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United States · Official source
4,138 records where Sen. D'Amato, Alfonse [R-NY] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
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 · 24 March 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to grant duty-free treatment, through August 1, 1999, to the personal effects of, and other equipment imported and used by, participants, their families and associated members, and officials involved in the 1999 Women's World Cup.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1998
Designates April 1, 1998, as National Breast Cancer Survivors' Day.
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
Authorizes appropriations for the U.S. Customs Service for FY 1999 and 2000 for acquisition and deployment of narcotics enforcement and cargo processing technology (including maintenance and support of such equipment, training of personnel, and for new technologies) along the U.S. Southwest border. Earmarks amounts for additional inspectors, canine enforcement officers, special agents, and enhanced investigative resources during peak hours along the border.
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 · 13 March 1998
Breast Cancer Research Extension Act of 1998 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for breast cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1998
Capital Gains Simplification Act of 1998 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a one-year holding period for any long-term capital gain.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Taxpayer Rights Title II: Taxpayer Education, Notice, and Resources Taxpayer Bill of Rights 3 - Title I: Taxpayer Rights - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to incorporate (taxpayer) examination selection criteria into a specified taxpayer rights statement. (Sec. 102) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize civil damages for negligence in collection actions. (Sec. 103) Directs the Secretary to develop expedited freedom of information procedures for certain high-profile requests of public concern. (Sec. 104) Eliminates the penalty for failure to file or pay while a payment installment agreement is in effect. (Sec. 105) Grants certain taxpayers the right to an installment agreement for tax liabilities under $10,000. (Sec. 106) Requires the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to: (1) develop procedures to catalog and review taxpayer complaints; and (2) establish a related toll-free telephone number. (Sec. 107) Suspends the statute of limitations for filing a refund claim for certain taxpayers who are unable to manage their financial affairs because of a medical impairment. (Sec. 108) Prohibits the use of financial status or economic reality techniques without a reasonable indication that a likelihood of unreported income exists. (Sec. 109) Requires deficiency notices to specify deadlines for filing Tax Court petitions. (Sec. 110) Authorizes a refund or credit by the Tax Court in certain deficiency proceedings or in instances of an uncontested overpayment. (Sec. 111) Requires IRS employees to be instructed that they may not coerce a taxpayer through audit threat into a Tip Reporting Alternative Commitment Agreement. (Sec. 112) Requires: (1) court approval for IRS seizure of taxpayer property; and (2) for seizure of a principal residence, a showing that all other payment options have been exhausted and that a judicial writ of execution has been issued. (Sec. 113) Directs the Taxpayer Advocate, in determining whether to issue a taxpayer assistance order, to consider whether: (1) there is an immediate threat of adverse action; (2) there has been resolution delay; and (3) the taxpayer will suffer irreparable injury. (Sec. 114) Increases the amount exempt from levy for: (1) fuel, provisions, furniture, and personal effects; and (2) books and tools of a trade, business, or profession. (Sec. 115) Directs the Secretary to develop and publish guidelines for national and local allowances to ensure that taxpayers entering into offers-in-compromise have adequate means for basic living expenses. (Sec. 116) Increases the overpayment rate for noncorporation taxpayers. (Sec. 117) Prohibits levy on a taxpayer's wages or property: (1) while an offer-in-compromise or installment agreement is pending or being appealed; or (2) if requested by the taxpayer for certain assessments. (Sec. 118) Applies specified fair debt collection practices to the IRS, and subjects their violation to existing civil action provisions. (Sec. 119) Allows civil actions by persons other than taxpayers for unauthorized IRS collection activities. (Sec. 120) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into administrative agreements with State tax authorities. Title II: Taxpayer Education, Notice, and Resources - Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) explanation of taxpayer rights; (2) toll-free customer telephone lines; (3) taxpayer interview procedures; (4) explanation of joint and several liability and of appeals and collection process; and (5) statute of limitation extensions. (Sec. 208) Provides for independent operation of local Taxpayer Advocate offices.
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 · 10 March 1998
Designates March 22 through 28, 1998, as National Corrosion Prevention Week.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1998
Calls for commemoration of the death of George Washington.
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 · 3 March 1998
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) it should be U.S. policy to support Israel's efforts to enter an appropriate United Nations (UN) regional group; (2) the President should instruct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN to carry out this policy; (3) the United States should insist that any effort to reform the UN, including the Security Council, also resolve this anomaly and should ensure that the principle of sovereign equality be upheld without exception; and (4) the Secretary of State should submit a report to the Congress on the steps taken by the United States, the UN Secretary General, and others to help secure Israel's membership in an appropriate UN regional group.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1998
Recognizes and celebrates 1998 as the 150th anniversary of the Women's Rights Movement and March 1998 as National Women's History Month under the theme "Living the Legacy of Women's Rights."
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1998
Urges the President to: (1) call for the creation of a United Nations (UN) commission to establish an international record of the criminal culpability of Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi officials; (2) call for the UN to form an international criminal tribunal for the purpose of indicting, prosecuting, and imprisoning Hussein and other Iraqi officials who are responsible for crimes against humanity, genocide, and other international law violations; and (3) seek, upon the creation of such a tribunal, the reprogramming of necessary funds to support the tribunal's efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1998
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) it should be U.S. policy to support Israel's efforts to enter an appropriate United Nations (UN) regional group; (2) the President should instruct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN to carry out this policy; (3) the United States should insist that any effort to reform the UN, including the Security Council, also resolve this anomaly and should ensure that the principle of sovereign equality be upheld without exception; and (4) the Secretary of State should submit a report to the Congress on the steps taken by the United States, the UN Secretary General, and others to help secure Israel's membership in an appropriate UN regional group.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1998
Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to repeal joint and several liability of spouses with respect to joint returns. Provides instead that the tax liability shall be in proportion to the tax liability which each spouse would have incurred if each had reported his or her apportionable items on a separate return of a married individual, provided that a payment by one spouse in excess of such spouse's proportionate share of liability for the tax reported on the return shall not be refunded unless there is an overpayment with respect to that return. Revises IRC provisions concerning community property to disregard, for purposes of determining tax liability, community property laws.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1998
Urges: (1) the President to oppose any reorganization plan for the expansion of the United Nations Security Council which does not include Italy and to support Italy's inclusion as a permanent member if there is to be an expansion of the Security Council; and (2) the Department of State to develop a reorganization plan of the Security Council that would incorporate nations that have played a significant role in fostering world peace and stability, such as Italy.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1998
Wetlands and Wildlife Enhancement Act of 1998 - Amends the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the Partnerships for Wildlife Act to extend the authorization of appropriations to carry out such Acts through FY 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1998
Expresses the sense of the Senate that March 2, 1998, shall be known as Read Across America Day, in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday. Encourages reading with children on that day.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Women's Rights National Historic Trail Act of 1998 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to study and report to specified congressional committees on alternatives for establishing a national historic trail commemorating and interpreting the history of women's rights in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Economic Development Partnership Act of 1998 - Amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (the Act) to direct the Secretary of Commerce to cooperate with States and other entities to assure that Federal economic development programs are compatible with and further the objectives of State, regional, and local economic development plans and comprehensive economic development strategies. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide appropriate technical assistance to such entities in order to alleviate economic distress, encourage partnerships for economic development strategies, and stimulate modernization and technological advances in the generation and commercialization of goods and services; and (2) prescribe regulations for intergovernmental review of proposed economic development projects. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into appropriate economic development agreements with two or more adjoining States. Authorizes the Secretary to appoint a National Public Advisory Committee on Regional Economic Development to make recommendations to the Secretary, including regarding the coordination of activities. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible recipients (defined later under this Act) for acquisition or development of land improvements for public works, public service, or development facility usage, as well as the acquisition, design and engineering, construction, rehabilitation, alteration, expansion, or improvement of such facilities. Provides assistance conditions relating to the establishment of industrial or commercial plants and the increase of employment in the area. Prohibits more than 15 percent of the appropriations made for such assistance from being expended in any one State. Allows grants to be increased due to construction cost increases. Authorizes the Secretary to make direct grants for economic development planning and related administrative expenses. Requires such planning to be a continuous process and to be prepared as part of a comprehensive economic development strategy for the area involved. Requires State certification of an economic development plan's consistency with local and economic development district plans. Provides a Federal cost-share limit of 50 percent of project costs. Authorizes the Secretary to make supplementary grants for a project for which the applicant is eligible but for which the applicant cannot supply the required matching share. Provides supplementary grant conditions and requirements, authorizing the Secretary to reduce or waive the required non-Federal share in such cases. Authorizes the Secretary to make direct grants for training, research, and technical assistance for alleviating or preventing conditions of excessive unemployment or underemployment. Allows such grants to include amounts for relocation assistance. Authorizes the Secretary to make direct grants for public facilities, public services, business development, planning, technical assistance, training and other assistance which demonstrably furthers the economic adjustment objectives of the Act. Allows such grant to be used in either direct expenditures by the recipient or through redistribution to other public and private entities, but prohibits any such redistribution to a private profit-making entity. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) approve the use of grant funds for projects the scope or purpose for which changes after the grant has been made; (2) use funds for projects constructed for less than the projected costs to improve such projects; and (3) make assistance available for projects to be carried out at a military or Department of Energy installation. Prohibits any assistance under the Act which would produce unfair commercial competition. Requires reports from grant and assistance recipients. Defines as an eligible recipient for purposes of this Act an area that: (1) has a per capita income of 80 percent or less of the national average or an unemployment rate one percent above such average; (2) has experienced or is about to experience a sudden economic dislocation resulting in significant job losses; (3) is a community or neighborhood which has a large concentration of low-income individuals, substantial out-migration, or substantial unemployment; (4) has long-term economic deterioration; (5) has a special need to meet an expected rise in unemployment; (6) contains a population of 250,000 or less with growth potential; or (7) is experiencing severe out-migration. Requires from recipients: (1) documentation of meeting such criteria; and (2) evidence of a comprehensive economic development strategy which identifies the economic problems to be addressed through such assistance, as well as related information. Authorizes the Secretary, in order to plan and carry out economic development projects of broader geographic significance, to designate appropriate economic development districts and economic development centers within such districts. Provides geographic, population, and other requirements with respect to each such designation. Directs the Secretary to prescribe standards for the termination of such districts and centers. Authorizes the Secretary to increase by up to ten percent of project costs the amount of grant assistance otherwise provided in the Act for projects within designated districts. Requires each designated district to provide to the Appalachian Regional Commission a copy of such district's comprehensive economic development strategy. Authorizes the Secretary to provide assistance to a district area which does not meet the requirements of an eligible recipient under the Act when such assistance will be of substantial direct benefit to a qualifying area in such district. Directs the Secretary to administer this Act with the assistance of an Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. Directs the Secretary to serve as a central information clearinghouse on all matters relating to economic development and adjustment, disaster recovery, and defense conversion programs and activities of Federal and State governments and to help applicants for such assistance. Requires appropriate consultation with other persons and agencies. Authorizes the Secretary to furnish procurement divisions of the Federal Government with a list of business firms located in distressed areas which desire Government supplies and services contracts. Imposes penalties upon persons who: (1) make false statements in order to obtain assistance under the Act; and (2) embezzle or commit other fraud-related crimes while connected in any capacity with the Secretary in the administration of the Act. Sets forth: (1) conflict-of-interest provisions; and (2) recordkeeping requirements for the Secretary and recipients regarding assistance under this Act. Provides that assistance under the Act shall supplement and not supplant other Federal assistance. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2002. Authorizes additional appropriations for defense conversion activities and disaster economic recovery activities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1998
Designates October 18 through 24, 1998, as National Character Counts Week.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1998
Declares that the Congress: (1) honors the proud history of Wisconsin statehood; and (2) encourages all Wisconsinites to reflect on the State's distinguished past and look forward to the State's promising future.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1998
Designates the week of May 3, 1998, as National Correctional Officers and Employees Week.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1998
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Act of 1998 - Authorizes the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to: (1) make grants to States, local governments, and Indian tribes to purchase armor vests for use by State, local, and tribal law enforcement officers; and (2) give preferential consideration to applications from jurisdictions that have a violent crime rate at or above the national average and that have not been providing each law enforcement officer assigned to patrol or other hazardous duties with body armor. Sets forth provisions regarding matching funds and allocation of funds, applications, and reimbursement of funds. Prohibits any State, local government, or Indian tribe that receives financial assistance made available by this Act from purchasing equipment or products manufactured using prison inmate labor. Expresses the sense of the Congress that entities receiving assistance under this Act should, in expending such assistance, purchase only American-made equipment and products. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1998
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, to repeal a specified restriction on Medicare payment for certain hospital discharges to post-acute care.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1998
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that the Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the U.S. flag.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1998
Taxpayers' Cancer Research Funding Act of 1998 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain individuals to designate that five dollars (ten dollars in the case of joint returns) be paid over to the Breast and Prostate Cancer Research Fund established by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1998
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt multiemployer pension plans from provisions which limit pension benefits to a participant's average compensation for the participant's three highest consecutive years of compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1998
Designates March 25, 1998, as Greek Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1998
Biomedical Revitalization Resolution of 1998 - Expresses the sense of the Senate that funding for the National Institutes of Health should be increased by $2 billion in FY 1999.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1998
Condemns the continued threat to international peace and security posed by Iraq's refusal to meet its international obligations and end its weapons of mass destruction programs. Urges the President to: (1) take all necessary and appropriate actions to respond to such threat; and (2) work with the Congress in furthering a long-term policy aimed at definitively ending such threat.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1998
Urges the Department of Education, States, and local education agencies to work together to ensure that at least 95 percent of all funds appropriated for Department-administered elementary and secondary education programs is spent for children in their classrooms.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1998
Requests that the President issue a proclamation designating February 3, 1998, as Four Chaplains Day.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Heirless Assets Title II: Works of Art Holocaust Victims Redress Act - Title I: Heirless Assets - Directs the President to direct the commissioner representing the United States on the Tripartite Commission for the Restitution of Monetary Gold to seek and vote for a timely agreement under which all signatories to the Paris Agreement on Reparation with claims against the monetary gold pool in the Commission's jurisdiction contribute all or a substantial portion of such gold to charitable organizations to assist survivors of the Holocaust. Authorizes the President to obligate up to $30 million for such distribution. Authorizes appropriations, including appropriations for archival research to assist in the restitution of assets looted or extorted from victims of the Holocaust and such other activities that would further Holocaust remembrance and education. Title II: Works of Art - Expresses the sense of the Congress that, consistent with the 1907 Hague Convention, all governments should undertake good faith efforts to facilitate the return of private and public property, such as works of art, to the rightful owners in cases where assets were confiscated from the claimant during the period of Nazi rule and there is reasonable proof that the claimant is the rightful owner.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1997
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to grant duty-free treatment of certain shadow mask steel used in making aperture masks for cathode-ray tube video displays. Decreases the column one duty on other type shadow mask steel, while setting a duty on certain other shadow mask steel.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1997
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to delay the commencement of the student loan repayment period for certain students called to active duty in the armed forces. Provides that any period (up to three years) during which a borrower who is a member a reserve component of the armed forces is called or ordered to active duty (for more than 30 days) shall be excluded from the grace period (after the student ceases to carry at least a half-time academic load) before repayment of a student loan must begin. (Such grace period is six months for Stafford or Direct Stafford/Ford loans, and nine months for Perkins direct loans.)
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1997
Long Island Sound Preservation and Protection Act of 1997 - Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to prohibit the dumping in Long Island Sound or Block Island Sound of dredged material exceeding 25,000 cubic yards from any Federal or non-Federal project that contains any of the constituents prohibited as other than trace contaminants (as defined by certain Federal ocean dumping criteria set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations), except where it is demonstrated to and certified by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency that such dumping will not cause significant undesirable effects, including the threat associated with bioaccumulation of such constituents in marine organisms. Requires any dumping of dredged material in Long Island Sound or Block Island Sound from a Federal project pursuant to Federal authorization, or by a non-Federal applicant, exceeding 25,000 cubic yards, to comply with specified criteria under the Act relating the effects of dumping.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1997
Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 1998 - Amends the Federal criminal code to set penalties for persons who, whether or not acting under color of law, willfully cause bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, firearm, or explosive device, attempt to cause such injury, because of the actual or perceived: (1) race, color, religion, or national origin of any person; and (2) religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability of any person, where in connection with the offense, the defendant or the victim travels in interstate or foreign commerce, uses a facility or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce, or engages in any activity affecting interstate or foreign commerce, or where the offense is in or affects interstate or foreign commerce. (Sec. 5) Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to study the issue of adult recruitment of juveniles to commit hate crimes and, if appropriate, amend the Federal sentencing guidelines to provide sentencing enhancements for adult defendants who recruit juveniles to assist in the commission of hate crimes. (Sec. 6) Requires the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make grants to State and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 7) Authorizes appropriations to the Department of the Treasury and to DOJ to increase the number of personnel to prevent and respond to alleged violations of provisions regarding interference with specified federally protected activities, such as voting.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1997
Designates the week of November 8, 1997, as a National Week of Recognition for Dorothy Day and those whom she served.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1997
Makes a technical correction in the enrollment of S. 1026 (reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank of the United States).
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 1997
Public Safety Officers Educational Assistance Act of 1998 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide financial assistance for higher education to the dependents of Federal, State, and local public safety officers (currently, only the dependents of Federal public safety officers) who are killed or permanently and totally disabled as the result of a traumatic injury sustained in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1997
Surface Transportation Extension Act of 1997 - Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) to make $5.5 billion available from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for November 16, 1997, through January 31, 1998. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) apportion such funds to each State in the ratio that the State's total FY 1997 obligation authority for funds apportioned for the Federal-aid highway program bears to all States' total FY 1997 obligation authority for Federal-aid highway program funds; and (2) ensure that each State is apportioned funds for specified items according to the 1997 distribution of funds for such items, including the National Highway System, the Interstate maintenance program, the bridge program, the surface transportation program, and the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program. Requires the Secretary to reduce the amount that would otherwise be apportioned to a State for FY 1998 under a law enacted after this Act reauthorizing a Federal-aid highway program by the amount that is apportioned to such State for such program by this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to establish procedures under which funds apportioned by this Act for a program category for which funds are not authorized under a law enacted after this Act may be restored to the Federal-aid highway program. Makes specified sums available from the HTF to carry out provisions regarding Federal-aid highway minimum allocations for January 26 through 31, 1998, in accordance with the allocation of such funds among all States for FY 1997. Directs the Secretary to allocate to each State an amount of obligation authority made available under the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (DOT Act) that is: (1) equal to the greater of the State's unobligated balance, as of October 1, 1997, of Federal-aid highway apportionments subject to any limitation on obligations, or 50 percent of the State's total FY 1997 obligation authority for funds apportioned for the Federal-aid highway program; but (2) not greater than 75 percent of the State's total FY 1997 obligation authority for funds apportioned for the Federal-aid highway program. Limits the total amount of all allocations to $9.78 billion. Prohibits: (1) a State from obligating funds for any Federal-aid highway program project after May 1, 1998, until the earlier of the date of enactment of a multiyear law reauthorizing the Federal-aid highway program or July 1, 1998; and (2) the obligation of contract authority made available to the States prior to July 1, 1998, after that date until a multiyear law reauthorizing the Federal-aid highway program has been enacted. Directs the Secretary, on the earlier of the enactment of such law or July 1, 1998, to distribute to each State any remaining amounts of obligation authority for Federal-aid highways and highway safety construction programs by allocation in accordance with the DOT Act. (Sec. 3) Authorizes a State, for FY 1998, to transfer any unobligated funds granted to it for an alcohol traffic safety program, allocated to it for a commercial motor vehicle safety program, or apportioned to it for the surface transportation program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the National Highway System, the Interstate System, the highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program, or the highway safety program to any other such program. Directs the Secretary, after enactment of a law authorizing the Federal-aid highway program, to restore transferred funds for any project not eligible for the funds but for this section to the program category from which the funds were transferred. Authorizes the Secretary to establish procedures under which transferred funds from a program category for which funds are not authorized may be restored to the Federal-aid highway, highway safety, and motor carrier safety programs. (Sec. 4) Grants the Secretary specified borrowing authority if necessary to pay administrative and research expenses of the Federal-aid highway program. Makes certain sums available from HTF for administrative and research expenses of the Federal-aid highway program for FY 1998, subject to specified limitations. Amends ISTEA to extend appropriations through March 31, 1998, for the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. (Sec. 5) Amends ISTEA to reauthorize, through March 31, 1998: (1) appropriations for the Federal lands highway program, the national recreational trails program, highway use tax evasion projects, the scenic byways program, and intelligent transportation systems; and (2) National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration highway safety programs, alcohol traffic safety programs, the National Driver Register, the motor carrier safety program, and Federal transit programs (including fixed guideway modernization programs and certain other mass transportation programs). Makes sums available from HTF through such date for the operation lifesaver program, the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program, the National Highway Institute, the education and training program, metropolitan planning, and for the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. (Sec. 9) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend HTF, the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund, and the National Recreational Trails Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1997
Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1997 - Provides for the permanent resident status adjustment of certain Haitian nationals (and their spouses and children) who were paroled into the United States or filed for amnesty before a specified date. Sets forth stay of removal and work authorization provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1997
Cargo Theft Deterrence Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal criminal code regarding thefts pertaining to interstate or foreign shipments by carrier to include thefts of trailers and air cargo containers and thefts from freight consolidation facilities. Increases the maximum penalty from one year to three years imprisonment. Authorizes the court, upon motion of the Attorney General, to reduce any penalty imposed under such provisions for any defendant who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of any dealer or wholesaler of stolen goods or chattels moving as, which are a part of, or which constitute, an interstate or foreign shipment. Specifies that goods and chattel shall be construed to be moving as an interstate or foreign shipment at all points between the point of origin and the final destination. Makes it an affirmative defense that the defendant bought, received, or possessed the goods at issue with the sole intent to report the matter to an appropriate law enforcement officer or to the owner. Directs: (1) the United States Sentencing Commission to amend the Federal sentencing guidelines to provide a sentencing enhancement of not less than two levels for any such offense; and (2) the Attorney General to annually submit to the Congress a report including an evaluation of law enforcement activities relating to the investigation and prosecution of such offenses. Establishes the Advisory Committee on Cargo Theft to study, and develop recommendations regarding, the establishment of: (1) a national computer database for the collection and dissemination of information relating to violations of cargo theft provisions; and (2) an office within the Federal Government to promote, and to increase coordination between the Government and the private sector regarding, cargo security. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 1997
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2000, the duty on other yarn, single: of viscose rayon, untwisted or with a twist not exceeding 120 turns per meter except for medium tenacity rayon filament yarn (2.8 to 4.1 grams per denier) manufactured solely for the purpose of carbonizing.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 1997
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 1999, the duty on high tenacity single yarn of viscose rayon.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 1997
Authorizes the President to enter into a free trade agreement with qualified areas of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland that provides for: (1) harmonization, reduction and elimination of trade barriers; (2) prohibition of or limitations on the imposition of such barriers; and (3) elimination or reduction of duties imposed by the United States. Sets forth criteria for the duty-free treatment of qualified area products. Limits such qualified areas to areas of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland contiguous to Northern Ireland suffering from the severest form of economic deprivation, with a higher than average unemployment. Requires employers to comply with the MacBride Principles of economic justice. Requires the International Trade Commission, before any reduction or elimination of duty is proclaimed with respect to an article, to advise the President of the probable economic effect of duty-free treatment on U.S. industries producing like or directly competitive articles, and on consumers. Requires the President to consult with the Congress, according to a specified procedure, before entering into, or implementing, any free trade agreement under this Act.