs and associated performance goals that would permit continued cost-competitive use of coal for electricity generation, chemical feedstocks, and transportation fuel; (2) implement research and development programs that include demonstration and commercial application of coal-based technologies; and (3) implement a power plant improvement initiative program demonstrating commercial applications of advanced coal-based technologies applicable to new or existing power plants including co-production plants, which must advance the effectiveness, environmental performance, and cost competitiveness well beyond that which is in operation or has been demonstrated on the date of enactment of this Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax credits for investment in: (1) a qualifying clean coal technology unit in an existing coal-based electricity generation facility; and (2) early commercial applications of qualifying advanced clean coal technologies. Sets forth formulae for determining tax credits for unit production of both kinds of technologies. Exempts the installation of a qualifying system of continuous emission control from new source review requirements under the Clean Air Act. Grants a ten-year exemption from any new or increased emission control requirements for the specific pollutant controlled by such a system to any existing coal-based electricity generating unit on which it has been installed, if the system meets or exceeds the specified standard of performance for new stationary sources. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a financial risk pool for a limited time to offset the modification costs resulting from the failure of qualifying advanced clean coal technology to achieve its design performance. Cites conditions under which credits for emission reductions and efficiency improvements in existing coal-based generating facilities of electric cooperatives or publicly owned electric utilities may be treated as offset credits. Entitles the Tennessee Valley Authority to aggregate certain clean coal technology credits and apply them as a credit against obligations for annual returns on the appropriations investment and annual repayment sums.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Educational Excellence for All Learners Act of 2001 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise and reauthorize certain ESEA programs. School Improvement Accountability Act - Revises ESEA title I programs for helping disadvantaged schoolchildren, with respect to: (1) reservations of funds for schools identified for corrective action or improvement; (2) accountability for yearly progress under State plans, assessments, and improvement aid; and (3) financial incentives for comprehensive school reform. Revises teacher professional development programs to require: (1) State plans to include goals for increasing numbers of fully qualified teachers; and (2) local educational agencies (LEA) to notify parents of their right to information about teacher qualifications. Revises innovative education programs to add requirements for State plans, sanctions, reports, standards, and assessment enhancements. Requires performance objectives for States and LEAs receiving funds for programs to assist limited English proficiency students. Directs the Secretary to make: (1) grants to States for annual State, LEA, and school report cards on elementary and secondary educational quality; and (2) awards to States for high performance in education. Extends the authorization of appropriations for ESEA title I programs for helping disadvantaged schoolchildren. Directs the Secretary annually to review how such funds are allocated to ensure that LEAs with the highest need are receiving funds in proportion to that need as compared to other LEAs. Establishes the Opportunities to Improve Our Nation's Schools (OPTIONS) program, under which the Secretary may make grants to States and LEAs to support programs that promote innovative approaches to high-quality public school choice. Sets forth parental involvement requirements for State plans for improving basic programs operated by LEAs. Establishes a program for Parental Assistance and Child Opportunity (which replaces current provisions relating to programs for children and youth who are neglected, delinquent, or at-risk of dropping out). Authorizes the Secretary, under such program, to make: (1) grants to nonprofit organizations, and such organizations in consortia with LEAs, to establish school-linked or school-based parental information and resource centers; and (2) grants to and contracts with local nonprofit parent organizations to support local family information centers to help ensure that parents of students in schools assisted under State plans for improving basic programs have training, information, and support they need to participate effectively in helping their children to meet challenging State standards. Revises, and reauthorizes appropriations for, ESEA title II teacher quality under professional development programs. Renames and revises such programs to emphasize provision of a qualified teacher in every classroom. Authorizes the Secretary to make: (1) grant allotments to States for State- and local-level teacher professional development, mentoring, and recruitment activities, including subgrants to LEAs, recruiting partnerships using teacher corps programs, and partnerships of higher education institutions and LEAs; and (2) grants to and contracts with various entities for national activities for the improvement of teaching and school leadership, including the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education, Transition-to-Teaching programs, Hometown Teacher programs, and Early Childhood Educator Professional Development. Establishes a program of grants for school renovation. Directs SEAs to reserve certain amounts for grants to LEAs for repair and renovation and for technology and activities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Amends the Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2001 to revise the authorization of appropriations for a charter school credit enhancement initiative program. America's Better Classrooms Act of 2001 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to establish a limited tax credit for: (1) qualified public school modernization bonds (construction and zone academy bonds); and (2) qualified tribal school modernization bonds. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish provisions concerning employment and training activities related to the construction or reconstruction of public school facilities. Reauthorizes appropriations for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program under ESEA. Establishes an ESEA program of grants for class size reduction. Reading Excellence Act - Revises, renames, and reauthorizes appropriations for certain reading excellence programs under ESEA. Repeals ESEA provisions for tutorial assistance grants. Training for Technology Act of 2001 - Revises ESEA title III technology for education provisions. Requires local applications for school technology resource grants to demonstrate how LEAs will use portions of such funds for in-service teacher training. Establishes a program authorizing the Secretary, through the Office of Educational Technology, to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible consortia for developing or redesigning teacher preparation programs to enable prospective teachers to use technology effectively in their classrooms. Allows technology-specific professional development grant funds to be used to provide incentives, including bonus payments, to teachers who achieve certain technology standards or information-technology certification. Makes appropriations for FY 2002 for assistance for education of all children with disabilities (part B of IDEA). Expresses the sense of the Senate regarding full funding of IDEA. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the maximum Pell grant should be increased under the Higher Education Act of 1965. Establishes an IRC tax deduction for higher education expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Provides for the issuance by the President of a prisoner-of-war medal to civilian employees of the Federal Government who are forcibly detained or interned by an enemy government or a hostile force during war, or by a foreign government or hostile force during periods determined comparable to wartime conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2001
Directs the Secretary of Defense to permit any former member of the armed forces who is entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability rated total by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to travel on military aircraft to the same extent as retired members of the armed forces.
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
Patients' Bill of Rights Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to protect consumers in managed care plans and other health coverage. Sets forth standards relating to: (1) grievance and appeals procedures; (2) access to care; (3) access to information; and (4) protection of the doctor-patient relationship. Applies such quality care and patient protection standards to group health plans, group health coverage, and individual health coverage under specified provisions of PHSA, ERISA, and IRC. Directs the Secretaries of Labor, of Health and Human Services (HHS), and of the Treasury to ensure coordination in the implementation of this Act. Establishes the Health Care Panel to Devise a Uniform Explanation of Benefits. Requires the Panel to devise a single form for use by third-party health care payers for remittance of claims to providers. Directs the Secretary of HHS to determine the composition of the Panel, including equal numbers of representatives from specified types of groups. Prohibits this Act from having any effect upon the Social Security Act or its trust funds.
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 · 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 · 15 December 2000
Department of Energy University Nuclear Science and Engineering Act - Instructs the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Office of Nuclear Science and Technology, to support a program to maintain the nation's human resource investment and infrastructure in nuclear sciences and engineering. Sets forth the duties of such Office in implementing the program. Targets university research and training reactors and associated infrastructure as recipients of authorized appropriations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) promote interactions between university and Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories; and (2) provide student fellowships at DOE nuclear science laboratories. Authorizes appropriations through FY2005 that target: (1) graduate and undergraduate fellowships; (2) junior faculty research initiation grant programs; (3) nuclear engineering and education research programs; (4) refueling research reactors and instrumentation upgrades; (5) re-licensing assistance; (6) reactor research and training award program; and (7) university-DOE laboratory interactions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2000
Energy Efficient Cost Savings Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act with respect to Federal energy savings performance contracts to redefine "energy savings" and "energy savings contract" to include a reduction in the cost of energy by reason of construction and operation of replacement Federal buildings and facilities. Prescribes guidelines for cost-savings from operation and maintenance efficiencies in replacement facilities. Extends from October 1, 2003, to October 1, 2008, the authority to enter into Federal energy savings performance contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2000
Department of Energy Nanoscale Science and Engineering Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to support a program of research and development (R&D) in nanoscience and nanoengineering, including efforts to further the understanding of the chemistry, physics, materials science, and engineering of phenomena on a scale of one to 100 nanometers. Requires the Director of the Office of Science to: (1) support individual investigators and multidisciplinary teams of investigators conducting R&D in nanoscience and nanoengineering; (2) develop, plan, construct, acquire, or operate special equipment or facilities for the use of such investigators; (3) support technology transfer activities to benefit industry and other users of nanoscience and nanoengineering; and (4) coordinate such R&D activities with industry and other Federal agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2000
Expresses the sense of Congress that it is in the interest of justice and fairness that the United States put forth its best efforts to facilitate discussions designed to resolve all issues between former members of the U.S. armed forces who were prisoners of war forced into slave labor for the benefit of Japanese companies during World War II and the private Japanese companies who profited from their slave labor.
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 · 19 October 2000
National Park Service Studies Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct studies of the following areas and historic and cultural themes to determine the appropriateness of including them in the National Park System: (1) Erskine House/Russian American Storehouse, Alaska; (2) Blackwater Canyon, West Virginia; (3) Farm Labor Movement Sites, California and other States; (4) Carter G. Woodson Home, District of Columbia; (5) Governors Island, New York; and (6) World War II Homefront Sites, Multi-State.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2000
Honors the members of the crew of the U.S.S. COLE who died or were wounded as a result of the terrorist attack on such ship in Aden, Yemen on October 12, 2000. Extends sympathy to their families. Commends the ship's crew for their heroic damage control efforts. Condemns the attack as an unprovoked and cowardly act of terrorism.
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