United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
Acid Deposition Control Act - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a Nitrogen Oxide Allowance Program under which the contiguous States and the District of Columbia will be allocated allowances, beginning in the year 2000, to emit limited monthly amounts of nitrogen oxides. Allocates such allowances in proportion to a State's share of total electric power generated in the contiguous States. Sets forth requirements for the intrastate distribution of allowances among affected facilities (facilities with combustion units that serve an electricity generator with a minimum capacity of 25 megawatts) by a State or the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations: (1) authorizing allowances to be transferred among affected facilities or persons; and (2) for issuing and tracking the use and transfer of allowances. Permits unused allowances to be carried forward for subsequent years. Requires the Administrator, for States for which the Administrator distributes allowances, to place ten percent of the total allowances in a new source reserve. Provides for the auctioning and sale of undistributed allowances in such reserve during 2003 through 2005. Distributes auction proceeds to affected sources in proportion to the number of allowances that would have been received but for the auction. Authorizes the Administrator to terminate or limit allowances. Makes it unlawful, after January 1, 2000, for: (1) the owner or operator of an affected facility to emit nitrogen oxides exceeding the amount permitted by allowances held by such facility; or (2) any person to hold, use, or transfer such allowances, except as provided under this Act. Repeals the nitrogen oxides emission reduction program under the Clean Air Act. Bars the use of an allowance before the calendar year for which the allowance is allocated. Amends the Clean Air Act to require owners or operators of industrial facilities with a minimum capacity of 100 million British thermal units (mmBtus) per hour to install and operate continuous emission monitoring systems on affected units and quality assure data for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, opacity, and volumetric flow. Imposes penalties for emissions in excess of allowances. Requires offsets of allowances in the calendar year following the one in which excess emissions occurred. Decreases the amount of sulfur dioxide authorized to be emitted under an existing allowance program for 2003 and subsequent years. Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress on objectives for scientifically credible environmental indicators, including acid neutralizing capacity, sufficient to protect sensitive ecosystems of the Adirondack, Mid-Appalachian, and Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, Long Island Sound, and the Chesapeake Bay. Directs the Administrator, by December 31, 2006, to determine whether emissions reductions under this Act are sufficient to achieve such objectives and, if not, to promulgate regulations necessary to protect such ecosystems. Requires the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on the practicality of monitoring mercury emissions from all combustion units with a minimum capacity of 250 mmBtus per hour. Provides for regulations to: (1) require reporting of mercury emissions from such units; and (2) control electric utility and industrial source mercury emissions. Directs the Administrator to establish a competitive grant program to fund research related to the effects of nitrogen deposition on sensitive watersheds and coastal estuaries in the eastern United States. Requires the Administrator to report to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the House Committee on Resources on the health and chemistry of certain Adirondack lakes and streams that were subjects of a specified report required under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
Parent and Student Savings Account PLUS Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to education individual retirement accounts to: (1) include qualified elementary and secondary education expenses (including home schooling); and (2) increase annual contribution limits to $2,000.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Executive Branch Governance and Senior Management of the Internal Revenue Service Subtitle A: Executive Branch Governance and Senior Management Subtitle B: Personnel Flexibilities Title II: Electronic Filing Title III: Taxpayer Protection and Rights Title IV: Congressional Accountability for the Internal Revenue Service Subtitle A: Oversight Subtitle B: Budget Subtitle C: Tax Law Complexity Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1997 - Title I: Executive Branch Governance and Senior Management of the Internal Revenue Service - Subtitle A: Executive Branch Government and Senior Management - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to replace current provisions establishing the office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue with provisions establishing the Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board (the Board). Requires that seven of the nine members of the Board not be full-time Federal officers or employees. Requires that all Board members have expertise in, among other things: (1) management of large service organizations; (2) customer service; and (3) the needs and concerns of taxpayers. Requires the Board to: (1) review and approve strategic plans of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); (2) review the operational functions of the IRS; (3) select the Commissioner of Internal Revenue (Commissioner), as well as senior IRS managers, and review the Commissioner's reorganization plans; and (4) review and approve the IRS budget request, as well as ensure audits of the IRS. (Sec. 102) Replaces current provisions which authorize the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to employ such personnel as necessary for the proper administration and enforcement of the internal revenue laws with provisions requiring there to be in the Department of the Treasury a Commissioner who shall be appointed by the Board for a five-year term. Sets forth the duties of the Commissioner, including the: (1) administration and management of the internal revenue laws; and (2) Commissioner's responsibility to consult with the Board. Establishes and sets forth duties for: (1) a Chief Counsel for the IRS to be appointed by the President; (2) the Office of Employee Plans and Exempt Organizations; (3) an Office of the Taxpayer Advocate. (Sec. 103) Replaces current provisions concerning the effect of reorganization plans with provisions which authorize the Commissioner to employ such number of persons as proper to administer and enforce the internal revenue laws. Subtitle B: Personnel Flexibilities - Directs the Commissioner to establish a performance management system covering IRS employees which: (1) establishes retention standards; and (2) establishes performance goals or objectives. Provides for awards based on performance, but prohibits making an award solely on the basis of tax enforcement results. Sets forth other provisions concerning: (1) classification and pay; (2) staffing; and (3) demonstration projects. Title II: Electronic Filing - Provides for paperless filing and payment of taxes. Title III: Taxpayer Protection and Rights - Sets forth provisions concerning taxpayer protections and rights, including provisions concerning: (1) authority to issue taxpayer assistance orders; (2) authority to award costs and fees; (3) damages for negligence in collection actions; (4) criteria and procedures for selecting taxpayers for examination; (5) archival treatment of IRS records; (6) freedom of information; (7) offers-in-compromise; (8) jurisdiction of the Tax Court; (9) cataloging of complaints; and (10) procedures for taxpayer interviews. (Sec. 309) Eliminates the interest differential on overpayments and underpayments. (Sec. 310) Eliminates the failure to pay penalty as long as an installment payment agreement is in effect. (Sec. 311) Directs the Secretary to accept installment tax liability payments if: (1) such liability does not exceed $10,000; (2) the taxpayer has, during the past five years, paid on time; and (3) the taxpayer has not entered into a prior installment agreement. (Sec. 313) Directs the Secretary to make grants to provide matching funds for qualified low-income taxpayer clinics. (Sec. 319) Provides for studies concerning: (1) taxpayer confidentiality; (2) penalty administration; (3) treating all taxpayers as separate filing units; and (4) burden of proof. Title IV: Congressional Accountability for the Internal Revenue Service - Subtitle A: Oversight - Authorizes the Joint Committee on Taxation (Joint Committee) to procure the services of experts for investigations of the IRS by the General Accounting Office. (Sec. 402) Establishes additional reporting requirements for the Joint Committee. Subtitle B: Budget - Provides for additional budget authority for the IRS, but only on annual basis and only if specified improvements are made in taxpayer services. (Sec. 413) Directs the Commissioner to convene a financial advisory management group to advise the Commissioner. Subtitle C: Tax Law Complexity - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the IRS should provide the Congress with an independent view of tax administration. (Sec. 422) Requires a Senate or House of Representatives committee, when reporting legislation including any provision amending the IRC, to contain within the report a Tax Complexity Analysis. (Sec. 423) Declares it to be the policy of the Congress that employers should have a single point of filing tax and wage reporting information. (Sec. 424) Requires the Joint Committee to prepare a study of the feasibility of developing a baseline estimate of taxpayers' compliance burdens against which future legislative proposals could be measured.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt specified entertainment industry pension plan recipients from certain reductions in unemployment compensation payable which would otherwise be applicable because of the receipt of pension benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1997
Calls for: (1) the President to demand that the Government of Russia take actions to stop governmental and nongovernmental entities in the Russian Federation from providing missile technology and technical advice to Iran in violation of the Missile Technology Control Regime; (2) the United States, if Russia's response is inadequate, to impose sanctions on the responsible Russian entities in accordance with Executive Order 12938 on the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and to reassess cooperative activities with Russia; (3) raising the threshold under current law allowing for the waiver of the prohibition on the release of foreign assistance to Russia; and (4) encouragement of our European allies to take steps to stop such proliferation.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1997
Aircraft Repair Station Safety Act of 1997 - Terminates the effectiveness of certain November 22, 1988, amendments to the foreign repair station rules of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Declares that certain standards issued by the FAA for domestic repair stations shall apply in the same manner to foreign repair stations. Amends Federal aviation safety law to require the FAA Administrator to issue an order revoking an air agency certificate for a repair station if the Administrator finds that that any station owner or personnel knowingly used an uncertified or substandard airframe, engine, propeller, appliance, or any other part in the repair or overhaul of an aircraft.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1997
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Accountability and Safety Act of 1997 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to withhold the U.S. share of assistance for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) projects in Cuba except those for the discontinuation, dismantling, or safety inspection of nuclear facilities or related materials, or for inspections and similar activities designed to prevent the development of nuclear weapons by Cuba or other specified countries. Denies this exception to (thereby withholding the U.S. share of assistance for IAEA projects at) the Juragua Nuclear Power Plant near Cienfuegos, Cuba, or the Pedro Pi Nuclear Research Center, unless Cuba ratifies certain nuclear weapon nonproliferation treaties and incorporates internationally accepted nuclear safety standards. Directs the Secretary of State to instruct the U.S. representative to the IAEA to oppose IAEA projects at the Juragua Nuclear Power Plant and the Pedro Pi Nuclear Research Center (including any other IAEA project in Cuba that is, or could become, a threat to the security of the United States). Requires specified reports.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1997
Extends congressional gratitude to Leslie Townes (Bob) Hope for his accomplishments and service on behalf of U.S. military service members. Confers upon Mr. Hope the status of an honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Homeless Assistance Performance Fund Title II: Management Improvements: Home and Hope for Homeownership of Single Family Homes Programs Homelessness Assistance and Management Reform Act of 1997 - Title I: Homeless Assistance Performance Fund - Amends the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants for eligible projects to assist homeless individuals and families in support of continuum of care systems. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth related program provisions. Title II: Management Improvements; Home and Hope for Homeownership of Single Family Homes Programs - Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act with respect to the HOME investment partnership and HOPE for home ownership of single family homes programs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1997
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to religious understanding and peace. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike duplicate medals in bronze. Authorizes appropriations from the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund, where sales proceeds shall be deposited.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1997
Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to extend the Export-Import Bank's authority from FY 1997 through 2001. Makes funds available for the Tied Aid Credit Fund without fiscal year limitation. Extends from FY 1997 through 2001 Bank authority to provide financing for the export of nonlethal defense articles or services whose primary end use will be for civilian purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1997
Federal Law Enforcement Officers' Good Samaritan Act of 1997 - Provides that a law enforcement officer shall be construed to be acting within the scope of his or her office or employment if the officer takes any action, including the use of force, that is determined by such officer to be necessary to: (1) protect an individual in the officer's presence from the imminent infliction of serious bodily injury; (2) provide immediate assistance to an individual who has suffered or who is threatened with serious bodily injury; or (3) prevent the escape of any individual whom the officer reasonably believes to have committed, in his or her presence, a crime of violence.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1997
Urges the German Government to: (1) expand and simplify its system of reparations so that all Holocaust survivors can receive reparations regardless of their nationality, length or place of internment, or current financial situation; (2) provide reparations to Holocaust survivors in the former Soviet Union and other former Communist countries in Eastern and Central Europe; (3) fulfill its responsibilities to Holocaust victims and immediately set up a comprehensive medical fund to cover the medical expenses of all Holocaust survivors worldwide; and (4) help restore the dignity of such survivors by paying them sufficient reparations to ensure that no Holocaust survivor be forced by poverty to live in conditions worse than those generally enjoyed by the surviving former Nazis who persecuted them.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1997
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to revise the tariff treatment of costumes and costume components that are: (1) knitted or crocheted; and (2) not knitted or crocheted. Excludes such articles from the tariff treatment of toys, games, and sports equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1997
Money Laundering and Financial Crimes Strategy Act of 1997 - Amends Federal law governing monetary transactions to direct the President (acting through the Secretary of the Treasury) to develop and submit annually to the Congress a national strategy for combating money laundering and related financial crimes. Prescribes strategy contents. Requires: (1) an element of the national strategy to be the designation of certain geographic areas, industries, sectors, or institutions as areas in which money laundering and related financial crimes are extensive or present a substantial risk; and (2) the Secretary to take specified factors into consideration when identifying such areas. Authorizes certain Federal, State and local officials and prosecutors to submit a written request for the designation of a high-risk money laundering and related financial crimes area. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to State and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to investigate and prosecute money laundering and related financial crimes in high-risk money laundering areas (with special preference given to collaborative efforts of several State and local law enforcement agencies or prosecutors with a history of intergovernmental cooperative law enforcement and prosecutorial efforts in responding to such criminal activity). Authorizes appropriations. Instructs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to establish the funding for law enforcement activities regarding money laundering and related financial crimes for each applicable department or agency as a separate object class in each annual budget submitted to the Congress. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the effectiveness of and need for the designation of high-risk money laundering and related financial crime areas.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1997
Declares that: (1) President Jiang Zemin's statements constitute a welcome reaffirmation of the obligations of the People's Republic of China under the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law to ensure that Hong Kong remains autonomous, the human rights of its people remain protected, and the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is elected democratically; and (2) China's fulfillment of these obligations under the terms of the Joint Declaration of the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law constitute a crucial test of Beijing's ability to play a responsible global role.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1997
Amends the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 to require screening mammograms to be provided in accordance with current recommendations of the American Cancer Society relating to the age of the recipient and frequency of receipt.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1997
Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the Postal Service to issue a postage stamp to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first Women's Rights Convention.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1997
Wartime Violation of Italian American Civil Liberties Act - Requires the Inspector General of the Department of Justice to conduct a comprehensive review of the treatment by the Federal Government of Italian Americans during World War II (between September 1, 1939, and December 31, 1945) and to report to the Congress on the findings of such review. Requires the findings to include information regarding: (1) Italian Americans who were interned, taken into custody, ordered to move out of designated areas, or arrested for curfew, contraband, or other violations; (2) Federal Bureau of Investigations raids on Italian Americans homes; (3) restrictions on Italian American fishermen and railroad workers; and (4) civil liberties infringements suffered by Italian Americans during World War II. Requires the President, on behalf of the Government, to formally acknowledge that these events during World War II represented a fundamental injustice against Italian Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Pension ProSave Plans Title II: Establishment of Pension ProSave System Subtitle A: Definitions Subtitle B: Establishment of Pension ProSave System Title III: Pension Portability Clearinghouse Title IV: Simplified Defined Benefit Plans Pension ProSave Act - Title I: Pension ProSave Plans - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to deferred compensation and other matters to establish a system under which any employer may establish a Pension ProSave Plan: (1) for the exclusive benefit of its employees and their beneficiaries; and (2) the only contributions to which are contributions to Pension ProSave Accounts established on behalf of such employees. Specifies requirements for contributions, vesting, distributions and loans, and reporting. Provides that a Pension ProSave Plan shall be treated in the same manner as a qualified pension, profit-sharing, or stock bonus plan including a certain kind of tax-exempt trust. Title II: Establishment of Pension ProSave System - Subtitle A: Definitions - Sets forth definitions for purposes of this Act. Subtitle B: Establishment of Pension ProSave System - Directs the Board of Directors of the Pension Portability Clearinghouse (established by this Act) to establish a system of Pension ProSave Accounts under which: (1) employers and employees may make contributions on behalf of employees under a Pension ProSave Plan; (2) individuals may make qualified rollover contributions to Pension ProSave Accounts; and (3) amounts in the Pension ProSave Accounts are invested, and loans and distributions of amounts in such Accounts are made, as provided in this Act. Title III: Pension Portability Clearinghouse - Establishes the Pension Portability Clearinghouse within the executive branch of the Government and the Pension Portability Clearinghouse Advisory Council. Title IV: Simplified Defined Benefit Pla ns - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth a simplified method for complying with pension requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1997
Designates the portion of State Route 17 located between Harriman, New York, and Erie, Pennsylvania, as Interstate Route 86, subject to substandard features being upgraded. Provides that designation of such Route shall not: (1) be charged against the mileage limitation established for the Interstate System; or (2) increase Federal financial responsibility with respect to such Route. Allows a State to use specified Federal highway funds to eliminate substandard features and to resurface, restore, rehabilitate, or reconstruct any portion of the designated Route.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1997
Quiet Communities Act of 1997 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to reestablish an Office of Noise Abatement and Control, which shall be responsible for coordinating Federal noise abatement activities, updating or developing noise standards, providing technical assistance to local communities, and promoting research and education. Requires the Administrator to: (1) conduct a study of airport noise, examining the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) selection of noise measurement methodologies, health impact thresholds, and abatement program effectiveness; and (2) submit such study to the Congress and the FAA. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1997
Amends Federal aviation law to declare that nothing in such law or in the Death on the High Seas Act shall affect any remedy existing at common law or under State law with respect to any injury or death arising out of any aviation incident occurring on or after January 1, 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1997
Community Health Care Access Act of 1997 - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Secretary) to establish procedures for requesting waiver of the Immigration and Nationality Act two-year foreign residence requirement for certain foreign medical graduates, including those employed by U.S. health care facilities or organizations. Directs the Secretary to report periodically to the Secretary of Health and Human Services regarding the number and geographic location of such health facility positions.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1997
Ocean and Coastal Research Revitalization Act of 1997 - Amends the National Sea Grant College Program Act to add or modify various definitions. (Sec. 5) Replaces provisions establishing and administering the National Sea Grant College Program with provisions maintaining such a program and setting forth its elements and the Program duties of the Secretary of Commerce. (Sec. 6) Repeals provisions authorizing grants and contracts regarding specified international activities, including research, education, and technology transfer. (Sec. 7) Replaces provisions providing for the designation of sea grant colleges and regional consortia with provisions setting forth the criteria for designation as a sea grant college or institute and designee duties. (Sec. 8) Repeals provisions mandating support of graduate fellowships related to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources. (Sec. 9) Modifies requirements regarding the sea grant review panel. (Sec. 10) Authorizes appropriations to carry out the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1997
Puerto Rico Economic Activity Credit Improvement Act of 1997 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the requirements for corporations to be eligible for the Puerto Rico economic activity credit. Requires that, in determining the credit amount, the credit provisions be applied separately to each substantial line of business of the corporation. Removes provisions limiting, in taxable years beginning after 2001, the aggregate taxable income taken into account in determining the amount of the credit. Terminates the credit four years after Puerto Rico has, for three consecutive years, unemployment under and per capita income over specified percentages of the U.S. rates. (Sec. 3) Amends provisions relating to the Puerto Rico and other possession tax credit to modify, with respect to possessions other than Puerto Rico, corporate eligibility requirements. Requires that, in determining the credit amount, the credit provisions be applied separately to each substantial line of business of the corporation. Modifies additional restricted credit requirements. Sets forth the circumstances in which the credit is available with regard to Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Terminates the credit, for any possession other than Puerto Rico, four years after the possession has, for three consecutive years, unemployment under and per capita income over specified percentages of the U.S. rates and poverty under a specified level.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1997
Amends the Revenue Act of 1987 to repeal the termination date of a specified transition rule and permanently exempt from taxation as corporations certain publicly traded partnerships (master limited partnerships).
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Removal of Tax Traps for the Unwary Title II: Conformity With Regulated Investment Company Rules Title III: Other Simplification Title IV: Effective Date Real Estate Investment Trust Tax Simplification Act of 1997 - Title I: Removal of Tax Traps for the Unwary - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose monetary penalties for the failure of a real estate investment trust (REIT) to comply with regulations regarding ascertaining the actual ownership of the outstanding shares, or certificates of beneficial interest, of the REIT. Requires treating a complying REIT as if it had met a requirement to not be closely held if it does not know, or exercising reasonable diligence would not have known, whether it was closely held. (Sec. 102) Revises the definition of "rents from real property" with regard to impermissible tenant service income and constructive ownership of stock. Title II: Conformity with Regulated Investment Company Rules - Provides for the treatment by shareholders of undistributed capital gains. Title III: Other Simplification - Revises requirements concerning the treatment of earnings and profits with regard to certain distributions. (Sec. 302) Modifies the grace period regarding foreclosure property. Allows one extension (currently, one or more extensions). Allows a REIT to revoke an election to treat property as foreclosure property. Changes requirements concerning termination of the grace period. (Sec. 303) Sets forth special foreclosure rules for health care properties. (Sec. 304) Revises: (1) the treatment of certain interest rate agreements; (2) the formula for determining the amount of excess noncash income; and (3) the circumstances in which a sale of property that is a real estate asset is not a prohibited transaction. (Sec. 307) Provides for the circumstances in which sale of secured property by a REIT will be treated as if the REIT had held the property for at least four years. (Sec. 308) Removes a requirement that, in order to be a qualified REIT subsidiary, the stock of a corporation must have been held by the REIT at all times the corporation was in existence. Title IV: Effective Date - Makes the amendments made by this Act applicable to taxable years beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1997
Landmine Elimination Act of 1997 - Prohibits, beginning on January 1, 2000, funds appropriated or otherwise available to any Federal department or agency from being obligated or expended for new deployments of anti-personnel landmines. Requires the Secretary of Defense to report to the Congress on actions and proposals to substitute for new deployments of such landmines on the Korean Peninsula. Allows the President to delay application of the prohibition with respect to the Peninsula if, not later than January 1, 2000, and each year thereafter, the President certifies the Congress that new deployments of anti-personnel landmines on the Peninsula in the event of a Korean war or a period of emergency in Korea declared by the President would be indispensable to the defense of the Republic of Korea in such year.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1997
Amends the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act to repeal the sunset date for (and thus permanently extend) certain authority relating to self-employment assistance programs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1997
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1997 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to establish in the National Park Service (NPS) a program to be known as the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom under which the Secretary shall: (1) produce and disseminate educational materials about the Railroad; (2) provide technical assistance to other government agencies, private entities, or the Governments of Canada, Mexico, or any appropriate Caribbean country to ensure coordination of Federal and non-Federal elements of the Network; and (3) regulate use of an official symbol for the Network. Includes within the Network: (1) NPS units or programs pertaining to the Underground Railroad; (2) Federal, State, local, or privately-owned properties pertaining to the Railroad that have a verifiable connection to it and that are included or eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places; and (3) governmental or nongovernmental facilities or programs of educational, research, or interpretive natures that are directly related to such Railroad. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1997
Fair ATM Fees for Consumers Act - Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to proscribe the assessment of an electronic terminal surcharge (ATM fee) against a consumer if the transaction: (1) neither relates to nor affects an account held by the consumer with the financial institution that owns or operates the electronic terminal; (2) is conducted through a national or regional electronic banking network.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1997
Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 1997 - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by covered entities, including an employing authority or office to which specified provisions of the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991 or the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 apply. Prohibits related retaliation and coercion. Declares that: (1) this Act does not apply to the provision of employee benefits for the benefit of an employee's partner; and (2) a disparate impact does not establish a prima facie violation of this Act. Prohibits: (1) quotas and preferential treatment; and (2) the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from entering into a consent decree that includes a quota or preferential treatment. Declares that this Act does not apply to: (1) religious organizations (except regarding employment in a position the duties of which pertain solely to activities of the organization that generate unrelated business income subject to taxation under specified Internal Revenue Code provisions); (2) the armed forces; or (3) laws creating special rights or preferences for veterans. Provides for enforcement. Disallows State immunity. Makes the United States or a State liable for all remedies (except punitive damages, with compensatory damages available to the extent specified in certain existing provisions of law) to the same extent as under specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Allows recovery of attorney's fees. Requires posting notices for employees and applicants.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1997
Makes a requirement that all Federal payments after January 1, 1999, be made by electronic funds transfer inapplicable to: (1) payments authorized under title II (Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act; and (2) veterans' benefits payable as compensation for service-connected disability or death, dependency and indemnity compensation for service-connected deaths, and pensions for non-service-connected disability or death or for service. Allows recipients of such payments to notify the Commissioner of Social Security or the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as appropriate, to authorize such payments to be made by electronic funds transfer.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1997
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the nonrecognition of gain on sales of stock of a qualified refiner or processor to an eligible farmer's cooperative.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1997
National Motor Vehicle Safety, Anti-theft, Title Reform, and Consumer Protection Act of 1997 - Amends Federal transportation law to require States, in licensing a passenger motor vehicle whose ownership has been transferred, to disclose on the certificate of title whenever records indicate that such vehicle was previously issued a title that contained a term or symbol signifying that it was "salvage," "unrebuildable," "parts only," "scrap," "junk," "nonrepairable," "reconstructed," "rebuilt," or that it has been damaged by flood. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations requiring each State in licensing such vehicles to apply specified uniform standards, procedures, and methods for the issuance and control of motor vehicle titles and for information to be contained on such titles. Directs the Secretary to prescribe requirements (similar to those of the Automobile Information Disclosure Act) that a label containing certain information be affixed to the windshield or window of a rebuilt or remanufactured salvage vehicle before its first sale. Prohibits a person from willfully removing, altering, or rendering illegible such label before the vehicle is delivered to the ultimate purchaser. Makes it unlawful for any person knowingly and willfully to: (1) make false statements on an application for a motor vehicle title; (2) fail to apply for a salvage title when such application is required; (3) alter, forge, or counterfeit a certificate of title, a nonrepairable vehicle certificate, a certificate verifying an anti-theft inspection or an anti-theft and safety inspection, or a required decal affixed to a passenger motor vehicle; (4) falsify the results of an inspection; (5) offer to sell any salvage vehicle or nonrepairable vehicle as a rebuilt salvage vehicle; or (6) conspire to commit any of these acts. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Multifamily Restructuring Subtitle A: Housing Provisions Subtitle B: Extension of Time for Payment of Tax Attributable to FHA Portfolio Restructuring Title II: Housing Enforcement Subtitle A: Single Family and Multifamily Housing Subtitle B: Multifamily Housing Subtitle C: FHA Single Family Housing Title III: Exemption of HUD and USDA Multifamily Loan Foreclosures and Related Actions from the Bankruptcy Stay Title IV: FHA Multifamily Housing Consolidation and Reform Subtitle A: FHA Multifamily Housing Subtitle B: Extensions of Existing Authority and Other Provisions Title V: Rehabilitation Grants Housing 2020: Multifamily Management Reform Act - Title I: Multifamily Restructuring - Housing Opportunity Act of 1997 - Subtitle A: Housing Provisions - Directs the Secretary (Secretary) of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to carry out a program of multifamily housing debt restructuring and subsidy reduction that takes into account the goals of: (1) maintaining existing affordable and safe housing; (2) minimizing adverse effects on tenants and neighborhoods; (3) supporting fair housing strategies; and (4) encouraging ownership and property management. Authorizes the Secretary (or specified designee) to take the following actions to make qualifying multifamily projects financially viable at market rates: (1) pay mortgage claims; (2) remove or modify project restrictions; (3) purchase reinsurance or otherwise transfer insurance interests; (4) take actions to induce owner or lender participation; (5)restructure mortgages; and (6) make insurance payments. Authorizes the Secretary to provide for the renewal of section 8 contracts. Authorizes the Secretary to provide: (1) tenant-based assistance to certain assisted and very-low-income families affected by such restructuring; and (2) project-based assistance in areas with tight housing markets or with high concentrations of elderly or disabled families. Prohibits owner discrimination with respect to section 8 certificate or voucher holders. Directs the Secretary to facilitate the sale of multifamily projects to tenant and nonprofit organizations. (Sec. 111) Amends the Balanced Budget Downpayment Act, I to authorize renewal of expiring section 8 contracts in excess of certain fair market standards at specified rental levels. (Sec. 112) Provides for the reuse and rescission of recaptured budget authority resulting from project restructuring. Subtitle B: Extension of Time for Payment of Tax Attributable to FHA Multifamily Restructuring - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize specified tax payment extensions on debt reduction or gain from a sale attributable to section 8 housing restructuring. Title II: Housing Enforcement - Housing Enforcement Act of 1997 - Directs the Secretary to issue implementing regulations. Subtitle A: Single Family and Multifamily Housing - Amends the National Housing Act (Act) to exempt the Mortgage Review Board from certain bankruptcy stay provisions. (Sec. 211) Authorizes the Board to immediately suspend a mortgage under specified conditions. (Sec. 212) Extends (and increases) equity skimming penalties to 1- to-4 family residences. (Sec. 213) Amends Federal criminal law to include equity skimming as a money laundering offense. (Sec. 214) Authorizes the Secretary to recover mortgage insurance claims against a person convicted of equity skimming. (Sec. 215) Expands the scope of penalties for mortgagees, lenders, and other Federal Housing Administration (FHA) program participants. Subtitle B: Multifamily Housing - Amends the Act to extend certain multifamily mortgagor civil penalties (and the scope of such penalties) to general partners of a partnership mortgagor, or officers or directors of corporate mortgagors. (Sec. 221) Establishes civil money penalties for specified section 8 violations by owners or other liable parties. (Sec. 222) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 to extend the double damages remedy for recovery of assets to specified insured mortgage agreements under the Housing Act of 1959 and the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992. (Sec. 223) Amends the Social Security Act to eliminate the 1994 termination date for HUD access to certain State employment information. (Sec. 224) Authorizes the Secretary to prohibit renewal or extension of certain expiring section 8 contracts unless the owner agrees to comply with any additional HUD conditions. Subtitle C: FHA Single Family Housing - Amends the Act to terminate mortgagee origination approval authority. Title III: Exemption of HUD and USDA Multifamily Loan Foreclosures and Related Actions from the Bankruptcy Stay - Amends Federal law to exempt HUD or Department of Agriculture appointment of receivership or loan foreclosures and related actions from the bankruptcy stay. Title IV: FHA Multifamily Housing Consolidation and Reform - FHA Multifamily Housing Reform Act of 1997 - Subtitle A: FHA Multifamily Housing - Amends the Act to authorize the Secretary (or approved mortgagee) to insure first or second mortgages and engage in related credit enhancement for certain multifamily housing projects and health care facilities. (Sec. 404) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into risk-sharing agreements with qualified participating mortgage entities and housing finance agencies in order to provide projects and facilities with first mortgage loans. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) mortgage insurance and reinsurance; (2) risk apportionment and risk-sharing alternatives; (3) reimbursement capacity; (4) underwriting standards; and (5) non-Federal participation. (Sec. 406) Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) premiums and fees; (2) contracts; (3) default and contract claims; (4) prepayment charges; (5)environmental review; (6) lead-based paint poisoning prevention; (7) subsidy layering; (8) labor standards; and (9) disclosure of records. Subtitle B: Extensions of Existing Authority and Other Provisions - Amends the Act to extend authorities for: (1) mortgage auctions; and (2) transfer of certain excess receipts to the flexible subsidy program. (Sec. 422) Authorizes the Secretary to regulate rents, sales, charges, and operations with respect to certain multifamily housing projects in order to provide reasonable rentals and a reasonable rate of return. (Sec. 423) Includes health care facilities within the partial payment of claims authority. (Sec. 424) Amends the Housing Act of 1959 and the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to provide environmental protection under the supportive housing for the elderly program and the supportive housing for persons with disabilities program. Sets forth program provisions. (Sec. 425) Amends the Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1978 to authorize the Secretary to assign regulatory agreements in connection with the sale of HUD mortgages. Title V: Rehabilitation Grants - Amends the Act to authorize the Secretary to make rehabilitation grants to owners of formerly insured or assisted qualifying projects.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1997
Repeals the tax increase on social security benefits made by the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1993. Mandates application and administration of the Internal Revenue Code as if such increase had not been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1997
DES Research and Education Amendments of 1997 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize and permanently extend the following programs regarding the drug diethylstilbestrol (commonly known as DES): (1) the research and training program; and (2) the new national program of education. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the heads of the appropriate agencies of the Public Health Service, to carry out a national program for the education of health professionals and the public with respect to DES, from amounts appropriated for carrying out the research and training program. Requires such national program to use methodologies developed through the education demonstration program carried out under the Act. Directs the Secretary to consult closely with representatives of nonprofit private entities that represent individuals who have been exposed to DES and that have expertise in community-based information campaigns for the public and for health care providers. Requires the implementation of the national program to begin during FY 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Treatment of Passive Foreign Investment Companies Title II: Treatment of Controlled Foreign Corporations Title III: Other Provisions International Tax Simplification for American Competitiveness Act - Title I: Treatment of Passive Foreign Investment Companies - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt U.S. shareholders of a controlled foreign corporation (CFC) from passive foreign investment company (PFIC) inclusion. (Sec. 102) Allows a U.S shareholder of a PFIC to elect to include the difference between such stock's fair market value and adjusted basis as income, or the difference between adjusted basis and fair market value or unreversed inclusions as a deduction. (Sec. 103) Modifies the definition of "passive income." Title II: Treatment of Controlled Foreign Corporations - Amends the Code to treat the gain on certain CFC stock sales as dividends. (Sec. 203) Revises specified indirect (deemed taxes paid) foreign tax credit provisions. (Sec. 204) Excludes certain active finance-related income from inclusion as foreign personal holding company income. (Sec. 205) Applies, for foreign tax credit purposes, income category "look-through" rules to dividends earned by certain noncontrolled U.S.-foreign corporations providing specified information. Applies a single foreign tax credit limitation where such information is not provided. (Sec. 206) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to conduct a study on the feasibility of treating all European Union countries as one country for purposes of certain same-country exceptions with respect to controlled foreign corporations. (Sec. 207) Increases the amount of income used to determine the taxability of foreign base company income or insurance income with respect to CFCs. (Sec. 208) Permits use of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles with respect to CFCs. (Sec. 209) Excludes income from the transportation of oil or gas within a foreign country from the definition of "foreign base company oil related income." (Sec. 210) Provides a deduction for dividends received from certain foreign corporations. Applies constructive ownership provisions to certain foreign ownership requirements with respect to post-1986 undistributed U.S. earnings. Title III: Other Provisions - Amends the Code with respect to certain foreign tax credit determinations to provide that accrued taxes shall be translated into dollars by using the average exchange rate for the year to which such taxes relate. (Sec. 302) Allows a taxpayer to elect a specified alternative minimum foreign tax credit limitation. (Sec. 303) Provides for recognition of taxable gain with respect to certain property transfers by a U.S. person to a foreign corporation. (Sec. 306) Applies uniform capitalization rules to foreign taxpayers with respect to income connected with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business. (Sec. 307) Extends the excess foreign tax carryover or carryback period. (Sec. 308) Provides for recharacterization of overall domestic loss by treating certain U.S. source income as non-U.S. source income. (Sec. 309) Includes computer software within the category of foreign sales corporation property. Eliminates the special 50 percent rule relating to foreign sales corporation transactions of military property. (Sec. 310) Provides special rules with respect to financial services income and interest. (Sec. 311) Excludes from consideration as U.S. property certain assets acquired by securities or commodities dealers. (Sec. 312) Exempts from taxation certain regulated investment company dividends received by nonresident aliens. Treats certain regulated investment company stock owned by nonresident noncitizens as non-U.S.property for estate tax purposes. (Sec. 313) Excludes nonenforceable preliminary agreements from the definition of "intangible property." (Sec. 314) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to conduct a study of the interest allocation rules.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1997
Calls upon: (1) the Clinton administration to investigate and report to the Congress on the Palestinian Authority's role in enforcing a policy that selling land to Jews is a crime punishable by death; and (2) the Authority to denounce this policy. Prohibits providing foreign assistance to the Authority until this policy is reversed.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1997
Department of Veterans Affairs Employment Discrimination Prevention Act - Establishes in the Department of Veterans Affairs an Office of Employment Discrimination Complaints Resolution headed by a Director who shall be solely responsible for resolving complaints of unlawful employment discrimination (UED) within the Department. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to employ within such Office such administrative law judges (ALJs) and other personnel as necessary. Directs the Secretary to include in Department budget information submitted annually to the Congress specified information on the Office budget and activities. Requires the Director to prescribe: (1) standards of timeliness for the resolution of UED complaints; (2) Office employee qualification and training requirements; (3) requirements for recordkeeping pertaining to counseling and investigations conducted by Office employees; and (4) standards for conduct of UED investigations. Requires such standards to be consistent with those prescribed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, while allowing the Director to shorten the time period for the resolution of complaints. Provides for informal UED complaint resolution procedures within the Office, requiring the Director, if such a complaint is not resolved informally, to assign the complaint to an ALJ for appropriate determination. Requires Office employees to conduct complaint investigations and report results to the Director, who shall then forward such complaint to the presiding ALJ, the complainant, and the Secretary. Requires final complaint resolution by the ALJ when not resolved through informal proceedings. Authorizes the complainant to request a hearing on the matter, to be granted by an ALJ unless there is no dispute as to a material fact. Provides for Commission review of final Office decisions. Applies Federal violation reporting protection provisions (whistleblower provisions) to Department employees or applicants.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1997
War Crimes Prosecution Facilitation Act of 1997 - Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be achieved if indicted war criminals remain at large and refugees and displaced persons are unable to return to their homes; (2) the United States should ensure that multilateral and bilateral assistance is provided to the Dayton Agreement parties only if doing so would promote reconciliation as well as reconstruction, including the transfer of war criminals to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the return of refugees and displaced persons, and freedom of movement; and (3) the ICTY should continue to investigate and bring indictments against persons who have violated international humanitarian law. Prohibits foreign assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 or the Arms Export Control Act (except humanitarian or democratization assistance, or assistance for physical infrastructure projects) to: (1) any country whose government fails to apprehend and transfer to the ICTY persons in their territory the ICTY has indicted; (2) any program or activity in such country in which an indicted war criminal has any financial interest or through any organization with which the indicted person is affiliated; and (3) any program or activity in any country (other than emergency food, medical, or demining assistance) in which local authorities are not complying with certain articles of the Dayton Agreement. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. executive directors of the international financial institutions to work in opposition to, and vote against, any extension of any financial assistance or grants to such a country. Provides for a waiver of such sanctions if a majority of indicted persons within the country's territory have been arrested and transferred to the ICTY.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1997
Expresses the sense of the Senate that it should be U.S. policy to support the admission of Taiwan to membership in the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and all appropriate regional multilateral economic institutions.
![Official portrait of Sen. D'Amato, Alfonse [R-NY]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000018_200.jpg)