United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1996
Commends Operation Sail and encourages its continuation into the next millennium. Encourages all individuals to join in the celebration of the 224th birthday of the United States of America and the international camaraderie that Operation Sail and the International Naval Review will foster.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1996
Emergency Safeguard Act of 1996 - Declares that: (1) no more than 50 percent of the total square meter equivalents of wool apparel assembled in Canada and eligible for preferential duty treatment under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption during any year shall be tailored wool; and (2) no more than 50 percent of such sublimit shall be men's and boys' wool suits, wool sport coats, or wool slacks. Grants nondiscriminatory (most-favored-nation) treatment of Canadian tailored wool apparel that is eligible for preferential duty treatment under NAFTA.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1996
Authorizes the President to enter into a free trade agreement with qualified areas of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland that provides for the: (1) reduction and elimination of trade barriers; (2) prohibition 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 of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to those 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 to advise the President, before any reduction or elimination of duty is proclaimed with respect to an article, of any economic effect on U.S. industries producing like or directly competitive articles, and on consumers, in providing duty-free treatment for such articles. Requires the President to consult with the Congress before entering into, or implementing, any free trade agreement under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1996
Expresses condolences to the loved ones of the victims of the crash of TWA flight 800 and hope that the cause of this tragedy will be determined as soon as possible.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Importation of Methamphetamine and Precursor Chemicals Title II: Provisions to Control the Manufacture of Methamphetamine Title III: Increased Penalties for Trafficking and Manufacture of Methamphetamine and Precursors Title IV: Legal Manufacture, Distribution, and Sale of Precursor Chemicals Title V: Education and Research Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act of 1996 - Title I: Importation of Methamphetamine and Precursor Chemicals - Directs the Attorney General to coordinate international drug enforcement efforts to decrease the movement of methamphetamine and methamphetamine precursors into the United States. (Sec. 102) Amends the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act (CSIEA) to: (1) make specified prohibitions against the possession, manufacture, or distribution for purposes of unlawful importation of a schedule I or II controlled substance applicable to a listed chemical; and (2) set penalties of a fine and ten years' imprisonment for manufacturing, possessing with intent to distribute, or distributing a listed chemical in violation of such prohibitions. Title II: Provisions to Control the Manufacture of Methamphetamine - Amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to: (1) include chemicals within the scope of provisions regarding penalties for simple possession; and (2) prohibit knowingly or intentionally possessing a list I chemical obtained pursuant to or under authority of a registration that has expired or that has been revoked or suspended or if the registrant has ceased to do business in the manner contemplated by his registration. Amends the CSA and the Tariff Act of 1930 to permit the seizure and forfeiture of list I chemicals involved in illegal trafficking. (Sec. 202) Directs: (1) the Attorney General to study and report to the Congress on measures to prevent the diversion of agents used in methamphetamine production; and (2) the United States Sentencing Commission (the Commission) to amend the sentencing guidelines to ensure that the manufacture of methamphetamine in violation of the CSA is treated as a significant violation. (Sec. 203) Amends the CSA to increase penalties for the manufacture and possession of equipment used to make controlled substances. (Sec. 204) Adds iodine and hydrochloric gas to list II chemicals, but excludes iodine from specified requirements for listed chemicals under the CSIEA. (Sec. 205) Prohibits distributing a laboratory supply to a person who uses it to manufacture a controlled substance or a listed chemical in violation of the CSA with reckless disregard for the illegal uses to which such supply will be put. Imposes civil penalties upon businesses that violate such provision. (Sec. 206) Amends the CSA to enjoin anyone convicted of specified felony violations relating to the manufacture and exportation of a listed chemical from engaging in a transaction involving a listed chemical for up to ten years. (Current law covers only "receipt, distribution, or importation" of a listed chemical and bars violators from engaging in such a "regulated" transaction for that period.) Authorizes the Attorney General to commence a civil action for appropriate declaratory or injunctive relief, subject to specified requirements. (Sec. 207) Authorizes the court, when sentencing a defendant convicted of specified CSA offenses involving the manufacture of methamphetamine, to order restitution and reimbursement by the defendant for costs incurred by the United States for the associated cleanup. (Sec. 208) Modifies the CSA to require each regulated person to keep a record of each regulated transaction involving a listed chemical, a tableting machine, or an encapsulating machine for two years. Title III: Increased Penalties for Trafficking and Manufacture of Methamphetamine and Precursors - Amends the CSA and the CSIEA to increase penalties for trafficking in methamphetamine and list I chemicals. (Sec. 303) Directs the Commission to determine whether the sentencing guidelines adequately punish specified offenses relating to the handling of hazardous waste and related issues under the Solid Waste Disposal Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and Federal transportation provisions, and, if not, to promulgate or amend existing guidelines to enhance the punishment for a defendant convicted of such offense. Title IV: Legal Manufacture, Distribution, and Sale of Precursor Chemicals - Amends the CSA to provide for the regulation of pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine, subject to specified limitations. Specifies that any sale of: (1) ordinary over-the-counter pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine products by retailed distributors shall not be a regulated transaction, with exceptions; and (2) other products containing pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine by retail distributors shall not be a regulated transaction if the distributor's sales are limited to less than the threshold quantity of 24 grams of pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine in each single transaction. Directs the Attorney General to reinstate an exemption with respect to a particular ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine drug product upon determining that such product is manufactured and distributed in a manner that prevents diversion. Authorizes the Attorney General to establish single-transaction limits of 24 grams of pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine base for retail distributors, subject to specified conditions. Sets penalties for violations. (Sec. 402) Requires each regulated person who engages in a transaction with a non-regulated person which involves ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine (including drug products containing these chemicals) and which uses or attempts to use the Postal Service or any private or commercial carrier, to submit monthly reports of such transactions to the Attorney General. Title V: Education and Research - Establishes a Methamphetamine Interagency Task Force. (Sec. 502) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a public health monitoring program to monitor methamphetamine abuse in the United States. (Sec. 503) Requires the Attorney General to: (1) establish an advisory panel consisting of an appropriate number of representatives from Federal, State, and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies with experience in investigating and prosecuting illegal transactions of precursor chemicals; (2) continue specified current efforts; and (3) establish a Suspicious Orders Task Force.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1996
Medicare Cancer Clinical Trial Coverage Act of 1996 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a demonstration project which provides for payment under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act of routine patient care costs for Medicare beneficiaries with cancer who are enrolled in an approved clinical trial program, while still applying the beneficiary cost sharing provisions of such program to project participants. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the impact on Medicare of covering such routine patient care costs if coverage were extended to Medicare beneficiaries with a diagnosis other than cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1996
Customs Enforcement and Market Access Act of 1996 - Directs the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), whenever the United States negotiates a protocol for accession of a country to the World Trade Organization (WTO), to negotiate for inclusion in that protocol: (1) provisions for effective market access to that country's domestic markets for U.S. textile and apparel products; and (2) provisions allowing the suspension or revocation of paragraph 14 (relating to increasing import levels based on growth rates) of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, if the country has failed to enforce such market access provisions. Requires negotiation of bilateral agreements containing similar provisions with countries that are not WTO members. (Sec. 3) Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to direct the USTR to identify annually, report to the Congress, and publish in the Federal Register the names of priority foreign countries that deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons producing or selling textile or apparel products. (Sec. 4) Establishes in the Treasury a Textile Global Competitiveness Research Fund, consisting in part of fines levied under this Act, and whose amounts shall be available: (1) for programs aimed at enhancing the international competitiveness of the United States textile and apparel manufacturers; and (2) to the Customs Service for the enforcement of laws governing trade in textile and apparel goods. (Sec. 5) Directs the USTR to take necessary steps to negotiate a quota agreement with any non-WTO country whose exports to the United States exceed $100 million annually, or are creating serious damage or the actual threat of it to the U.S. textile and apparel industry. Specifies: (1) a quota formula for new textile agreements with non-WTO countries which already have a textile agreement with the United States; and (2) provisions for inclusion in the accession protocol of countries acceding to the WTO. (Sec. 6) Requires the USTR to ensure that any protocol under negotiation for accession to the WTO of a non-WTO country with a textile import bilateral agreement with the United States, as well as any subsequent agreement, provides for a reduction in the quantity of that country's textile and apparel goods that may be imported into the United States if the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) determines that the bilateral agreement is being circumvented and that inadequate or no measures are being taken by that country to take action against such circumvention. (Sec. 7) Prescribes specified Customs Service enforcement actions and penalties (including fines, seizure, and forfeiture) for violations of customs laws involving textile and apparel goods. (Sec. 10) Directs the Commissioner of Customs to establish a Division on Textile Enforcement. (Sec. 11) Requires withdrawal of preferential tariff or quota treatment (unilateral trade concessions) from the textile and apparel goods of any country: (1) demonstrating a consistent pattern of circumventing textile agreements with United States; (2) refusing to cooperate in investigations; (3) failing to provide adequate enforcement of intellectual property rights with respect to textile and apparel goods; or (4) failing to provide fair and equitable market access for U.S. textile and apparel goods.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1996
Amends the Federal criminal code to require that a person convicted of aggravated sexual abuse after a previous conviction of a State or Federal sexual abuse offense be sentenced to life imprisonment if the abusive conduct occurred in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States and: (1) that conduct is in interstate or foreign commerce; (2) the person crossed a State line with intent to engage in such conduct; or (3) the person engaging in that conduct thereafter travels in interstate or foreign commerce with intent to avoid prosecution or giving testimony.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1996
Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 with respect to the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act to: (1) eliminate references to it as "only" a model law; (2) retitle it as the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act; and (3) transfer it to the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. Sets forth a donation liability standard for nonprofit organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1996
Lower East Side Tenement Museum National Historic Site Act of 1996 - Designates the Lower East Side Tenement Museum at 97 Orchard Street, New York, New York, as a national historic site. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Museum designed to assure preservation and interpretation of the Site. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Additional Empowerment Zones Title II: New Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities Title III: Expensing of Environmental Remediation Costs Title I: Additional Empowerment Zones - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from: (1) 9 to 11 the number of areas which may be designated as empowerment zones; (2) six to eight the number of such zones which may be in urban areas; and (3) 750,000 to 1,000,000 the aggregate population allowable in all urban area zones. Title II: New Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities - Permits, before January 1, 1998, the designation, in the aggregate of an additional: (1) 80 nominated areas as enterprise communities; and (2) 20 nominated areas as empowerment zones, subject to availability of eligible nominated areas. Modifies eligibility criteria. Prohibits: (1) applying the employment credit to the new empowerment zones; and (2) in certain developable sites, application of increased expensing provisions for certain depreciable business assets. Modifies provisions concerning: (1) enterprise facility zone bonds; and (2) the enterprise zone business definition. Title III: Expensing of Environmental Remediation Costs - Permits a taxpayer to expense any defined qualified environmental remediation expenditure which is not chargeable to capital account.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1996
Amends S. Res. 246, 104th Congress, to provide amounts out of the Senate Account for Expenses for Inquiries and Investigations for use by the Special Committee to Investigate Whitewater Development Corporation and Related Matters for salaries and other expenses incurred between May 17, 1996, and February 29, 1996, or between April 17, 1996, and June 17, 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1996
Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996 - Makes Federal criminal code prohibitions against, and penalties for, damaging religious property or obstructing any person's free exercise of religious beliefs applicable where: (1) the property is damaged because of its racial or ethnic character; and (2) the offense is in, or affects, interstate commerce. (Currently such provisions apply only where: (1) the property is damaged because of its religious character; (2) the defendant, in committing the offense, travels in interstate or foreign commerce or uses a facility or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce in interstate or foreign commerce; and (3) the loss exceeds $10,000.) Prohibits intentionally defacing, damaging, or destroying religious real property (or attempting to do so) because of the race, color, religious, or ethnic characteristics of any individual associated with such property. Increases penalties for violations of such provisions where bodily injury results or where such acts include the use, or attempted or threatened use, of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire. Includes within the definition of "religious property" fixtures or religious objects contained within a place of religious worship. Sets a seven-year statute of limitation for the prosecution, trial, or punishment of a person for any noncapital offense under such provisions. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to use up to $5 million of the credit subsidy provided under the General and Special Risk Insurance Fund for guaranteed loans to financial institutions in connection with loans made to assist certain tax exempt religious or other organizations that have been damaged by arson or terrorism. Authorizes appropriations to the Departments of the Treasury and Justice, including the Community Relations Service, to increase personnel to investigate, prevent, and respond to potential violations of this Act and Federal explosives prohibitions. Reauthorizes the Hate Crimes Statistics Act. Commends those individuals and entities that have responded with funds to assist in the rebuilding of places of worship that have been victimized by arson. Encourages the private sector to continue such efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1996
Condemns arson and other acts of desecration against churches and other houses of worship as being totally inconsistent with fundamental American values. Expresses the Senate's belief that investigation and prosecution of those who are responsible for fires at such entities, and especially any incidents of arson whose purpose is to divide communities or to intimidate any Americans, should be a high national priority.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1996
Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996 - Makes Federal criminal code prohibitions against, and penalties for, damaging religious property or obstructing any person's free exercise of religious beliefs applicable where: (1) the offense is in, or affects, interstate commerce; and (2) the loss exceeds $5,000. (Currently such provisions apply only where: (1) the defendant, in committing the offense, travels in interstate or foreign commerce or uses a facility or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce in interstate or foreign commerce; and (2) the loss exceeds $10,000.)
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1996
Securities and Exchange Commission Fee Reduction Act of 1996 - Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to: (1) prohibit the minimum required registration fee from exceeding $100 (current law prohibits the minimum fee from being less than $100); and (2) set forth a schedule for general revenue fees and offsetting collection fees in diminishing amounts through FY 2001. (Sec. 3) Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to revise the transaction fee schedule for: (1) exchange-traded securities; (2) off-exchange trades of exchange-registered securities; (3) off-exchange trades of last-sale-reported securities. Declares that such fees are in lieu of, and not in addition to, any fees that the Securities and Exchange Commission is authorized to impose or collect.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Recognition of the Millennium Society Title II: Commemorative Coins Title III: Commemorative Postage Stamps Millennium Society Act of 1996 - Title I: Recognition of the Millennium Society - Recognizes the Millennium Society (a nonprofit U.S. corporation chartered and organized under the laws of the State of Illinois on November 21, 1983) and any other organization that is organized and operated by the corporation exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. (Sec. 105) Sets forth the goals and purposes of the Society, which include: (1) establishing national goals for commemoration and celebration of the millennium in the United States and U.S. participation in such international events; (2) exercising exclusive jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to U.S. participation in commemorations or celebrations of the millennium; (3) coordinating activities and holding forums and symposiums to promote educational and cross-cultural exchange; and (4) establishing, endowing, and administering the Millennium Scholars Program. (Sec. 114) Grants the Society the sole and exclusive right to the use of specified symbols, emblems, trademarks, and names to carry out its functions. Authorizes the Society to allow contributors and suppliers of goods and services to use the Society's trade name, trademarks, symbols, insignia, emblems, seals, descriptive or designating marks, and slogans in advertising under specified conditions. Subjects to a civil action by the Society for the remedies provided in the Trademark Act of 1946 any person who, without the Society's consent, uses its trademark, symbol, insignia, emblem, seal, descriptive or designating mark, or slogan: (1) for the purposes of trade; (2) to induce the sale of any goods or services; (3) or to promote any theatrical exhibition, performance, or competition. Exempts persons who lawfully used such a symbol or slogan before the enactment of this Act. Allows the individuals to continue such lawful use for the same purpose and for the same goods or services. Title II: Commemorative Coins - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint five-dollar gold coins and one-dollar silver coins emblematic of the events of the second millennium and the advent of the third. (Sec. 204) Provides for the issuance of such coins beginning on July 1, 1999, and ending on January 1, 2001. (Sec. 207) Requires all surcharges received from coin sales to be promptly paid to the Society, under specified conditions, to be used only for the purpose of supporting the Millennium Scholars Program. Title III: Commemorative Postage Stamps - Urges the U.S. Postal Service to cooperate with the Secretary and the Society in the: (1) issuance of appropriate first day of issuance postage stamps commemorating the end of the second millennium and the advent of the third; and (2) production of a philatelic numismatic combination as a unique item to be made available to the public for such commemoration.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1996
Fair ATM Fees for Consumers Act - Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to prohibit assessment of an electronic terminal surcharge against a consumer if the transaction: (1) neither relates to nor affects an account held by the consumer with the financial institution that is the owner or operator of such terminal; and (2) is conducted through a national or regional electronic banking network.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Investment Advisers Integrity Act Title II: Facilitating Investment In Mutual Funds Title III: Reducing the Cost of Saving and Investment Securities Investment Promotion Act of 1996 - Title I: Investment Advisers Integrity Act - Investment Advisers Integrity Act - Authorizes appropriations to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for FY 1997 and 1998 to enforce the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. (Sec. 103) Amends the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to exempt from SEC registration requirements investment advisers subject to a State securities regulator, unless they: (1) manage at least $25 million in assets; and (2) serve as advisers to certain federally registered investment companies, or certain business development companies. Exempts from State regulation advisers subject to SEC regulation, or excepted from the SEC definition of investment adviser. Permits States, in such cases, to: (1) require the filing of documents for notice purposes; and (2) investigate fraud or deceit and bring enforcement actions. (Sec. 104) Prohibits the enforcement of any State law or regulation that sets recordkeeping or capital and bond requirements in addition to those of the State in which an adviser maintains its principal place of business and is in compliance with applicable requirements. (Sec. 105) Directs the SEC to restrict the activities of investment advisers who are convicted felons, regardless of the nature of the felony or if the court is foreign, or to suspend or revoke their registration. Title II: Facilitating Investment in Mutual Funds - Investment Company Act Amendments of 1996 - Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to exempt from certain acquisition proscriptions the securities of a registered open-end investment company or a registered unit investment trust acquired by another such company or trust belonging to the same group of investment companies if specified circumstances apply. (Sec. 203) Revises requirements for the amendment of registration statements under the Securities Act of 1933 relating to securities issued by face-amount certificate companies, open-end management companies or unit investment trusts. Repeals provisions for an increase in the number of securities specified in a registration, and deems any such registration to be for an indefinite number of securities. Prescribes formulae for the determination of registration fees, including interest due on late payments. (Sec. 204) Directs the SEC to permit the use of a prospectus containing substantive information not included in the prospectus specified in the Securities Act, but which shall be deemed permitted under such Act. (Sec. 205) Prescribes guidelines for the sale of variable insurance contracts. (Sec. 206) Revises the strictures on deceptive or misleading investment company names to declare unlawful the adoption of a name which is materially deceptive or misleading (the current standard is "deceptive or misleading"). Repeals the SEC's authority to bring an action in a U.S. district court for injunctive relief against a violator of such prohibition. (Sec. 207) Modifies the guidelines that exempt investment companies from the Act. Instructs the SEC to prescribe rules: (1) implementing such modified guidelines; and (2) permitting ownership by knowledgeable employees of an issuer of the securities of that issuer without loss of the issuer's statutory exception from treatment as an investment company. (Sec. 208) Authorizes the SEC to provide exemptions from certain investment advisory performance fee contract restrictions to the extent that the exemption relates to a contract with any person that the SEC determines does not need the statutory protections, or who is not a U.S. resident. Title III: Reducing the Cost of Saving and Investment - Exempts from the purview of the Investment Company Act of 1940 specified companies not engaged in the business of issuing redeemable securities, but whose financial or managerial assistance operations are subject to State regulation, if their activities are limited to the promotion of economic, business, or industrial development through the provision of such assistance to certain enterprises. (Sec. 302) Increases from $100,000 to $10 million the maximum size of closed-end investment companies exempt from the purview of the Act. (Sec. 303) Redefines: (1) "eligible portfolio company" to include maximum total assets of $4 million, and maximum capital and surplus of $2 million; and (2) "business development company" to provide that it need not make available significant managerial assistance to specified companies. (Sec. 305) Revises guidelines governing business development companies, including: (1) acquisitions of assets; (2) capital structure; and (3) filing of written statements. (Sec. 308) Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to exempt from State jurisdiction: (1) certain federally registered securities; and (2) securities transactions with qualified purchasers. (Sec. 309) Amends the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to grant the SEC general exemptive authority regarding registration requirements. (Sec. 310) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1997 and 1998 to implement the Economic Analysis Program, including funding for the Office of Economic Analysis of the SEC. Directs the Chief Economist of the SEC to prepare a report on each proposed SEC regulation, which must be published in the Federal Register before it may become effective. Prescribes report contents. (Sec. 311) Directs the SEC to report to the Congress on its plan for promoting competition and innovation of the Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval (EDGAR) System through privatization. (Sec. 312) Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to mandate that the SEC and certain self-regulatory organizations ("examining authorities") coordinate their examination functions according to prescribed guidelines in order to eliminate duplication in the broker and dealer examination process. (Sec. 313) Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1933 to exclude from the definition of securities sales offer any offshore press conferences and public meetings, or press materials disseminated offshore. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to preclude SEC jurisdiction over certain persons who grant U.S. journalists access to meetings and press materials in connection with offshore tender offers affecting securities of a foreign issuer. (Sec. 314) Requires the SEC to amend a specified registration form to allow its use for primary offerings by certain registrants whose nonaffiliates have an adequate aggregate market value. (Sec. 315) Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to exempt certain church employee pension plans from its definition of investment company (thus removing such plans from its purview). Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to mandate disclosure to church plan participants that: (1) such plans are not subject to Federal or State regulatory oversight; and (2) plan participants and beneficiaries will therefore not be afforded the protections concomitant with such oversight. (Sec. 316) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the SEC should present a status report to the Congress regarding: (1) the development of international accounting standards; and (2) the outlook for completion of such standards for offerings and listings by foreign corporations in U.S. markets.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1996
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to consider a dietary supplement a drug if its labeling claims or implies that the supplement produces euphoria, heightened awareness, or similar mental or psychological effects.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1996
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to impose duties upon certain fireworks. Increases the column one duty rate regarding specified other types of fireworks.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1996
Telephone Number Ownership Resolution of 1996 - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Federal Communications Commission lacks legal authority to conduct auctions or other revenue raising activities in connection with the allocation of any telephone number within the North American Numbering Plan; and (2) if the Congress is to authorize such activities, procedures will be required to protect any value attaching to new toll-free numbers by reason of a private business investment in the advertisement or public awareness of the corresponding 800 number by measures designed to prevent speculation, hoarding, and other gaming of the allocation system, and to protect consumers from fraud and confusion by preventing the misrepresentation of established toll-free numbers. Calls for the Commission to submit a plan for the allocation of toll-free 888 numbers that contains such procedures, together with its recommendations for legislative authorization of such allocation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1996
Authorizes and directs the Secretary of the Treasury to admit duty free, after March 31, 1997, certain structures, parts, and components used in the Gemini Telescopes Project, in Mauna Kea, Hawaii.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1996
Interstate Stalking Punishment and Prevention Act of 1996 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit and prescribe penalties for interstate stalking (i.e., traveling across a State line or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States with the intent to injure or harass another person and, in the course or as a result of such travel, placing that person in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury to that person or a member of that person's immediate family).
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1996
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Attorney General should seek, from the appropriate foreign government, the detention and extradition to the United States of Mohammed Abbas (also known as Abu Abbas) for the murder of Leon Klinghoffer in October 1985 during the hijacking of the vessel Achille Lauro.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1996
Federal Gang Violence Act - Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to amend chapter three of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines to increase the offense level by six, in addition to any other adjustment, except with respect to trafficking in cocaine base, if a defendant was a member of a criminal street gang at the time of the offense. Revises Federal criminal code provisions regarding criminal street gangs to modify or establish the definitions of "conviction," "criminal street gang," and "pattern of criminal activity" to make reference to "predicate gang crimes." Defines "predicate gang crimes" to include: (1) a State offense that involves a controlled substance for which the maximum penalty is not less than five years' imprisonment or that is a felony crime of violence that has as an element the use or attempted use of physical force against another; (2) any Federal or State felony offense that involves a substantial risk that physical force may be used against another; and (3) specified Federal or State offenses, including a conspiracy, attempt, or solicitation to commit such offenses. Increases penalties for interstate and foreign travel or transportation in aid of racketeering. Includes criminal street gang activity within the term "unlawful activity" for purposes of such provisions. Directs the Commission to increase the base offense level for: (1) traveling in interstate or foreign commerce in aid of a street gang or other racketeering enterprise; and (2) the commission of a violent crime in aid of a street gang or other racketeering enterprise. Prohibits and sets penalties for: (1) soliciting or recruiting persons to participate in criminal gang activity; and (2) using body armor in the commission of a Federal crime. Makes: (1) crimes involving the use of minors, firearms offenses, and alien smuggling predicate offenses under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act; and (2) serious juvenile drug offenses predicate offenses under the Armed Career Criminal Act. Increases penalties for transferring a firearm to a minor, with knowledge that it will be used to commit a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime. Increases the time limit within which an alleged delinquent who is in detention pending trial must be brought to trial. Requires the Secretary of State to identify qualified translators to be made available to assist Federal law enforcement agencies in criminal investigations by monitoring legal wiretaps and translating recorded conversations. Authorizes appropriations for the hiring of additional Assistant U.S. Attorneys to prosecute violent youth gangs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1996
Recognizes April 26, 1996, as the tenth anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. Calls upon the Government of Ukraine to continue its negotiations with the G-7 countries to implement the December 20, 1995, memorandum of understanding which calls for all nuclear reactors at Chernobyl to be shut down. Urges the President to: (1) support U.S. assistance to provide medical relief, humanitarian assistance, social impact planning, and hospital development for Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and other nations most heavily afflicted by Chernobyl's aftermath; (2) encourage national and international health organizations to expand the scope of research into the public health consequences of Chernobyl so that the global community can benefit; (3) support closing the plant; and (4) support broadening Ukraine's regional energy sources which will reduce its dependence on any individual country.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1996
Provides for observation of a moment of silence at 9:02 a.m. central daylight time on April 19, 1996, in remembrance of the victims of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Commends the people of Oklahoma and the aid provided by rescuers, Federal agencies, countless volunteers, and Federal employees. Reaffirms trust in our system of justice to ensure that the perpetrators are convicted and punished.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1996
Congratulates Polish people around the world, including Americans of Polish descent, on the 205th anniversary of the adoption of the first Polish constitution on May 3, 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1996
Pays tribute to the remarkable life and career of Ronald H. Brown (the late Secretary of Commerce) and to the contributions of all those who perished in the airplane accident on April 3, 1996, while in service to their country on a mission to Bosnia. Extends condolences to the victims' families.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1996
National Invasive Species Act of 1996 - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to mandate: (1) regulations to prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic nuisance species into the Great Lakes through ballast water; and (2) voluntary guidelines to prevent such introduction and spread in U.S. waters by ballast water and other vessel operations. Authorizes mandatory regulations if guideline compliance is inadequate. Provides for enforcement through revocation of clearance and civil and criminal penalties. Encourages negotiations with foreign governments to develop and implement an international program for preventing such introduction and spread in North American waters. Mandates studies of Lake Champlain, the Chesapeake Bay, San Francisco Bay, Honolulu Harbor, Prince William Sound, and other waters. Requires annual grants for six years for aquatic nuisance species prevention and control research in the Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Establishes a clearinghouse of national data on ballasting practices and compliance with guidelines under this Act. Mandates a ballast water management program for the Navy's seagoing fleet to limit the risk of invasion by nonindigenous species from ballast water. Requires: (1) a ballast water management program to demonstrate technologies and practices to prevent aquatic nonindigenous species from being introduced into and spread through ballast water in U.S. waters; and (2) that the installation and construction of those technologies and practices be performed in a U.S. shipyard or ship repair facility. Modifies: (1) the composition and research priorities of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force; and (2) zebra mussel demonstration program requirements. Requires the Task Force to encourage (including through financial assistance) the development and use of regional coordination panels and similar entities in regions other than the Great Lakes. Provides for interstate (in addition to existing State) aquatic nuisance species management plans, allowing Indian tribes as well as States to participate. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1996
Declares a certain portion of Long Island City, Queens County, New York, to be nonnavigable U.S. waters. Requires the improvement of such area. Provides that such declaration shall expire if improvements are not made within 20 years after enactment of this Act, or if such work is not commenced within five years after the issuance of any permit.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1996
Expresses the sense of the Senate that any budget agreement or appropriate tax measure coming before Congress this year shall include expanded access to individual retirement accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1996
Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to provide for: (1) the establishment of the Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training Center for the Recovery of Missing Children to assist law enforcement leaders to develop effective protocols and policies for the investigation and prosecution of cases involving a missing or exploited child and to introduce those officials to resources available to assist in such cases; (2) nationwide training in report-taking and data entry in cases involving missing or exploited children for information specialists; and (3) State-based basic investigation training in cases involving missing or exploited children for State and local police investigators.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1996
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the situation in Kosova must be resolved before the outer wall of sanctions against Serbia is lifted and Serbia is able to return to the international community; and (2) the human rights of the people of Kosova must be restored to levels guaranteed by international law. Calls for: (1) the United States to support the legitimate claims of the Kosovan people to determine their political future; (2) the return of international observers to Kosova as soon as possible; (3) the elected Government of Kosova to be permitted to meet and exercise its legitimate mandate as elected representatives of the Kosovan people; and (4) the reinstatement of all individuals whose employment was terminated on the basis of their ethnicity. Declares that the Kosovan education system should be reopened to all residents of Kosova regardless of ethnicity and the majority ethnic Albanian population should be allowed to educate its youth in its native tongue. Commends progress toward the establishment of a United States Information Agency cultural center in Prishtina, Kosova. Urges the Secretary of State to redouble efforts to open the center as soon as possible. Calls for the President to appoint a special envoy to aid in negotiating a resolution to the crisis in Kosova.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1996
Extends the service of a Commissioner on the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Commission for up to one year, with the approval of the appointing authority, after he or she ceases to be a member of the Senate or the House of Representatives.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1996
Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to read as if certain exceptions to its nuclear non-proliferation provisions made by the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1996 (Public Law 104-107), which permit the transfer of certain military equipment or technology to Pakistan, had not been made.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1996
Tenth Amendment Enforcement Act of 1996 - Requires that, on or after January 1, 1997, any statute enacted by the Congress must include specified findings and declarations about the Constitutional authority of the Congress in enacting such statute to preempt State and local laws. Makes it out of order for the Senate or House of Representatives to consider any legislation that does not include such declarations, unless a supermajority in either House vote otherwise. Amends Federal law to prohibit any executive department or agency (Federal agency) from construing any statutory authorization to issue regulations as authorizing preemption of State law or local ordinance by rule-making or other agency action, unless the statute expressly authorizes issuance of preemptive regulations and the agency concludes that the exercise of State power directly conflicts with the exercise of Federal power under the Federal statute, such that the State statutes and the Federal rule promulgated under the Federal statute cannot be reconciled or consistently stand together. Provides for notice and opportunity for State comment when a Federal agency proposes preemptive rule making or other agency action. Requires each Federal agency to publish in the Federal Register a plan for periodic review of rules and regulations preempting State or local government powers.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1996
Directs the Secretary of State and the Attorney General to jointly establish a visa waiver pilot program for Korean nationals traveling in tour groups to the United States. Specifies requirements for such waiver.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1996
Independent Contractor Tax Simplification Act of 1996 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that, for purposes of determining the employment status of individuals as employees, a service provider shall not be treated as an employee, a service recipient shall not be treated as an employer, a payor shall not be treated as an employer, and compensation paid or received for such service shall not be treated as paid or received with respect to employment if certain conditions are met.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1996
Expresses: (1) admiration of the legacy of the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and his contribution to the special relationship between the United States and Israel; and (2) the sense of the Congress that the American Promenade in Israel be named in memory of him.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1996
Deplores the missile tests that the People's Republic of China (PRC) will conduct from March 8 through 15, 1996, as a threat to the peace, security, and stability of Taiwan and as not being in the spirit of the three U.S.-China Joint Communiques. Calls for the Government of the PRC to cease its bellicose actions directed at Taiwan and enter into meaningful dialogue with the Government of Taiwan at the highest levels with an eye toward decreasing tensions and resolving the issue of the future of Taiwan. Urges the President to consult with the Congress on an appropriate U.S. response to the tests and to reexamine the nature and quantity of defense articles and services that may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability in light of the heightened threat.
![Official portrait of Sen. D'Amato, Alfonse [R-NY]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000018_200.jpg)