United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1998
Lethal Drug Abuse Prevention Act of 1998 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to require the Attorney General to determine that registration of an applicant to manufacture, distribute, conduct research with, or dispense specified controlled substances or listed chemicals is inconsistent with the public interest if: (1) during the five-year period immediately preceding submission of the application, the applicant's registration was revoked; or (2) the Attorney General determines, based on clear and convincing evidence, that the applicant is applying for the registration with the intention of using such registration to violate CSA provisions. Authorizes the Attorney General to suspend or revoke a registration upon a finding that the registrant has intentionally dispensed or distributed a controlled substance with a purpose of causing, or assisting in causing, the suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing of any individual. Directs the Attorney General to establish the Medical Review Board on Pain Relief, which, based on a hearing, shall make findings regarding whether a particular action at issue is an appropriate means to relieve pain that does not constitute a violation of such provision.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1998
Sales Incentive Compensation Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to exempt from minimum wage recordkeeping and overtime compensation requirements any employee in a sales position, if: (1) such position requires specialized or technical knowledge related to products or services being sold; (2) the employee's sales are predominantly to persons or entities to whom the employee has made previous sales or the employee's position does not involve initiating sales contacts; (3) the employee's position requires a detailed understanding of customers' needs; (4) the employee receives a base compensation at a specified minimum rate and additional compensation based on sales attributable to the employee; (5) the employee's aggregate compensation based upon sales reaches a specified minimum level; (6) the employee receives a rate of compensation based upon each sale attributable to the employee which is beyond sales required to reach such minimum level; and (7) the rate of annual compensation or base compensation for an employee who did not work for an employer for an entire calendar year is prorated to reflect annual compensation which would have been earned if the employee had been compensated at the same rate for the entire calendar year.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1998
Congratulates the Philippines on the commemoration of its independence from Spain. Recognizes and supports the relationship between the Philippines and the United States. Supports Philippine efforts to strengthen democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and expansion of free market economics.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1998
Cuban Solidarity (SOLIDARIDAD) Act of 1998 - Directs the President to: (1) instruct the heads of all relevant U.S. agencies to increase support for democratic opposition groups in Cuba; (2) initiate broadcasting of Radio Marti and Television Marti from the United States Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, or other suitable sites in proximity to Cuba; (3) provide not less than $5 million of funds otherwise available for U.S. voluntary contributions to the Organization of American States (OAS) in FY 1999, solely for the purpose of establishing a fund for the deployment of human rights observers, election support, and election observation in Cuba; (4) direct the Secretary of the Treasury to increase the number of personnel of the Office of Foreign Assets Control having responsibilities with respect to the economic embargo on Cuba in order to enforce the embargo more vigorously and to license expeditiously lawful transactions involving Cuba; and (5) take steps to secure a commitment from the Cuban government to allow the direct delivery of mail from the United States to Cuba. (Sec. 5) Urges the President to instruct: (1) the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) to introduce a resolution in the UN Security Council calling upon the Cuban government to immediately respect all human rights, free all political prisoners, legalize independent political parties, allow independent trade unions, and conduct internationally monitored and freely contested elections; and (2) the Attorney General to seek an indictment of Fidel Castro and-or other Cuban government officials for the willful, premeditated attack on and destruction of two unarmed "Brothers to the Rescue" humanitarian aircraft on February 24, 1996 within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, and the violence against and incapacitation and murder of four individuals on such aircraft, Pablo Morales, Carlos Costa, Mario de la Pena, and Armando Alejandre. Requires specified reports on Cuba. (Sec. 6) Earmarks specified amounts of economic support fund and development assistance funds for individuals and independent nongovernmental organizations to support democracy-building efforts, and to provide humanitarian assistance to victims of political repression, in Cuba. Requires notification of the appropriate congressional committees with respect to such funds. Prohibits the provision of assistance under this Act to the Cuban government, to any organization affiliated with the Cuban government, or to any organization that has violated any U.S. law prohibiting or restricting trade or other financial transactions with Cuba. (Sec. 7) Authorizes the President to authorize air transportation flights directly from the United States to Cuba for a period of six months (including additional six month periods) only if the President certifies to the Congress that: (1) those flights are necessary for, and will be used solely for, the delivery of humanitarian assistance (including medicines and medical supplies) by independent nongovernmental organizations to victims of political repression in Cuba; and (2) adequate monitoring is in place to ensure that such assistance will be delivered by such organizations only to the intended recipients and will not be diverted to ineligible persons.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1998
Farm and Ranch Risk Management Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals engaged in eligible farming businesses to deduct from gross income for any taxable year the amount (limited to 20 percent of the individual's taxable income for the year) paid into an interest-bearing Farm and Ranch Risk Management (FARRM) Account, created for the taxpayer's exclusive benefit. Requires withdrawal of contributions within five years, upon which they are taxable as ordinary income in the year of withdrawal. Deems a distribution, subject to income tax, of any deposits not actually distributed within five years, and prescribes an additional penalty tax of ten percent of any such deemed distribution.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1998
Improved Military Medical Plan Act - Amends the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) to allow certain eligible beneficiaries to enroll in any health benefits plan under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) that offers medical care comparable to that offered under CHAMPUS. Includes as eligible beneficiaries any member or former member of the armed forces who is entitled to retired or retainer pay or its equivalent or would have been entitled to such pay except for having died before age 60, and any dependents of such individuals, who are also entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. States that any such beneficiary shall not be required to satisfy any FEHBP eligibility criteria as a condition for enrollment. Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to select the areas in which beneficiaries must reside in order to be enrolled in an FEHBP plan, including at least six regions of the TRICARE Program (a Department of Defense managed care program). Outlines enrollment procedures, including a 90-day enrollment period. Requires FEHBP reimbursement of costs for the provision of treatment at a military medical facility. Outlines provisions concerning required beneficiary copayments under the FEHBP and Federal contributions to such plans. Provides for: (1) management of plan participation by the OPM Director; (2) annual reports from the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Transportation for the Coast Guard when not operating as a service in the Navy, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the administering Secretaries), and the OPM Director concerning the provision of such care; (3) a report from the administering Secretaries on the advisability of either offering such care nationwide on a permanent basis or limiting such option to current eligible beneficiaries, the costs of such care, and their recommendations; and (4) a report from the Comptroller General, following the report from the administering Secretaries, assessing such recommendations. Provides funding for FY 1999 through 2003 for the enrollment plan option, to be derived from amounts appropriated to the Departments of Defense, Transportation, and Health and Human Services. Directs the administering Secretaries to report to the Congress a plan for any enhancements of the health care options under the TRICARE program known as TRICARE Standard considered necessary to ensure that coverage under such option is substantially similar to coverage offered under the FEHBP fee-for-service health benefits plan that has the most subscribers as of the date of the report.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1998
Bosnia Force Realignment Act - Prohibits the obligation of Department of Defense (DOD) funds for the ground elements of U.S. armed forces in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, except to the extent necessary: (1) for U.S. ground forces to protect themselves during withdrawals; (2) to support a limited number of U.S. military personnel sufficient to protect U.S. diplomatic facilities; (3) to support non-combat military personnel sufficient to advise the commanders North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) peacekeeping operations in the Republic; and (4) for the deployment of U.S. ground forces as part of NATO containment operations surrounding such countries. Directs the President to continue the planned withdrawal of American forces from the NATO Stabilization Force such that U.S. ground forces in that force or the planned multi-national successor force does not exceed specified levels for years 1998 through 2000. Prohibits the use of DOD funds for: (1) the conduct of law enforcement and police activities in the Republic, except for the training of law enforcement personnel or to prevent imminent loss of life; (2) the conduct of any activity that may jeopardize the mission of the NATO-led force in preventing armed conflict between the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska (Bosnian Entities); (3) any transfer of refugees within the Republic that has as one of its purposes the acquisition of control by a Bosnian Entity of territory allocated to the other Bosnian Entity under the Dayton Peace Agreement, or that may expose U.S. armed forces to substantial risk to their personal safety; and (4) implementation of any decision to change the legal status of territory within the Republic unless expressly agreed to by all signatories to the Agreement. Directs the President to report to the Congress on progress made toward meeting the established troop drawdown limits.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1998
Powder Cocaine Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Act of 1998 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to decrease (from five kilograms to 500 grams, and from 500 to 50 grams) the amounts of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of coca leaves, cocaine, ecgonine, or compounds thereof (cocaine powder) the manufacture, distribution, or possession of which is punishable by specified penalties under the Act. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to promulgate or amend guidelines to reflect the amendment made by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1998
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Health Care Financing Administration should: (1) further postpone its plans to implement the documentation guidelines for evaluation and management services, as currently constituted; (2) continue consultation with organizations representing physicians on how to reduce the complexity of any such guidelines before their use by Medicare or its agents in review of claims; (3) conduct a pilot study of any such documentation requirements before use in audits and other review activities; and (4) assure that any such documentation guidelines, if applied by Medicare or its agents in review activities, contribute to quality care and do not detract from good patient care by requiring physicians to spend undue time documenting their services (at the expense of spending less time with patients) or lead to sanctions being imposed for unintentional coding and documentation errors.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1998
Food Research, Education, Safety, and Health Act of 1998 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to States for consumer education food safety programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out consumer education initiatives on food irradiation, especially ground beef and poultry; and (2) study the cost and feasibility of fruit and vegetable irradiation, and of new irradiation technologies. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 5) Establishes a Food Safety Council which shall: (1) establish priorities for Federal food safety and related illness prevention activities, including necessary Federal agency updates; and (2) report annually to the appropriate committees. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary to make competitive grants to academic, governmental, and private entities for research to reduce the threat of food-borne pathogens. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects to reduce the threat of food-borne pathogens. Obligates Department of Agriculture funds for such purpose. (Sec. 8) Authorizes appropriations for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detection of food-borne pathogens through equipment acquisition and new employment positions for scientists. Authorizes appropriations for National Institutes of Health research on treatment of food-borne illnesses. (Sec. 9) Directs the Secretary to establish a Food Safety Research Information Office in the National Agricultural Library. (Sec. 10) Directs the Secretary to conduct pathogen risk assessments with respect to food animals, fruits and vegetables, and home food safety practices. (Sec. 11) Authorizes appropriations for the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to decrease imported food health risks through equipment acquisition and new employment positions for microbiologists and inspectors.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1998
Crime Identification Technology Act of 1998 - Directs the Attorney General, through the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), to make a grant to each State, to be used in conjunction with local governments, State and local courts, and other States, to establish or upgrade an integrated approach to develop information and identification technologies and systems to: (1) upgrade criminal history and criminal justice record systems; (2) improve criminal justice identification; (3) promote compatibility and integration of national, State, and local systems for criminal justice purposes, firearms eligibility determinations, identification of sexual offenders and domestic violence offenders, and background checks for other authorized purposes; and (4) capture information for statistical and research purposes to improve criminal justice administration. Sets forth permissible grant uses, such as for programs to establish, develop, update, or upgrade: (1) State centralized, automated, adult and juvenile criminal history record information systems; (2) automated fingerprint identification systems that are compatible with standards established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and interoperable with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System; (3) ballistics identification and information programs that are compatible and integrated with the National Integrated Ballistics Network; and (4) DNA programs for forensic and identification purposes. Requires a State, to be eligible to receive such a grant, to provide assurances to the Attorney General that the State has the capability to contribute pertinent information to the national instant criminal background check system established under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. Authorizes appropriations, subject to specified limitations on the percent of funds that may be used for salaries and administrative expenses, and for technical assistance, training and evaluations, and BJS-commissioned studies. Requires the Attorney General to ensure the amounts are distributed on an equitable geographic basis.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1998
Internal Revenue Service Random Audit Prohibition Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to Internal Revenue Service audit authority, to: (1) require an examination notice to identify the purpose and basis for such examination; and (2) prohibit random audits and provide civil damages for their knowing performance.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1998
Disaster Victim Tax Extension Act of 1998 - Amends the Taxpayer Relief Act to provide for abatement of interest on taxpayer underpayments in presidentially declared disaster areas if a filing and payment extension is granted.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1998
Recognizes the historic significance of the 50th anniversary of the reestablishment of the State of Israel. Commends the Israeli people for their achievements in building a new state and a pluralistic democratic society in the Middle East. Reaffirms the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the United States and Israel. Extends congratulations and best wishes to the State of Israel and her people for a peaceful, prosperous, and successful future.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Assistance to States in Providing Charity Tax Credits Title II: Budget Offset Title III: Bankruptcy Protections for Charitable Donations Title IV: Tort Reforms Relating to Charitable Contributions REAL Life Community Renewal Act of 1998 - Title I: Assistance to States in Providing Charity Tax Credits - Authorizes States to use certain Federal grant funds for qualifying State charity tax credits. Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to study the effects of such credit, including the types of recipient organizations and the services they provide to the poor. Title II: Budget Offset - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the earned income credit for individuals without children. Title III: Bankruptcy Protections for Charitable Donations - Amends Federal bankruptcy law to exclude certain charitable contribution transfers from being deemed fraudulent transfers. Title IV: Tort Reforms Relating to Charitable Contributions - Exempts a business entity, under specified circumstances and with exceptions, from civil liability for injury or death resulting from: (1) the use by a nonprofit organization of donated equipment, facilities, or loan of aircraft or motor vehicles; and (2) business facility tours. Authorizes a State to make such non-liability provisions inapplicable in an action in which all parties are its citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1998
REAL Life Educational Opportunity Act of 1998 - Amends title VI (Innovative Education Program Strategies) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to allow any State that has enacted or will enact a law establishing a voluntary public and private school parental choice scholarship program in compliance with specified ESEA requirements to reserve an additional 15 percent from its annual title IV allotment for use exclusively for such parental choice programs. Requires State educational agencies (SEAs), except in the case of such programs, to distribute 90 percent (currently 85 percent) of title VI funds to local educational agencies (LEAs). (Sec. 4) Includes such parental choice programs among State and local uses of title VI funds. Requires such parental choice programs to be located in an area that has the greatest numbers or percentages of children: (1) living in areas with a high concentration of low-income families; (2) from low-income families; or (3) living in sparsely populated areas. Requires such programs to ensure that program participation is limited to families whose family income does not exceed 185 percent of the poverty line. (Sec. 5) Allows LEAS that establish parental choice programs to apply for education flexibility waivers of certain statutory or regulatory requirements. Requires approval of such waivers by the Secretary of Education or the SEA, as applicable. Prohibits the Secretary from waiving requirements for: (1) civil rights protections and discrimination prohibitions; (2) services provided under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; (3) fiscal accountability measures; (4) equitable participation of private school students and teachers; and (5) parental involvement in program activities and services. (Sec. 6) Directs the Comptroller General to make contracts for annual evaluation of each parental choice program. Requires the Secretary of Education to reserve certain funds for such evaluations. Provides that title VI funds to establish a parental choice program shall be considered assistance to the student and shall not be considered as assistance to any school that chooses to participate in such program. Prohibits the Secretary from exercising any direction, supervision, or control over curricula, program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any school that chooses to participate in a parental choice program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Designation and Evaluation of Renewal Communities Title II: Tax Incentives for Renewal Communities Title III: Additional Provisions REAL Life Economic Empowerment Act of 1998 - Title I: Designation and Evaluation of Renewal Communities - Renewing American Communities Act of 1998 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to designate (upon local or State nomination) up to 50 renewal communities. Requires for nomination purposes that: (1) the area be experiencing high rates of poverty and unemployment and general distress; and (2) State and local governments enter into written contracts with neighborhood organizations to promote specified economic growth and employment activities. Treats renewal communities as labor surplus areas for all Federal law purposes. Title II: Tax Incentives for Renewal Communities - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income capital gains on the sale or exchange of a qualified community asset (stock, business property, or partnership interest) held for more than five years. Allows a specified deduction for amounts paid into a family development account on behalf of an individual or another qualified individual who is a renewal community resident. Excludes from gross income account distributions used for qualified family development expenses (postsecondary education, first-home purchase, business capitalization, medical, and rollovers). Provides a penalty (with exceptions) in addition to inclusion as gross income for nonqualifying distributions. Provides for designation of up to 25 qualifying renewal communities as matching demonstration areas eligible to receive family development account matching contributions. Authorizes: (1) designation of earned income tax credit payments for family development account deposit; (2) a commercial building revitalization tax credit; (3) increased first year expensing for renewal community businesses; (4) extension of environmental remediation cost expensing and the work opportunity credit for renewal communities; and (5) similar tax treatment of renewal communities and enterprise zones for specified youth residence requirements. (Sec. 205) Makes conforming amendments to provisions respecting: (1) tax on excess contributions and prohibited transactions; (2) trust and annuity information; (3) tax exemption applications; and (4) the commercial revitalization credit. Title III: Additional Provisions - Provides for local government transfer of unoccupied and substandard Department of Housing and Urban Development multifamily and single family housing in renewal communities, with subsequent disposition priority to be given to community development corporations. (Sec. 302) Amends the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 to provide that a financial institution's investments in community development organizations located in renewal communities may be considered in evaluations under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1998
Surviving Spouse Fairness Act of 1998 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a $500,000 exclusion of gain on certain sales of a principal residence by a surviving spouse.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1998
Amends the Federal judicial code to require at least two of the members of the United States Sentencing Commission who are not Federal judges to be individuals who are victims of a crime of violence or, in the case of a homicide, an immediate family member of such a victim.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1998
Truth in Employment Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that nothing in specified prohibitions against unfair labor practices by employers shall be construed as requiring an employer to employ any person who is not a bona fide employee applicant, in that such person seeks or has sought employment with the employer with the primary purpose of furthering another employment or agency status.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1998
Farmers Emergency Loan Reform Act of 1998 - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act with respect to emergency loan eligibility to: (1) eliminate the requirement that a borrower be unable to secure credit elsewhere; (2) make the disaster loan collateral requirements under the Small Business Act applicable; and (3) provide that certain prior loan forgiveness conditions shall not be disqualifying.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1998
Military Health Care Fairness Act - Amends the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) to allow certain eligible covered beneficiaries to enroll in any health benefits plan under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHB) offering medical care comparable to that offered under CHAMPUS. Includes as an eligible beneficiary a military retiree (with an exception) or dependent who is: (1) not guaranteed access under TRICARE (a Department of Defense (DOD) managed care program) to health care comparable to health care provided under the FEHB; (2) eligible to enroll in the TRICARE Program but is not so enrolled because of location, total enrollment limitations, or any other reason; or (3) entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Limits eligible beneficiaries during the first two years of enrollment to military retirees who are: (1) 65 years of age or older; or (2) retired or separated due to physical disability. States that any eligible beneficiary shall not be required to satisfy any FEHB eligibility criteria as a condition for enrollment. Provides for: (1) an enrollment period and a three-year minimum enrollment term; (2) authorized treatment in a military medical treatment facility; (3) enrollment contributions; (4) participation management by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM); and (5) annual reports from the Secretary of Defense and the OPM Director concerning the provision of such care. Directs the Secretary, within four years after the date of enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999, to report to the Congress on whether such health care option should be made permanent and on the estimated costs of such option. Directs the Secretary to: (1) begin to offer such option no later than six months after enactment of this Act; and (2) continue to offer such option through 2003, and to provide care to eligible beneficiaries through 2005. Provides program funding for FY 1999 through 2005 from amounts authorized for appropriation to DOD for military personnel for such years.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1998
Prohibits Federal funds from being made available to carry out any program of distributing sterile hypodermic needles or syringes to individuals for the hypodermic injection of any illegal drug.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1998
Technical Workers Fairness Act of 1998 - Amends the Revenue Act of 1978, as amended by the Tax Reform Act of 1986, with respect to the standards that a taxpayer must apply to treat certain individuals as not being employees for employment tax purposes. Repeals the exception to such standards for an individual who, pursuant to an arrangement between the taxpayer and another person, provides services for such other person as an engineer, designer, drafter, computer programmer, systems analyst, or other similarly skilled worker (technical worker) engaged in a similar line of work. (Thus, restores the standards used for determining whether technical workers are not employees as in effect before the Tax Reform Act of 1986.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1998
Federal Facilities Clean Water Compliance Act of 1998 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to waive immunity of the United States with respect to Federal, State, interstate, and local requirements pertaining to water pollution control, including requirements for permits or reporting, injunctive relief, sanctions to enforce relief, payment of reasonable service charges, administrative orders, and penalties or fines. Absolves Federal employees of personal liability for civil penalties under water pollution control laws for acts or omissions within the scope of official duties. Makes Federal employees subject to criminal sanctions under Federal or State water pollution control laws, but prohibits applying criminal sanctions to Federal agencies. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of the Army, and the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to pursue enforcement actions against Federal agencies under the Act. Requires States, unless a State law or constitution requires otherwise, to use penalties collected from the Federal Government under the Act only for projects to improve or protect the environment or to defray the costs of environmental protection or enforcement. Includes Federal agencies within the definition of "person" for purposes of the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1998
U.S. Holocaust Assets Commission Act of 1998 - Establishes the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States to: (1) study and develop an historical record of the collection and disposition of specified assets of Holocaust victims if they came into the possession or control of the Federal Government, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and any Federal reserve bank, at any time after January 30, 1933; (2) coordinate its activities with those of private and governmental entities; (3) review comprehensively research conducted by other entities regarding such assets in the United States; and (4) report its recommendations to the President. Instructs the President to report recommendations for action to the Congress. Provides for funding of Commission activities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1998
Prohibits the President from transferring a veterans memorial object that was brought to the United States as a memorial of combat abroad to a foreign country or entity controlled by a foreign government, or to any person for ultimate transfer or conveyance to such a country or entity, unless specifically authorized by law.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1998
Constitutional Amendment - Grants victims of crimes of violence the right to: (1) reasonable notice of, and to not be excluded from, all public proceedings relating to the crime; (2) be heard, if present, and to submit a statement at all public proceedings to determine a release from custody, an acceptance of a negotiated plea, or a sentence (grants such rights at a non-public parole proceeding to the extent they are afforded to the convicted offender); (3) reasonable notice of a release or escape from custody relating to the crime; (4) consideration for the interest of the victim in a trial free from unreasonable delay; (5) an order of restitution from the convicted offender; (6) consideration for the safety of the victim in determining any release from custody; and (7) reasonable notice of the rights established by this amendment. Grants the victim or the victim's representative standing to assert such rights. Provides that nothing in this amendment shall: (1) provide grounds for the victim to challenge a charging decision or a conviction, to overturn a sentence or negotiated plea, to obtain a stay of trial, or to compel a new trial; and (2) give rise to a claim for damages against the United States, a State, a political subdivision, or a public official. Empowers the Congress and the States to implement and enforce this amendment within their respective jurisdictions by appropriate legislation, including by enacting exceptions when necessary to achieve a compelling interest.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 1998
American Missile Protection Act of 1998 - States as U.S. policy to deploy as soon as technologically possible an effective National Missile Defense system capable of defending U.S. territory against limited ballistic missile attack (whether accidental, unauthorized, or deliberate).
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Department of State Activities Title II: Commission on International Religious Persecution Title II: National Security Council Title IV: Sanctions Subtitle I: Targeted Responses to Religious Persecution Abroad Subtitle II: Strengthening Existing Law Title V: Promotion of Religious Freedom Title VI: Refugee, Asylum, and Consular Matters Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 - Declares it to be U.S. policy to: (1) condemn religious persecution, and to promote, and to assist other governments in the promotion of, the fundamental right to religious freedom; and (2) seek to channel U.S. security and development assistance to governments that are found not to be engaged in gross violations of human rights, including the right to religious freedom. Title I: Department of State Activities - Establishes within the Department of State an Office on International Religious Freedom which shall be headed by an Ambassador at Large on International Religious Freedom. (Sec. 102) Directs the Ambassador at Large to assist the Secretary of State in preparing those portions of the Human Rights Reports that relate to freedom of religion and religious discrimination, and to submit to the appropriate congressional committees, in conjunction with the Human Rights Reports, an Annual Report on Religious Persecution: (1) identifying foreign countries that engage in or tolerate acts of religious persecution; and (2) describing U.S. policies in support of religious freedom in such countries. (Sec. 103) Requires the Ambassador at Large, in order to facilitate access by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the public around the world to international documents on the protection of religious freedom, to establish an Internet site containing major international documents relating to religious freedom, the Annual Report on Religious Persecution, and any other relevant documentation or references to other sites. (Sec. 104) Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to direct the Secretary and the Ambassador at Large to establish as part of the standard training for Foreign Service officers, including chiefs of mission, instruction in the field of internationally-recognized human rights. (Sec. 105) Directs U.S. chiefs of mission to seek out and meet with religious NGOs, including imprisoned religious leaders where appropriate. (Sec. 106) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) U.S. diplomatic missions in countries where the government engages in or tolerates religious persecution should develop, as part of annual program planning, a strategy to promote freedom of religion; and (2) in allocating funds or recommending candidates for U.S. programs and grants, U.S. missions should give particular consideration to those programs and candidates deemed to assist in the promotion of the right to religious freedom. (Sec. 107) Directs the Secretary to permit, on terms no less favorable than that accorded other nongovernmental activities, access to the premises of U.S. diplomatic missions by U.S. citizens seeking to conduct religious activities. (Sec. 108) Expresses the sense of the Congress that, in order to encourage involvement with religious persecution concerns at every possible opportunity and by all appropriate U.S. Government representatives, officials of the executive branch should promote increased advocacy with respect to the preparation of issue briefs consisting of lists of persons believed to be imprisoned for their religious faith during meetings between executive branch and congressional leaders and foreign dignitaries. Title II: Commission on International Religious Persecution - Establishes the United States Commission on International Religious Persecution. (Sec. 202) Makes the Commission's primary responsibility to: (1) consider the facts and circumstances of religious persecution presented in the Annual Report on Religious Persecution, as well as information from other appropriate sources; and (2) make appropriate policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary, and the Congress. Title III: National Security Council - Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to express the sense of the Congress that there should be within the staff of the National Security Council a Special Adviser to the President on Religious Persecution, serving as a resource for executive branch officials, compiling information on the facts and circumstances of religious persecution and violations of religious freedom, and making policy recommendations. Title IV: Sanctions - Subtitle I: Targeted Responses to Religious Persecution Abroad - Directs the President, for each foreign country in which the government engages in or tolerates religious persecution, to oppose that persecution by certain measures and promote the right to freedom of religion in that country. Prescribes a procedure for determining, before the President imposes any sanctions or commensurate actions, whether a foreign government has engaged in a consistent pattern of gross violations of the right to religious freedom. (Sec. 403) Directs the President to: (1) consult with the violating foreign government prior to imposing such sanctions; and (2) report to the Congress. (Sec. 405) Specifies among the measures and sanctions the President may take: (1) public condemnation; (2) cancellation of scientific and cultural exchanges; (3) withdrawal, limitation, or suspension of U.S. development assistance and U.S. security assistance; (4) withdrawal, limitation, or suspension of certain preferential tariff treatment; (5) instruction of U.S. executive directors of international financial institutions to vote against loans primarily benefiting the foreign government responsible for such persecution; (6) restrictions on the issuance of licenses to export any goods or technology to such foreign government; (7) prohibition against the making, guaranteeing, or insuring of loans, or extension of credit by certain U.S. financial institutions to the violating government; and (8) prohibition of U.S. Government procurement of goods or services from such government. Provides for commensurate actions in substitution for any of such measures and sanctions. Declares that any such action may not: (1) prohibit or restrict the provision of humanitarian assistance; or (2) impede any U.S. Government action to enforce the right to maintain intellectual property rights. (Sec. 407) Authorizes the President to waive the requirements of this Act if certain conditions are met. (Sec. 409) Provides for congressional review of any sanctions imposed, or the waiver of any requirements, under this Act. Subtitle II: Strengthening Existing Law - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the International Financial Institutions Act to add as a factor for consideration in formulating U.S. development assistance, military assistance, and multilateral assistance programs whether the government of a foreign country has: (1) engaged in gross violations of the right to freedom of religion; or (2) failed to undertake serious and sustained efforts to combat gross violations of the right to freedom of religion, when such efforts could have been reasonably undertaken. (Sec. 423) Requires the inclusion on the list of crime control and detection instruments or equipment controlled for export or reexport under the Export Administration Act of 1979 (and so subject to mandatory licensing) items the Secretary of State has determined are being used or are intended for use directly and in significant measure to carry out gross violations of the right to freedom of religion. Declares that the prohibition on the issuance of a license for export of crime control and detection instruments or equipment under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 shall apply to the export or reexport of such items. Title V: Promotion of Religious Freedom - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the use of development assistance funds to carry out programs and activities in foreign countries which will encourage and promote the right to free religious belief and practice. (Sec. 502) Amends the International Broadcasting Act of 1994 and the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 with respect to promoting respect for freedom of religion. (Sec. 504) Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to state that service in the promotion of internationally recognized human rights, including the right to religious freedom, shall serve as a basis for the award of performance pay and Foreign Service awards to Foreign Service employees. Title VI: Refugee, Asylum, and Consular Matters - Requires the Annual Report on Religious Persecution to serve as a resource for immigration judges and consular, refugee, and asylum officers in cases involving claims of persecution on the grounds of religion. (Sec. 602) Directs the Attorney General to provide all U.S. officials adjudicating refugee cases with the same training provided to officers adjudicating asylum cases, including training on the right to religious freedom and religious persecution. Requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of State to develop and implement guidelines that address potential hostile biases in Immigration and Naturalization Service personnel hired abroad and involved with duties which could constitute an effective barrier to a refugee claim if such personnel carry a hostile bias toward the claimant on the grounds of religion, race, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. Requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of State to: (1) develop guidelines to ensure uniform procedures to the extent possible with Joint Voluntary Agencies; and (2) ensure that the Joint Voluntary Agencies process is enhanced, and faulty preparation of claims does not result in the failure of a genuine claim to refugee status. (Sec. 603) Requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of State to develop guidelines to ensure that interpreters with hostile biases, including personnel of airlines owned by governments known to be involved in practices which would meet the definition of persecution under international refugee law, shall not in any manner be used to interpret conversations between aliens and inspection or asylum officers. Requires the Attorney General to provide training to all officers adjudicating asylum cases on the right to religious freedom and the nature of religious persecution abroad, including country-specific conditions. Requires the Executive Office of Immigration Review of the Department of Justice to incorporate into its initial and ongoing training of immigration judges training on the extent and nature of religious persecution internationally, including country-specific conditions. (Sec. 604) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make inadmissible for naturalization any alien (including a spouse and children) who, while serving as a foreign government official, directly engaged in gross violations of the right to religious freedom. Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions - Expresses the sense of the Congress that transnational corporations operating in countries in which the government engages in gross violations of the right to religious freedom should adopt codes of conduct: (1) upholding the right to religious freedom of their employees; and (2) ensuring that a worker's religious views in no way affect the status or terms of his or her employment. (Sec. 702) Expresses the sense of the Congress that in negotiating the definitions of crimes to be included in the subject matter jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, the President should pursue the inclusion of gross violations of the right to religious freedom, to the extent they fall within the meaning in international law of crimes against humanity or genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 1998
Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, during FY 1999 through 2003, to establish a pre-disaster mitigation pilot program for making loans to enable small businesses to install mitigation devices or take preventive measures to protect against disasters, in support of a formal mitigation program established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, except that no such loan shall be extended to a small business unless it is otherwise unable to obtain credit for such purposes. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1998
Poison Control Center Enhancement and Awareness Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide coordination and assistance to regional poison control centers for the establishment of a nationwide toll-free phone number to be used to access such centers. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001. Requires the Secretary to establish a national media campaign to educate the public about poison prevention and the availability of poison control resources in local communities and to conduct advertising campaigns concerning the nationwide toll-free number. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2003. Directs the Secretary to award grants to certified regional poison control centers for purposes of achieving financial stability and for preventing and providing treatment recommendations for poisoning. Lists other activities for which the Secretary shall use funds. Sets forth center certification requirements. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1998
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should: (1) condemn the Serbian Government controlled by Slobodan Milosevic for gross human rights violations against its citizens; (2) condemn any terrorist actions by any group or individual in Kosovo; (3) freeze funds of the Governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia if the Serbian Government fails to comply by March 25, 1998, with the terms set forth by the Contact Group (the six-nation group established to monitor the situation in the former Yugoslavia); (4) demand that the Serbian Government and the ethnic Albanian leadership and representatives of all ethnic and religious groups in Kosovo immediately begin unconditional talks to achieve a peaceful resolution to the Kosovo conflict and to provide for the exercise of the legitimate civil and political rights of all persons in Kosovo; and (5) demand that international human rights monitors be allowed to return immediately to Kosovo to be able to report on all human rights violations. Calls for the international community to respond affirmatively to the call of the Contact Group for the imposition of broad-based sanctions against the Serbian Government if it fails to prevent additional atrocities by the police and paramilitary units under its control or does not otherwise comply immediately with the terms set forth by that Group.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1998
Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to increase maximum limits on guaranteed farm ownership and guaranteed farm operating loans. Provides for inflation indexing.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1998
Declares that the Senate: (1) expresses gratitude to, and calls upon all Americans to show their gratitude to, John McCain and the men who were held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam conflict and for the return of Senator McCain to the United States; and (2) will not forget that more than 2,000 members of the armed forces remain unaccounted for from such conflict and will continue to press for the fullest accounting for such members.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1998
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Government of Costa Rica should: (1) consider fundamental reform to protect the property rights and lives of all law-abiding residents and property owners of Costa Rica from acts of intimidation, violence, and property invasion; and (2) conduct a complete investigation into the death of Max Dalton (a U.S. citizen who was murdered in a dispute with squatters illegally occupying his property in the Pavones region of that country).
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1998
Taxpayer Confidentiality Act of 1998 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend common law confidentiality protections to a communication between a taxpayer and a federally authorized tax practitioner (as defined by this Act) if such communication would be considered a privileged taxpayer-attorney communication. Limits such privilege to noncriminal matters before the Internal Revenue Service and related Federal court proceedings.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1998
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift should include the presentation of a gift of representational art from citizens of the United States to citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany, commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Berlin; and (2) civic and corporate leaders across the Nation are entrusted to fulfill such intent using private subscription and volunteer effort with the encouragement and support of the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Provisions Relating to Women's Health Research at the National Institutes of Health Title II: Provisions Relating to Women's Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Women's Health Research and Prevention Amendments of 1998 - Title I: Provisions Relating to Women's Health Research at the National Institutes of Health - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for programs regarding diethylstilbestrol (DES). Mandates a program of education of health professionals and the public concerning DES. (Sec. 102) Extends the authorizations of appropriations for: (1) research on osteoporosis, Paget's disease, and related bone disorders; (2) the National Cancer Institute; (3) breast cancer programs; and (4) programs on ovarian and other cancers of the reproductive system of women. (Sec. 104) Mandates expansion, intensification, and coordination of research and related activities of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute regarding heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in women. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 105) Extends the authorization of appropriations for the National Institute on Aging. (Sec. 106) Requires that the Director of the National Institutes of Health (currently, the Director of the Office of Research on Women's Health) appoint members of the Advisory Committee on Women's Health. Title II: Provisions Relating to Women's Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Extends the authorization of appropriations for the National Center for Health Statistics and the National Program of Cancer Registries. (Sec. 203) Requires that certain breast and cervical cancer programs be carried out through public or private (currently, public or nonprofit private) entities. Extends authorizations of appropriations for various preventive health measures relating to breast and cervical cancers. (Sec. 204) Extends the authorizations of appropriations for: (1) centers for research and demonstration regarding health promotion and disease prevention; and (2) community projects to coordinate intervention and prevention of domestic violence.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1998
American Competitiveness Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish an H1-C nonimmigrant category of nonphysician health care workers. (Removes such aliens from the H-1B skilled worker category.) Increases H1-B visa levels, and makes available to such category a certain number of unused visas from specified other temporary visa categories. (Sec. 4) Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize appropriations for the State Student Incentive Grant program. Obligates specified amounts for grants to low-income students in higher education programs of mathematics, computer science, or engineering. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish or improve an Internet technology employment data bank. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 5) Revises and increases penalties for violations of the H1-B or H1-C programs. Transfers labor condition application authority from the Secretary to the Attorney General. Defines "prevailing wage." (Sec. 6) Directs the Attorney General to submit an annual H1-B visa report. (Sec. 7) Exempts employment-based immigrants from per country limitations if unused visas are available during a calendar quarter. Authorizes nonimmigrant status extension for certain aliens who: (1) have petitions pending for employment-based immigrant status adjustment; and (2) are subject to per country limitations. (Sec. 8) Authorizes H1-B aliens to accept academic honorarium payments for services on behalf of an institution of higher education or other nonprofit entity.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1998
Farmers' Temporary Employment Assistance Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish: (1) an alternative temporary agricultural worker process based upon a labor condition attestation filed by an employer and accepted by the appropriate State agency; and (2) a nonimmigrant visa category for such aliens. Sets forth program provisions.
![Official portrait of Sen. Coverdell, Paul [R-GA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c000813_200.jpg)